Turning Up the Heat: A Taste of Spicy Village Indian Café in Carrollton

Spicy Village is a small Indian restaurant located off Highway 121 on Hebron Parkway in Carrollton. The decorative red and green sign likely catches the eyes of many as they drive by on the busy street. Those who make it to the parking lot will likely be welcomed by the same delightful smells as we were when exiting our car – the pleasant aroma of garlic, herbs and spices.

The menu here includes curries, biryanis, pulaos (long-grain rice dishes), kebabs and tandoor. There’s an Indo Chinese section with fried rice and hakka noodles. Be sure your order includes at least one item from the naan section.

While eating at Spicy Village, it’s easy to feel like you’re eating a meal cooked by an Indian grandmother. To be sure, during our most recent visit there was no grandma to be found in the kitchen. Instead, the back of the house was operating with two cooks who both looked many years short of being a grandparent. Still, the food tasted just right. Each bite was a rush of spices, robust aromatics and flavorful basmati rice. The meat was tender and could be pulled off the bone using only the plastic spoon or, better yet, a piece of garlic naan. (We strongly recommend ordering the garlic or butter naan.)

Spicy Village offers no frills, no decorative plates and no nonsense. It offers sizable portions of steaming, fragrant Indian food on plates and bowls filled to the brim. Perhaps the most visually exciting dish we ordered was the tandoori platter, which came out sizzling on a small cast-iron skillet.

It’s a cozy spot, with just a handful of tables, a small counter for placing an order, a refrigerator for drinks (notably stocked with India’s popular Thums Up soda), a station with small plastic cups for water and a television playing Indian music videos.

Although our mutton kurma and goat fry biryani were plenty spicy, the cooks are happy to turn the spice up a few notches for the daring. We overheard a couple of regulars emphatically order their meals extra, extra spicy. “As spicy as they can make it,” one diner requested as he placed his takeout order.

The ordering process here is as direct as it is charming. The server did not shy away from giving matter-of-fact suggestions while cautioning us against ordering food that may be too spicy. She also suggested we stay away from daily specials that might not suit our palates, explaining the ingredients that might be too adventurous for pickier eaters. She laughed when we assured her that we liked it hot.

This welcome advice was not just for us – the only visitors dining in at the time – it was also for everyone calling in or placing takeout orders. Even though the phone was constantly ringing, she took the time to field questions about the menu, describe differences between dishes and provide recommendations. Along with those cautions.

1404 W. Hebron Parkway, No. 116, Carrollton. Monday – Thursday, 11 a.m. – 2:30 p.m., 4:30-10 p.m.; Friday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 10 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.