Indian food near you in Germany: where to eat it, buy it frozen, or cook it

Searching for a particular dish?

If you arrived here after searching for paneer paratha, palak paneer, dal makhani, chana masala or any of the rest, here is the short answer before the shopping guide starts. In Germany there are three ways to get an Indian dish, and which one you want depends on how much effort you feel like.

1. Eat it out. The obvious one, and the right answer for anything laborious: bhatura, dosa, malabar parotta, proper biryani. Indian restaurants are in every German city of any size.

• Indian restaurants in Berlin
• Indian restaurants in Munich
• Indian restaurants in Frankfurt
• Indian restaurants in Hamburg
• All Indian restaurants in the directory

A caveat worth having up front: our restaurant listings are community-submitted and still thin, a couple of dozen places across a handful of cities. If your city is not there, Google Maps for "indisches Restaurant" will out-perform us, and we would rather say so than waste your time. If you know a good one, add it and the next person searching finds it.

2. Buy it frozen. This is the answer most people do not expect and the one that saves the most time. Nearly every Indian and Pakistani store in Germany carries a freezer section with ready parathas (plain, aloo, paneer), samosas, and ready-made curries, Haldiram being the brand you will see most. Ten minutes in a pan and you have the dish. For parathas specifically, frozen is what most Indian households here actually eat on a weeknight.

3. Cook it. Everything you need is available, which is what the rest of this guide is about: where the stores are, what they stock, and what is genuinely hard to find.

One vocabulary note that saves confusion in a German shop: ask for Fladenbrot and you will get Turkish flatbread, not paratha. The frozen parathas are usually labelled in English, in the freezer, under the Indian brands.

You do not need to ship suitcases full of spices. Germany has a solid Indian grocery ecosystem in every major city, and the online options ship nationwide within two days. You just need to know where to look and what to expect from each type of store.

The four sources, ranked by usefulness

1. Indian supermarkets: best selection, freshest spices, Indian brands you recognise. Every city above 300k people has at least two. Usually cash-preferred.

2. Pakistani and South Asian stores: run by Pakistani, Bangladeshi, or Sri Lankan communities but stock virtually all the same products Indians need: atta, dal, rice, spices, frozen parathas, pickles, Maggi. Sometimes better stocked than Indian-specific stores.

3. Turkish supermarkets (Türkischer Supermarkt): the most underrated source. Turkish diaspora shops carry lentils (mercimek = all lentil types), fresh coriander, green chilies, fresh curry leaves (sometimes), ginger, garlic, fenugreek, dried red chilies, and most Indian spices under Turkish brand names. Open late, cheap, and in every neighbourhood.

4. Online: ishopindian.de, spicesofindia.de, myindiangrocery.de, Amazon.de. Best for specialty items, regional brands, and people in smaller cities. Minimum orders typically €20 to €30. Delivery 2 to 4 days.

By city

Berlin

Berlin has the densest Indian grocery scene in Germany. The main concentration is Neukölln, specifically around Karl-Marx-Strasse and Hermannstrasse, where South Asian and Turkish stores run for blocks.

• Neukölln / Hermannstrasse corridor: multiple Indo-Pak shops side by side. Walk the stretch and compare; they stock similar items at competitive prices.
• Asia Pavilion (multiple locations, including Tempelhof): large Asian supermarket with a strong Indian section (Aachi, MDH, Everest spices, Dabur, MTR).
• Gandhi Supermarkt and nearby stores in Neukölln: atta (Chakki Fresh, Ashirwaad), multiple dal varieties, paneer, ghee, fresh fenugreek leaves (methi).
• Wedding: several Pakistani-Indian stores around Leopoldplatz.

Fresh produce tip: Turkish stores on Hermannplatz and Karl-Marx-Platz have the freshest coriander, green chilies, ginger, and often bitter gourd (karela) and bottle gourd (lauki).

Munich

Munich stores tend to be more expensive than Berlin but well-stocked.

• India-Haus (Sendlinger Strasse area): long-established, solid selection of groceries and Indian cookware. Multiple products from ITC, Haldiram, Parle.
• Madras India Superstore: one of the better-stocked shops for South Indian ingredients: sambar powder, tamarind blocks, fresh curry leaves (call ahead to check), rice varieties (idli rice, boiled rice).
• Asia supermarkets in Schwabing: large chains like Yok Yok or local Asia Märkte carry Maggi noodles, coconut milk, basic spices.

For smaller cities like Ingolstadt, Augsburg, or Nuremberg, the nearest well-stocked store is usually Munich or an online order. Nuremberg has a couple of smaller Indo-Pak shops near the main train station.

Frankfurt

Frankfurt has a significant South Asian population concentrated in Sachsenhausen and the Bahnhofsviertel (station district).

• India Cash & Carry (Sachsenhausen): large-format store, bulk buying possible. Good for 5kg atta bags, large dal quantities.
• Bahnhofsviertel stores: the area around Frankfurt Hauptbahnhof has multiple South Asian stores within walking distance. Competition keeps prices lower than outer suburbs.
• Offenbach: if you are based in the Frankfurt metro area, Offenbach has several South Asian shops with better pricing than inner Frankfurt.

Hamburg

Hamburg's Indian grocery stores are more spread out than Berlin.

• Wandsbek and Harburg: South Asian store clusters. Harburg in particular has several Indo-Pak shops with competitive pricing.
• Billstedt: a few South Asian stores around the Billstedt metro area, primarily serving the Sri Lankan Tamil community, well-stocked for South Indian ingredients.
• Asia-Markt Hamburg (multiple): large Asian supermarkets with Indian sections comparable to Berlin's Asia Pavilion.

