Indian Restaurants Inverness: Where to Eat Curry

Why Inverness is a curry town

Inverness is compact enough that an Indian dinner fits neatly around travel. Rajah's own directions put it one minute from the bus station, two from the train station and three from Eastgate Shopping Centre, which makes it unusually practical for a meal squeezed between a bus connection and a booked train. Qissa's Academy Street address is a short walk from the same cluster of streets on the east side of the River Ness.

That proximity matters more here than in a bigger city, because Highland travel plans tend to hinge on one departure. A curry before an evening train or after a long day out is realistic when the kitchen is five minutes from the platform, and much less so when it needs a detour. If you want a wider spread of dinner options first, the Best Restaurants in Inverness guide covers the rest of the centre.

The other thing to plan around is timing. These are evening kitchens, not lunch stops, so a midday curry is not the plan here; save it for dinner and use the daytime for the rest of the city. The What to Eat in Inverness guide covers what else the city does well at other hours, from breakfast onwards.

Rajah, Post Office Avenue: the safe bet for a classic curry

Rajah describes itself as the longest established Indian restaurant in the Highlands, trading since 1982, and it sits at 2 Post Office Avenue, IV1 1DN. That makes it the default for anyone who wants the familiar rhythm of a British-Indian curry house: poppadoms, a starter, a main with rice or naan, and no surprises. It is the choice when the group includes cautious eaters or when you simply want a dependable dinner close to the station.

It opens every day from 3pm through to 10pm, which is the detail that shapes your evening. An early table suits a pre-train meal, while a later booking works after a day out. Verify the current times and whether a table is free on one of the numbers published on its site (01463 237190 or 01463 711525) before you build a travel plan around it.

On the menu, ask the kitchen what it does best rather than ordering by heat. The hottest dish on a classic menu is rarely the most interesting one, and a kitchen that has cooked the same style for decades usually has a house speciality worth hearing about. Pair a main with a bread rather than doubling up on rice if you want room for a starter.

Qissa, Academy Street: Southern Indian cooking in the Highlands

Qissa is the different one. Its site describes a family-led Southern Indian restaurant at 110 Academy Street, IV1 1LX, built on the spice heritage of southern India, with dosas, curries, biryanis and a mix of vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes. Named specialities include masala dosa, a crisp golden dosa filled with spiced potato masala, and fish molee, a coastal dish cooked in coconut milk with ginger and curry leaves.

Its hours are the practical catch: Tuesday to Thursday 4pm to 10pm, Friday to Sunday 4pm to 10.30pm, and closed on Mondays. So Monday is out, and lunch is out every day. A Friday or Saturday evening is worth booking ahead rather than walking in, especially with a group.

Bookings can be made by phone or WhatsApp, and the restaurant publishes both numbers on its site, so a table can often be sorted the same day. If you are travelling with someone who eats mostly meat or mostly vegetables, the menu's split between the two makes Qissa the easier table to please.

How to choose between the two

Pick Rajah if you want a classic curry house, an early table and a location measured in one-minute walks from the bus station. It is also the practical choice when you want dinner on a Monday, since Qissa is shut, or when the plan is a straightforward main after a long journey.

Pick Qissa if the point of the meal is the food itself: dosas, biryani and fish molee rather than a standard menu, in a small family-run room. It suits a weekend evening or a relaxed night out, and it rewards ordering across the menu rather than sticking to one familiar dish.

On price, neither restaurant publishes its prices here, so check the current menus before committing; both are central, evening restaurants rather than budget takeaways. If a cheaper, quicker curry is what you actually want, look at the cheap eats Inverness guide before booking a table.

What to order at each

At Qissa, start with a dosa if you want a lighter meal: masala dosa is a substantial, crisp shell around spiced potato, which makes it a meal for one rather than a side. Move to biryani if there are several of you and you want a shared centrepiece with a bit of theatre. Fish molee is the pick if you want something coastal, mild and coconut-rich rather than heat-led.

There are vegetarian options and a small selection of starters, including pzhampori, a banana fritter-style starter in sweet batter, if you want to begin with something fried and light. Order one dosa between two as a shared starter if you are both having a main, and you get the best of both.

At Rajah, the honest approach is to ask rather than guess. A long-running curry house with a broad menu will have dishes it cooks better than others, and the staff can point you at them faster than any list can. Order a bread alongside rather than a second rice if you want room for a starter.

Other Indian kitchens worth knowing

If both are full, there are more Indian options in the city. Saffron Indian Restaurant, Love Dosa and Sam's Indian all appear among Inverness Indian restaurants with delivery, so they are worth a look when you need a table or a takeaway at short notice.

These are backups rather than alternatives on equal footing: the addresses, hours and dishes vary, and it is worth confirming each one's current details directly before making a trip. That is especially true on a Monday, when Qissa is closed and demand for the remaining tables rises.

Practical notes before you book

Both of the main options are evening kitchens, so plan curry for dinner and lunch elsewhere. Qissa closes on Mondays, so a Monday in Inverness means Rajah or one of the further options. Book by phone or WhatsApp for weekend evenings at Qissa, and call Rajah's published number if you want a specific time near a train.

If you are fitting the meal around a journey, allow time to eat rather than treating the restaurant as a waiting room. A starter, a main and a drink comfortably fill an hour and a half in a small room on a busy night, so a train at the other end of the evening should dictate your booking time, not the other way round.

Which Indian restaurant in Inverness should you book?

Book Rajah for a classic curry house dinner near the stations, open every day from 3pm, and book Qissa for dosas, biryani and fish molee on Academy Street from 4pm, Tuesday to Sunday. Saturday evenings deserve a call or WhatsApp ahead. Both are evening kitchens, so sort lunch separately and keep Monday in mind.