Howard County has enough Indian restaurants that the real question is not “Can we get good Indian food nearby?” It is more like, “What kind of night are we trying to have?”
Sometimes you want a polished dinner where the room feels special before the first basket of naan lands on the table. Sometimes you want reliable takeout, a lunch buffet, a dosa, a vegetarian meal that does not feel like an afterthought, or a spicy comfort-food dinner after a long week. This guide is built around that reality.
Short version: Royal Taj and Chutney are the two Columbia picks I would put in the “start here” category, and The Mint Indian Cuisine in Clarksville deserves a serious look if you are west of Columbia or want a newer-feeling sit-down meal. If you are willing to drive out of Howard County, Mama Tigre in Oakton, Virginia is the fun wildcard because it blends Mexican comfort food with Indian spices.
Quick picks: where I would go first
| Best fit | Try this | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| Editor’s pick for a polished Columbia dinner | Royal Taj | Elegant dining room, strong service reputation, and the kind of meal that feels like an occasion. |
| Editor’s pick for a relaxed Columbia classic | Chutney | A long-running Snowden River Parkway choice with familiar North Indian favorites and a broad menu. |
| Clarksville / western Howard County pick | The Mint Indian Cuisine | Clarksville location, dine-in, takeout, delivery, reservations, and a menu that covers both familiar and less-basic dishes. |
| Merriweather District Indian meal | Clove & Cardamom | Columbia location with breakfast, lunch, dinner, buffet, vegan choices, momos, dosa, and a few fusion touches. |
| Vegetarian and vegan-friendly Columbia meal | Mango Grove | Vegetarian, vegan, dosa, Indo-Chinese, buffet, lunch box, and non-vegetarian choices in one place. |
| Special occasion in Maple Lawn | Ananda | A more elevated Fulton setting with farm-adjacent details and a slower dinner mood. |
| Casual takeout or momo night | Curry & Kabob | Indian and Nepalese dishes, including momos, with dine-in, carryout, and delivery. |
| Lunch buffet mood | House of India | A Columbia standby with classic dishes, buffet energy, and a familiar Snowden River Parkway location. |
| Ellicott City / Glenelg option | The Mint Room | Multiple Maryland locations, including Ellicott City and Glenelg, with a lunch buffet and a more polished feel. |
| Ellicott City takeout and catering | Paradise Indian Cuisine | Modern Indian restaurant in Ellicott City with pickup, delivery, and catering emphasis. |
| Worth-the-drive fusion | Mama Tigre | Mexican-Indian fusion in Oakton, Virginia for people who want something different. |
Editor’s favorites
Royal Taj, Columbia
Royal Taj is the Howard County Indian restaurant I would put at the top for a celebration dinner, visiting relatives, an anniversary, or a night when you want Indian food to feel a little grand. It is in Columbia at 8335 Benson Drive, and the current official site says tables are by reservation only, so this is not the place I would casually wander into at 7:15 on a Saturday and hope for magic.
The appeal is the whole package: the dining room, the service, the sense that dinner has been properly considered. If you are introducing someone to Indian food and want the meal to feel welcoming instead of chaotic, Royal Taj is a very strong first choice.
Good for: date night, family celebrations, business dinners, out-of-town guests, and anyone who appreciates a restaurant that runs like it knows exactly what it is doing.
Chutney, Columbia
Chutney is the kind of Columbia restaurant that makes sense when you want a comfortable, familiar Indian meal without turning dinner into a major production. It is on Snowden River Parkway, which makes it easy for a lot of Columbia, Ellicott City, and Savage-area families.
The current menu is broad in the classic way: tandoor dishes, vegetarian dishes, chicken, lamb, seafood, biryani, breads, desserts, and a combination dinner for two. That makes Chutney useful when your group includes people who know exactly what they want and people who are still in the “I think I like butter chicken?” stage.
Good for: reliable Columbia dinners, takeout nights, mixed-experience groups, and a table that wants the familiar favorites done well.
The Mint Indian Cuisine, Clarksville
The Mint Indian Cuisine in Clarksville is the western Howard County pick I would not skip. It is at 12447 Clarksville Pike, which makes it especially useful for Clarksville, Highland, Dayton, Glenelg, River Hill, and western Columbia.
