Ghee Indian Kitchen

Editor's Note: Ghee Design District has closed, but their Dadeland location remains open.

Parents will never admit to having a favorite child. Maybe you completely understand this if you’re a parent, but if you’re not - and you’d like to understand - come to Ghee and order a lot of food. Then, after you’ve had the white truffle porcini paratha, the plantain chaat, and the turmeric marinated grouper in that coconut curry that made you feel a love so intense you almost launched into the “You Complete Me” monologue from Jerry Maguire, look down at it all and try to pick a favorite. You’ll get it.

If there is one restaurant in Miami where you should keep coming back until you consume the entire menu, it’s Ghee. That’s not because they’ll frame your picture on the wall next to the scraps of the smoked lamb neck you ate in seven minutes flat, but because the thought of missing out on even one of these dishes is enough to keep us up at night, having a nightmare about the samosa we decided to skip.

photo credit: Tasty Planet

This Indian restaurant is located on the very outer edge of the Design District - between one of those interior design stores where you make your friend guess how much very expensive sofas cost and a boutique plumbing showroom with faucets so fancy they might just spit out sparkling water. These kinds of things are normal in the Design District, but Ghee is not.

The only thing you notice about Ghee when you look around is the lovely shade of yellow that makes the restaurant so easy to spot from the street. But really, Ghee lets the food do the talking and it’s a really exciting mix of traditional Indian food and creative variations that we’re pretty sure only exist at their two locations in Miami.

photo credit: Tasty Planet

How often does one come across a white truffle porcini paratha? After you try it, you’ll wish the answer was every hour, on the hour. The chicken tikka masala is perfectly tender and buttery, and the turmeric-marinated snowy grouper tastes like a fish that’s been fed nothing but coconut and unconditional love for its entire life. The incredible date cake is buried under a snowball of ginger ice cream, and worth getting two of if you happen to be at a table with multiple dessert people.

You can order all of this a la carte or via the $55 tasting menu, which gives you an even distribution of snacks, veggies, naan, curries, plates from the grill, and dessert. But you’ll still have a great meal even if you only want to come here for chicken tikka masala and tap water. Just come back soon to try more.

And that should be easy since it’s not hard to find an excuse to visit this place. Ghee works for dates, special occasions, dinner with friends, or any random day where you wake up and say to yourself, “It’s been too long since a curry made me get to first base with a spoon.” It’s a place you should make part of your Miami dining routine. Come back as many times as it takes to try everything, and then keep coming back because each season brings a couple of new things to try. Your quest to eat everything at Ghee never really ends, and that is excellent news.

Food Rundown

Avocado Tuna Bhel

The puffed rice is so light and crunchy, and the tuna is tender and fatty. We haven’t been this into a contrasting duo since Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga showed the world that sexual tension has no age limits.

Plantain Chaat

The sweet plantains are mostly what you’ll taste here, but they play very nicely with the yogurt and tamarind chutney in this dish, which kind of looks and feels like a chunky plantain pudding.

Homestead Mango Salad

This one is seasonal and very worth getting - especially if you’re someone who looks forward to mango season like it’s Christmas.

Lamb Samosa

Ghee’s samosas are the best we’ve ever had. The outside is super crispy and they come halved with green mango and mint chutney that you’ll use every last bit of.

White Truffle Porcini Paratha

We love naan. Naan is great. So please don’t tell naan that if we could only pick one thing from Ghee’s bread section, it’s this. The paratha soaks up all the flavor from the white truffle and turns into a super paratha, which is our new favorite superhero.

Turmeric-Marinated Snowy Grouper

What a tender, beautiful piece of fish, but we’d order anything that came in this coconut curry. Take off your socks, put them in that coconut curry, and watch us devour them with a smile on our face.

Chicken Tikka Masala

Sometimes the reliable favorite pulls out all the stops and reminds you why they are legendary. This chicken tikka masala does that. It’s like the New England Patriots, except so much easier to root for.

Charred Ribs

The ribs are very good, but also very rich and fatty (as good ribs tend to be). They’re great for sharing, but not ideal for tackling on your own.

Sticky Date Cake

The cake is perfect on its own, but taken to a different dimension thanks to the ginger ice cream. You’re going to get into a spoon fight with whoever you’re splitting this with, so maybe don’t split it with anyone and order your own because it is remarkable and a perfect end for anyone with a sweet tooth.