DISCOVER INDIAN FOOD IN

LOS ANGELES

AnnapurnaVenice Plaza is the longtime setting for Annapurna, an Indian vegetarian restaurant with an owner from Andhra Pradesh, a southern state near Bangalore. Annapurna features a lunchtime vegetarian buffet, which is great for variety, though it’s tough to pass up their dosas, uttapam, and biryani. Spinach masala dosa features a thin, crispy crepe that cradles ground garlic, mint and spinach puree, and chunky potatoes.

BadmaashFreewheeling restaurateurs Nakul Mahendro, brother Arjun, and chef/father Pawan opened Badmaash’s in downtown L.A.’s historic core in 2013. Their modern Indian features marble counters, bright wall and banquettes, and an upstairs mezzanine with a mural of “hipster Gandhi” and framed Bollywood art. Their menu is similarly progressive, touting local, organic, and sustainable ingredients.

Cardamom Indian CuisineBrother-in-laws Nasir Syed and Badrul Alam Chowdhury delivers traditional Indian food in a modern setting at Cardamom. The Mid-City space features a mixed grill, a good introduction to their cuisine. Cardamom’s tandoor oven yields blistered lamb cubes (gosht tikka lasoni), chicken breast (murgh tikka), butterflied jumbo prawns (jhinga) and minced lamb kebab (seekh) all marinated in herbs and spices and plated with peppers and onions. Dum gosht biryani is Cardamom’s standout rice dish, with a clay pot full of well-spiced basmati rice, big chunks of lamb, and fragrant saffron strands.

Mumbai Ki Galliyon SeSailesh Shah and his wife have run this Mumbai style street food café in a Little India strip mall since 2008. The space is only big enough to hold a few handfuls of tables, wrought iron flower panels, and a flat screen TV to show Bollywood programming. Dahi batata puri involves crispy shells dressed with sprouted mung beans, yogurt, cilantro sauce, tamarind-date sauce, crispy noodle strands, and cilantro. Dabeli amounts to sliders with well-spiced potatoes, raw onion, raisins and either pomegranate molasses or fresh pomegranate arils, depending on what’s in season.

Spice AffairThe fanciest Indian restaurant at the moment might belong to Dr. Puneet Chandak and wife Sonia Batra, who debuted Spice Affair in late 2014 on Beverly Hills’ Restaurant Row. The space features a fountain and flashy bar up front, and a dining room with plush brown booths framed with wall hangings that resemble lily pads and brown curtains with copper streaks. Even poppadum - lentil and rice flour crackers - are surprisingly colorful. Artichoke hearts are marinated in a blend of yogurt and spices like chilies, cumin, and garam masala, and barbecued in the tandoor. Chickpea & crackling caramelized walnut kebab is actually a soft, spice laden patty (tikki) with satisfyingly crunchy bits. Flash grilled sea bass fillets are marinated with yogurt, fresh herbs, turmeric and burnished to red in the tandoor.

Not to be Missed

www.discoverLosAngeles.com

Addi’s Tandoor 800 Torrance Blvd., Redondo Beach, 310.540.1616 www.addistandoor.com

Annapurna 10200 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.204.5500 www.annapurnacuisine.com

Asha Indian Restaurant18608 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana, 818.578.6331 www.ashaindianla.com

Badmaash 108 W. 2nd St., Los Angeles, 213.221.7466 www.badmaashla.com

Bhanu Indian Grocery & Cuisine 7246 Rosemead Blvd., San Gabriel, 626.291.2101 www.mybhanu.com

California Chutney 45 N. Raymond Ave., Pasadena, 626.396.6947 www.calichutney.com

Cardamom Indian Cuisine 7233 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.936.1000 www.cardamomla.com

Clay Pit Indian Kitchen 2337 Roscomare Rd., Bel-Air, 310.472.2500 www.claypitbelair.com

Jasmine Market 4135 Sepulveda Blvd., Culver City, 310.313.3767

Lal Mirch 11138 Ventura Blvd., Studio City, 818.980.2273 www.lalmirch.com

Mayura 10406 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.559.9644 www.mayura-indian-restaurant.com

Mint Leaf 2535 E. Washington Blvd., Altadena, 626.460.8776 www.mintleafpasadena.com

Mumbai Ki Galliyon Se 17705 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, 562.860.6699

Paradise Biryani Pointe 7231 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Canoga Park, 818.348.4454 www.cpparadisebiryani.com

Paratha Grill 18383 Pioneer Blvd., Artesia, 562.924.7569

Sambar 9531 Culver Blvd., Culver City, 310.558.8800 www.sambarcc.com

Spice Affair 50 N. La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, 310.400.6800 www.spice-affair.com

Spice Six 450 Pacific Coast Hwy, Hermosa Beach, 310.921.8315 www.spicesix.com

Zafran Pot 10408 Venice Blvd., Culver City, 310.838.2130 www.zafranpot.com

California Chutney

Sambar

Cardamom Indian Cuisine

www.discoverLosAngeles.com

List of Indian Food Restaurants

Al-NoorThe communities surrounding LAX are especially strong on Halal cuisine. In Lawndale, chef Hasan Zaidi has been going strong with Al-Noor since 1998. Hearty family recipes include soft lentil and ground beef patties called shami kebabs. Chicken tala gosht involves chicken pieces cooked with green chilies, tomatoes, and ginger. Vegetarian highlights include palak paneer, spinach and firm cubes of cow’s milk cheese cooked with plethora of spices and herbs, which pairs well with garlic naan that chef Eric Greenspan praised on The Food Network show “The Best Thing I Ever Ate.”

