Yelp's first Top 100 Indian restaurants in US: Castaic eatery ranked No. 1
By Ananya RaoAyush & Wellness Correspondent, Peepals Sanskriti
Representative image: Kirtip / Pixabay
Yelp's first Top 100 Indian Restaurants list, released at the end of October 2026, ranks LA Indian Cuisine in Castaic, California, first; California has 10 entries.
What Happened
Yelp, the US review platform, has published its first Top 100 Indian Restaurants list, ranking Indian eateries across the United States by what its users say about them. Released at the end of October 2026, the list puts LA Indian Cuisine in Castaic, California, in first place, with a five-star average from more than 500 reviewers. Mumbai House in Park City, Utah, is second and Zen Curry and Grill in Temecula, California, third. Sathi in New York City closes the list at No. 100.
Key Facts
- This is Yelp's first ranking dedicated to Indian restaurants in the US.
- No. 1: LA Indian Cuisine, Castaic, California, rated five stars by more than 500 reviewers.
- No. 2: Mumbai House, Park City, Utah; No. 3: Zen Curry and Grill, Temecula, California.
- Other top-10 places include Hot N Chili in San Clemente, California (6), Himali Bistro in Burlingame, California (8), Mirchi Indian Cuisine in Newbury Park, California (9) and Maaji's Street Kitchen in Saint Ann, Missouri (10).
- Method: Yelp took businesses in its Indian category and ranked them by the total volume and ratings of reviews, allowing at most 10 per state; every listed restaurant has a passing health score.
- California has the most entries, reaching the cap of 10.
Why It Matters
Indian food has long been one of the ways Indian culture travels. Lists like this are a measure of how ordinary American diners, not only critics, are responding to it. Because the ranking is built from user reviews rather than a panel of experts, it reflects neighbourhood restaurants that people return to in small towns and suburbs, not only famous fine-dining rooms in big cities. The top spot going to a restaurant in Castaic, a small community north of Los Angeles, and second place to one in a Utah ski town, shows how widely Indian food has spread across the country.
The dishes highlighted in coverage of the list are familiar: curries, samosas and tandoori dishes. Momos, the steamed dumplings eaten across the Himalayan region, including India's north-east, also feature in Yelp's write-up. That mix reflects the range of food served under the "Indian" label abroad, from Punjabi tandoor cooking to Himalayan and Nepali dishes.
The method matters for how far the list can be trusted. A cap of 10 restaurants per state spreads the list across the map, but it also means that a strong eleventh restaurant in California or New Jersey is left out while a state with fewer options may be over-represented. Rankings based on review counts favour busy, well-established places. The requirement of a passing health score is a useful filter: it means a high rating alone was not enough to make the list.
| Rank | Restaurant | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | LA Indian Cuisine | Castaic, California |
| 2 | Mumbai House | Park City, Utah |
| 3 | Zen Curry and Grill | Temecula, California |
| 10 | Maaji's Street Kitchen | Saint Ann, Missouri |
| 100 | Sathi | New York, New York |
For readers in India, the list is a reminder that regional home-style cooking, not only restaurant classics, is what earns loyalty abroad.
Impact
Short-term: The 100 restaurants on the list can expect more visitors and reviews in the coming weeks, especially around the festival season.
Long-term: A dedicated Indian list from a large review platform adds to the visibility of Indian cuisine in the US and may encourage more regional Indian and Himalayan restaurants to open outside the biggest cities.
Who is affected: Indian-origin restaurant owners and staff in the US, diners looking for Indian food, the Indian diaspora, and food entrepreneurs in India watching overseas tastes.
Key Takeaway
Yelp's first Top 100 Indian Restaurants list ranks LA Indian Cuisine in Castaic, California, as the best-reviewed Indian restaurant in the US, with Utah's Mumbai House second and California taking the most places.
Questions and Answers
Which is the best Indian restaurant in the US according to Yelp?
Yelp's first Top 100 Indian Restaurants list ranks LA Indian Cuisine in Castaic, California, first, with a five-star average from more than 500 reviewers.
How did Yelp choose the Top 100 Indian restaurants?
It took businesses in its Indian category and ranked them by the number and ratings of reviews, allowed up to 10 per state for geographic spread, and included only restaurants with a passing health score.
Which state has the most restaurants on the list?
California, which reached the cap of 10 restaurants.
Is this a critics' ranking?
No. It is based on reviews by Yelp users, so it reflects diners' ratings rather than the judgement of food critics.
Disclaimer: Prepared by the Peepals newsroom from publicly available sources with AI assistance. Information is accurate to the best of our knowledge at the time of publication and may change. Images may be representative. Not professional advice. Report an error via our contact page.
By Ananya Rao, Ayush & Wellness CorrespondentCovers Ayush and more for Peepals Sanskriti. All stories by Ananya Rao
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Ananya Rao is a pen name of the Peepals Global Editorial Team, which researches, fact-checks and publishes every story. The portrait is an illustration.
