Best Indian restaurants in Hong Kong

Helmed by chef Manav Tuli, Chaat serves up a fresh take on classic Indian cuisine with a street food sentiment. The restaurant draws from a variety of colourful flavours while transporting you all across India. There are many highlights at this restaurant, but must-tries include Old Delhi butter chicken, pork cheek vindaloo, lamb dum biryani, palak paneer, bone marrow kulcha, and much. But if you can't decide, they do have tasting menus so you don't have to. Chaat also has a warm and lively atmosphere with stunning cross-harbour views to boot.

Tucked away on Temple Street, Bombay Restaurant is well-loved for its relatively affordable prices and big portions. Popular amongst locals and tourists alike, this cosy curry house is the go-to spot after a day of retail therapy in the neighbouring shopping markets. Frequent guests swear by the tandoori chicken, lamb biriyani and baingan masala. Don’t miss out on the popular naans including the crowd favourites of garlic or cheese. 

Located in the rowdy and unfussy Queen Street Cooked Food Centre, Chautari specialises in Indian and Nepalese cuisine and is arguably one of the most reliable Indian restaurants on Hong Kong Island when you've got a craving. Don't expect any bells and whistles, but do expect some incredible lassis and curries – there are literally dozens to pick from – catering to all taste palates. 

Contemporary Indian restaurant Jashan primarily focuses on the freshness and quality of the ingredients, but the eatery does not skimp on the bold and familiar flavours of Indian cuisine. Recommended dishes include the fish tikka and the lamb madras. The veggie and lamb samosas are served in generous portions, and the breadbasket comes with naan, roti and paratha. Finish off with sugary gulab jamun milk balls dipped in rose-scented syrup.

Bombay Dreams may have relocated from the first floor to the fourth floor in the same building, but is still deemed one of the best in town for elevated Indian cuisine. Bombay Dreams’ menu adheres to the traditional spices that we know and love but with a creative spin. The tandoori offerings, fragrant pulao and rich curries make for a top-quality Mughlai meal. End the meal with some melt-in-your-mouth gulab jamuns.

Named after Pondicherry, the former French colony in India, Pondi's food is an electrifying combination of Indian home cooking and classic French cooking philosophies. The menu is kept simple and caters to vegetarians and the gluten intolerant, as well as boasting more than enough to keep carnivores satisfied, with offerings from baked aubergine with capers, sun-dried tomatoes and coriander, to butter chicken terrine with mini papadums and dried banana ships, to wild Hereford bavette steak – all of which are brilliantly executed to make for a thoroughly enjoyable epicurean adventure.

New Punjab Club made headlines when it became the first Punjabi restaurant in the world to be awarded a Michelin star. This restaurant celebrates post-colonial Pakistan and India through rustic and uncomplicated delights. Executive chef Palash Mitra and his team also emphasise the importance of recreating Punjabi classics through locally sourced fish and meats. Favourites include the comforting samosa chaat, which is filled with potatoes and spices with the surprise of pomegranate seeds, and buttery tandoori machli that melts in your mouth.

Specialising in traditional northern Indian dishes, Rang Mahal combines a cosy environment with a diverse range of flavours. The menu consists of items that follow the house philosophy of serving the best of Mughlai cuisine to guests. Crowd favourites include the chicken tikka and the tandoori lamb shank. Both are filling and leave a lingering taste for more.

Modern Indian restaurant Tagline offers a bright and bold take on India’s vibrant food culture, blending Awadhi and Mughlai cuisine on the menu, while the bar offers Middle Eastern cuisine and Arabic bites. Think perfectly cooked beetroot salmon, minced vegetables in masala served with a charcoal bun called pav bhaji and served in a fondue, shish taouk which is boneless chicken marinated with traditional Arabic spices, deep-fried shrimp or vegan tempura dynamites drizzled in hot and spicy sauce, and much more. Plus, the restaurant offers an open-air terrace to while away the evenings with cocktails and shisha. You can also enjoy the healthy menu, created in collaboration with meal prep brand Calfit, for a nutritious meal that doesn’t skimp on taste.

Time Out Hong Kong in partnership with Tagline