Where to Get the Best Indian Food in Los Angeles in 2024
The best Indian food Los Angeles has to offer can be found in Little India, but that’s not the only neighborhood cooking up authentic Indian cuisine. Los Angeles has the second largest population of Indian people in the United States (New York is #1), so when your taste buds crave the curry and your mouth is watering for masala, a hearty and satisfying meal is just around the corner.
For those who have already fallen in love with the savory and spicy delicacies of Indian cuisine, the best Indian food Los Angeles has may be a dish you haven’t even tried yet. Are you overdone on butter chicken? Did you know there is more to Indian food than tandoori and tikka? There are dosas and dals still waiting to be discovered.
While it can sometimes be easy to go with the chicken dish you know, much of the best Indian food Los Angeles residents have available doesn’t revolve around meat at all. Indian food is one of the best cuisines to embrace if you’re vegetarian. There are also many seafood specialties that originate in the southern parts of the country like Kerala or Goan.
Expanding your Indian food horizons is worthwhile, but if you’re just in it for the basmati rice and naan, we’ll understand. Our list of the best Indian food in Los Angeles covers all the best kormas and vindaloos with a few papadums on the side.
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Find the Best Indian Food in Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a booming ethnic food scene. Foodies will definitely want to do their research in advance so they can take full advantage. Consider trying food tours in Los Angeles to get started and sample several places in one day. Food tours are one of the best things to do in Los Angeles because it’s too big of a city to take a bite out of on your own. Food tours also make fantastic date ideas in Los Angeles.
The Best Indian Restaurants in Los Angeles
1. Cali Chilli
Cali Chilli in Long Beach is an immediate standout when looking for the best Indian food Los Angeles has to offer. Chef Mural Manjunath prepares modern Indian-Asian fusion dishes and has been recognized for his food with four consecutive Michelin stars. The menu is not the standard masala and naan selection. Instead, Chef Manjunath makes more recognizable and approachable dishes with Indian flavors.
The Vibe
Skeptics probably never got past the front door, but they missed out. The best Indian food in Los Angeles has a very basic strip mall exterior that leads you into a small dining space with a brightly-lit eclectic neon bar that doesn’t feel like an Indian restaurant at all.
What to Order
Start with pani puri poppers from the small plates menu (puffed puri bites of chicken or potato served with mango and mint dressing). The dum biryani can be made with chicken, lamb or just vegetables, but the star dish on the menu is eggplant bharta lasagna — tandoor smoked mashed eggplant layered with paneer. The whole buttered lobster tail on a coconut Kerala curry is also a must.
Cali Chilli | 4111 N. Viking Way, Long Beach, CA 90808 | $$$
2. Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen
Another restaurant with the best Indian food in Los Angeles is Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen. This Santa Monica hot spot blends the best flavors of street food and more upscale Indian dishes to create an innovative menu celebrating both the artistry and warmth of Indian heritage. You’ll recognize some of your favorite dishes on the menu but with fresher preparations.
The Vibe
Tumbi feels more like an industrial-chic gastropub than a place serving the best Indian food in Los Angeles, so feel free to dress the part. They have a selection of California beers and wines, which makes this a great place to have drinks before you eat the best Indian food Los Angeles style.
What to Order
If you want something to Instagram, order the paper dosa. It’s a huge crêpe made from rice and lentils and served with a side of masala mashed potatoes. Follow that with a charbroiled salmon kebob and chana bhatura.
Tumbi Craft Indian Kitchen | 115 Santa Monica Blvd., Santa Monica, CA 90401 | $$
3. Pijja Palace
When you picture the best Indian food Los Angeles can serve up, you probably don't see it in a sports bar. Until now. Pijja Palace is a newcomer to the Sunset Boulevard restaurant scene with a totally different concept than the typical Indian spot. They’ve taken your pub favorites and put an Indian spin on them to make them totally unique.
The Vibe
The dining space has a more modern vibe and lighter color palette than your typical sports bar. With plenty of TVs and the best Indian food Los Angeles sports fans can get, it's definitely a winning combination.
