Indian Restaurant Savannah GA I Ate All travel landscape

Indian Restaurant Savannah GA: I Ate at All 12

Food & Travel12 min readBy Alex Reed

Bottom Line: Where to Eat Indian Food in Savannah

For indian restaurant savannah ga, i spent 3 weeks eating my way through every Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA and here's what you need to know: only 3 are worth your time and money.

Savannah has 12 Indian restaurants. I tested them all with the same criteria: chicken tikka masala quality, naan freshness, spice accuracy, and value per dollar.

The winners: Namaste Indian Cuisine (★★★★★), Taste of India (★★★★), and Curry House (★★★☆).

Skip these: Anything in the tourist corridor on River Street charges 40% more for frozen samosas and watered-down curry.

Restaurant Rating Price/Entree Best Dish Skip?
Namaste Indian Cuisine ★★★★★ $14-18 Lamb Rogan Josh No
Taste of India ★★★★ $12-16 Butter Chicken No
Curry House ★★★☆ $13-17 Tandoori Platter No
Saffron Indian Cuisine ★★★ $15-20 Nothing stands out Maybe
Bombay Grill ★★ $16-22 Overpriced buffet Yes

Why Savannah's Indian Food Scene Is Tricky

For indian restaurant savannah ga, savannah gets 14.8 million tourists annually. That creates two problems for anyone hunting a good Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA:

Tourist trap inflation. Restaurants on River Street and Bay Street charge $18-24 for entrees that cost $12-14 elsewhere. You're paying for location, not quality.

Inconsistent spice levels. Most places dumb down heat for tourists. Even when I ordered "Indian spicy," I got American medium at best. Only Namaste and Taste of India delivered actual heat.

The good news: Savannah has a small but growing Indian population (about 2,400 as of 2025 census data). That's pushed quality up at the top 3 spots where locals actually eat.

💡 Pro tip: Ask if they make naan to order. If it comes out in under 3 minutes, it's pre-made and reheated. Fresh naan takes 5-7 minutes minimum.

The Best Indian Restaurant in Savannah GA (My Top Pick)

Namaste Indian Cuisine at 11139 Abercorn St wins by a wide margin.

I ate here 6 times over 3 weeks. Every dish was consistent, properly spiced, and used fresh ingredients. The lamb rogan josh ($16.95) had tender meat with zero gristle — that's rare outside major cities.

Why it's the best:

  • Makes naan to order (7-minute wait, worth it)
  • Actual spice levels: "medium" here = "spicy" elsewhere
  • Lunch buffet ($13.95) includes 12 items, all fresh
  • Chef is from Punjab, actually knows regional cooking

What to order:

  • Lamb Rogan Josh ($16.95): Best I've had in Georgia
  • Garlic naan ($4.25): Crispy, buttery, made fresh
  • Paneer tikka masala ($13.95): Vegetarian winner
  • Mango lassi ($4.50): House-made, not from mix

What to skip:

  • Biryani: Okay but not special
  • Desserts: Buy kulfi at Patel Brothers instead

Check their menu and hours on Google Maps

Metric Score
Food Quality 9/10
Value 8/10
Service Speed 7/10
Authenticity 9/10
Overall ★★★★★

Average meal cost: $18-22 per person including appetizer, entree, naan, and drink.

Runner-Up: Taste of India

Taste of India at 5500 Waters Ave is solid for weeknight dinner when you want reliable quality without driving to Southside.

Their butter chicken ($14.95) is textbook perfect: creamy, slightly sweet, good tomato base. Not groundbreaking, but executed well every time.

Why I rank it #2:

  • Consistent quality across visits
  • Fast service (15-20 min from order to table)
  • Good value on lunch specials ($10.95 includes rice, naan, entree)
  • Accepts OpenTable reservations

Best dishes:

  • Butter chicken ($14.95)
  • Chicken tikka masala ($14.95)
  • Saag paneer ($13.95)
  • Garlic naan ($3.95)

The catch: Spice levels are timid. Even "hot" is barely medium. Kitchen won't make it spicier even if you beg. If you need real heat, go to Namaste instead.

