Best Trendy Indian Restaurants in Chicago
12 hand-picked restaurants, critic-reviewed and ranked
Last Updated: February 2026
Our Top Pick
Indienne
Michelin-recognized tasting menus that modernize Indian flavors in a polished room.
Essential Picks
#1
Indienne
9.1
Indienne is Chef Sujan Sarkar’s progressive Indian fine-dining room in River North, running multicourse tasting menus that reframe regional flavors with modern technique. Michelin recognition, highly rated multi-platform feedback, and a 2022 opening keep it in the conversation as one of Chicago’s destination restaurants for contemporary Indian cuisine.
Must-Try Dishes:
Seared scallops in coastal-style curry, Signature lamb course, Butter-poached lobster supplement
What Makes it Special: Michelin-recognized tasting menus that modernize Indian flavors in a polished room.
Notable Picks
#2
ROOP Chicago
8.6
A modern Indian dining room built for a curated, course-like order: bright chaat, a standout paneer lane, and a tight set of mains that land best when you don’t overreach. The cocktail program is a real co-headliner, making this a strong West Loop move for date-night pacing or a bar-first happy hour that still eats like dinner.
Must-Try Dishes:
Paneer Pasanda, Sweet Potato Chaat, Chili Cheese Kulcha
What Makes it Special: Progressive Indian cooking paired with a cocktail program built as a co-main.
8.5
Cumin’s Lakeview outpost brings the Bib Gourmand–recognized Wicker Park menu of Nepali and Indian cooking to Belmont, with momos, chaats, and rich curries in a polished dining room. Locals use it for fuller sit-down dinners, from butter chicken and lamb curry to shared tandoor orders and vegetarian plates.
Must-Try Dishes:
Chicken Momo, Butter Chicken (Chicken Makhani), Chicken Tikka Masala
What Makes it Special: A Bib-recognized Nepali-Indian menu in a more polished Lakeview dining room.
#4
Mirra
8.5
Chefs Rishi Kumar and Zubair Mohajir weave Indian and Mexican traditions into bold, spice-forward dishes like crispy scallop tacos in fenugreek roti shells and lamb barbacoa biryani sealed under buttery roti. The Michelin Bib Gourmand recipient opened August 2024 and has quickly become Bucktown's most talked-about reservation, earning a spot on Eater's Best New Restaurants in America list.
Must-Try Dishes:
Crispy Scallop Tacos with Green Curry, Lamb Barbacoa Biryani, Mirra Mezze
What Makes it Special: Chicago's only Indian-Mexican fusion restaurant from a James Beard semifinalist chef, backed by a Michelin Bib Gourmand
8.3
A North Center dining room that reworks familiar Indian favorites with a modern, chef-driven touch and a strong cocktail-forward night-out rhythm. Order best by anchoring the table with one chaat-style starter, one tandoor/bread moment, and two mains that contrast creamy and smoky.
Must-Try Dishes:
Mushroom kulcha, Sweet potato chaat, Eggplant bharta
What Makes it Special: Modern Indian cooking that hits classic flavors with tighter technique and polish.
8.3
KAMA West Loop brings Vikram and Agnes Singh’s contemporary Indian cooking to Randolph Street with a menu that fuses paneer-stuffed ravioli, tandoori seafood, and regional curries. Diners come for polished plates, cocktails, and a lively dining room that works for both date nights and small groups.
Must-Try Dishes:
Paneer-Stuffed Ravioli in Tikka Sauce, Tandoori Chilean Sea Bass, Tamarind Baby Back Ribs
What Makes it Special: Modern Indian plates and cocktails in a polished Randolph Street dining room.
Bar Goa is a River North Indian gastropub and cocktail bar where Goan-inspired plates meet a strong drink program, with roughly 4.2–4.3 ratings across platforms and around 800–1,500 combined reviews. The room leans buzzy and late-night, using dishes like butter chicken, lamb keema, and prawn-and-chorizo fried rice to anchor group outings around cocktails and DJ or comedy nights.
Must-Try Dishes:
Butter chicken, Prawn and chorizo fried rice, Gunpowder dosa
What Makes it Special: Cocktail-driven Goan-inspired gastropub with shareable plates and nightlife energy.
#8
NADU
8.2
Nadu is a modern Indian restaurant in the DePaul stretch of Lincoln Park focusing on regional South Indian flavors, cocktails, and plated dishes rather than the standard curry-and-naan format. It trades buffet-style abundance for focused, spice-driven plates in a contemporary room that draws both neighborhood regulars and citywide diners.
Must-Try Dishes:
Kerala-style Fish Curry, Gunpowder Cauliflower, Lamb or Goat Biryani
What Makes it Special: A contemporary South Indian-leaning kitchen where cocktails and composed plates take the lead.
#9
Eggholic
8
Vibes:
Quick Bites Champions
Cheap Eats Budget Brilliance
Family Friendly Favorites
Trendy Table Hotspots
Fast-casual Indian street food that’s strongest in its sandwich-and-chaat lane, where spice, crunch, and tang balance without needing a full sit-down meal. The move is to order one hot handheld plus one cold/chaat item so everything stays punchy instead of heavy.
Must-Try Dishes:
Pav Bhaji, Paneer Masala Sandwich, Dahi Puri
What Makes it Special: Indian street-food classics with an egg-and-sandwich focus done fast.
Worthy Picks
7.8
Moti- Lincoln Park is a fast-casual spot where Indian flavors show up on pizzas, bowls, tacos, and street snacks in a bright, modern space. Diners call it out for playful takes like chicken tikka pizza, vada pav, and momos that still deliver recognizable spice profiles while staying easy to share.
Must-Try Dishes:
Personal Chicken Tikka Pizza, Butter Masala Bowl, Vada Pav
What Makes it Special: An Indian fusion counter where masala pizzas, bowls, and tacos remix familiar flavors for casual hangs.
#11
Saffron Street
7.8
A fast-casual Indian stall inside Sterling Food Hall built around rice bowls and sandwiches that borrow street-food flavors without the full-service sit-down. The best orders stay simple—one makhni-style bowl or a kebab sandwich—so heat, sauce, and texture land clean in a busy lunch-window setting.
Must-Try Dishes:
Makhni rice bowl, Lamb kebab sandwich, Grand Paneer Paratha
What Makes it Special: Indian street-flavor bowls and sandwiches tuned for quick Loop lunches.
#12
Swadesi Cafe
7.8
An Indian cafe-and-bakery concept that translates classic flavors into an all-day coffee shop rhythm—chai, spiced lattes, and laminated pastries that borrow from both worlds. It’s best as a morning or midday stop where you order one savory item, one pastry, and a signature drink instead of trying to turn it into a full restaurant meal.
Must-Try Dishes:
Butter Chicken Croissant, Chicken Tikka Toastie, Salted Jaggery Caramel Latte
What Makes it Special: Indian chai-house flavors reimagined as a modern cafe and bakery.