Eat Great Cheap 2016At this Indian spot, marigold-hued walls are scrawled with quotes and graffiti, Bollywood tunes pop from the television, and a chalkboard menu teems with curries, kati rolls, warm flatbreads, and more than 30 vegetarian and vegan options. Explore the rich, long-simmered stews that are central to Punjabi cuisine with a thali, a five-dish platter that lets you pick a meat (we recommend the fragrant ginger-and-garlic-braised lamb curry) alongside hearty vegetables like smoky puréed eggplant and spicy pumpkin. Apart from tender goat, chicken dominates the meat side of the menu—it’s brightened with mango, braised on the bone, or ground into juicy seekh kebabs. Don’t miss the jars of house-made mango pickle and chutney for dressing up the plates and the large, shareable bottles of Taj Mahal lager for taming the heat.
Cuisine: Indian
Where you can get it: 243 K St., NE; 202-544-4777
Also good: Chicken masala; butter buns with mashed potatoes; dal makhani;onion paratha.
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.
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.