What to Order
The okra fries seasoned with chili powder and lemon are on their way to becoming a cult favorite for best Indian food in Los Angeles. There are several options for curried wings with your choice of dipping sauces: curry leaf ranch or yogurt Stilton. Aloo tikki or lamb kebab sliders are easy choices, but Pijja Palace also offers an Indian-inspired pizza and pasta menu.
Pijja Palace | 2711 W. Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90026 | $$
4. Badmaash
Badmaash whips up some of the best Indian food Los Angeles and Hollywood have seen, especially if you consider Indian comfort food. The Indian-born-Canadian-bred family team describes themselves as a gastropub that melds the flavors of India (with a hint of Canadian influence) into comfort classics. They were the first to offer the legendary chicken tikka poutine, an addictive creation of masala fries topped with cheese curds, beef gravy, tandoori chicken tikka and cilantro. You’ll find Indian-style street food plus a few quirky dishes on this Indian food Los Angeles-style menu.
The Vibe
This is a good choice for the best Indian food near Los Angeles’ downtown area. It’s a typical city bistro with casual seating and ambiance.
What to Order
Their motto is “eat like you’re Indian,” so don’t be shy. Start with seasonal house-made Indian pickles and some onion fritters (chickpea batter, tamarind chutney). The poutine is obvious, but if you’re vegetarian, they have you covered with a chana masala version. If you’re really hungry, add on a good ol’ saag paneer, daal makhani made with black lentils and Badmaash broccolini, plus some rosemary naan and a side of basmati pilaf. You can always take leftovers home because the best Indian food in Los Angeles is as good reheated as it is on the first round.
Badmaash | Multiple Locations | $$
5. Cardamom
Kerala is a region of India known for its spice-growing, and Cardamom celebrates those unique flavors. The menu is more contemporary than traditional, and while there is a focus on southern Indian dishes, the menu also has options representing all regions of the country. This is some of the best Indian food Los Angeles visitors can ask for, especially if you enjoy seafood preparations.
The Vibe
Feels like a friendly neighborhood eatery. The white tablecloths give it a more upscale feel, but you can come dressed casually and fit right in. They serve both lunch and dinner.
What to Order
If you’re in for lunch, the chicken tikka salad is an easy choice. There are a variety of tandoor or biryani dishes, but the fish coconut meen molee is their signature dish and the best Indian food that Los Angeles seafood lovers will want to try.
Cardamom | 2327 Honolulu Ave., Montrose, CA 91020 | $$$
6. Mint Leaf Indian Cuisine
The best Indian food in Los Angeles’ Pasadena community is so popular that you will need a reservation to get a table. Mint Leaf Indian Cuisine is a neighborhood gem and offers fresh takes on classic dishes, including a more robust vegetarian selection than traditional spots. They use ingredients like kale, tofu and corn to brighten up the sometimes tired regular suspects.
The Vibe
It’s not much to look at on the outside, but the inside is overflowing with personality — a vintage Victorian vibe accented with gold lanterns and light fixtures, and a bold color scheme that gives it that Indian palace flair. Reservations are strongly recommended for weekends if you want to try the best Indian food near Los Angeles.
What to Order
Kale salad with tandoor tofu. Their green herb chicken tikka is marinated in a mint, basil and marjoram yogurt sauce before hitting the tandoor oven. Don’t forget the mango ras malai for dessert, or a traditional kulfi (Indian ice cream).
Mint Leaf Indian Cuisine | 2535 E. Washington Blvd., Pasadena, CA 91107 | $$
7. Spice Affair
The best Indian food Los Angeles is eating in the 90210 can be found at Spice Affair. The menu reads like a romance novel, so whether you just have a crush on Indian flavors or are truly in love, the Spice Affair will steal your heart. They serve both your favorite classic dishes as well as some with more modern twists. And it won’t break the bank, which is unusual for restaurants in Beverly Hills.
The Vibe
The best Indian food in Los Angeles’ most famous zip code has a lot more glitz and glam than your average Indian restaurant, but it’s still fairly casual.
What to Order
Cumin seed papadums are a great start and palate cleanser. Then try the crispy cauliflower florets in coconut sauce or an avocado bhel, a California twist on the rice puff standard. If you are in the mood for tandoor, get the sampler. Otherwise, the best Indian food Los Angeles’ Spice Affair serves is the house specialty — a flash grilled sea bass with Kashmiri chili and turmeric.
