Bombay Street Food

"Mumbai was still known as Bombay when restaurateur Asad Sheikh was growing up in India. At the Columbia Heights original, along with locations on Capitol Hill and National Harbor, he shares the thriving street food vendor scene from his childhood through favorites like Bombay palak chaat (a mixture of crispy fried spinach with spiced yogurt and chutney), bhel puri (puffed rice mixed with a medley of raw onion, tomato, and chutney), and vada pao (spiced potatoes with ginger, garlic, and cilantro chutney served with a roll). Follow up these snacks with the Bombay thali for two: an assorted platter that includes curries, vegetables, bread, and rice. Sheikh also runs fast-casual chain Butter Chicken Company, which has locations downtown and on Capitol Hill." - Tierney Plumb

"Bombay-born restaurateur Asad Sheikh made a big splash in Maryland this summer when he unveiled a color-soaked, two-story Bombay Street Food at National Harbor. The love letter to the Indian street foods he ate growing up builds upon the success of the four-year-old Columbia Heights original and its subsequent outpost on Capitol Hill." - Tierney Plumb

"Come hungry and bring a friend or a date, because the impressive thali for two at Bombay Street Food comes with a ton of food. It includes greatest hits like tandoori chicken, saag paneer, lamb curry and gulab jamun (Indian doughnut balls). There’s also a vegetarian thali on weekdays for lunch designed for one person." - Lenore Adkins

"Come hungry and bring a friend or a date, because the impressive thali for two at Bombay Street Food is not for the faint of heart. It includes greatest hits like tandoori chicken, saag paneer, lamb curry and gulab jamun. There’s also a vegetarian thali on weekdays for lunch that’s designed for one person." - Aparna Krishnamoorthy

"Bombay Street Food quietly opened in Columbia Heights this week, giving the neighborhood a chance to explore owner Asad Sheikh’s assertion that his new restaurant will offer a scale of spiciness previously unseen in the District. Sheikh, who founded the well-regarded trio of Curry Mantra restaurants in Northern Virginia, tells Eater that the kitchen is preparing for a grand opening ceremony on Monday, December 3. Bombay Street Food has capacity for about about 70 people and will operate on a first come, first serve basis. Sheikh says he’s particularly excited for diners to try the chile chicken in sweet and spicy tomato sauce from the Indo-Chinese portion of the menu. He also thinks the Bombay thali, a two-person sampler platter that costs $35, will be a big hit. He says a monsoon menu reflects what people in Mumbai — formerly known as Bombay under English Colonial rule — eat with their chai tea during the rainy season. The three monsoon dishes — cheese pakora, vegetable pakora, and spicy chicken masala, are all $8." - Gabe Hiatt