Where to Eat Indian in Greater Boston
Sixteen restaurants I’d send you to, in order, plus two more worth a visit. For each one: what to order and what to know before you go.
Method
The places marked “Regular” I know firsthand. For the rest, I leaned on Google and OpenTable ratings, the critics (the Boston Globe, Boston Magazine, Eater), and local food threads, and I checked every dish against each restaurant’s current menu.
The list, in order
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1. A2B
Regular: a place I go back to again and againNorthborough South Indian vegetarian
The benchmark for South Indian vegetarian food around Boston. More than 6,500 people have rated it on Google and it still holds a 4.8, and local food threads single out its Tamil cooking. This is the one I’d defend without hesitating.
- Order
- Top pick: Rava Mysore Onion Masala Dosa
- South Indian Thali
- Madras Filter Coffee
- Good to know
- Closed Mondays (except some holiday weekends). The South Indian Thali is served all day; the “Rush Lunch” combo is lunch only.
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2. Chennai Eats
Watertown Tamil & Chettinad
If you’ve already been to A2B, go here next. Diners keep coming back for the same three things: tender goat biryani, fresh parotta, and the chicken ghee roast. It holds a 4.7 on DoorDash across more than 500 ratings, too.
- Order
- Top pick: Thalappakati Goat Biryani
- Parotta with Chicken
- Chicken Ghee Roast
- Good to know
- Closed Mondays. Lunch 11:30–2:30, dinner 4:30–9:30.
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3. Bawarchi Biryanis
Regular: a place I go back to again and againFramingham Hyderabadi & Andhra biryani
The biryani name that keeps coming up in local threads. There are some complaints about dry rice, so it isn’t flawless, but recent reviews keep pointing to the boneless chicken biryani and the curry leaf chicken.
- Order
- Top pick: Bawarchi Boneless Chicken Biryani
- Curry Leaf Chicken
- Good to know
- Lunch and dinner with an afternoon break. Sunday dinner ends at 8:30.
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4. Tashan
Bedford Modern Indian, fine dining
The most dependable upscale Indian meal in the suburbs. OpenTable diners give the food a 4.8, and repeat guests praise the meat dishes above all. A few find some sauces on the sweet side.
- Order
- Top pick: Chaap-e-Khas (lamb chops)
- Fish Paturi
- Garlic Naan
- Good to know
- Lunch 11:30–2, dinner 5–9:30 (10 on Fridays and Saturdays). Takes reservations.
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5. Aatma at Widowmaker
Brighton Modern Indian, in a brewery
The most creative Indian cooking in the city right now, served inside Widowmaker Brewing. The Boston Globe gave it a rare five-star review on October 14, 2026, and singled out the benne dosa. On packed nights the dosas can come out uneven, so go early.
- Order
- Top pick: Benne Dosa
- Better Butter Chicken
- The Aatma Burger (beef)
- Good to know
- Dinner only, 4–9 (Sundays until 7). Closed Mondays. Book on Resy; walk-ins are welcome, but waits can be long. The menu changes every few months, and the vada pav is a Thursday-only special that sells out.
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6. Biryaniz N Breadz
Natick Telugu biryani house
Repeat customers describe the biryani as consistent visit after visit, which is rarer than it should be. Regulars also point to the goat sukha and the stuffed eggplant, so don’t stop at the rice.
- Order
- Top pick: BNB Boneless Chicken Biryani
- Goat Sukha
- Muvva Vankaya
- Good to know
- Closed Tuesdays.
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7. The Treasury
Regular: a place I go back to again and againBurlington Modern regional Indian
Ambitious, and the kitchen delivers: OpenTable diners rate the food 4.7, and even the unhappy reviews praise the cooking. Service lags (3.9), and some find the sauces too similar, but the mutton ghee roast is the reason to go.
- Order
- Top pick: Mutton Ghee Roast
- JD Lamb Chops
- Raw Mango Kulcha
- Good to know
- Open daily. Lunch 11–3, dinner 5–10. Takes reservations.
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8. Athidi
Saugus Andhra
Serious Andhra cooking north of the city: Nellore fish pulusu, avakaya chicken 65, and a goat fry biryani that regulars keep reordering. Portion sizes draw more complaints than flavor does.
