An Indian Restaurant in Every Square

Last night, Me, E and our good friend decided to go get Indian for dinner. Of course this started the conversation of which Indian restaurant to go to.

I'm a big fan of saying that there's an Indian restaurant in every square in Cambridge and in most of them in Boston and Somerville. That said, not all of them are equal and some are better for one dish or atmosphere, etc. Following is my go-to list of Indian places with a couple brief comments about each. They're in order from cheapest to most expensive. Click on the name of the restaurant to go to their website.

Punjabi Dhaba - Great food, more authentic and more variety on their menu than most, and cheap. I highly recommend the chaat. Be warned though, they are cash only (ATM is across the street), they don't serve alcohol, and it's mostly a takeout place with a few tables upstairs.

Dosa Factory - The latest name for the place in the back of Shalimar. Another mostly takeout place with a few tables, they do take cards but they dont serve alcohol. They not only have very good dosa, they also have kathi rolls (ask for them without the rice), and pretty often have goat of some sort - yum!

Passage to India - I started eating at this place when I lived in Porter Sq in high school. They've remodeled the dining room since then but the owners are the same and they serve the same great food for really reasonable prices. This is a sit down restaurant, they serve liquor, and it's a mostly casual atmosphere, and there's parking in the back if you need it. Try the Lamb kebab, under the "healthy grilled" section of the menu- it's served on a sizzling plate and cooked perfectly.

Diva - Atmosphere here is second only to the food. You want to take your date here, and if you're lucky you can sit outside with a hookah in nice weather. Their drinks are great here, the standard Indian menu is perfectly cooked (be sure to tell them how spicy you want it), and as an extra bonus, the Indian style tapas are inventive and yummy.

Kashmir - Owned by the same group (One World Cuisine) as Diva, this is another place to take a date, and on Newbury, lots of outdoor seating lets you people watch. Everything on the menu is good, I honestly have never had a bad dish here. Be sure to order the naan, it's really good, particularly the Peshwari and Keema.