Best South Asian Food in Surrey (2026)

The list

10 picks, in no particular order

1. 01

   Punjab Sweets

   Newton (128 Street) · $12–22 per person

   The Surrey dhaba-style Punjabi institution — thali lunches under $15, fresh paranthas cooked to order, and the sweet shop that half the Surrey Punjabi community orders wedding mithai from.

   Punjab Sweets on 128 Street in Newton has been a Surrey Punjabi-community anchor for over 20 years. Dual-function: restaurant with sit-down thali service, and sweet shop (mithai counter) with traditional Punjabi sweets — gulab jamun, jalebi, burfi, laddu, rasgulla. For many Surrey Punjabi families this is where the wedding/engagement/festival sweets come from.

   The restaurant side serves a thali for $13.95 (lunch) that includes two curries, dal, rice, two rotis or paranthas, raita, salad, and pickle. It's genuinely more food than most adults can finish. The à-la-carte menu extends to chaat items ($8–12), butter chicken ($14), dal makhani ($13), and the famous Amritsari fish pakora ($16).

   Walk-in works at most times except weekend evenings when families gather post-religious service. Free parking in the adjacent lot. The location is deep in the Newton Punjabi retail district — surrounding it are jewellery stores, sari shops, grocers, all Punjabi-speaking. For newcomers from Punjab specifically, Punjab Sweets on 128 Street is the "this feels like home" first stop.

   7075 128 Street, Surrey, BCPunjabiThaliSweet shopNewton
2. 02

   Bombay Bhel

   Newton (King George Boulevard) · $8–20 per person

   Mumbai-style chaat and street food — pani puri, bhel puri, samosas, and vada pav done correctly by a Gujarati family that brought the street-food tradition from Bombay.

   Bombay Bhel is the Surrey street-food specialist focused on Mumbai-style chaat and Gujarati vegetarian items. "Chaat" is Indian street-food snack culture — pani puri (hollow crispy shells filled with spicy water), bhel puri (puffed rice salad with tamarind and chutneys), sev puri, samosa chaat, vada pav (spiced potato fritter in a bread roll). Bombay Bhel serves all of the classics at counter prices: $6–12 per item.

   A full chaat meal for two — pani puri, bhel puri, sev puri, vada pav, mango lassi — runs about $35 total. The restaurant has a small dine-in section (~25 seats) plus takeout counter. Most orders are takeout; Surrey locals come to pick up chaat for family gatherings.

   Walk-in works any time. The adjacent King George Boulevard has parking. Weekends evenings are busy with Gujarati and Marathi families on pre-dinner snack runs. For newcomer families from western India specifically (Gujarat, Maharashtra), Bombay Bhel is the one Surrey spot that captures home street-food culture correctly.

   13280 72 Avenue, Surrey, BCChaatStreet foodVegetarianNewton
3. 03

   Lara's Hyderabadi Biryani

   Whalley (104 Avenue) · $20–35 per person

   The Surrey Hyderabadi biryani specialist — proper dum-cooked biryani with long-grain basmati, layered meat and rice, served in a sealed clay pot.

   Lara's Hyderabadi Biryani specializes in the Hyderabadi-style dum biryani — a specific regional method where marinated meat and partially-cooked rice are layered in a sealed clay pot and slow-cooked so the steam from the meat cooks the rice while the rice absorbs the meat flavour. Most Metro Vancouver restaurants serve a casual pot-cooked approximation; Lara's does the real dum preparation, which takes 90+ minutes per batch.

   Order: chicken dum biryani ($19), mutton dum biryani ($24), or the prawn biryani ($26). Portions are genuinely enough for 1.5 people. Add raita ($4) and salan (peanut-coconut curry, $5) as the classic accompaniments. Total for 2 people sharing one biryani with sides: $35. Solo diner: $20–25 for a full meal.

   Ordering ahead is recommended — walk-in works but may wait 45+ minutes for a proper dum biryani (the sealed clay pot takes time). Call 20 minutes before arriving for takeout. Whalley has mixed parking; street parking on 104 Avenue is time-limited. For newcomers from South India (Hyderabad specifically) this is one of the few North American spots doing the regional cuisine at authentic level.

   10310 135A Street, Surrey, BC (Whalley)HyderabadiBiryaniCall aheadWhalley
4. 04

   Karachi Darbar

   Newton (72 Avenue) · $18–30 per person

   Pakistani restaurant specializing in Lahori and Karachi cuisine — nihari, haleem, paya, and the kind of bone-marrow-and-spice dishes that don't appear on generic "Indian" menus.