The current site highlights North Indian classics, Indo-Chinese options, vegetarian dishes, halal choices, takeout, delivery, reservations, catering, and private dining. That is a lot of practical range. It can be a sit-down dinner, a takeout plan, a buffet-style lunch mood, or a place to bring someone who wants choices beyond one curry and naan.
Good for: Clarksville dinners, groups with different spice tolerances, private dining, and anyone who wants a newer-feeling Indian restaurant west of Columbia.
More Howard County Indian restaurants worth knowing
Clove & Cardamom, Columbia
Clove & Cardamom is a useful Merriweather District-area addition because it does not sit neatly in one box. The official site lists breakfast, lunch, dinner, buffet, dine-in, delivery, takeout, reservations, catering, outdoor seating, and a fireplace, which is a surprisingly long list of reasons it could work for different kinds of plans.
The menu range is also broader than a standard curry-and-naan stop. Along with familiar dishes like butter chicken, dal makhani, tikka masala, biryani, garlic naan, and palak paneer, the restaurant calls out vegan food, momos, dosa, street tacos, wings, and a few comfort-food/fusion directions. That makes it a good choice near Columbia’s lakefront and Merriweather area when the group wants Indian food but not everyone wants the exact same kind of Indian food.
Good for: Merriweather District plans, mixed groups, breakfast or buffet curiosity, vegan options, and a Columbia meal that can lean traditional or a little playful.
Ananda, Fulton
Ananda in Maple Lawn is more of an elevated dinner than a quick takeout stop. The current site describes it as “Elevated Indian Cuisine,” and the restaurant notes its nearby Ananda Farm, including eggs from chickens and ducks raised close to the restaurant.
I would think of Ananda as a slower evening choice. It is the place to consider when the setting matters and you want dinner to feel calm, polished, and a little removed from the strip-mall rhythm of everyday errands.
Good for: Maple Lawn date nights, special dinners, visiting family, and people who like a restaurant with a clear sense of place.
Mango Grove, Columbia
Mango Grove is one of the most useful Columbia choices when vegetarian or vegan options matter. The current site calls out vegetarian, vegan, and non-vegetarian choices, plus dosa platters, lunch boxes, buffet selections, Indo-Chinese dishes, catering, takeout, and delivery.
This is a good restaurant to keep in your back pocket when the table has different needs. Someone can order a dosa, someone can get butter chicken, someone can stay vegan, and nobody has to pretend a side dish is dinner.
Good for: vegetarian meals, dosa cravings, lunch, family takeout, and groups where “something for everyone” actually matters.
Curry & Kabob, Columbia
Curry & Kabob in the Hickory Ridge area is useful because it includes both Indian and Nepalese food. That means you can go in the direction of familiar Indian dishes, or you can make the night about momos and Himalayan flavors.
The official site lists dine-in, takeaway, and no-contact delivery. That flexibility matters. Some nights Indian food is a reservation. Some nights it is dinner that needs to appear before everyone gets too hungry to make decisions.
Good for: momos, casual dinner, takeout, delivery, and a slightly different path than the usual tikka masala order.
House of India, Columbia
House of India is a Columbia standby on Snowden River Parkway. The restaurant’s current site describes it as an award-winning Indian restaurant in the heart of Columbia, with classic dishes, a traditional dining feel, and a menu that includes items like aloo gobhi, palak paneer, mango lassi, masala tea, kulfi, rasmalai, and gulab jamun.
If your brain associates Indian food with buffet lunches, naan, rice, and trying three things you did not plan to try, House of India belongs on the list.
Good for: Columbia buffet energy, classic Indian comfort food, lunch, and people who like a familiar local institution.
The Mint Room, Ellicott City and Glenelg
The Mint Room has Howard County-area locations in Ellicott City and Glenelg, which makes it convenient for people who are not always Columbia-centered. The current site describes the restaurant as Indian fine dining and highlights curries, biryanis, tandoori dishes, and a daily lunch buffet.
This is a good one to compare when you are choosing between a casual curry night and a more polished meal. It also helps that the locations spread the map a bit, since “Howard County” can mean very different drives depending on where you start.
