Top Indian restaurants in Sandton, South Africa

Royal India in Sandton is a fantastic restaurant! I really enjoy dining there, especially because of its great ambiance and delicious food. Highly recommended

It was an excellent venue to have a party, the staff was very helpful and the food was great. My guest was very impressed and enjoyed their time there

We were greeted warmly and shown to a lovely table setting surrounded by awesome Indian decor. The food was fair but not what we’ve come to expect from the franchise. The fish curry was tasty but the palak paneer was disappointing. At some point we also struggled to get a hold of our waiter. Given the price of the dishes, the portion sizes seem to have decreased. There’s room for improvement here overall.

Clearly I didn't do my research well.. Decided to have dinner in a restaurant chain inside Nelson Mandela square.. Ridiculously expensive.. 750 ml of still water was R85, that kind of blew my head off.. At the end to have a bill of R438 and to think we paid 20% of it for water was really displeasing.. Food was just about ok, nothing extraordinary.. but if not for this, we would have gone for the one in Cape Town V&A and suffered.. Just a bad decision to go here.. The Square kind of gave a luxurious feel.. But in terms of value of money, it was one to forget.. If people think this Indian food is good, sorry folks, search harder..

Really not worth it - It’s a place of good, bad and worse.

The Good - food had decent flavour

The bad - Food was cold! Even after sending it back to get warmed it came back the same temperature. Ordered Masala Chai but tasted like ordinary tea. We complained to our waiter but he didn’t seem to care

The worse - we wanted to explain our displeasure of cold food and the poor Masala chai to the manager but our waiter said he is too busy to come out from the back, this is on a night where the restaurant was 20% full. Then our waiter proceeded to say that he is the manager! Staff and waiters don’t seem to care about service as they automatically bill you for a tip.

I wouldnt recommend going there - there are far better and reasonably priced Indian restaurants in JHB and with staff that is well trained

We were craving Indian food, so we decided to give the Raj a shot.

Upon arrival, we were promptly shown to our table. This restaurant is very big with some lovely quirky dining areas.

We ordered drinks and poppadoms. Both arrived promptly. The poppadoms were awful. They were totally flat, somewhat undercoooked with zero flavour. They looked and tasted microwaved.

At this point, it is worth noting that our waitress is first class. Her communication and ability to go above and beyond is the reason my service rating is 5/5.

Mains arrived. We ordeded lamb vindaloo, chicken korma and naan. The korma was aweful. This should be an authentic cashew, coconut and cream curry. Instead it was lacking in any of these flavours. The vindaloo was nice, but not amazing.

Overall, whilst I would say that if you want indian food The Raj is worth a visit, it won't blow your mind.

Despite its 4-star rating, the Raj restaurant fell short, resembling more of a 2-star experience. Our meal was marred by extensive delays, with over an hour and a half passing before our food arrived, already cold upon serving. Upon requesting reheating, the dishes returned, tasting even worse. I wouldn't recommend this establishment for events or large gatherings, as it seems the management struggles to accommodate the capacity. Even after booking well in advance, the manager's response to our concerns was dismissive, stating they weren't prepared for the crowd size.

Not a very good experience unfortunately. Was there last night with a party of about 12 people. Once orders were placed, approximately 1.5 hours had passed and we still had not received so much as an apology or explanation, much less a plate of food on the table.

After a little while longer, the food arrived. However, much to the disappointment of everyone at the table, numerous dishes were either cold or inconsistently heated. Which leads me to believe that the food was being reheated in a microwave and being served to customers ???!

Either it's a microwave being used, or the kitchen staff is woefully inept at coordinating for a large party of guests. If that is the case then the Raj should really not be accepting reservations for a party of more than two.

Complaining to the manager was a waste of time, as he proceeded to blame it on a busy night for the kitchen. He gave us an apology in the form of ice cream, served in polystyrene cups with plastic spoons. I assume this is because the kitchen did not want to do any washing up as it was long past closing time by now.

To sum up, it was a dreadful experience at a restaurant that is charging premium prices for below par food.

I implore anyone considering this restaurant to think twice and make a u turn. Rather give your hard earned money to Bayleaf, Geet, or Shayona.

Never again.

Very disappointing. I ordered a butter chicken and naan and the naan bread was rock hard. I phoned to complain and was told by Samuel that they cannot do anything to help and that I should not have warmed the food up! Disgusting service.

It's like a decent rollercoaster of flavors. The tandoori dishes? Solid. I mean, you get those smoky, charred vibes that make you feel like you're having a little culinary adventure.

Now, my paneer-loving friends might wish for a bit more variety on that front. Don't get me wrong, what they have is tasty, but more paneer options could take things to the next level.

