Guru Groceries and Chaat House

Guru groceries and chaar house is a good option for Asian foods especially Indian foods...it is located in Bethesda and easily accessible....you can find authentic Indian snacks and other food items here.....you will also find lots of home made Indian snacks foods like Samosa, Chat,....you can find almost all Indian and srilankan groceries here.,.. the shop is also famous for their samosa and mango lassi...prices are little bit higher compared to other groceries.... Home made foods are tasty and have multiple varieties for snacks and Curries....

The prices are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!! And not displayed anywhere. This place is a total scam. Two tiny blocks of paneer - for $17! I’ve always thought this place was overpriced, but I went here today after quite a while because I needed some items last-minute. If it was overpriced and shady before, it is 100x worse now! There is a reason they don’t display prices. Do yourself a favor, take all the reviews here on prices seriously, and stay away. Every other Indian grocery store in the DMV is cheaper, by a substantial margin.

The BEST samosas ever! & the kindest people run this store. Right in Bethesda, it’s a gold mine of flavors as well as health & beauty products. What a gem of a place!!!

Good for indian groceries. Store is in downtown and they also sell chat & pan. Items don't have price tag so could be difficult to figure out price but owner is very helpful and available to answer all the queries. They don't have any parking on premise which is a drawback but manageable since there is plenty of street parking on the road.

Predatory pricing. Understandable to charge slightly more due to location, but most products are at least 40% more expensive. When you don’t even list the price, quite questionable integrity.

Chaat Chaat real smoove… piggybacking off that prior point though… speedy service, great customer relations… chaat machine was down upon visit but will be back again soon to try chaat and will come back to this review…

I brought paneer tikka wrap it's so yummy and good price the owner he is so friendly and helpful I will visit again

Love this place for hard-to-find ingredients, especially whole spices. Everything is great value for the area (often better than you’ll find online) and the owners are helpful and friendly. The refrigerated and frozen sections in the back are worth a look - I missed these on my first couple of visits but they have fresh chillies, curry leaves etc. at good prices. The fresh samosas they offer you at checkout are delicious. Highly recommend.

This is a wonderful Indian grocery and I will be coming here often. Immaculate, well organized, and well stocked, with a very friendly owner and clerk who were very helpful in answering questions. Freshly homemade dishes to go -- we came away with chole and samosas, both of which were perfectly prepared. I also wish they had delivery! We DC people would pay for it!

Small selective store with fresh produce and frozen food . Very helpful owners and is small clean and well organized. Prices are very reasonable! I highly recommend it . Wish they had delivery !

Some of the NICEST people you will ever meet. Such a clean and well labeled store. We did not get a chance to try the chaat unortunately but we greatly enjoyed the home made laddoos. Lovely, helpful owners and a good variety of items.

Opened in July in Old Bethesda. I'm not an experienced Chaat'er, but I know the spices and food worked well. $8 for a veggie Chaat that you can get spicy or medium (when I requested mild, the response was "I don't know if you can make a mild Chaat and have it still be Chaat", but I also asked for chicken Chaat only to be told that chicken isn't vegetarian, and all the chaat is vegetarian). The chaat was spicy with a breadlike base. I wasn't expecting it to be cold. Lots of chickpeas and crisp flavorful onions. The grocery store has an amazing selection of chip and chip variants of the Indian variety. Lots of other foods not found elsewhere. Some interesting teas. They should be a good addition to the neighborhood.

Great selection of spices, snacks, really anything that you could want. Their samosas are fantastic!

Wonderful family owned grocery store. Even though the store isn't very large, I spent way too much time browsing the two aisles filled with a huge variety of Indian products trying to figure out what I can make with them! I was amazed by selection and hard to find items to even include sesame seeds (white and black) and organic garam masala powder to make my butter chicken. There is another room in back with frozen section filled with different types of quick dinners or frozen paratha and naan and any other carby goodness. I even saw frozen Nepalese momos! The windows to the freezer are on the side facing the side wall... don't try to open the freezer door that faces the aisle like I did or they will wonder what you are doing. I wish the prices were marked for all the products. There were many items I took a chance and bought and couldn't do price comparison because not everything was labeled. The have a two freezer section of ice cream on the front of store and they have hrs to find kulfi ice cream (rich and decadent - not like the ice cream we are used to in the states) . No prices labeled but the little cups were 1.99 and popsicles were 2.99 each. After a little more research on my end, I am excited to go back and confidently conquer this wonderful Indian grocery store to master my home cooked Indian dishes! Well maybe not my own cooking now that I discovered the menu of frozen home cooked meals you order at the register and fresh samosas behind the register. Tried both the aloo gohbi and samosa and way better than any restaurant ones I've ordered.

