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It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that Sydney is fuelled by butter chicken. But while the mild and creamy chicken curry is undoubtedly a staple — you won’t find any places on this list that don’t have a delicious take — there’s a whole sub-continent of flavours waiting to be explored and devoured across our city’s many incredible Indian restaurants. Curries, basmati rice, and chewy naan might be synonymous with Indian cuisine in Australia, but they barely scratch the surface of what this geographically, culturally, and historically diverse cuisine has to offer. From cardamom-laced biryani to fiery clay tandoors filled with marinated meat, Sydney’s best Indian restaurants are ready to deliver.
Dhakshin South Indian Cuisine
Dhakshin in Crow’s Nest specialises in the many cuisines found throughout South India, appropriate for a restaurant named after the Sanskrit word for south. Taking inspiration from regions like Chettinad, Tanjore, Kongunadu, Udupi, and beyond, you’ll find plenty of seafood on the menu, as well as rich curries tempered with fresh ingredients like green mango or diced tomato. One bite of the biryani, packed with chicken and cooked in a traditional Indian slow-cooker known as a dum, and you’ll understand why Dhakshin is one of the top Indian restaurants in Sydney.
Don’t Tell Auntie
Tradition is more of a guideline than a rule at this popular Surry Hills restaurant. Chef-owner Jessi Singh combines classic ingredients and techniques but throws the rules out the window. Take the Papdi Chaat that eats like “the motherland’s version of nachos” and the ode to the Aussie Sunday roast starring spiced lamb chops topped with mint chutney. Don’t skip the beloved Indian fried chicken; a fiery match for some crunchy biryani balls and a side of tandoori-roasted corn salad.
Delhi ‘O’ Delhi
Perched on the edge of Newtown and Erskineville, this modern dining room shines a contemporary light on classic dishes from across India. Forget about shortcuts, chef-owner Javed Khan takes the best ingredients and figures out how to make them sing, whether it’s the tandoor-torched breads, the pitch-perfect house-made chutneys, or the butter chicken, counted among Sydney’s best. Not into chicken? The vegan version doesn’t skimp on flavour thanks to power players like tofu, cashews, and coconut cream.
Curry Craze
They say it’s better to do a few things really well than a lot of things poorly, but this bright Mascot curry joint is a clear exception to the rule. The menu at Curry Craze is extensive, packed with dozens of curries, biryanis, dahls, breads, and other street food favourites. Locals rave about the tikka masala and chicken biryani but my hot take: no order is complete without a toasty, potato-filled serve of aloo paratha.
Masala Theory
Rebranding pani puri — those crisp, hollow fried dough orbs filled with spiced veggies and hawked by streetside vendors across India — as “Curry Bombs” is one of the more subtle ways the team at Masala Theory bring a little rock and roll to their neo-Indian fare. There’s butter chicken, of course, done the traditional way with tandoori-blasted chicken, but go for the much-less-traditional Masala Fish and Chips or a naan-pizza hybrid called a Naanza. It might sound gimmicky, but there’s plenty of heart in this food, particularly in Keramai’s Salli Boti: bone-in pieces of goat braised in masala gravy and topped with matchstick fries, named after the family matriarch who passed down the recipe.
Faheem’s Fast Food
Anyone who’s found themselves in Enmore late at night knows — and loves — this unapologetically lowkey spot slinging some of the best tandoori chicken, fish, lamb, and naan in the city. The whole chicken is my personal hero, marinated for over 24 hours in yoghurt and spices before being sent into the fiery depths of the tandoor, though the blackened fish has just as many fans. Advice from a seasoned FFF fan: wrap a few pieces of chicken tikka in a garlic and cheese naan, douse them in yoghurt mint sauce, and end your night on a high.
The Twisted Indian
Like your Indian food with a twist? That’s the goal of the aptly-named Twisted Indian in Leichhardt, where traditional recipes are merely a starting point. The menu is full of familiar dishes that turn the flavour dial up to 11. The butter chicken is a popular choice, of course, but veterans know to steer toward the paneer butter masala, slabs of Indian cheese hanging out in a spicy, fragrant sauce. And speaking of dairy, the blue cheese-laced naan is punchy, aromatic, and absolutely unmissable.
