A guide to South Asian food in Chicago
Chicago's South Asian food has a clear centre of gravity: Devon Avenue on the city's far north side. From the 1970s onward, Indian and Pakistani families set up shops, restaurants and sari stores along Devon in the West Ridge neighbourhood, and it remains one of the best-known South Asian streets in North America. Beyond Devon, the city has a newer wave of Indian and Nepali restaurants downtown and in the north-side neighbourhoods of Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Roscoe Village.
Devon Avenue
Devon is the place for Pakistani and Hyderabadi food: karahi, nihari, haleem, seekh kebabs and bun kebabs, as well as North Indian classics, sweets and paan. Mintza on West Devon serves South Indian and Kerala cooking, which is rarer in Chicago. Curry Kitchen, further west on Devon, is one of the best-rated restaurants in our Chicago listings and serves both Indian and Nepali dishes. It's also BYOB.
Devon is at its best on a weekend evening, and during Ramadan, when restaurants open late for iftar and stalls sell sweets and snacks well into the night.
Nepali and Himalayan food
Chicago has a lot of Nepali food: around thirteen of our Chicago listings serve momos or Himalayan dishes, more than any other city we cover. Momo Factory in River North, Himalayan Sherpa Kitchen near the Loop, Gorkha Kitchen in Lincoln Park and Cumin in Lakeview all serve momos alongside Indian menus. Order them steamed, fried or "jhol" style, in a spiced broth.
Downtown and the Loop
The Loop has a cluster of Indian lunch spots aimed at office workers: Bhoomi Modern Indian Grill on Washington Street, Maharaj Indian Grill on State Street, and The KTM Kitchen on Madison Street. Shaily's Rasoi on Financial Place is one of the highest-rated places in the city. For a special-occasion dinner, Indienne in River North is one of the city's more upscale Indian restaurants.
The north side
Lakeview, Lincoln Park and Roscoe Village have neighbourhood Indian restaurants with a more modern style. Mild 2 Spicy on Diversey pairs classic dishes with cocktails. Dhanteraz Indian Fusion on Roscoe is one of the best-rated fusion restaurants in the city. Basant in North Center has outdoor seating, and Mazala Pizza in Lincoln Park mixes Nepali dishes with Indian-style pizzas.
Pakistani street food
Rickshaw Pakistani & Indian Street Eats on North Pulaski serves the street food of Lahore and Karachi: chaat, rolls, and bun kebabs (a Karachi-style burger). Around eight of our Chicago listings serve Pakistani food, most of them on or near Devon.