Recent social media posts
08/26/2026
The Saffron Cookie, a sugar cookie suffused with cooling saffron is the latest in our daily baking rotation.👩🏽🍳 Saffron is sprinkled through many parts of our menu ~ the Golden Soda, buried inside the chocolate covered Gulab Jamun and soon to be on the new Kashmiri Chicken Kebabs launching next month! 🎉
08/23/2026
August 24th to August 30th, 2026 Specials
Tuesday, August 25th - Fried Chicken - $18 | $26
Ghee fried chicken (2 or 4 pieces), Pondi salad, pickles & biscuit.
Friday, August 28th - Fish Special
Saffron Fish Stew $32 (Gluten-free, Diary-free)
A delicate stew with local fish and shrimp ~ bathed in a saffron sauce. Chili can overpower saffron, so this one is mild.
Sunday, August 30th – Araam Thali $22 | $27
Potato curry, pooris & semolina halwa. Your choice of lamb keema or butter chicken (only available in-house).
Sunday, August 30th - Biryani
Saffron Chicken Biryani $27 (Gluten-free)
The chicken is sauted with onions and such with a touch of chile. Folded with saffron rice, almonds and currants, it makes for a satisfying biryani.
08/19/2026
When we launched our summer ☀️ menu, I knew the Mango 🥭 Melon 🍈 Salad 🥗 was going to be a hit. Knowing it was summer, I wanted to keep it light and tight. So, if you have not had it yet, time to make a trip to Pondi! Roughly two weeks left before we flip the menu for the fall. 👩🏽🍳
08/16/2026
August 17th to August 23rd, 2026 Specials
Tuesday, August 18th - Fried Chicken - $18 | $26
Ghee fried chicken (2 or 4 pieces), Pondi salad, pickles & biscuit.
Friday, August 21st - Fish Special
Shrimp Pakora Pongal Salad $26 (Dairy-free)
Yes, the shrimp are battered and fried, but when tossed with tangy greens, coconut, beets and so much more, it makes for a wonderful meal especially when served over pongal, a South Indian savory rice and lentil stew with cashews.
Sunday, August 23rd – Araam Thali $22 | $27
Potato curry, pooris & semolina halwa. Your choice of lamb keema or butter chicken (only available in-house).
Sunday, August 23rd - Biryani
Green Salad Biryani $26 (Gluten-free, contains almonds)
Salad and biryani may not belong together but wait till you taste this! More home cooking than restaurant ~ rice tossed with a bunch of farm greens, vegetables and nuts. It will be served warm to room temperature. Thinly sliced chicken is added, feel free to leave it out or replace with paneer.
08/13/2026
This week will be dedicated to kids. Our weekly fish 🐟 & biryani specials are simple and kid friendly and hopefully a chance for your kids to taste something new! ✨
As for anyone who avoids bringing their kids to restaurants because they can be loud or rowdy, the unspoken rule is to bring kids early. Let them color 🖍️ with our India 🇮🇳 inspired coloring sheets, roam around our plants 🪴, go up and down the escalators a million times (Lion’s 🦁 favorite), run up to the Bake Lab for a sweet bite and enjoy the thrill of being at Pondicheri. 💕
08/09/2026
August 10th to August 16th, 2026 Specials
Tuesday, August 11th - Fried Chicken - $18 | $26
Ghee fried chicken (2 or 4 pieces), Pondi salad, pickles & biscuit.
Friday, August 14th- Fish Special
Ghee Poached Fish GF - $30
This week we bring you a fish dish that kids will eat and is good for them. Feel free to eat from their bowl…Poached in ghee and topped with Ocean masala (not spicy) paired with baby saag and desi fries (with salt only).
Sunday, August 16th – Araam Thali $22 | $27
Potato curry, pooris & semolina halwa. Your choice of lamb keema or butter chicken (only available in-house).
Sunday, August 16th - Biryani
Lion King Chicken Pilaf GF NF - $25
This rice dish has no onions! Yet it packs a punch of flavors…with green peas and rice. Your kids will love it and you might too.
