Indian food has the perfect blend of spices that vary through the season. Comforting and yummy curries have become a staple in every cuisine with their own version and take to the Indian classic. Hong Kong being a asian hub has been influenced heavily by Indian cuisine loved by it's people.
You get all varieties of Indian food from simple home cooked meals, to budget friendly options and even Michelin star quality. Below are some best options in most of these categories that you can find in Hong Kong.
Here is my list of best Indian food in Hong Kong. This is an evolving list and only the ones that I truly enjoy from taste, authenticity, value for price have made it to the list.
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VEGETARIAN DELIGHTS
Hotel Sangeetha (Pure Vegetarian)
Sangeetha Vegetarian Restaurant, Wing On Plaza, UG 1-5 & 31, 62 Mody Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone: +852 26402123 http://sangeetha.com.hk/
Living up to its name of serving quality South Indian vegetarian food is the legendary chain restaurants Sangeetha. The quality and price point of this place are absolute delight to satisfy your hunger pangs for a dosa, sambhar, thali and piping hot vadas.
Must try are the rava masala dosa, podi masala dosa, vadas, and the buttermilk to beat the heat on a hit summer afternoon. You must not miss the favourite beverage of southern india- filter coffee.
Usually gets packed on weekends between 1:00 PM to 2:30 PM and they take no reservations. So ensure you reach on a decent time to avoid rush hour.
Saravana Bhavan (Closed)
Saravana Bhavan, 1/F, Katherine House, 53-55 Chatham Rd South, Tsim Sha Tsui
Another place serving authentic south indian canteen style food is Sarvana Bhavan also part of a global chain of restaurants. The price point and quality of this restaurant are also quite good.
However to the best of my knowledge the restaurant is now permanently closed.
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BUDGET FRIENDLY
Black Salt (Closed; currently reopened as Pondi)
BlackSalt Kitchen, 119B Second St, Sai Ying Pun
Located in a corner of Sai Ying Pun; much like a hole in the wall kind of a space turned into a hip contemporary small restaurant. The decor and the charming outdoor ambience of the place transcends you away from the concrete jungle between which it is situated. Run by Taran Chadha his menu is inspired by his Indian heritage with a spin of his own.
Must try dishes were- BS Okra Fries, Kathmandu Meatball Mo's and What's the Mattar Paneer.
Each spin is unique and most of the dishes hit my palette on the right note but not all of them were a delight. All in all, it's a bold take to spin a cuisine that is deep rooted and layered beyond imagination. A must-try for those who love a little experiment on their taste buds.
Again, BlackSalt is now closed and the team have now reopened- Pondi in Sai Ying Pun, which is on my to try list.
Anjappar
Anjappar Chettinad Indian Restaurant, Multifield Plaza, UNIT 202, 2/F, NO.3 Prat Ave, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone: +852 34285757 https://www.anjappar.com.hk/
This place focuses on Chettinad cuisine of Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Taste of the food from the chettinad region is prominent in the dishes here. Chettinad region of Tamil Nadu was historically ruled by the Chettiars and during which the region had of business of spices as well which were prominent part of their food as well.
Majority of chettinad region being Tamil Brahmins ("priest") led the food to have a lot of vegetarian options. But also being close to the coast line their cuisine features some amazing seafood dishes as well.
Bombay Dreams
Bombay Dreams, 1/F Winning Centre, HK Hong Kong Island, 46 Wyndham St, Central
Phone: +852 28119888 https://www.sandshospitality.com/portfolio/bombay-dreams
Part of the Sands hospitality team who have numerous renowned restaurants in Hong Kong is Bombay Dreams, one of the first Indian restaurants I visited in Hong Kong. The restaurant serves excellent quality Indian food from across different regions and states of India.
A regulars entrant of Michelin Guide as a Bib Gourmand, the quality and taste is excellent. The A La Carte menu is quite elaborate while my favorite has been their Brunch Buffet which has quite an excellent spread as well. It's a great place to catchup for lunch meetings due to the accessibility of the location to the offices.