- Order
- Top pick: Goat Fry Biryani
- Nellore Chepala Pulusu (bone-in)
- Avakaya Kodi 65
- Good to know
- Closed Mondays. Upstairs at 1268 Broadway. Takes reservations.
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9. Fiskie’s Indian Cafe
Dorchester Vegetarian street food
Vegetarian street food at Columbia Point, open late. Recent reviews praise how fresh everything is, the sandwiches and pav bhaji especially. Some of its older Google reviews are from a previous menu at the same address.
- Order
- Top pick: Tandoori Paneer Sandwich
- Pav Bhaji
- Dabeli
- Good to know
- Open daily, 10 AM–1 AM.
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10. Al Maidah Mandi House
Marlborough Mandi
A mandi specialist, and the mandi (spiced rice under slow-cooked meat) is the reason to come. Reviews of the curries are mixed, so stick to the mandi.
- Order
- Top pick: Tandoori Juicy Chicken Mandi
- Mutton Paya Soup
- Kheer
- Good to know
- Mandi takes a while to cook; call ahead if you’re in a hurry.
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11. Nawabi Hyderabad House
Regular: a place I go back to again and againFramingham Hyderabadi & Andhra
Come for the Vijayawada boneless biryani; it’s the reason to go. The rest of the menu is less consistent, and many of the glowing Google reviews are about catering.
- Order
- Top pick: Vijayawada Special Boneless Chicken Biryani
- Mutton Sukka
- Curry Leaf, with chicken
- Good to know
- Open daily. The Mutton Sukka takes 20+ minutes.
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12. Bawarchi
Regular: a place I go back to again and againTyngsborough Andhra biryani house
The pulaos, the ulavacharu biryani, and the parotta get detailed praise, even from people unhappy with the service. It’s less dependable than Bawarchi Biryanis in Framingham, but at its best it’s excellent.
- Order
- Top pick: Pachi Mirchi Kodi Pulav
- Parota
- Ulavacharu Mutton Biryani
- Good to know
- On DoorDash it’s “Bawarchi Indian Cuisine”; pick the Tyngsborough location, not Framingham.
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13. Shri Masala Cafe Chettinad
Chelmsford Chettinad
Tamil specialties made with care, especially the fish and the Dindigul-style biryani. It’s less consistent than Chennai Eats, so stick to the specialties.
- Order
- Top pick: Dindigul Thalappakatti Mutton Biryani
- Chicken Kothu Parotta
- Pomfret Fish Fry
- Good to know
- Closed Mondays.
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14. Honest
Regular: a place I go back to again and againLowell Gujarati street food, vegetarian
A street-food specialist: the bhaji pav and the Indo-Chinese dishes are the draws; skip the chaat. This recommendation is for the Lowell branch only.
- Order
- Top pick: Bhaji Pav
- Dry Manchurian
- Pulav
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15. Desi Chowrastha
Regular: a place I go back to again and againNashua, NH Telugu street food & biryani
It has devoted repeat fans and some great biryani nights, but there are too many reports of uneven rice and oily dishes to rank it higher.
- Order
- Top pick: Vijayawada Boneless (biryani)
- Guntur Kodi Vepudu
- Ghee Karam Idly
- Good to know
- The snacks menu starts at 5 PM. Online orders are pickup only.
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16. Desi Chowrastha
Westborough Telugu street food
Provisional. It opened on September 5, 2026, and early reports on the biryani conflict, so it’s too soon to judge. For now, the dosa and the fried dishes are the safer bets.
- Order
- Top pick: Ghee Karam Dosa
- Apollo Fish
- Konaseema Goat Fry Pulao
Also worth a visit
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1947
Norwood Andhra & South Indian
Boston Magazine’s 2026 Great Suburban Restaurant Hunt singled out its natu bombs and tandoori prawns.
- Order
- Top pick: Natu Bombs
- Tandoori Prawns
- Masala Dosa
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TKU Kuppanna
Northborough Kongu Nadu (Tamil)
Kongu Nadu cooking from a family business that started in Erode, Tamil Nadu, in 1960, now in a lakeside dining room in Northborough. It’s a regional style you rarely find in New England.
- Order
- Top pick: Chicken Pallipalayam
- Kongu Chicken Biryani (Seeraga Samba)
- Parotta with Non-Veg Salna