Hidden gem in Los Angeles named the best Indian restaurant in America

The best Indian restaurant in American isn’t tucked away in a trendy Los Angeles neighborhood or a Michelin-starred hotspot.

It’s hiding in plain sight beside a truck stop off Interstate 5.

LA Indian Cuisine, an unassuming counter-service eatery in Castaic, about 40 miles north of downtown Los Angeles, has been crowned the number one Indian restaurant in the entire country by Yelp reviewers, beating out celebrated establishments from New York City to San Francisco.

It’s perched right off the highway in what’s known as the final pit stop before haulers and road-trippers tackle the steep climb over the Tejon Pass into the Central Valley.

LA Indian Cuisine snagged the coveted top spot on Yelp’s inaugural list of the 100 best Indian restaurants in the United States, released Oct. 29.

While California’s restaurant scene is no stranger to national accolades, the unlikely winner proves that some of the Golden State’s best food can be found far from its glitzy dining destinations.

Located on Castaic Road, LA Indian Cuisine has racked up more than 500 five-star Yelp reviews, with customers raving about its enormous portions, flavorful curries, friendly service and complimentary cups of steaming chai.

The restaurant is known for everything from creamy butter chicken and chicken tikka masala to saag paneer, aloo gobi and tofu coconut curry. Its casual, no frills setup is a far cry from the white tablecloth restaurants that often dominate national best-of lists.

Customers order at the counter, and meals appear to be frequently served in takeout containers
— making the spot particularly convenient for travelers looking for something more than fast-food fare. But the food is worth pulling off the highway for, according to diners.

“Food is amazing. Seriously shocked at the quality, don’t let the random location cause you to doubt,” one Pasadena based diner wrote.

“At the time of writing this review, LA Indian Cuisine has 5 stars with 499 reviews, and honestly you rarely ever see that on Yelp,” a Colorado Springs Yelper wrote in May. “After eating here, it absolutely makes sense why the ratings are so high…This place serves authentic Indian cuisine, and everything we had was excellent. The staff was incredibly friendly and went out of their way to make sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal.”

Yelp compiled its national list just ahead of Diwali, filtering eateries across the country classified under Indian dining by balancing total review volume with five-star ratings.

To keep the ranking from becoming a localized blowout, Yelp capped entries at 10 businesses per state.

California hit that ceiling, claiming the maximum allowable 10 spots on the roster, with five landing in the national top 10.

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