India Gate Restaurant & Bar

The place was empty, and had the overall feel of dereliction. Oily popadoms and slightly too burnt for my taste Galic nan had zero garlic, again to my taste and the samosa was undercooked to the point that the inside of the pastry was like uncooked dough The curry was flavoursome but the cuts of chicken seemed poor quality Not inexpensive with the bill being over $40. I felt I need to try it to know if its worth going again. I shall not visit again

I enjoyed the not-too-Spicy Duck Masala ($14.95), prepared to order in a mild sauce. Mango Lassi ($3.95) was thick and creamy. The downside for me is all the steps.

The food was okay, definitely overpriced for what they were serving and how small the portion sizes were, but it wasn’t terrible by any means. They had us pay $3 for water per person which was NOT prefaced beforehand. Also, whoever was serving us pushed really hard that we order more food. Additionally, there was a lack of AC in the dining area and the service was slow for the quality of food that was served. Overall I would not recommend; there are much better Indian restaurants in dupont.

me and a bunch of friends went here for dinner. ordered 4 entrees to share 4 sides, somehow we were served 8 entrees and 6 sides and a plate of appetizers he insisted we needed. we also were served water bottles which were $3 each without informing of us the price. so we ended up paying $50 EACH for a dinner that should’ve only cost $15 each. the food was good but service was below average

Five-star rated… if you want to star in a live social experiment called “How to Get Scammed Without Warning” 🎭💸🔥 We walked in, eager to try this place, blindly trusting the stars ✨…without bothering to check the reviews first. Rookie mistake on my end 🫤😬 Our simple order: 5 entrees. That’s all. But suddenly, the man running the show stepped in like we were about to face starvation 🍽️😳 & offered to bring more food… not asked, not suggested, offered…as if we’d stumbled into a banquet hall instead of a dinner table 🍛👀 Before we could blink, plates kept arriving: an appetizer, 8 entrees, 5 sides of rice 🍚, naan piled like the restaurant was closing down tomorrow 🥖🏃🏻‍♀️, & bottled water like we’d just trekked across the Sahara Desert 🏜️💧💦 Then came the bombshell: the bill. 270 dollars 💸💀. And wait for it… 27 dollars of that was for bottled water 🚰😤. Not Fiji, not Evian, not some pristine glacier melt from the Swiss Alps 🏔️❄️ It wasn’t gently sourced from the mountains of Norway. It was basic bottled water with a luxury attitude. Honestly? I was more parched after seeing that check than from any actual thirst 💧😩 This place doesn’t just serve food…it serves confusion 🤯, pressure 😬, & a silent hope that you won’t protest until the check lands in front of you 🧾😶‍🌫️. By then, it’s too late ⏰❌ If overpriced chaos delivered with absolute confidence is your thing, go right ahead 👑💼. Otherwise, don’t say you weren’t warned ⚠️❗

Went in with a group and a plan. He gave us double the amount of food that we ordered, and charged us for it. Food was decent, but I’ve had better and more affordable. I think if you’ve got money to spend, go here. But if you’re an unpaid intern (like me) I would avoid it.

I only left 5 stars because I felt bad for the owner. Don’t go here. Way overpriced. Food most likely reheated, not made to order. Cold red wine. no ambiance. I don’t bother to leave bad reviews but I really wish I read ones on this place before ordering. I wish them the best and hopefully they get the help needed but as someone who’s been in the restaurant industry for over a decade, this is one of the worst vibes I’ve ever felt. Edit: changed to one star. Either he gave me something with nuts when I told him I had an allergy, or I got food poisoning. Seriously yall, don’t go here.

One of the worst restaurants I've ever been to. Hands down. Blegh. Obviously cheap, no AC indoors, also pushed to order and upcharged by the waiter. The chicken tikka masala is chicken things, which is honestly insane. Definitely microwaved.

We came in pretty late on a Friday night, and the place was empty--and silent, which was odd, no music or anything. I had the sev puri which was awesome, and the paneer tandoori, which was also good but much spicier than I expected (but I like spice). The chicken biryani was okay, the naan was okay, lamb kebab okay. Probably 3.5/5 on the food overall. What pushed me to give 3 instead of 4 stars is that I felt like the owners were trying to upsell us on our meal. It was uncomfortable.

Best samosas I've had in a restaurant. Very good service. Fast and delicious. The butter chicken is the bomb!

