Things To Do

Mahatma Gandhi District Houston: Neighborhood Guide

Date Published

Mahatma Gandhi District Houston illustration: golden lotus flowers over Houston skyline at night

Houston's South Asian commercial corridor runs for about a mile along Hillcroft Avenue between the Southwest Freeway (US-59/I-69) and the Westpark Tollway in southwest Houston (77036). In that stretch you can eat a masala dosa for breakfast, buy a sari before lunch, pick up two pounds of cardamom, and close the afternoon with jalebi and chai. The City of Houston officially named it the Mahatma Gandhi District in January 2010, but the corridor had been building since 1985, when a single sweets shop opened on Hillcroft and anchored the first wave of South Asian businesses.

The quick list

  • Best Pakistani and Indian food: Himalaya Restaurant on Southwest Freeway (Chef Kaiser Lashkari)
  • Best South Indian vegetarian: Shri Balaji Bhavan on Hillcroft
  • Biggest room: Aga's on Wilcrest seats up to 800 guests
  • Oldest sweets shop: Raja Sweets, whose founder is credited with starting the entire district
  • Best chaat: Bombay Sweets and Restaurant on Hillcroft
  • Groceries: Keemat Grocers and India Mart, facing each other on Hillcroft
  • Saris and bridal wear: Sari Sapne on Hillcroft
  • Museum: Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston, about two miles from the corridor

How we chose

Every pick was confirmed operating as of October 2026 via an official website or a Yelp listing updated within the past four months. We left out businesses whose online presence had gone dark. Hours change, especially during South Asian festival seasons: check each official site before you drive.

Eat: biryani, chaat and dosas

Himalaya Restaurant

6652 Southwest Fwy, Houston · Pakistani and Indian · closed Mondays

Chef Kaiser Lashkari trained at the University of Houston's Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management before opening Himalaya in 2004. The restaurant sits on the Southwest Freeway at the district's southern edge and has earned a Houston Chronicle Top 100 ranking and a James Beard semi-finalist nomination in 2019. The signature dish is Hunter's Beef — a slow-cooked, bone-in leg of beef with whole spices that takes hours. Mutton Biryani and Chicken Hara Masala are also reliable. BYOB; delivery available.

What to order: Hunter's Beef, Mutton Biryani, Garlic Naan, Gulab Jamun.

Hours: Tuesday through Thursday 11:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., Friday through Sunday 11:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. Check the official site before you go.

Aga's Restaurant and Catering

11842 Wilcrest Dr, Houston · zabiha halal Indian and Pakistani · open daily

Aga's opened in 2001 and is one of the largest South Asian restaurants in North America, with seating for up to 800 guests. The kitchen has served zabiha halal food seven days a week, 11 a.m. to 10:15 p.m. The menu covers biryani, nihari, tandoori chicken, seekh kebabs, and curries. Delivery via UberEats. Located on Wilcrest Drive, just west of the Hillcroft corridor.

What to order: Biryani, Seekh Kebab, Nihari.

Best for: large groups, families, and anyone who wants a broad menu under one roof.

Shri Balaji Bhavan

5655 Hillcroft St, Houston · South Indian vegetarian · closed Tuesdays

Fully vegetarian and self-service, Shri Balaji Bhavan keeps prices low without cutting corners on the dosas. The Mysore Masala Dosa and the Butter Masala Dosa are the picks. The Madras Thaali — a compartmentalized plate of rice, dal, sambar, rasam, and chutneys — is the best-value full meal on Hillcroft. Open Sunday, Monday, Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

What to order: Mysore Masala Dosa, Madras Thaali, Dahi Puri chaat.

Best for: vegetarians, dosa fans, a sub-$15 lunch, and a quick comparison with the North Indian menus around it.

Bombay Sweets and Restaurant

5827 Hillcroft St, Houston · Indian and Pakistani vegetarian · open daily

Bombay Sweets has been on Hillcroft since 1997 and functions as both a sweets counter and a sit-down restaurant. The chaat section — kachori chaat, dahi poori, chana bhatura — draws the weekday lunch crowd. The mango lassi is worth ordering regardless of what else you get. Open 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily.

What to order: Kachori Chaat, Masala Dosa, Mango Lassi, Jalebi.

Best for: a quick bite, chaat cravings, splitting a plate of mixed sweets with someone.

The original Hillcroft institution: Raja Sweets

5667 Hillcroft St, Houston · North Indian sweets and chaat · closed Tuesdays

Here is the fact that ties the whole district together: Raja Sweets opened in 1985, and its founder, Joginder 'Yogi' Singh Gahunia, is widely credited as the person whose shop anchored the first wave of South Asian businesses on Hillcroft — in effect, the founding father of what became the Mahatma Gandhi District. His daughter Sharan Gahunia now runs it. The sweets case holds laddoo, barfi, gulab jamun, and halwa. Don't leave without a small box to take home.

Hours: Sunday, Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Best for: an edible piece of Houston South Asian history — and the best laddoo on the block.

Groceries: your spice haul

Keemat Grocers

5601 Hillcroft St, Houston · Indian grocery · open daily

Keemat stocks fresh produce, dairy, frozen foods, specialty spices, rice, and imported snacks from India and South Asia. FedEx nationwide shipping is available for pantry staples. Open Monday through Friday 10:30 a.m. to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Additional Houston-area locations in Sugar Land, Katy, and FM 1960. See our best grocery stores in Houston guide for more options citywide.

Best for: spices, lentils, fresh curry leaves, South Asian dairy, and imported packaged goods.