Cute little Indian grocery store with a great selection of ingredients and snacks. I believe it's always been the owners at the register when I've gone - they always offer to help find what you're looking for and are incredibly friendly. And definitely grab some samosas to go. I haven't gotten to try the rest of the food yet, but the samosas were yummy!

Super convenient to have a compact Indian grocer next to my house. Family owned and reasonable prices-they did a good job compressing everything into a tiny space. Go to the back and realize the selection is actually majorly impressive-even carrying things like indian eggplant/aubergines, okra, frozen rotis etc. The mango lassi here is one of the best I've ever had, totally divine.

prices are unreasonably high. owners are very rude. saw them fighting with customers couple of times. once I brought home, expired goods from here. also they charged me once for product which I had not purchased. Ambience is ok overall.

Their papardi chaat is really tasty. Good place to get Indian spices and frozen food as well note you are not allowed to sit in and eat here carry out only.

Finally got to try this place after visiting Taste of Bethesda and noticing they were absent. The folks who work there are very friendly and are willing to help you find what you are looking for. I told them we were there to try the chaat and samosas since we couldn't find where they were served. They keep the hot food in a small corner of the store that is unmanned. While it seems a little sketchy the food came out hot and fresh. The chaat tastes just like home and the samosas have a very spicy kick to them. I'm not sure if they're all like that or if they saw I was middle eastern and upped the spices. The reason I can't give this place a full 5 stars is the price. One chaat and samosa cost me close to $10. Keep in mind, chaat is street food in India and Pakistan and it literally costs a $1 or $2 there. I get the whole supply/demand thing but there are plenty of places selling chaat and samosas for half that in the DMV.

I stopped by to pick up some groceries, and got two samosas on a whim. Bad idea. I should've grabbed a dozen! They are so fresh and delicious! The chutneys are very yummy too! They also have the good brand of kulfi. So glad this is right around the block!

Feeling somewhat lost in Maryland during Thanksgiving, I decided to explore the region for an Indian meal and found this 'hole in the wall', no seating restaurant (sic) and store but apart from a deliciously fresh Samosa, the prices seemed formidably high, judging by my south-eastern experience of over 40 years. For instance, India Gate Basmati rice sold for $12 for a four-pound bag while I could have purchased the same item, albeit a 10 lb. bag, for the same price. I also felt uncomfortable, being watched over like a hawk, allegedly as a shoplifting suspect due to my middle eastern appearance. Allah ho Akbar!

Inside I was impressed by the cleanliness, and organization of shelves. Everything seemed to have a place and was thoughtfully and attractively arranged. This is unusual for an Indian grocery store. When I drove up, the place had plenty of parking outside but it seemed like an old house or country store. Very unusual for an Indian grocery store. The proprietor was very helpful and courteous, and we had a nice conversation about how far I had traveled to the store. He also suggested I try samosas freshly made in the store, which were delicious. Seriously the best samosas in the entire tri-state region. Get them to go, and make sure you get some good sauces (tamarind or maggi hot and sweet) to go with them. I found what I was after, a specific brand of Indian henna. In addition, they carry a lot of ayurvedic supplements like juices, powders and pills. Looking for amla juice, bitter gourd (karela) juice, special oils etc? This is a good spot to look. Obviously I bought crunchy snacks, frozen dosas, and the proprietor recommended I try an instant brand of uppuma which can be simply rehydrated and heated. Hey, fast Indian meals are my thing. I picked up two packets of locally-made chapatis, hand crafted in a local kitchen specially for the store. Also picked up some chocolates from the U.K (THE REAL CADBURY'S!) The store also stocks the usual selection of bulk spices, lentils and has several frozen sections so you are guaranteed to find all the best frozen "DEEP" curries you crave! This is a cool find if you are into Indian groceries. I have to get up to these northern parts every now and then and when I do so, I'll take some extra time to swing by this store.

