Wherever you go in the world, it seems like you’re never far from a brilliant Indian restaurant– and Riyadh is no different on that score.
The Saudi Arabian capital’s thriving Indian community goes to great lengths to recreate a little taste of home, not just for themselves but for their neighbours from across the globe who love a well-spiced dish.
So if you miss the amazing aromas and supreme flavours of your favourite dish from the subcontinent, here’s our pick of the top Indian restaurants in Riyadh right now.
Amaly
If you want dinner with a view, this place delivers on just that. They have a beautiful outdoor arrangement, which makes it a hotspot in cooler weather. With a beautiful view of the street and the nearby palm trees, this is a wonderful place to celebrate a special occasion. Popular items on their menu are the rogan gosh lamb, chicken nizami biryani, and their Punjabi style samosas are all absolutely delicious.
Blue Tok Tok
Indian food done fast food style. Yes, you read that right. They offer you amazing classic Indian dishes like chicken briyani, chicken tikka, and, of course, butter chicken. The food is not as spicy as many Indian restaurants. If you can’t eat a whole curry, then order the chicken naan sandwich wrap.
Open daily 11am-1.45am. Prince Turki bin Abdulaziz Awwal Rd, An Nakheel, twitter.com/bluetoktok (053 375 2519).
#BLUE_TOKTOK يشبّع العين قبل البطن 👀 pic.twitter.com/r7z599uiSw
— Blue Tok Tok (@BlueToktok) November 4, 2021
Dilli Restaurant
Bringing an authentic taste of North Indian cuisine to Riyadh, Dilli Restaurant has lovingly crafted a menu to suit all tastes. So determined were they to get it right they actually spent nearly an entire year finalising what dishes they would serve up for the foodies of the capital. The result: a fine selection of curries, grills, biryanis and bread. Chef Deepak Anthwal is the creative force behind the menu and his signature dishes include the murgh angar (chilli-spiced chicken legs) and jhingha dum anari (king prawns with pomegranate seeds). The service here backs up the brilliant food and what we especially like is the children’s menu for your spice-shy offspring.
Intersection of Olaya Street and Tahlia Street, Al Olaya, Riyadh, www.dillirestaurant.com/ (11 415 8877).
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Farzi Café
While many Indian restaurants go for a more homely feel with food grandma might have served up back in the day, Farzi Café brings a more modern take. That certainly isn’t a bad thing, though, as the inventive dishes are a unique form of fusion where East meets West, which will have you rubbing your eyes in amazement and your tummies in delight. Farzi Café adds a little theatre to its guests’ culinary experience with molecular gastronomy often to the fore. Look out too for the so-called ‘Farzified’ dishes that bring classic staples into the future – we especially love the farzified shawarma biryani, which is both a nod to the Middle East and one of the most delicious slow-cooked leg of lamb dishes you’ll ever likely taste.
The Residence, Prince Mohammed Ibn Salman Ibn Abdulaziz Rd, Hittin, Riyadh, www.instagram.com/farzicafeksa (920 018 177).
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Indian Summer
Born in the heart of Riyadh, Indian Summer started off as one man’s passion to bring the most flavoursome tastes of the subcontinent to the Saudi capital. Its success at doing so has seen it open a further three restaurants in the capital. As for its original incarnation in As Sulaimaniya, the chefs here have lost none of that verve for quality cooking. Among the highlights are the mutton rara (a Himachali speciality of lean chunks of meat and mince in a superb sauce) and the jhinga kadai (tandoori prawns simmered to perfection in the chef’s special gravy). Vegetarians are also well looked after with a selection of plates to make even meat-lovers jealous.
Various locations including Abdullah Ibn Sulaiman Al Hamadan, As Sulaimaniya, Riyadh, indiansummerksa.com/ (11 461 2231).
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Indian Valley Restaurant
An elegant yet welcoming dining room awaits you at Indian Valley where the good times have been rolling for more than five years. At lunchtime, head here for an impressive buffet showcasing Chef Ahmed and his team’s talents. If you have more time to spare, we suggest the à la carte experience at night. You will find some of Indiaʼs most famous dishes, all cooked the traditional way. No trip to this friendly restaurant would be complete without trying the signature Indian valley chef special. This delightful dish is essentially a boneless chicken curry blended with herbs and spices and then cooked with capsicum, onion, tomato and more Indian spices. It might be mild but its so flavoursome it will knock your socks off. Everything here is pretty good value, too.
Western Ring Branch Rd and Dirab Branch Rd, indianvalleyrestaurant.com/ (11 426 3143).
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Kumar
If you enjoy a little modernity mixed with your traditional food, then this one’s for you. At Kumar’s they craft delicious tacos filled with traditionally seasoned chicken, beef, lamb, and veggie options. They call themselves a fusion between Malaysian and Indian cuisine, and serve up amazing creations like maharaja tampura shrimps and mughalai rib sliders. Don’t forget to try their pistachio kulfi.
Open daily midday-midnight. Riyadh Park, Al Aqiq, kumarksa.superbexperience (058 179 7295).
