A guide to South Asian food in Houston
Houston is one of the most diverse cities in the United States, and it has a large, long-established South Asian community. Indian and Pakistani families have lived in southwest Houston since the 1970s and 80s, and the city's best-known South Asian district, the Mahatma Gandhi District along Hillcroft Avenue, grew from that community. Today South Asian restaurants are spread across the whole metro area, from the Energy Corridor and Katy in the west to Pearland in the south.
Areas to know
- Southwest Houston (Hillcroft, Harwin, Wilcrest, Bellfort). The traditional heart of South Asian Houston. You'll find sari and jewellery shops, grocers, sweet shops and Indo-Pak restaurants. Aga's Restaurant & Catering on Wilcrest Drive is a long-running Indian and Pakistani favourite, and Cafe Taj on West Bellfort serves an all-you-can-eat buffet of halal Indian and Indo-Chinese dishes.
- West Houston (Westheimer Road, the Energy Corridor). A large cluster of Indian restaurants serves the area's many South Asian professionals. Lotus Indian Restaurant and Naga's South Indian Cuisine are both on Westheimer.
- Northwest Houston (Highway 249, Clay Road, Huffmeister). Suburban family restaurants such as The Indian Deck, Ruchi's Indian Cuisine, Everest Curry Bar and Tandoori Hut.
- Inside the Loop. bol Indian Kitchen in Midtown and Turmeric Indian Cuisine on Shepherd Drive, known for its chicken tikka masala, serve people living and working near downtown.
- Beyond the city. Gurkhaas Grill in Pearland, and Curry Leaf Punjabi Dhaba in Sealy, a highway dhaba on I-10 west of Houston, are both among the best-rated listings in the area.
What to eat in Houston
Buffets. Houston has more Indian lunch buffets than any other city we cover: around nine of our Houston listings mention a buffet. Tandoorish, Tandoori Hut, Cafe Taj and Gurkhaas all run one. A buffet is the easiest way to try a lot of dishes for one price.
Biryani. Around eight Houston listings lead with biryani, including Hyderabadi and South Indian styles.
South Indian food. Dosa, idli, uttapam, Chettinad curries and Andhra meals. Naga's South Indian Cuisine and are good places to start.