Ann Arbor has a deep Indian bench. Credit a big University of Michigan population that has kept demand high for decades, and a set of kitchens that split cleanly between two camps – fast, cheap South Indian dosa counters and sit-down North Indian rooms with a real bar. You can eat a two-dollar-cheaper-than-downtown thali at lunch and a scratch-cooked curry with cocktails the same week. Here are the Indian restaurants in Ann Arbor worth your money, with current hours so you don’t drive over to a locked door.
Madras Masala
Madras Masala at 2016 Packard Street is the South Indian anchor of the whole scene. It moved to Packard after a fire took out the old Maynard Street location in early 2023, and the crowds followed without missing a beat. A 4.2 on Google across more than 1,700 reviews is a lot of consensus for a room this unpretentious.
The dosas are the reason to come – crisp, wide, and cheaper than almost anything comparable downtown. The lunch buffet is the smart weekday move if you want to graze across the menu, and the Indo-Chinese dishes and halal meats give it more range than a straight dosa house. This is the everyday pick, the one you hit on a Tuesday without a plan.
Madras Masala is open Monday through Friday 11:30am to 2:30pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm, Saturday 11:30am to 3:30pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm, and Sunday 11:30am to 3:30pm and 4:30pm to 9pm. There’s a parking lot out front, which on the Packard strip is a small mercy.
Cardamom
Cardamom at 1739 Plymouth Road is the dress-up option. It roasts its own spices, cooks from scratch, and runs a full cocktail bar, which puts it in a different tier than the counter spots on this list. Reviewers back it up with a 4.4 across more than 1,600 ratings.
This is where you take parents, or go for a date when you want Indian food but also want to linger over a drink. The menu is North Indian and the kitchen treats it seriously – the char on the tandoori, the depth in the curries, the fact that nothing tastes like it came off a steam line. It is dinner-only and closed early in the week, so plan around that.
Cardamom is open Wednesday and Thursday 5pm to 10pm, Friday and Saturday 5pm to 10:30pm, and Sunday 5pm to 10pm, closed Monday and Tuesday. It sits in the Plymouth Road strip with easy parking, a real advantage over downtown.
Shalimar
Shalimar at 307 South Main Street is the downtown standby, and it has held that spot for a long time. When you are already on Main for shopping or a show and someone wants Indian, this is the close call that doesn’t make you drive.
The menu is Northern Indian, and the lunch buffet is the value play – a fast, generous way to eat between errands without a big bill. At dinner the room settles into a proper sit-down pace. It is not chasing trends, and after this many years on Main Street it doesn’t need to.
Shalimar is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday 11:30am to 2:45pm and 5pm to 9:45pm, and Friday and Saturday 11:30am to 2:45pm and 5pm to 10:30pm. It’s downtown, so treat parking as a downtown problem – the Maynard or Liberty Square structures are your friend.
Namaste Flavours
Namaste Flavours at 400 South Division Street is the vegetarian pick, and it is the one to know if your table has a vegan in it. Everything is meat-free, which sounds like a limitation until you see how much South and North Indian cooking is built that way to begin with.
Come for the dosas and the chaat, the crispy-savory street snacks that travel well and cost little. It sits just off campus on Division, which makes it an easy walk for anyone near Central Campus who wants something better than the usual student lunch. Portions are generous and the bill stays friendly.
Namaste Flavours is open Monday through Friday 11:30am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm, Saturday 11:30am to 10pm straight through, and Sunday 11:30am to 9pm. It’s a short walk from the Diag, so park once downtown and stroll over.
Taste of India Suvai
Taste of India Suvai at 217 South State Street puts good South Indian right in the State Street district. That location alone makes it the go-to when you are already downtown and don’t want to drive out to Packard or Plymouth for a dosa.
The weekday lunch buffet is the move – a fast, cheap way to try a spread of South Indian standards plus some North Indian dishes, ideal between classes or errands. At dinner it settles into a fuller menu. For a campus-adjacent room, it punches above the price.
