Tender and spicy goat curry at A Spice Affair, Casey. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
How good is a curry? Whether you’re a vindaloo connoisseur, butter chicken tragic or love the crispy dosas of the south, there’s a myriad of Indian restaurants in Canberra to suit your craving.
In fact there’s so many amazing Indian restaurants in Canberra, we needed to split this list in two. We might even need to put the city and Braddon into their own category! So here is an increasingly niche list of some of our favourite suburban Indian restaurants on the north side.
A Spice Affair, Casey
When you start asking Canberrans about their favourite Indian restaurants, A Spice Affair is often mentioned. They’ve even been known to drive across town to visit this favourite spot!
Complimentary pappadums hit the table on arrival to tide you over. The homestyle chicken curry is a popular choice, blending flavours of fenugreek and coriander with garam masala spices for a comforting dish. The chaat samosa starter blends two iconic street foods into a plate with yoghurt, mint and tamarind sauces resulting in tonnes of flavour. And the goat curry is spicy, tender and totally moreish.
The long menu lists all dietary requirements and you can even get a mixed dessert platter. Yes please.
Indian Pantry, Scullin
This humble Indian restaurant has been my family’s go-to takeaway for more than a decade. While the interior is beginning to show its age, the food continues to be top notch and the business has recently upgraded its website for online ordering and appears to be doing a roaring trade in takeaways. Our vegetarian favourites include malai kofta – vegetable fritters made with chickpea flour and served in a creamy, spiced tomato gravy – and the spinach and cheese powered palak paneer. The meal deals and banquets are also excellent value for money.
I’ve known Belconnen residents to call this place their local secret so, sorry for spilling the beans!
Delhi to Canberra’s secret recipe for fish entree, Amritsari Macchi. Photo: Michelle Taylor.
Delhi to Canberra, Melba
Melba residents are fanatic about Delhi to Canberra. Although Delhi is in the name, this popular neighbourhood Indian serves a range of dishes from India’s geographical culinary traditions including Amritsar in the north, Chennai in the south east, and Goa on the west coast. Adding these to its specialty dishes and classic Indian favourites gives Delhi to Canberra one of the most diverse menus in town.
Sweet Mahal, Amaroo
Gungahlin suburbs seem to have more than their fair share of great Indian restaurants. Sweet Mahal is another place that gets rave reviews. It even took out Best Indian Restaurant in the recent Restaurant & Catering Association (R&CA) Hostplus Awards for Excellence.
It differs from other Indian joints in town with a few Afghani dishes and a large range of tandoor-cooked options. There’s also an impressive sweets cabinet and you can get a thali (a mixed plate for one) at lunch.
We loved the dosa platter at Chatkazz which gives you three different fillings to try. Photo: Lucy Ridge.
Chatkazz, Gungahlin
Okay, yes technically Chatkazz is a chain restaurant, and usually we’d keep things squarely independent. But damn, Chatkazz is a good time! The super-large dining room takes up close to a quarter of the upstairs space in the Gungahlin Village centre and the vibe is chaotic, fun and delicious.
If you thought regular Indian restaurants had large menus, think again: Chatkazz seems to have just about every dish India has ever made. Mumbai Roadside street foods get a whole section: think Vada Pav (deep fried spiced potato patties in soft bun), and samosa along with plenty more. Curries are split into north and south varieties, there’s a whole section devoted to dosa, uttapam and idli, and it even serves Indo-Chinese fusion dishes (hugely popular in India, but not so much here).
Oh, and it also does weekend breakfast.
We haven’t visited them yet, but we’re also excited to try: Aaojee in Fraser, a newcomer to the scene but already receiving rave reviews. Sankalp in Belconnen is a 100 per cent vegetarian restaurant we’re keen to visit and Mirchi in Ngunnawal is yet another Gungahlin option!
Tell us about your favourite Indian restaurants in Canberra!
