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The Guide · Butter Chicken

Best Butter Chicken in Columbus (2026)

Twelve restaurants across Columbus. Compare neighborhoods, price tiers and what to order, then read the full reviews.

Tommy Vu
By Tommy Vu Staff Writer · Top of Columbus · Updated October 2026 · How the score is built
Best Butter Chicken in Columbus (2026)
THE COLUMBUS DINING GUIDES 12 restaurants
Compare all 12 restaurantsNeighborhood · price · score · first order
In the same order as the guide. Scores are out of 10; dollar symbols show the listed price tier.
RestaurantNeighborhoodPriceScoreWhat to order
01 Layla's Kitchen Indian RestaurantColumbus$$Butter chicken
02 Indian OvenColumbus$$Garlic naan
03 Haveli BistroColumbus$$Tandoori shrimp
04 Taste of Awadh By Chef AnandColumbusChicken tikka
05 Curry Kabab Handi BiryaniColumbusLamb Korma
06 New India RestaurantColumbus$$Onion Bhaji
07 Awadh | India RestaurantColumbus$$Dal tadka
08 Aab India RestaurantGrandview Heights$$Tikka Marsala
09 Clove Indian Bistro - Restaurant & CateringColumbusTandoori chicken
10 Cumin & CurryColumbus$$Paneer tikka masala
11 Dosa CornerColumbus$Masala dosa
12 Dakshin Indian BistroColumbus$$Lunch special

12 restaurants · In guide order

1 Layla's Kitchen Indian Restaurant Yelp

Layla's Kitchen Indian Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Butter chicken shares the menu with saag paneer and biryani in a dining room built for a slower dinner, with low light and quiet music suited to a date or a catch-up meal. Service runs efficient even when the room fills. Delivery orders through third-party apps have drawn more mixed results than dining in.

What to orderButter chickenSaag paneerBiryani Call Directions Scored from the full review record 6152 Cleveland Ave, Columbus, OH 43231 · (614) 882-5522
2 Indian Oven Yelp

Indian Oven

Indian · Columbus · $$

The garlic naan gets singled out as some of the best in the city, and it is the right partner for a butter chicken order here. The tikka platter and chilli chicken round out a menu built for lunch specials, with a clean room and service paced for regulars who treat this as their standing order.

What to orderGarlic naanChilli chickenTikka platter Call Directions Scored from the full review record 427 E Main St, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 220-9390
3 Haveli Bistro Yelp

Haveli Bistro

Indian · Columbus · $$

The tandoor does the heavy lifting, with tandoori shrimp and tandoori chicken pulling as much attention as the butter chicken itself, and gluten-free options are labeled clearly on the menu. The room stays lively into the evening, drawing groups and larger parties. The buffet has drawn sharper criticism than the a la carte menu.

What to orderTandoori shrimpTandoori chickenSaag paneer Call Directions Scored from the full review record 185 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 867-5008
4 Taste of Awadh By Chef Anand Yelp

Taste of Awadh By Chef Anand

Indian · Columbus

Chicken tikka and biryani sit alongside a menu that stretches into pan-Asian dishes not common on other Columbus Indian menus, giving butter chicken here more company than usual. Spice levels run genuinely hot when requested. The room seats large groups comfortably, and the menu rewards diners willing to order outside the standard list.

What to orderChicken tikkaChicken kebabBiryani Call Directions Scored from the full review record 3011 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, OH 43202 · (614) 670-4730
5 Curry Kabab Handi Biryani Yelp

Curry Kabab Handi Biryani

Indian · Columbus

Lamb korma and paneer tikka masala get named as often as butter chicken on the strength of a deep vegetarian and vegan selection alongside the meat dishes. The buffet draws repeat visits and ranks among the stronger lunch spreads in the city. Family-run pacing keeps the dining room feeling unhurried.

What to orderLamb KormaBiryaniPaneer Tikka Masala Call Directions Scored from the full review record 195 E Campus View Blvd, Columbus, OH 43235 · (614) 616-2193
6 New India Restaurant Yelp

New India Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Onion bhaji and chicken curry come dietary-labeled for vegan and gluten-free diners, and butter chicken fits into a kitchen built around that kind of clarity. To-go orders arrive on time and service stays attentive on slower nights. The catch: closures for maintenance have interrupted visits more than once, so a backup plan helps.

What to orderOnion BhajiChicken CurrySamosa Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5226 Bethel Center Mall, Columbus, OH 43220 · (614) 442-7705
7 Awadh | India Restaurant Yelp

Awadh | India Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Dal tadka and navratan korma travel well for delivery, arriving warm and properly packed, which says something about how the kitchen handles butter chicken too. Doi mahi mahi stands out as an unusual addition to a fairly new menu. The mix of familiar and less common dishes rewards a first-time order.

