The 10 best Indian restaurants in Chicago and the suburbs

This guide ranks the best Indian restaurants in Chicago as of fall 2026, from a Michelin-starred tasting room in River North to the nihari and dosa counters of Devon Avenue in West Ridge. One suburban kitchen, in Park Ridge, made the top 10 on the strength of a 2025 Chicago magazine review. The list is for locals picking a night out and for visitors who want Indian food in Chicago beyond the lunch buffet.

Regional cooking gets the edge here. Kerala seafood curries, Kongunadu rasam from Tamil Nadu, Pakistani nihari and Nepali momos all appear, each named for what it is. Prices run wide: chicken biryani on Devon costs $10.99, Nadu’s shared tasting menu is $60 a person, and Indienne’s tasting menus start at $135 before drinks and a mandatory 20 percent service charge.

How we chose

The order weighs named, dated recognition: Michelin stars and Bib Gourmands from the 2025 Chicago guide, James Beard Award semifinalist nods, and national best-restaurant lists from The New York Times and Food & Wine. Restaurants with several of those rank higher. After that, repeated recommendations from Time Out Chicago, The Infatuation and Chicago magazine, plus years in business, settled the rest. No single site’s rating decided a spot, and every entry was checked against the restaurant’s own website in September 2026.

Hours and prices below come from each business and change without notice. Call ahead if you are making a special trip.

Indienne

Chef Sujan Sarkar, a Kolkata native who trained in London, pairs Indian flavors with French technique at Indienne, a River North dining room inside a renovated 19th-century printing warehouse. Dinner is a seasonal tasting menu in four versions: vegetarian, vegan, pescatarian and non-vegetarian. Michelin inspectors single out the pani puri and the carefully spiced curries, and the guide has kept the restaurant at one star since fall 2023, a first for an Indian kitchen in Chicago. That run puts Indienne on top. Book the dining room ahead, or walk into the bar after 5 p.m. for small plates and drinks.

Hours: Mon-Thu 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; closed Sun.

Address: 217 W Huron St, Chicago, IL 60654

Why they made the list

• The vegetarian and vegan menus cost $135, the non-vegetarian and pescatarian menus cost $155, and wine pairings add $95.
• Sarkar was a James Beard Award semifinalist for Best Chef: Great Lakes in 2025.
• Every bill carries a mandatory 20 percent service charge, and the restaurant asks that all diners be older than 9.
• There is no valet, so plan on street parking or a nearby lot.

See the full directory listing

Thattu

Kerala’s coconut and curry-leaf cooking found a permanent Avondale home in 2023, four years after Margaret Pak and Vinod Kalathil started Thattu as a stall in the Politan Row food hall. Food & Wine named the stall one of the best new restaurants of 2020, and The New York Times picked the Avondale restaurant for the paper’s 2023 Restaurant List of 50 places nationwide. Those two national honors put Thattu second. Start with the Kerala fried chicken bites, then share the beef fry with flaky porottas and the Malabar goat biriyani. The restaurant recommends reservations, especially on weekends.

Hours: Thu-Sun 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; closed Mon-Wed.

Address: 2601 W Fletcher St, Chicago, IL 60618

Why they made the list

• Beef fry with two porottas costs $25, and the bone-in Malabar goat biriyani costs $27.
• Eater named Thattu one of the 12 best new restaurants in the country in 2023.
• The pork chop peralan, served with coconut-braised collard greens and a yucca cake, is the priciest entree at $35.
• Tables are booked through OpenTable, and takeout runs through DoorDash and Uber Eats.

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Nadu

Sarkar’s second Chicago restaurant trades the tasting-menu format for shared plates, each labeled with the city or state it comes from. Nadu opened on Lincoln Avenue in April 2025, earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand that November and made the 2026 James Beard semifinalist list for Best New Restaurant. That is a lot of recognition for an 18-month-old restaurant, and it lands Nadu third. Order the Parsi-style keema per eda, spiced lamb under a fried egg with pao bread, and the Bangalore benne masala dosa. The kitchen handles vegetarian, vegan, halal and gluten-free diets. Reservations for up to six go through SevenRooms.

Hours: Sun-Thu 5 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

Address: 2518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60614

Why they made the list

• Keema per eda costs $24, and the benne masala dosa costs $18.
• A shared tasting menu costs $60 per person, and the whole table has to order it.
• Michelin inspectors point to the meen gassi, walleye in a coconut and tamarind curry.
• Corkage is $35 per 750-milliliter bottle, with a limit of two bottles per table.

