10 Indian restaurants in Vienna that will surprise your tastebuds

In-Dish takes Indian cuisine to a new insanely inventive level. Setting foot in the entrance induces a little whispered, ‘Wow.’ You won’t find a slick-looking Indian restaurant (minus the kitsch) resembling it, in town. This isn’t your everyday Indian restaurant. While the menu contains everything you might wish for when craving Indian cuisine, including a changing recommendation dish of the day, it’s all done in a very unique way at In-dish. There are some vegetarian and vegan options, and of course, you can have all the typical homey curries and dal dishes drowned in delicious spicy sauces (you choose the extremity), all accompanied by traditional Naan bread.

A few favourites we’d recommend: as a starter, try the Kartoffel-Käse-Tikki, which will give you a potato-experience that you never thought this humble vegetable capable of. Meanwhile, we love the fun modern takes on the traditional Indian kitchen, like their signature Glorious Korma burger and the OMG butter chicken burger. Then there’s the chicken balls in a cashew curry sauce – the Murgh Mastana. It all is a refreshing new reinvention of all the good things that make Indian cuisine so loved. To read more about In-dish, check out our full review.

Nirvana, a reinvented old Indian restaurant that is bringing Bombay street food to Vienna, does come pretty damn close to living up to its name. Located in the first district, it lets off a very inviting and warm glow from the inside-out. This place is known for its fresh, original takes on street food classics from all over India. You gotta’ try one of their must-have starters, like the Gunpowder Gambas that are jumbo prawns powdered in a mix of spices involving lentils, mustard seeds, curry leaves. And when the curries make an appearance on your table – beware, it’ll be love at first whiff!

Indien village has been around for a long while, claiming to be one of the first Indian restaurants to have popped up in Vienna. And it’s been the favourite for many for just as long, especially the suited types who hang around the 1st district. With a family behind it, the place feels familiar and friendly. The fragrance of spices and smoky aromas speak of the insanely good Indian cooking going on here. The decor is as you’d expect of an Indian restaurant abroad – lots of gold and a Ganesha watching over the dining room.

Slightly disconcertingly, the white tiles that make their way from the floor, up the walls reminds us of our Nonna’s kitchen. But there’s a romantic atmosphere here after dark. The menu is geared for one and all – from those that like western neutered curries like the sweet Murgh Makhani (Butter chicken) to those that like to sweat while eating. But if you like fire-y curries, be sure to ask for them to spice it up.

‘We decided from the beginning that we’ll make what we do well,’ the owner, Sharma tells us, who is constantly standing up to farewell one of the raft of regulars this place has earned itself since it’s opening in 2012. He also slips into the kitchen now and again for some quality control.

The neatly ‘white-plate and copper dish’ presented curries consist of the rasas (tastes) of any healthy Hindu diet – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent, rather than zingy – but that’s the price for balance, I guess. This is the Indian restaurant you go to when you don’t know if your blind date likes it spicy, even though you’ll go for it anyway. The whiskey and the wine list are extensive and worth working your way through.

We recommend… also trying the Tandoori, prepared and cooked in a traditional style.

We fall in love with the bright space, the colourful wooden floor, the funky art on the wall by Tex Rubinowitz and Bernd Püribauer and the carefully placed lamps and cushions as soon as we walk into Nam Nam (or, as we fondly call it, the ‘Bobo-Inder’). The family-run restaurant serving North Indian cuisine succeeded in trying to be different from other Indian restaurants by creating a Berlin/London-inspired, modern atmosphere.

The dishes on the menu range from traditional, to more modern adaptations, with a variety of vegetarian and vegan dishes. As we are digging into our Tandoori-Mint Chicken and Navratan Korma (vegetable curry with home-made fresh cheese), we can’t help but wonder if the name Nam Nam derives from people trying to say ‘yumm yumm’ with their curry-filled mouths. Don’t miss out on trying one of the home-made Naans – they are delicious and still warm as they are baked in-house in a traditional tandoor oven.

Plus: Nam Nam also offers lunch menus – for 7.50€ they include a soup, rice and Naan.
Tip: If you prefer ordering your Indian treats or have them as take-away, check out Nam Nam Deli and Nam Nam Dabba as well.

