Best Indian Restaurant Dishes for Sharing with Friends
October 14, 2026 · 4 min read · The Namak Kitchen
This cuisine was built for a communal table. Here's what to order for a group of six, eight, or twenty.
There's no such thing as a personal entree in an Indian meal. Everything arrives in the middle and everyone reaches. Order with that in mind and a group dinner becomes the best kind of meal.
The share-plate all-stars
Mixed tandoori platter. Chicken tikka, seekh kebab, malai boti, lamb chops on one plate with onions and chutney. Everyone gets something, no cutting required.
Chicken biryani. One big dish, spooned out at the table. Feeds far more people than it looks like it will.
Butter chicken. The peace treaty of Indian food. Nobody at any table has ever objected.
Chana masala or dal makhani. Vegetarians eat properly instead of picking, and everyone else eats it too.
A stack of garlic naan. Order in rounds, not all at once.
Chaat. Sweet, sour, crunchy, spicy — the plate people crowd around and argue over.
For six people
Mixed tandoori platter · samosas · butter chicken · lamb karahi · palak paneer · chicken biryani · 6 breads · raita · gulab jamun.
For eight to twelve
Two starter platters · butter chicken · chicken karahi · goat curry · chana masala · aloo gobi · chicken biryani · vegetable biryani · 12 breads · raita and salad · two desserts.
For twenty or more
Now you want trays, not entrees. That's catering — one dry tandoori tray, two gravies, one vegan dish, two rice dishes, breads by the dozen, raita, salad and dessert. We deliver across Hercules, Pinole, Rodeo, Richmond, El Cerrito, San Pablo, Vallejo and the wider East Bay, and we also do destination catering and live tandoor catering where we cook on site.
For a party with a guest list
Our banquet hall in Hercules seats up to 200 — birthdays, mehndi nights, engagements, graduations, corporate dinners. Same kitchen, buffet or plated.
Two tips that make sharing work
Order one more dish than you think you need but one *fewer* bread — you'll reorder bread anyway. And order across spice levels, not one compromise level for everybody.
Browse the menu · order pickup for a group · talk to us about a party.
Come eat with us
The Namak · 848 Willow Ave, Hercules, CA 94547. Halal Indian & Pakistani cooking — dine in, pickup, catering across the East Bay, and a banquet hall for up to 200. Closed Mondays.
Keep reading
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- Best Times to Visit an Indian Restaurant: Crowds and ReservationsWhen it's quiet, when it's packed, and when the kitchen is at its best. Straight from the people watching the tickets pile up.
- Can You Customize Your Order at Indian Restaurants?Yes — and here's exactly which requests are easy, which are harder, and how to phrase them so the kitchen gets it right.