   Karachi Darbar on 72 Avenue in Newton is Surrey's most serious Pakistani restaurant — specializing in Lahori and Karachi regional cuisine that's distinctly different from Indian Punjabi cooking despite sharing the same geographic root. Signature dishes include nihari (slow-cooked beef/lamb stew in a spiced tomato-based broth, traditionally eaten at breakfast), haleem (wheat-and-meat porridge with 12+ hours of slow cooking), paya (trotters stew), and Karachi-style biryani that's fundamentally different from Hyderabadi style.

   Order: beef nihari ($16, classic breakfast/late-night dish but served all day), chicken haleem ($15), mutton kadai ($22), seekh kebabs ($14 for 4). A meal for two sharing multiple dishes runs about $55–70 including naan and a lassi.

   The restaurant is busy with Pakistani families and single men post-mosque on Fridays. Friday lunch 1–2 PM is the peak; avoid if you want a quiet meal. Weekends evenings 6–9 PM are also busy. For newcomer Pakistani families missing Karachi or Lahore food specifically, Karachi Darbar is the single best Surrey pick. Indian Punjabi restaurants can't replicate Pakistani regional cooking correctly.

   13630 72 Avenue, Surrey, BCPakistaniHalalNihari + haleemNewton
5. 05

   Himalayan Peak Nepalese Restaurant

   Newton (76 Avenue) · $18–28 per person

   Nepalese specialist — momos (dumplings) and dal bhat (Nepali thali) that the small but growing Surrey Nepali community considers authentic.

   Himalayan Peak is a small family-run Nepalese restaurant in Newton serving the kind of Nepali home cooking that's been underrepresented in Metro Vancouver restaurants until the last few years. The flagship item is momos — Nepali-style steamed or pan-fried dumplings with spiced meat or vegetable filling, served with a signature spicy-tomato dipping sauce.

   Order: chicken momos ($11 for 10 pieces), buff (buffalo) momos ($12 for 10), dal bhat thali ($18 — rice, dal, two curries, pickle, greens, yogurt), and chicken choila ($15, a Newari grilled-meat dish). Total for two sharing: $45–55.

   The restaurant seats about 40 and walk-in usually works. Parking in the adjacent plaza is free. The small Surrey Nepali community eats here regularly; if you're new to Nepali food the staff will guide you through the menu in English. For newcomer families from Nepal specifically, Himalayan Peak is one of the very few Metro Vancouver options doing regional Nepali cooking correctly.

   13691 76 Avenue, Surrey, BCNepaleseMomosNewton
6. 06

   Haldi Indian Restaurant

   Cloverdale · $45–65 per person

   Upscale modern Indian restaurant in Cloverdale — the Surrey pick for a destination Indian dinner that doesn't feel like the neighbourhood dhaba.

   Haldi is a modern upscale Indian restaurant in Cloverdale designed for Indian-Canadian professionals wanting a destination dinner experience rather than a casual family meal. Menu skews modern-Indian — traditional regional dishes reimagined with better plating, higher-quality ingredients, and wine pairings. Still authentic, just more polished than Newton's dhaba-style establishments.

   Order: the lamb raan (roasted leg of lamb with layered spices, $42), butter chicken ($24 — the Haldi version uses tandoor-cooked chicken rather than boiled, a meaningful quality upgrade), a vegetable thali ($32), garlic naan ($6), jeera rice ($8). Wine list features Indian-food-friendly whites (Riesling, Grüner Veltliner). Expect $45–65 per person for a full dinner with wine.

   Reservations recommended for Friday/Saturday. Cloverdale parking is generally easy. For Indian-Canadian professionals hosting out-of-town colleagues or celebrating a family milestone, Haldi is the Surrey pick at destination-dinner quality without requiring a Vancouver drive.

   17725 57 Avenue, Surrey, BC (Cloverdale)Modern IndianDestinationCloverdaleReservations
7. 07

   Delhi Darbar

   Newton (128 Street) · $15–22 per person

   North Indian classic dishes done at neighbourhood prices — the Surrey butter chicken + garlic naan order most Surrey families order for weeknight delivery.

   Delhi Darbar on 128 Street in Newton is the Surrey restaurant most Punjabi-origin Surrey families actually order delivery from for weeknight dinners. Menu is North Indian classic — butter chicken, chicken tikka masala, palak paneer, dal makhani, biryani, various tandoor breads. Nothing groundbreaking; everything executed at a solidly above-average level at meaningfully lower prices than Vancouver's equivalent Indian restaurants.

   Order: butter chicken ($14), garlic naan ($3.50), palak paneer ($12), jeera rice ($6). For two people sharing that's a $40 meal that feeds both generously. Add a mango lassi ($4 each) for the traditional pairing. Compare to a Vancouver-west-side Indian restaurant serving equivalent food for $70–80.

   Dine-in space is modest (~50 seats); most volume is takeout and delivery (Skip/DoorDash). Walk-in works; weekend evenings are busy 6–8 PM. For newcomer Surrey residents establishing a "what's our Friday-night Indian takeout spot" tradition, Delhi Darbar is the most-reliable, most-affordable default.

