Quick answer
Pattaya has dozens of Indian restaurants in four clusters: Central Pattaya Road, Second Road opposite the Central Pattaya mall, Beach Road around Soi 13, and the lanes at the Walking Street end of South Pattaya. Pure vegetarian kitchens with Jain food sit on Central Pattaya Road. A vegetarian thali costs 180 to 300 THB in an everyday restaurant and 750 THB in the city's formal Indian dining room, and most kitchens serve from late morning until 23:00 or midnight.
Indian visitors are one of the largest groups of travellers in Pattaya, and the city feeds them accordingly: Punjabi tandoor houses, South Indian dosa counters, Gujarati and Jain thali kitchens and a handful of formal dining rooms. Almost all of them stand in the flat central grid between the beach and Third Road, from Central Pattaya Road in the north to the Walking Street end of South Pattaya, so wherever you stay in the centre a familiar meal is a short walk or one baht bus ride away.
Where are the Indian restaurants in Pattaya?
They form four clusters in the centre, plus single addresses in Jomtien, Naklua and on Thappraya Road.
- Central Pattaya Road (Pattaya Klang), between Second Road and Soi Buakhao: the densest strip, with more than a dozen restaurants on both sides of the road, including the main pure vegetarian and Jain kitchens.
- Second Road opposite the Central Pattaya mall: a row of North and South Indian restaurants with street-side tables, convenient after shopping or the beach.
- Beach Road and Second Road around Soi 13 and the Pattayaland sois: tandoori and curry houses used by the hotels of this stretch.
- South Pattaya, in the lanes between Walking Street and Second Road around Pattaya Soi 16: a cluster mixing Indian, Pakistani and Arabic kitchens.
If eating Indian food daily matters to you, book a hotel within walking distance of one of these strips. The Central Pattaya area guide explains the street grid and which blocks are quiet at night.
Where do you find pure vegetarian and Jain food?
Central Pattaya Road is the address. Two long-established pure vegetarian restaurants stand close together just east of Second Road, on the 300 block of the road, signed as 100% pure veg with Jain food. They serve North and South Indian thalis, dosa and idli, and cook no meat and no fish.
For Jain meals, say so when you order: the kitchen then cooks without onion, garlic, potato and other root vegetables, and most gravies can be prepared this way on request. Vegans should ask for no ghee, butter, paneer or curd, since dairy is used freely and vegan dishes are not always marked. Outside these two, most Indian restaurants in town are mixed kitchens with a long vegetarian page; strict vegetarians should ask whether separate utensils and oil are used.
What does an Indian meal cost in Pattaya?
Everyday Indian restaurants in Pattaya charge more than a Thai street stall and less than a hotel restaurant. A vegetarian thali is the best-value order; tandoori and meat dishes sit higher. The first two rows below reflect the pure vegetarian restaurants of Central Pattaya Road, the others the posted menu of Indian by Nature, the city's formal Indian dining room.
| Dish | Where | Price (THB) |
|---|---|---|
| Vegetarian thali | Everyday pure vegetarian restaurant | 180 to 300 |
| Vegetarian curry, dal or dosa | Everyday pure vegetarian restaurant | 130 to 160 |
| Vegetarian or non-vegetarian thali | Indian by Nature | 750 |
| Vegetarian curry or dal | Indian by Nature | 220 to 300 |
| Chicken curry | Indian by Nature | 300 to 390 |
| Tandoori chicken | Indian by Nature | 350 half, 650 whole |
| Tikka and kebabs | Indian by Nature | 320 to 590 |
| Biryani | Indian by Nature | 290 to 490 |
| Roti, naan and other breads | Indian by Nature | 50 to 160 |
Two habits keep the bill predictable. Check whether the menu prices include VAT, and check the price of bottled water and soft drinks before ordering, because they are where small restaurants make their margin. Portions are generous: two curries, rice and four breads feed three people.
Which restaurant suits a special dinner?
Indian by Nature, in Chateau Dale Plaza at 306/64-68 Thappraya Road between South Pattaya and Jomtien, is the choice for an anniversary or a business dinner. It opens daily from 17:00 to 23:00, evenings only, with a tandoor section, curries from several regions of India and a separate vegetarian selection. Starters run from 90 to 350 THB, tandoori chicken costs 350 THB for a half and 650 THB for a whole bird, a tandoori platter for two is 750 THB and the vegetarian and non-vegetarian thali sets are 750 THB each. Reserve by phone on 038 364 656 or through the restaurant's website for weekend evenings and during Diwali and the December to January high season.
How late do Indian restaurants stay open?
Late enough for dinner after a show or a night market. The neighbourhood restaurants open in the late morning, between 10:00 and 11:00, serve straight through the afternoon and keep cooking until 23:00 or midnight. Breakfast is the weak point: few Indian kitchens are running before 10:00, so plan on the hotel breakfast and ask the hotel in advance for vegetarian dishes. The Grab and LINE MAN food delivery apps cover the centre during the restaurants' opening hours.
What should you expect on the menu and at the table?
- Menus are long and pan-Indian: Punjabi curries and tandoor, South Indian dosa, idli and uttapam, Indo-Chinese noodles and Manchurian, chaat, and a thali of the day.
- Spice is set to Indian taste, not softened for tourists. Ask for mild if you want it.
- Staff speak Hindi and English, and menus are in English, often with photos.
- Many restaurants are simple shophouse rooms open to the street with a few air-conditioned tables inside. Ask for the inside room at midday.
- Payment is cash in most places; larger restaurants accept cards and Thai QR payment.
- Large groups are routine in the bigger restaurants: phone ahead so that tables and a set menu are ready when you arrive.
Can you get Indian food on day trips and at the beach?
On Koh Larn and at the big attractions, choice narrows to Thai food and a few vegetarian plates, so vegetarian and Jain travellers do well to carry a packed meal: order parathas, rice and a dry vegetable dish to take away from a pure vegetarian kitchen the evening before or when it opens. Jomtien has a few Indian restaurants of its own. For Thai dishes that are vegetarian by nature, and for the food courts where you can see every dish before ordering, read what to eat in Pattaya. Halal kitchens, including Indian and Pakistani ones, are covered in the guide to halal and Middle Eastern food in Pattaya, and the ferry and beach details are in the Koh Larn guide.
Frequently asked
- Is Jain food easy to find in Pattaya?
- Yes, in the centre. The pure vegetarian restaurants on Central Pattaya Road advertise Jain food on their signs and cook without onion, garlic or root vegetables on request. Elsewhere in the city Jain food is not a standard option, so travellers staying in Jomtien or Naklua usually eat in the centre or carry a takeaway back from these kitchens.
- Do Indian restaurants in Pattaya serve halal meat?
- Some do and say so on the signboard, particularly the Indian and Pakistani kitchens around Pattaya Soi 16 in South Pattaya, the lane known as Arab Street. Others do not. Look for the word halal on the sign or the certificate of the Central Islamic Council of Thailand on the wall, and ask before ordering if it matters to you.
- Is Indian food in Pattaya more expensive than Thai food?
- Yes, by a clear margin. A Thai one-plate meal at a stall or food court costs 40 to 80 THB, while a vegetarian thali costs 180 to 300 THB and a single vegetarian curry or dosa 130 to 160 THB in an everyday Indian restaurant. Imported spices, basmati rice and paneer explain most of the difference, and a thali is a full meal of several dishes, rice and bread.
