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A side angle of a full restaurant table at Baar Baar with meats and fish and mains.
Baar Baar.
Wonho Frank Lee

19 Flavorful Indian and South Asian Restaurants in Los Angeles

From the subcontinent to Southern California, these are some of the best spots for Indian and greater South Asian food

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Baar Baar.
| Wonho Frank Lee

The Southland’s South Asian restaurants are abundant and widespread across the South Bay, the San Fernando Valley, and in between. (Of course, there’s a multitude of Indian restaurants in Artesia too. For the ultimate guide to our favorites, head here.)

Wherever one is seeking out South Asian food, one thing is certain — it travels well and reheats beautifully the following morning or (if we’re being honest) in the middle of the night. And while not always dominant in every dish, South Asian spice can be turned up to palate-blistering levels, though the diner always dictates exactly how high. If the heat is approaching 11, immediately sip some falooda or lassi, or use a squirt of citrus or spoonful of raita to help dial it down.

Eater curated a roving list of restaurants that prepares rich butter chicken, delicious dosas, abundant thalis, and beyond. Here are also places that offer LA-inspired interpretations of traditional dishes, that take the cross-cultural lens a step further to expand the definition of what makes a dish South Asian. Head to one of these 19 essential Indian, Sri Lankan, Pakistani, and Bangladeshi restaurants in Los Angeles.

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Eater maps are curated by editors and aim to reflect a diversity of neighborhoods, cuisines, and prices. Learn more about our editorial process. If you buy something or book a reservation from an Eater link, Vox Media may earn a commission. See our ethics policy.

Tulsi Indian Eatery

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With locations in DTLA, Northridge, Westwood, and Riverside, Tulsi is a fast-casual restaurant dedicated to providing Indian fare to Southern Californians, and it’s showing regional Indian dishes in a way that few places in LA are able to. The combo is a winner, as it allows diners to try Northern Indian and Southern Indian at once. Their Gujarati dishes are some of the best the city has to offer, and a side of loaded makhani fries flavored with tikka masala gravy add extra flavor.

An overhead shot of a thali combination steel tray with a variety of Indian foods.
Thali from Tulsi.
Tulsi Indian Eatery

Baja Subs Market & Deli

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Owners Premil Jayasinghe and his wife Koshalie have been running Baja Subs since 2016. While the original owners served mostly Mexican food, the Jayasinghes have slowly expanded Baja’s Sri Lankan menu over the last four years, offering some of the most remarkable Sri Lankan food in Los Angeles. Popular dishes include the koturoti with lamb curry, egg hoppers, and chicken biryani.

Several Sri Lankan dishes placed on a brown table.
Spread of Sri Lankan dishes from Baja Subs in Northridge.
Wonho Frank Lee

Namaste Spiceland

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With locations in Pasadena, Santa Clarita, and Thousand Oaks, Namaste Spiceland is a one-stop shop for groceries and dining. It’s a place to stock up on rice, lentils, and frozen staples, and stay for dinner. Crowd-favorites include their South Indian dishes, especially the dosas, or the Bombay street food. The trick is to order the mouth-puckering chaat first to avoid grocery shopping on an empty stomach, and to then grab pantry staples for the month.

Daily lunch combo from Namaste Spiceland in Pasadena.
Daily lunch combo from Namaste Spiceland in Pasadena.
Farley Elliott

Pijja Palace

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One of Los Angeles’s hottest restaurants is an Indian pizza sports bar. Its unexpected combination results in a stunning malai rigatoni pasta, verdant saag pizza, garam masala-crusted wings, and Indian-inspired cocktails — and everything somehow works. The nearly dozen TVs are not intrusive, the crowd is happy to be there, the food is exciting, and reservations are definitely required.

Malai rigatoni at Pijja Palace in Silver Lake.
Pijja Palace’s malai rigatoni
Cathy Chaplin

Biriyani Kabob House

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Little Bangladesh sits nestled into a small area on the northern edge of Koreatown with a small but great collection of restaurants. Biriyani Kabob House serves some of the best lamb biryani in town, made with fluffy basmati rice and tender chunks of lamb. The menu also has classics like chicken tikka masala, karahi, kebabs, and channa masala.

Bangla Bazar & Restaurant

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Bangla Bazar & Restaurant is a market and restaurant that’s bursting at the seams. Even after a recent renovation, this Bangladeshi market is full of South Asian products with a menu designed to impress.

BadMaash

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Badmaash has been mashing up Indian flavors and styles since 2013. The chicken tikka poutine fries are particularly popular.