Maharaja East by Vineet
Chef Vineet puts an incredible twist on traditional Indian classics, and you’ll want to take your phones out for this one, as his presentation is absolutely beautiful. Be it delicious kebab platters or amazing mughalai murg tikka, this place does it all so well. They also serve up a luxurious rabri, topped with a classic Indian luddo.
Open daily 1pm-midnight. King Muhammad V, As Sulimaniyah, Riyadh, facebook.com/Maharaja.East.by.Vineet (011 464 1111).
Red Cherry
Looking for traditional Indian street food? This is the place for you. At Red Cherry they serve up chaats of all sorts’ right from the streets of India to your plate. Right up front, they have a gorgeous display of desserts from all over India, so even you don’t go for their desserts you might just end up with a little takeaway of their cutely packaged rasmalai. They serve a yummy samosa chaat, and their aloo tikki chaat is absolutely divine. Also, grab a couple of gulab jumaans while you’re there too, they’ll brighten up any gloomy day.
Open 12.30pm-midnight. Palace Hotel، Prince Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz St, Al Murabba, Opposite Crowne Plaza Riyadh, facebook.com/RedCherryKSA (011 412 3411)
Red Chilli Restaurant
An honest recreation of one of those many eateries youʼd stumble upon next to the highway during your travels around India, Red Chilli Restaurants is a humble, welcoming venue with fine food and excellent service. Among the many stand-out dishes are the vegetarian specialities of North India and the Balti offerings that are some of the most tasty and moreish youʼll find this side of Delhi. As soon as you get a waft of the superb scents emanating from the giant tandoor ovens, youʼll be smitten. You’ll be desperate to dig into the tikkas and rotis produced by the talented team of chefs. The butter chicken here is pretty delicious, too, while you can turn the heat up to whichever level you like (this is Red Chilli, after all).
Prince Abdulrahman Bin Abdulaziz St, Al Murabba, Riyadh redchilliriyadh.business.site/ (11 412 2984).
Red Onion
Craving some tasty excellently crafted food? Red Onion have been in the business for a long time and experience is definitely on their side. They come in with the simple classics that will win your heart. We may be a little biased, as this is one of our favourites here at Time Out, but they might just make their way into your favourites list too. Popular items on their menu are the mutton karahi and their fish tikka. Want some tasty dessert? Try their delicious kheer while you’re there too, one of the best in Riyadh.
Open daily 12.30pm-3.15, 6pm-midnight. Olaya St, Al Olaya, facebook.com/RedOnionRest/ (056 118 5584)
RUHI
In Hindi, Ruhi means soul and at the restaurant that’s exactly what you get. The heart and soul of Indian cuisine prepared by experts and served to your plate. The restaurant is a sophisticated spot. At RUHI they give you juicy tasty chicken (the butte chicken is fab) and fluffy naans. After some comfort food? They also offer soups like shorba purbahar lentil soup to warm you up on a cold winter day.
Open daily midday-1.30am. Al Takhassousi, Al Mohammadiyyah, ruhi.com.sa/ (011 208 0962).
Saravanaa Bhavan
We donʼt normally have that many good things to say about multinational chain restaurants but for us, Saravanaa Bhavan is not just another of the soulless venues metronomically churning out its food. Born in Chennai and spreading its wings further afield, the ʻworld’s No.1 vegetarian Indian restaurant chainʼ has discovered a winning formula and is rightly sticking to it. The menu is massive, with 350 dishes split into ten distinct categories. But if you find it a tad overwhelming, the amiable staff will soon point you in the right direction. You really canʼt go wrong with the chaat here, and we can never get enough of the crêpe-like uthapam. Just yummy.
Ground Floor, Al Sadhan Mall, As Sulimaniyah, Riyadh, saravanabhavan.com/ (11 419 5577).
Tandoor
In Hindi and Urdu, tandoor is a type of clay oven in which food is cooked in a traditional way. So here, you know you’ll be enjoying the cuisine the way it’s meant to be cooked. This place serves amazing fish tikkas and their falooda is definitely a must. The vibe over at Tandoor’s is comfortable, so dress down, it doesn’t matter, just come on down. Indian food is a family affair here, so gather your nearest and dearest for some homely food in this homely setting. The interiors are bright and colourful, so the kids will enjoy running around while the adults enjoy some time off.
Open daily midday-1am. 6566 Al Ihsaa, Az Zahra, facebook.com/Tandoor.restaurant.sa/ (011 473 4531)
Zafran Indian Bistro
This quirky, cheery little chain of Indian eateries has proved a big hit here in Riyadh and now has three branches. We just love taking a seat in the colourful dining room, giving our order to the chatty but professional servers and then watching in amazement as the chefs go to work in the open kitchen. And as our dishes are brought to the table, we canʼt help but drool a little. OK, so the food here isnʼt exactly ground-breaking but when you can rustle up plate after lovely plate of rogan josh, butter chicken, aloo tikka and biriyani then why bother with anything else? The ingredients are fresh and the food full of flavour. Zafran Indian Bistro is a winner in our eyes.
Various locations including Turki Square, Umm Al Hamam Al Sharqi, Riyadh, www.zafranrestaurants.com/ (50 339 9181).
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