Indian food is a wholesome choice any time of day. Each dish brings something unique to the table, filling it with a delicious array of bold flavors — and you don't even have to cross the ocean to get your fill of authentic cuisine. Use this guide to find the best Indian restaurants in Carmel. The chefs at these establishments are whipping up all your favorites, from curry to masala.
Curry Pot
One of the best ways to spend time in Carmel is with hungry friends and family at the Curry Pot at the Indian Food and Spice market. Located on Padanaram Road in nearby Danbury, this hidden gem is family-owned and operated, and its friendly staff has been serving the community for 14 years. So dine it, take it out, or have them deliver your meal. You'll love the generous portions and fantastic prices. It's open daily from 10 a.m. until 8:30 p.m.
Curry Pot lives up to its stellar reputation with its cheesy fried malai kofta. The menu even offers loads of vegetarian options made with fresh ingredients bursting with flavor, like the creamy, lentil-based daal makhani. Check out the appetizer's menu. The crispy veggie samosas with a mint and tamarind chutney dip are so yummy. You'll want to order another round.
Jaipore Royal Indian Cuisine
Hop into your new Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram vehicle, and head to Jaipore Royal Indian Cuisine on Route 22 in Brewster for mouthwatering Indian food. It's open for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and again for the dinner crowd at 5 p.m. Take advantage of daily specials and save some dough — 20% off everything on the regular menu when you come in to eat mid-day.
Jaipore offers couples a romantic date night destination. This secluded, upscale restaurant resides in a beautiful 1850s country mansion. Whether you sit at the stunning wood bar sipping a cocktail as they did in the 1920s when it was a speakeasy, or you pull up a chair in the elegant dining room, you're going to enjoy yourself.
Browse the menu for satisfying choices like a skewer of shrimp takda masala or sample a Goan specialty: vindaloo. Pick from chicken, lamb, vegetable, paneer, or shrimp with this aromatic curry dish featuring ginger and spicy red chilies.
Ruchi Indian Cuisine
Ruchi Indian Cuisine is another beloved locally owned Indian food joint. Located on East Main Street in Peekskill, it's the perfect place to explore the tastes of the East, thanks to its daily lunch buffet and a la carte dinner menu. Most entrees run around $20 or more, but the quality is worth the price. Ruchi's is open Tuesday through Sunday from 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. However, it closes from 2:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Since 2009, this warm and welcoming venue incorporates traditional Indian spices that cooks have relied on for generations. Ruchi's chefs are dishing up tantalizing options lovingly made with fresh ingredients. Try something with lamb, like the rogan josh cooked in a traditional kashmiri sauce. If you're craving a taste from the sea, the shrimp saag and spinach gravy are sure to please your tastebuds.
Jewel of Himalaya
Next time you're in Yorktown Heights, stop by the Jewel of Himalaya. This award-winning restaurant owned by Owner Nuru Sherpa is worth the 30-minute drive south to Triangle Center. With four regional locations, you know they're doing it right here. Stop by, Tuesday through Saturday, from 11:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. and 4:30 to 9:00 p.m. On Sundays, it's open from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
You'll gobble down the Jewel's scrumptious home-style fare with plenty of herbs and spices. It's fresh, delicious, and made from scratch — when you order it. Every painstakingly selected ingredient adds to the taste of dishes like marinated shrimp makhini. Its intense flavors and alluring aromas offer a dining experience you won't soon forget. The chan marsala is a sensational Indian meal that always pleases. Get yours seasoned any way you like: mild, medium, or spicy.
Tamarind
Tamarind on Route 9 in neighboring Wappingers Falls is open daily from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. for supper. It's the kind of place you go for fine dining, with a full bar and expert waitstaff. The plating is high-end, and you'll love the white table cloth presentation. According to Carmel locals, the food at Tamarind is the real deal. The creative chefs make a variety of well-prepared entrees that are delicious, and the portions are plenty satisfying.
Start with the palak chaat appetizer featuring crispy baby spinach, pomegranates, yogurt, and date chutney. For your main course, why not get murg dheli wala? It's a plate of tender Tandoori chicken seasoned with butter, classic kyoya, and sweet fenugreek. For dessert, don't pass up the gulab jamun malai ice cream topped with nuts, rabri, and sweet cheese.
Spice Indian Cuisine and Bar
Head to Spice Indian Cuisine on Grassy Plain Street in Bethel. It's our final pick on this list of the best Indian restaurants near Carmel for plenty of good reasons. For starters, the ambiance is so welcoming, plus there are quite a few unique twists on Indian classics that come out of the kitchen here.
When it comes to the food, Spice Indian keeps getting better. The cooks are willing to modify the spice level of any dish just the way you like it. It also touts an authentic naan oven in the kitchen — and yes, Spice Indian's version is one of the best in the city. We recommend the samosa chat, rogen josh, and the tikka masala.
So, there you have it. We've just shown you Carmel's five best Indian restaurants. Did you like the places we put on our list? Did we miss a favorite spot of yours — one New Yorkers will love? If so, drop us a line and let us know what it is! We'll be sure to add it to our growing list.
