100 Very Best Restaurants: #58 – Ananda

Cost:

Photo by Scott Suchman

About Ananda

Cost:

cuisines
Indian
Location(s)
7421 Maple Lawn Blvd
Fulton, MD 20759

There’s no sign at this Indian restaurant, but you can’t miss the place: Just look for the terra-cotta-hued castle. Inside, the opulent dining rooms feel less Medieval Times, more Restoration Hardware, and the Indian cooking is sumptuous. Plates marry nouvelle cuisine presentations with potent spices. The terrific dharamshala duck is redolent of cardamom, while a cylinder of cool lump crab and avocado is paired with Old Bay–scented lentils. Go heavy on tandoori meats, whether almond-crusted lamb chops or lime-spritzed shrimp adrak. Moderate.


Ann Limpert
Executive Food Editor/Critic

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.

Food Editor

Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.

Jessica Sidman
Food Editor

Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.