What to orderDal tadkaNavratan kormaDoi mahi mahi Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2584 Bethel Rd, Columbus, OH 43220 · (614) 914-8884
8 Aab India Restaurant Yelp

Aab India Restaurant

Indian · Grandview Heights · $$

Tikka marsala and chicken curry anchor a menu built for both the lunch buffet and a sit-down dinner in a clean, attentive dining room. Butter chicken fits comfortably into that lineup. The lunch buffet draws mixed opinions on value, with the food holding up better than the price point for some diners.

What to orderTikka MarsalaChicken CurryDal Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1470 Grandview Ave, Columbus, OH 43212 · (614) 486-2800
9 Clove Indian Bistro - Restaurant & Catering Yelp

Clove Indian Bistro - Restaurant & Catering

Indian · Columbus

Tandoori chicken and saag paneer make this a strong takeout order, and butter chicken keeps pace with both on repeat visits. The staff gets credit for friendliness even on carryout orders where dine-in service never comes into play. The lunch buffet draws interest from dinner-only visitors who haven't tried it yet.

What to orderTandoori chickenSaag paneerBiryani Call Directions Scored from the full review record 6642 Sawmill Rd, Columbus, OH 43235 · (614) 389-2527
10 Cumin & Curry Yelp

Cumin & Curry

Indian · Columbus · $$

Paneer tikka masala anchors a buffet that regulars return to specifically for its range, in a strip plaza near the Easton shopping district with parking that makes lunch easy. Chicken tikka masala and dal makhani round out the menu. Service and location both draw praise as reasons to make this a regular stop.

What to orderPaneer tikka masalaChicken tikka masalaDal makhani Call Directions Scored from the full review record 4155 Morse Crossing, Columbus, OH 43219 · (614) 973-0149
11 Dosa Corner Yelp

Dosa Corner

Indian · Columbus · $

Masala dosa gets called out as the best some diners have had, arriving crisp with flavorful sauces alongside a mango lassi built for balance against the spice. Idli rounds out a South Indian menu that runs at fair prices. The room stays casual and unpretentious, built for a quick, satisfying meal.

What to orderMasala dosaMango lassiIdli Call Directions Scored from the full review record 1077 Old Henderson Rd, Columbus, OH 43220 · (614) 459-5515
12 Dakshin Indian Bistro Yelp

Dakshin Indian Bistro

Indian · Columbus · $$

The lunch special delivers a wide sampling of the kitchen's best dishes, including dosa and a rotating curry, in portions large enough to take some home. The dining room favors comfort over formality, and service gets consistent credit for attentiveness. Freshness and depth of spice stand out across both lunch and dinner orders.

What to orderLunch specialDosaCurry Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5251 N Hamilton Rd, Columbus, OH 43230 · (614) 389-2670
What to know before choosing a restaurant

The top picks: Layla's Kitchen Indian Restaurant, Indian Oven, and Haveli Bistro, with all 12 rooms ranked below.

Butter chicken in Columbus runs through strip-mall dining rooms and Easton-adjacent plazas more than it runs through downtown. This list covers the kitchens across the city and its ring suburbs that keep the tomato-cream base balanced and the tandoor working hard, from lunch buffets to made-to-order dinner plates.

Frequently asked

What is the best butter chicken near me in Columbus?
It depends on which part of the metro is closest. This guide covers rooms inside Columbus proper as well as nearby options, ranked by Insider Score, which is built from the public review record and never from paid placement. No restaurant here paid to be listed.
Which Columbus butter chicken spots also do a lunch buffet?
Curry Kabab Handi Biryani, Aab India Restaurant, Cumin & Curry, and Clove Indian Bistro all run lunch buffets, and Dakshin Indian Bistro's lunch special offers a similar wide sampling. Buffet quality varies by visit, so check current hours before heading out.
Is butter chicken different from chicken tikka masala?
Both are tomato-cream based chicken dishes and menus in Columbus often list them side by side. Butter chicken tends to run richer and sweeter with butter and cream, while tikka masala leans more on tomato and chili. Several kitchens on this list serve both well.
How is the Insider Score calculated for these Columbus Indian restaurants?
The Insider Score is built from the public review record for each restaurant, not from advertising or submissions. It reflects patterns across many customer experiences rather than a single visit. No restaurant on this list paid for its placement or ranking.
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The data first, then the verdict

We start with the review record, not a press release. Every room here is a real kitchen with a strong rating across a meaningful number of reviews, ranked on our 10-point Insider Score. We weight consistency over time and the rooms locals return to, not the ones tourists pass through once. The list updates as the data does. How we work →

About the writer
Tommy Vu
Staff Writer · Top of Columbus

Tommy Vu is the Corridors and Heritage Editor at Top of Columbus. He grew up rolling silverware in his parents' pho shop in a Bethel Road plaza and has been eating his way through the city's strip-mall corridors ever since. If the best kitchen in the plaza has handwritten specials taped to the register, he has already ordered them.

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