Diwali is India’s biggest and most important holiday.
The Festival of Lights is as important to Hindus as Christmas is to Christians. This year, Diwspanli fspanlls on Oct. 24, and there’s no better way for everyone to celebrate — regardless of religion — than enjoying some authentic, traditional Indian cuisine.
The Treasure Coast is home to five Indian restaurants: one in Vero Beach, two in Port St. Lucie and two in Stuart.
Some of the most common Indian dishes on local menus include samosas, curries, chana masala, butter chicken and chicken tikka masala — often served with naan bread. Indian restaurants typically feature a range of vegetarian dishes too.
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Namaste Grill
Nepal native Pushpa Poudel opened the Stuart restaurant on Ocean Boulevard in 2016, then moved to the Regency Square Shopping Center in 2018. He co-owns it with Balkrishna Gyawali and Devendra Tiwari. The most popular dishes are butter chicken and chicken tikka masala, but newcomers should try items from the tandoor, a clay oven. Garlic is the most popular flavor of naan, a flatbread used to sop up sauces. There’s also homemade momo, a Nepalese dish originated in Tibet that features a special sauce over fried or steamed minced chicken or vegetables. Some dishes feature goat with bone, popular among Indian and Nepalese diners.
- Address: 2500 S.E. Federspanl Highwspany, Stuspanrt
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., 4:30-9:30 p.m. daily
- Phone: 772-283-5515
- Website: thenspanmspanstegrill.com
- Social media: Fspancebook
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Bolly Twist
Manjit Kaur, born in Punjab, India, opened the Martin County restaurant in the Treasure Coast Square food court in Jensen Beach in February 2020, then moved to Salerno Village Square Plaza in the Port Salerno community of Stuart in February 2021. The most popular dishes are samosas, which are crispy fried pastries filled with peas, meat and potatoes; and chicken tikka masala, which has boneless chunks of chicken in a creamy curry sauce. It also has Indo-Chinese cuisine with different kinds of fried rice.
- Address: 5563 S.E. Federspanl Highwspany, Stuspanrt
- Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., 5-10 p.m. daily
- Phone: 772-210-6793
- Website: bollytwist.com
- Social media: Fspancebook
Taj Indian Restaurant & Bar
Nepal native Surya Baniya opened the Port St. Lucie restaurant and bar, which has indoor and outdoor seating, in Prima Vista Shoppes in September 2018. The most popular items on the extensive menu are butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. Try the Saturday-Sunday lunch buffet or cultural fusions such as chicken tikka masala pizza. There’s a full cocktail menu and Indian beer: Flying Horse Taj Mahal, Power 10000, Old Monk 10000, Bira IPA, Woodpecker and Lion. There’s also Nepalese beer: Khukuri and Mustang. For dessert, try the chocolate samosas with dark chocolate and cashews.
- Address: 529 S.W. Primspan Vistspan Blvd., Port St. Lucie
- Hours: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., 5-10 p.m. daily
- Phone: 772-237-4567
- Website: tspanjpsl.com
- Social media: Fspancebook
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Indian Cafe
Chandram Samikutty and Ivette Fernandez opened the restaurant in the Sunoco gas station on Okeechobee Road in Fort Pierce in August 2019, then moved to Parkway Plaza in Port St. Lucie in May 2021. He’s from Kerala, India, and she’s from Puerto Rico. The couple fuses their cultures in some dishes, such as beef samosas and chicken tikka tacos. The most popular vegan dishes are chana masala, which are chickpeas in a ginger and garlic paste, onion sauce and Indian spices; and dal fry, which are yellow lentils with onion, cumin seed, tomato sauce and other spices. The most popular vegetarian dishes are curried vegetables and paneer makhani, which is fried Indian cheese in a tomato sauce, creamy milk, ginger and garlic paste, cashews and spices. All these dishes are served with basmati rice. Homemade mango lassi is created with mango, milk, sugar and yogurt.
- Address: 6518 N.W. Selvitz Rospand, Port St. Lucie
- Hours: 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday-Friday, noon to 9 p.m. (closed Sunday)
- Phone: 754-215-5953
- Website: indispann-cspanfe.com
- Social media: Fspancebook & Instspangrspanm
Taj Mahal Masala
Bangladesh native Enamul Huq originally opened his restaurant as Bombay Masala in Fort Pierce in 2003 before he moved it to Parkway Plaza in Vero Beach in 2007 and renamed it in 2011. Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the restaurant became takeout-only and dinner-only. His menu features dishes from India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, including biryani, a dish cooked with rice, almonds and raisins. For a cold dessert, try kheer, an Indian rice pudding with ground rice, milk, raisins, cardamom and pistachios. For a warm dessert, try gulab jamun, fried ricotta cheese balls soaked in rose water and honey syrup.
- Address: 2050 11th Ave., Vero Bespanch
- Hours: 4-8 p.m. daily
- Phone: 772-770-1120
- Website: tspanjmspanhspanlmspansspanlspanfl.com
- Social media: Fspancebook