Why go: For northern-Indian curries and stews perfumed with fenugreek, ginger, and cardamom served family style in a modest space with an electric-red paint job straight out of Bollywood.
What to get: Naan filled with savory house-made cottage cheese; the house pakora—crisp spinach-potato-and-onion fritters; bhuna bhartha, a smoky eggplant-and-onion stew; Bengali curry with tilapia or shrimp, scented with cumin, fennel, and nigella, also known as black caraway; pista korma with chicken, mainly for its dreamy pistachio-and-coconut-curry sauce.
Best for: Indian-food fanciers who like it hot—most plates are fiery.
Insider tip: With the $8.95 weekend lunch buffet, you get either a lassi or mineral water for half price. The restaurant doesn’t take reservations, so plan to arrive before 7:30 on weekend nights.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
See all 2008 Cheap Eats restaurants
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.
