When Ceylon India Inn opened near Times Square in the early 1900s, the city’s first South Asian restaurant quickly became a hub for New York’s burgeoning community of desi (a term used to describe people of South Asian descent) dock workers, and students. More than a century later, there are more than 400 such restaurants across the five boroughs, enticing a far more diverse array of diners. After decades of enduring cut-and-paste menus that reduced the vast lexicon of Subcontinental cuisines into some combination of butter chicken, saag paneer, and naan, New Yorkers are lately spoiled for choice as chefs double down on regional cuisines and authentic flavors.
It’s a scene so vibrant that even London stalwarts want in. Mayfair’s Ambassadors Clubhouse debuted a sprawling Nomad location in February, and rumor has it Dishoom is on its way soon as well. It’ll be interesting to see where they make their mark in a city that’s also delivering some unique, only-in-New York twists—think Onion Tree Pizza Co, slinging masala margherita and paneer makhani pies; Rowdy Rooster, known for its fiery masala-laced take on fried chicken sandwiches; and Kolkata Chai Company, which serves an oat milk chai soft serve.
While there are plenty of Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Sri Lankan, and Nepali establishments with their own impassioned fan clubs, for the purposes of this list, we have narrowed down our favorite Indian restaurants. We sifted through Michelin-starred heavyweights, low-key chaat joints, and purveyors of all-you-can eat vegetarian thalis to come up with our take on the best Indian restaurants in New York City.
Manhattan
Semma
It’s been a long journey from a paddy farm in a Tamil Nadu village to the heights of New York’s culinary scene for Semma’s affable chef Vijaya Kumar. But through it all he’s remained true to his South Indian roots, playing Tamil hits over the speakers while he doles out authentic plates more commonly spotted in home kitchens than Michelin-starred dining rooms—annasi padam scallops draped in a pineapple sauce, a luscious lobster tail moilee, and paniyaram, a pillowy lentil-and-rice dumpling. But there are also some classics, like a gunpowder dosa that easily gets my vote for the best in the city (even my hard-to-impress mother was thoroughly impressed on a recent visit), and a seasonal mango dessert that will immediately transport you back to summer in India, even if you’ve never experienced it. The accolades haven’t stopped rolling in since Semma’s 2021 debut in the West Village: in addition to being New York’s only Michelin-starred restaurant, it was also crowned the city’s best restaurant by the New York Times, while Kumar recently took home a James Beard Award for Best Chef: New York.
Bungalow
Everyone knows that for a truly authentic Indian meal, you need to score an invite to a family home. Well, Bungalow might just be the next-best thing. Vikas Khanna is India’s best-known chef—a household name for his cookbooks, TV shows, celebrity friends, social-media savvy, and judging duties on MasterChef India—and he’s managed to make his homey East Village restaurant feel like the most sought-after dinner party invite in town. My usual order includes the shrimp balchao cones encased in airy puff pastry, yogurt kebabs nestled in wisps of kataifi pastry, and an absolutely decadent black lentil daal, but I always save room for special dishes Khanna concocts with seasonal Indian ingredients like jamun or custard apples or mangoes. While the food never disappoints, the true mark of a successful dinner party is the hospitality, and Khanna is a superlative host: tirelessly swanning around every table personally doling out spoonfuls of shrimp curry and eggplant bharta, and sending diners home with gifts for Eid or Diwali or any number of Indian holidays. If you’re lucky enough to get a reservation (or land a walk-in spot after waiting in a line that often curls around First Avenue), you’re in for a memorable night.
Musaafer
I’m not sure it’s possible to cross Musaafer’s threshold for the first time without gasping. This transplant from Houston—where it has a Michelin star—channels the Taj Mahal in Tribeca, with opulent details that were handcrafted by artisans in India and installed in New York over the span of three years. The grand interiors, complete with marble walls, chandeliers inspired by jewelry, and a glittering mirrored room, are a fitting backdrop for chef Mayank Istwal’s opulent menu: think tandoori octopus with purple mashed potatoes and cauliflower macarons, a 72-hour-slow-cooked black daal, lamb nihari birria tacos, and coriander prawns with coconut bread. The vibes are totally different—but no less alluring—in the subterranean speakeasy Saaqi, where moody lighting and whimsical paintings are paired with Indian-inspired cocktails like a paan negroni and the saffron-laced Zaffran. (Pro tip: Try Musaafer’s to-go Thanksgiving spread to cater your next holiday—my family still talks about the tandoori-spiced turkey and cumin mashed potatoes.)
Hyderabadi Zaiqa
Take it from a Hyderabadi: This place is legit. Ever since it opened in a subterranean hole-in-the-wall in Hell’s Kitchen in 2023, the raves have been endless, with the likes of the New York Times, Eater, and Michelin waxing breathlessly over Hyderabadi Zaiqa’s authentic take on the South Indian city’s signature dum biryani. But the three tables in the original location weren’t designed for lingering, so I preferred to get my chicken 65, bhindi masala (okra), and bagara baingan (eggplant) delivered. No longer. In 2024, chef Mohammad Tarique Khan—who previously worked in kitchens at Eleven Madison Park and Sona—opened a much larger second location in the heart of Manhattan’s Curry Hill, adorned with massive images of Hyderabad’s iconic Charminar landmark and plenty of space to order the whole menu. We Hyderabadis are deathly serious about our biryani, and my husband has gone so far as to anoint Hyderabadi Zaiqa’s the best he’s tried after his mother’s—no small achievement.
