Craving a curry?
Luxembourg’s Bangladeshi, Indian, Nepalese and Pakistani communities are well-established, and with them come a plethora of great places to sample some spicy food. If you fancy a curry, here are a few suggestions of where to go.
Gare area
Nirvana café – Avenue de la Gare
Lunch dish of the day for just €8,25, plus vegetable curry, yellow dal (split peas) and rice seem to feature heavily on the menu. The surroundings are compact and bijoux but even meat-eating reviewers rave about the home-cooked vegetarian and vegan dishes.
Krishna Vilas - 63 Rue du Fort Neipperg
One of the newest restaurants to Gare is the south Indian vegan and veggie restaurant Krishna Vilas, which serves up idli, dosas, bhaji, uthappam and thalis. It mostly gets good reviews but a few people say the dosas are a bit greasy.
Namaste – 19 Rue de Strasbourg
The fact so many reviewers are repeat customers who have been coming for years to this Nepalese-run restaurant, gives you some impression of the quality of its food. Relaxing surroundings, comfy dining chairs and pictures of the Himalayas, are coupled with classic vegetarian and meat curried dishes, tandoor oven specialities and thalis. For something different, try the Jhinga Darbar – peeled prawns prepared Nepalese-style with broccoli, bamboo shoots, mushrooms and flat beans in a creamy, spicy sauce.
Everest – 8 Rue Bender
This place gets consistently good reviews and a general tip that it’s not too spicy, so a good choice if you have kids that aren’t ready for something hotter. Giant sized naans and biryani, plus home-made mango ice cream.
CG Restaurant Lounge - 15 rue Edward Steichen
North Indian specialities plus Italian dishes this is the ideal place if you love curry but your partner or friends don't. Biryani, tandoori meat dishes, and an excellent selection of vegetarian dishes, can be paired with pizza plus Portuguese starters and desserts.
Sherpa – 3 Place St Pierre et Paul
Another place with consistently great reviews, despite its small-sized dining area, serving up Nepalese and Indian cuisine with beef, chicken and lamb dishes such as jalfrezi and some nice vegetarian and vegan options including Takari and Palak Paneer (spinach and Indian cheese).
The Taj Mahal - 2 rue de Strasbourg
There was some deliberation that Tibet 1 was moving to this location on rue de Strasbourg, but it seems the Taj Mahal persists. Reviews are mixed, with some saying that service isn't great, but it still has its regulars too. A daily set menu on weekdays (except Tuesday) offers curry and rice or naan plus a starter. It also has an a la carte menu with all the usual suspects including Masala, Rogan Josh, Vindaloo and Korma plus tandoori meat specialities.
Reader's recommendation - Tibet Restaurant Limpertsberg
There used to be two (one in the Gare area near the Zitha Klinik), but it seems that only the one in Limpertsberg is now open. However it is serving up both lunch and dinner, and you can sample fish with garlic and chilli, vegetable chilli with Bhutanese cheese, Tibetan bread and noodles and, of course momo.
Surya - 7 rue des Bains
Some unusual starters including dahl soup and prawn puri, and a great selection of tandoor meats and cheese. Try duck Tikka Masala or chicken Kadhai cooked in a spicy sauce with ginger and garlic. You can try lamb tikka cooked with a sauce of cashew nuts and almonds, and there's a huge selection of breads such as naans and paratha plus sweets including gulab jamun, ladhu, burfi and kulfi (like ice-cream but with pistachio, mango or cashew nuts).
In town and on its borders
Restaurant Appayan – Hollerich
A staggering selection of naans and other leavened breads, plus a pretty comprehensive menu including vegetable dishes and tandoor grilled meat, Appayan’s orange building is located in a fairly green and leafy part of Hollerich. You’ll get the best of Bengali cuisine and reviewers recommend the Mirchi ka Saalan if you like something spicy, or the chicken tandoori if your stomach is not ready for that.
Restaurant Himalaya 1 & 3 (Rollingergrund and Gare/Bonnevoie)
Nepalese Momo and paneer (Indian cheese) in butter sauce, you’ll find all the usual suspects such as lamb Rogan Josh at these settings. Expect simple décor but huge portions which will keep you occupied. Himilaya 2 in Kirchberg is currently listed as temporarily closed, whilst Himalaya 3 was formerly known as Orchidee.
Persian Foodbox - Hamilius
Tuck into gluten- and lactose-free rice and sauces from Persian FoodBox (who also have a good vegan selection). Try chicken fillet with walnut and pomegranate sauce, or aubergine with yellow split peas and tomatoes. A rice box with sauce costs €10,80.
Royal Bengal – Hollerich/Belair
Relatively bright compared to many Indian restaurants, and it has a patio for summer. The food gets a general green light but the service, not so much. If table manners aren’t your thing but Bengal fried fish and scampi are, this will be your curry heaven.
Restaurant Kripa – near the CHL
Serene blue décor and a painted view of the Himalayas inside, plus a sunny summer terrace outside, you can try your chicken curry Makhani style (butter sauce) or Kadhai style (mushrooms, garlic, ginger, spinach and tomato). Reviewers enthuse about the food but also the ambience and 80s music.
New Delhi - Gasperich
Pakoras, kofta and a biryani corner make this a good place to tuck into some authentic Asian cuisine. Nicely decorated with wooden panelling and Indian art, the weekday set menu is a steal at €11,50.