Spice Affair | 50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, CA 90211 | $$
8. Annapurna Cuisine
The best Indian food Los Angeles plant-based eaters will love is available at Annapurna Cuisine in Culver City. They pride themselves on making authentic Indian cuisine fresh every day and also for offering some of the more exotic Indian dishes that are 100% vegetarian.
The Vibe
Your basic strip mall spot. You came for the vast selection of unique vegetarian options, not the atmosphere.
What to Order
For lunch, Annapurna serves up the best Indian food Los Angeles vegetarians can get buffet-style, so it varies from day to day. If you go for dinner, try one of their rice specialties or one of the uthappams (traditional Indian pancakes) plus a classic like bagara baingan (eggplant curry) or aloo gobi masala.
Annapurna Cuisine | 10200 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | $$
9. Al-Watan Halal Restaurant
Al-Watan has been serving halal Indian/Pakistani food for more than 35 years, making them a sure thing for the best Indian food in Los Angeles. The restaurant's name comes from a word that refers to the emotional connection that exists to one’s home country, and you’ll taste that love for India and for Pakistan in their food.
The Vibe
The no-frills but very clean dining room welcomes you for a casual meal. They have a prayer room and are also a great choice if you need catering for an offsite event.
What to Order
The menu is very straightforward, but they are one of the few restaurants on our list of best Indian food in Los Angeles to offer goat dishes, including the house specialty, goat nihari.
Al-Watan Halal Restaurant | 13619 S. Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, CA 90250 | $$
10. Mayura Indian Restaurant
It is not uncommon for the best Indian food in Los Angeles to be a strip-mall gem. Specializing in south Indian dishes, the menu at Mayura Indian Restaurant is vast and has a huge selection of vegetarian options. The owners of this halal restaurant recognize that the traditional flavors that Indians love and crave are being lost due to the overall degradation of ingredients and lack of time for proper preparation. They put their emphasis on trying to capture the essence of their heritage with their food.
The Vibe
A cheerful, tidy and thoughtfully decorated dining room. Definitely casual, but you can feel the love that radiates from each corner, and you can admire their wall of accolades while you wait in line for the buffet.
What to Order
The best way to learn about the best Indian food Los Angeles serves is to grab one of everything on the buffet and sample. If you go for dinner, try their Mayur special, which is also a sampler platter.
Mayura Indian Restaurant | 10406 Venice Blvd., Culver City, CA 90232 | $$
11. Rajdhani
If you haven’t experienced a thali-style meal yet, then the best Indian food that Los Angeles’ Little India has to offer is at Rajdhani. In a thali meal, you receive a small portion of six different dishes that are meant to represent Ayurvedic nutrition balance (textures and flavors needed to achieve optimum physical and spiritual health). It’s a little like going to a buffet because the selections of what is available rotate regularly, only you don’t even have to get up to fix your plate.
The Vibe
A simple but welcoming dining space. Come as you are, but don’t go alone because the best Indian food in Los Angeles tastes better with friends.
What to Order
Thali is a great dining experience because you don’t have to make any choices. Just sit back, and the waiters will keep bringing you food until you don’t think you can eat anymore. Plan on a good nap afterward.
Rajdhani | 18525 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, CA 90701 | $$
12. Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen
Another true standout for the best Indian food in Los Angeles is Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen. Chef Imran Ali Mookhi trained under some of the most prestigious Indian chefs in the country and was recognized in the Michelin guide for his contributions at Tumbi, another hot spot on our list. This 100% halal restaurant not only offers fantastic food, but also a creative alcohol-free cocktail list. The contemporary spins on Indian classics will appeal to those who follow a more wellness-based lifestyle, which isn’t something you’ll find even at the best restaurants in Los Angeles.
The Vibe
Trendy and urban upscale-casual dining space.
What to Order
For starters, try the pomegranate bhel puri and goat cheese kulcha with butter sauce. Check out the best Indian food that Los Angeles carnivores will love on their Australian wagyu steak menu. This is followed by a selection of biryanis and curries, but be sure to save room for the Hyderabadi bread pudding or shahi gulab jamun (Indian donuts with Nutella and chocolate wafers).