India Mart

5604 Hillcroft St, Houston · Indian and Pakistani grocery · closed Tuesdays

India Mart sits directly across the street from Keemat and specializes in groceries and spices from India and Pakistan. Open 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day except Tuesday. Worth a walk-through as a comparison shop — the two stores between them cover most of what a South Asian pantry needs.

Shop: saris and gold jewelry

Sari Sapne

5651 Hillcroft St, Houston · bridal and occasion saris · closed Tuesdays

Sari Sapne handles bridal wear, occasion saris, traditional Indian attire, and custom outfits. Open Monday, Wednesday through Sunday 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. The Hillcroft corridor has several sari shops; this is one confirmed operating in mid-2026. For a broader look at independent jewelry and boutique shopping across Houston, see our best local jewelry shops guide.

Best for: bridal shopping, special-occasion wear, and browsing traditional Indian textiles.

Karat 22 Jewelers

5623 Hillcroft Ave, Houston · 22-karat gold jewelry

Karat 22 specializes in 22-karat gold pieces in traditional Indian styles — the standard for South Asian bridal jewelry in India and the diaspora. Confirmed active via a July 2026 listing. Check current hours directly before visiting, as jewelry stores on Hillcroft keep varied schedules.

Best for: South Asian bridal gold, traditional Indian jewelry, and 22-karat pieces.

See: Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston

12379 Riceville School Rd, Houston TX 77031 · closed Mondays · adults $20

The Eternal Gandhi Museum Houston (egmh.org) covers Gandhi's life and his methods of nonviolent conflict resolution through self-guided and docent-led tours. It sits about two miles southwest of the Hillcroft corridor, at 12379 Riceville School Road in the 77031 zip code. Admission: adults $20, seniors 65 and older $15, children 5 through 18 $10, under 5 free.

Hours: Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Sunday noon to 5 p.m.; closed Monday.

Best for: adding historical and philosophical context to the district visit, or as a standalone cultural stop.

Save this: the Hillcroft half-day

Everything from Keemat to Bombay Sweets is on a half-mile stretch of Hillcroft — park once and walk the whole corridor.

  1. Park near 5600–5900 Hillcroft. Lots are free and attached to the shopping strips.
  2. Keemat Grocers (5601) — grab any pantry items first, while your appetite is still intact.
  3. Raja Sweets (5667) — order a sample plate and ask what just came out of the kitchen.
  4. Sari Sapne (5651) and Karat 22 (5623) — even as a browser, the 22-karat jewelry cases are worth a look.
  5. Shri Balaji Bhavan (5655) — dosa and chai lunch, under $15.
  6. Bombay Sweets (5827) — kachori chaat and a mango lassi as you walk north.
  7. India Mart (5604) — last grocery stop before you head back to the car.
  8. Himalaya (6652 Southwest Fwy) or Aga's (11842 Wilcrest) — return for a full dinner if you are staying into the evening.

Note: Most Hillcroft shops close Tuesdays. Saturday is the liveliest day on the corridor, especially in the weeks before Diwali.

More South Asian Houston

The best Indian restaurants in Houston guide covers the full range, from Hillcroft to upscale dining across the city. For Indian buffets specifically, the best buffets guide lists the all-you-can-eat options. For halal dining beyond the district, see best halal restaurants in Houston.

Harwin Drive, which runs parallel to the southern end of the district, is Houston's wholesale shopping corridor — handbags, clothing, electronics, and goods from dozens of countries in a dense strip of storefronts. Our guide to Houston's international food districts puts Hillcroft in context alongside Chinatown, the East End, and Gulfton. For Diwali in Houston, the Hillcroft corridor is one of the primary shopping destinations in the weeks before the festival — the corridor transforms with decorations, sweets displays, and extended hours.

Last verified: October 2026.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Mahatma Gandhi District in Houston?

The Mahatma Gandhi District is Houston's South Asian commercial corridor along Hillcroft Avenue, between the Southwest Freeway (US-59) and the Westpark Tollway in southwest Houston (77036). It was officially named by the City of Houston in January 2010, and is home to Indian and Pakistani restaurants, sweets shops, sari boutiques, gold jewelry stores, and South Asian grocery stores.

What is the best restaurant in the Mahatma Gandhi District?

Himalaya Restaurant (6652 Southwest Fwy) is the most recognized, with a James Beard semi-finalist nomination and a Houston Chronicle Top 100 ranking. Chef Kaiser Lashkari's Hunter's Beef is the signature. For South Indian vegetarian food, Shri Balaji Bhavan (5655 Hillcroft) is the pick for dosas and thaali plates. Aga's (11842 Wilcrest) is the largest, seating up to 800 guests with zabiha halal food daily.

When was the Mahatma Gandhi District officially named?

January 2010. Mayor Annise Parker and India's Consul General Sanjiv Arora officially designated the Hillcroft corridor as the Mahatma Gandhi District on that occasion.

Is the Mahatma Gandhi District walkable?

Yes. The core corridor from Keemat Grocers (5601 Hillcroft) to Bombay Sweets (5827 Hillcroft) is about a quarter mile and walkable in under ten minutes. Park once in any of the attached strip-mall lots and walk the full stretch.

What days are Mahatma Gandhi District shops closed?

Most restaurants and shops on Hillcroft close on Tuesdays. Saturday is the busiest day. Hours extend during South Asian festival seasons, particularly in the weeks before Diwali.

Is there parking in the Mahatma Gandhi District?

Yes, and it is free. The Hillcroft corridor is lined with strip-mall shopping centers, each with attached surface lots. Park near the 5600 block and you are within walking distance of most stops on this guide.