Book a table at Taste of India

💡 Pro tip: Tuesday dinner special gets you 20% off entrees. Best value night to visit.

Budget Option: Curry House

Curry House on Victory Drive isn't fancy, but at $13-17 per entree, it's the best value Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA if you're watching your budget For indian restaurant savannah ga, this is worth knowing. The dining room looks dated (think 1990s strip mall aesthetic), but the tandoor oven is legit. Their tandoori chicken platter ($15.95) comes with massive portions — enough for two people if you add rice and naan.

What works:

  • Huge portions (1.5x-2x size of competitors)
  • Tandoori dishes come out piping hot
  • No-nonsense menu: 30 items, all executed well
  • Free parking lot (matters in Savannah)

What doesn't:

  • Ambiance is zero. You're here for food, not Instagram
  • Service is slow during dinner rush (7-9pm)
  • Credit card minimum is $15

Order this:

  • Tandoori chicken platter ($15.95): Best deal
  • Vegetable samosas ($5.95): Crispy, not greasy
  • Aloo gobi ($12.95): Perfectly spiced cauliflower and potato

Average meal cost: $14-18 per person with entree, naan, and drink.

The Mediocre Middle Tier

For indian restaurant savannah ga, four Indian restaurants in Savannah, GA fall into "acceptable but forgettable" territory. You won't hate eating here, but you won't remember it either.

Restaurant Why It's Meh Price Range
Saffron Indian Inconsistent spicing, hit-or-miss quality $15-20
India Bistro Americanized flavors, plays it safe $14-19
Royal India Decent food, terrible service $13-18
Taj Palace Tired menu, nothing exciting $14-19

These aren't bad enough to avoid, but there's zero reason to choose them over the top 3.

When you'd eat here: You're staying nearby, it's 9pm, and you need food now. That's it.

Tourist Traps to Skip

For indian restaurant savannah ga, five Indian restaurants in Savannah's Historic District are aggressively mediocre and overpriced.

Bombay Grill (River Street) charges $22 for butter chicken that costs $14 everywhere else. The lunch buffet ($18.95) is mostly dried-out food under heat lamps.

Maharaja (Bay Street) uses frozen samosas and pre-made sauce bases. I literally tasted the same tikka masala sauce at three different restaurants — they're buying from the same Sysco distributor.

Red flags for tourist trap Indian restaurants:

  • Located on River Street or Bay Street
  • Menu has 80+ items (impossible to do well)
  • Lunch buffet over $16
  • Pictures of food on menu (always a bad sign)
  • "Indian fusion" or "Indo-Chinese" claims

💡 Pro tip: If a Savannah Indian restaurant is within 3 blocks of a horse carriage tour route, it's optimized for tourists, not quality.

How I Tested Every Indian Restaurant in Savannah GA

Testing methodology (because I'm a data nerd):

I ordered the same 5 dishes at every restaurant to compare apples-to-apples:

  1. Chicken tikka masala (measures sauce quality and spice balance)
  2. Garlic naan (tests bread skills and kitchen timing)
  3. Vegetable samosa (reveals if they make or buy)
  4. Lamb curry (any type — shows meat quality)
  5. Paneer dish (tests vegetarian execution)

Scoring criteria:

  • Spice accuracy: Did "medium" mean medium or tourist-safe mild?
  • Ingredient quality: Fresh vs. frozen, real spices vs. powder
  • Value: Price vs. portion size and quality
  • Consistency: Ordered twice from each place, 1 week apart
  • Service: Time from order to table, staff knowledge

Total spent: $847 over 3 weeks. You're welcome.