08/04/2026
A love letter to our ice cream~ 💌 We have small batch unique & delicious ice cream available at the Bake Lab & in pints if you want to take it home with you! And this week only (from now - Sunday), come for our dessert special at the restaurant: a cardamom ice cream slab with local blackberries & pistachios 🍦❣️
08/02/2026
August 3rd to August 9th, 2026 Specials
Monday, August 3rd to Sunday, August 9th - Dessert Special
Cardamom, Local Blackberry & Pistachio Ice Cream Slab $12
Tuesday, August 4th - Fried Chicken - $18 | $26
Ghee fried chicken (2 or 4 pieces), Pondi salad, pickles & biscuit.
Friday, August 7th - Fish Special
Shrimp Balchao $22 (Gluten Free)
Jumbo Shrimp butterflied and cooked in a tangy tomato, ginger sweet and sour Goan inspired sauce…
Sunday, August 9th – Araam Thali $22 | $27
Potato curry, pooris & semolina halwa. Your choice of lamb keema or butter chicken (only available in-house).
Sunday, August 9th - Biryani
Butter Chicken Biryani $26 (Gluten Free)
A classic you all love so we’ll say no more!
07/29/2026
What does summer taste like for you? ☀️ For us, summer is the epitome of street foods from India called Chaat…Chaat simply means ’finger licking good or to lick”. 😋 They could include anything from crunchy fritters to potato chips, lentil dumplings, roasted corn, garbanzo beans, lentils, chutneys, yogurt, tamarind, pomegranate, mango and so on…Since we’re not in India, we can certainly create the tastes of summer for everyone here at Pondicheri and you can create them at home too with our Chaat Masala Tin! 😎
07/27/2026
We are closed today due to maintenance! We will be open tomorrow with regular hours!
Address
2800 Kirby Drive
Houston, TX
77098
To reach the Indian restaurant on Kirby Drive in Houston via public transport, you can take the red line train and get off at the Museum District station. From there, walk south along Caroline Street until you reach Hermann Park Drive. Take a left onto Hermann Park Drive and continue walking until you reach the intersection with Kirby Drive. The restaurant will be located on your right.
If driving, take US-59 North towards downtown and exit at Kirby Drive. Make a right turn onto Kirby and continue driving for about 2.5 miles. The restaurant will be on your left-hand side. Parking is available at the restaurant's parking lot or along the street nearby.
Opening Hours
| Monday |
9am - 9pm |
| Tuesday |
9am - 9pm |
| Wednesday |
9am - 9pm |
| Thursday |
9am - 9pm |
| Friday |
9am - 10pm |
| Saturday |
9am - 10pm |
| Sunday |
9am - 10pm |
Alerts
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What people say
Indian restaurants are known for their inventive and sumptuous pairing of flavors, and Pondicheri on Kirby Drive in Houston is no exception. This restaurant takes it a step further by incorporating locally-sourced ingredients into their dishes, resulting in a truly unique dining experience.
One standout dish at Pondicheri is their chaats, which are the heartbeat of street foods in India. They offer a delicious iteration with fresh Texas peaches, cucumber, crispy paneer pakora, and the holy trinity of sauces - cilantro, tamarind, and yogurt. It's sweet, salty, crunchy, soft, creamy and tart all at once!
Their lemon cardamom cake is another must-try item on the menu. It has layers of lemon curd and berry jam with a creamy chilled saffron whipped cream around it that gives it a gorgeous yellow color. This cake keeps evolving to become even more delicious.
If you're looking for something savory, try their Simla biryani special named after a beautiful hill station in Himachal Pradesh. It features tender pieces of lamb gently cooked with fiddleheads and black cardamom that will leave your taste buds wanting more.
Finally, don't miss out on their fern pizza made with fiddleheads and cabbage topped with melting gruyere cheese and green herb masala. It's the epitome of springtime flavors.
Overall, Pondicheri offers an exceptional dining experience that combines traditional Indian flavors with locally-sourced ingredients to create unique dishes that are sure to impress any foodie.
