Houston has a large, long-established South Asian community, centred historically on southwest Houston and the Mahatma Gandhi District along Hillcroft Avenue. Today there are excellent Indian restaurants across the whole metro area, from Indo-Pak kitchens in Alief to South Indian buffets on Westheimer and upscale modern Indian near the Galleria. This list picks ten of the best-rated places, with a note on what each one does best.
How we chose: We started with every South Asian restaurant in our Houston listings, ranked them by public rating, and chose a range of styles and neighbourhoods across the metro area. Ratings change over time, so check the listing before you go.
1. Aga's Restaurant & Catering
11842 Wilcrest Drive · Rated 4.8
A long-running southwest Houston favourite for Indian and Pakistani food, in a relaxed strip-mall setting. It also caters events.
2. Ruchi's Indian Cuisine
10618 Clay Road · Rated 4.8
A longtime northwest Houston restaurant for biryani, korma and other subcontinental specialities, with vegan dishes on the menu and a good tea selection.
3. Cafe Taj Indo-Pak Restaurant
10730 West Bellfort Avenue · Rated 4.8
A casual all-you-can-eat restaurant serving halal Indian, Pakistani and Indo-Chinese food, including vegetarian dishes. It's a good choice when you want to try a lot at once.
4. The Indian Deck
17375 Highway 249, Unit 2K · Rated 4.8
A relaxed restaurant in northwest Houston serving everything from tandoori chicken to biryani, plus some newer twists. It has outdoor seating. There is also an Aldine location, The Indian Deck Aldine Bar & Bistro.
5. Lotus Indian Restaurant
12280 Westheimer Road, #8 · Rated 4.8
A well-rated restaurant in the west Houston cluster along Westheimer, noted for its local specialities.
6. Naga's South Indian Cuisine
11807 Westheimer Road, #580 · Rated 4.7
A lively restaurant for South Indian classics, including dosa, biryani and curries, with a buffet. Our dosa guide explains the menu.
7. Tandoorish
9135 West Sam Houston Parkway North, #400 · Rated 4.7
A women-owned restaurant serving traditional Indian dishes and an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet. It has outdoor seating.
8. Turmeric Indian Cuisine
1111 Shepherd Drive, Suite 100 · Rated 4.7
A casual restaurant near downtown known for its chicken tikka masala. It's a good option if you live or work inside the Loop.
9. Viva Goa Cuisine
727 West Little York Road, Suite 300 · Rated 4.6
A rare find: a restaurant dedicated to the food of Goa, on India's west coast, where Portuguese influence shows in dishes like chicken xacuti and prawn curry. It's a very different flavour from standard North Indian menus.
10. Musaafer
5115 Westheimer Road, Suite C-3500 · Rated 4.6
Houston's showpiece Indian restaurant, near the Galleria. It serves high-concept Indian dishes with wine, cocktails and desserts in an eclectic dining room. Go for a celebration.
Also worth knowing
- Vegetarian buffet: Govinda's Vegetarian Cuisine on West 34th Street has a vegetarian Indian buffet in a room painted with murals.
- Buffets further out: Himalayan Taj near Clear Lake serves Indian and Nepali food, including momos, from a buffet, and Gurkhaas Grill in Pearland has an all-you-can-eat menu and a bar.
- Hyderabadi: Hyderabadi Chai & Grill on Wilcrest Drive serves goat biryani and garlic naan.
- On the highway: Curry Leaf Punjabi Dhaba in Sealy, on I-10 west of Houston, is the best-rated listing in the whole area. It's a proper highway dhaba.
Tips for eating in Houston
- You'll need a car. Houston's Indian restaurants are spread across a huge metro area.
- Use the lunch buffets. Houston has more Indian buffets than any other city we cover, and they're the best value.
- Try weekend breakfast. Indo-Pak restaurants in southwest Houston often serve halwa puri and nihari on weekend mornings.
- Ask about halal. It's widely available in southwest Houston, but check with the restaurant if it matters to you.
For more on the neighbourhoods, and the full list of restaurants with hours and phone numbers, see our Houston, TX city guide.