THE TOP 5 INDIAN RESTAURANTS IN LOS ANGELES

As an Englishman, I come from a country where chicken tikka masala ranks alongside roast beef and Yorkshire pudding or fish and chips as a national dish. Rooted in Britain’s colonial past, the popularity of Indian restaurants is almost universal in the UK, and expats are forever seeking stateside equivalents that are as good as in the “auld country.” Here are some of the best Indian eateries I’ve discovered in Los Angeles during my quarter-century in the city, alongside recommendations from a fellow connoisseur.

1) ANARKALI

7013 Melrose Ave, los Angeles 90038
323-934-6488
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Though easy to miss just east of Melrose Avenue’s hip fashion/dining strip, Anarkali has thrived for nearly 45 years through consistent quality of cuisine and service. Founded in 1980, it’s one of the oldest family Indian restaurants in Los Angeles, boasting a loyal army of regulars doubtless encouraged by a charming habit of giving out discount coupons for your next visit. The quietly exotic elegance of Anarkali’s pillared facia is continued in a dining room that’s a lesson in the atmospheric use of a small space. Comprising two rows of booths, each beneath its own arch and further separated with lattice screens, it’s a setting both intimate and exotic, apt for both a hot date or a hush-hush business meeting. But it’s the regional dishes from India and Bangladesh that really set Anarkali apart, with faves including creamy tikka masala, perfectly textured sag paneer, and perhaps the finest coconut curry citywide.
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2) ANNAPURNA CUISINE

10200 Venice Blvd, Culver City 90232-3347
310-204-5500
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Venice Plaza is the longtime setting for Annapurna, an Indian vegetarian restaurant with an owner from the southern coastal state of Andhra Pradesh. Named for the Hindu goddess of food and nourishment, it’s a casual spot to savor cultured veggie fare amidst two-tone yellow walls, while evocative Bollywood videos play on a flatscreen TV. Annapurna features an extensive lunchtime vegetarian buffet, which is great for variety and value, but it’s tough to pass up their à la carte dosas, uttapam, and biryani. Spinach masala dosa features a thin, crispy crepe that cradles ground garlic, mint and spinach puree, and chunky potatoes. Paneer & peas uthappam is an airy rice flour pancake studded with marinated and chopped Indian cheese and peas garnished with cilantro. Still, channa batura might be their masterpiece: a special Annapurna fluffy bread that quickly deflates, served with garbanzo beans.
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3) BAAR BAAR

705 West 9th Street, Los Angeles 90015
213-266-8989
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Group dining at Baar Baar | Instagram: @baarbaarlosangeles

Downtown LA's Baar Baar doesn’t try to impose Indian food on Angelenos, but rather meets them halfway with evolved interpretations tailored to the city’s sensibilities. This sister to the original NYC location opened in 2023 as a hip, upscale Indian eatery with the vibrant spirit of a cocktail bar. Chef Sujan’s progressive “new Indian” menu is a celebration of regional traditions infused with Cali accents through the use of local produce and splashes of LA attitude. Fava & corn kofta brings together spinach, Swiss chard, and lotus root crisp, while the Goan shrimp curry engulfs wild shrimp in to-die-for coconut sauce. Baar Baar’s transporting whole sea bass roast is a pollichathu (fish cooked in banana leaf) with shallots and curry leaf. Another distinguishing feature of this local Indian cuisine scene disruptor is signature seasonal cocktails, each named for a Bollywood movie yet a star in its own right.
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Punjabi fish and chips at Badmaash | Photo: Joshua Lurie

4) BADMAASH

108 West 2nd Street #104, Los Angeles 90012
213-221-7466
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Freewheeling restaurateurs Nakul Mahendro, brother Arjun, and their head chef father Pawan opened Badmaash in Downtown LA’s Historic Core in 2013. A Hollywood location, on Fairfax Avenue, followed five years later. Badmaash’s contemporary Indian decor features marble counters, bright walls and banquettes, and an upstairs mezzanine with a mural of “hipster Gandhi” amidst framed Bollywood art. Their menu is similarly progressive, touting local, organic, and sustainable ingredients. Even the pickles are colorful and market-driven, including cauliflower, mushrooms, onion, jicama, and carrot, while Badmaash’s Punjabi Fish and Chips may make you forget the better-known British version of this time-honored combo. While their motto is “eat like you’re Indian,” the Mahendros also stray from tradition with dishes like chili cheese naan, and chicken tikka and channa masala poutines inspired by self-described “drunken spring breaks in Montreal.”
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5) BHANU INDIAN GROCERY & CUISINE

7246 Rosemead Blvd., San Gabriel 91775
626-291-2101
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Originally a catering service, Bhanu was opened as a grocery store and café by a brother and sister in a San Gabriel strip mall in 2011. Shelves bulge with ingredients like prized Kesar mangoes, sumac, and cashew cookies. This true mom-and-pop has also squeezed in a dining area with orange, art-lined walls, and flatscreen TVs streaming Bollywood content. Spice-level choices include everything from no spice to (for an additional charge) ghost pepper and Carolina reaper. Mercifully, you can also dial the heat way down for much of Bhanu’s vast menu, which includes oodles of veggie options like eggplant curry, creamy dal makhani, and kadhi pakoda (vegetable pakoras in a yogurt-based curry). The thali combo meals resemble exotic TV dinners, but taste indescribably better, with a choice of main and sides; rice, naan or rotie; and yoghurt. In short, Bhanu’s is a one-stop shop for exquisite Indian fare.
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*Written by Paul Rogers