Super excited for these guys. I think it's a surefire winner. Simple concept -- you get a complete shopping experience for Indian groceries and as a bonus for all your hard work you get to have some amazing Chaat (Street food) while you're at it! As far as groceries are concerned they have basically everything you'd need except perhaps some fresh produce. Not a big deal IMO. The Prices are less than at Dana Bazaar in Rockville so that's a plus. The Chaat was in fact stellar. A little on the pricey side perhaps compared to most restaurants in the area , but there really was a ton of food on my plate. Realistically it's for 2 to share IMO. Authentic "Street Chaat" taste to boot and made fresh to order right in front of you---no mystery ingredients I can assure you! Try it all but the Bhel puri (ask for it a little spicy) & the Papri Chaat are bonafide must haves. Off you go to the Gurus of Chaat!!

Please solicit this gem, or be forced into the outskirts of far far away for a good Indian Grocer's. Not unlike a wee "IndianTraderJoes" in that they've gone to great lengths to have it all but may--as such, not have every brand. They even have the Brit chocolates I ate growing up. I am making a point of getting to this store regularly--having found it. Stop paying exorbitant fees for Safeway "Pataks" products--etc, get the snacks, incense, and food supplies necessary to have genuine Northern and South Indian food "proper"--right down to the deserts

Stopped by tonight right before they were closing with my friend. They had no shopping baskets available for us. The woman at the front told us both separately that they were closing the store shortly. We were aware and were planning to be out by 6 pm when they were scheduled to close. They rushed us out of there, and didn't ring up all of my items. Then they asked me if I wanted the remaining item in my basket that they missed. This was not a pleasant shopping experience. They people who work here were very rude, and I will not be back.

This is a really great new store! Of course, I also expect it will be a really great old store! They have a lot of things that other stores do not stock -- for instance, a make-your-own-jilebi mix-in-a-box that comes with a nice orange jilebi-mix squirter. :-) I go to Indian grocery stores in the area and across the country, and there really are a lot of unique things here. Plus it's not all Indian, either. They have a Persian section and some other things, too ... plus kulfi on a stick! I got the almond! And they're nice, it's very clean, etc. The only thing is my samosas weren't warm enough for my taste .... Both the chaats I got (These are two separate visits.) were cold (They all are, as I understand it.), which worked out well because I was wanting to take them somewhere they'd get cold if they hadn't already been. :-) Also, what a great place if you're driving by during traffic and you'd rather eat than sit and pollute! Yeah! :-D Take a break, take a look, get a taste, take a walk with it -- that's street food! No, you can't walk and eat the chaat too easily but you sure can with the stick-of-kulfi and samosas! Yum! It's better than walking a dog or a baby! :-D

Excellent local grocery store. All the Indian spices and products you need. My favorite is the fridge full of fresh food and freezer grill of prepared meals...prepared in house!

Do not try and eat the chat there. It's really bad and if you are picking up make sure you stand while the lady makes it. She kept asking me to go to the cashier and she will bring my parcel, just to realize when I opened it that just put onions for veggies and made do with what ever she had. Had the Bhel and Papdi Chat. Plus it's a bit on the expensive side for the quantity and quality and the food wasn't great either.

A great neighboorhood grocer with helpful and obliging owner-operators. They carry all the essentials including spices and treats all the way to produce. Bonus that they have in-store chaat house.

Decided to stop by here for a snack. The location of this place is a little weird and you never see many people here. That's good because they'll always have your favorite snacks in stock. I got Chakali, shakar para and a mango juice (see picture). Paying $8 for this is way too much and I recommend going to Patel Brothers if you have time. The mango juice was only $1.

There is finally an Indian grocery store in Bethesda! I usually have to drive down to rockville to go to Patel Brothers so I was excited to find this not too far from me. The store is clean, well stocked, and the people were friendly and helped me find everything I needed. They have an amazing variety of frozen Paratha. The fresh paneer here was okay- they only had one block left of paneer looked closest to the one I usually buy. I think this is a great store- the only thing that was slightly disappointing were the prices. I definitely felt like the prices here were more expensive than the indian grocery stores I'm used to shopping at. I bought one block of paneer, frozen Parathas, moong daal, rajma masala, sambar masala, pickle, and parle-G cookies and it was a little over $30. I'm used to buying a lot more for that price, but I still think it is a great addition to Bethesda am happy they are here!

Want to try a new Indian Bread. Try the Mooli Paratha. Radish stuffed bread. Great even if it comes in frozen.

The owner is super nice and helpful. Good selection of things and their lentils were quite good.

