What to Order at an Indian Restaurant If You’ve Never Had Indian Food Before

If you’ve never had Indian food before, I know the menu can be a little intimidating.

Butter chicken. Tikka masala. Biryani. Samosas. Naan.

Everything sounds good, but if you didn’t grow up eating this food, you might be looking at the menu thinking, “Okay… but what do I actually order?”

I hear this all the time at 7 Monks.

Someone will walk up to the counter, look at the menu for a minute, and then finally ask me:

“I’ve never had Indian food before. What should I get?”

Honestly, I love that question.

Because you do not need to know anything about Indian food before coming in here. You also do not need to prove how much spice you can handle.

Indian food is supposed to be about flavor.

That’s why we always say:

Flavor, not fire.

So if this is your first time, here’s exactly where I’d start.

I almost always recommend starting with a samosa.

It’s crispy on the outside and filled with potatoes, peas and spices on the inside.

It’s one of those foods that feels familiar even if you’ve never had Indian food before.

And honestly, it’s hard to go wrong with something fried and filled with potatoes.

Just don’t blame me when you order one and immediately wish you had another.

If someone tells me, “I want to try Indian food, but I’m scared it’s going to be too spicy,” butter chicken is usually one of the first dishes I suggest.

It’s creamy, rich and comforting, with a tomato-based sauce and lots of flavor.

And no, you do not need to love spicy food to love Indian food.

That is probably one of the biggest misconceptions I hear.

Good Indian food should have layers of flavor. You should taste the spices, the sauce and everything that went into the dish.

Your mouth does not need to be on fire for the food to be good.

My mom would definitely agree with me on that one.

If butter chicken sounds good, chicken tikka masala is another easy place to start.

People mix these two up all the time.

They’re both creamy, tomato-based curries, but tikka masala usually has a little more bold, spiced tomato flavor, while butter chicken is a little richer and creamier.

I honestly don’t think you can go wrong with either one.

My advice?

Get butter chicken on your first visit and tikka masala the next time.

Now you already have an excuse to come back.

Could you eat your curry without naan?

Yes.

Would I recommend it?

Absolutely not.

Garlic naan is one of my favorite things to recommend to anyone trying Indian food for the first time because it’s so easy to love.

It’s soft, warm, garlicky, and perfect for scooping up every last bit of curry.

And once you start dipping garlic naan into butter chicken, you’ll understand why leaving sauce behind feels like a crime.

Rice might not sound like the exciting part of the meal, but I am very particular about rice.

At 7 Monks, we cook our basmati rice on the stove.

We wash it, boil it and drain it. No rice cooker.

That’s how my family has always done it.

The goal is light, fluffy rice with separate grains, not a sticky pile sitting underneath your curry.

Put some butter chicken over it, add garlic naan on the side, and now you have one of my favorite comfort meals.

If you’re already a rice person, you should eventually try biryani.

Biryani is completely different from plain basmati rice served alongside curry.

The rice itself is the dish.

It’s fragrant, spiced and full of flavor.

Some people come into 7 Monks thinking they’re going to be butter chicken people forever and then discover biryani.

That’s how it starts.

This is another thing I love about Indian food.

Vegetarian dishes are not just meat dishes with the meat taken out.

A lot of Indian food has always been vegetarian.

The vegetables, lentils, spices and sauces are meant to be the stars of the dish.

At 7 Monks, we also try to make it easy to figure out what works for you, whether you’re vegetarian, vegan or looking for gluten-free options.

And if you’re not sure, just ask us.

I would much rather help you choose something you’re going to love than have you stand there staring at the menu trying to figure it out alone.

If this is your first Indian meal, I think you should get the mango lassi too.

It’s cold, creamy, sweet and made with mango.

Basically, it’s one of the easiest things on the menu to fall in love with.

It also happens to be very helpful if you decide to get adventurous and order something a little spicier than expected.

Consider it your backup plan.

If you came into 7 Monks today and told me you had never eaten Indian food before, this is probably where I’d start you:

Samosa + Butter Chicken + Basmati Rice + Garlic Naan + Mango Lassi

You get something crispy, something creamy, fluffy rice, warm naan and something sweet to drink.

It gives you a really good introduction without throwing you too far outside your comfort zone.

Then next time, we get a little more adventurous.

Maybe biryani.

Maybe another curry.

Maybe something vegetarian.

That’s the fun part.

If you’re in New Braunfels and you’ve been saying, “I really need to try Indian food one day,” come see us.

And when you come in, tell us it’s your first time.

Seriously.

We love helping people figure out what to order.

You don’t have to know how to pronounce everything.

You don’t have to order the spiciest thing on the menu.

And you definitely don’t have to pretend you know what you’re doing.

Just come hungry.

We’ll take care of the rest.