Cuisine guide · data as of 8 October 2026
Indian restaurants: London leads on average, New York on the top ten
Across 400 scored Indian places, London has the best average, but New York supplies most of the top ten and the best value.
- Places scored
- 400
- Scoring 90+
- 30
- Cities compared
- 10
- Median Harry score
- 81
The ten best-scored indian places
Ranked by Harry score among places with at least 150 reviews. Chains are counted once. Scores are explained on the how-it-works page.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essence N spiceindian | New York, NY | 96 | 83 | Smart Spend |
| 2 | Namaste Village Twickenhamindian | London | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 3 | King of Tasteindian | Seattle, WA | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 4 | Cloves Indian Cuisineindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 5 | Saffron Indian Cuisineindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 6 | Rudraksindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 7 | Kesari Indian Cuisineindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 8 | Royale Spicy Dosasouth-indian | London | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 9 | Riwaaz Indian cuisine Los Angeles best restaurantindian | Los Angeles, CA | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend · $$ |
| 10 | Roots Indian Bistroindian | Los Angeles, CA | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
Is London really the best city for Indian food in this data?
On average, yes. London has 94 scored places and an average of 83.6, the highest of any city here. Sydney (81.8), Los Angeles (81.6) and New York (81.4) sit close behind, so the gap at the top is narrow.
The larger break comes lower down. San Francisco averages 80, then Chicago drops to 73.4. If you are choosing a city on the strength of its typical restaurant rather than its best one, the first five cities are a safer bet than the rest. Austin, with 41 places, averages 69.7, which says a random pick there is a bigger gamble.
Which city does it best?
Cities with at least twelve scored places for this cuisine, ranked by average Harry score.
| # | City | Places | Average | Best scorer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | London | 94 | 83.6 | Namaste Village Twickenham |
| 2 | Sydney, NSW | 23 | 81.8 | Urban Spices - Fine Curries and Cocktails |
| 3 | Los Angeles, CA | 25 | 81.6 | Riwaaz Indian cuisine Los Angeles best restaurant |
| 4 | New York, NY | 41 | 81.4 | Essence N spice |
| 5 | San Francisco, CA | 36 | 80 | Sewa Nepalese and Indian Cuisine |
| 6 | Chicago, IL | 31 | 73.4 | Curry Kitchen |
| 7 | San Jose, CA | 42 | 71.9 | Naans & Curries |
| 8 | Miami, FL | 14 | 70.9 | Bombay Corner |
| 9 | Seattle, WA | 35 | 70.4 | King of Taste |
| 10 | Austin, TX | 41 | 69.7 | The Indian Flames |
Why does New York dominate the top ten?
Five of the ten highest-scoring places are in New York, including the top spot: Essence N spice in the Bronx, on a Harry Hungry score of 96. London has two entries, Los Angeles two, and Seattle one.
New York's average of 81.4 is not the best, though. That combination suggests depth at the top rather than consistency throughout. With 41 places scored, there are plenty of strong options, but the city's best are well ahead of its typical restaurant. Read the top ten as a list of standouts, not a promise about the city as a whole.
Best value in the data
Places scoring 70 or above on the Harry score, ranked by Worth It score.
| # | Place | City | Harry | Worth it | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Essence N spiceindian | New York, NY | 96 | 83 | Smart Spend |
| 2 | Thar Indian Restaurantindian | Sydney, NSW | 91 | 83 | Great Value |
| 3 | Namaste Village Twickenhamindian | London | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 4 | King of Tasteindian | Seattle, WA | 94 | 82 | Smart Spend |
| 5 | Cloves Indian Cuisineindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
| 6 | Saffron Indian Cuisineindian | New York, NY | 92 | 81 | Smart Spend |
Where is the value actually found?
The Worth It scores cluster tightly. Essence N spice leads on 83, level with Thar Indian Restaurant in Neutral Bay, Sydney, which scores 91 for quality. Namaste Village Twickenham and King of Taste follow on 82, and several New York places sit on 81.
The pattern is that value and quality travel together here: the places with the best quality scores also tend to rank best for value. Most of the leading names carry the Smart Spend badge, and Thar carries Great Value. Price data is thin, though. Only 15 places are confirmed at $$ and one at $$$$, so the price tier tells you little for most of the list.
What do the platform splits tell you?
Google ratings run generous. Aladin on Brick Lane has 4.8 on Google from 16786 reviews, against 3.8 on Tripadvisor from 2365. Tikkas Oxford Circus has a perfect 5 on Google from 208 reviews, against 4.1 on Tripadvisor from 599. Flavor of India in West Hollywood has 4.8 on Google and 3.9 on Yelp.
The lesson is that a high Google score alone is weak evidence, particularly with a small review count. Where a second platform is noticeably cooler, treat the place as a crowd-pleaser that may not satisfy someone looking for a sharper meal.
Does critical acclaim line up with the top scores?
Not in this data. The acclaim counts include Michelin Guide (7), James Beard Foundation (5), Eater 38 (4), World's 50 Best (3), Time Out (2) and Travelers Choice (1). Yet none of the ten highest-scoring places lists any acclaim.
That means the highest scores here come from crowd ratings, with 30 places at 90 or above. Critics and diners are rewarding different things, or at least different restaurants. If you want a place that has won recognition, search the acclaim lists directly rather than the top ten. If you want a reliably well-liked local, the top ten is the better route.
Where the review platforms disagree
Places with at least 150 reviews on both platforms and a gap of 0.4 to 1.0 stars. Yelp is used for US cities, Tripadvisor elsewhere.
| Place | City | Other platform | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aladin Indian Restaurant - Brick Lane's Award-Winning Curry House | London | 4.8 (16,786) | Tripadvisor 3.8 (2,365) |
| Tikkas Oxford Circus | London | 5 (208) | Tripadvisor 4.1 (599) |
| Leads Eatery Indian Restaurant & Takeaway | London | 4.9 (561) | Tripadvisor 4 (237) |
| Flavor of India - West Hollywood | Los Angeles, CA | 4.8 (1,718) | Yelp 3.9 (231) |
The short version
Pick London for the best typical meal and New York for the highest peaks. Treat Google-only praise with caution, and check a second platform before you book.
Every figure on this page is computed from Harry Hungry's own database on 8 October 2026; the commentary is written with AI assistance from those figures and checked against them. Scores blend Google, Yelp and Tripadvisor with editorial acclaim; see how they work. No placement on this page is paid for.