An Indian restaurant menu may divide tandoor dishes, curries, breads and rice, or concentrate on one region: restaurants in Delhi alone range from South Indian kitchens, some entirely vegetarian, to Punjabi and other regional cooking, and several serve thalis[1]. Check the restaurant’s focus before assuming every Indian menu has the same gravy-based mains.
Typical menu
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Examples vary by restaurant. Confirm ingredients, portions and dietary needs with staff.
Starters and tandoor
- Samosa — Crisp fried pastry, usually filled with spiced potato and peas; filling and mildly spiced, often two per order with tamarind and mint chutneys.
- Pakora — Vegetables such as onion, spinach or potato dipped in chickpea-flour batter and fried; crunchy, savory snacks usually served with chutney.
- Chicken tikka — Boneless chicken marinated in yogurt and spices and cooked in the tandoor clay oven; smoky and dry-textured, unlike tikka masala, which comes in a creamy tomato sauce.
- Seekh kebab — Spiced minced lamb or chicken shaped on skewers and cooked in the tandoor; juicy and aromatic, usually with onion, lemon and green chutney.
Curries, rice and regional meals
- Dal — Stewed lentils or pulses, from yellow dal tadka to slow-cooked dal makhani with butter and cream; comforting and usually mild, a staple to share with rice or bread.
- Palak paneer — Cubes of fresh paneer cheese in a puréed spinach sauce; mild, creamy and vegetarian but made with dairy. Good with naan or roti.
- Biryani — Fragrant basmati rice layered with marinated meat or vegetables and steamed together; a complete dish on its own, often served with raita (yogurt sauce) to cool the spice.
- Masala dosa — A large, thin, crisp crêpe of fermented rice-and-lentil batter wrapped around spiced potato; usually served with sambar (lentil broth) and coconut chutney.
How to order on your first visit
For two at a curry restaurant, share two contrasting curries with rice or bread after checking portions. At a dosa restaurant, start with a dosa each. Ask the spice level and whether dairy, nuts or meat stock appear in the sauce.
Different menu styles
North Indian-style curry and tandoor lists differ from South Indian dosa or idli menus. A thali is a selection meal; ask what its small dishes include before ordering sides. Heat also varies by region: Goa’s vindaloo, for example, is described as extremely spicy[2].
What to order
- Butter chicken (murgh makhani) — tandoori chicken in a silky tomato-butter sauce
- Hyderabadi biryani — layered rice and marinated meat steamed together (dum)
- Masala dosa — crisp fermented crepe around spiced potatoes, with sambar and chutney
- Chana masala — chickpeas in a punchy tomato-onion gravy
- Garlic naan — tandoor-baked flatbread for scooping everything else
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Frequently asked questions
What does "curry" actually mean in India?
Not a single dish — it is a colonial-era catch-all for gravied preparations. Menus in India name dishes specifically: korma, vindaloo, rogan josh, and dal each mean a distinct technique and spice profile.
Is Indian food good for vegetarians?
Dal, chana masala, paneer and dosa offer several ways to order without meat. Check the actual recipe: dairy, ghee, eggs or meat stock can change whether a dish suits your requirements. Some South Indian restaurants run entirely vegetarian menus[1].
How do I order Indian food at the right spice level?
Say the heat you want when ordering; many kitchens can adjust it. Heat varies by dish and region: Goa’s vindaloo, for example, is described as extremely spicy[2], while yogurt- or cream-based sauces are often gentler. Ask before ordering rather than relying on the dish name alone.
What background helps when reading a Indian menu?
Indian cooking varies sharply by region. Restaurants may focus on North Indian tandoor dishes and breads, on South Indian dosa and idli, or on one regional cuisine, and some run entirely vegetarian menus[1]. No single menu is the national standard, so compare the preparation, base and accompaniments.
Related guides
Sources
- Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). From North to South - A culinary expedition through Delhi's Pan-Indian restaurants. Accessed
- Incredible India (Ministry of Tourism, Government of India). Goan Cuisine: A Confluence of Cultures. Accessed