Not your typical Indian restaurant, Nutmeg is about taking traditional flavours of the subcontinent and giving them a contemporary twist. While favourites like butter chicken and vindaloo are necessary inclusions on the menu, it’s the snacks where the real fun is had, turning mandatory samosas into photogenic spiced potato and pea swirls, or offering up slow-cooked pepper lamb in a trio of sliders with smoked chilli and pickled onion relish. The goat and prawn curries are also must-orders. With most dishes coming in under budget, there may even be money left over for a beer or wine from the carefully curated drinks list. 281 Sandgate Rd, Albion; nutmegindiancuisine.com.au

If you don’t believe the spiel on the website preaching its authenticity, then the crowds of those in the know who gather in the carpark waiting for a table at Kulcha Kulture should provide all the proof you need. Humble in appearance with its mix of timber tables and metal chairs, it’s the food that has everyone swooning. Amritsari fare is the go here, with traditional flavours from the north of India showcased in dishes like fish pakora, rara chicken and crispy, golden, naan-like kulcha breads that are ready to mop up everything from lamb madras to fish malabari. The lassi drinks also get a gold star. 208 Kingston Rd, Slacks Creek; kulchakulture.com.au.

With more than 150 restaurants globally, Sankalp is one of the worlds most loved Indian restaurants. Its second Brisbane branch opened in Aspley in 2021, following the success of an outlet in Annerley in the city’s south. The chain is renowned for its authentic flavours from both India’s north and south, and its specialty dishes including dosas and the hard-to-find rice pancakes known as idli. Sankalp’s curry bases are gluten and dairy free and made from traditional recipes; while their naan was cooked in a tandoor, not the widely used combi ovens that have become popular in Australia. But the dishes customers are obsessed with are the paneer methi garlic – a curry with an incredible 28 spices and a huge range of dosas, all served with unlimited complimentary chutney, and the idli accompanied with free bottomless bowls of lentil soup. 4/1401 Gympie Rd, Aspley and 2/493 Ipswich Rd, Annerley; sankalp.com.au

Khalid Ahmed’s biryani rice dish enjoyed a cult following in Brisbane even before he opened his first restaurant in West End. Naturally named Biryani Place, it features his signature Indian dish, as well as a handful of curries, naan and his take on the Arabic rice meal mandi. The biryani, which Ahmed spent about 10 years perfecting, is available in four varieties: lamb, chicken and vegetarian and made using the best of local ingredients. That means sourcing the finest rice, meat and saffron for the dish, while still trying to keep it affordable. Also on the menu butter chicken, chicken korma, lamb korma, vege korma, goat curry and dahl. 2/27 Browning St, West End; biryaniplace-indianrestaurant.business.site/

Using beef cheeks as the basis for a massaman curry proves to be a masterstroke at Kid Curry. The tender, unctuous meat lurking in a rich sauce with potato chunks and pickled ginger for company is an eye-widening combination, enhanced by cleaning the bowl with chunks of flaky roti. Kid Curry, as its name suggests, also serves other curries such as butter chicken, confit duck rendang and rogan josh, but its broad pan-Asian sweep offers more delicate dishes as well, like a terrific grilled prawn salad or grilled octopus with glass noodles, pork and nahm jim. Starters vary from kingfish cured in coconut vinegar to a fried chicken sandwich or a take on Malaysian-style curry puffs, which are bulging pastry crescents stuffed with spiced vegetables. The wine list is a clipped collection of almost entirely European, small-producer options, a couple of Japanese beers and four Asian-influenced highball cocktails. East Street Fortitude Valley; kidcurry.com.au

Curryville is an unassuming Indian diner that is one of the city’s best. The decor is casual and no-frills service suggests food is the likely focus. Which it is. The lightly battered vegetable bhajis come drizzled with a perky, spicy sauce. Similarly, the samosas are fresh and crisp. The rest of the menu covers expectations (beef rogan josh, chicken korma), but does land some surprises. There are goat’s brains fried in red onion, a street food-inspired eggplant curry and chicken hai hai, billed as “Brisbane’s hottest curry”. In a long line of “villes” – Townsville, Nashville, Noosaville – Curryville has put itself on the map. 6/629 Wynnum Rd, Morningside; curryville.com.au.