Last updated on June 9th, 2024 at 01:01 pm

Being the country’s capital, Washington DC is home to every embassy in the world. It goes without saying that this city loves to cater to a multicultural population. Whether you are visiting DC or are a resident who’s craving Indian food, this blog post on the best Indian restaurants in DC is for you.

Coming from India, we know the feeling of craving home food. So trust us when we say that we’ve tried a bunch of them to come up with this list of our favorite Indian food in DC.

Let me also add that, honestly, given how diverse India is as a country every region offers a different flavor and cuisine. From spicy street food in Western India to the simple homemade food in the East to the creamy, rich North Indian food to the traditional South Indian spread. I mean, my mouth is watering right now!

We went on a mission, in the name of research for this blog post, to try as many Indian restaurants in DC. After all that food, we’re excited to share six of our favorite places and our favorite dishes to eat there. Below is our review of each restaurant and what’s the best Indian dish that you must order there.

1. Rasika
2. Indigo
3. Indique
4. Bombay Street Food
5. Bindaas
6. Laliguras

1. Rasika

Rasika is a popular award-winning Indian restaurant in Penn Quarters, downtown DC. So much so that you’ll need to make reservation months in advance to secure a dinner table for weekends. Pro tip: It’s much easier to get a reservation on short notice for weekdays. If you do not mind dining at the bar they have a full-service bar and its walk-ins only.

Food

After playing a reservation tag with Rasika for almost 5 years our expectations were very high when we finally got here for a milestone celebration. I have to admit, without any plot twists, Rasika lived up to it! The food recommendations given by our server were delicious. The chef changes Rasika’s menu every season so why not try what’s latest favorite. We loved their Crab pepper masala, Tandoori platter, and Green chicken curry.

Ambiance

Rasika was the right amount of fine dining and thankfully not all the way out there like it’s upscale sister restaurant the ‘The Bombay Club’. If you choose a seat near their open kitchen you can see the chef cook a meal.

Service

The service was top notch, not only were the servers very attentive but they were very keen on giving their favorite food recommendation which I loved. They promptly brought another table sheet when I accidentally dropped water and fixed my wobbly table within seconds of informing them.

2. Indigo

Indigo would be the ‘dhaba’ or a local roadside style equivalent restaurant in India. It’s one of those perfect Indian to-go food places in DC.

Food

If I had to recommend you two things to eat here, it would be their stuffed parathas and goat curry. But definitely try the parathas, we are in love with their Aaloo (potato), Ghobhi (cauliflower), and Kheema (minced meat) parathas.

Ambiance

Indigo is a very casual spot with indoor and outdoor dining as I said a dhaba style feel to it. You have to order the food at the counter and it is brought to your table. A part of their outdoor space is covered, which helps in the winter time.

Service

This place is self serve except for the food delivery to your table. So the service is as good as you make it.

3. Indique

Trust us and go for Indique’s unlimited weekend brunch. I haven’t seen another Indian restaurant with a concept like this. I mean, yes, there are weekend buffets where you overindulge but Indique offers something unique. Located in Cleveland Park, Indique is on Connecticut Ave, very close to Smithsonian National Zoo.

Food

Indique offers a tapas-style small plate menu for their unlimited weekend brunch. You can order as many things from the menu, but only two dishes are served at a time per person to the table. The food was super delicious but if we had to pick, our favorite dishes were Achari chicken tacos and the Cookie butter dosa.

Ambiance

Ask for a table upstairs and enjoy the grandeur of an Indian palace like setting. I really appreciate the fine details that go in the interiors beyond boring paintings. They also have a small 2 person patio dining option but it looked too cramped, so we passed.

Service

The service was perfect, and our dishes were brought it one after the other just as we kept ordering throughout the brunch.

4. Bombay Street Food

A chef that’s passionate about his hometown’s street food and that hometown happens to be same as ours – we had to try this place out! Highly recommend this amazing place in Columbia Heights, DC.

Food

The first thing we ordered in the name of streets of Bombay was ‘Vada Pav’. It also happens to be one of Gaurav’s favorite street food. He was very impressed and said it was one of the best he has had in the US. That means a lot! I ordered a ‘Bhelpuri’, another Bombay street food. It was just the way I like it, heavier on the sauces (not soggy though). Gaurav prefers his bhelpuri on the dry side so this one wasn’t for him. Kathi rolls here were not our favorite but the Biryani, which was highly recommended online, turned out to be really nice.

Ambiance

Bombay Street Food was pretty packed for an early dinner. The walls were nothing short of a Bollywood movie trailer, super colorful and attractive. However, some of the tables were super close to each other. At one point we felt like we were dining with the couple seated next to us.

Service

The service was great, the servers were very attentive to our order and requests.

5. Bindaas

This is a quirky find in DC located in Foggy Bottom & Cleveland Park, Bindaas taking Indian street food to another level. The Cleveland Park location is on Connecticut Ave, very close to Smithsonian National Zoo.

Food

We went to bindaas after hearing great things about their Indian fast food or ‘chat’. A really good authentic ‘chat’ is something that we always associated New Jersey’s Indian restaurants with. We have to say, Bindaas has done a great job at taking a different spin to the traditional chats on its menu. 

Ambiance

The wall art and small touches of Indian streets are amazing. I personally love such funky decors in Indian restaurant rather than a somber look.

Service

Service was great and our server was very attentive to us.

6. Laliguras

Let’s go a little further east and include some Nepali food along with Indian food in DC. Located in Van Ness very close to Rock Creek Park.

Food

Laliguras have some really delicious traditional Nepali Momos. Momos are Nepalese dumplings but served with a curry instead of soy sauce.

Ambiance

It’s a cute restaurant that is not too far from Indique and Bindaas.

Service

Our server was from Nepal and was nice enough the difference between the momos on the menu. He offered to get us the curry on the side in case we didn’t like it on our dumplings. The food was brought in a timely fashion.

Alright, who’s hungry? We’ve narrowed down the best Indian food in DC for you now it’s your turn to go try them out.

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Happy Traveling Eating!