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Superkhana International

Not every dish at Superkhana International would pass as traditional, and chefs Zeeshan Shah and Yoshi Yamada seem fine with that. Since opening on Diversey Avenue in Logan Square in 2019, the pair has built a menu around house naan, chaat and a butter chicken calzone that Time Out Chicago’s critics single out above everything else. Michelin lists the restaurant as a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 guide, and Shah and Yamada were 2025 James Beard semifinalists for Best Chef: Great Lakes, which earns fourth place. Pair the calzone with chile cheese naan. Plan around the calendar, since the dining room is dark on Mondays and Tuesdays.

Hours: Wed-Thu 5 p.m. to 9 p.m.; Fri-Sat 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.; brunch Sat-Sun 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; closed Mon-Tue.

Address: 3059 W Diversey Ave, Chicago, IL 60647

Why they made the list

• The butter chicken calzone and the chile cheese naan each cost $19.
• Jars of house sauces sell to go, including tamarind chutney for $12.
• Parties of seven or more get an automatic 22 percent gratuity.
• Michelin inspectors describe a bright dining room with an open kitchen.

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Mirra

Chefs Rishi Kumar, a Frontera Grill and Topolobampo alum, and Zubair Mohajir put Indian and Mexican cooking on the same plate at Mirra in Bucktown. Scallops in Mexican green curry arrive in crispy fenugreek roti taco shells, and lamb barbacoa biryani comes sealed under roti, sized for two or three. Michelin named Mirra a Bib Gourmand in 2025, and both chefs were 2026 James Beard semifinalists for Best Chef: Great Lakes. Fifth place reflects that record and the fact that fusion is the whole idea here; come for the mash-up, not a classic curry house. Walk-ins are taken until 9:30 p.m.

Hours: Tue-Sun 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.; brunch Sat-Sun 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Address: 1954 W Armitage Ave, Chicago, IL 60622

Why they made the list

• The lamb barbacoa biryani costs $48, and the scallop tacos cost $18.
• Mirra started as a residency at the Coach House in Wicker Park before moving to Armitage Avenue in 2024.
• Time Out Chicago gave the restaurant four out of five stars.
• A seven-course tasting menu is available alongside the a la carte dinner menu.

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Sabri Nihari

Devon Avenue’s reputation for Pakistani cooking rests partly on Sabri Nihari, open since the mid-1990s in a big room with chandeliers and gold-toned walls. The namesake nihari is beef shank slow-cooked in a gingery gravy under a layer of ghee, and Time Out advises stirring the ghee in before spooning the stew over rice. Round out the table with chicken charga, a whole Lahore-style bird marinated overnight and fried, or dal gosht with naan. A Michelin Bib Gourmand and three decades on Devon make Sabri Nihari the top-ranked pick on the street. No alcohol is served, so order a lassi.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2500-02 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659

Why they made the list

• Sabri nihari costs $18, and the nalli nihari with bone marrow costs $24.
• Michelin listed the restaurant as a Bib Gourmand in the 2019 Chicago guide.
• The dining room is large enough for family groups, and walk-ins are welcome.
• Tray catering and full-service event catering are available for weddings and parties.

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Annapurna Simply Vegetarian

Vegetarians have eaten well on Devon since 1982, the year Annapurna Simply Vegetarian opened, before the stretch was widely called Little India. The family-run counter cooks South Indian and Gujarati food, and The Infatuation calls Annapurna’s dosas the best on Devon. The masala dosa has crisp edges and a well-spiced potato filling, with sambar and coconut chutney on the side. On a hungrier day, get the daily Gujarati thali. Forty-four years on Devon and steady praise from local critics place Annapurna seventh. The dining room is small, so weekend lunch can mean a wait.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2600 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659

Why they made the list

• The masala dosa costs $11.99, and the special Gujarati thali costs $16.99.
• Chole bhature, chickpea curry with puffed fried bread, costs $12.95.
• A second Annapurna operates at 721 W Golf Rd in Hoffman Estates.
• Annapurna also appears in the Time Out Chicago guide to the city’s best Indian restaurants.

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The Momo World

Nepali dumplings are the draw at The Momo World, a small counter-service spot on Maxwell Street in University Village. Get the jhol momo, steamed dumplings in a spiced tomato broth, and the sadeko momo, stir-fried in a tomato-sesame sauce, then branch out into the tandoori or chaat versions. The Infatuation gave the restaurant a 9.0 in 2024, and the Time Out Chicago Indian guide lists the shop too. That praise, with nearly every plate under $20, puts Momo World eighth. Leave room for the pork chilli. Sunday service ends at 5 p.m., so plan weekend visits early.

Hours: Tue-Sat noon to 9 p.m.; Sun noon to 5 p.m.; closed Mon.

