2 Phoenix restaurants land in Yelp's first national Indian dining ranking

Two north Phoenix eateries appeared on the inaugural Yelp Top 100 Indian Restaurants in the U.S. list.

Yelp released the rankings on Sunday, ahead of Diwali, the Festival of Lights, which begins Friday. The platform identified the best Indian food spots in the country based on review volume and ratings. Arizona was allocated up to 10 spots on the list, but only two local businesses qualified.

Maya's Kitchen Indian Cuisine took the 50th position. The restaurant is located at 2948 E. Bell Road. It offers a compact menu of northern Indian dishes that reflect the owners' Nepali heritage. The Pokhrel family runs the venue, which features a cozy dining room. Diners can pour themselves complimentary chai while waiting for dishes like butter chicken, dal, or goat curry. The meals are served with rice seasoned with cumin and bay leaves.

City of Spice secured the 91st spot on the list. This casual eatery sits at 2945 E. Bell Road. The owners, who come from Hyderabad and Gujarat, cook an expansive menu. Screens hung inside the restaurant provide historical details for each dish. A standout item is the Apollo fish, which is battered, fried, and topped with sliced onions. The fish is doused in a buttery sauce made with chiles and curry leaves.

The top spot on the national list went to LA Indian Cuisine in Castaic, California. This counter-service restaurant is located near a truck stop off Interstate 5. No Arizona establishment made the top 10 of the national ranking.

Several other popular Valley spots were absent from the Yelp list. These included Indibar, a Michelin Selected Restaurant, and Nadu, a high-end north Phoenix restaurant focused on lesser-known regional dishes.

Yelp's methodology limited the list to businesses in the Indian food category. The ranking process prioritized the volume of reviews and the average ratings given by users.