Indian Restaurants in Atlanta
Possibly the most complete listing available anywhere, beyond what is available through the yellow pages, Zagat's or other review books, Indian organization webpages, you name it. Written by a lover of Indian food, particularly what I'd guess you would call the northern Indian/Pakistani/Punjab type food including creamy, spicy sauces with meats as well as vegetables.
Help me keep this up to date, contact:
Your comments are welcome, and frankly, I don't get outside the perimeter too often.
Some Reviews are down the page below the listings.
Listings
(a lot of these restaurants come and go so call before checking out a new place) ? = not in phone book last time I checked Angan Indian Restaurant 1475 Holcomb Bridge Rd., Roswell 30076 770-993-0010 www.anganusa.com Annapoorna [was Shingaar Palace] 3364 Chamblee Tucker Rd. 30341 [North Hills Plaza near 285] 770-458-4466 *lunch buffet Armaan 3064 Old Norcross Road, Suite 150, Duluth 30096 770-923-2323 www.thearmaan.com Aroma Delight 1848 Old Norcross Rd. (inside Cruse Plaza) Lawrencesville, GA 30044 ph: 678-377-7600 www.thearomadelight.com Ashiana 5675 Jimmy Carter Boulevard, Norcross 30071 770-446-8081 www.theashiana.com Banaras 3300 Peachtree Industial Blvd., Duluth 678-417-1911 Bethar Restaurant & Banquet Hall 3099 Breckinridge Blvd., Duluth 30096 678-467-7229 Bhojanic 1363 Clairmont Road Decatur, GA 30033 www.bhojanic.com 404-633-9233 Bollywood Huts 1455 Pleasant Hill Rd., Suite 205, Lawrenceville 770-381-8805 Bombay Grill 2165 Savoy Drive, Chamblee 30341 [access road inside I-285 between N. Shallowford & N. Peachtree] 678-530-0055 *lunch buffet, weekend buffet Cafe Bombay 2615 Briarcliff Road NE 404-320-0229 www.cafebombayatlanta.com Calcutta Little 5 Points Chat Patti [was Chut Patti] 1594 Woodcliff Dr. NE 30329 [N. Druid & Briarcliff] 404-633-5595 www.chat-patti.com *styrofoam ?Chopaati [Indian Delights location] 1707 Church St. NW, Decatur 404-296-2965 *styrofoam *vegetarian ?Curry & Kabob [was Cafe Bombay] 2615 Briarcliff Rd NE [N. Druid & Briarcliff] 404-320-0229 *lunch buffet ?Dawat Indian Cafe 4025-K Satellite Blvd., Norcross [near Gwinnett Place Mall] 770-623-6133 Desi Spice 931 Monroe Dr. NE [Midtown Plaza] 404-872-2220 Dosa Houze [was Andy's Indian Grill] 3070 Windward Plaza, Alpharetta 30005 678-242-0155 www.dosahouze.com Haveli Indian Cuisine 225 Spring St. NW [behind merchandise mart] 404-522-4545 *lunch buffet www.haveliindiancuisines.com & Haveli Indian Cuisine 490 Franklin Rd., Marietta 30067 [corner of S. Marietta Pkwy (120 Loop off 75) and Franklin] 770-955-4525 770-422-8000 *lunch buffet Himalayas 5520 Peachtree Industrial Blvd. 770-458-6557 India Chef Restaurant 11060 Alpharetta Hwy, Roswell 770-645-6044 *lunch buffet www.indiachefatlanta.com ?India Garden Restaurant 1475 Terrell Mill Rd. SE, Marietta 770-933-0804 ?India's Oven 1477 Roswell Rd. NE Marietta 770-971-1166 Kohinoor Indian Restaurant (new location) 1158 Rockbridge Rd. NW, Norcross 30093 770-717-5553 Lahore Grill Cobb International Plaza 1869 Cobb Pkwy SE, Ste 150, Marietta 30060 678-398-9868 www.lahoregrill.com ?Little India 4225 Roswell Rd. 404-705-8758 *lunch buffet 7 days Madras Cafe (new location) 2179 Lawrenceville