Everything was just not good. Re think eating here the worse Indian food i ever had. Just blend

So, I'd give this place 3-4 stars because room for improvement . The food is not horrible despite the reviews, but they could give more portions for the price. Naan should come with the meal not $8 something for one and they definitely skimp on the goat. The owner or manager (idk who,) but he should work in a car dealership or auction. Soon as we walked in, he was already ordering for us and tryna get us to add to our bill. Don't get me wrong, the mango Lassi was good but good grief. Maybe the fast talking works with some, but I don't want to feel like I'm getting hustled.

I can confidently say it's some of the best indian food i've had. It was small and quiet but the lady who helped my sister and I out was very nice and even brought out a fan after i mentioned it being hot (I was only hot because i had gone up a very tall broken escalator lol). The food came out fast and I had gotten the Chicken Curry with some naan. The naan lacked some garlic but was very yummy otherwise. The chicken curry was perfectly spiced! Very solid food!

The absolutely worst Butter Chicken I've ever had! The clue that this was a trash place, I was the only patron in the place. Server was nice asking if he could improve the dish but it was a horror show of Chef Boyardee pasta sauce on meager pieces of baked chicken. Couldn't eat more than a spoonful. Now I need a drink....

Worst resto ever ever food sucks compared rasika trash only one person working tandoori chicken 3 pieces cheap drumstick no flavor no color at all no score horrible rice is dry garlic Nan is as ugly as the restaurant

The portions were small for $14. Chicken was tough and chewy. Lamb much better but not much lamb. Decent but thoroughly forgettable. Fine roti and basmati rice. Ok-ish service. Chilly room.

I was craving Indian food. This was close to out hotel and we walked there for dinner. We had Cheese Naan, Prathi, Veggie Samosas, Lamb Saag and Basmati rice. Dishes were about $15 per entree and we thought they were rather small portion sizes. Plus I never understand why you always have to pay so much for rice at Indian restaurants?!?! But that is all Indian places and not just here. Looking back we probably should've ordered 1 more veggie dish and it probably would've been perfect. It's a small lil place and the food and service was decent. So it was A-okay.

We happened upon this quiet little place to eat quite by accident. Our food was excellent and the building quaint. We were the only ones there are the time for dine-in. The server was the perfect mix of available but not intrusive. The only thing I would mention to watch for is that the serving sizes are probably smaller than a typical American would expect. I found that it was an appropriate amount of food, but we definitely didn't have left overs.

great service very tasty food and very kind hospitality and very warm approach and caring attitude towards customer

Food was not good. small portions. the roti and kulcha were bad. Over priced. the kofta was old. Nothing seemed fresh.

Probably one of the worst restaurants I've been to in terms of food quality. The chicken itself was grey and the sauce for the butter chicken had almost no flavor. They also provided no free water (had to buy a $3 water bottle). The service was also off putting as they themselves boxed the leftover food at the table without asking. Wouldn't recommend, especially for the price (spent $25 total for entree + naan...)

BEWARE! What was two $12 entrees ended up being 100 dollars. The owner was the only one cooking, and he kept trying to upsize. 2 unwanted bottled waters (mind you were open, so i have a feeling it was filled with tap)...12 dollars. An order of naan, ended up being 6 orders for 40 dollars. A free gift of two gelatin balls ended up being two orders for 10 dollars...it goes on and on. The owner knew what he was doing, and you get stuck with an insane bill. I should have paid cash now as i fear the owner will clone my card and buy things with it. Really, do yourself a favor and steer clear. Our first hint should have been that it was an empty restaurant on an otherwise busy street. Ooof, lessons learned.

Just ordered food from here. We ordered the chicken biriyani and goat vindaloo. I asked for the biriyani to not have any nuts in it due to an allergy, and was eating it when I noticed something crunchy in it. I spit it out and there were definitely nuts in the rice... i think they are almond slivers. I had to immediately wash my mouth and take allergy medicine and was really scared I was going to have a bad attack. Also the food took 1.5 hours to be delivered, and they originally sent it to the wrong address despite me calling back twice to make sure they had the right address when I first placed the order. I'm really disappointed, especially since they weren't careful with my allergies and I could've gone to the hospital. I'd like a refund to be honest and they made me pay on cashapp and did not provide a receipt when they delivered my food. I mean LOOK AT THIS HUGE ALMOND SLIVER!!! Update: I called today and told the owner about the order/my allergy and he started yelling at me on the phone when I politely asked for a refund and for a receipt since the delivery person made me pay on cashapp and did not give me a receipt. After calculating my order total, what I paid was higher than what my order should've cost. This place is horrible and I'm so disappointed with the service and quality of food. The food was not good, seemed old, and violated any allergy notes I posted. The owner was extremely rude and started laughing at me when I said I almost went to the hospital. 2nd Update: The owner called me back and said he would give me a cashapp refund for the chicken biriyani only

Really bad and overpriced. Steer clear. Much better options on the same street. I never leave reviews but this place is a trap.