The Clove
India’s mainland has over 5,000km of coastline, so it’s no wonder fish is an important part of various regional cuisines. This Coogee Beach favourite embraces that maritime spirit with pescatarian treats like a bright Goan fish curry and madras prawns — both chock-full of aromatic spices and tempered with coconut cream. For those after something from the land, all the classic dishes are accounted for. The rich curries, grilled meats, and fried veggies all go big on portions and even bigger on flavours.
Green Mushroom
Few countries cater as comprehensively to vegans and vegetarians as India, where meat dishes often take a back seat to those filled with vegetables, legumes, and pulses. Even so, The Green Mushroom in Newtown takes it a step further by offering vegan takes on lamb rogan josh, tandoori prawns, and chicken. It’s the ultimate plant-based Indian experience.
Abhi’s Indian Restaurant
Ask any of Abhi’s many fans for their favourite dish on the North Strathfield restaurant’s extensive menu and you’ll get an almost infinite number of answers. That’s because over its 30-plus years, chef Kumar Mahadevan has perfected pretty much everything. My favourites? The masala dosa — a crisp rice flour crepe housing a richly-savoury potato and lentil filling — and the Goan fish curry featuring flaky barramundi coated in a mild turmeric-spiked coconut milk curry. This is not just one of Sydney’s best Indian restaurants, it’s one of Sydney’s best restaurants. Period.
Turmeric: The Golden Touch
It might sound more like a niche band than a restaurant, but the food at Turmeric: The Golden Touch packs enough explosive flavour to justify it. Traversing the cuisines of South Asia, this Liverpool favourite offers more than 10 biryani options that are spiked with everything from chicken to prawns. You’ll find a host of Indian soups too, as well as a comprehensive list of dishes from across Pakistan and Nepal (get the fried momos).
Omer Biryani House
Omer Biryani House serves bucket loads of fresh biryani daily, along with a solid lineup of Pakistani and Hyderabadi recipes that envelop Liverpool in the scent of cardamom, cinnamon, and star anise. Try the goat Karachi for tender meat coated in a spiced tomato gravy, or the chicken kozi haleem, a slow-cooked dish of lentils, wheat, and tender pieces of meat punctuated by assertive spices.
Radio Bombay Kitchen
You can tune into Radio Bombay Kitchen for all the classic hits you’re looking for in your Friday night comfort meal, be it a savoury-sweet mango chicken, electric vindaloo, or puffy fresh-baked naan. But it’s the street food menu — with its crunchy-gooey papdi chaat, fresh and zippy pani puri, and saucy samosa chaat, a mountain of broken savoury pastries covered with chutneys, yoghurt, chickpeas — that captures the real beat of this Liverpool joint.
Mt Everest India’s Cuisine
We’re living in a golden age of dumplings. From soup-filled Chinese xiao long bao to Polish potato-stuffed pierogi, there aren’t many restaurants in Sydney that don’t offer something delicious wrapped in a noodle or pastry case. And yet, the Nepalese momo still sits relatively hard to find here. Enter: Mt Everest in Hunter’s Hill, where the chefs are masters of beautifully folded momo stuffed with chicken or veggies and served with a warming, chilli-kicked homemade chutney. Though momos are the highlight here, the Indian and Nepalese curries are a must-try too.
Grace of India
Menus don’t get much more comprehensive than the one at Grace of India in Milson’s Point. This one’s a lengthy ode to both Aussie-Indian favourites like paneer pakora and black pepper tikka, as well as traditional Indian favourites like Rogan Josh, jalfrezi, and a fiery vindaloo. But despite the enormity of the offering, chef-owners Santokh and Mini Singh still make every component of each dish by hand, just as they’ve done since moving to Australia in the mid-1980s. And trust me, you can taste the love.