Hwy 404-320-7120 *styrofoam *vegetarian Madras Chettinaad 2201 Lawrenceville Hwy Suite 101, Decatur 30033 (also in Savannah) 404-636-6614 www.madraschettinaad.com Saravana Bhavan (was Madras Saravana Bhavan) 2179 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur 30033 404-636-4400 madrassaravanabhavan.net Madras Sri Ganesh Ram Palace 1825-14A Rockbridge Rd., Stone Mountain 30087 404-452-7123 ?Maharaja 3900 La Vista Rd. 770-414-1010 *lunch buffet 7 days Minerva Indian Cuisine 4305 State Bridge Rd., Alpharetta 30022 [E off 400 exit 10 near Publix] 678-566-7444 www.minervacuisine.com *lunch buffet Mirch Masala 1713 Church St., Decatur 30033 404-296-9999 Mirch Masala #2 3900 Lavista Rd., Tucker 770-270-2204 The Mughals 5625 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross [at Singleton] 770-446-6941 *lunch buffet *styrofoam ?The Mughals #2 [was Punjab] 1869 Cobb Pkwy SE, Marietta 770-955-3130 *lunch buffet The Palace 6131 Peachtree Parkway, Norcross 770-840-7770 Panahar Bangladeshi Cuisine 3375 Buford Hwy [Northeast Plaza] 404-633-6655 *lunch buffet 7 days ?Planet Bombay [was Curry House] 451 Moreland Ave. NE [Little Five Points] 404-688-0005 www.planetbombay.com Poona 3820 Pleasant Hill Rd., Duluth 30096 770-232-1234 www.poonarestaurant.com Raja Indian Restaurant 2955 Peachtree Rd. NE 404-237-2661 Raj Ratan 5775 Jimmy Carter Blvd., Norcross 30071 [west of 85 by Taste of Thai] 770-446-1120 ?Rose of India 4847 Peachtree Rd. Chamblee 678-330-1525 Royal Indian Cuisine 4315 Abbotts Bridge Rd., Duluth 30097 678-473-0300 www.royalindianatlanta.com Sabri Kabab House 6075 Singleton Rd. NW 770-263-6004 Sabri Kabab House #2 1706 Church St., Decatur 404-477-1401, 404-477-1400 ?Samrat Indian Cuisine 5920 Roswell Rd. [Parkside] 404-252-1644 & Santoor Indian Cusine 3050 Mansell Rd. 770-650-8802 ?South Indian Cafe 751 Dekalb Industrial Way, Decatur 404-297-8882 southindiancafe.com ?Spotlight Restaurant & Bar 700 Sandy Plains Rd., Marietta 770-792-2909 ?Swapna [was Sai Ram] 2655 Cobb Parkway [Hwy 41 just outside the perimeter] Atlanta GA 30339 770-956-7589 swapnaindiancuisine.com Touch of India 1037 Peachtree St. [Midtown] 404-876-7777 & Touch of India 3017 North Druid Hills Rd. [Toco Hills] 404-728-8881 & ?Touch of India 4805 Lawrenceville Hwy, Lilburn [29 and Indian Trail/Kilian Rd.] 770-921-9666 & Desi Spice [Midtown Plaza] Udipi Cafe 1850 Lawrenceville Hwy, Decatur 30033 404-325-1933 *vegetarian Vatica 1475 Terrell Mill Road, Suite 105, Marietta 770-955-3740 ?Woodland Restaurant 1080 Oak Tree Rd., Decatur [N. Druid at N. Dekalb Mall] 404-321-6005 *lunch buffet *styrofoam *vegetarian Zyka 1677 Scott Blvd., Decatur 30033 404-728-4444 www.zyka.com *styrofoam ?Premier Club (?private club for events?) 2100 Park Lake Dr. [LaVista at 285] 770-493-7159 *dancing, karaoke
Reviews
"Places with Plates"
roughly (that's roughly, okay?) best to worst:
Bhojanic: Some of the best Northern Indian can be found at this intown bistro, and the Malhotra family seems here to stay, with the restaurant growing out of their catering business. Open Mon-Sat for lunch and for dinner. Something going on almost every night, for example with jazz on Wednesday and Friday. All you can eat tapas on Thursday.
