Best South Indian Restaurants Around the World

Thevar 2 ★ ★ 4.8

Chef Mano Thevar's two-Michelin-star South Indian restaurant. Traditional flavours through European technique: spice-forward sauces and seasonal produce.

Book3-4 weeks ahead

Cafe Madras ★ 4.6

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.

OrderFilter coffee and a Mysore masala dosa.

DrinkFilter coffee

TipClosed Monday; weekend mornings queue from 07:00. Cash and card both accepted.

A Rama Nayak Udipi Shri Krishna ★ 4.5

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.

OrderThe unlimited thali; come hungry.

TipLunch only here; book the upstairs hall ahead for groups of six or more guests.

Soam ★ 4.4

Pinki Dixit's Soam in Chowpatty has poured Gujarati and Maharashtrian home cooking since 2005. The khichdi runs seven different grains and the undhiyo.

OrderSaat dana khichdi and a glass of chaas.

TipCash and digital both accepted; weekends crowd hard, arrive at 12:00 sharp.

Andhra Bhavan ★ 4.4

Andhra Bhavan runs a canteen near India Gate in Delhi, serving an unlimited Andhra thali of rice, sambar, rasam and curries to any walk-in visitor.

OrderThe unlimited vegetarian thali with a side of chicken fry.

TipParking is scarce around Ashoka Road, so come by cab or two-wheeler; try the tamarind pickle kept on the tables.

Naivedyam Hauz Khas Village ★ 4.4

Naivedyam serves crisp dosas and filter coffee from a temple-themed room in Hauz Khas Village, Delhi, the vegetarian chain's original branch, since 1994.

OrderMysore masala dosa with a filter coffee.

TipLook for Shop 1; weekend mornings open an hour earlier than weekdays, at 09:00.

Samy's Curry ★ 4.4

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.

OrderFish head curry, Masala chicken, Mysore mutton

TipThe 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.

Naivedyam ★ 4.3

Naivedyam in Connaught Place, Delhi, is a South Indian vegetarian room for dosas, uttapam, dahi vada and vegetable korma with Malabar parotta from 09:00.

OrderA masala dosa, or vegetable korma with flaky Malabar parotta.

TipIt opens at 09:00, so it works for a South Indian breakfast before a day in Connaught Place and Janpath.

Saravanaa Bhavan ★ 4.2

Saravanaa Bhavan anchors Kaiserstraße's Indian block in Frankfurt with all-vegetarian dosa, idli and thali service from morning until late night.

OrderThe South Indian thali; the ghee roast dosa if you want one dish

TipOpen from 09:00, so it doubles as the Bahnhofsviertel's best meat-free breakfast; weekday lunch queues peak at 13:00.

Saravanaa Bhavan ★ 4.0

Saravanaa Bhavan pours filter coffee and folds masala dosa at its Al Karama branch in Dubai, part of the long running Chennai vegetarian chain.

OrderMasala dosa with coconut chutney and a tumbler of filter coffee.

TipIt opens at 07:00 every day, so it works for an early dosa breakfast.

Madras New Woodlands Restaurant ★ 4.0

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.

OrderBanana-leaf thali, Masala dosa, Filter coffee

TipOpen from 8am; the breakfast spread of idli, vadai and sambar is superb and the most economical way to eat here. Cash only.

Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant ★ 4.0

Woodlands Vegetarian Restaurant anchors Penang's Little India with North and South Indian meat-free cooking and a sweets counter facing the street.

SignatureMasala rava dosa, Vegetarian thali

TipThe masala rava dosa outclasses the plain version; grab Indian sweets from the front counter on your way out.

Bite N Eat Dindigul Biriyani ★ 4.0

Bite N Eat has cooked Dindigul-style biriyani on Lebuh Penang since 2014, the Tamil Nadu specialist among Penang's Little India dining rooms.

SignatureDindigul biriyani, Kongu nadu kozhi fry

TipSome specialities only leave the kitchen after 16:00; come for an early dinner if you want the full southern menu.

Karaikudi Aachi Restaurant & Sweets ★ 3.9

Karaikudi Aachi Restaurant & Sweets fries parotta and simmers Chettinad chicken inside the Al Fahidi Souk, a Tamil Nadu counter in old Dubai.

OrderChettinad chicken curry with flaky parotta and a filter coffee to finish.

TipPair the Chettinad chicken with parotta and finish with a filter coffee from the sweets counter.

The Library ★ 3.9

The Library at Hotel Clarks Amer in Jaipur serves a pure vegetarian South Indian menu from 08:00, with a four-dosa platter, filter coffee and buttermilk.

OrderThe four-dosa platter with chutneys, filter kappi and neer mor (buttermilk).

Scantic Restaurant ★ 3.7

Scantic Restaurant serves Kerala-style curries, ghee roast and biryani from 07:00 until 23:30 in the Al Arti Building near the Satwa bus station in Dubai.

Why locals goThe plain Al Arti Building storefront near the bus station blends into the shops around it, so most Satwa visitors never look twice.

TipIt opens at 07:00 and runs until 23:30, so it works for a South Indian breakfast as well as a late dinner.

SambharSa (Vaishali Nagar) ★ 3.7

SambharSa on Queens Road in Vaishali Nagar, Jaipur, is a pure vegetarian South Indian restaurant begun in 2019, with dosas, dahi vada and outdoor seating.

OrderThe pepper garlic dosa and the dahi vada, the two dishes local creators recommend.

TipSambharSa has outlets in Vaishali Nagar, Bajaj Nagar and Mansarovar; this entry is the Queens Road one, open from 09:00 to 22:30.