When it comes to cuisine from South Asia, many Americans think of dishes like butter chicken or tikka masala. But desi cuisine can’t be summed up in just a few words.
India alone has more than two dozen states, each with its own culinary traditions. And that’s not including food special to other South Asian nations, like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
Luckily, diners in Kansas City can find options that reflect the huge diversity of South Asian cuisine.
“There is a lot of variety, but you have to do your homework, and you have to know where to look,” Sonia Khosla, contributor to KCUR’s Adventure! newsletter, told Up To Date.
You can’t find everything here, says Khosla, but there are plenty of options.
“There are more places where you can get idli and dosa and idiyappam, those kinds of dishes,” she says.
While South Asian grocers offer many popular snacks, some restaurants, like Elephant Wings inside Parlor and Of Course Kitchen & Company in Overland Park, are embracing cross-cultural cuisine, says Kansas City Magazine food editor Tyler Shane.
“They're trying to appeal to the customer knowing that they may be trying these dishes for the first time,” Shane says. “(They’re) also wanting to honor their heritage and their creativity, and just giving people something new.”
Khosla, Shane, and foodie and Visit Kansas City Kansas senior manager Ritz Dasgupta share their top South Asian restaurants in the metro area below. Plus, we round up listeners’ suggestions from Instagram, Facebook and TikTok.
Ritz Dasgupta:
Rajadhani's attention to quality makes it stand out. I love the ghee karam dosa, a crispy crepe made from fermented rice and lentil batter lined with karam podi, a dry spice mix that hits the mark. The mutton ghee roast is amazing too. Jaggery adds the perfect hint of sweetness to the savory dish.
Touch of Asia is one of the best restaurants in the Kansas City area for North Indian options, and they cater. Kebabs are my love language — besides biryani, of course — and they have a good tandoori chicken and boti kebab. The goat curry is similar to Bengali-style, which satisfies my foodie urges of the diaspora.
Aahaa Modern Indian Cuisine's Amritsari fish is delicious; zesty marinated filets, lightly battered and fried to perfection. Once you have a piece, you can't stop. The goat Chettinadu is also worth ordering. It’s a bone-in goat curry, slow-cooked with Chettinad spices, high on heat and flavor.
Kurry Leaves does Hyderabadi dum biryani, and they know how to do it right. The dish, rice with slow-cooked meat or veggies, is very spicy (you can ask to have it adjusted) but it always hits the mark. Their takeout kept me going throughout the pandemic.
Ambica Foods is known for its Indian snacks — and you can’t go wrong. Pick up a jalebi, a sweet, syrupy funnel cake-like treat; a chole bhature, a large deep fried bread paired with a spicy chickpea curry; or any style of chaat, a snack made with fried dough and fillings.
Sohaila’s Kitchen is a Pakistani restaurant that excels in biryani and butter chicken. Their biryani is similar to the North Indian style, and milder and more aromatic than the Hyderabadi biryani at Kurry Leaves. The butter chicken is also delicious, with grilled chicken pieces slow-cooked in a creamy tomato gravy.
Sonia Khosla:
India Palace has been a staple for my family for years. While you can get pretty much any popular Indian dish here, I always come back to the chicken korma, a creamy curry rooted in aromatic and warm spices and made with tender marinated chicken. The chicken biryani, a spiced rice dish topped with golden raisins, is also delicious and filling.
Elephant Wings serves Indian fusion food inside Parlor. The Cumin Chicken Crusher Wrap combines tender chicken, bits of corn, jalapeño and a coriander chutney aioli. The Bombay-Mi is a vibrant mashup that takes a classic banh mi and adds South Asian flair, stuffing it with cumin chicken, shredded carrots and crunchy pickled cucumbers.
Seva Cuisine of India is all-around solid. Whenever someone asks for an Indian restaurant recommendation, I almost always recommend Seva. Standouts on the menu include tandoori chicken, butter style squash and gluten-free roti. Don’t forget to order chai.
Taj Grocers is my go-to for homemade sweets and samosas. I love to get jalebi, the treat that became a global anthem in the song “Jalebi Baby.” I also grab a dense, sweet milk fudge called barfi (the nariyal, or coconut, variety is my favorite).
Flavor of Himalaya serves North Indian fare. The biryanis and fried rice dishes stand out. The shrimp fried rice reminds me of Kaieteur cuisine, a Guyanese and Chinese fusion that I grew up eating with my family in New York and often crave.
Shagan’s specials rotate daily, and chef Shagan Bajwa’s thalis, or Indian platters, are always available. Choose a rice and two entrees: I like the rajma, or red kidney beans, cooked in a flavorful spiced sauce, vegetable korma and chicken curry. You must order a paratha, a buttery flatbread that’s crispy on the outside and flaky on the inside.
Tyler Shane:
Tikka House, a longstanding family-owned spot in the City Market, is a great reminder that there’s no one type of Indian food. The Alhabashi family is from Jordan, but their menu is full of samosas and tikka masala — food similar to what Manal, the matriarch, grew up with. You can also browse the thousands of buckets of spices available for purchase there.
Jyoti Mukharji’s Indian cooking classes take place in her Prairie Village home, and are wildly popular. She teaches groups how to cook restaurant staples, regional favorites and Mukharji originals. If you prefer to teach yourself her methods, they’re available in a new cookbook, “Heartland Masala.”
Of Course Kitchen & Company, a modern, upscale South Asian restaurant, is a gem in the metro. Chef Swetha Newcomb’s parents are from India, but she was raised in Kansas City and brings a Midwestern flair to her menu. The egg toast curry is one of my staples, but I’d trust anything she cooks up.
RajMahal‘s tandoori chicken is perfectly charred and some of the best I’ve ever had. The drink menu was developed with the help of Westport Cafe’s expert team, and is just as amazing as the food. Darjeeling-infused Scotch and Indian spice-infused gin are just a few ingredients in the cocktails.
Amruta’s Vilas on Wheels is posted up at the Flash Petro gas station in Olathe and serves Indo-Chinese cuisine. This means you can snag pani puri, chicken fried rice, green chili-stuffed mirchi and more until midnight every day of the week.
Harp Barbecue‘s chefs have started to experiment with offerings that fuse barbecue with Indian cuisine. Take, for instance, an andouille sausage with tandoor flavor and turmeric. It’s a must try.
Your Kansas City South Asian recommendations
