19 editor-picked south indian restaurants across 4 cities.
A guide to south indian restaurants worth a trip, by city. We list operators, signature dishes, and the rooms locals book first.
Saravanaa Bhavan anchors Kaiserstraße's Indian block in Frankfurt with all-vegetarian dosa, idli and thali service from morning until late night.
Order: The South Indian thali; the ghee roast dosa if you want one dish
Tip: Open from 09:00, so it doubles as the Bahnhofsviertel's best meat-free breakfast; weekday lunch queues peak at 13:00.
Saravanaa Bhavan brings its all-vegetarian South Indian dosa and thali cooking to Kaiserstraße 68 in Frankfurt's Bahnhofsviertel, open every day.
Order: A paper-crisp masala dosa with sambar and all three chutneys
Tip: The Bahnhofsviertel branch of the Chennai chain fills with homesick regulars at lunch; go before 12:30 or after 14:00.
Saravanaa Bhavan's dosa griddle on Kaiserstraße gives Frankfurt the street-food staples of Chennai, plated fast from morning onward until night.
Try: Dosa and vada, South India's own street-food canon
Tip: Order the medu vada with filter coffee for the true tiffin-hour experience before noon.
Cafe Madras at Kings Circle has poured South Indian filter coffee since 1940. The idli is steamed in cotton batter; the masala dosa is the benchmark.
Signature drink: Filter coffee
Order: Filter coffee and a Mysore masala dosa.
Tip: Closed Monday; weekend mornings queue from 07:00. Cash and card both accepted.
Cafe Madras at Kings Circle has poured Chennai-style filter coffee since 1940. The idli is steamed in cotton batter; the masala dosa is the benchmark.
Signature: Filter coffee, Idli, Mysore masala dosa
Order: Two filter coffees, one set of idli, one Mysore masala dosa.
Tip: Mondays are closed; Sunday breakfast queue starts at 07:00. Cash and card both accepted.
A Rama Nayak's Udipi Shri Krishna Boarding has run the unlimited South Indian thali in Matunga since 1942. Banana leaves, ghee roast, sambar refills.
Signature: Thali, Mangalorean ghee roast, Filter coffee
Order: The unlimited thali; come hungry.
Tip: Lunch only here; book the upstairs hall ahead for groups of six or more guests.
Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant anchors Penang's Little India with North and South Indian meat-free cooking and a sweets counter facing the street.
Signature: Masala rava dosa, Vegetarian thali
Tip: The masala rava dosa outclasses the plain version; grab Indian sweets from the front counter on your way out.
Bite N Eat has cooked Dindigul-style biriyani on Lebuh Penang since 2014, the Tamil Nadu specialist among Penang's Little India dining rooms.
Signature: Dindigul biriyani, Kongu nadu kozhi fry
Tip: Some specialities only leave the kitchen after 16:00; come for an early dinner if you want the full southern menu.
Chef Mano Thevar's two-Michelin-star South Indian restaurant. Traditional flavours through European technique: spice-forward sauces and seasonal produce.
A Dempsey institution since the 1960s, Samy's Curry serves banana-leaf spreads of fish head curry, masala chicken and free-flow biryani in a breezy colonial dining room. The spice blends trace back to founder Mr M. Veerasamy and have barely changed since the founding generation. Loved equally by office workers, families and visiting chefs.
Order: ['Fish head curry', 'Masala chicken', 'Mysore mutton']
Tip: The S$4.50 rice set gets you free-flow white rice, papadum, vegetables and curry. Arrive before 1pm on weekday lunches to avoid the queue.
A Little India institution serving pure-vegetarian South Indian cuisine: thali sets, dosai, idli and masala chai in a no-frills dining room with a loyal neighbourhood following. The banana-leaf rice set is exceptional value and comes with an array of curries, chutneys and payasam.
Order: ['Banana-leaf thali', 'Masala dosa', 'Filter coffee']
Tip: Open from 8am; the breakfast spread of idli, vadai and sambar is superb and the most economical way to eat here. Cash only.
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