Shimla Peppers: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Shimla Peppers in Naperville is a pure vegetarian Indian restaurant. No dish on the menu contains meat, fish, or eggs. The restaurant describes itself as pure vegetarian, authentic Indian food in a cozy, casual setting, and its owner’s Yelp description adds that the food is gluten free. Dairy shows up often, in paneer, cream, butter, yogurt, and lassi, so the kitchen isn’t vegan. Some of the menu can work for vegans, and you should ask your server which dishes use dairy.

Start with the Punjabi specials, which anchor a long menu. The Amritsari Kulcha Plate is a wheat flatbread stuffed with spiced potato and baked in the tandoor, and it comes with pindi chana and lassi. It’s the dish Yelp reviewers mention most. The Sarson Ka Saag and Makki Di Roti pairs mustard greens with Punjab’s cornbread-style flatbread. Chole Bhature, Pav Bhaji, Up Aloo and Puri, and a North Indian Thali round out the specials. That thali is an eight-item combo on a steel platter and works well if you can’t pick just one dish.

Soya chaap is the other signature. Cooks boil oblong soy patties, fries them lightly, and tosses them in tomato and cashew gravy for the Malai Soya Chaap, in tomato gravy for the Karahi, or in a masala gravy with peppers and onions for the Tava. Each one comes with a rumaali roti. Paneer fans have mutter paneer, shahi paneer, paneer butter masala, paneer tikka masala, and karachi paneer. Vegans should start with the vegetable and lentil dishes, such as Bhindi Masala, Baigan Ka Bharta, Aloo Gobi, Double Tadka Daal, and Pindi Chana, and confirm the cooking fat first. The menu says Palak Paneer finishes with butter.

Shuruaat, the appetizer list, has samosas, samosa chat, pani puri, dahi vada, mirchi bhajji, and onion pakoda. Tandoori sizzlers include Haryali Paneer Tikka, Achari Paneer Tikka, and Beet Root Kabab. An Indo-Chinese section covers Gobhi Manchurian, Chili Baby Corn, Chili Paneer, Fried Rice, and Haka Noodles. Desserts include rasmalai, gulab jamun, rice kheer, and pista kulfi. Drinks include mango lassi, rose milk, and masala chai.

Every dish is vegetarian, so you never have to ask about meat or fish. The printed menu carries an allergy warning that food may contain peanut, dairy, egg, or shellfish products. If you have an allergy, ask the server before you order.

Photos of the menu on the restaurant’s site date from 2021, and prices have risen since. Yelp’s popular dishes now run about $14.99 to $18.99 for mains and $6.99 for soup. Yelp and Spinach agree on the hours. Tuesday through Thursday, the dining room opens from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., then again from 5 to 9:30 p.m. Friday runs 12 to 3 p.m. and 5:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday runs 12 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 10 p.m. Sunday runs 12 to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9:45 p.m. Mondays stay closed, and the owner lists a catering menu on the website for parties and events. The call-ahead line is 331-226-2992, and catering is available.

If you’re sharing, order the North Indian Thali and add the samosa chat.