Why go: A dizzying parade of Indian cooking unspools at these large, banquet-hall-style dining rooms—from smoky tandoori meats from the north to southern dosas, all complexly spiced and served to Bollywood music videos on flat-panel TVs.
What to get: Paneer pakora, fried fritters of paneer cheese in a lightly spiced lentil coating; sambar, a tangy Tamil tamarind soup that accompanies dosas and other southern dishes; lakhnavi methi kheema, ground lamb in a sauce laced with fenugreek leaves; masala dosa, a rice crepe stuffed with curried potatoes; multilayer dosa, a folded version spiced with various chutneys.
Best for: Exploring a multifaceted cuisine that the word “curry” oversimplifies.
Insider tip: While many Indian lunch buffets round up the usual suspects, Minerva offers a wide variety of selections. There’s no better buffet in the region.
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
See all Cheap Eats 2008 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.