Minerva Indian Cuisine: Could be the best buffet in town. I rarely venture outside the perimeter, but checked it out on a recommendation when I was in nearby Roswell. Huge place, huge buffet, tasty, although I've heard mixed reviews. My only gripe is that everything was bit on the too liquid side. Tasty, but I suspect buffets often go this route because it's cheaper to sell soup broth. Nonetheless, too bad it ain't intown.
Haveli: This was my old favorite, definitely among the best as far as I am concerned, but not like it used to be. The Marietta location has moved farther out and is still good, but it lacks the ambience of the old location. It is now in what I believe is an old Bennigan's, and retains that layout and decorative style. The downtown location has the same food, but for me it lacks the ambience and of course parking can be a hassle downtown.
Saravana Bhavan: South Indian, which is not my favorite, but this place has some tasty food. Kind of a weird space inside an old (Po) Folks restaurant. Was Madras Saravana Bhavan.
Annapoorna: [Was Shingaar Palace] It's okay. There is still a lunch buffet. Going there at night, it was kind of weird, with CNN Headline News blaring out from the big screen. Kind of distracting. Get the international feed, guys, and get those Indian music videos going! 2008 update - better than okay, good food, good place for a quiet dinner.
Madras Sri Ganesh Ram Palace: Finally made it out to this place near Stone Mountain. Had a nice Southern Indian thali style platter for lunch, thumbs up.
Panahar: Good $6.99 buffet in Northeast Plaza. They're in the old Vietnamese Cuisine spot, with some of the same furniture and decor but thankfully they've warmed it up a bit from the "disco" look of VC. Used to love that old Vietnamese Cuisine, they would whip me up a great off-menu chicken curry. I think the Triad put them out of business (seriously, they shot up the place). 2008 was slightly less impressed this time around.
Bollywood Masala (now Madras Chettinaad): Not bad. This [used to be] some kind of sister restaurant to Madras Saravana Bhavan (they really need a shorter name), and they serve meat dishes here. Decent food, and the big space is vaguely nightclub-ish, with some really nice big booths. 2008 on their re-opening, tasty food at a great price, particularly if you have a Savvy Shopper coupon. 2008 revisit, was unimpressed - not much in the way of veggies, basically filled up on Tandoori chicken.
Raj Ratan: Seems to be a southern indian place. Was there for a Saturday lunch and it was mostly the street food kind of stuff, but the owner whipped me up a decent thali. They looked to be set up for a buffet maybe on weekdays.
Cafe Bombay: Pretty decent buffet. They have a nice big room for private parties, and the whole place has been substantially upgraded since they first moved in.
Swapna: [formerly Sai Ram] It's a big buffet, with lots of selections. Seems to be really heavy on cream and butter in the dishes I tried. Didn't do it for me, but it's okay. [Retains much of the Chinese decor from a previous restaurant.]
Rose of India: This place had some of the trappings of Touch of India (the dark red tablecloths, etc.) and reminded me of Raja (the mulligatawny soup) and Himalayas (the multicolored rice) as well, but I would say it slightly surpassed all of these. A small notch above middle of the road. Good naan.
Touch of India: It's not really my favorite "style", but it's okay, and used to be convenient for me, so I used to go there all the time. All three offer the same menu, with only slight differences. They are consistent, and they've been around for many years. Apparently Desi Spice (Midtown Plaza) is another restaurant by the Touch of India folks. I stopped in recently, and it's the same food. It's a nice little place, and has some patio area on the balcony, but depending on where you are, some of the seating is too close. I have to mention that there was a big strand of metallic plastic, like from one of those scrubbing pads, in my food. I mentioned this to the "manager" and she was very "sorry," but she didn't comp me anything. So my tip was basically non-existent.
India Chef: Small lunch buffet. Okay if you're dying for it, but it's kind of bland. I did like the chana saag with cinnamon.
