What is the difference between North and South Indian food?

North Indian food leans on wheat breads like naan, the tandoor, dairy and rich tomato-onion gravies such as butter chicken. South Indian food is rice-based — dosa, idli, sambar — with coconut, curry leaf, mustard seed and tamarind. At SPICE ROOM, dosa and idli are served at Olde Town Arvada.

Is Indian food always spicy?

No. Spice in Indian cooking means aroma — cumin, cardamom, coriander — not only chili heat. Many dishes such as korma and butter chicken are mild. At SPICE ROOM you choose your heat at ordering, from Very Mild to Spicy Hot.

What should a first-timer order at an Indian restaurant?

Start with samosas or momos to share, then butter chicken or palak paneer, add lamb biryani or chicken tikka masala, plenty of garlic naan, and finish with mango lassi or gulab jamun. Order mild and add heat later.

Does SPICE ROOM serve halal, vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free food?

Yes. All meat served at SPICE ROOM is halal (seafood is not labeled halal). The menu has 30+ vegetarian dishes, 15 vegan dishes and 101 gluten-free options, each tagged on the menu.

What are the most common Indian spices?

The everyday core is cumin, coriander and turmeric, plus red chili, mustard seed, cardamom, cinnamon, fenugreek and the warm blend garam masala. Saffron is the luxury spice, used in biryani and desserts.

How do I order Indian food in Denver for delivery or pickup?

Order direct from SPICE ROOM online for pickup or delivery from West Highlands, Bluebird (East Colfax) or Olde Town Arvada. Pickup is ready in about 20–30 minutes and delivery takes about 30–45 minutes. Ordering direct saves up to 15% versus third-party apps.

A guide from the SPICE ROOM family · Denver & Arvada

The Art of Indian Cuisine

Nearly five thousand years of history, 28 states of regional cooking, and a pantry of a hundred spices — and where to taste every bit of it in Denver.

Order pickup or delivery Reserve a table

Years of history: 5,000+; Years of history
States, each a cuisine: 28; States, each a cuisine
Spices in the pantry: 100+; Spices in the pantry
Dishes on our menu: 137; Dishes on our menu

Origins

A History Rich in Flavor

Nearly 5,000 years

Archaeologists found residue of ginger and turmeric in cooking pots at Farmana, an Indus Valley site dated to about 2500 BCE — some of the earliest evidence of spiced cooking.

Ayurvedic roots

Traditional Ayurveda describes six tastes — sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. Cooks still balance a meal around them as tradition, not nutrition science.

Regional diversity

India has 28 states and 8 union territories, and each has its own cuisine, staples and spice habits.

The spice trade

Demand for Indian pepper, cardamom and cinnamon helped drive the European Age of Exploration, including Vasco da Gama’s 1498 voyage to Kerala.

Regions

A Nation of Tastes

Four broad regions, each with its own staples — and a dish on our menu to taste it.

North India

Wheat breads, the clay tandoor, dairy and slow-built tomato-onion gravies.

Naan
Tandoori
Makhani

Butter Chicken $21 Order

South India

Rice and lentil batters, coconut, curry leaf and mustard seed. Served at Olde Town Arvada.

Dosa
Idli
Sambar

Masala Dosa $17 Order

East India & the Himalaya

Steamed dumplings, noodle soups and gentle spicing from the mountain kitchens.

Momos
Thukpa
Achar

Himalayan Momos $20 Order

West India

Coastal Goa and Gujarat: coconut, vinegar, red chili and fresh seafood.

Coconut
Vindaloo
Seafood

Goan Fish Curry $21 Order

Techniques

Traditional Techniques

Tap or press Enter on a card to see how it works.

Pantry

Explore the Spice Cabinet

Choose a spice to learn its character and where to find it on our menu.

Flavor families

The Flavor Wheel

Ten spices in five families. Tap a spice to see its family and a pairing.

Spice
wheel

Warm & Cozy
Earthy & Grounding
Fresh & Aromatic
Bold & Pungent
Sweet & Floral

Tap a spice on the wheel.

Interactive

Build Your Curry

Pick two or more ingredients and we’ll match you with a dish from our kitchen.

1. Toast whole spices
2. Bloom the aromatics
3. Build the masala (bhuna)
4. Simmer

Base

Heat & Punch

Aromatics

Finishing

Pick at least two ingredients to see your match.

Heat

Find Your Heat

Slide to your comfort zone. Every dish can be ordered from Very Mild to Spicy Hot.

3 · Medium — try Chicken Tikka Masala

You

Your Taste Profile

Build your curry above and set your heat — your profile will appear here.

Free printable

Spice Pairing Cheat Sheet

A one-page guide to the holy trinity, the five flavor families, pairings, the curry formula and a heat guide.

One click adds you to our newsletter — enter your email once on the next screen — and reveals the cheat sheet below. Prefer not to? Just view it.

Trivia

Did You Know?

About 39% of Indian adults say they are vegetarian.

Source: Pew Research Center, 2021

The ghost pepper (Bhut Jolokia) from Northeast India measures around 1,000,000 Scoville units and was named the world’s hottest chili by Guinness in 2007.

Source: Ghost pepper — Wikipedia

India grows roughly 135 million tonnes of rice a year and is the world’s largest rice exporter.

Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service, Dec 2023

Everyday tea-drinking in India was largely built by the British tea industry’s promotion campaigns in the early 1900s.

Source: Rappaport, A Thirst for Empire; History of tea in India

For every table

Order Like a Local

Say it right

Naan: “nahn”
Biryani: “beer-yah-nee”
Paneer: “puh-neer”
Dosa: “doh-sah”
Korma: “kor-mah”
Dal: “daal”
Samosa: “suh-moh-sah”
Lassi: “luh-see”

First time? Order this

Go deeper

More Indian Food Guides

FAQ

Indian Cuisine Questions, Answered

Now taste the real thing

Three locations: West Highlands, Bluebird (East Colfax) and Olde Town Arvada.