New Indian Restaurants in Ellicott City (July 2026)

TL;DR

• 🍛 Ellicott City and Howard County host a growing set of Indian and Desi restaurants spanning multiple regional cuisines and dining formats.
• 📍 Spots are spread across the county and into Baltimore — use the addresses provided to plan your route before heading out.
• 🌶️ Samosa Supreme and India Garden are the most accessible starting points, with confirmed hours and reliable schedules.
• 🕐 Hours vary widely across these restaurants, and not all of them publish complete or up-to-date schedules.
• 🗺️ The South Asian dining ecosystem here extends to Nepalese cooking at Mount Everest Restaurant and Halal Chinese at Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food.

Ellicott City's Indian and Desi Restaurant Scene

Howard County, Maryland, has one of the more active South Asian diaspora communities in the Mid-Atlantic region, and the Indian and Desi dining landscape reflects that. Ellicott City serves as the county seat and as a cultural anchor for much of the community's social and commercial activity. The restaurant options across the area now span a wide range of regional South Asian cuisines — from North Indian tandoor cooking to South Indian specialties, Nepalese dishes, and Halal Chinese food that bridges the culinary traditions many in the South Asian diaspora grew up eating.

This guide covers the current Indian and Desi restaurant options in and around Ellicott City as of July 2026. Not all of these are brand-new openings — some have been operating for several years — but this is an updated look at what is currently available, where each one is located, and what to know before making the trip.

The Restaurants: What's Open and Where

Samosa Supreme — 14207 Old Annapolis Road

Samosa Supreme operates on a focused schedule: Thursday through Saturday, 11am to 9pm, and Sunday, 11am to 6pm. The name signals the menu's emphasis clearly, and this spot has become a consistent destination for the Indian-American community in the area seeking a quick snack or takeout run. Contact: +1 240-929-4403 or info@samosasupreme.com.

India Garden — 5 Bel Air South Parkway

India Garden at 5 Bel Air South Parkway runs a reliable lunch service daily — Monday through Sunday, 11:30am to 2:30pm. Phone: +1-443-456-3282. The consistent midday hours make it one of the more dependable options in the area for a sit-down Desi meal. Dinner hours were not confirmed in current listings.

Royal Taj — 8335 Benson Drive

Royal Taj at 8335 Benson Drive covers the tandoor-focused North Indian format that many in the Indian-American community expect from a full-service restaurant — curries, breads, and rice dishes anchoring the menu. Current hours were not available in listings at the time of writing, so a phone call before visiting is the right approach.

Chopathi — 1741 Dorsey Road

Chopathi at 1741 Dorsey Road leans South Indian in its menu orientation, which gives it a distinct position among the Indian and Desi restaurants in Howard County. South Indian cuisine — built around fermented rice batters, lentil-based soups, and coconut-forward flavors — fills a gap that many diaspora diners actively seek out alongside the more common North Indian menus. Phone: +1-443-620-3535.

Basmati Indian Restaurant — 2444 Solomons Island Road

The name Basmati Indian Restaurant points directly to a rice-centric menu approach. Located on Solomons Island Road, this spot sits slightly south of the Ellicott City center, near the Annapolis Road corridor. Phone: +14102666533. A practical option for the Indian-American community in that stretch of Howard County.

Swagat Indian Restaurant — 10400 Shaker Drive

Swagat Indian Restaurant at 10400 Shaker Drive has served the Desi community in the area with a broad Indian menu. No phone or hours were available in current listings — confirming before visiting is advisable.

Tamarind — 8405 Richmond Highway

Tamarind at 8405 Richmond Highway takes its name from one of South Asian cooking's most characteristic ingredients — the souring agent that appears across chutneys, rasam, and certain North Indian curries. The Richmond Highway address may place this one at some distance from the Ellicott City center, so confirm the route before heading out.

Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food — 3493 Laurel Fort Meade Road

Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food at 3493 Laurel Fort Meade Road serves the intersection of Halal Chinese cooking and South Asian food culture. Halal Chinese restaurants have deep roots in Pakistani and Indian Muslim communities, and this spot fills that specific niche for the Desi diaspora in the Howard County area.

Harbor Tandoor — 803 South Caroline Street

Harbor Tandoor at 803 South Caroline Street (phone: +1410-624-7925) brings tandoor cooking to what appears to be a Baltimore address — South Caroline Street is in the Fells Point neighborhood. If you are making a trip from Howard County specifically for this restaurant, confirm the location before heading out.

Mount Everest Restaurant — 1011 West 36th Street

Mount Everest Restaurant at 1011 West 36th Street (+1-410-366-1163) serves Nepalese cuisine from Baltimore's Hampden neighborhood. Nepalese and North Indian cooking share significant flavor overlaps — in ingredients, preparation methods, and base spice profiles — and Mount Everest Restaurant is a regular destination for many in the Indian-American community from across the metro. This one requires a drive from Howard County.

Insider Tip: For a practical two-stop Desi food outing in the area, pair lunch at India Garden — which runs a consistent daily midday schedule — with a snack or takeout pickup at Samosa Supreme on a Thursday through Saturday. The combination covers a sit-down meal and a street-food-style takeout experience without much back-and-forth driving.

Planning Your Visit

The geographic spread of these restaurants is the most important logistical factor. Several spots on this list — Harbor Tandoor and Mount Everest Restaurant — are in Baltimore, not Howard County. Others like Basmati Indian Restaurant on Solomons Island Road and Swagat Indian Restaurant on Shaker Drive are within the county but at varying distances from the Ellicott City center.

For Indian-American families and individuals in the area, the most practical approach is to identify the one or two restaurants closest to your home or regular commute route and build those into a regular rotation, then explore the rest over time. India Garden's confirmed lunch hours and Samosa Supreme's reliable Thursday through Sunday schedule make both good anchors for starting that rotation.

Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food deserves specific mention for households looking for a cross-cultural meal — the Halal Chinese format resonates with a specific segment of the South Asian diaspora community in ways that purely Indian menus do not, and the Laurel Fort Meade Road location is reasonably accessible from multiple parts of Howard County.

FAQ

Which of these restaurants have confirmed hours? India Garden (Monday through Sunday, 11:30am–2:30pm for lunch) and Samosa Supreme (Thursday–Saturday 11am–9pm, Sunday 11am–6pm) have confirmed hours. All others should be verified by phone before visiting.

Are vegetarian options available? Indian cuisine broadly includes strong vegetarian sections. Chopathi, India Garden, and Basmati Indian Restaurant are all likely to have multiple vegetarian choices. Confirm specifics with the restaurant directly.

Is Halal food available at these restaurants? Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food explicitly labels itself as Halal. For other restaurants on this list, contact them directly to confirm.

How far are these restaurants from central Ellicott City? Several — including Harbor Tandoor and Mount Everest Restaurant — are in Baltimore, not Howard County. Others are distributed across different parts of the county. Use the addresses to plan your route.

Can I order takeout from these spots? Samosa Supreme is particularly well-suited for takeout given its snack-focused menu format. Most Indian restaurants in the area accommodate takeout; calling ahead to confirm is a good habit.

Bottom Line

The Indian and Desi restaurant landscape in and around Ellicott City covers meaningful ground. Chopathi brings South Indian cooking to the county; India Garden offers a consistent lunch service; Samosa Supreme provides a reliable snack and takeout option; and Basmati Indian Restaurant, Swagat Indian Restaurant, Royal Taj, and Tamarind round out the North Indian spectrum. Mandarin Express, Halal Chinese Food and Mount Everest Restaurant extend the South Asian dining ecosystem into Halal Chinese and Nepalese territory. Use the addresses provided, confirm hours before heading out, and work through this list over time — Howard County's Indian and Desi dining scene has more range than its size might suggest.