A picturesque waterfront, a floating mosque, the world’s tallest water fountain, and spectacular sunsets are the hallmarks of Jeddah, a port city in the province of Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Jeddah is Saudi Arabia’s second-largest city. Strategically located on the Red Sea coast and serving as an important gateway for Hajj and Umrah pilgrims to the city of Makkah, it is a premier tourist and resort destination.

A favourite among global visitors, it serves an extensive array of international cuisines to match. In the mood for Indian food? These are the five must-try Indian restaurants in Jeddah.

1.  Indian Spice

Visit this restaurant in Al Aziziyah District, Jeddah. One look at its distinct architecture will immediately tell you it is an Indian restaurant. Of course, the name is your biggest clue about the type of cuisine it serves.

Indian Spice is a family-friendly restaurant. The second floor is designated for families, while the ground floor is for individual diners. Guests often remark on the restaurant’s excellent service.

Indian Spice serves authentic Indian fare for reasonable prices. Expect a treat when you order their butter chicken and chicken tikka masala. You should also definitely try their dynamite shrimp and mutton jalfrezi.

The following are some of the dishes you’ll see on their menu.

• Raita salad – a cucumber and yoghurt salad with an Indian spice kick
• Special seafood soup – seafood in Indian spice white cream coconut
• Chicken tikka – char-grilled boneless chicken marinated in ginger and garlic
• Chicken tandoori – chicken marinated in yoghurt and spices
• Saffron fish – fish marinated in saffron and other spices
• Prawn tikka – fresh prawns with Indian spices, grilled in a clay oven
• Indian style mix tandoori platter – a selection of Indian style chicken, mutton, fish, and prawn tandoori barbecues
• Butter chicken – chicken marinated in spices and cooked in a creamy tomato-butter sauce
• Chicken tikka masala – chicken pieces marinated in spices and grilled, then finished in creamy tomato sauce
• Biryani – mutton, prawn, chicken, or vegetables cooked with saffron basmati rice

Aside from serving Indian food, Indian Spice also offers a limited range of continental (e.g., hammour fish and prawns cooked Thermidor style, chicken penne pasta) and Chinese dishes (e.g., Hong Kong-style fish, mix fried rice, Chinese-style prawn noodles).

2.  The Bay Restaurant

Tasty food, excellent service and good-sized portions make The Bay Restaurant stand out. If you’re in Quraysh, Al Bawadi in Jeddah, give this Indian fine dining restaurant a try.

Among the many Indian delights it holds are the following.

• Lamb masala – lamb braised in onion, tomato, ginger, garlic, fried cashew nuts, and aromatic spices
• Chicken jalfrezi – chicken and vegetables in rich tomato sauce with special spices
• Chicken malai tikka – soft, boneless chicken pieces marinated in cheese and curd with spices (mace, green cardamom, white pepper) and cooked in a tandoor (i.e., clay oven)
• Tandoori chicken whole – spice-rubbed chicken roasted whole in a clay oven
• Mixed tandoor platter – a platter of chicken tikka, beef seekh kebab, chicken malai tikka, tandoori shrimp, and tandoori chicken served with naan bread
• Dum biryani – available in chicken, beef and prawn; the protein is coated in an assortment of herbs and spices and then slow-cooked in traditional dum style with basmati rice
• Naan bread – available in plain, butter, garlic butter, cheese, and Kashmiri
• Tandoori roti – Indian flatbread made with wholemeal wheat flour

The Bay Restaurant offers plenty more options aside from the above. It has street food like palak patta chaat, aloo tikki chaat, and samosas. Of course, it also serves different types of kebabs, chicken tikka masala, and butter chicken. For the best experience, end your Indian Spice meal with a scrumptious rose halwa.

3.  5 Rivers

5 Rivers is an Indian restaurant located in Sari, Jeddah. It has good-size portions, superb presentation and an extensive selection. That being said, while diners come for the wonderful Indian flavours (which the restaurant undoubtedly delivers), they leave singing praises of the excellent service and warm hospitality of the restaurant staff.

5 Rivers is a great family restaurant, with a second floor dedicated to dining families. Their butter chicken, biryanis, masalas, and samosas are outstanding. While there, you should also try their mushroom pulao.

4.  Zaikaki

Zaikaki on Prince Saud Al Faisal is one of Jeddah’s top-rated restaurants. It has an extensive menu of authentic Indian dishes.

Kaizaki offers vegetarian specialities:

• Subzi maskewali – fresh vegetables in a tomato-based gravy
• Palak paneer – cottage cheese cubes with fresh spinach and cream gravy
• Okra masala – okra in thick tomato gravy
• Dal makhana – black lentils in cream sauce
• Dal tedka – yellow lentils with cumin and sun-dried chilli
• Zaikaki special mulukhiya – fried mulukhiya with special sauce

They have an array of biryanis:

• Zaikaki jhinga biryani – saffron flavoured basmati rice and prawns with fresh coriander, mint and spices
• Gosht dum biryani – marinated baby lamb meat slow-cooked in herbs and spices with basmati rice
• Chicken dum biryani – marinated boneless chicken pieces slow-cooked in herbs, spices and basmati rice
• Vegetable biryani – mixed vegetables with basmati rice, garnished with cashews and raisins

Moreover, they serve a variety of clay-oven grilled options such as tandoori jhinga, tandoori lobster, nawabi bara kebab (lamb chops), tara tara ke kebab (chicken and lamb), and murg cheese anger (chicken breast with yoghurt, chilli, and cheese).

You should also try their potato and meat samosas, cheese-stuffed naan bread and deep-fried marinated butterfly prawns. For dessert, gulab jamun and gajar halwa are excellent choices.

5.  Sapphire Family Restaurant

Sapphire Family Restaurant is an eatery located in Khaled Ibn Al Walid, Jeddah. It offers Indian staples, such as chicken masala and butter chicken, in single-serve options. The restaurant also has many seafood dishes, including fish, prawns, squid, crab, and mussel masala.

If you are looking for a quick Indian meal with satisfying flavours and reasonable prices, you can’t go wrong with Sapphire Family Restaurant.

Indian Restaurants in Jeddah

Jeddah is a popular destination among domestic and international tourists. The abundance of hotels in Jeddah attests to this. As such, it also has plenty of restaurants, including some excellent Indian options.

If you find yourself in Jeddah and feel like having Indian food, try Indian Spice, The Bay Restaurant, 5 Rivers, Zaikai, and Family Sapphire Restaurant.