Time to talk about the drinks situation. Buckle up because the alcohol prices are a bit on the steep side. It's like they're charging you for a ticket to a fancy booze carnival. Maybe it's a minor hiccup in the otherwise enjoyable journey.

Ambience-wise, they've nailed it. You walk in, and boom—you're in India (or at least it feels that way). The vibe, the colors, the whole shebang—it's a mini-vacation without needing a passport.

So, in a nutshell, The Royal India is a culinary ride with some spicy highs, a paneer wish, a bit of a booze splurge, but all wrapped up in an India-themed escape. Cheers to that!

Very disappointing restaurant and bad dining experience. Their service and food are very bad. Their timings are different on google and when you visit there they’ll refuse for dining.

Food quality was extremely dissatisfying highly disappointed

Great food. Large portions.

Really enjoyed the Indian food here. I initially thought that the portions were too small (compared to other Indian restaurants), but soon found that it was actually just enough. Tasty and full of flavour without being overpowering.
Not a place I would take the kids, but definitely a great Indian restaurant to visit again

Lovely place and very friendly.First time there but enjoyed every single experience.the food was fresh

Atmosphere is soothing, slow-paced with nice melodious songs. Enjoyed the welcome, food and setting.

I was extremely disappointed with my order of soji and then later further disappointed by the lack of accountability by the restaurant. I’m very sorry to say that it was the worse looking and tasting soji I have ever come across. I don’t think the semolina was cooked. It was runny and terribly tasting. I actually threw all of it away. See picture attached. I called the restaurant to express my concern and I was told that there was no manager and that the owner was not around. I asked if the owner could call me the next day and the person on the line sounded very confused and did not help. It’s disheartening to throw away food. I don’t recommend.

Excellent meal in a small, no frills restaurant! Reasonably priced with good service.

Ordered the lamb bunny chow. Probably the worst bunny I’ve had ever (and I’ve had a lot!). Inedible as it was so salty. Meat was tough and tasted like it was cooked a while back. Very disappointed as I was starving and was really looking forward to a tasty bunny.

Delicious food. Poppadums served as appetizers. Food is hot when order hot but yummy. Good service and decent proportions of food served.

Quite popular with take away orders.

Ordered a chicken tikka on Mr D, the chicken tikka had raw carrots and raw cabbages.
I will never order from here ever again

I recently revisited Royal India in Sandton after a while and was pleasantly surprised by the delicious food. Although I don't remember much of my past experiences here, this time, the food really stood out.

While there was a small hiccup with the beer on tap, the staff quickly addressed the issue by swapping out our pints for bottles. For starters, we ordered a platter of Tandoori meats and poppadoms, and I particularly enjoyed the chicken tikka smothered in cheese. It may not be the healthiest choice, but it was definitely worth it!

Moving on to the main course, I ordered the spicy chicken bhuna, which was delicious. I'm a big fan of Butter Chicken Makhani, but I rarely order it at Indian restaurants because they often don't get it right. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the outstanding version they served at Royal India. The flavour was rich, bold, and exactly how I liked it.

Furthermore, my colleagues ordered several curries and breads, which I was fortunate enough to try, and they were all impressively delectable. Overall, I'm extremely satisfied with all the dishes from Royal India and would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone looking for an amazing dining experience. Thank you for a great evening!

I'm in Sandton for a brief work stint and felt like Indian food. Took a chance and popped in here.... and very glad I did.
Good service, friendly, made me feel at home (pretty home sick) and well priced.... and the Chicken Tika Masala is just beautiful and fragrant, have not yet had this good in Cape Town. I may just go get the same for "breakfast" tomorrow!
Thanks guys!

Firstly the pictures posted are not a true reflection of the restaurant. This "restaurant" operates out of someone's house. Ordered a mix veg bunny, paneer makhani and chicken briyani. The veg bunny was badly presented (pictures attached) and very spicy even for my palette that can handle hot, I ordered medium. Had a few bites and sent back at least half. The chicken briyani was once again incredibly spicy even though medium ordered. Sent back and was returned edible. I do however think they just added more rice to mild down. The paneer was okay and really nothing to write home about. Certainly not the best around and certainly will not recommend. Tried and will not return

Whenever I go to Sandton then at least my 1 meal during the trip is fixed there as it gives proper Indian feel through it's food and taste.
My colleagues from different countries also likes Indian cuisine served by them and mainly Rajasthani Masala Bhindi

Simply excellent! Both the service and the food. Every time I travel to Johannesburgo I go to this restaurant. First, because I really like their food. Second, because they know how to prepare it gluten-free. Biryani and other recommendations of the waiter, Musa, are really really worth trying. Very recommendable place to eat in Sandton.

