Why go: At this handsome Northern Indian restaurant, the familiar (tandoor meats and slow-simmered curries) is made exciting, and the obscure—the area’s only roster of Balti-style dishes, with spicy onion-and-tomato-slathered meats or vegetables served in a copper bucket—is offered as pure comfort.
What to get: Crispy keema samosa filled with chicken instead of the usual potato; balti goat or chicken; jingha korma, an aromatic cashew-based shrimp curry; dhaniawala korma, chicken rubbed with a lively cilantro-chili paste.
Best for: Large family or after-work gatherings, the better to sample an array of flavors and tastes.
Insider tip: The menu offers many choices for vegetarians. The lunch buffet ($10.99 weekdays, $13.99 weekends) is better than most.
Open Monday through Friday for lunch and dinner, Saturday and Sunday for brunch and dinner.
>> See all 2009 Cheap Eats restaurants here
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
