Looking to try an alternative to Vietnamese cuisine, but still craving something exotic? Check out Ganesh Indian Restaurant.

Ganesh Indian Restaurant

Looking to try an alternative to Vietnamese cuisine, but still craving something exotic? Check out Ganesh Indian Restaurant on Hung Vuong street in Downtown Nha Trang. Ganesh Nha Trang is one of six restaurant locations (as of this writing) across Vietnam. They also have restaurants in Ho Chi Minh, Mui Nu, Hoi An, Phu Quoc, and Da Lat. If the quality is consistent across locations, it might be worth trying them all.

Tucked a few blocks back from the beach off of Tran Quang Khai street, Ganesh has a brightly lit storefront covered with signage identifying itself in three different languages.  Step inside the glass doors into a narrow L-shaped dining area with a handful of two- and four-top tables arrayed to the left and right. The tables are covered with simple white or green tablecloths, and the high-backed chairs are comfortable.

The name Ganesh comes from the Indian myth of elephant-headed Ganesha, symbolizing wisdom, happiness, and success - which is why you’ll see a lot of elephant themed artwork around the restaurant. Large windows line the lefthand side of the dining room. As people walk by outside it can seem a bit like you’re sitting down to eat on stage. But you’ll forget about all that once you experience the food.

The Menu

The menu is large - I mean, voluminous - and includes many dishes from North and South India. Normally so many options would be a red flag: quantity over quality. But all the dishes we’ve tried have been great, and the success of Ganesh’s six Vietnam locations indicates that they know what they’re doing in general. Flip through the menu - in addition to meat dishes, you’ll see there are a variety of vegetarian options, and plenty of seafood as well (you are in Nha Trang, after all!). 

Although the tastes and smells of Indian cuisine might seem overwhelming to the Vietnamese (or western) palate, you can set your mind at ease at Ganesh. The food is flavorful yet mellow - it could almost be described as Indian comfort food. The server will ask you if you prefer spicy or mild. The curries are on the milder side (unless you ask otherwise), and subtly seasoned. 

Our Recommendations

If you’re in the mood for a light and refreshing appetizer, try the mango lassi (“smoothie”). Looking to start with something more substantial? We recommend the veggie samosas: deep fried pastries filled with green peas, mashed potatoes, and spices. They are nicely sized, piping hot, and tasty. 

For a main course, we recommend the Thali (“plate”) set meal. It’s advertised as a complete meal for one, but it’s plenty of food for two people. The meat options are lamb or chicken, and there are two other options: vegetarian and seafood. We ordered the chicken plate, a large metal platter with six “bowls” in it: steamed rice in the center, surrounded by a mild chicken curry (with a pleasant hint of cinnamon), tarka daal (stewed chickpeas with savory spices), raita (creamy spiced yogurt), a mixed vegetable and tofu curry, and rice pudding for desert.

On a second platter, we received juicy, perfectly seasoned chicken tikka garnished with veggies and lime. As a foundation to combine with all of this, we were brought a giant, delicious “loaf” of garlic naan. 

If you give Ganesh a try, let us know what you had, and what you thought, in the comments!

• Location: 184 Hung Vuong Street
• Hours: 11 am - 10 pm, every day
• Price Range: 50-200k VND ($2-$8)/dish