This Pakistani eatery on what as known as Kenner’s global restaurant row on Williams Boulevard, Desi Kitchen serves fragrant Indian fare, outstanding flaky naan, and fresh biriyani rice dishes studded with chicken, veggies, or goat. The chicken korma is especially rich and creamy. Ask about the thali menu, a combination meal that includes apps, veg, a small portion of an entree, rice, naan, salad, and dessert. Prices are rock bottom.

Metairie’s Shyan’s Kitchen is a Pakistani-Indian restaurant owned by Irfan Khan, who immigrated from his native Pakistan to New Orleans in 2007. There is beef on the menu, which isn’t served in India; goat is simmered and sauteed six different ways, and a smoked chicken masala is a specialty of the house. Pakistan is primarily Muslim, which is why all the meats here are Halal.

Mantra is one of Metairie’s newest Indian restaurants that quickly became one of its best. Chef Bonsi Lal, who goes by Chef Neeta, impresses with a vast menu of northern Indian specialties as well as dishes that incorporate Persian and Central Asian influences. Seemingly endless vegetarian options melt in your mouth, like the malai kofta, bhindi masala, and chana saag.

Popular for its busy lunch buffet, Nirvana offers traditional Indian faves along with some intriguing dishes. Spice lovers should check out the “sixty-five”, protein of choice or veg marinated with ginger, garlic, red chilies, and vinegar. Lamb Goa is a coconut-forward curry from the party town on India’s tropical western coast. Owners Har and Anila Keswani have served Indian food to New Orleanians since the early ‘80s.

This James Beard-nominated restaurant and Eater New Orleans 2017 Restaurant of the Year deserves all those accolades. Against a stylish backdrop, diners can sample a complex cocktail program, informed by Indian spices and herbs, some of the best char-grilled oysters in town (maybe it’s the curry leaf?), and feast on sophisticated dishes that marry Indian gastronomy with local ingredients. Be sure to try the Saffron old-fashioned to see what it’s all about — it’s the top-selling menu item at the restaurant.

The CBD is exploding with excellent new Indian restaurants, and one of the best is this low-key spot opened by Kumud Ranjan and Rani Masgalli with chef Sudhardshan “Suda” Kasarapu in March 2023. The large menu highlights dishes from southern India, including several vegetarian items like kadai paneer, aloo mutter, and dal makhani, as well as familiar biryanis, lamb and goat curries, lamb vindaloo, and tandoori chicken (there’s even a section of noodle and rice Indo Chinese dishes).

The young chefs behind LUFU (Let Us Feed U) have made a splash in New Orleans in recent years, from their beginnings as a pop-up to their food stall in the former Pythian Market and now with their hip, stylish restaurant in the CBD. Brand new and already a hotspot, Sarthak Samantray and Aman Kota’s takes on regional Indian specialties like dahi ke kebab, a Mughlai specialty of fried yogurt dumplings and mirchi bhajji, a South Indian street food of stuffed banana peppers are remarkable. Creative cocktails, an artsy atmosphere, and delicious desserts round out the restaurant.

It started as a pop-up, but it now boasts a bright, gorgeous CBD space by Rouses. Chef and owner, Manish Patel, who comes from a family of chefs, re-imagines the dosa, a fermented rice flour pancake (think: Indian crepe) with all kinds of fillings and flavors. His crisp, savory creations are stuffed with yummy combos including garbanzo beans and tamarind chutney, lamb with mango relish, and mint yogurt sauce or shrimp with coconut cilantro sauce. This is firmly in the inventive, not traditional, category of Indian cuisine.

After a year of restaurant pop-ups, Tyler Stuart and Merritt Coscia opened their now-popular West Bank restaurant, Plume Algiers, in 2020. An incredible ever-evolving menu and frequent specials might include Kozhi, a spicy fried chicken stew with coconut dumplings, Recheado shrimp salad, chow mein, and aloo chaat. Family-oriented and friendly, this quaint Algiers shop is a neighborhood restaurant through and through.