Little India is a maze-like neighborhood jam-packed with restaurants, shops and culture. So when you’re in the area and need somewhere to eat, here’s where to go, whether you want all types of authentic Indian food or fresh Japanese sushi.
Azmi Chapati Keema
This chapati joint has built quite the loyal following for those who know and like chapati. Sure it might be a little hole in the wall, with its green plastic sign and no-frills set up, but this coffeeshop chapati is pretty close to the real deal. Plus, you can get it with a myriad of sides like mutton masala, chicken liver and potato cauliflower.
1 Norris Rd., corner of Norris and Serangoon Road.
Cocotte
Tucked in Wanderlust Hotel is this modern French restaurant that serves a twist on comfort food. While the menu changes frequently, mainstays include duck leg confit and mussels in a creamy mariniere sauce. The big draw for most is the weekend brunch trolleys loaded with roast chicken, quiches and desserts like crepes.
Kailash Parbat
It may take a little sleuthing to find Hotel Grand Chancellor and once you do, this place will greet you with mountains of vegetarian food. It specializes in Sindhi food that includes pav bhaji, a mixed vegetable curry; bhel puri, a combo of puffed rice, papadis, onions, potatoes and chutneys; and shahi dum ka paneer, a dish of malai paneer in cashew and cream gravy. First timers should opt for the Sindhi Jo Swad, a selection of signature dishes.
Kebabs & Curries
Located at the new extension of Mustafa Centre, this breezy rooftop restaurant has both indoor and outdoor spaces. It serves tons of options from both North and South India, including bestsellers like butter chicken and mutton sheekh kebab. But their menu is pretty big, covering things from dosas and uthappam to seafood curries and hearty biryanis.
Komala Vilas
Before anything, head to the flagship Komala Vilas on Serangoon Road. This is the place where you get down and dirty and eat on banana leaves piled high with rice and smeared with lots of curry. The star of the show is the South Indian options, with buckets of dal and vegetable curry lopped on to your plate to your heart’s content. Be prepared to eat with your hands.
Mavalli Tiffin Room
One of the definitive Bengaluru restaurants, this no-nonsense, neon-lit lunch room may not be the ideal date spot, but that doesn’t matter when you’re there for the food. For those unfamiliar with the food, order two stellar dishes: Raba Idli, a flavor-packed take on traditional South Indian rice cake with curry leaves and mustard seeds, as well as Bisibele Bhath, a spicy porridge of lentils and rice and a thimble of ghee.
438 Serangoon Rd., 6296-5800.
Morsels
This hip restaurant needs no introduction in the foodie world. The brainchild of Petrina Loh and Bryan Chia, the quaint place serves modern Western small plates with hints of Asian flavors. Currently on the menu are items like scallop carpaccio with uni sabayon and pork pasta with habanero pesto.
Murugan Idli Shop
A South Indian staple, this no-frills eating house re-creates tiffin staples to a tee. Here, it’s all about idli and dosa, paired with chutneys, podis and a selection of ghee pongal dishes.
Mustard
Specializing in Bengali and Punjabi cuisine, this modest space is a stellar dining option in Little India. It’s not the cheapest place out there, but the mid-priced restaurant is well worth it. If you’re confused on what to order, don’t skip out on the coconut prawn curry served inside a coconut, the chicken curry and the moreish dal tadka.
Ng Ah Sio Pork Ribs Soup Eating House
No one can deny a good bowl of bak kut teh, or pork ribs tea soup. This one’s particularly famous as it’s got outlets all around town. While you can get the signature pork ribs or spare ribs soup, there’s a choice of combining the two as well. Sides include lots of organs like pork kidney, intestines and livers, and the famed braised tofu.
Rouse
A hip halal cafe decked out in the mandatory concrete walls and floors, as well as steel-lined furnishings. One of the great things about this place is their non-traditional menu with softshell crab burgers, salted egg calamari roll and baked potato with pomodoro sauce.
Sakunthala Food Palace
This place has both South and North Indian food, but also the Chindian (Chinese-Indian) food. While they have three outlets in Little India alone, comprising Race Course Road, Dunlop Street and Syed Alwi Road, the menu’s full of chapatis, thosais and the raved-about fish curry.
Sushi Jin
Good and affordable sushi restaurants are hard to come by. With a proper wooden sushi counter, personalized service and a huge menu of dishes outside sushi, this is a solid pick for single-serving sushi, as well as cooked items like tempura udon, truffle chawanmushi and lunchtime don bowls.
Usman
Popular with the night owls, this no-frills cafeteria is open until the wee hours of the morning. The food isn’t an afterthought, either, with fresh dishes of dal fry, palak paneer and tender nihari, slow-cooked lamb with bone marrow and ginger. The tandoor menu is a specialty of theirs, too, so order some tandoori chicken and rotis, too.
Zsofi Tapas Bar
A more offbeat gem, this no-frills tapas bar stays true to the Spanish tradition of serving free tapas when you order glasses or jugs of sangria. Although the menu doesn’t stay true to Spanish food, there are still options like patatas brava, cheese and ham croquetas and sliders. Each drink you order gets you a free plate of tapas, while each bottle or jug gets you three free plates.
