Indian

Spicy Indian curries, fragrant rice dishes, herb-infused flatbreads straight out of a tandoori oven, and many more authentic, exotic meals await at Maharani.

I surely miss the wonderful Indian curries that my good friend from Pakistan used to cook up for me. The fragrant jasmine rice, along with the fiery curries made from scratch were oh, so delicious, and came with exotic spices like garam masala, cumin, coriander, turmeric, and star anise. The flatbreads of naan and chapatti were also wonderful, as were the refreshing fruit and yogurt chutneys! To tell you the truth, there are only a couple of restaurants here that can match up to the curries I’ve had while visiting her, which tells me that either she needs to open up a restaurant, or Indian food on the island really needs help! There surely is a conspicuously short list of Indian restaurants on the island, but you can still find great, authentic meals at the best places listed here.

Da Big Boy’z: Maharani and Tajmahal for fabulous Indian cuisine; Bombay for a more upscale atmosphere.

Maharani. A Closer Look. 2509 S. King St. in McCully Moiliili. 951-7447. Dinner nightly. Parking on street. Prices: $$. Map. Probably the best all-around experience for Indian food on the island. Everyone, including myself, seems to rave about the authentic cuisine, and people have acknowledged that by packing the place in on most nights. You may have to wait for a while to get in, and once in, you’re in for another substantial delay for the food and service in general, but judging by the crowded dining room – it’s well worth it! While many of the other Indian restaurants buy breads from local wholesalers, Maharani has ovens to bake its own tandoori, naan, roti, and others, and they all come hot, fragrant, and absolutely delicious. The smell of exotic spices waffle through the air and is enough to make our Indian-born friends feel as though they have come home! A couple favorites are the Chicken Vindaloo, a spicy chicken with a reddish, tangy sauce and the Chicken Karahi Laawaab, a delectable sizzling platter of chicken, ginger, garlic, bell peppers, and green chili.

Bombay Indian Restaurant. 1778 Ala Moana Blvd. at the Discovery Bay Center in Waikiki. 942-3990. Dinner nightly. Parking in Discovery Bay Building. Prices: $$$. Map. The place to be if you want a better, more sophisticated atmosphere than most Indian restaurants here, but is also slightly more expensive. They are also one of the few to have their own tandoori oven, and they use it to perfection, with a warm naan that is soft, chewy, and great for dipping or mopping up the curries and other sauces. Another great side dish is the biryani, the Indian version of local fried rice, and arrives fragrant with spices, herbs, and bits of meat. The house specialty is the lamb rogan josh, which uses tender pieces of lamb cooked in a yogurt based sauce, which turns slightly orange after spices are added.

India Café. 1016 Kapahulu Ave. at the Kilohana Square in Kapahulu. 737-4600. Lunch Friday-Sunday, dinner nightly. Parking in center lot. Prices: $$. Map. This cozy little café offers Indian dishes with a bit of a Malaysian influence that you may find surprising, such as chicken penang, nasi lemak, and the use of sweet chili sauces. They are famous for their crisp dosai breads, which come in a single piece larger than your plate, but can be handled easily because they are almost as thin as paper, and snap like potato chips into more manageable pieces. They have really large combination plates of up to 3 main entrée choices, along with sides of nasi lemak rice, dosai, vegetable sambar, chutney, and a papadum appetizer. The sweet lassi drinks, made from yogurt and fruit flavors, have been a big draw, and are a great way to soothe your tongue from the fiery curry dishes.

Spicy, crispy, chickpea-battered eggplant pakora, served with delicous, house-made dips of mint yogurt and tamarind at Taj Mahal in Kaimuki.

Taj Mahal. 3036 Waialae Ave. in Kaimuki. 732-6496. Lunch and dinner daily except closed on Tuesday. Limited parking outside Store. Prices: $$. Map. A relative new-comer to the island scene, this little shop in Kaimuki does not disappoint. The atmosphere is simple and clean, with excellent Indian cuisine that can include appetizers like samosa’s, papadum (crispy lentil wafer), and pakora’s (chickpea-battered, deep-fried items), biryani and rice varieties, breads like chapatti, paratha, puri, and naan, and main dishes like lamb curry masala, balti beef (slow-cooked beef with vegetable, herbs, and spices), saag shrimp (shrimp cooked in creamy spinach and a blend of garlic, onion, herbs, and spices), and karahi chicken (sizzling chicken with garlic, ginger, bell pepper, and chili), as well as several vegetarian dishes. Not nearly as well-known as Maharani, which can get super-crowded, but just as competitive when it comes to great Indian food, making it an ideal spot to try. The only draw-back is a small parking lot.

India Bazaar. 2320 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 949-4840. Lunch and dinner daily. Parking in center lot. Prices: $. Map. This little shop is the fast-food version of Indian food for the island. Price-wise, India Bazaar can’t be beat, but you will be eating from a styrofoam plate and using plastic utensils. The selections are very few, come in relatively small portions, and are held in cafeteria-style warming trays, but the curries, samosas, chutneys, and flatbreads are great for healthy lunches. There can be as little as one meat dish, usually a chicken curry, while the rest of the items are all vegetarian, with choices like tomato-lentils, seasoned potatoes, tofu, string beans and carrots.

India House. 2633 S. King St. in McCully/Moiliili. 955-7552. Dinner nightly. Parking on street. Prices: $$. Map. The food is good enough, but the prices, portions, and unfriendly service was a big turn-off for me. Maybe you'll have a different experience there.

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