Where to Celebrate Diwali in Houston With the Best Dishes and Sweets

Rack up mithai at Raja Sweets, drink warm chai while perusing Da Gama’s Diwali Night Market, and enjoy full-on feasts at restaurants like Kiran’s

Diwali, also known as the festival of lights, is one of the most momentous occasions of the year for Hindus, Sikhs, and Jains. This five-day celebration represents the start of a new year and the welcoming of winter while also symbolizing the victory of light over darkness or good over evil. To celebrate, those observing the holiday illuminate their homes with lights, candles, and sparklers and indulge in a host of salty snacks and platters of milk-based confections known as mithai. These colorful morsels made with nuts, sugar, and butter are displayed prominently on dessert tables during Diwali and are packed in festive gift boxes exchanged between family and friends.

This year, Diwali will be officially observed Thursday, October 31, through Friday, November 1, and Indian restaurants and sweet shops will be ringing in the holiday with elaborate feasts, parties, and celebrations through the weekend. Here’s how Houston is lighting up the city this Diwali:

Houston Diwali Festival

One of Houston’s largest Diwali celebrations will take over Levy Park with a live concert, fashion shows, fireworks, a bazaar of vendors, street foods, and more. 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, October 19. (Rain date 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, October 20). 3801 Eastside Street, Upper Kirby, 77098.

Da Gama

Warm up with homemade chai, Diwali confections, and special dishes made by Da Gama’s chef-owner Shiva Patel at the restaurant’s second annual Diwali Night Market. The restaurant’s event will also feature a host of local vendors and a henna artist. 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Saturday, November 2. 600 N. Shepherd Drive, Suite 520, the Heights, 77007.

Kiran’s

Alongside its regular menu, this Upper Kirby restaurant, helmed by chef Kiran, will host an extravagant vegetarian buffet featuring a lineup of traditional dishes and desserts, including gatta curry; guija or dumplings with saffron, khao, and pine nuts; and creamy rasmalai with pistachio rabri, and much more. The buffet will cost $85 per person and will be held from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Monday, October 28. 2925 Richmond Avenue, Suite 160, Upper Kirby, 77098.

Kiran’s

Musaafer

One of Houston’s most stunning restaurants will offer a multi-course tasting menu for Diwali, featuring a variety of classic dishes, desserts crafted by pastry chef Sumant K. Sharma, and cocktails infused with flavors like saffron, cardamom by Afzal Kaba. Adorned in marigold garlands, Musafeer will also host its Bollywood Burnout at 10 p.m. on Friday, October 25, featuring a night of dancing fueled by a DJ set of Indian music. 5115 Westheimer Road, Suite C-3500, the Galleria area, 77056.

Pondicheri

James Beard Award semi-finalist and Pondicheri chef Anita Jaisinghani will cook up a multi-course Diwali dinner featuring a spread of street foods, curries, and an assortment of vegetarian and meat-filled dishes. The communal dinner is $110 per person. Diners near and far can also enjoy Pondicheri’s Diwali laddu dabbas, including classic Sidnhi laddu; besan laddu, or Indian chickpea fudge; and a specially made Pondi Bar Laddu, a spicy, sweet, and crispy chocolate bar featuring Indian-spiced trail mix with marshmallows. All laddus can be ordered and picked up in-house or shipped nationally in sets of seven or 14. 2800 Kirby Drive, B132, River Oaks, 77098.

Where to score sweet treats this Diwali

Cacao & Cardamom

Chocolatier Annie Rupani continues her annual tradition with special Diwali chocolate collections featuring original flavors like paan, Peanut Chikki, and chai biscuit, plus new chocolate bars in strawberry chocolate and chaat masala. The chocolate shop’s Light & Love Diwali gift set ($70) features a 12-piece box of handmade bonbons, raspberry pistachio mendiants, and its chaat masala bar, all of which is packaged in a festive, gold box. 5000 Westheimer Road, #602, the Galleria area, 77056.

Cacao & Cardamom

Raja Sweets

Billed as the longest-running Indian restaurant in Texas and the first Indian restaurant in Houston, this family-owned restaurant and sweet shop offers more than 30 different types of homemade sweet treats or mithai. Pick and choose your favorite confections, or curate the ultimate Diwali gift box featuring an assortment of perfectly rolled laddus, bite-sized pieces of almond fudge, chocolate barfi, and more for $12 per pound. Diners can also indulge in Raja Sweets’s savory and fried snacks and dishes. Brave the line, or save time by pre-ordering by phone. 5667 Hillcroft Avene, Mahatma Gandhi District, 77036.

Verandah

Prepare and perfect your Diwali by pre-ordering your sweets and sauces from this elegant Houston restaurant. Verandah features a special menu of confections, including mawa barfi, motichur laddu, and handcrafted chocolates, plus sauces and a variety of tea blends, available with strainers, infusers, and dehydrated lemon, all of which make perfect gifts. Those seeking a dine-in experience can indulge in Verandah’s special Diwali menu, featuring vegetarian dishes and a specially prepared thali from across the country Tuesday through Sunday during the week of Diwali. 3300 Kirby Drive, Suite 7-A, Upper Kirby, 77098.