This is really the worst Indian food I've ever had and I ordered to most basic meal--like surprisingly hard to mess up but India Gate did. I ordered garlic naan and instead got plain naan that was so dry and over cooked only the very center of the bread was edible. The channa masala sauce was entirely too spicy and had no other flavor. There was literally half a can of chickpeas in my channa masala, that's it. Biggest waste of money. I'll never order from here again.

Wish I could do 0 stars, first off all service was horrible, then they lied about our order PLEASE BE AWARE and please check your food order, you might get half of your order if your doing a pick up. I really hope they can make orders better for their future customers.

Ordered takeout from here. The portions were fine for me. I thought the saag paneer was a little too greasy. Overall good enough if needing something quick to fill your stomach.

I feel bad leaving a bad review, but yesterday I stopped for dinner there. I love Indian food and it was one of those busy DC days when my 7 pm "dinner" was really lunch. I decided to treat myself to some Indian food and this was the nearest place I could find. The place was empty and the man who greeted me and took my order went to the kitchen and appeared to be the only one preparing food. I really should have left as soon as I saw he was simply microwaving my dish from a pre-made supply. How old was the rice? How old was the chicken? He made me a fresh naan which was tasty... but the entree was just not flavorful as it should have been. It took them over 40 minutes after clearing my table to bring me my check. Luckily I brought a book. Slow service and bland, microwaved food. Nice people but they need to raise the level of service, especially considering the Dupont Circle location.

Great place! Good customer service and nice potion size. Highly recommend the place. Naan and onion Kulcha was awesome.

The F ing worst place to eat Got hustle for two dinners Food was not cooked Bread was half baked Different people kept bringing water to the table. I didn't order water I order food. If you want to eat please go somewhere else don't waste Your dime in this water down curry soup.

I have never felt the need to leave a negative review before. My friends and I went to this restaurant on a whim since it was right near where we were staying. Unfortunately, we did not check the other reviews first. They seemed friendly enough at first but as we started ordering and they became extremely pushy in trying to get us to order more. They said if we didn't order three dishes, they could not provide rice that comes with an entree. We said that it's fine and ordered some naan instead. They proceeded to bring us rice and naan, then charged us extra for the rice. Food was was below average to boot. All we were looking for was a simple meal to end our night. Instead we were left frustrated because we were clearly being ripped off.

Exquisite Thai cuisine with authentic skill in each dish. Although the interior makes you feel like vampires might come out at any moments. This was the only reason I didn't give them 5 star but the food was delicious enough that it distracts you from the impending sting of two teeth puncturing your neck.

The naan was served stale and hard. I paid for delivery and added a 25% gratuity. But the food did not arrive for 3 hours. The original quote was 45 minutes. After waiting 2 hours I called to check on the order. The person who answered the phone was a bit crude with me. He told me he thought I was picking up the order. But he was shouting. I explained that I'd ordered for delivery They did apologize and gave me a new 20 minute quote. The food arrived But it was longer than the new quote by a good 10 minutes. The delivery driver was the same person id spoken to on the phone. He was rude and very loud. He tried to get me to pay again. I had to explain to him, in the hotel hallway, that I'd already paid for this order. To my shock he asked me about gratuity. Which i found uncomfortable. I assured him i'd already paid $25% gratuity. I would not recommend this place. The chicken was very small portion and tasted greasy. There were no napkins or utensils with my order.

This place is a super small mom-and-pop outfit. And it is fantastic! On weekdays they have a buffet of vegetarian and chicken. The rice is yummy and fluffy, the chicken is moist and just right, not overly spicy. But the Indian chai is a total knockout! Brewed in batches, they take their time steeping it in cardamom powder and family magic! I can't wait to go back!

I was looking for buffet since they have sign for lunch buffet . But unfortunately it is all lie . That's all trick ! Well I wish them the best . I will not come back .

Fantastic food, wonderful service, we were made to feel like family. Clean and sweet little place. Highly recommend!

This is a charming spot for Indian cuisine. It seems like it's a family owned restaurant. The service is good and they can tell you what has dairy in the menu. I haven't had Indian food in dc so I don't feel that I can comment on the overall quality. I've had better chicken Dahl and beef biryani before but it was decent. I'd come back here again given that it's an easy dining experience. You're seated quickly. I wouldn't come if I were in a hurry because the food takes a bit of time to come out- which is understandable given the small operation it is. The portion size is good and price is fair. A good experience!