Khan Saab Desi Craft Kitchen | 229 E. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton, CA 92832 | $$
13. Samosa House
Samosa House has been “serving Indian vegetarian and vegan gourmet food at non-gourmet prices” since 1979. In addition to getting a delicious and authentic hot plate of Indian food, you can get all your shopping done in their 8,500-square-foot market. “Whether it’s a quick weekend get-together or a big fat Indian wedding,” Samosa House also caters.
The Vibe
Samosa House is a neighborhood ethnic food market and gift shop serving hot plates to go. They are the best Indian food Los Angeles residents on a budget can get.
What to Order
Each Samosa House location has its own rotation of specials, but you can expect your favorite classics mixed in. Plates are sold by weight, not the plate.
Samosa House | Multiple Locations | $
14. Zam Zam Market
The best Indian food that Los Angeles’ Pakistani community clamors for is both food market and restaurant. Zam Zam Market is run by Pakistani immigrants who proudly bring their flavors and culture to this Desi-eating experience (Desi preparations focus on making food from scratch with the use of fresh ingredients). They have built a menu consisting of the favorites, from biryanis (rice-based dishes) to comforting niharis (braised meats) that will satisfy any appetite.
The Vibe
A neat and simple food market with a handful of casual eating tables.
What to Order
Lamb biryani or the Delhi-style nihari. But definitely get a mango lassi, the best Indian food Los Angeles citizens can use to cool down after a spicy meal.
Zam Zam Market | 13645/49 S. Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, CA 90250 | $
15. Roots Indian Bistro
When you’re looking for something other than straightforward traditional, Roots Indian Bistro offers some of the best Indian food Los Angeles style. The menu is organized by preparations like korma or vindaloo, and then you choose your protein. This is a great restaurant to try if you’re introducing someone to Indian for the first time and don’t want to overwhelm them with the full Indian experience.
The Vibe
Modest but lively dining spot with an option to sit on floor cushions. This is the best way to eat the best Indian food Los Angeles offers.
What to Order
Try a naan bruschetta or some paneer masala fries to start. Their combo platters are a good way to go. Vegans will love the Tipsy Hippy, which comes with malai kofta (think vegetable meatballs in tomato sauce), saag tofu, lentil dal and a cucumber salad.
Roots Indian Bistro | 7265 Melrose Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046 | $$
16. Bombay Beach
If your definition of the best Indian food in Los Angeles is a restaurant that cooks like Nani, Bombay Beach might be the spot for you. They describe themselves as a more modern approach to homestyle Indian cooking. “Not your typical buffet.”
The Vibe
Casual and clean California vibe. Doesn’t follow the normal Indian restaurant mold.
What to Order
In addition to some tandoori and masala plates, Bombay Beach may be the best Indian food for Los Angeles taco fans. Their veggie tikka takkos are served in a dosa instead of a tortilla. They also offer pijja, or Indian-style pizza.
Bombay Beach | 1338 W. Seventh St., Los Angeles, CA 90017 | $$
17. Saffron Spot
You can’t have a list of the best Indian food in Los Angeles without a sweet ending. Saffron Spot ice cream and snacks is located in the Little India Village food court and offers exotic frozen desserts, shaved ice and hot drinks.
The Vibe
Super cheery ice cream parlor with a handful of bar stools.
What to Order
They have a great selection of lassis (like a smoothie but made with yogurt) including mango, rose and saffron. If you need actual food, they have a chutney sandwich which you can wash down with their exotic milkshake.
Saffron Spot | 18744 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, CA 90701 | $$
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A cuisine that makes copious use of chickpeas, lentils, lamb and warming spices isn’t hard to love. While it may sometimes seem like every Indian restaurant has the same menu as the next, those menus are usually pretty extensive, so take a trip off the beaten path and try something new. A younger generation of Indian chefs is taking shape, and they’re cooking up reinvented versions of your favorite classics, so keep an eye on them. The best Indian food Los Angeles has seen may still be yet to come!
For even more fun ways to explore Los Angeles and beyond, check out other experiences happening on Cozymeal.
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