Chennai Masala is sandwiched between a bank and a nail salon in a Tanasbourne strip mall. Inside, among dimly lit maroon and gold décor, diners choose from an extensive selection of curries and dosas, the latter of which extends a foot past the plate on both sides and is available in 17 different variations. Owner Sumi Raj opened the restaurant’s doors in 2006, and has built a solid reputation, with her restaurant being dubbed best in the Portland area by the Oregonian’s Michael Russell. The tangy and hot chicken Manchurian —a classic Indo-Chinese dish— should not be skipped. The restaurant is open for dine-in and takeout.

This hidden gem is tucked inside an Indian grocery store in a small business park two blocks from Beaverton’s bustling Margarita Factory location. It’s essentially a small deli counter with a limited dining space; therefore, to-go orders are the smart move for this reason, but also because wait times without calling ahead can be extensive, any time of the day. It operates on a surprisingly extensive menu of appetizers and entrees, with plenty of Indian sweets proudly positioned front and center in the display case. Ordering ahead online gives diners a live menu showing which items are currently in stock.

Chaaya is another Beaverton legend in the Indian food scene, located in the Elmonica neighborhood 10 miles due west of downtown. In the intimate south-facing dining room, bathed in natural light, diners eat piles of gobi manchurian — bite-sized chunks of cauliflower deep-fried and tossed in a bright and punchy ruby-hued sauce. Head straight for the lamb karahi, tender hunks of lamb stewed in a rich, dark brown tomato-based sauce alongside ginger, onions, garlic, and a host of other spices. Those who feel unready to dine inside can head to the patio, which seats 50.

Deepak Kaul opened the bright, airy, contemporary Bhuna in Nob Hill after creating a ton of buzz with his “Kashmiri soul food” pop-up in Culmination brewing — it even earned him Eater’s Chef of the Year title in 2018. The classic cocktail menu here features a subtle Indian influence, from the Old Fashioned made with a masala-spiced demerara sugar to the negroni infused with cardamom and curry leaf. It’s hard to go wrong ordering off the restaurant’s list of rice bowls, turmeric basmati topped with dishes like rogan josh made with Anderson Ranch lamb or rich and jammy Kashmiri tomato and eggplant. If traveling in a group, Bhuna offers a large meal served family-style, comprised of a handful of side dishes with naan, a veggie dish, two entrees, and four cardamom & chocolate chip cookies for $115. It is open Wednesday through Sunday for dine-in service, as well as delivery/takeout.

Swagat — “welcome” in Hindi — expanded from its unassuming location in a repurposed Beaverton house to additional locations in NW Portland and Hillsboro. All three locations serve lunch and dinner, with familiar staples like lamb vindaloo and butter chicken available a la carte or in an intricate and generous thali, accompanied by a handful of small sides. Swagat is open for onsite dining, takeout, and delivery at all three locations.

In the heart of downtown lies East India Co., and while it’s known best for dishes like korma and makhani, the standout dish here is the machli ka tikka: Chinook salmon roasted with mustard, garlic, ginger, and curry in a fiery clay tandoor over hardwood. It is closed on Mondays, but otherwise open nightly for dine-in and takeout.

Hidden behind Prost on North Mississippi avenue alongside local cart heavyweights Matt’s BBQ and Fried Egg I’m In Love is DesiPDX, a food cart whose dark wooden siding is brought to life with long strokes of green and orange paint. Desi serves a number of stunning bowls of Bengali five-spice basmati rice topped with everything from fenugreek-seasoned shrimp to rich tomato-and-lamb stew, but it’s hard to leave Desi without an order of the cardamom chai chicken, made with drumsticks 24-hour-brined and then steamed in tea, deep-fried in rice bran oil, and coated in a coconut sugar-based tea glaze. DesiPDX is open seven days a week to fill orders placed in person or online, but warns that online ordering may be disabled during peak hours.

In 2016, the downtown food cart Portland Masala evolved into this fast casual Indian restaurant. Here, meats are coated in freshly ground spice blends before getting the tandoor, or clay oven, treatment and landing in wraps and curries. The tandoori chicken kebab platter, which includes rice pilaf and tandoor-baked naan, is a good snapshot of the restaurant and a smart choice for first-timers.

Sanjay Chandrasekaran, who owns vegan hotspot with locations in Northeast Portland, North Mississippi, and Beaverton, grew up in New Mexico, so the menus at his restaurants blend culinary traditions from the American Southwest as well as the Indian subcontinent. Vegan thali plates arrive with a handful of brightly colored sides, like meticulously spiced black bean masala and tangy kale in a tahini dressing; to start, order the Indo-Chinese roasted cauliflower with onions and bell peppers. At the bar, the Sudra staff slings inventive cocktails like the Hot Day in Bombay, comprised of gin, cucumber juice, lemon juice, soda, and mint syrup. The Sudra is open for dine-in service along with takeout.

Owner Troy Maclarty specializes in small plates and street food, from kati rolls filled with paneer and pickled onion to vada pav — sort of like potato dumpling sliders with chutney. The under-the-radar stunner at Bollywood Theater, however, is the shop’s chai, well-balanced and unafraid of leaning into savory flavors. Its first location opened in 2012, and the second on Division in 2014; both locations are open for dinner service and takeout.

This Sunnyside Indian spot, with its wide assortment of dosas and pakora, is an ideal spot to snack on fried things and sip cocktails. For something more substantial, however, look to Dwaraka’s assorted house-made paneer dishes, from the creamy, pea-filled mutter paneer to the restaurant’s paneer tikka masala, which swaps the chicken for cubes of fresh cheese. It’s open for onsite dining and takeout.