Sonya H.
Yelp
I'm absolutely in love with this spot!! I'm usually a little cautious about Indian food in D.C. (I've generally found it to be overpriced and mediocre), but I was in the area with a few friends on Saturday evening and decided to pop by for dinner. I'm so glad that I decided to stop by despite all of my hesitations!! Starting off with the atmosphere -- Bombay is a bustling shop with wonderful energy, vibrant decor, and really friendly staff. It can get a little busy on the weekends, so definitely plan for that, but Bombay's service is still amazingly speedy (and near-perfect) despite the rush.
And the food...wow. First of all, I was incredibly grateful for the number of clearly marked vegan options! Most Indian restaurants that I go to are great at accommodating vegetarian diners, but not vegans (or, at the very least, they don't make life super convenient by creating an entire vegan section of the menu in the way Bombay does). Their kolhapuri vegetable was listed as a "must try" and it did not disappoint in the slightest -- the dish was amazingly flavorful, with just the right amount of spice, a rich and deep flavor without feeling greasy or overwhelming, and a wonderful balance of textures from the various vegetables they added. There seemed to be corn, peas, carrots, green beans, and likely a few other goodies in the mix. It was served with fluffy and aromatic basmati rice on the side, and there was plenty of food to feed two (or, in my case, me for two meals :D ).
My friends' dishes also seemed delightful -- one (fellow vegetarian) tried out the aloo manchurian and enjoyed it quite a bit, and my two other friends tried out their biryanis. One tried out the goat biryani and the other the lamb, and both said that their dishes brought quite the kick! There was a bit of dough covering the top of the biryani bowls, though, and it didn't look entirely cooked -- it was still a bit stretchy and wet, and it didn't have the classic charred look that most breads atop biryani do.
Another minor detail is that I would've preferred there to be a scale for the spice level, whether it's an ability to adjust the level of spice you'd prefer or a scale on the menu to give diners a heads up. I was quite pleased with the spice level of my dish, and aloo manchurian was more of a sweet and salty dish, rather than a spicy one, but my two friends who ordered the biryanis did not quite have the spice tolerance to handle their dishes.
These small details aside, though, Bombay Street Food was one of my favorite Indian restaurants in D.C. and I will definitely be coming back for more the next time I find myself on this side of town!