Best Curry In Chicago

Have a hankering for great curry in Chicago? Follow the taxi drivers who congregate at a couple of our picks then venture to storied Devon Ave. and nearby western 'burbs for layers of curried dishes tantalizing Midwestern taste buds in appealing surroundings.

New Zaika offers authentic Indian and Pakistani vittles on display cafeteria style ready to get into your belly 24/7, hence the cabbie congregants around the clock. Beef curry? Of course. Mutton dish of the day? Surely, and if you're lucky it will be mutton curry. The food is Halal, fresh and reasonably priced and there are plenty of choices for vegetarians as well as meat-eaters. The staff is helpful when you have a question about a dish and the only thing New Zaika seems to be missing is female curry fans. Less than a block away, Tabaq, offers the same cab driver/curry ratio at similar prices.

Flaming Wok And Grill
903 N Halsted St
Chicago, IL 60642
(312) 274-0599
www.flamingwokngrill.com

Huh? The only wok-ish thing here is fried rice (Basmati, by the way) and the rest is Halal, Indian and Pakistani options like goat for breakfast and meatballs with hard boiled eggs in curry for lunch and dinner. The cabbie joint offers daily specials, low prices and is open around the clock. There are grains, legumes and veg for non-meat eaters and items like veal feet in curry at the other end of the spectrum, with tons in between.  Flaming Wok and Grill is a drunk's stumble or two from The MID, a nightclub with dancing and drinking galore, so expect noshers of that ilk in the middle of the night.

Kama Bistro
9 S. La Grange Road
La Grange, IL 60525
708-352-3300
KamaBistro.com

Kama Bistro serves progressive Indian fare and inventive cocktails just 14 miles from the Loop so you can drive or hop on a train at Union Station and really enjoy the cocktails, wine and craft brews. Owner Vikram Singh's father was a celebrated chef in India so the kitchen is adept at using the freshest ingredients and cooking all orders from scratch. Family recipes are prepared with just ground spices; paneer cheese is made in-house (crazy good on the lamb tacos); and meats are all-natural. Try mussels curry, swordfish curry or the traditional Indian curry recipe with Tiger prawns, chicken or paneer. Kama, named after the Indian god of love and passion, is a perfect place for date night, too.

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Hema's Kitchen
2439 W Devon Ave
Chicago, IL 60659
(773) 338-1627
www.hemaskitchendevon.com

It's like your granny's place if she were a no-holds-barred Indian cooking wizard from Hyderabad, India. Okay, you might hear an argument emanating from the kitchen, but it only adds to the experience that features well portioned, deeply flavored cuisine like green fish curry, egg curry, lamb cooked in a cashew curry and a mixed veggie curry called Navaratan. If you're a fire breather, go for anything Vindaloo. Hema Potla herself will most likely be on hand to say hello and ta-ta. Parking can be dicey, service might lag — be sure you have time to spare — but Hema's is BYOB so you'll have reason to linger. There's another location in Lincoln Park.

Taste Of Himalayas
110 North 3rd St. 
St.Charles, IL 60174
630-444-1575
www.tasteofhimalayas.com

Why not expand upon the complex spices that your palate is craving by heading to St. Charles for cuisine from the mountainous countries of Nepal as well as India? For example, instead of that appetizer samosa you order time after time, go for a Chicken Mo Mo (minced chicken mixed with Nepalese spices stuffed in a thin flour wrap, steamed and served with Nepali chutney). You can certainly get great tasting chicken or lamb curry but also Jhinge machha ko Tarkari, a Nepali dish of seasoned shrimp lolling in an exotic Himalayan curry sauce. Just be sure you order some of the freshly oven baked naan to sop up the luscious sauce. 

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Jacky Runice has been a columnist with the Daily Herald Chicago since grunge music and flannel was the new black. Her fingers and gray matter have been busy as travel editor of Reunions Magazine; penning a column that was syndicated around the nation via Tribune Media Services. Her work can be found at Examiner.com.