Indian Vegetarian Food in Bangkok

If you are looking for a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Bangkok, start here. India invented vegetarian cooking, and over 50 vegetarian dishes on our menu are built around fresh paneer, slow-cooked dals, vegetable curries, breads from a charcoal tandoor, and aromatic biryanis. Vegan and Jain options on request. One honest note for pure-veg and Jain diners: we are not a pure-veg restaurant — the same kitchen cooks halal chicken and goat — but nothing in the vegetarian section contains meat at any step. At BHARAT Flavours Of India in Huai Khwang, Bangkok, open 9 AM to 11:30 PM, every day, currently 4.8 on Google across 164 reviews.

The vegetarian section sits inside a wider North Indian menu, and every dish below is cooked in the same halal-friendly, pork-free kitchen described on our halal page.

Why Indian cooking takes vegetarian food seriously

India has the largest vegetarian population on earth — about 30% of the country eats no meat at all. The cuisine evolved around that: vegetarian dishes are not afterthoughts or substitutions, they are the main event. Lentils, paneer (fresh cheese), seasonal greens, root vegetables, gourds, and yogurt are combined with the same depth of spicing and slow cooking as meat dishes. The result is vegetarian food that doesn't feel like restriction — it feels like abundance.

Our vegetarian menu — by category

Paneer dishes

We cook with fresh paneer, cubed and added at the end of the gravy rather than boiled through a whole service — that is what keeps it soft instead of squeaky. All eleven paneer curries are on the veg main course and more detail on each of them on our best paneer in Bangkok page.

• Paneer Butter Masala — our makhani gravy with fresh paneer cubes. Our #1 vegetarian dish.
• Palak Paneer — fresh spinach pureed with garlic and ghee, folded with paneer cubes.
• Shahi Paneer — Mughlai-style mild and rich, cashew-yogurt gravy.
• Kadai Paneer — drier, more robust, with bell peppers and tomato.
• Paneer Lababdar — tomato-and-cashew gravy, smoother and a shade sweeter than the makhani.
• Paneer Tikka Masala — tandoor-charred cubes finished in a masala gravy.
• Paneer Makhni Wala — the butter-and-tomato treatment, cooked down longer.
• Paneer Do Pyaza — onion twice over: cooked into the base, then again in petals at the end.
• Paneer Masala — the everyday onion-tomato masala, the least rich of the eleven.
• Matar Paneer — green peas and paneer in mild tomato-onion gravy.
• Paneer Bhurji — scrambled paneer with onion, tomato, green chilis.

Dals (slow-cooked, comforting)

• Dal Makhani — slow-cooked overnight, black urad and kidney beans with butter and cream. The iconic Punjabi dal.
• Dal Tadka — yellow lentils with tempered cumin, garlic, and dried red chili.
• Dal Fry — the everyday yellow dal, lighter than the tadka.
• Chana Masala — chickpeas in spiced tomato-onion gravy.
• Rajma Masala — kidney beans in Punjabi-style gravy.
• Punjabi Kadhi — yogurt and gram flour simmered down, with gram-flour dumplings.

Vegetable curries

• Aloo Gobhi — potato and cauliflower with turmeric, cumin, and tomato.
• Bhindi Masala — okra sautéed dry with onion, tomato, and spice.
• Baingan Ka Bharta — fire-roasted eggplant, mashed with garlic, ginger, tomato.
• Mix Veg — seasonal vegetables in mild gravy.
• Malai Kofta — paneer-and-vegetable dumplings in creamy gravy.
• Aloo Matar — potato and green peas in a light tomato-onion gravy.
• Bhindi Channa — okra cooked with chickpeas.
• Mushroom Masala and Matar Mushroom — mushrooms in spiced gravy, the second with green peas.
• Veg Hyderabadi — mixed vegetables in a richer, southern-style gravy.

