The Best Indian Restaurants in Chicago

Happy customers pack into this family-owned restaurant, tucking into feasts from the extensive, affordable menu. Since 1993, Ghareeb Nawaz has served everything from breakfast specials like aloo paratha (potato curry with bread) to chili chicken biryani with yogurt and fragrant rice. There are 23 types of paratha sandwiches, while their veggie thali includes four types of curry to try out with chapati. There’s a restaurant in Devon and a Lombard branch with a smaller menu. Both are cash only.

The Spice Room rightly declares that “spice doesn’t always mean hot”. It’s about exciting flavors with fresh ingredients – that’s why diners are invited to choose the heat of their dishes. The chefs are proud of their simple but tasty fare like bagara lamb with peanuts, sesame, coconut and spices, or vegetarian paneer butter masala with cottage cheese, onions and bell peppers in a tomato and cream-based sauce. Check out this healthy northern Indian cuisine in Logan Square. It’s BYOB, too, so make a night of it!

Superkhana in Logan Square isn’t just about the food, but the experience, too. Friendly staff will help you choose the best range of dishes, whether collecting from the walk-up-window or dining in the chic, buzzing restaurant. There are the usual goodies plus more adventurous dishes like butter chicken calzone and coconut brisket. Share and try it all with a group, finishing with a cocktail or local cider.

Indian Garden on Downtown Ontario Street promises a “culinary voyage of discovery” from Bombay to Delhi to Goa. The beautifully presented dishes are explosively flavorsome. Start with paneer pakora, deep-fried soft Indian cheese battered in mashed garbanzo beans. Mains are the likes of adraki chaamp – ginger-flavored lamb chops – rogan josh with cardamom, and gosht cooked in the hot kadhai (iron wok). Check out their dine-in only express lunch with six elements including starters and dessert.

Tandoor Char House presents Indian-Pakistani fusion, run by brothers who are inspired by their parents’ cooking. Each plateful is made with passion at the Lincoln Park and River North restaurants, from the signature mix grill platter to house speciality beef nahari, where cuts of sirloin are simmered in sauce and topped with jalapeños and ginger. The award-winning lamb tikka masala tacos are exciting, while vegetarians should try the palak paneer (cheese and spinach stewed in creamy tomato sauce). Choose from six flavors of lassi to end your feast.

Build your own bowl at Naansense, a Chipotle-style restaurant known for its Indian-inspired street food that’s freshly made on-site every day. Select a base, protein, veggies and sauce, and you’re good to go. Naansense has two Chicago locations – one on Wells St. and one on Clinton St – and they have a special street food menu that’s only available at certain times, featuring naan pizza and samosa chaat.

The food at Mango Pickle, in the northern neighborhood of Edgewater, is whipped up by head chef and Chicago native Marisa Paolillo, who spent 10 years studying cooking all over India. This restaurant is dedicated to serving a diverse range of Indian fare, so you won’t only see the items you’re used to on a typical Indian menu; try the cashew rice cake, feni beef stir-fry and lamb khichda.

Tiffin, in Little India, is a great choice if you’re looking to have a fancier night out. Tiffin has a huge menu complete with a long list of vegetarian options, as well as a section devoted to Indian-Chinese fusion entrées, like golden fried baby corn or paneer chilis. And if you’re looking to expand your palate beyond naan, Tiffin also has an entire menu section devoted to different types of bread, including aloo paratha (wheat flower and potatoes).

This Little India establishment offers a wide range of classic Indian and Pakistani dishes – from karahi gosht (a mix of wok-cooked goat meat and vegetables) to haleem (a lentil stew with slow-cooked shredded beef). What makes this restaurant even more appealing is its reasonable prices.

Also located in Little India (though just off Devon Avenue on Rockwell Street), JK Kabab House serves Indian and Pakistani cuisine in a casual environment. As its name suggests, the restaurant serves up kebabs, which are slow-cooked and made to order. If kebabs aren’t your thing, the restaurant also offers a host of other dishes, like its paneer kathi roll (a mix of vegetables and paneer wrapped in chapati) and frontier chicken, which is sautéed and mixed with onion and tomatoes.

Cumin has won the Michelin Bib Gourmand Award year after year for its modern Indian-Nepalese cuisine, which is both delicious and affordable. Visit Cumin to enjoy its crispy veggie or lamb samosas, its shrimp masala or chicken tandoori, and its rich, creamy palak paneer. If there’s room at the end of your meal, you can top it off with homemade pistachio or mango ice cream. From Tuesday to Sunday, there is a fantastic all-you-can-eat lunch buffet as well.

The food at this Lakeview locale is cooked by chef Sai, who studied cooking in India. Chef Sai prepares a large proportion of the restaurant’s entrées in authentic Indian clay pots, which adds an even more authentic taste of the country’s cuisine. The restaurant boasts a large menu, with tons of options for both vegetarians and meat eaters – think masala-based entrées, including mushroom masala, herb vegetable masala and paneer tikka masala, plus butter chicken, lamb vindaloo and Kerala shrimp curry.

Kim Gregory contributed additional reporting to this article.