Address: 727 W Maxwell St, Chicago, IL 60607

Why they made the list

• Steamed chicken momo costs $12.99, and chicken jhol momo costs $14.99.
• Pork chilli, boneless pork with green chilies and bell peppers, costs $17.99.
• The menu also carries Nepali sekuwa skewers and goat curry platters.
• Catering orders are taken by phone.

See the full directory listing

Thalaiva’s Indian Kitchen

Park Ridge holds the one suburban spot in this top 10. There, Thalaiva’s Indian Kitchen cooks the food of Tamil Nadu’s Kongu region, reaching past dosai and biryani to Kongunadu dishes like kollu rasam, a garlicky horsegram broth, and paasipayaru kadayal made from whole green gram. Chicago magazine critic John Kessler reviewed the restaurant in 2025, and that attention from a major city outlet earns ninth place. Order the Thalapakattu goat biryani or the chicken kothu parotta. A Naperville location on Route 59 cooks the same cuisine, but the small cocktail bar is in Park Ridge only.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 110 S Prospect Ave, Park Ridge, IL 60068

Why they made the list

• Thalapakattu goat biryani costs $22.99, and chicken kothu parotta costs $17.99.
• The family behind Thalaiva’s has cooked Kongunadu food in the Chicago area since 2018.
• Tables can be reserved through OpenTable.
• A live dosai counter can be booked for catered events.

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Ghareeb Nawaz

Some of the lowest prices in this top 10 belong to Ghareeb Nawaz, a halal Pakistani and Indian counter on Devon near Damen Avenue. Chicken biryani costs $10.99 and a vegetarian thali $9.99, served in a plain room that The Infatuation compared to a cafeteria, if a far better one than most. Time Out Chicago sends readers here for cheap eats, and The Infatuation counts late hours among the reasons the restaurant stays busy. The cooking is simpler than at the places above, which is why Ghareeb Nawaz closes out the list. Call ahead before a late-night run.

Hours: Check current hours before you go.

Address: 2032 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL 60659

Why they made the list

• Lamb biryani costs $12.99, and butter chicken costs $11.99.
• The Devon counter is one of five Ghareeb Nawaz locations, with others in Lincoln Park, near UIC, in Lombard and in Des Plaines.
• Pickup and delivery orders run through the restaurant’s website.
• Garlic naan costs $1.99, and a mango lassi costs $3.

See the full directory listing

Also worth knowing

Zubair Mohajir, one of Mirra’s chefs, opened Muhājir at 2630 N Clark St in Lincoln Park in 2026 with co-founder Jacob Dela Cruz. The wood-fire menu mixes South Asian, Middle Eastern, North African and Filipino cooking, so the beef cheek nihari ($42) and Navayath lamb biryani ($38) share the table with whole branzino and a prime strip steak. Time Out Chicago already ranks Muhājir 11th among the city’s best restaurants. Dinner runs Wednesday through Sunday, 5 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Across Devon from Annapurna, Uru Swati is the vegetarian backup The Infatuation suggests when Annapurna is full. The two-foot paper masala dosa costs $14.95 and the samosa chaat $9.25. The restaurant is closed on Tuesdays.

Up in Niles, Himalayan Restaurant has cooked Nepali and North Indian food at 8265 W Golf Rd since December 2003. Momos come steamed, fried, in jhol soup or chili style, and the Niles dining room sets out an all-you-can-eat lunch buffet on Saturdays and Sundays. A second location at 606 S Wabash Ave in the South Loop made The Infatuation’s 2025 Indian guide.

Frequently asked questions

What are the best Indian restaurants in Chicago?

Indienne in River North, Thattu in Avondale and Nadu in Lincoln Park top this list, backed by a Michelin star, national best-restaurant lists and a 2025 Bib Gourmand. On Devon Avenue, start with Sabri Nihari for Pakistani nihari or Annapurna Simply Vegetarian for dosas.

Is there a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Chicago?

Yes. Indienne at 217 W Huron St has held one Michelin star since fall 2023, with tasting menus at $135 or $155. Nadu, Superkhana International and Mirra each hold a Bib Gourmand in the 2025 Michelin Guide.

Where can I find good Indian food in the Chicago suburbs?

Thalaiva’s Indian Kitchen in Park Ridge, reviewed by Chicago magazine in 2025, cooks Kongunadu food from Tamil Nadu and has a second location in Naperville. Annapurna Simply Vegetarian runs a Hoffman Estates location, and Himalayan Restaurant has served Nepali and North Indian food in Niles since 2003.

See a place we missed or a detail that has changed? Send us a correction.