Indian cuisine Palo Alto covers a broader category than most first-time diners expect. India has at least seven distinct regional food traditions, each with its own proteins, spice blends, bread formats, and cooking equipment. Palo Alto's Indian restaurants each tend to specialize in one or two of these regions. Curry Up Now at 321 Hamilton Ave takes a different approach: the menu spans Indo-Californian fusion (the category Akash Kapoor invented in Burlingame, California in April 2009), alongside traditional Punjabi, Kolkata Bengali, Mumbai street food, and Goan preparations. Halal by default on every meat protein. Vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and nut-free options available from the same kitchen.
Indian cuisine is not one style. It's at least seven distinct regional traditions, each with its own signature dishes and technique.
North Indian (Punjabi): Tandoori meats, butter chicken, paneer, naan. Dominant in the US market and in most Palo Alto Indian restaurants.
South Indian: Dosa, idli, sambhar, coconut-forward curries, rice-heavy. Represented in Palo Alto through select vegetarian specialists.
Bengali and Eastern: Kolkata kathi rolls, fish curries, mustard-based sauces, classic sweets.
Goan and Western: Vindaloo, coconut curries, vinegar-forward sauces with Portuguese influence.
Rajasthani: Kachori, dal bati churma, crispy pastry tradition, sweet-savory combinations.
Mumbai and Maharashtrian: Pav bhaji, vada pav, bhel puri, dense chaat street food culture.
Indo-Californian and other fusion categories: Indian flavors meeting other food cultures. Indo-Californian specifically is the newest fusion, invented by Curry Up Now in 2009 on a Burlingame food truck. Tikka masala itself is technically Indo-British, usually traced to Ali Ahmed Aslam at Shish Mahal in Glasgow in the 1970s.
Curry Up Now Palo Alto serves dishes from at least five of these regional traditions from one menu. That breadth is unusual for any single Indian restaurant and specifically rare in Palo Alto, where most competitors focus on one style.
Based on the live Palo Alto best-seller list, the top three most-ordered items anchor the Indo-Californian side:
Mango Lassi -#1 most-ordered. Fresh, house-made mango lassi. The house pairing for everything spicy.
Makhni Butter Burrito -#2 most-ordered. Mildly-spiced butter chicken or paneer masala, turmeric rice, flour tortilla, chana masala, onions. Butter-forward and first-timer friendly.
Tikka Masala Burrito -#3 most-ordered. Iconic tikka masala chicken or paneer, turmeric rice, tortilla, chana masala, onions. The dish Akash Kapoor invented at the original Curry Up Now food truck in April 2009.
Beyond the top three, the menu expands across regions:
Naughty Naan is the brand's second invention. Naan flatbread turned into Indian pizza: mozzarella, caramelized onions, jalapeño, cotija, with a choice of tandoori protein or pav bhaji as the topping. Shareable for groups, photogenic for first visits.
From traditional Punjabi North Indian:
From Kolkata Bengali:
From Mumbai Maharashtrian street food:
From Rajasthani sweet-shop tradition:
And the Indo-Californian inventions specifically:
Dietary coverage from one menu: all meat halal-certified by default at every Curry Up Now location since day one, Hella Vegan builds fully plant-based, gluten-free Bowl conversions at no markup, keto-friendly options, nut-free available on request. Full allergen breakdown published dish by dish.
Address: 321 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301 Phone: (650) 412-6325 Near: Downtown Palo Alto, University Ave, Stanford University, Caltrain Parking: Free Caltrain lot on evenings and weekends (two blocks away) Ordering: Curry Up Now app (iOS / Google Play) for direct pickup and delivery Catering: curryupnow.com/catering-event
Indian cuisine in Palo Alto is broader than any single restaurant usually covers, and Curry Up Now at 321 Hamilton Ave serves dishes from at least five regional Indian traditions from one kitchen. Indo-Californian inventions like the Tikka Masala Burrito and Naughty Naan. Traditional Punjabi Butter Chicken and Paneer Tikka Masala. Kolkata Kathi Rolls. Mumbai Pav Bhaji. Rajasthani Kachori Chaat. Halal by default on every meat protein. Vegan, gluten-free, keto-friendly, and nut-free options on the same menu. Find every Curry Up Now location on the store locator.
Indo-Californian fusion plus traditional North Indian, Mumbai street food, Kolkata Bengali Kathi Rolls, Rajasthani Kachori Chaat, and Goan preparations. All halal by default.
Yes. Traditional Butter Chicken, Paneer Tikka Masala, Kathi Rolls, Thali Platters, and Pav Bhaji alongside the Indo-Californian inventions like Tikka Masala Burrito.
Indo-Californian was invented by Akash Kapoor in 2009. Combines authentic Indian flavors with California food formats (burritos, bowls, Indian pizza) for fast-casual dining.
Yes. All meat is halal-certified by default. That's how Curry Up Now has sourced meat since day one, not a marketing claim or special request.
Mango Lassi, Makhni Butter Burrito, and Tikka Masala Burrito are the three most-ordered items at the Hamilton Ave location per the live menu data.
Yes. Paneer burritos, Deconstructed Samosa, Pav Bhaji, Bhel Puri, Kachori Chaat vegetarian builds, plus fully vegan Hella Vegan burritos and bowls on the standard menu.
321 Hamilton Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301, in downtown Palo Alto. Five minutes from Stanford University, two blocks from Caltrain, free Caltrain lot parking evenings and weekends.
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