VERY safe procedures during covid were much appreciated. The owners are very nice and helpful. They will answer any questions you have. For instance, my boyfriend is not Indian and accidentally got fennel powder instead of fennel seeds. They noticed and asked us what we were making and got us the correct product. They have everything we need and more! They have fresh karela, okra, eggplant, potatoes+, so when we need veggies we prefer to go there during covid. The samosas and chaat were a big hit at our Diwali party last year...But I'll never leave there without a mango lassi!

I walked in looking for a drink and was offered fresh samosas. I never had one before but man am I glad I tried it. Crispy pyramids of deliciousness. I got 2 of them and a delicious Sprite like soda for under $5. I walk by it every day on my way home from work and needless to say I stop in 2-3 times a week now for some more samosas. The people inside are always pleasant and welcoming.

Small, locally-owned indian grocery. Very friendly and helpful. Expansive options of spices. Delicious home-cooked food too!

Really out of the way little Indian food store but well worth the drive (just keep going down Travilah until you think you must have missed it, and chances are when you pull into the first parking lot you see on the left to turn around, it will be the place! I don't think its really 'Rockville' though, more like N. Potomac.) Variety, prices and quality are all exceptional, esp. the homemade goodies, like the yummy plump tingly spicy but not too hot Samosas. Got some papadum and great frozen items I've been yearning for (many vegetarian choices but the halal chicken seekh kababs were my favorite so far!), but the BEST reason to go here are the adorable, helpful, friendly husband and wife proprietors- super nice people. Please support Mom and Pop places like this, you will not get better healthy ethnic food or service anywhere, and budget-friendly to boot!

Very friendly owners who enthusiastically helped me navigate to what I wanted. Bought a couple of frozen homemade entrees. They were excellent. Definitely going back.

I had a grocery list of hard-to-find ingredients for a dinner I'm planning (inspired by an Indian cookbook I just bought). The proprietor was so incredibly helpful, they had everything I needed, and I'm really excited to embark on this cooking adventure, if only to return to this lovely store again. Excited to try their premade dinners and samosas when I'm feeling less ambitious.

$10 minimum for credit card! For those who are visiting this little suburb area of Rockville for this Chaat House, this place is easy to miss! I recommend driving slowly as you get close. There are lots of parking though, so don't worry about that. Chaat itself is GREAT during the summer- very refreshing and light. Try the Papri chaat. OMG. There's a reason why it's the most popular one! The dish itself has tamarind, coconut milk, onions, potatoes, and chickpeas. And yes, you're going to have onion breath after eating this but IT IS SO GEWDDD. I also got the pani puri, and it's a whimsical dish haha. You break open the puri with your spoon, put the potato/lentil filling inside and pour some of the pani (water) inside and eat everything in a bite! Ask for some extra chutney because the green chili one is SO GOOD as well!

Love this place! Their homemade frozen meals are delicious. Healthier and more flavorful than most restaurants. My favorites are the dal makani, saag paneer, and bhaji. Their samosas are a treat - light, crisp and not greasy. They have a great collection of chutneys, cookies, and sweets. I love their chaat, too. To me it's irresistible -- once I start I can't stop. The couple who owns the place is lovely and helpful. We are big fans and will continue to return.

Wonderful little store! Had so many masalas, a nice selection of prozen paratha. I didn't try the chaat, but I was in a rush that day. Only thing, it could be a little cleaner. A couple packages were sticky, but overall...I will still go back here and bring my business. It is an "out of the way, into the woods" location btw. Don't be alarmed. It is worth it though.

Great market and I agree with the other reviews - there is so much more in the store than you would think. Everything is fresh and updated . We also ordered chaat for a party and it was delicious! So happy this place is in Bethesda !

I found this hidden gem while searching for a place that sells Indian spices. I walked away with a handful of spices and the most delicious homemade samosas and eggplant entree. I can't wait to try the other entrees!! It is clean and well stocked with everything you need along with groceries!! They can also cater my next office lunch or party. Thank you, Deepak! We needed this!!

Excellent variety of Indian goods- frozen and fresh. I no longer have to drive to Rockville!