Food is tasty, but doesn't seem to worth the price. Naan bread is $3 per piece - our table of 5 ended up with $9 just for naan without prior notice. And the naan is kind of burned. Service is slow when the restaurant is only half full.

Highly recommend this place. I went for the lunch buffet. Extremely good food, nice atmosphere, clean and excellent prices! What more could you want. I Will definitely eat there again.

This place has a scam going. They advertise a buffet for $10.95 but didn't have one. They said we could choose 3 items and they would give us the buffet price. When we got the bill, they charged us the full menu price and charged us for an additional meal then refused to honor the price they promised. Again, these people are simply scam artists. Awful.

Horrible place! I literally feel ripped off! I came on for a lunch special and left with a 30 dollar tab... aside from that the food was borderline mediocre. Got charged $2.50 soda without no refill and small cup, $2.50 pita, chicken marsalla small portion for 13 bucks and an unnecessary bill of 7 dollars for something that the waiter made it seem that it was complementary he literally shoved it down my bill. Please I beg you avoid this horrible rip off place! Oh I went into restaurant at 2:45pm it was empty..not a fly inside ... now it's 7:35pm and it's still empty! That was a huge red flag that I completely ignored Shame on me!

Ordered arrived 35 minutes after placing on a Saturday afternoon - not bad at all. The food arrived fresh and steaming hot was great! The meal itself was highly filling but I have my reservations on taste, composition and spice level. First off, the packaging was sub-par: - My samosas were thrown together inside a bunch of aluminum foil - I ordered two rices but it was packaged in one container, so I can't tell if they forgot one rice or just were saving space and gave me my extra. But there was a lot of rice so I'm pretty sure it was accurate Next, the garlic naan wasn't very garlicky - no oils and no great flavor. The Chicken Samosas were made with diced whole chicken when usually a samosas is served with some kind of ground meat to absorb the different flavors and spices. The Samosa felt more like an indian-flavored pot pie, than what I'm used to. I didn't even finish one they were that weird. On to the main dish - Chicken Tandoori with Rice. The rice itself was unseasoned (no stock, no spices) but fluffy. I ordered the 'Very Hot' level and they didn't disappoint. The Tandoori was soft, succulent, tasty, and delicious. It saved the meal. Honestly if I was craving this Tandoori I would just walk to have the $11 lunch buffet over ordering delivery again - not worth the individual prices and this is not great place if you like flavorful and spicy food. Overall - everything but the Tandoori was underwhelming and bland. One thing I thought was weird - they don't have any drinks on the Yelp Eat24 order app.

Lunch buffet review. As a new business, it definitely has potential. Pros: Price ($10.95), ambiance (upstairs, enough space, not loud), service (attentive & friendly), food (tastes healthy & fresh). Cons: Not enough selection, and the food could have been warmer. The buffet included rice, two vegetarian dishes, an egg dish, a chicken dish, salad, rice pudding, and a couple chutneys. Not sure what I was supposed to use for salad dressing (I tried one of the chutneys but it was pretty thick), and would have liked to get our own naan (1 piece pp brought to the table, more if you ask). I would suggest adding one or two more meat choices. I also enjoy when chai is part of the buffet.

Grossly over-priced mediocre food. Service was sub par. The table and wine glasses were greasy. The worst dining experience in town in months.

THIS IS THE BESSSSSSTTTTTTTTTT RESTAURANT I HAVE BEEN TO! The service was incredible! My drinks were never empty, they were so attentive! They were smiling the WHOLE time! The food was AWESOME! Seriously! So delicious! They have a great selection of food, its also a plus that its halal! There is a great beer and wine selection! Everything is at a great price for such delicious food! It is so clean here! They literally sweep and clean the tables once someone leaves so its always clean! I was here for about an hour and a half with my friends and it was such a great experience! This is definitely a spot I'm going to start at least once a week now!

The only reason I'm giving this place two stars is because the food was good... but when you tell people especially," the party of eight that we had"... that you're going to give us the buffet price You need to follow through with your word and not double charge us per entrée that is very sneaky and very sketchy! Did you think that we wouldn't notice? I'm sure your restaurant would've been busier, but I'm sure people read reviews.... You should count your lucky stars that my Family isn't calling the better business bureau (BBB)on you!!! I'd Suggest you Change your ways Sir, if you'd like to continue having a business!! CK

The most horrible Indian food ever in my life.Burnt roti, asked for 2 different types of meals they just used same base but added some chicken meats & gave different names & price was outrageous between than. Not finished yet! Thali was few pints of yellow dal , cold lentil , white rice , paneer & why is it 22 bucks ? Don't make sense! I asked for non spicy dal & waiter said its " this one okay " , are you kidding me ? Shame on you India Gate, something is wrong here! Never coming back. I LL let Modi know to help you fix your customers service as well & menus not to forget of course , otherwise it's your choice to keep hungry customers at bay! It's a great location for a business but they need to fix error & stop playing default.

