This sprawling suburban restaurant’s extensive (and budget-friendly) lunch buffet serves ample amounts of reliable favorites. The restaurant’s tandoor chicken is a standout among its strong roster (which includes butter chicken, saag paneer, chicken biryani, pakora, and so forth) — each leg boasts a serious amount of char and spice-driven flavor. Its dinner menu offers some intriguing dishes including deep-fried chickpea-flour-coated fish, honey chicken, pesto and mint-laden naans, goat dishes, South Indian pongal (a traditional rice dish), dosas, biryanis, and more.

With two suburban locations (in Eden Prairie and Eagan), Bay Leaf takes the “suburban Indian food is on fire” thesis to a new level. Its menu is sprawling (everything from North Indian tiffins and curries to South Indian dosas and parathas) and covers just about every conceivable base.  Lean on the breadth and depth of offerings to feed a diverse crowd, including vegetarians, vegans, and gluten-free eaters. The restaurant’s multiple locations and vastness of menu make it a reliable stop in the west or south metro.

Aroma does strong renditions of South Indian favorites, including mega-super-giant-sized dosas that are as entertaining to look at as they are enjoyable to eat. The goat biryani truly does justice to the format by bringing remarkable layers of complexity, depth, and savory goodness. There are some surprising and enjoyable highlights sprinkled throughout the menu, too, including almost croissant-like flakey paratha and an okra curry that’s almost too rich to eat on its own (that is, of course, what the rice is for).

Specializing in the Marathi cuisine of central-western India (including Mumbai), the contemporary, casual dining room of Muddy Tiger drills down into the snacky worlds of chaat and street food, serving up dishes with considerable textural complexity and brightness of flavor. The menu is focused, with a small section of chaat and street food augmented by a handful of rice bowls and wraps. The restaurant’s kheema pav (spiced ground lamb served on dinner rolls, loose meat sandwich-style) is remarkably rich and satisfying. A recent special vegetarian thali meal featured a wide variety of flavors and textures, including pillowy puri tailor-made for stuffing.

A repurposed Long John Silver’s is home to one of the most reliably tasty South Indian spots in the greater metro area. Dosa South Indian Grill’s namesake dosa has a remarkably crispy exterior and a filling that’s the definition of savory elegance. Other dishes are pulled off with equal skill. The papdi chat, a happy symphony of textures and flavors, is a noteworthy standout. The bread selection has some enjoyable and hard-to-find choices, too, such as beignet-like bhatura and deep-fried poori.

The self-proclaimed oldest Indian restaurant in the state of Minnesota (hard to verify, but open since 1982 is no small accomplishment regardless), Tandoor has sophistication befitting its honored elder status. Remarkably good breads (the naans are easy enough to find, but don’t sleep on the elegant, puffy bhatura) are the gateway to this menu, but there’s much to discover. The chicken seek kababs are ravishingly moist, intensely flavored, and beautifully balanced, and the restaurant’s shahi korma has equal doses of comfort and depth. The crispy pakora is world-class, too. The restaurant’s dining room is warm and cozy, decked out with textiles and knicknacks.

Thaliwala, a sister restaurant to Minneapolis’s MomoDosa and Gorkha Palace, has a fast-casual feel. “Thali,” of course, means “plate” — these meals are served on round silver trays, with small portions of daal, peppery mustard greens, curried vegetables, and zippy cucumber salad complementing the rich main dish (paneer or chicken tikka masala, sautéed okra, pork, or lamb vindaloo). They’re the ultimate balanced meal, as nourishing as they are tasty. A sweet bite of cardamon-laced kheer brings them full circle.

Namaste Café leans more to the Nepali border than the Indian one — this former Victorian home-turned cozy restaurant in Uptown is an excellent stop for curries, chaats, and cocktails. The whole menu here is organic: Start with light and crispy bhel puri or little flavor parcels of golgappa (a.k.a. pani puri, a.k.a puchka). The aloo bodi or Punjabi spinach paneer make for hearty vegetarian entrees. Take a seat on Namaste’s patio and sip a homemade chai.

Spice and Tonic specializes in North Indian cuisine. Start with crispy veggie pakora as an appetizer, and pair sumptuous Peshwari naan (stuffed with a mash of sun-dried coconut, cashews, raisins, and cardamom) with murgh makhani — a.k.a. butter chicken, a rich tomato gravy dish that originated in the Indian capital city of New Delhi. Even better, Spice and Tonic has a full cocktail menu and a patio.

Himalayan Restaurant on Lake Street delves into India, Nepalese, and Tibetan cuisine, and does it all exceptionally well. The creamy chicken tikka masala is excellent here, as are the kothe — steamed momos that are pan-fried and served with a savory tomato-cilantro chutney. On the side, savor the dense, flakey layers of a fresh-made aloo paratha, or extra buttery naan, and save room for desserts like kheer and mango pudding.