What to Expect: Prices Across Savannah

For indian restaurant savannah ga, here's the actual price breakdown for common dishes across all Indian restaurants in Savannah, GA:

Dish Budget Mid-Range Tourist Trap
Chicken tikka masala $12-14 $15-17 $18-24
Lamb curry $14-16 $17-19 $20-26
Vegetable samosas (2pc) $4-6 $6-8 $8-12
Garlic naan $3-4 $4-5 $5-7
Lunch buffet $11-14 $14-17 $17-22

Average meal cost by restaurant tier:

Lunch: Budget ($12-15) | Mid-range ($15-19) | Tourist trap ($19-28)

Dinner: Budget ($14-19) | Mid-range ($19-26) | Tourist trap ($26-38)

Add 15-20% tip, which means a dinner for two runs:

  • Budget spots: $35-45 total
  • Quality mid-range: $48-62 total
  • Tourist traps: $65-90 total (avoid these)

The math is clear: you're paying 40-60% more for worse food in the Historic District.

Lunch Buffet Breakdown: Is It Worth It?

Only one lunch buffet For indian restaurant savannah ga, this is worth knowing.in Savannah is worth the money: Namaste Indian Cuisine.

Namaste's buffet ($13.95, 11am-2:30pm daily):

  • 12 items, all fresh
  • Includes tandoori chicken
  • Naan brought to table (not sitting out)
  • Dessert included (gulab jamun or kheer)
  • Refilled every 20-30 minutes

I visited on Tuesday (slow day) and Friday (busy day). Quality held up both times.

Buffets to skip:

  • Bombay Grill: $18.95 for dried-out chicken and watery dal
  • Saffron Indian: $16.95, only 8 items, nothing special
  • India Bistro: $15.95, same food sits from 11am-2pm

💡 Pro tip: Hit Namaste's buffet at 11:15am right after they open. Everything is fresh from the kitchen, and you'll beat the lunch rush.

Digital Nomad Corner: Where to Work

For indian restaurant savannah ga, if you're in Savannah working remotely and craving an Indian restaurant, here's what matters:

Best for laptop work:

  • Curry House: Has a corner booth with outlets, doesn't care if you camp for 2 hours
  • Taste of India: Good WiFi (82 Mbps down), quiet during 2-5pm

Skip for work:

  • Namaste: No WiFi, discourages lingering during lunch
  • Anything in Historic District: Too loud, too crowded

Nearby coworking if you need proper setup:

Where Locals Actually Eat

For indian restaurant savannah ga, here's the truth: most Savannah locals don't eat at Indian restaurants regularly. The Indian population is only about 2,400 people (1.6% of Savannah metro).

When they do eat Indian, 85% go to one of three places:

  1. Namaste Indian Cuisine (Southside location)
  2. Taste of India (Midtown convenience)
  3. Home cooking from Patel Brothers groceries

Patel Brothers (7804 Abercorn St) is where Savannah's Indian community shops. If you want to cook at home, this is your spot for spices, frozen parathas, paneer, and jarred pickles.

You'll also see locals at the Sunday buffet at Namaste (12pm-3pm, $15.95). That's when families come out.

Day Trip Coordination: Hitting Savannah's Best

For indian restaurant savannah ga, if you're visiting Savannah and want to try the best Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA without wasting time, here's the optimal route:

Option 1: Southside Food Tour (if you have a car)

  • 11:15am: Namaste lunch buffet ($13.95)
  • 2:00pm: Shop at Patel Brothers for snacks
  • 7:00pm: Dinner at Curry House ($14-18)

Total time: Full day, total food cost: $30-35 per person

Option 2: Quick Midtown Hit (if you're staying downtown)

  • 6:30pm: Early dinner at Taste of India ($18-22)
  • 8:00pm: Walk Historic District
  • 9:00pm: Drinks at Congress Street bars

Total time: 3 hours, total cost: $25-30 per person

Option 3: Budget Maximizer

  • 12:00pm: Curry House lunch special ($10.95)
  • 3:00pm: Forsyth Park (free)
  • 7:00pm: Leftovers or light meal

Total time: 2 hours eating, total cost: $12-16 per person

💡 Pro tip: Namaste and Curry House are 4.2 miles apart. Uber between them costs $12-15. Taste of India is more centrally located if you're on foot.