Good for: Ellicott City, Glenelg, lunch buffet, family dinners, and a slightly more polished Indian meal.
Paradise Indian Cuisine, Ellicott City
Paradise Indian Cuisine in Ellicott City is another useful name, especially for pickup, delivery, and catering. The official site says it was formerly Indiclub and describes the restaurant as modern Indian dining with appetizers and entrees meant to share.
The sharing angle is helpful. Indian food is often better when the table agrees to stop guarding individual plates like legal documents and lets everyone try a little of everything.
Good for: Ellicott City takeout, shared meals, catering, and a modern Indian option outside Columbia.
Worth the drive: Mama Tigre in Oakton, Virginia
If you like Indian flavors but want something less expected, Mama Tigre in Oakton, Virginia is the one I would put on the “food people who do not mind driving” list. It is not in Howard County, and it is not a standard Indian restaurant. The restaurant describes itself as Mexican comfort cuisine infused with spices inspired by India.
That is exactly why it is interesting. This is the kind of place to save for a friend who always says, “Let’s go somewhere different,” and actually means it.
Good for: food-adventure friends, Northern Virginia day trips, fusion fans, and people who want tacos, spice, and curiosity in the same dinner.
How I would choose
- If you want the safest celebration pick: Royal Taj.
- If you want a familiar Columbia dinner: Chutney.
- If you live west of Columbia: The Mint Indian Cuisine in Clarksville.
- If you want Indian food near Merriweather: Clove & Cardamom.
- If vegetarian or vegan choices matter: Mango Grove.
- If you want a more elevated Maple Lawn dinner: Ananda.
- If you want momos or casual delivery: Curry & Kabob.
- If you want buffet-style comfort: House of India or The Mint Room.
- If you want a food-person road trip: Mama Tigre.
Make it a bigger plan
If dinner is only part of the plan, Indian food pairs nicely with a few other RingJing guides:
- Best Brunch in Howard County
- Kid-Friendly Restaurants in Howard County
- Hot Pot Places in Howard County
- Best Bubble Tea Places in Howard County
- Events Calendar for Adults
- Date Night Ideas Near Howard County
A few practical notes before you go
Indian restaurants can change buffet schedules, hours, reservation rules, and delivery coverage faster than people expect. Check the official site before you go, especially for Royal Taj reservations, buffet timing, holiday hours, catering, and whether a particular lunch special is available that day.
Also, if you are ordering for a group, ask about spice level instead of guessing. “Medium” does not mean the same thing everywhere, and there is no award for pretending you are fine while quietly regretting every life choice.
FAQ
What is the best Indian restaurant in Howard County for a special occasion?
Royal Taj in Columbia is the first special-occasion pick in this guide because it combines a polished dining room, reservation-oriented service, and a meal that feels more elevated than a casual takeout night. Ananda in Fulton is another strong choice when you want a calmer, more refined dinner.
Where should I go for Indian food in Columbia?
Royal Taj, Chutney, Mango Grove, House of India, and Curry & Kabob are all useful Columbia-area choices, but they fit different moods. Royal Taj is the polished pick, Chutney is a comfortable classic, Mango Grove is strong for vegetarian and vegan flexibility, House of India is a familiar standby, and Curry & Kabob adds Nepalese dishes like momos.
Is there good Indian food near Clarksville?
Yes. The Mint Indian Cuisine in Clarksville is the main pick here for western Howard County. It offers dine-in, takeout, delivery, reservations, catering, vegetarian choices, halal options, and Indo-Chinese dishes.
What Indian restaurant is good for vegetarian or vegan diners?
Mango Grove in Columbia is one of the easiest places to consider for vegetarian and vegan diners because the current menu explicitly includes vegetarian and vegan entrees, dosa platters, lunch boxes, and a wide range of non-vegetarian dishes for mixed groups.
What is a fun Indian-adjacent restaurant worth driving to?
Mama Tigre in Oakton, Virginia is worth considering if you like Indian spices but want something different from a standard Indian restaurant. It blends Mexican comfort food with Indian-inspired spices, so it works best as a food-adventure outing rather than a traditional curry-night plan.