Desi Things to Do in Arlington Heights (September 2026)
TL;DR
- 🍛 Curry NaanStop on East Rand Road is Arlington Heights' go-to Indian restaurant, praised for butter chicken and a popular weekend buffet
- 🌶️ Madurai Kitchen on South Arlington Heights Road brings authentic South Indian cooking — dosas, idlis, and regional specials — to the northwest suburbs
- 🛒 Indian grocery options lie within a short drive in Schaumburg, Hanover Park, and the Devon Avenue belt
- 🛕 BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago in Bartlett runs one of the Midwest's largest Diwali celebrations, just minutes away
- 🎉 Navratri 2026 (Oct 11–20) draws Arlington Heights-area Indian families to Garba events across Cook and DuPage counties
Arlington Heights and the Northwest Suburbs' Indian Community
Arlington Heights is the largest village in Cook County and a hub of the northwest Chicago suburbs. Its Indian American community has grown steadily alongside the broader suburban expansion of the Chicago metro's South Asian population, which shifted significantly from Devon Avenue outward into the suburbs from the 1990s onward. Today the northwest suburb belt — taking in Arlington Heights, Schaumburg, Palatine, Rolling Meadows, and Buffalo Grove — contains a substantial Indian American population with its own restaurants, grocery options, and community organizations.
For Indian American families in Arlington Heights specifically, September means the start of the festival season and a city well-served by what the broader northwest suburb belt has built. Local Indian restaurants have become community fixtures, and the drive to major temples and large Navratri events is short enough that Arlington Heights residents are firmly within the orbit of Chicago-area desi life.
Indian Dining in Arlington Heights
Arlington Heights has developed a small but well-regarded Indian restaurant scene of its own.
Curry NaanStop Indian Grill on East Rand Road has built a loyal following since opening. Reviewers consistently praise the butter chicken — described as rich and deeply spiced — alongside fragrant biryanis and fresh-made garlic naan. The restaurant runs a popular weekend buffet, which has become a Sunday ritual for Indian American families across the northwest suburbs. Waits are common during the buffet period, and reservations during peak hours are worth making ahead.
Madurai Kitchen on South Arlington Heights Road specializes in South Indian cuisine, with a menu built around Tamil and Kerala traditions. Dosas, idlis, sambhar, and regional curries fill the menu alongside more contemporary South Indian preparations. For diaspora families who grew up on South Indian home cooking, it offers a rare option outside of Chicago's Devon Avenue corridor or the Indian restaurant clusters in Naperville and Schaumburg.
The northwest suburbs also have a growing number of Indian-inspired options, though Curry NaanStop and Madurai Kitchen remain the clearest anchors for the desi community in Arlington Heights proper.
Insider Tip: Curry NaanStop's weekend buffet is one of the more affordable ways to sample a wide range of North Indian dishes in the northwest suburbs, but it draws a crowd. Arriving when it opens — rather than at peak weekend lunch hour — means you get to the food first and find a seat easily. The buffet rotates dishes, so going twice rarely means eating the same meal.
Indian Grocery Options for Arlington Heights Residents
Arlington Heights does not have an Indian grocery store within the village itself, but several options are within a ten-to-fifteen minute drive.
Patel Brothers in Schaumburg is the nearest location of the country's largest Indian supermarket chain. The Schaumburg store carries the full Patel Brothers range: fresh produce, frozen goods, dairy, spices, flours, lentils, fresh Indian sweets, and packaged South Asian food products. Weekend mornings can be busy enough that parking and aisles both feel crowded, so an early arrival smooths things out.
Patel Brothers in Hanover Park (the chain's national headquarters location) is another nearby option, as is the Devon Avenue corridor in Chicago for families who prefer the density of that corridor's South Asian shopping options.
Temples and Cultural Programming
The BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago in Bartlett is the most prominent Indian temple in the northwest suburb area, located about fifteen minutes from central Arlington Heights. The traditionally constructed mandir hosts one of the most widely attended Diwali celebrations in the Midwest, with tens of thousands of visitors during the festival week. Beyond Diwali, the temple runs regular observances for Holi, Janmashtami, Ganesh Chaturthi, and other major Hindu festivals. The intricately carved exterior is worth seeing even outside festival seasons.
For major Navratri observances, the Hindu Temple of Greater Chicago in Lemont — a southwest suburb — is one of the oldest and most historically significant Hindu temples in the United States, inaugurated in 1986. It hosts nine-day Navratri celebrations and Durga Puja programs that draw families from across the Chicago metro.
The Hindu Swaminarayan Temple & Cultural Center (Haridham Chicago) in Schaumburg, about twenty minutes from Arlington Heights, holds community worship and Navratri events that are more conveniently located for northwest suburb residents.
Fall 2026 Desi Events Calendar
Arlington Heights-area Indian families mark a full set of observances through the fall:
- Sankashti Chaturthi — September 29
- Navratri 2026 — October 11 through October 20
- Durga Ashtami — October 18
- Dussehra / Vijayadashami — October 20
For Garba and Dandiya events, the main organizers in the Chicago area are Chicago Garba Events Inc. (which ran events at Renaissance Schaumburg Convention Center and Wintrust Field in 2026) and Gujarati Samaj Chicago, whose Navratri night at Carol Stream's Fountain View Recreation Center sold out before Navratri began. Northwest suburb residents who want tickets should follow these organizers from early September.
FAQ
What is the best Indian restaurant in Arlington Heights? Curry NaanStop on East Rand Road is widely regarded as the go-to Indian restaurant in Arlington Heights, known for its butter chicken, biryanis, and weekend buffet. Madurai Kitchen on South Arlington Heights Road is the preferred option for South Indian cuisine.
Is there an Indian grocery store in Arlington Heights? There is no Indian grocery store within Arlington Heights proper. The nearest options are Patel Brothers in Schaumburg and Patel Brothers in Hanover Park, both within a short drive.
What Hindu temple is closest to Arlington Heights? BAPS Shri Swaminarayan Mandir Chicago in Bartlett is the nearest major Hindu temple, roughly fifteen minutes from central Arlington Heights.
Where can Arlington Heights residents celebrate Navratri 2026? Navratri 2026 runs October 11 to October 20. Chicago Garba Events Inc. and Gujarati Samaj Chicago organize the main Garba and Dandiya events in the northwest suburbs, typically held in Schaumburg and Carol Stream.
Does Madurai Kitchen serve North Indian food as well? Madurai Kitchen's menu is built around South Indian cuisine. For North Indian dishes, Curry NaanStop is the stronger choice in Arlington Heights.
Bottom Line
Arlington Heights is not the most prominently discussed Indian American suburb in Chicagoland, but the northwest suburb belt it anchors has built enough Indian dining, grocery access, and temple infrastructure to make it genuinely livable for the South Asian Indian community. Curry NaanStop and Madurai Kitchen give the village its own dining identity, while BAPS Mandir Bartlett and the Schaumburg Garba circuit connect Arlington Heights families to the broader cultural calendar. For Indian American families considering the northwest suburbs, Arlington Heights delivers a quieter version of Chicago-area desi community life — without the drive to Devon.