Corner 90
Corner 90, 90 Hung To Rd, Kwun Tong
Phone: +852 23447898 http://www.corner90.com/
Tucked into a nice wide corner at Hung To Road is this place affiliated to Bombay Dreams as well. With excellent Indian food they offer and amazing Lunch Buffet which has quite an excellent spread and authentic taste as well.
It's a great place to catchup for lunch meetings due to the accessibility of the location to the offices near Kowloon Bay, Kwun Tong ang Ngau Tau Kok area. Make sure you reserve well beforehand because it gets super crowded during Fridays especially.
Chaiwala
Chaiwala, Yu Yuet Lai Building, Basement 43, 55 Wyndham St, Central
Phone: +852 23628988 https://www.chaiwala.hk/
In all honesty, Chaiwala was a sudden stop me had my friends had post a late office evening. So I can not really remember the entrance which I know was through a basement door for British salon Hugger Mugger. But boy, this Pirata Group staple is worth the visit.
From the minute we entered the vibe & energy of the place was absolutely amazing. It's festive is modern it's quirky and it's generally quite packed. The food did absolute justice as we were quite hungry, the variety of food was excellent and most of the food was great in taste. The overall experience was quite immersive and fun. The drinks were excellent as well and the place is super fun to go in large groups.
Gaylord Indian Restaurant
Gaylord Indian Restaurant, 5/F, Prince Tower, 12A Peking Rd, Tsim Sha Tsui
Phone: +852 23761001 http://www.mayfare.com.hk/gaylord-overview.php
A staple if we want a good dining experience in Tsim Sha Tsui, Gaylord has been a Hong Kong iconic restaurant since 1970s loved by everyone. The old school vibe of the restaurant with the authenticity of the dishes makes me remember the restaurants in India I used to visit as a kid. They also do live music sometimes of old Indian songs which is very welcoming.
The food is extremely good and the ambience is very warm and welcoming. I have visited this place with family and close family friends many times. The menu is more focused on North Indian food but most of it is done quite well. Excellent for an intimate family time.
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FINE DINING
Rajasthan Rifles
Rajasthan Rifles, The Peak Galleria, Shop G01 G/F, 118 Peak Rd, Central
Phone: +852 23888874 https://www.rajasthanrifles.com/
Run to represent canteen/mess style Anglo- Indian food during British Army's reign in India. It's an amalgamation of Officers mess food trough different parts of India. The menu is a bit of mess style food, staples from the Indian railways during the era, dishes they loved during their stay in Delhi from northern part.
The food is good and the ambience & view is killer (given the location). However, some dishes are on the heavier side so ensure you order a soda if you're planning to get the curries. The small & quick bites are absolutely finder licking. I would have expected perfection as the meal comes with a decent bill. But given that majority of the food was great, I would give it another go for they do have some room for improvement.
All in all, it's definitely worth the visit, if the meal is 80% great the rest the view will make up for it.
New Punjab Club
New Punjab Club, World Wide Commercial Building, 34 Wyndham St, Central
Phone: +852 23681223 https://newpunjabclub.com/
Featuring the cultural heritage of the Punjab region belonging to both India and Pakistan a presenting it on a platter is a unique specialty of New Punjab Club. Representing a region through food requires mastery of understanding the story, the culture, the reason of how and why the food existed and what makes it so different. This Black Sheep Restaurants project does a good job of it.
The food from the tandoor specialties to simple staples of lentils and saag paneer are done very well. The attention to the usage of tandoor to char to perfection and the spice blend balance to make your palette sing definitely makes one feel that Chef Palash Mitra is someone who understands, cherishes & loves Punjab as a region. This poetry of understanding and belief show in his and his team's food.
Definitely deserves the Michelin 1 star and will keep me coming back for more. It is worth going for celebrations and enjoying with special ones.
Make sure you reserve well in advance and it's fine dining so do try out their wine recommendations as well which are quite good.
Being an Indian based in Hong Kong since several years I do keep visiting other restaurants as well and only the ones I really make the list. So keep coming in to see updates to this list.