Bukhara, located on the 2nd floor of Mandela Square adjacent to the Michelangelo Hotel, has some of the best Indian food in Johannesburg. And the ambiance is not bad, either.

When you enter you are seduced by the decor. Candlelit tables, ochre walls, green Udaipur marble floors, and handmade teak furniture from Rajasthan sets the stage for an enchanted evening. Then you are seduced by the food, which is high-class Indian fare made with care and imagination. The menu ranges wide, but has a slight North Indian slant. They are famous for their butter chicken, but are equally talented when it comes to the dozens of other tandoori and curry dishes, such as chicken in yogurt marinade with cashew nut and black pepper, or the crayfish and prawn in thick tomato-onion curry sauce. Don’t forget to try the naan, which comes in chewy jumbo-size wedges. There are at least a dozen vegetarian options, and desserts are notable too, from the coconut ice cream to the gujar halva (hot carrot).

The dining area juts out into the second floor of Sandton City, in the passageway that connects to the Michelangelo hotel. One wall features a wide window into the kitchen, where you can watch the chefs at work without hearing the din or being overwhelmed by smells.

The restaurant definitely caters to Michelangelo’s high-end clientele, and doesn’t disappoint. If you can’t make it to the Joburg location, there are other branches in Cape Town and Stellenbosch.