Red Chilli Spice is a Joburg favorite for great Indian food. Although the restaurant is fairly new, it’s developed a strong following among curry lovers. The menu focuses on traditional North Indian cuisine with a contemporary flair. Red Chilli Spice is located in the popular and busy outdoor Colony Shopping Center in Craighall Park alongside several other restaurants and cafés. It is located on the second floor, so although the shopping center atmosphere is a tad lacking in pizazz, the view of the city lights is nice. Inside, the restaurant is neatly decorated with a modern flair.

I stopped by Red Chilli Spice for a special occasion dinner (my birthday, yippee!) on a weekday evening. The large dining room was medium busy but quiet with a nice atmosphere. The restaurant would cater well to seating large groups. For dinner, I tried the paneer pakora starter, which consisted of eight pieces of home-made Indian cottage cheese stuffed with masala and deep fried in a chickpea batter. It was good, but next time I would opt for the samosas instead. For the main course, I couldn’t resist ordering my old standby, butter chicken, and I was definitely not disappointed. I also snagged a taste of delicious chicken tikka masala. Obviously, we also had to try some naan and paratha, both of which were great!

One of the more contemporary aspects of Red Chilli Spice is their focus on craft beers. They offer about 25 different options from small local breweries in addition to the typical large commercial offerings. The only downside is that the craft beers are bottled rather than drafts on tap. I tried the very interesting Dragon Brewery fiery ginger beer, which I highly recommend if ginger beer is your thing. Tuesday night at Red Chilli Spice is “Beer Connoisseur Night”, so you get a free craft beer with your meal. If you like Indian food and beer, you can’t go wrong with Red Chilli Spice. Great service and food at a reasonable price.