Chicago’s South Asian food scene runs on two engines: Devon Avenue, the city’s Little India on the far North Side, and a fast-growing suburban belt out in Schaumburg and Naperville. Between them — plus the neighbourhood spots in Wicker Park, Logan Square, and the Loop — you’ll find everything from late-night Hyderabadi biryani to fine-dining tasting menus. Devon Avenue is best explored on foot, one shopfront at a time, with a stop at the neighbourhood’s South Asian grocery stores to stock up on spices and snacks for home. The suburban spots, meanwhile, are a drive — worth it for the biryani and thali spreads you won’t find downtown. We pulled this list from our verified directory of 62 Chicago-area restaurants, so every pick below is a real, confirmed spot. Here’s where to eat, organised by what you’re craving.
Devon Avenue: Little India’s main drag
Devon Avenue is where Chicago’s South Asian food story starts, and it’s still the best place to begin — a single walkable strip where Pakistani barbecue counters sit beside vegetarian cafes and sweet shops, and where the smell of tandoor smoke follows you from block to block. Come hungry and plan to wander. Ghareeb Nawaz – Devon Ave (2032 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 773-761-5300) is the affordable, always-busy anchor: biryani, curries, and naan at prices that keep the line moving. A few doors down, Sabri Nihari (2502 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 773-465-3272) is the long-running Pakistani specialist — slow-cooked nihari, karahi, and biryani, the way it’s been done for years.
For barbecue, Bundoo Khan (2539 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 872-241-9100) does Pakistani BBQ, karahi, and kebabs alongside its biryani. And when the craving hits after dark, Hyderabad House (2225 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 773-381-1230) is the late-night stop for Hyderabadi biryani, haleem, and chicken 65.
Best South Indian & vegetarian
Devon Avenue is also the city’s vegetarian heartland, and the dosa-and-chaat culture here runs all day — breakfast-style tiffins in the morning, chaat as an afternoon snack, thali as dinner. Uru-Swati (2626 W Devon Ave, Chicago) is a vegetarian Indian spot covering both North and South Indian cooking — masala dosa included. Next door in spirit, Udupi Palace (2543 W Devon Ave, Chicago) is a vegetarian South Indian restaurant built around dosas and samosas.
Arya Bhavan (2508 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 773-274-5800) goes a step further: a vegan Indian restaurant serving dosa, idli, and a vegan buffet. And for a regional tour in one sitting, head to Lincoln Park’s Nadu (2518 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago · +1 312-590-5676), which cooks from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, West Bengal, and Kerala — a reminder that “South Indian” is a whole map, not a single menu.
Fine dining & modern Indian
Chicago’s polished end of the spectrum is concentrated downtown and on the North Side, and it’s where the city’s Indian cooking gets most creative — tasting menus, cocktail pairings, and seasonal ingredients, all still unmistakably Indian. Indienne (217 W Huron St, Chicago) is River North fine dining — a tasting menu with vegetarian and vegan options, and the most formal Indian meal in the city.
In the West Loop, Rooh Chicago (736 W Randolph St, Chicago) is a progressive Indian restaurant and cocktail bar, inventive dishes in a room built for a night out. And in Ravenswood, Basant (1939 W Byron St, Chicago · +1 773-770-3616) takes a quieter, modern approach: regional Indian dishes built on local, seasonal ingredients.
Best momos & Nepalese
Nepalese cooking is one of Chicago’s quiet strengths — easy to miss if you’re only scanning for Indian restaurants, and well worth seeking out, especially if you’ve never had a proper plate of momos. Nepal House – South Loop (1301 S Michigan Ave, Chicago · +1 312-922-0601) is the downtown branch of the Devon Avenue favourite, serving momos and chicken tikka masala. In the Loop, The KTM Kitchen (120 W Madison St, Chicago · +1 312-285-2244) pairs biryani and palak paneer with its momos.
For the purists, The Momo World (727 W Maxwell St, Chicago · +1 312-733-8637) in University Village specialises in momos — that’s the whole point, and it’s the reason to go.
Sweets & snacks
No Devon Avenue trip is complete without a sweets stop. Sukhadia’s Sweets and Snacks (2559 W Devon Ave, Chicago · +1 773-338-5400) is the long-running shop for chaat, vada pav, and sweets — grab a snack to eat on the street, and a box of mithai to take home.
The suburbs: Schaumburg & Naperville
Some of the area’s best South Asian cooking is a drive west — and the suburbs have their own hubs now, with whole clusters of restaurants along Schaumburg’s Golf Road and Naperville’s Ogden Avenue. (Palatine’s South Asian presence in our directory is temples rather than restaurants, so for food, Schaumburg and Naperville are the suburban stops.) In Schaumburg, Bawarchi Biryanis (855 E Schaumburg Rd, Schaumburg · +1 847-524-3007) specialises in Hyderabadi dum biryani, while Vanam – Indian Vegetarian (337 W Golf Rd, Schaumburg · +1 815-201-9007) is the pure-vegetarian South Indian answer — dosa, thatte idli, and vegetarian thali.
Naperville holds its own: Indian Harvest (796 Royal St George Dr #101, Naperville · +1 630-579-9500) is fine dining with tandoori classics, malai kofta, and garlic naan, and JK Kabab (572 Weston Ridge Dr, Naperville · +1 630-778-5555) is the Indian and Pakistani grill for chapli kabab, butter chicken, and mixed grill. Further north, Highland Park’s Indus Progressive Indian (617 Central Ave, Highland Park · +1 312-282-8064) rounds out the suburbs with small plates and signature entrees.
Where to go next
Twenty picks barely scratches the surface — our directory has 62 verified South Asian restaurants across Chicago, Schaumburg, Naperville, and Highland Park, from Devon Avenue chaat counters to downtown lunch buffets and suburban banquet halls, plus the temples, grocery stores, and services that make a food trip into a full day out. Browse the full restaurant listings on desipages.org to find every spot, with addresses and phones, and plan your next meal.
Author: Manjul
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