Düsseldorf and NRW

NRW has a large and spread-out South Asian community. Outside Düsseldorf itself, smaller cities (Mönchengladbach, Krefeld, Oberhausen, Duisburg, Wuppertal) each have one or two Indo-Pak shops.

• Düsseldorf: stores near the Japanese quarter on Immermannstrasse (Japanese groceries dominant, but often carry Indian staples); also Indo-Pak shops in Oberbilk and Rath.
• Cologne: stores around Ehrenfeld and Mülheim districts. Cologne has a sizeable South Asian community and several dedicated shops.
• Smaller NRW cities: typically one or two Indo-Pak shops near the main train station or city centre. Hours often vary; calling ahead is worth it.

Stuttgart

Stuttgart's South Asian grocery scene is smaller but functional.

• Stadtmitte and Bad Cannstatt: a few Indo-Pak stores with standard grocery selections.
• Stuttgart Asia Supermarkt (multiple): comparable to Asia Märkte in other cities; decent Indian spice and dry goods section.

What you can easily find everywhere

Every Indian supermarket or large Asian store in Germany carries these:

• Flours: Aashirvaad, Chakki Fresh, or local brand atta (whole wheat flour). Besan (chickpea flour) and maida (all-purpose) available.
• Lentils: toor dal, moong dal (split and whole), masoor dal, chana dal, urad dal (both whole and washed).
• Basmati rice: Tilda, India Gate, Kohinoor, multiple brands.
• Spices: MDH, Everest, Aachi, Shan, most blends including rajma masala, chana masala, biryani masala, sambar powder.
• Ghee: Amul, Mother Dairy, or local brands.
• Pickles: Priya, Mother's Recipe, Pachranga, Bedekar.
• Frozen items: Haldiram parathas, samosas, ready-made curries.
• Snacks: Haldiram mixtures, Parle-G, Marie biscuits, Britannia.
• Beverages: Bru, Nescafé (Indian packaging versions), Horlicks.
• Paneer: either fresh from the shop or packaged. Check freshness date: Indian stores sell fresh paneer that lasts 4 to 5 days.

What is harder to find

• Fresh curry leaves: available occasionally at Indian stores (call ahead). Reliably frozen at some South Indian-specific stores. Grow your own (a potted curry leaf tree handles German indoor winters reasonably well).
• Fresh coconut: Asian supermarkets carry frozen grated coconut and desiccated coconut. Fresh whole coconuts are inconsistent.
• Regional specialty items: Gongura (sorrel), raw jackfruit, certain South Indian rice varieties, fresh drumstick (murungakkai). Check online stores (spicesofindia.de often has these).
• Specific Indian brands: Patanjali products, some MTR ready-to-eat ranges, regional achaar brands; order online or ask your store if they can order a case.

German supermarkets (REWE, Edeka, Lidl, Aldi)

Standard German supermarkets increasingly stock Indian and Asian products, especially in cities:

• Basmati rice: most REWE and Edeka stores stock at least one brand.
• Coconut milk: universally available in the Asian foods aisle.
• Curry powder: usually a generic blend; not a substitute for individual spices but usable in a pinch.
• Ginger, garlic: fresh, always. Better priced than Indian stores.
• Coriander (Koriander): dried and fresh; Turkish stores beat German supermarkets on freshness and price.
• Turmeric, cumin, black pepper: small jars available, higher price per gram than Indian stores.

For your weekly base needs (ginger, garlic, fresh herbs, lentils), German and Turkish supermarkets work fine. For spice mixes, pickles, atta, and snacks, go to an Indian store or order online.

Online stores

If you are in a smaller German city without a nearby Indian store, ordering online is reliable and usually worth the wait:

Minimum orders: most Indian online stores require €20 to €30 minimum order to avoid a delivery fee. Stock up on staples when you order.

Shelf life planning: order bulk atta (5kg bags), bulk dal (2kg bags), and a 6-month spice supply in one order. These keep for 12 to 24 months properly stored.

What to bring from India

Some things are genuinely better from India, either for quality or cost, and worth packing:

• Specific regional pickles (Gujarati, Tamil, Andhra varieties you cannot find here)
• Home-ground masala blends from your family
• Specialty flours (ambemohar rice flour, some millet flours)
• Ready-made instant mixes your family makes (dhokla, idli, dosa mixes from home brands)

Indian customs and German customs allow personal-use food items. No meat products. Packaged commercial goods are fine. Pickles in sealed jars, generally fine but declare if you are over 2kg of food products at German customs (rarely checked, but the rule exists).

Looking for an Indian grocery store near you? Browse grocery stores in the directory →

Wanted a restaurant instead? Browse Indian restaurants →

Sources

• Directory listings on this site are community-submitted and coverage is uneven between cities, which is why this guide says plainly where Google Maps will beat us.
• Deutschlandticket at €63 a month, relevant because the cheapest Indian store is often one city over.

Nothing else here is sourced. Which shops exist, what they stock, what they charge, which neighbourhoods they cluster in, and which online retailers ship reliably are observation and reported experience, and shops open and close. The Turkish-supermarket point is the most durable thing on the page and the least likely to be written down anywhere else: lentils, fresh coriander, green chillies, ginger and most whole spices are cheaper and closer there than at a dedicated Indian store, under Turkish brand names.

Prices, minimum orders and delivery times for the online retailers are a snapshot. This guide is general information.

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