Indus is owned by a guy who’s been its number one customer since 1981. It was after he bought it, then sold it, then bought it again and injected the impressions from his travels into the place’s design when it became the place it is today. The edgy interior is modelled around the name of the place – the Indus river.
‘You’re eating under the waves of the Indus,’ owner Ifti, tells us. We look up and notice the wonky roof – they’re the waves. The atmosphere of the place is like warm concrete, which the warm lighting, the concrete bar and polished concrete floors are responsible for.

The feisty menu has traditional roots, yet a modern spin. The curries made here have a pull factor – you dream about them when you think ‘I haven’t eaten Indian for a while.’ But beware – if you order scharf (spicy), you’ll get it … and perhaps even cry like a baby who needs their nappy changed. The signature dish here is Murgh Mango curry, while the most popular is the Tikka Masala (We’ve tried both and give our thumbs up to the Indian Gods). Don’t skip on the Naan (smoky and delightfully doughy) and the samosa as a starter. The spice magician in the kitchen draws his inspiration from Northern India and Pakistan. Your order will take time here, as all quality, freshly made food does. ‘It’s slow food,’ Ifti aptly puts it. Indus is in a class of its own as far as Vienna’s Indian cuisine goes.

House speciality is… Murgh Mango curry, Chicken Tikka Masala and the spice bomb, Lahore Kerahi Gosht.
We also tried… Malai Kofta – poo brown in colour, superior in taste.

Looking for a place to still your cravings for truly authentic North Indian food? Natraj is a family-run business just off Neubaugasse that opened a few years back. At lunchtime, the small restaurant is filled with chatter and the sound of people digging happily into their Dals and Curries and slurping their lassis.

The lime-green colour scheme isn’t really our thing, but seriously: who really cares when the food you get is so damn good?! Apart from the delicious dishes, the true magic of Natraj is its owner, Sukhwinder. Being used to the special charm of Viennese waiters (ahem), we can’t get enough of watching Sukhwinder smiling at his guests, joking around with little kids and praising his brother’s cooking skills. Having filled our bellies with Tarka Dal (yellow lentils with ginger and garlic) and Murgh Malai Curry (chicken with almonds and cashews in curry-cream sauce), we roll out of the door with the deeply satisfying feeling that only good food can give you.

We love… that you get Papadam with a variety of sauces (mango chutney, mint-yogurt and green chili) when you order of the menu. We love even more than the sauces stay on the table for your main course.

You can also… order takeaway delivery online.

Rani was one of the first Indian restaurants to open in Vienna and has become one of the most beloved ever since. Thali plates (a mixed curry plate) fly out of the kitchen one after the other. The most popular dish here is the Murgh Makhani (Butter Chicken), yet we would recommend not going past the selection of grilled meats. It’s hard to find a tandoori in this town that isn’t as dry as aunt Thelma’s feet, but here it’s smokey, succulent, perfectly spiced and tender – everything you want in your tandoori, and your Kama Sutra partner.

One of Vienna’s go-to Indian restaurants, Nam Nam, has opened several small eateries around the city and named them, ‘Dabba.’ This lunch take away joint in the 4th district, right around the corner from the TU, is serving up a new curry every day – one with meat, one vegan, plus one alternative dish – scooped into a to-go container, with or without rice. You can also help yourself to the free toppings (almond slices, cumin, parsley, coconut and more). And prices are very reasonable for a warm and tasty lunch. Don’t forget to check out the weekly menu. Besides, there’s also one located on Marxergasse 7 in the 3rd district.

Back on a quiet street corner is a family-run Indian restaurant cooking up some awesome Indian food, including a strong flavoured vegetarian selection. The owner is related to another of the Indian places on this list – not to name any names, but quality cooking runs in the family. Part of the charm of this place is that it’s off the beaten path, hidden behind the AKH hospital in the 18th district. It’s a colourful place and the staff are friendly as the flavours in their dishes. The Beef Vindaloo here is da’ bomb. Meanwhile, there’s a pleasant alfresco garden out the back.