Where Can I Find Indian Food in Chicago?

I know that Chicago is not mainly known for Indian Food, but there are some great Indian food restaurants you might want to look into if you're from, or just visiting, Chicago. Indian food overall can be a great experience if you've never had it. Some of it can be really spicy, but what I like about it is the variety you get from it. Indian food is a great source of vegetables with starches and meats. The desserts are usually different than your normal cookies and ice cream but they're still very good. It's best to get Indian food from an authentic restaurant and not from a dive that sells Americanized versions of Indian fare.

With that said, here are my recommendations for Indian food in Chicago:

Places I've actually been to:

Indian Garden - this is probably one of the first places I went to that had authentic Indian cuisine. I went to the downtown location on Ontario Street. There's also a location on Devon Ave. on the north side of town. My and my (then) girlfriend enjoyed the food tremendously. If I'm not mistaken we had a sampler plate, where we got to try various food items. Everything we had was delicious. We made it a point to come back to this restaurant one day, but have yet to do so. The ambiance was rather quiet, although you should consider we went right after the lunch rush, so it was more like mid-afternoon. Perhaps it gets a bit more lively in the evenings, but I'm not sure. The waitstaff was very friendly and was more than willing to let us know what to try and what not try from the menu.

India House - I went here with some co-workers of mine and we all enjoyed the food. We had a buffet-style lunch where we got to try various foods. I remember they kept coming to us with plates of tandoori chicken fresh off the grill. The buffet offered soups, vegetables, stews and meats. There were also a few desserts available that were worthy of a second helping. This restaurant was located at 59 W. Grand Ave in downtown Chicago. Valet parking was extra. You can also find this restaurant on restaurant.com where you can get a $25 gift-certificate towards a $50+ meal for about $10.00 which I think is well worth it. Definitely consider this place for the next Indian cuisine craving you might have if you're in the downtown area.

Standard India Restaurant - this restaurant is located at 917 W. Belmont Ave in the Lakeview community. It's not upscale Indian by any stretch. It's a simple establishment, kind of quaint. It also was a buffet style and had basic Indian fare. The price was great; I believe it was like $10 per person for the buffet-style and this was in the evening. If you went too far you could miss it, so you need to keep a lookout for this place.

Places others recommend and that I would consider trying:

Klay Oven - there are two locations, one in the River North community (near downtown Chicago), and the other is in the suburb of Oak Park. Klay Oven is known for cooking prepared-to-order food and fresh ingredients using cooking methods such as Tandoor and Indian Wok. For reviews about Klay Oven, go to the Yelp website at: http://www.yelp.com/biz/klay-oven-chicago. For information about the restaurant, go to their website at: http://www.klayovenrestaurant.com.

Tahoora Sweets & bakery - located at 2345 W. Devon Ave. in Chicago, near Devon Ave and Western Ave. sounds like a great place for authentic Indian pastries and snacks. Prices there are very reasonable and most of the reviews sound great. For reviews of the restaurant, go to: http://www.yelp.com/biz/tahoora-sweets-and-bakery-chicago. For information about the restaurant, go to: http://www.tahoora.com.

Gaylord India Restaurant - located at 100 E. Walton St. in Chicago in the Gold Coast community. There's also a Schaumburg location. Read the reviews from Yelp at: http://www.yelp.com/biz/gaylord-india-restaurant-chicago-8.

Tandoor Fine Indian Cuisine - located in Park Ridge, a western suburb of Chicago. This place is open from 11:30am-2:30pm for lunch on Mondays through Fridays, then from 5pm until at least 9pm for dinner everyday. They have buffet options as well as vegetarian options. Overall the prices there seem very reasonable. For more information about the restaurant, go to: http://www.tandoor-restaurant.us/. For reviews on the restaurant, go to: http://www.yelp.com/biz/tandoor-fine-indian-cuisine-park-ridge.