The Best Indian Food in Seattle and on the Eastside
Annapurna Cafe serves momos and other food.
Great Indian restaurants are concentrated in the eastern part of the Seattle area, where many people who immigrated from India to work in our tech sector now live. Indian Americans make up a sizable portion of King County’s population; in fact, a professional cricket team for them is soon to be formed. Within Seattle itself, a few well-known locations have developed a critical mass in recent years.
Our selection of South Asian eateries offers almost as much variety as the country’s abundance of regional cuisines. Options include Pakistani food trucks, traditional curries, and even Indian pizza in addition to the warm coconut and seafood flavors of Kerala. These are our top picks.
Kathakali | Is Indian Food The Best
Food by Chef Ajay Panicker is worth traveling for. stays faithful to the region of South India called Kerala’s seafood- and vegetable-rich cuisine rather than balancing the menu with more traditional Indian meals. This could be a whole fish seasoned with spices covered in a banana leaf, idiyappam, rice noodles, or string hoppers. Pay close attention to the menu items marked with stars and the full section titled “Dosas and Kerala Specials.” An order of homemade jackfruit ice cream is the perfect way to end the best meals.
Kricket Club
Ravenna
The younger sibling restaurant of Meesha is a little more posh. However, the dish brings back memories for Indians with a modern twist. The proprietor, Preeti Agarwal, makes kofta curry with jackfruit and packs tiffin lunchboxes with Bengali lamb curry and house dal to unpack tableside. The pan-Indian food appears to have been inspired by the grandmas’ cookbooks. The striking color design was inspired by the previous shirt of the Indian national cricket team, and wine and drinks are given the same priority as at Meesha.
Foody Moody
Renton
Get ready for the best zinger burger in the Pacific Northwest and Pakistani kebabs. The spicy fried chicken sandwich known as the “zinger” first appeared on the menus of Pakistani KFC franchises and quickly gained popularity. You’ll need to locate Foody Moody’s unassuming position close to some residences and across from a McLendon Hardware garden center in order to find this impressive local variation. Although there isn’t much fanfare, the food, which includes burgers, pulao rice, and paratha rolls, is excellent.
Chaat House
Bothell and Bellevue
Northern Indian chaat houses are experts in this broad category of savory, frequently crunchy or deep-fried, street food appetizers. With chickpeas, yogurt, chutney, and masala as toppings, this practical counter-service version creates a remarkable papdi chaat and chole bhature (chickpeas and fried bread). An comprehensive selection of Indo-Chinese dishes, including some superb hakka noodles, are available on Chaat House’s vegetarian menu.
The Roll Pod
White Center, Bellevue, and Food Truck
This fast-casual restaurant that consists of two stores and two food trucks serves the tastiest kathi rolls in the area without a doubt. Each restaurant tops flaky roti with a fried egg, 10 different fillings—mostly curries made with meat or vegetables—shredded lettuce, onions, and cilantro-mint chutney. The outcomes perfectly capture the kathi roll’s key flavor, freshness, and texture balance. The menu at Roll Pod offers a ton of combos and allows you to order dishes as bowls, substituting rice and tomato gravy for the roti wrap.
Honest Restaurant
Bellevue/Overlake
The majority of American adaptations of Indian foods like vada pav and pav bhaji use a sweeter, softer bread roll than what is common in India. This chain, which has its headquarters in Gujarat’s Ahmedabad, creates its own and achieves the ideal texture. The greatest vada pav in town can be found on the extensive, totally vegetarian menu at Honest. The Bahubali sandwich, a quadruple decker loaded with vegetables, curries, and even jam in the middle, is strange but satisfying if you’re truly hungry. Order at the counter for takeout; the setting is excellent.
Rasai
Fremont
When looking at a menu that includes dishes like lamb osso buco and a watermelon and goat cheese salad, it can be simple to overlook the Indian influences. However, executive chef Gaurav Raj’s contemporary cuisine successfully combines Indian traditions; the kitchen creates standout dishes like chipotle paneer and a fig kofta. Although the food is remarkable and presented in a theatrical dining room, this is not the place to satisfy your craving for curries and dal.