Breads (from real charcoal tandoor)

• Plain Naan, Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Stuffed Naan, Cheese Stuffed Naan
• Tandoori Roti, Tandoori Roti Butter, Tawa Roti, Tawa Roti Butter
• Laccha Paratha, Plain Paratha, Aloo Paratha, Paneer Paratha, Gobhi Paratha, Onion Paratha, Mix Paratha, Cheese Paratha
• Aloo Kulcha, Onion Kulcha, Paneer Kulcha, Stuffed Kulcha

Rice & biryani (vegetarian)

• Veg Biryani — mixed vegetables, paneer, cashew, raisins, dum-cooked. More about our biryani →
• Shahi Pulao — the richer pulao, cooked with nuts.
• Veg Pulao — spiced rice cooked with vegetables.
• Jeera Rice and Steamed Rice — the plain sides for a table of curries.

Egg Biryani is on the same Rice & Biryani section of the menu, but it contains egg — we count it as non-vegetarian, and it is not suitable for Jain or pure-veg diners.

Starters & snacks

• Paneer Tikka, Paneer Malai Tikka, Pudina Paneer Tikka, Achari Paneer Tikka, Paneer Multani Tikka, Paneer Pahadi Tikka, Paneer 65
• Tandoori Gobhi, Tandoori Mushroom, Stuffed Mushroom Tikka
• Hara Bhara Kabab (spinach-and-potato kebab), Veg Seekh Kabab, Veg Cutlet
• Mix Pakoda, Paneer Pakoda, Spring Roll, Masala Papad
• Mini Samosa with Chole, Big Samosa with Chole, Pani Puri

Vegan options at BHARAT

Many of our dishes can be prepared vegan on request — tell your server when ordering. The kitchen substitutes:

• Ghee → oil in dals, vegetable curries, and tempering.
• Butter → oil in makhani-style gravies (the dish is less rich but still authentic).
• Cream → coconut cream or simply omitted in most curries.
• Naan → roti (most naans use yogurt and butter, roti is whole wheat and water only).

We do not stock tofu, so paneer is not swapped out — the vegan dishes here are built on lentils, chickpeas and vegetables instead. Naturally vegan, with no substitution needed: Dal Tadka, Chana Masala, Rajma Masala, Aloo Gobhi, Bhindi Masala, Baingan Ka Bharta, Veg Pulao, Tandoori Roti, Papad.

Jain options (no onion, no garlic)

For Jain diners, most curries can be prepared without onion and garlic — tell your server when ordering. The kitchen will rebuild the base with tomato and spices only. Dishes the kitchen can rebuild Jain-style on request: Dal Tadka, Dal Fry, Chana Masala, Bhindi Masala, Mix Veg and Punjabi Kadhi — all cooked without onion or garlic. Root vegetables (potato, onion, garlic) are avoided per strict Jain practice; substitutes are seasonal vegetables and paneer.

Halal-friendly — and the vegetarian dishes stay meat-free

Nothing in the vegetarian section contains meat at any step, and there is no pork and no alcohol anywhere in the kitchen. To be straight with you: beer and wine are served at the table in the dining room, dine-in only, and they are kept away from the kitchen entirely. We are halal-friendly rather than CICOT-certified, and we would rather say that plainly than imply a certificate we do not hold. The vegetarian menu works well for:

• Mixed groups where some diners are Muslim and want halal assurance.
• Indian Muslim diners who eat vegetarian by choice on certain days.
• Halal-conscious GCC travelers who want pure-veg meals.

How the sourcing and the kitchen actually work is set out in full on our halal page.

What to order on your first visit (vegetarian)

For a table of 2-3 first-time vegetarian diners, the highest-hit-rate combination:

• One starter — Paneer Tikka or Hara Bhara Kabab.
• One signature curry — Paneer Butter Masala (most popular) or Shahi Paneer.
• One iconic dal — Dal Makhani, slow-cooked overnight.
• One vegetable curry — Palak Paneer or Bhindi Masala.
• Breads — Butter Naan + Garlic Naan from the tandoor.
• Rice — Jeera Rice for simplicity, or a Veg Biryani if someone wants a one-plate meal.

