Gurnam Singh Mahli’s eponymous restaurant on Jarry Street serves all kinds of dishes from across India, though specializes in Punjabi cuisine. Malhi Sweets has an excellent selection of warming curries, including dal makhani (a creamy lentil stew), palak paneer (spinach with cheese cubes), and baingan bharta (a smoky eggplant mash). It’s a longstanding favourite for its naan and pakoras (available by the pound) and group-friendly dining room.

Among a newer wave of Indian restaurants in the city, this fun, casual snack bar in La Petite-Patrie concentrates on cuisine from the Maharashtra region. Start the meal with a platter of dahi batata puri (bite-sized, deep-fried shells stuffed with potatoes, chickpeas, diced tomatoes, yogurt, chutney, and crunchy sev) and perhaps a side of battered okra or wada pav (a potato patty stuffed into a pillowy roll. Follow that up with Le Super Qualité’s weekly (vegetarian or non-vegetarian) tiffin, and make sure to end your meal with a cashew cardamon shortbread cookie.

This family-run Parc-Ex spot serves a hefty selection of its namesake dish, a crispy, ultra-thin crepe originating in South India. They’re some of the best in town, with options ranging from plain chili garlic to tangy paneer and lamb keema. Its Hyderabadi chicken biryani is also notably on point.

Going strong since 1996, Maison Indian Curry (or Indian Curry House) does a menu that spans both North and South Indian cuisines. That means dosa, biryani, and dozens of vegetarian and non-vegetarian curries. Try their samosas or dahi vada — lentil cakes soaked in yogurt — for an excellent start to the meal.

What started as a no-fuss restaurant on Parc-Ex’s main drag has, over the years, expanded with three more locations (two in the Plateau and one in NDG) — though many swear by the BYOB original. Either way, the formula works: lunchtime specials, a long list of North Indian curries, and a nice assortment of starter snacks, including the standard samosas and pakoras, plus South Indian idli (rice cakes) and vada (savoury doughnuts) served in sambar or sweet yogurt.

Daljit Kumar Mohan’s restaurant in Côte-des-Neiges is a Montreal mainstay, cherished for its thrifty vegetarian eats (no plate exceeds $10, including the thali). It also boasts one of the city’s most extensive selections of Indian sweets sold by the pound.

Thanjai owner Kumaresan Muthukrishnan, originally from the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu, came to Montreal to work in IT but saw an opportunity to import traditional flavours from back home. The restaurant is popular for its idli, dosa, and chicken 65. But it also prepares Indo-Chinese dishes, such as gobi manchurian (cauliflower tossed in a sweet, tangy soy sauce-based dressing) and kothu parotta (shredded, flaky flatbread mixed with vegetables, meat, and eggs).

Founded six years ago in Côte-des-Neiges, Lakshana’s now comprises two additional outposts — one in Parc-Ex, the other in Shaughnessy Village. A casual BYOB, it serves an all-halal South Indian menu, with a tiffin special that includes a mini masala dosa, ghee pongal (rice and yellow moong lentil porridge), rava kesari (a sweet saffron and semolina pudding), and more.

Darbar has served Punjabi fare to locals and tourists for decades in its cozy, dimly lit Quartier des Spectacles space. Everything from velvety kormas and spicy madras to crunchy pakoras and tandoor-roasted meats, plus a polished cocktail offering, make for a solid date-night pick.

One of Montreal’s few critically approved, white-tablecloth Indian restaurants, Le Taj has been a local institution since opening in 1985. Though its legendarily bountiful lunch buffets are temporarily off the table, it’s got an evening table d’hôte offering, including a choice of soup or salad, a meat dish, a veggie dish, and dessert, plus rice, naan, and coffee or tea. Otherwise, pick from their à la carte menu and approachable, seasonally curated wine list.

Ornate lanterns and draped fabric decorate one-year-old Maison ChaïShaï, a stone’s throw from the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Concordia University. With a focus on both traditional and reimagined Indian and Pakistani street eats, its menu features aloo tiki sliders, butter chicken poutine, and golgappa: light, puffed puri filled with potatoes, chickpeas, and onions and served atop a shot glass of tamarind and mint water (it’s meant to be poured inside). Be sure to round off the meal with one of their stunning gulab jamun or jalebi cheesecakes.