Chicken, fries, and sauce on a platter.
Badmaash
Badmaash

Baar Baar

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With another location in New York, Baar Baar made its LA debut in May 2023, bringing chef Sujan Sarkar’s contemporary Indian dishes to Southern California. Just blocks away from L.A. Live, Sarkar and his team are adding something really special to the LA Indian dining scene, with dishes that showcase a wide regional range across India and Bollywood-inspired drinks that riff on several classics. A menu highlight is the mushroom pepper fry made with sunchokes, smoked almonds, and ramps. The chutney set, avocado pachadi, and homemade crisps are other standouts.

A roasted fish in a light yellow sauce on a long plate with a bowl of millet and crispy rice paper at a marble table at a new restaurant Baar Baar.
Monkfish osso bucco at Baar Baar.
Wonho Frank Lee

23rd Street Cafe Indian Restaurant

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This unassuming spot near USC is best known for its Indian Mexican food and for good reason. A chicken tikka quesadilla or a paneer tikka masala burrito showcases how perfectly both cuisines blend together. There are also Indian classics, including various curries, biryanis, and flatbreads.

Arth Bar & Kitchen

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Arth Bar and Kitchen, which opened in July 2021, serves a contemporary but thorough take on Indian cuisine. Expect dishes that pull from multiple regions across India and move beyond traditional techniques and ingredients to provide an experience that is imaginative yet comforting to those more familiar with the cuisine. The menu features Old Monk drunken wings made with India’s rum of choice, along with lobster moilee, a coconut milk-based dish from the state of Kerala that is traditionally made with prawns or shrimp and is harder to find elsewhere in Southern California. Especially worth trying are the more inventive treats, like the malai broccoli and jackfruit nuggets. Old Monk also shows up on the drinks menu in the form of a Manhattan or a Desi sour, which also includes peach liqueur, lemon juice, egg whites, and eucalyptus bitters.

Annapurna Cuisine

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Culver City’s Annapurna offers Southern Indian dishes like dosa, uttapam, idli, and more. It also just happens to serve delicious pav bhaji. Those avoiding onion and garlic will find plenty of options too.

Mayura Indian Restaurant

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One of LA’s most beloved Indian restaurants, Mayura specializes in Kerala-style cuisine with dosas, uthappam, and fish curry. The thalis offer small servings of a larger variety of dishes, with options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Mayura Indian Restaurant in Culver City, California.
Mayura Indian Restaurant in Culver City, California.
Cathy Chaplin

Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant

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When deciding what to order at Abhiruchi Grill, the choice is actually pretty simple: Get one of the 10 biryanis. There’s something for all with offerings like gobi Manchurian, a deep-fried cauliflower dish, and navratan korma, a medley of vegetables and nuts in a creamy gravy. 

Indian butter chicken in chunks in a silver bowl.
Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant
Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant

Al Watan Halal Tandoori Restaurant

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In business for over 30 years, this halal Indian-Pakistani restaurant is one of the South Bay’s most respected. Chef Mohammed Mumtaz makes traditional dishes like lamb korma and goat karahi stir-fried with onions and tomatoes, but also experiments with new recipes daily.

Zam Zam Market

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This humble market and takeout restaurant has a smaller but excellent array of mostly Pakistani dishes, starting with flavor-packed biryani. Chicken tikka, beef kabob, and plush naan are also on the compact menu, along with chicken karahi. Weekends bring some specials like lamb pulao. Call in to order ahead, and be sure to take home a packet of dried lentils from the market.

Chicken karahi at Zam Zam Market
Zam Zam Market
Stan Lee

Al-Noor Restaurant

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A short 10-minute drive from LAX, Al Noor is the spot to refuel after a day of traveling. This Lawndale gem offers great takes on all the favorites, as well as rarer dishes like the Pakistani nehrani, a braised beef shank topped with fresh ginger and chillies and served with wheat flour paratha.  

Naan and Indian gravies.
Al-Noor Restaurant
Crystal Coser

Quality Of Bombay

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There’s plenty of Indian food across the South Bay, but this unassuming strip mall find in Lawndale, with just a smattering of seats and a setup mostly accommodating take out, could be the best Indian food in the area. Preorder online for the smoothest service, where the kitchen will prepare intensely spiced dal makhani, complex channa masala with plump garbanzo beans, and some of the most immediately delicious butter chicken in LA. The palak paneer is another winner, with nicely sized paneer cubes settled into a thick paste of cooked spinach.