Expect ฿250-400 per person for a sit-down vegetarian dinner.

Where we are

BHARAT is at 2055 New Phetchaburi Road, Bang Kapi, Huai Khwang, Bangkok 10310 — a 2-minute walk from Grand Mercure Bangkok Atrium. Open 9 AM to 11:30 PM, every day, and you can book a table on the reservations page or call +66 97 923 7281. The whole vegetarian section is also available for delivery: GrabFood and LINE MAN for smaller orders, and direct WhatsApp orders over ฿1,000 delivered anywhere in Bangkok.

Paneer tikka, tandoori gobhi and tandoori mushroom come off the same charcoal oven as the meat, which is explained on the tandoori page; the cooking throughout is Punjabi rather than pan-Indian.

Frequently asked

Is BHARAT a pure-vegetarian restaurant?

No — we serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, so this is not a pure-veg kitchen. Vegetarian dishes are cooked in separate pans, on separate burners from the meat section, and there is no pork on the premises. If full physical separation is essential to you, say so when you reserve and we will tell you honestly what we can and cannot guarantee.

How many vegetarian dishes do you actually serve?

Over 50 — eleven paneer curries plus seven paneer starters, three dals (Dal Fry, Dal Tadka, Dal Makhani) alongside Chana Masala, Rajma Masala and Punjabi Kadhi, ten vegetable curries, tandoor and fried starters, biryanis and pulaos, plus twenty-one breads. Indian cooking takes vegetarian food seriously (about 30% of India eats no meat at all) and our menu reflects that — vegetarian is the main event here, not a side option.

Is the vegetarian section halal?

We are halal-friendly, not CICOT-certified, and no meat is involved in any step of vegetarian prep — no pork on the premises and no alcohol in the cooking. That makes the vegetarian menu a straightforward choice for mixed-group dining where some at the table are Muslim and others are vegetarian. The sourcing and the kitchen are described in full on our halal page.

Do you have vegan-specific dishes?

Many of our dishes are vegan or can be made vegan on request. We don't have a separate vegan menu — easier is to tell your server "vegan, no dairy" when ordering and the kitchen substitutes appropriately (ghee → oil, butter → oil, cream → coconut cream or omitted, naan → roti). Naturally vegan with no substitution needed: Dal Tadka, Chana Masala, Rajma Masala, Aloo Gobhi, Bhindi Masala, Baingan Ka Bharta, Veg Pulao, Tandoori Roti, Papad.

Can you do Jain meals?

Yes — most curries can be prepared without onion and garlic. Tell your server "Jain" when ordering and the kitchen rebuilds the base. Note that strict Jain practice avoids root vegetables (potato, onion, garlic, carrot) entirely; we substitute with seasonal greens, paneer, and tomato.

Is the paneer fresh?

Yes — we buy fresh paneer in and use it the same day rather than working from frozen blocks. What matters just as much is the cooking: the cubes go into the gravy at the end, not at the start, so they heat through and take on the masala instead of tightening and going squeaky. If a paneer dish arrives rubbery anywhere, that is usually the reason.

Are your vegetarian breads cooked in a real tandoor?

Yes — Plain Naan, Butter Naan, Garlic Naan, Cheese Stuffed Naan, Tandoori Roti, Laccha Paratha, Aloo Paratha and Paneer Paratha all come off our real charcoal-fired tandoor at around 480 °C. The contact char on the top and the crisp edge on the bottom are signs of a real tandoor; gas tandoors cannot replicate them.

Is the food spicy?

Default is mild-to-medium. Tell your server "mild" or "spicy" when ordering — the chef adjusts the chili content. Vegetarian Indian food can be made as mild as buttery dal or as spicy as fiery vindaloo; we cover the range.