This was my first Indian experience in DC and I think I did well. I've been craving Indian food and this place was a few blocks away from my place so I decided to try it on the way home. It's a pretty small place. About 4 tables were taken when I went in, with like 4-5 tables remaining. The servers were very nice and refilled my water frequently. I had a mango lassi which is always delicious. I had the vegetable samosas which weren't as spicy as I would've liked, but still flavorful and tasty. You got 2 for about $5. For my entree I had butter chicken which was $17. That made me cry a little, but it was really good! I was stuffed when I left. I would definitely go back, and I probably will because it's so close. Keep up the good work :)

The lunch buffet that was not a lunch buffet. I stopped in for the lunch buffet Friday a little after 1130AM. The place was empty, but I noticed the buffet set up in the back. I asked the old lady if they had a lunch buffet today. She said yes, and had me sit down. I heard cooking sounds from the kitchen. She brought out 3 bowls, I think they were chana something, chicken saag, and dahl. She also brought out some rice and naan. I was hungry so I ate it. The food wasn't bad, but it was unremarkable. Plus, THAT'S NOT HOW A BUFFET WORKS! Lunch plus a mango lassi was $18. So, stay away from this place, and especially stay away from the expensive unremarkable lunch buffet that is not a buffet.

I ordered take out from this place about 3 weeks ago, and it was an absolutely shocking experience. One of the boxes had a long hair that extended out of the box and sealed (see the picture). I took it back to the restaurant and showed it to the lady there. She took the box, went into the kitchen, took out the hair and brought it back to me saying "where is the hair". She then had the audacity to say I was lying, even after I showed her the picture I took beforehand in case this happened. Later that evening, a man from the restaurant (I assume to be the manager) called me and said I was lying. Disgraceful is an understatement for this establishment, DO NOT go here.

India Gate is a typical, immigrant family run, small restaurant, whose owner has yet to realize that it they want to make it, they need to change their "one tiny dressing per a $7 salad" mentality. Also had a yellow dal which was fabulous although not as spicy as I would have liked, even though I stressed that it needs to be extra spicy. Unfortunately place was dark and empty ( on a Monday evening) , and I suspect that if they want to stay in business something will have to change from their end, unless you, the client, can go pass their penny pinching mentality.

This was a great decision for take out. The veg thalia was delicious and the food arrived nearly 30 minutes earlier than the Yelp app told me.

We found this place on our visit to Washington DC lately. We stayed just a block over from this place. We passed by it many times but place didn't seem appealing to go eat at first glance. Then after our late evening guided tour of DC, we were very hungry and it was super cold. We wanted to eat something hot and fresh but lot of joints had already closed down since it was almost 11pm. To our surprise when we got dropped off by our Uber this was the only place open still. With not too many options we decide to go in to eat. But we were pleasantly surprised by the service and quality of food this late. Food seemed fresh and hot, exactly what we needed in this cold weather. Place was being run by family members it looked like, but either way they were very courteous and did not rush us at all even though it was later and time to close. Will be back when in town

My wife and I love this place! We've been surprised the times we've gone here to eat to see that there were few people because the food is always outstanding. At first, we didn't know what to expect. The servers/owners(?) are very friendly, but we thought few patrons would mean subpar food. Not at all! Ever since we came here a second time and confirmed our first impression, we've been going back and are always very happy with the delicious and fresh meals. One word of caution, though: their buffet is not laid out in the self-service style you'd expect. I don't know if it's because low foot-traffic would lead to massive waste of food if they put it all out and few people showed up. Either way, totally worth the visit!

Humble seething and environment but the food more compensated. The tandoori chicken was spectacular

I called and asked for an order to be delivered to my hotel. I was assured that my food would arrive in 25 minutes. My cell number was taken just in case. An hour later, after no word from the restaurant, my husband, a frequent traveler to India, called and was yelled at by the person answering the phone who had such heavily accented English that poor hubby was uncertain what was going on. We went out and got food, brought it back to our hotel and we're nearly finished eating when the front desk called to say that the food from India Gate had arrived - an hour and forty minutes after we called! We had the front desk send them away. Unbelievably bad service and communication. Beware!

Went there for the lunch buffet, which was a bit different since they asked what we wanted (we just said vegetarian) and then brought food to our table. They brought one plate of rice, three vegetarian dishes, and two servings of nan. The food was delicious!