Butter chicken at Quality of Bombay in Lawndale.
A full plate from Quality of Bombay.
Matthew Kang

Famous Tandoori

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This hidden gem in Lomita serves a solid mix of Pakistani and Indian classics. The malai kofta is the menu highlight — vegetarian potato-and-paneer balls swimming in a creamy gravy — along with fluffy and flavorful biryani.

Biryani from Famous Tandoori in Lomita, California
Famous Tandoori
Famous Tandoori restaurant

Kamal Palace

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Finding Kamal Palace is a bit of an obstacle course. Go down the stairs and toward the rear structure to find this friendly, family-operated restaurant that’s right next to the water. The vegetable malai has ample coconut, and an extra order of naan helps to sop up the remaining butter chicken sauce.

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Tulsi Indian Eatery

With locations in DTLA, Northridge, Westwood, and Riverside, Tulsi is a fast-casual restaurant dedicated to providing Indian fare to Southern Californians, and it’s showing regional Indian dishes in a way that few places in LA are able to. The combo is a winner, as it allows diners to try Northern Indian and Southern Indian at once. Their Gujarati dishes are some of the best the city has to offer, and a side of loaded makhani fries flavored with tikka masala gravy add extra flavor.

An overhead shot of a thali combination steel tray with a variety of Indian foods.
Thali from Tulsi.
Tulsi Indian Eatery

Baja Subs Market & Deli

Owners Premil Jayasinghe and his wife Koshalie have been running Baja Subs since 2016. While the original owners served mostly Mexican food, the Jayasinghes have slowly expanded Baja’s Sri Lankan menu over the last four years, offering some of the most remarkable Sri Lankan food in Los Angeles. Popular dishes include the koturoti with lamb curry, egg hoppers, and chicken biryani.

Several Sri Lankan dishes placed on a brown table.
Spread of Sri Lankan dishes from Baja Subs in Northridge.
Wonho Frank Lee

Namaste Spiceland

With locations in Pasadena, Santa Clarita, and Thousand Oaks, Namaste Spiceland is a one-stop shop for groceries and dining. It’s a place to stock up on rice, lentils, and frozen staples, and stay for dinner. Crowd-favorites include their South Indian dishes, especially the dosas, or the Bombay street food. The trick is to order the mouth-puckering chaat first to avoid grocery shopping on an empty stomach, and to then grab pantry staples for the month.

Daily lunch combo from Namaste Spiceland in Pasadena.
Daily lunch combo from Namaste Spiceland in Pasadena.
Farley Elliott

Pijja Palace

One of Los Angeles’s hottest restaurants is an Indian pizza sports bar. Its unexpected combination results in a stunning malai rigatoni pasta, verdant saag pizza, garam masala-crusted wings, and Indian-inspired cocktails — and everything somehow works. The nearly dozen TVs are not intrusive, the crowd is happy to be there, the food is exciting, and reservations are definitely required.

Malai rigatoni at Pijja Palace in Silver Lake.
Pijja Palace’s malai rigatoni
Cathy Chaplin

Biriyani Kabob House

Little Bangladesh sits nestled into a small area on the northern edge of Koreatown with a small but great collection of restaurants. Biriyani Kabob House serves some of the best lamb biryani in town, made with fluffy basmati rice and tender chunks of lamb. The menu also has classics like chicken tikka masala, karahi, kebabs, and channa masala.

Bangla Bazar & Restaurant

Bangla Bazar & Restaurant is a market and restaurant that’s bursting at the seams. Even after a recent renovation, this Bangladeshi market is full of South Asian products with a menu designed to impress.

BadMaash

Badmaash has been mashing up Indian flavors and styles since 2013. The chicken tikka poutine fries are particularly popular.

Chicken, fries, and sauce on a platter.
Badmaash
Badmaash

Baar Baar

With another location in New York, Baar Baar made its LA debut in May 2023, bringing chef Sujan Sarkar’s contemporary Indian dishes to Southern California. Just blocks away from L.A. Live, Sarkar and his team are adding something really special to the LA Indian dining scene, with dishes that showcase a wide regional range across India and Bollywood-inspired drinks that riff on several classics. A menu highlight is the mushroom pepper fry made with sunchokes, smoked almonds, and ramps. The chutney set, avocado pachadi, and homemade crisps are other standouts.

