Chennai Cafe in Frisco serves Southern and Northern Indian dishes during its weekend grand buffets. The live dosa and appam stations, which are flat griddles toasting different kinds of fermented rice pancakes, are showcased for diners’ viewing and eating pleasure. And all meats served are halal. 

Zero in on the noodle section of the menu for Calcutta chow mein noodles, which are stir-fried thin wheat noodles with assorted vegetables doused in soy, vinegar and garam masala sauce, and Khao Suey, a Burmese specialty with a coconut curry sauce. Add egg, tofu, paneer, chicken or shrimp to any noodle dish. All meats served are also certified halal. 

Vrindavan is an upscale vegetarian thali restaurant — for beginners that is a set meal with a selection of different legume stews, rice, chutneys, fresh vegetable salad, pickle, relish, savory buttermilk drinks, and more. The Wednesday and Saturday specials of Brijwasi thali include hariyali tikki (potato and mint patties), dubki wale aloo (potatoes in spicy gravy), chana masala (spicy chickpeas), paneer makhanwala (paneer in a creamy tomato cashew nut gravy), and more. Check their menu to see all the daily options. 

This Richardson restaurant specializes in Gujarati-style thali. Try the dal dhokli — savory steamed chickpea flour cakes topped with mustard seeds that come with sweet and sour tamarind chutney and fresh green cilantro chutney. Also excellent is the Gujarati thali, a set meal with long grain rice, legume stews, pickles, vegetables, papads or paper-thin crispy crackers from black lentils.

If paratha, a pan fried flatbread folded onto itself to create many, distinct layers, is what one craves, one is sure to find at least one at 101 Paratha. The spin-off from its mother restaurant India 101 puts a spotlight on the beloved Indian bread by offering, no joke, 101 choices, including dessert parathas and Singapore style specials. 

Indian cuisine gets a fine dining twist at this spot right on Lake Carolyn in Las Colinas. The vibe is always bumping and dishes including tandoori cornish hen, prawn mango curry, and golden fried squid with Sanjh spicy sauce keep diners coming back.

With weekend buffets and chefs specials in addition to it standard menu, this Garland restaurant keeps a rotation of flavors and dishes going. It’s extensive vegetarian menu includes palak paneer and malai kofta, while goat, lamb, chicken, and shrimp options are available on the menu of classic dishes.

This restaurant, a stalwart among DFW’s Indian scene, can be found inside a Hare Krishna temple and community center. Its courtyard is an oasis. It serves filling vegetarian dishes that mix Indian classics and familiar American staples, including a salad bar and homemade whole wheat cinnamon bread. The menu changes daily, and is posted on its website.

Namak opened last year and serves as a kind of diner of Indian food in Downtown. The bar menu boasts an extensive list of creative mocktails, while the food menu has a deep list of curries, both vegetarian and not. In fact, it’s all endless-feeling options, from the breads to the rice and noodle dishes. One could eat her a dozen times and never order the same thing.