Top 5 Indian Restaurants in Houston

What makes the regular patrons of Aga’s Restaurant & Catering is their signature goat chops and naan bread combo. 

Even though the main restaurant itself is a bit plain with its beige walls and patterned carpet, we like that their eating area is spacious enough to allow people to move freely, especially during peak hours.

During our visit, we ordered the specialty grilled goat chops and a basket of garlic naan bread. 

The food took a while to arrive, considering that there were many people eating lunch there. The servers were also a bit slow in providing us with our water and utensils because of how busy the restaurant was. 

We also noticed some customers waiting for more than 30 minutes for takeout meals.

When our food finally arrived, we were amazed at the portions. For a moment, we doubted if we could even finish our meal in a single sitting.

In terms of taste, the garlic naan has a smoky, chewy feel that indicates that it’s cooked straight from a tandoor or clay oven. The tangy flavor of garlic also mixes well with the ghee and yogurt used in its dough.

While the garlic naan is stellar, we think the star of our meal is the grilled goat chops. It has the perfect blend of seasoning complementing the earthy and juicy goat meat that makes us want to come back for more.

Kiran’s is a restaurant that provides an elegant touch to the familiar taste of Indian cuisine.

The interior of this restaurant exudes luxury and style, with earth tones and patterned surfaces dominating the motif of the place. We think it’s the perfect spot if you want to take your special someone on a dinner date.

Just note that this place is a dinner-only restaurant so don’t expect them to be available during the day. Although, they’re open on afternoons during weekends.

Also, the food here is a bit more expensive than in other restaurants. Still, we think the price is justified given the taste of their dishes.

When we got seated at our table, the waitstaff hurriedly attended to our orders. They even gave us their Wi-Fi password so we could relax and browse our social media feeds while waiting for our orders.

We ordered their goat cheese & beet salad and the tandoori chicken alfredo naanzza. The waitstaff told us that the “naanzza” is a fusion pizza dish that uses naan bread instead of regular dough.

In our opinion, their salad is a refreshing starter. The combination of the roasted pistachios, the sweet beets, and the sharpness of the goat cheese is a wonderful start. 

We’re also amazed at the flavor profile of the naanzza. Our taste buds certainly liked the smokiness of the tandoori chicken, which surprisingly blends well with the creamy alfredo sauce and mozzarella toppings.

Khyber Grill stands out with their flavorful saucy dishes, particularly their butter chicken and tikka masala.

When we pulled up to the restaurant, we were relieved that they have a spacious parking lot, making it easier to find a nice spot even during lunchtime. 

The restaurant itself has a classy look because of the abundance of wooden furniture and fixtures here. We love the interior due to the cleanliness of the place

We originally planned to avail their buffet services but changed our minds when we saw how expensive it was. Instead, we ordered butter chicken and lamb tikka masala. 

While waiting for the food, we noticed that some of their menu items are a bit small for its price.

Going back, the food didn’t take too long to arrive. The servings of our order were also big enough to satisfy the appetite of our team.

We’re blown away by the flavors of the butter chicken. The chicken breast pieces are juicy and the sauce had the perfect mixture of turmeric, garam masala, and heavy cream.

The lamb tikka masala also had a tangy and spicy taste that works well with tender lamb pieces. 

We recommend wiping your plates clean with the naan bread so you won’t waste a drop of their delicious sauce.

Udipi Cafe is a popular South Indian food spot that exclusively serves vegetarian meals to their patrons.

Unfortunately, the place itself is small so we waited for a while to get some seats. Although, we like the vibrant atmosphere of this restaurant, especially the airy and bright ambiance.

As their name suggests, the restaurant’s specialty is food from Udupi or Udipi city in Karnataka, India. Their cuisine primarily uses produce like beans, grains, fruits, and vegetables to cater to their local food restriction during certain seasons. 

We ordered their lunch special, which contains a serving of masala dosa (rice crepe), upma (semolina porridge), idli (rice bread), sambar (vegetable stew), chutney, raita (minty yogurt sauce), and a dessert.

The great thing about the lunch special is that it only costs $8.99 but has a lot of items. We recommend sharing this meal with another person if you’re a light eater.

Our team started with the idli and upma to quickly satiate our hunger. The upma has a light, roasted taste with a hint of onion while the idli has an airy texture. 

With a sour and hearty taste, the sambar excitingly jolted our taste buds. It provided us with a boost of energy similar to the effect of drinking coffee.

Lastly, we sampled the masala dosa with chutney and raita sauces. We love how these sauces add depth to the crispy rice crepe.

For us, the chutney tastes a bit bland but the minty and creamy taste of the raita provides contrast to the spiced dosa.

What’s unique about Maharaja Bhog is their vegetable buffet, which is eaten on a thali or metal platter.

If you’re planning to go here, make sure you arrive early because it can take a while to get a seat during lunch and dinner.

On the other hand, commend the staff of this restaurant for their attentiveness. Before every meal, they bring out a bowl and a small water vessel where we can wash our hands before eating.

While washing our hands, they also encouraged us to eat the food with our right hand like what they traditionally do in India.

Despite that, the staff was slow in serving our food because of the number of people dining there when we came.

In terms of the food, the thali that they use is a big metal plate with 9 bowls attached to it. Here, the staff fills up your plate with rice, bread, roti (wheat flatbread), appetizer, 4 types of curry, kadhi (flour and curd soup), chutney, and dal (Indian stew).

It’s wonderful that the restaurant’s menu changes every time to give their regular patrons variety. While the food category remains the same, they often cook different dishes from Gujarati and Rajasthani cuisine. 

When it comes to the taste, the items that stood out for us are their curry sauce and jalebi (flour and sugar candy).

The curry sauce is aromatic and creamy, with a thick consistency that’s perfect for dipping your bread. Also, the jalebi has a mild and nutty sweetness, which is not overwhelming to the tongue.