Chatkazz
Close your eyes near your Chatkazz delivery and you’re whisked away to the side of a busy road in thumping Mumbai, having followed your nose to a stall slinging fluffy, potato-filled vada pav bread rolls, crisp papdi chaat, tall glasses of mango lassi, and an array of freshly made sweet treats. The weekend queues outside this favourite in Harris Park (also known as Little India), are a testament to its greatness, with punters keen to get stuck into the roadside treats that this colourful and energetic joint celebrates. A boon for you: skip the crowd by ordering delivery.
Naan Sense Indian Diner
Australians love a punny restaurant name, particularly when the food is pulled together with the same joyful enthusiasm. Naan Sense has been slinging curries, samosas, and chewy naan on Newtown’s buzzy King Street since 1991 — though mostly under different, less colourful names — with no signs of its popularity fading. And while all the tandoor-torched breads are worthy of an order, my go-to is the lamb mince-filled keema naan, with a tub of mint yoghurt on the side for emphatic dipping.
Indian Home Diner
The subject — and eventual victor — of a council dispute in 2022 over trading hours that threatened to shut it down, this Paddington hole-in-the-wall saw the entire community rally. The Indian kebabs, glossy garlic naan loaded with tandoori-roasted chicken tikka, curry sauce, and fried onions, are just that good. Today, Indian Home Diner continues to bless locals with comforting curries, beautifully soft and charred naan breads, and crisp, airy samosas late into the night.
Billus Indian Eatery
Place an order at Billus in Harris Park and you’ll score not only a superlative meal prepped with love using the best ingredients but also a full culinary tour of South India. There aren’t many stones Billus has left unturned, from the delicately crisp dosas stuffed with spiced potato or Indian cheese to the impressive line-up of fish and seafood curries inspired by the country’s southern coastline. There are no bad choices here, but my tip is to go for one of the pre-set platters with tandoori meats and assorted fried goodies, and a serve of the coconutty prawn Malabar curry.
Spiced by Billus
After creating one of the most popular restaurants in Harris Park, the Billus team have turned their attention to sparkling Barangaroo in Central Sydney. And while the new Spiced digs might be slicker, shinier, and more refined, the homestyle food still radiates the same generosity and love. Don’t miss the bhel puri, a colourful mix of puffed and roasted rice, onion, ginger, and chilli. The entrée platters and seafood curries are just as essential here as at Billus; I always go for the meen moilee, where generous cubes of white fish float in a gentle, fragrant coconut milk sauce.
The Spice Room
From his kitchen on the edge of Circular Quay, head chef Darbyan Singh takes the spirit of Indian street food classics and blows them out into more substantial meals. Singh’s menu narrows in on the northwest region of India with Peshawari dishes like the hand-pressed lamb seekh kebab seared in the tandoori oven and a signature black lentil daal that gets simmered for 24 hours. There are endless highlights across the savoury menu, from breads to biryanis, but I’ve been known to place the occasional order for nothing but the sticky, warm, and aromatic gulab jamun rose syrup dumplings.
Manjit’s Wharf
Manjit’s harbour views might be spectacular, but it’s when the food hits the table that the phone cameras all come out. From the street eats of Mumbai to the dishes loved by India’s royal families, chef Varun Gujral (the son of Manjit himself) turns traditional recipes into modern works of art. Line-caught ling fish swimming in machli tamatar wali — a tomato-based sauce spiked with garam masala — evokes the restaurant’s wharf location. Meanwhile, the slow-cooked spinach curry or the chickpea-battered and fried fish fillets marinated in a knockout chilli, garlic, and tamarind mix, will transport you to the Mumbai coastline. All that, without leaving your couch.
Flyover Fritterie
If the thought of a mountain of pakora — shredded chillies, potato, eggplant, and onion, coated in chickpea flour batter, fried until golden, and served with mint and tamarind chutneys — isn’t enough of a draw, a toasted Tikka Jaffle will get the job done. This Aussie-Indian mashup presents: perfectly toasted triangles of bread filled with cashews, sauces, and your choice of potatoes, tofu, or my favourite, paneer. What was once just a hole-in-the-wall operation in the city has blossomed into a double-story hotspot in Redfern, where fritters and other fried treats fly out the door with heady, steaming cups of homemade masala chai.
