San Jose eatery ranks No. 2 on Yelp’s list of top 25 Indian restaurants in the United States

Yelp has released its inaugural list of the nation’s best Indian restaurants, and a tiny vegetarian spot in San Jose is ranked No. 2.

Kadhai Kitchen, which started as a food truck making the rounds of South Bay festivals, is a three-table operation in the Berryessa district that focuses on vegetarian fare — mainly for takeout.

Here’s what the Yelp Top 25 announcement said: “This vegetarian-only takeout kitchen offers Maharashtrian and North Indian street food. The small menu specializes in pavs — a soft and puffy slider-sized biscuit made with refined Indian wheat flour. Their specialty is the Vada Pav, stuffed with a potato fritter and topped with spicy garlic-cilantro sauce. Yelpers say it rivals any in Mumbai itself.”

According to a review posted by Elite Yelper Shraddha N., “They even serve it with their own homemade buns, which is a total game-changer!

The nation’s top-ranked spot, according to this Yelp survey, is Mirchi Indian Cuisine, a halal restaurant in Newbury Park in Ventura County. Customers rate it highly rated for its Tikka Masala made with chicken, fish or shrimp.

Although California captured the top two spots on the list, a high number of the ranked Indian restaurants are located along the East Coast, from Essex Junction, Vermont, to Venice, Florida. Other noteworthy options in the western United States include Rutba Indian Kitchen in Las Vegas (No. 7); Little India in American Fork, Utah (No. 10); Tandoori Grill in Puyallup, Washington (No. 15); and Bawarchi Indian Cuisine in Sparks, Nevada (No. 25).

What sort of methodology did Yelp use in creating this list? According to the website, “We ranked (Indian food businesses) using a number of factors, including geographic location and the total volume and ratings of reviews.”

Details: Open from 4:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesday-Friday, 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday and 4 to 8:30 p.m. Sunday at 2678 Cropley Ave. near North Capitol Avenue and Trade Zone Boulevard, San Jose; https://kadhai-kitchen.square.site/