Absolutely loved the restaurant.
At first I wasn't "sold" because I thought the menu was very normal.
Then I went in, and our waitress (I unfortunately don't know her name) was the sweetest.
She helped me choose the food and suggested I get the Lamb (I don't remember which one it was but it was the third) that I had with rice.
My food was ready in less than 15 minutes.

The only issue is that she took long to come back to us when we were done eating 😅 I almost missed my train.

The food was really delicious and the service was great. If you looking for tasty, flavourful Indian cuisine then this place is a must. I had a masala dosa and the flavours were so good, ill definitely be back. For mains I had a paneer tika masala and it was simply delicious

I been to The Royal India many times but this time they won me for life time supporter. I requested the chef to make me and my wife Indian foods with continental touch , wow wow words are less to express my feelings. We enjoyed our marriage anniversary dinner and definitely recommend this place.

Vikram and his chefs were wonderful hosts and the food was very good. We had the paneer butter masala, the dhal tadaka and the aloo dish with garlic Naan. Everything was well spiced (we got the medium and it was the perfect heat). My favorite part of the dinner was the homemade masala tea which had a great balance of spice and giner and exactly what you need on a cold evening :) Thank you Vikram and team!

Best experience for Indian cuisine, it was a real feast. We appreciated Vikram's hospitality.... the food was devine and the service was even better. We intend to go back!!!!

Friends and I went for dinner, and decided on some Indian food for our evening out.
Very quaint and authentic Indian spot with Pretty décor.  I’ve always wondered where it was situated, as I have never driven past Benmore Gardens. Now I know.
They have a good selection of food to choose from, so there is a variety for any picky eaters. They brought us some “Papar” to nibble on with some Chutneys. A famous indian snack either fried or cooked made from sources such as peeled black gram flour, lentils, chickpeas, rice, tapioca, or potato.  We ordered a Veg starter Platter to share, with Tikka Paneer, Onion Bhaji, and 2 other items. I loved the taste and crunchiness of the Bhaji. My favourite. Service was pretty quick, and our food came in good timing as we were hungry.
For mains, I was craving a mutton curry but couldn’t decide on which one, so I went with the traditional and ordered a Garlic & Chilli Naan, as I don’t really like rice with my curries. My friends ordered the Chicken Breyani, and the Lemongrass Fish, with naan. We all ordered medium in strength.
Now, let me tell you this Mutton Curry kicked some serious butt!. It was really spicy but oh so tasty, the meat was tender and the gravy was just soo delicious. My naan also complimented it very well. The chicken breyani was also quite strong, but tasty even though i did expect something slightly different. The lemongrass fish, that’s something unique. It was completely different to what I expected. It has a nice taste, but need a bit of sauce to it.
We did order desserts, but this is something that all indian restaurants fail at in my opinion. I have not gone to any indian restaurant where I have enjoyed dessert to date. I wanted Soji, and my friends had the Gulab and the Ras Malai. For me all 3 was a miss, although my friend enjoyed her Ras Malai. My soji lacked flavour and the texture was too solid.
Would definitely come back for more starters and mains, decent food and good quality and service.
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We dined at Pappadums in November of 2017

Pappadums or more like Pappadon'ts?

We started our evening with some drinks and a plate of veg samosas to share. They were quite tasty, but one of them were filled with some form of dried seeds and spices that made it very dry and coarse to eat. The mains for the evening was a bowl of Lamb Rogan Josh and a bowl of Butter Chicken. Both of them were nice and spicy which we enjoyed, especially the lamb dish, but the Butter Chicken was very sweet. The first bite was actually pleasant, but the more we ate the sweeter it got, up to a point where it actually felt like we were having some form of dessert.

We always like to ask our waiters for their recommendations of what to order, and sometimes we are pleasantly surprised with their advice. But having the waiter tell you everything is good or that they don't know what dish goes with or that they don't know what is the most popular dish is a bit of a letdown. It felt as if our waiter didn't want to be there, obviously it is just a job for her, but being in the hospitality industry does expect a certain amount of friendliness from you in our opinion.

The atmosphere was an interesting one. The restaurant is nicely decorated with wallpaper and each table is properly set with a coloured tablecloth, flowers, and candles, but the lights were bright fluorescent bulbs that made you feel as if you were sitting in the office. Very bright and mood killing.

For the amount of food that we received, which was a lot of rice and not so much curry, and the odd flavour that came with the chicken dish, we were not very happy. Pair that with what felt like reluctant service and an atmosphere to invite office workers, Pappadums doesn't have a lot going for each bang for the buck.

TTT’s rating out of 5: Food - 2.5 | Service - 2.5 | Atmosphere – 2.5 | Value – 3

Pappadums gets an 'Angry Stare' from Two Tasty Tummies