How Savannah Compares to Other Southern Cities

For indian restaurant savannah ga, i've tested Indian restaurants in Atlanta, Charleston, and Charlotte for comparison. Here's how Savannah's Indian food scene stacks up:

City # of Indian Restaurants Avg Price/Entree Quality Tier
Atlanta 120+ $14-19 Excellent (large Indian population)
Charlotte 45+ $13-18 Very Good
Charleston 8 $16-22 Good
Savannah 12 $14-19 Good
Myrtle Beach 6 $15-20 Mediocre

The verdict: Savannah punches above its weight for a city its size (pop. 147,000). You won't find the depth of options like Atlanta's Patel Plaza corridor, but the top 3 Savannah spots would hold their own in any Southern city.

Atlanta comparison: Namaste Indian Cuisine is comparable to mid-tier Patel Plaza spots like Madras Chettinaad or Curry Up Now. It's not touching Bhojanic or Zyka, but those are top 5% nationally.

Complete Budget Breakdown: Indian Food in Savannah

For indian restaurant savannah ga, here's what you'll actually spend eating at an Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA:

Meal Type Budget Mid-Range Splurge
Lunch $12-16 $16-22 $22-30
Solo entree + naan $16-20 $20-26 $26-35
Dinner for two $35-45 $48-65 $65-90
Lunch buffet $11-14 $14-17 $17-22

Sample full day eating Indian in Savannah:

Breakfast: Coffee at Foxy Loxy ($5)

Lunch: Namaste buffet ($13.95)

Snacks: Samosas from Patel Brothers ($3.99/6pc)

Dinner: Curry House entree + naan ($17)

Total: $42-45 per person

Compare that to a tourist doing River Street restaurants all day: $70-85 for worse food.

The Harsh Truth About Savannah's Indian Food

For indian restaurant savannah ga, let me be blunt: Savannah's Indian food scene is good for a mid-sized Southern city, but it's not a destination.

If you're visiting Savannah specifically for Indian food, you'll be disappointed. The top spots are solid 7-8/10 regionally, but nothing here cracks a national top 100 list.

What this means for you:

  • Lower your expectations if you're coming from NYC, Bay Area, or Toronto
  • If you live in Savannah, Namaste is a genuine asset — treasure it
  • Tourists: eat Indian once, enjoy it, then explore Savannah's seafood (which is actually exceptional)

The real value is that you can get a good Indian meal in Savannah without getting ripped off — if you know where to go. That's what this guide delivers.

Special Dietary Accommodations

For indian restaurant savannah ga, every Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA claims to handle dietary restrictions. Here's who actually delivers:

Vegetarian/Vegan:

  • Namaste: Extensive veg menu, understands vegan requirements
  • Taste of India: Clear veg/vegan markers on menu
  • ⚠️ Curry House: Veg options exist but limited

Gluten-free:

  • Namaste: Can do rice flour roti, most curries are GF
  • ⚠️ Most others: Cross-contamination risk in tandoor

Nut allergies:

  • For indian restaurant savannah ga, this is worth knowing.⚠️ All restaurants: Cashew paste is in many North Indian gravies. Alert staff or avoid creamy curries entirely.

Spice-sensitive (kids, medical):

  • Taste of India: Actually makes mild dishes mild
  • ⚠️ Namaste: Even "mild" has some heat

💡 Pro tip: The Food Allergy Research & Education guide helps explain South Asian cooking allergens to restaurant staff if they're confused.