Foreign Return
Named for the many Aussies who spend time in India and crave the more traditional foods of the subcontinent when they get back, Foreign Return in Surry Hills is the ticket. Fish patio — a traditional Parsi dish — features fresh fish fillets coated with a mix of tangy tamarind, sweet jaggery sugar, and the bright house spice mix, while the popular DIY raj kachori kit lets you fill your own crisp semolina shell with chickpeas, yoghurt, chutneys, and sauces. Focus your attention on the Lost Recipes section of the menu, which showcases the kind of special dishes usually reserved for Indian weddings and other celebrations.
Haveli
If you’ve ever replaced a meal with a bunch of snacks, intentionally or not, then Haveli is probably going to be your kind of place. Sure, you’ll find a strong lineup of curries, rice dishes, and even a few Chinese stir-fries, but regulars know it’s all about the chaat at this Blacktown spot. Don’t skip the papri chaat, crispy fried dough wafers topped with potatoes, chickpeas, yoghurt, and tamarind chutney, or the sev puri, with layers of crunchy puri shards, roasted veggies, tomatoes, and a bunch of chutneys and sauces. But what really sets Haveli apart is its comprehensive list of more than 20 Indian sweets, including crisp swirls of jalebi, saffron-infused kheer mohan dumplings, and a delicate, cardamom-infused milk cake dotted with almonds and pistachios.
The Colonial
Anyone who’s spent time in London knows the profound influence Indian cuisine has on the city. Streets and laneways come alive with the unmistakable aromas and vibrant sounds of Indian restaurants, offering British-inflected takes on classic dishes. The Colonial in Darlinghurst pays homage to this culinary legacy with offerings like crispy bhajis, flavorful pakoras, and the iconic London-born tikka masala — a tantalising blend of tender chicken roasted in a fiery clay oven hanging out in a mild, creamy tomato gravy. Pair it with the pulao rice; aromatic, saffron-tinged, and glistening with ghee.
Malabar South Indian Restaurant
Malabar (named for the curry and its Indian coastline, not the beachy Sydney suburb) does plenty of things very, very well, but it’s the house-made South Indian dosa that draws enthusiasts to Crows Nest. Those crisp, lightly-fermented rice and lentil batter crepes conceal everything from traditional potato, onion, and mustard seeds to umami lamb, ginger, and coriander. There’s a neat mini version on offer too, with little tubs of sambar and coconut chutney for dunking, in case you want to leave room for one of the dozen-ish curries on the menu.
Saravanaa Bhavan
With over 100 stores around the world, this South Indian temple to vegetarian street food must be doing something right. Saravanaa Bhavan has been serving up hits like paneer-stuffed dosa and deep-fried lentil doughnuts with sambar dipping sauce since 1981. At the Parramatta and North Sydney locations you’ll find plenty of veggie curries on offer, of course, but I’m always most drawn to the snacky starters — like crispy medu vada lentil donuts and deep fried, battered cauliflower florets — paired with myriad sauces and chutneys. Uttapam fans will find a whole menu section dedicated to the doughy, pan-fried lentil and rice bread disks, topped with any combination of tomato, onion, peas, and chilli, while newbies can get a little bite of everything with the snack-filled mini tiffin.
Hyderabad House
Hyderabad House in Harris Park is known for its exceptional biryani, spiced plates of rice topped with chicken, goat, fish, vegetables, or egg. Though it’s the real sense of care and love that seems to be squished into every generously filled takeaway container that keeps me coming back. If biryani isn’t your bag, there are dozens of other dishes on the bountiful menu, including a selection of classic Indian-Chinese favourites like vegetable-filled dumplings in soy-spiked Manchurian sauce.
Not Just Curries
Don’t let the name fool you. While you can arm yourself with plenty of treats from the tandoor or the fryer, it’s the curries at this Harris Park joint that have earned an army of loyal fans. For me, it’s the rara with fork-tender goat and lamb mince paired with an order of the cumin-loaded jeera rice. Fish lovers make a bream-line for the spicy, battered Amritsari macchi, which brings both a tingle and a smile to the lips, while the paneer 65 is made for those who exist in the centre of the cheese and chilli Venn diagram.
