22 restaurants · updated November 2026
The Best Indian Restaurants in the Bay Area
The Bay Area has some of the best Indian food in the country, from Michelin-noticed dining rooms in San Francisco to dosa and biryani spots in Fremont, Sunnyvale and Milpitas. This guide covers polished modern Indian restaurants, regional specialists from Kerala to Punjab, and cheap chaat and curry counters. Call ahead or check hours before you go, since small places change often.
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Fine dining 5Regional specialists 9Casual and street food 8
Fine dining
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Copra
Michelin Guide California selectionGopinathan's Fillmore dining room leans on the coastal cooking of Kerala and South India. Start with the chutney board and pappadom, then move on to the seafood and the spiced fried chicken.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: guide.michelin.com, tastingtable.com
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Rooh
Michelin Guide California selectionA stylish SoMa room that mixes Indian spice with California produce and ingredients like oysters, pork belly and burrata. It works well for a group dinner with cocktails.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: guide.michelin.com, timeout.com, tastingtable.com
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Tiya
Michelin Guide California selectionThe Sarkar brothers, who are also behind Rooh, run this modern Indian spot near Cow Hollow. The menu has plenty for vegetarians, with jackfruit and paneer dishes that are as rich as the meat options.
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Eylan
Michelin Bib Gourmand (2025); SF Chronicle Top 100 (2026)Gopinathan and partner Ayesha Thapar opened this Cal-Indian restaurant on the Peninsula after Ettan and Copra. It picked up a Bib Gourmand in its first year and made the Chronicle's 2026 Top 100.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: joinpearl.co, briefly-stg.herokuapp.com
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A polished South Indian restaurant that dresses up dosas and kebabs for a night out. The dining room suits dates and celebrations more than a quick lunch.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: timeout.com, guide.michelin.com
Chicken Biryani
Butter Chicken
Pav Bhaji
Sev Puri
DosaRegional specialists
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Keeku Da Dhaba
SF Chronicle Top 100 (2026)A Punjabi roadside-diner style restaurant in Fremont with big portions and straightforward, hearty cooking. It is one of the few East Bay suburban Indian spots on the Chronicle's 2026 list.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: joinpearl.co, enprimeurclub.com
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Mashaallah Halal Pakistani Food
SF Chronicle Top 100 (2026)A Pakistani counter inside a downtown food court that opened in 2022. Go for the lamb chops and a combo plate, and finish with chai.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: joinpearl.co, enprimeurclub.com
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A long-running vegetarian South Indian spot on Valencia. Dosas and thalis are the reason to come, and prices stay low.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: timeout.com, tastingtable.com
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A busy Sunnyvale cafe that is a favorite for South Indian breakfast and tiffin. The dosa list is long and the turnover is quick.
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A Tamil restaurant focused on Chettinad cooking and lacy appams. The peppery chicken Chettinad is the dish most people order.
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A Fremont stop for slow-cooked Hyderabadi biryani. It took part in Fremont Restaurant Week, which spotlights the city's South Asian food.
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This Fremont restaurant cooks the street snacks and seafood of Mumbai. It is a good pick when you want pav bhaji and fish in one meal.
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A longtime Berkeley dining room with a rotating menu of regional dishes from across India. The tandoor items are the strong point.
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One of the few places in the city that focuses on Goan cooking, with tangy, vinegar-spiked curries. A friendly neighborhood spot on Lombard.
Malai Kofta
Masala Chai
Uttapam
Chana Masala
Appam
Goat Curry
Tandoori Chicken
VindalooCasual and street food
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Vik's Chaat
Michelin Guide California selection; SF Chronicle Top 100 (2026)A family-run chaat house that has been feeding Berkeley for decades. Order at the counter, grab a few chaats and a bhature, and look over the sweets case on the way out.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: guide.michelin.com, joinpearl.co, timeout.com
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A Mission favorite for North Indian and Pakistani curries with a cozy back patio. The lamb chops and naan are the standouts.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: timeout.com, tastingtable.com
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A no-frills Pakistani and North Indian counter that has several locations. Cheap, filling biryani and grilled meats are the draw.
Details, rating and dishesMapSources: timeout.com, tastingtable.com
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A casual Tenderloin spot for kebabs, curries and naan. Save room for the falooda.
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A small, inexpensive restaurant near Powell Street with North Indian curries plus Nepali momos. A handy stop before a show.
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A South Bay chaat counter popular with the local tech crowd at lunch. Order a few chaats or a thali for a quick, cheap meal.
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A Bay Area chain that began as a food truck and now has many locations, including the South Bay. It mixes Indian street food with burritos and loaded naan.
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A Pakistani burger joint in Fremont that serves spiced desi-style burgers. Pair one with a mango shake.
Naan
Saag Paneer
Momos
Papdi Chaat
Chicken Tikka Masala
Goat BiryaniHow we chose
Entries were picked from the Michelin Guide's 2026 Bay Area Indian roundup, the SF Chronicle's 2026 Top 100 (via list aggregators), Time Out, Tasting Table and KQED Bay Area Bites guides. Places named only in older guides are marked medium or low confidence. Restaurants change, close and lose or gain stars, so check before you travel. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.
See every Indian restaurant in the Bay Area and search their menus by dish