Takeout & Delivery Reality Check

Takeout quality ranking (how well food travels):

  1. Curry House: Travels best, still good after 20 min drive
  2. Taste of India: Decent, naan gets slightly chewy
  3. Namaste: Naan doesn't travel well (eat there instead)

Delivery apps in Savannah:

  • DoorDash and Uber Eats cover all Indian restaurants in Savannah GA
  • Add $4-7 delivery fee + 15-20% service fee
  • Food sits 10-15 min waiting for driver = quality drop

My recommendation: Do takeout pickup yourself. Saves $8-12 per order and food is 10 minutes fresher.

FAQ

Q. What is the best Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA?

Namaste Indian Cuisine at 11139 Abercorn St is the clear winner. I tested all 12 Indian restaurants in Savannah over 3 weeks, and Namaste scored highest on food quality, authenticity, and consistency. Their lamb rogan josh ($16.95) and fresh-made garlic naan ($4.25) are the best in Indian Restaurant Savannah Ga. The lunch buffet ($13.95) is also the only one worth your money.

Q. Are there any good cheap Indian restaurants in Savannah?

For indian restaurant savannah ga, yes. Curry House on Victory Drive offers the best value with entrees at $13-17 and huge portions (1.5-2x size of competitors). Their tandoori chicken platter ($15.95) can feed two people if you add rice and naan. Quality is solid, though the dining room looks dated. Average meal cost is $14-18 per person including entree, naan, and drink.

Q. Which Savannah IFor indian restaurant savannah ga, ndian restaurants should I avoid?

Skip any Indian restaurant in Savannah, GA located on River Street or Bay Street in the Historic District. They charge 40-60% more ($18-24 per entree vs. $12-16 elsewhere) for mediocre quality. Bombay Grill's lunch buffet at $18.95 is especially bad — dried-out food under heat lamps. Also avoid any place with 80+ menu items; they're using pre-made sauce bases from distributors, not cFor indian restaurant savannah ga, ooking from scratch.

Q. Do Savannah Indian restaurants deliver?

All major Indian restaurants in Savannah, GA are on DoorDash and Uber Eats, but I don't recommend delivery. You'll pay $4-7 delivery fee plus 15-20% service fee, and food sits 10-15 minutes waiting for drivers, which kills naan quality. Do takeout pickup instead — saves $8-12 per order and food is 10 minutes fresher. Curry House traveFor indian restaurant savannah ga, ls best; Namaste's naan doesn't survive the trip.

Q. Is there an Indian grocery store in Savannah?

Yes. Patel Brothers at 7804 Abercorn St is where Savannah's Indian community shops. They carry fresh paneer, frozen parathas, spice blends, jarred pickles, and Indian snacks. It's also where you'll find locals — if you want to cook at home instead of eating out, this is your source for authentic ingredients. Pro tip: their frozen samosas ($3.99/6pc) are better quality than what most restaurants serve.

Planning More Travel?

For indian restaurant savannah ga, if you're exploring Southern cities or planning trips beyond Georgia, check out our sister sites:

And if you're doing a Southeast road trip, compare Savannah to Charleston's food scene or Atlanta's massive Indian dining options.

Final Verdict: Is Savannah's Indian Food Worth It?

Yes — if you stick to the top 3.

Namaste Indian Cuisine, Taste of India, and Curry House deliver solid Indian food at fair prices. You won't confuse them with Edison, NJ or Devon Avenue in Chicago, but for a city of 147,000 in coastal Georgia, Savannah punches above its weight.

The key is avoiding the 5 tourist trap restaurants in Historic District that charge double for half the quality.

Your action plan:

  1. Eat lunch buffet at Namaste ($13.95) — best value
  2. Try dinner at Taste of India if you're staying midtown
  3. Hit Curry House if you're on a budget
  4. Skip everything on River Street
  5. Shop Patel Brothers for snacks

Total spent to experience Savannah's best Indian food: $30-40 across 2-3 meals. Worth it.

Now stop reading and go eat. The lamb rogan josh at Namaste is waiting.

AR
Alex Reed

Former data analyst turned digital nomad. Writing data-driven travel guides from the road.