   13060 80 Avenue, Surrey, BC (Newton)North IndianTakeoutAffordableNewton
8. 08

   Desi Dhaba

   Payal (124 Street) · $15–28 per person

   Punjabi dhaba-style restaurant specializing in tandoor and specifically Punjabi-countryside dishes — less urban-Indian-restaurant, more village-dhaba authenticity.

   Desi Dhaba in Payal is self-consciously designed to feel like a Punjabi highway dhaba (roadside truck-stop restaurant) rather than a polished urban Indian restaurant. Menu focuses on Punjabi village cuisine: sarson ka saag (mustard greens stew), makki ki roti (corn flatbread), cholay bhature (chickpea curry with fried bread), lassi served in traditional pitchers.

   Signature dishes: sarson ka saag with makki ki roti ($16, the Punjabi winter staple), butter chicken ($15), kadhai paneer ($13), tandoori chicken ($18 for half). Tandoor-breads ($3–5 each) are notably better than most Surrey competitors because the kitchen runs a large working tandoor through every service.

   Walk-in works most times; weekend evenings 6–8 PM can have a 20-minute queue. Parking in the adjacent lot is free. For Punjabi immigrants specifically from rural Punjab (Malwa region, villages outside Ludhiana), Desi Dhaba is the closest Surrey approximation to home cooking. For newcomer exploration this is the most-distinct alternative to the polished Indian restaurants.

   12478 88 Avenue, Surrey, BC (Payal)Punjabi villageTandoorSarson ka saag
9. 09

   Kabul Express Afghan Restaurant

   Newton · $20–32 per person

   Afghan specialist — mantu dumplings, qabili palau rice-and-lamb, and the naan-e-afghani (oversized Afghan bread) that anchors most Afghan meals.

   Kabul Express is one of Surrey's Afghan specialists, serving cuisine that's distinctly different from the better-known Indian and Pakistani restaurants despite geographic proximity. Afghan food features: mantu (steamed dumplings filled with spiced meat, topped with yogurt and a tomato-lentil sauce), qabili palau (basmati rice cooked with lamb, raisins, and carrots — the Afghan national dish), bolani (stuffed flatbread with potato or leek), kebabs, and naan-e-afghani (huge elongated flatbread).

   Order: qabili palau with lamb ($19), mantu ($14 for 8 dumplings), bolani ($8), beef kebab ($16), naan ($3). Two-person sharing meal: $55–70. The food is moderately spiced — less chili than Indian cuisine, more emphasis on aromatics (cardamom, cumin, saffron).

   Walk-in works most times. The Surrey Afghan community (~2,000 residents, many recent refugee arrivals from 2021 onwards) frequents the restaurant regularly; staff speak Dari, Pashto, and English. For newcomer Afghan families specifically, Kabul Express is among the very few Metro Vancouver options doing the regional food correctly. For cross-cultural exploration it's a genuinely different cuisine from neighbouring Indian/Pakistani options.

   13476 76 Avenue, Surrey, BC (Newton)AfghanHalalQabili palauNewton
10. 10

    Little Sri Lanka Hoppers

    Whalley (108 Avenue) · $18–30 per person

    Tamil-Sri Lankan specialist — hoppers (bowl-shaped rice pancakes), kottu roti (chopped flatbread stir-fry), and lamprais in the only Surrey restaurant doing this underrepresented cuisine well.

    Little Sri Lanka Hoppers is the only serious Sri Lankan restaurant in Surrey (possibly Metro Vancouver). Sri Lankan cuisine overlaps with South Indian Tamil cooking but has distinct items: hoppers (bowl-shaped pancakes made of coconut-milk-and-rice-flour batter, served with curries), kottu roti (chopped flatbread stir-fried with vegetables, eggs, and meat), lamprais (rice with meat and accompaniments wrapped in a banana leaf and baked), fish ambul thiyal (sour fish curry).

    Order: egg hoppers with fish curry ($18), kottu roti with chicken ($16), chicken lamprais ($22). Two-person meal: $45–55. The food is notably different from both Indian and Southeast Asian cuisines — the coconut-milk-and-sour-fish combination is distinctly Sri Lankan and unlike anything else in Metro Vancouver restaurants.

    The restaurant is small (~30 seats) and walk-in works most times. The Sri Lankan community in Metro Vancouver is small but concentrated; weekend evenings attract Sri Lankan families from across the region. For newcomer families from Sri Lanka specifically, this is the one meaningful option. For anyone looking to expand beyond Indian/Pakistani cuisine, Sri Lankan is a meaningfully distinct cuisine worth exploring.

    10837 108 Avenue, Surrey, BC (Whalley)Sri LankanHoppersKottu rotiWhalley