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The Guide · Where to Eat the Best Indian

Where to Eat the Best Indian 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
Where to Eat the Best Indian 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$$Tandoori shrimp
04 New India RestaurantColumbus$$Onion Bhaji
05 Awadh | India RestaurantColumbus$$Dal tadka
06 Aab India RestaurantGrandview Heights$$Tikka Marsala
07 Clove Indian Bistro - Restaurant & CateringColumbusTandoori chicken
08 Cumin & CurryColumbus$$Paneer tikka masala
09 Dosa CornerColumbus$Masala dosa
10 Dakshin Indian BistroColumbus$$Lunch special
11 Rooh Columbus | IndianColumbus$$$Dosa
12 TIKKA 𝓝 KABAB- Halal RestaurantColumbusButter Chicken

12 restaurants · In guide order

1 Layla's Kitchen Indian Restaurant Yelp

Layla's Kitchen Indian Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Butter chicken and saag paneer anchor a menu built for a quiet dinner, with low light and booth seating that suit a slower pace. The biryani draws repeat orders, and service leans warm on walk-ins. Delivery through third-party apps has drawn more mixed notes than dine-in, so a table here reads as the stronger bet.

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 · $$

Garlic naan comes out consistently strong here, praised alongside a chilli chicken that plays as a starter and an entree both. The tikka platter covers the tandoor range in one order, and the lunch special has built a following among regulars who treat this as their standing Indian order in the city.

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 · $$

Tandoori shrimp headlines a tandoor-forward menu with gluten-free items clearly labeled, useful for mixed-diet tables. Tuesday nights run loud with group bookings, a sign the room turns over well for parties of six or more. The buffet has drawn sharper criticism than the a la carte tandoor plates, so order off the 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 New India Restaurant Yelp

New India Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Onion bhaji and chicken curry lead a menu built around dietary labeling done right, gluten-free and vegetarian marked clearly on the to-go menu. Service runs attentive and orders come out on time. The one flag: occasional unannounced closures, so a call ahead beats a wasted trip on the wrong day.

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

Awadh | India Restaurant

Indian · Columbus · $$

Dal tadka and navratan korma travel well, arriving warm and properly packed for delivery, a rarer trait than it should be. The doi mahi mahi stands out as the dish worth ordering in person. A newer opening on the list, it has already built a following among diners who order Indian food regularly.

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

Aab India Restaurant

Indian · Grandview Heights · $$

Tikka masala and a rotating lunch buffet make the case here, with a room clean enough to notice and staff who check in without hovering. The buffet draws some pushback on price relative to portion, but the a la carte curry and dal orders get steadier praise. Good for a family dinner or a solo lunch.

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

Clove Indian Bistro - Restaurant & Catering

Indian · Columbus

Tandoori chicken and saag paneer built enough of a following that regulars order this ahead of dine-in elsewhere, mostly through takeout. The biryani holds up in transit, and the lunch buffet gets flagged as worth returning for even by dinner-only visitors. Staff draw consistent notice for friendliness on quick orders.

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

Cumin & Curry

Indian · Columbus · $$

The lunch buffet is the reason to know this address, set in a strip plaza near the Easton shopping district with easy parking and a paneer selection that draws repeat visits. Paneer tikka masala and dal makhani anchor the steam table, and service moves fast enough for a workday lunch without feeling rushed.

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
9 Dosa Corner Yelp

Dosa Corner

Indian · Columbus · $

Masala dosa arrives crisp with flavorful accompanying sauces, the reason this counter gets singled out among South Indian options in the city. Idli and a cold mango lassi round out a menu that runs lighter and more specific than the North Indian curry houses nearby. Prices stay reasonable for the portion size.

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

Dakshin Indian Bistro

Indian · Columbus · $$

Dosa and curry come with a lunch special generous enough that diners plan meals around it, and portions run large across the board. The room reads casual rather than formal, and service gets flagged as a standout even by regulars who already rate the food highly. A dependable weeknight option.

What to orderLunch specialDosaCurry Call Directions Scored from the full review record 5251 N Hamilton Rd, Columbus, OH 43230 · (614) 389-2670
11 Rooh Columbus | Indian Yelp

Rooh Columbus | Indian

Indian · Columbus · $$$

Dosa, biryani and tandoori chicken anchor a menu built for a slower, special-occasion dinner, with a wine dinner series that has paired Duckhorn Vineyards bottles against a four-course tasting format. A weekend brunch service adds another reason to book ahead. This is the room for an anniversary rather than a weeknight stop.

What to orderDosaBiryaniTandoori chicken Call Directions Scored from the full review record 685 N High St, Columbus, OH 43215 · (614) 972-8678
12 TIKKA 𝓝 KABAB- Halal Restaurant Yelp

TIKKA 𝓝 KABAB- Halal Restaurant

Indian · Columbus

Butter chicken and tandoori chicken come made to order, with the owner working the kitchen and the storefront carrying the smell of fresh spice into the dining area. Seating is limited to a couple of tables, so this reads as a takeout-first stop. Delivery orders have drawn more inconsistent feedback than eating on site.

What to orderButter ChickenTandoori chickenNaan Call Directions Scored from the full review record 2412 North High St, Columbus, OH 43202 · (614) 261-7671
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.

Columbus runs Indian food across the whole map, from Short North rooms with tandoor lists to strip-mall counters where the lunch buffet is the entire pitch. This lineup covers North and South Indian kitchens, halal storefronts and a wine-paired tasting room, organized by what actually lands on the plate rather than the label on the door.

Frequently asked

What is the best Indian restaurant near me in Columbus?
It depends on which side of the metro is closer. Indian Oven and Cumin & Curry cover the east side and Easton area with strong lunch buffets, while Dosa Corner and Rooh sit closer to the Short North and downtown corridor. Check the Insider Score on each listing, since no restaurant pays for placement here.
Which Columbus Indian restaurant has the best lunch buffet?
Cumin & Curry, Aab India Restaurant and Clove Indian Bistro all run buffets that draw repeat customers, with Cumin & Curry's paneer selection and easy Easton-area parking getting the most consistent praise. New India Restaurant's regular dine-in menu is worth trying too, though its buffet hours have been less predictable.
Where can I find South Indian dishes like dosa in Columbus?
Dosa Corner specializes in it, with masala dosa, idli and mango lassi as the core order. Dakshin Indian Bistro and Rooh Columbus also serve dosa alongside broader North Indian menus, so they are worth considering if a table wants both styles in one visit.
Is there a Michelin-starred Indian restaurant in Columbus?
No. Ohio has no Michelin coverage, so no Columbus restaurant of any cuisine carries a Michelin rating. Local authority here comes from the Insider Score shown on each listing, built from the review record rather than any paid placement.
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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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