Restaurant Tandoori – Beggen
“This restaurant served the best chicken karahi I have ever had,” says one reviewer, and on the whole, this restaurant, come shop, come take-away, gets the thumbs up from locals and Indian residents. A bright setting with tables spaced apart nicely, you can try duck dishes and tandoor oven-cooked meat. They’ll also deliver to your home with a minimum spend dependent on how far away you live (up to 10km from the restaurant).
Outside the city limits
Reader's recommendation - BaseCamp - Lorentzweiler
Nepalese cuisine with classic dishes given a contemporary makeover, including lamb tikka, and chicken makhani, plus tikka and tandoor specialities and a staggering variety of naan breads. In fact you'll need a while to consult the very extensive menu to decide what you're going to try. You can do this in the lovely outdoor garden, with bunting, which provides a relaxing place to enjoy your meal.
Khana Khazana - Bettembourg
Serving mouthwatering dishes cooked with Indian spices and Himalayan herbs, this restaurant has been recently renovated. You can tuck into Momo, pakora and Bhutanese soup, veggie specialities such as Aloo Chana (potato and chickpeas), or Dal Makhani (lentils cooked with butter, cream and spices), and tandoori and tasa, plus a huge selection of different meat dishes and flatbreads. Desserts include mango kulfi (like ice-cream) and gulab jaman. The decor is a sunny yellow, and you'll be in the company of deities such as Ganesh.
Swagat – Strassen
If you want your curry in an upmarket setting then Swagat is the place to head. Reviews of this place are mixed but there are plenty of converts, not least because they will adapt the spices to your pallet. The weekday buffet lunch menu costs €13,50 and there’s a distinctly Nepalese/Tibetan flavour with chef’s specials including Himalayan soup. Vegetarians might explode if they eat all the dishes included in the veggie thali.
Restaurant Manang Mustang - Grevenmacher
White table cloths and discreet seating is not all you’ll find in this light and airy restaurant. Lamb bhuna or the classic chicken tikka masala grace the menu, and they have a take away service too.
Restaurant Gandhi - Remich
There's a cosy feel with warm yellow walls and dark wood floors to this place, plus in summer it has a terrace. Lamb Bhuna or Pasindha (a New Dehli speciality with almonds), chicken Makhnani or Murga, and fish Vindaloo grace the main courses, plus there's plenty of starters and some 15 choices of vegetarian dishes. You can also try the Indian yoghurt drink Lassi, and they deliver for free to quite a wide area so long as orders are more than €50.
Bombay Inn - Belval Plaza
A light, airy and high-ceiling affair with simple decor and wall to ceiling windows. Tuck into generous portions of dal soup or tiger prawn poori starters and all the usual favourites from bhuna to tikka masala, vindaloo and korma in lamb, chicken, beef and seafood variations with a sizeable veggie selection including aloo gobi, saag paneer and malai kofta. Naans come in chilli, garlic and cheese variations and you can sample parathas and chapattis.
Kiran – Hesperange
Kid-friendly neighbourhood curry palace, with cheese naans and saffron rice that is out of this world. If you like something spicy, they have an Indian harissa you can add to your beef dhiawala or paneer chilli. Finish off with a mango kulfi (Indian ice cream). Nepalese food lovers can try the Momo soup. Kids who aren’t yet initiated into the delights of curry, can choose a dish from the children’s menu which includes fish and chips. Tables are spaced nicely apart so there won’t be any elbow jostling.
Annapurna 1 – Bascharage (2 in Foetz, 3 in Mamer)
Five-star reviews from recent diners, this is a big place with red curtains and paintings on the walls. The menu consists of all the popular dishes (Indian, Nepalese and Bhutanese) plus some additional ones like lamb keema (mince) kebab, and aubergines grilled with ginger. There’s an Anapurna 2 in Foetz and Anapurna 3 in Mamer, although the one in Mamer gets so-so reviews.
Darjeeling – Capellen
Tandoori prawns, Tadka Dal, fish nizami and chicken saftta, plus also serving Tibetan dishes such as momos, fyashya goku and Tibetan cheese soup. It consistently gets rave reviews from locals who probably prefer to keep it a secret. Relaxing soft décor too, with a small terrace outside and an entrance flanked by lions (or maybe dragons).
Pokhara – Petange
Anyone who has been trekking in Nepal will know that Pokhara is the town you start from. It’s also a very good curry house, with all the usual curries plus some special ones including Jhoiya, which puts tandoor-cooked meat in a masala sauce with onions, garlic and mushrooms, and Aamwala, with a sauce based on mango pulp. The unusual menu might make it worth the trek to the far west, hiking boots optional.
Auberge Matonge – Wincrange
Head north for a pint and some food by chef Ravi, including beef vindaloo, chicken tikka masala and prawn dopiaza. All dishes come with rice and a butter naan. You can tell him exactly the level of spice you want and he will also suggest dishes to suit your palate.
Khukuri – Dudelange
Another almost five star rating and able to cater to birthday parties, the folks at Dudelange can chow down on momos and Nepalese chilli chicken with onions, or sample some tandoori meats and seafood. A good choice of vegetarian dishes sees okra, aubergine and paneer (Indian cheese) on the menu.
Diyalo – Käerjeng
Cobra beers, mango lassi and the best selection of vegetarian dishes, according to one reviewer. There are more than 20 vegetarian dishes on the menu including Aloo Saagwala with potatoes, baby spinach, fenugreek in a garlic and tomato sauce, and Bhindi Masala, made with fresh okra, onions, coriander, tomatoes and chilli. Meat-eaters can try Diyalo Pahadi – chicken breast with green herbs cooked in the chef’s style, or Lamb Dahiwala, cooked with yoghurt, cheese and north Indian spices.
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