Taste of India Suvai runs a lunch buffet Monday through Friday 11:30am to 3pm and Saturday and Sunday 12pm to 3:30pm, then dinner Sunday through Thursday 5pm to 10pm and Friday and Saturday 5pm to 10:30pm. State Street parking is tight, so the Maynard structure a block over is the play.
Curry On
Curry On at 2711 Plymouth Road is the fast, takeout-first pick on the northeast side. This is Indian street food built for speed – kati rolls, biryani, and quick curries you can grab and go rather than settle in for.
It is the answer when you want real Indian flavor on a weeknight and don’t have an hour to sit. The kati rolls travel well, the portions are honest, and the veg and vegan options run deep. If you live or work up near the Plymouth Road corridor, this is the reliable weekday call.
Curry On is open daily 11am to 9pm. There’s parking in the plaza lot, which makes the grab-and-go actually quick.
Everest Sherpa
Everest Sherpa at 2803 Oak Valley Drive widens the map into Himalayan and Nepali cooking alongside the Indian standards. If you have only ever ordered tikka masala, this is where you branch out.
Get the momos – the Nepali dumplings that are the house signature – and a thali if you want the full range in one plate. It sits on the south side off Ann Arbor-Saline Road, away from the downtown crush, which makes it an easy, low-stress dinner with parking that isn’t a fight. The Indian side of the menu holds its own for anyone at the table who wants the familiar.
Everest Sherpa is open Tuesday through Sunday 11am to 2:15pm and 4:30pm to 8:45pm, closed Monday. It closes earlier than most on this list, so don’t plan a late arrival.
Base Camp
Base Camp at 5060 Jackson Road, Suite A, is the west-side Himalayan and Nepalese room, and it is the highest-rated Indian-adjacent spot in the area – a 4.8 on Google across more than 500 reviews. The kitchen is run by a Sherpa with Everest on the resume, and the momos show it.
This is worth the drive out Jackson Road if you want something beyond the usual North Indian menu. The thali and the curries deliver the comfort, the momos deliver the reason to come back. It runs a midday break, so time it right.
Base Camp is open Tuesday through Sunday 11am to 2:30pm and 5pm to 9pm, closed Monday. It sits in the Jackson Road commercial strip with a full parking lot, an easy in-and-out on the west side.
Spice Palace (Ypsilanti)
Spice Palace at 2874 Washtenaw Avenue in Ypsilanti is the reason east-side and Ypsi residents don’t have to drive into Ann Arbor for a full Indian menu. It covers both North and South Indian, dine-in and delivery, and it keeps later weekend hours than most.
If you are already out toward Washtenaw Avenue or over in Ypsilanti, this is the better call than fighting for a downtown table. The menu is broad enough to please a mixed group, and the late Friday and Saturday close makes it a real option after a movie or a game.
Spice Palace is open Monday through Thursday and Sunday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 10pm, and Friday and Saturday 11am to 3pm and 5pm to 11pm. Easy parking on the Washtenaw strip seals it.
Madras Masala Express
Madras Masala Express at 1143 Broadway Street is the north-side counter offshoot of the Packard flagship, and it brings those same dosas to the Broadway and Lowertown side of town. Smaller, faster, same kitchen DNA.
This is the pick if you live up near the Broadway bridges or work on North Campus and want a quick South Indian lunch without crossing town. The dosas and the lunch specials are the smart order, and the counter format keeps it moving. It’s a newer spot but it has already earned a strong rating from the neighborhood.
Madras Masala Express is open Tuesday through Friday 11:30am to 2:30pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm, Saturday 11:30am to 3:30pm and 4:30pm to 9:30pm, and Sunday 11:30am to 3:30pm and 4:30pm to 9pm, closed Monday.
Where to start
If you want the everyday South Indian call, Madras Masala on Packard is the one; if you’re dressing up for a date or hosting parents, Cardamom on Plymouth is the room. Downtown and undecided, Shalimar or Taste of India Suvai keep you on foot. For something past the usual menu, go Himalayan at Everest Sherpa or Base Camp. Still deciding what to eat? See our guide to the best Mediterranean food in Ann Arbor, or if you’ve only got one night to eat in Ann Arbor, start there.