A roasted fish in a light yellow sauce on a long plate with a bowl of millet and crispy rice paper at a marble table at a new restaurant Baar Baar.
Monkfish osso bucco at Baar Baar.
Wonho Frank Lee

23rd Street Cafe Indian Restaurant

This unassuming spot near USC is best known for its Indian Mexican food and for good reason. A chicken tikka quesadilla or a paneer tikka masala burrito showcases how perfectly both cuisines blend together. There are also Indian classics, including various curries, biryanis, and flatbreads.

Arth Bar & Kitchen

Arth Bar and Kitchen, which opened in July 2021, serves a contemporary but thorough take on Indian cuisine. Expect dishes that pull from multiple regions across India and move beyond traditional techniques and ingredients to provide an experience that is imaginative yet comforting to those more familiar with the cuisine. The menu features Old Monk drunken wings made with India’s rum of choice, along with lobster moilee, a coconut milk-based dish from the state of Kerala that is traditionally made with prawns or shrimp and is harder to find elsewhere in Southern California. Especially worth trying are the more inventive treats, like the malai broccoli and jackfruit nuggets. Old Monk also shows up on the drinks menu in the form of a Manhattan or a Desi sour, which also includes peach liqueur, lemon juice, egg whites, and eucalyptus bitters.

Annapurna Cuisine

Culver City’s Annapurna offers Southern Indian dishes like dosa, uttapam, idli, and more. It also just happens to serve delicious pav bhaji. Those avoiding onion and garlic will find plenty of options too.

Mayura Indian Restaurant

One of LA’s most beloved Indian restaurants, Mayura specializes in Kerala-style cuisine with dosas, uthappam, and fish curry. The thalis offer small servings of a larger variety of dishes, with options for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike.

Mayura Indian Restaurant in Culver City, California.
Mayura Indian Restaurant in Culver City, California.
Cathy Chaplin

Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant

When deciding what to order at Abhiruchi Grill, the choice is actually pretty simple: Get one of the 10 biryanis. There’s something for all with offerings like gobi Manchurian, a deep-fried cauliflower dish, and navratan korma, a medley of vegetables and nuts in a creamy gravy. 

Indian butter chicken in chunks in a silver bowl.
Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant
Abhiruchi Grill Indian Restaurant

Al Watan Halal Tandoori Restaurant

In business for over 30 years, this halal Indian-Pakistani restaurant is one of the South Bay’s most respected. Chef Mohammed Mumtaz makes traditional dishes like lamb korma and goat karahi stir-fried with onions and tomatoes, but also experiments with new recipes daily.

Zam Zam Market

This humble market and takeout restaurant has a smaller but excellent array of mostly Pakistani dishes, starting with flavor-packed biryani. Chicken tikka, beef kabob, and plush naan are also on the compact menu, along with chicken karahi. Weekends bring some specials like lamb pulao. Call in to order ahead, and be sure to take home a packet of dried lentils from the market.

Chicken karahi at Zam Zam Market
Zam Zam Market
Stan Lee

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Al-Noor Restaurant

A short 10-minute drive from LAX, Al Noor is the spot to refuel after a day of traveling. This Lawndale gem offers great takes on all the favorites, as well as rarer dishes like the Pakistani nehrani, a braised beef shank topped with fresh ginger and chillies and served with wheat flour paratha.  

Naan and Indian gravies.
Al-Noor Restaurant
Crystal Coser

Quality Of Bombay

There’s plenty of Indian food across the South Bay, but this unassuming strip mall find in Lawndale, with just a smattering of seats and a setup mostly accommodating take out, could be the best Indian food in the area. Preorder online for the smoothest service, where the kitchen will prepare intensely spiced dal makhani, complex channa masala with plump garbanzo beans, and some of the most immediately delicious butter chicken in LA. The palak paneer is another winner, with nicely sized paneer cubes settled into a thick paste of cooked spinach.

Butter chicken at Quality of Bombay in Lawndale.
A full plate from Quality of Bombay.
Matthew Kang

Famous Tandoori

This hidden gem in Lomita serves a solid mix of Pakistani and Indian classics. The malai kofta is the menu highlight — vegetarian potato-and-paneer balls swimming in a creamy gravy — along with fluffy and flavorful biryani.

Biryani from Famous Tandoori in Lomita, California
Famous Tandoori
Famous Tandoori restaurant

Kamal Palace

Finding Kamal Palace is a bit of an obstacle course. Go down the stairs and toward the rear structure to find this friendly, family-operated restaurant that’s right next to the water. The vegetable malai has ample coconut, and an extra order of naan helps to sop up the remaining butter chicken sauce.

Related Maps