Hummus HouseOwner Hamid Haque is from Pakistan and has customers dine like sultans since 2010. Sextets of zucchini dumplings contain shredded zucchini, molten Mediterranean cheeses, and more. Top kabobs include kafta (beef and lamb ground together with seasonings and parsley) and juicy mahi-mahi cubes alternated with onion and pepper. Hummus options include traditional, roasted red pepper and artichoke pesto. House-made baklava features chopped pistachios and walnuts, flaky phyllo dough, and drizzles of clover honey.

Kashcool KitchenMahtab Saraf is from Mashad, Iran, where her family ran a restaurant starting in 1969 before relocating to Vancouver,

and later, to Woodland Hills. A painting-lined dining room gives way to a plant-lined patio. Start your meal with kashk-e-bademjan, a smoky eggplant dip with fried onions, whey, and fried mint; or dolmeh, herb-flecked grape leaves spooned with sweet and sour sauce. Still, kebabs are the main reason to visit Kashcool Kitchen.

Zaiqa GrillShahid Mahmood is from Lahore, Pakistan, and has run this glass fronted Downey restaurant with chef/wife Rahela since 2015. Grilled dishes include chicken (or beef) seekh kabob, ground meat kebabs with cilantro, chiles, white and green onions, and spices. Seekh kabob slices are sautéed with onions, peppers, and tomatoes. Curry dishes include haleem, brown slurry of beef or chicken with wheat, beans and spices, garnished with julienne ginger and cilantro.

Zam Zam MarketFahim Siddiqui and wife Fozia are from Karachi, Pakistan. The name Zam Zam translates from Arabic as “purification” and spices are probably plentiful enough to cure whatever ails you. Goat Biryani is especially potent, with fluffy rice grains and a garam masala base plus spices like clove, cinnamon, and cardamom. Ground beef or chicken kebabs are on the milder side of the spice spectrum. Tandoori chicken sport electric orange coats and raw onions.

www.discoverLosAngeles.com

DISCOVER HALAL FOOD IN

LOS ANGELES

Not to be Missed

786 Degrees Wood Fired Pizza Co 8879 Laurel Canyon Blvd., Sun Valley, 818.939.6566 www.786degrees.com

Al-Noor 15112 Inglewood Ave., Lawndale, 310.675.4700 www.alnoor-restaurant.net

Al-Watan 13619 Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, 310.644.6395 www.alwatanrestaurant.com

Beverly Chicken 3909 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, 323.660.8200 www.beverlychickenonline.com

Bilal 1117 W. Manchester Blvd., Inglewood, 310.641.4435 www.gobilal.com

Biriyani Kabob House 3525 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, 213.384.3570

Biryani House 14936 S. Prairie Ave., Hawthorne, 310.676.7528

Hummus House 12211 Hawthorne Blvd., Hawthorne, 310.675.3400 www.hummus-house.com

Kashcool Kitchen 20929 Ventura Blvd., Woodland Hills, 818.883.2665 www.kashcoolkitchen.com

Madinah 1100 W. Florence Ave., Inglewood, 310.342.0008 www.madinahrestaurant.com

Mega Pizza & Grille 11028 Washington Blvd., Culver City, 424.298.8135 www.megapizzagrille.com

Naab Café 1269 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 310.473.0303 www.naabcafe.com

List of Halal Food Restaurants

Omar’s Xinjiang Halal Restaurant 1718 N. New Ave., San Gabriel, 626.570.9778

Red Chili Halal Restaurant 18108 Parthenia St., Northridge, 818.775.0733 www.redchillinorthridge.com

Shamshiri Grill 1712 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 310.474.1410 www.shamshiri.com

Shandiz Vanak 109 E. 9th St., Los Angeles, 213.489.5156, www.shandizvanak.com

Shayan Express 945 Wall St., Los Angeles, 213.623.7000, www.shayanexpress.com

Zaiqa Grill 8814 Imperial Hwy, Downey, 562.923.5174, www.zaiqagrill.com

Zam Zam Market 13649 Inglewood Ave., Hawthorne, 310.978.1927

Zuma Kitchen 1942 Westwood Blvd., Los Angeles, 310.446.0055, www.zumakitchenmediterranean.com

786 Degrees Wood Fired Pizza Co

Hummus House

www.discoverLosAngeles.com

Kashcool Kitchen

Text and Photos courtesy of: Joshua Lurie