The store was clean, organized, and the owner was friendly and helpful. This is where I will go for basic restocking on items like spices, dal, flour, rice, and oil as they are all reasonably priced. It is a pleasant place to shop in a unbeatable location for me (2 minute drive from my office) and seems like a hidden gem solely for convenience purposes. A lot of my family lives in the Gaithersburg/Potomac area and I don't think anyone knows about it yet. The only reason why I would give 3 stars instead of 4 would be that I brought home a packet of okra and each individual okra was going bad. I am also not fond of the amount of green chilis they sell in one packet. It looks like there are about 20-25 in each packet and the quality of each aren't the same. I prefer to select my desired quantity by hand like I have done at other Indian grocery stores. I have yet to explore more into the frozen section, but since I will be going back, this review might be updated at that time. UPDATE - The Papri Chaat is delicious! I am excited to have a chaat house less than 2 mins away from my office.

They just opened in Bethesda, decided to check it out. They were very helpful, showed us around the store and showed us where everything was, and explained what it was. It looks small from the outside but has a lot of Indian food. We picked up some samosas, and they were delicious, better than many I've had before. Great place!

Ok so I have been going to this place for over a year now and they are extremely rude. I have been nothing but nice and today I kinda got upset but their reaction is priceless. The woman there is very rude always. Today I went in to pick up something real quick from the freezer section in the back. I walked in and asked the lady if I will get towed parked illegally in the parking lot next door. She shrugged rudely and I asked her if she had experienced people getting towed for being there 5-10 minutes. Again she shrugged and said "thats up to you" very rudely. Anyway I went to the back and the man who is usually working with her greeter me and I asked him the same question. He said no way, I will be just fine. I was relieved and told him that the lady was very rude. He apologized (I was surprised cause he usually isn't very friendly either). I guess she followed me because I turned around and she was standing right there and started yelling at me saying that she wasn't rude anyway I just told her I am in a hurry I need to pay and get out of there because I may be towed so I was paying for the groceries and she started saying again really loudly that she was not rude and I told her yes you are rude and you have always been rude and that I have been nothing but nice to you her daughter was sitting close by and started yelling at me as well and she was actually worse than her mother! I told them both that look we are all human and there is no need to be mean and rude to each other. The daughter just would not listen and started yelling at me and saying that's my mother how dare you say that she's rude and this and that. I told him I'm just getting out of there and she told me don't come back. I said I definitely will not. She kept telling me don't coke back. The mother would not give me my change! I had to keep telling her give me my money and finally she gave it to me after trying to talk to me and tell me off! The experience was very disturbing and these people do not deserve to be in business. Frankly their behavior was disgusting.

The prepared foods are fantastic. The lightest samosa I have ever had, chicken tikka is great, and well spiced. Eggplant, palak paneer and dal are all better than the best Indian restaurants. All come frozen and reheat perfectly. The couple that owns this store are wonderful, warm and inviting. Fantastic

Overpriced!!! Why do the owners post their own marked up prices over reduced price tags? They charge way more (125%!!!) over same products at other stores. Feeling cheated :(

Really enjoyed the bhel and samosa chaat here. We came from SF and veered that way after reading some yelp reviews. We were not disappointed!

Ah! I'm so excited about this place! We recently moved back to the area and I have been hunting around for a good Indian grocery store. I've been eager to learn how to make some of the more common dishes frequently seen in Indian restaurants. Guru Groceries and Chaat House is awesome -- when I walked in, I was immediately greeted by one of the owners. Incredibly friendly and very helpful. He told me about their prepared dishes, which they make in house. I selected a paneer dish, one of my favorite Indian entrees. I also browsed around a bit and selected a few flavors of naan and chutneys. Looking forward to experimenting in the kitchen a bit with some of the other items I bought, and of course coming back for more. They also offer cooking classes for small groups - definitely on my list for the summer.

Noticed it a few times when I've passed by and finally stopped in today based on the recommendations for samosas. They did not disappoint and the owner was so friendly and helpful. I will return!

Awesome grocery store and Chatt House - try their menu and be adventurous - you will love every authentic dish!!! Owners are fabulous!

Its great to finally have an Indian grocery store in Bethesda! I was there yesterday and was impressed by the cleanliness and organization, wide selection of groceries (fresh, frozen and dry goods) and a generally spacious feel. I had a knee injury and the owner was very helpful in showing me around the store as well as helping me with the groceries. I had a plate of chaat papri, which was delicious as well.

Fantastic samosas. even if they're cold, I pop them in the oven and you can tell that they are made homemade and with great ingredients. Spices, veggies and herbs are good too! Not huge but they have just what you need!

A great but very unassuming place just a little ways off of I-270. From the outside it looks small but they have all the Indian groceries you could possibly need inside. The owners are very nice and the chaats are pretty good too.