Banaras: Not sure where to put this place. Didn't really do it for me food-wise, maybe 1 out of 4 dishes hit my taste buds just right, the others tasting a bit to me like dirt was mixed in to the dish (sorry, that's what it tasted like to me - your mileage may vary). More of a south Indian style, vegetarian. I liked the amiable owner guy, but the damn thing about the place is that they apparently lacked the creativity to come up with their own logo, decor, and even to some extent the book style menu presentation, and chose instead to substantially copy Bhojanic's style in these areas. I guess if you're going to steal, steal from the best. It's a nice space, though, and the lunch-time thali is all you want to eat.
The Mughals #2: These guys put on a pretty tasty lunch buffet, although it's not like a super "nice" place. Dinner does not seem to live up to the lunch buffet standard. They seem to have lost half a step along with the ownership change from the old Punjab Indopak.
Bombay Grill: This is a huge place, in some kind of old Steak and Ale type thing complete with the odd coat of arms up on the wall. Mexican waitresses seemed a bit out of place. The buffet had some good stuff, but the chicken was just not up to par. Thin sauce. I liked the broccoli dish, a welcome addition to the usual saag or aloo gobi you find everywhere. 2008 Update - at a recent trip, food was mediocre, bland, and pricey.
Sai Ram:[Gone, now Swapna] Has a lunch buffet, good in a pinch, but unimpressive overall.
Raja: May have been the first Indian restaurant in Atlanta. The dishes strike me as a little too salty.
Curry & Kabob: Decent lunch buffet, although I've been there when some of the items needed a little warming up. I liked it when they used to play Indian music videos on the big screen tv, but no more. Now they seem to like it dead quiet in there. Spooky. Put on some tunes!
Planet Bombay: I guess I would give the nod to Planet Bombay over Calcutta for best L5P Indian. That may not be saying much, though.
Himalayas: Okay in a pinch, however I wouldn't go out of my way to eat there. Great if you're getting your Honda worked on across the street.
Little India: Low ceiling-ed house on Roswell has a lunch buffet, but the food is spiceless and bland. A good variety of vegetable dishes in addition to the typical tandoori and curry chicken. Cheap at 6.99 for the buffet.
Udipi: Thali style vegetarian lunch with those tiny stainless steel containers, the ingredients none of which I am particularly into. Somewhat unimpressed with the quantity, and the selections were almost half soup items. Need to go back and try an off the menu entree, as my sense is a lot of folks praise this place. On the other hand, this is South Indian, which isn't really my thing.
Mirch Masala: This is the Decatur location. It's a nice big place that someone put some money into, but I found the buffet pretty lackluster. The naan was good.
Samrat: Disappointing lunch buffet, particularly when they charge as much as Shingaar. Watery sauces, difficult to reach items, poor service. I have always found it amusing that at a reunion a former classmate of mine used talking about going to Samrat as an excuse for him to name drop that it reminded him of his "London" days. All I know is things must be pretty grim for Indian food in London.
Reviews, styrofoam cafe style, not sure the order means much of anything here:
The Mughals: Stumbled onto this. Got there at 12:15 and the buffet was not ready until about 12:30, almost walked out on that basis and the fact that it was not exactly the cleanest looking place. But the tiny buffet was actually quite good. Have never seen pieces of chicken tikka that big (leg plus thigh and more in one piece). If KFC could figure out how to make those ...Woodland: One of the nicer styrofoam places. Good vegetarian buffet.
Indian Delights: Another good styrofoam place. Seems to get very good reviews.
Chat Patti: Small styro place, seems to have a lot of selection and is always full of Indians. My story about this place is that once I found myself in line at the bank behind the former owner [Chut Patti]. His account was apparently substantially overdrawn. Next week the restaurant's name changed from Chut to Chat.
Madras: Have not been in a long while. Do not remember anything standing out.
Gone?
?Aangan Restaurant ?or Palki Indian Restaurant? 763 DeKalb Industrial Way, Decatur 404-294-8989 *lunch buffet ?Annapurna 950 Indian Trail Rd. Suite 2A/2B 678-924-1060 Bollywood Masala now Madras Chettinaad Daabha Delhi Darbar Indian Delights Noor Palace Shingaar Palace