RASA
Indian restaurant · Near Southeast
1247 1st St SE, Washington, DC 20003
Highlights
Customized Indian bowls, masala chai cookies, mango lassi, unique decor
Customized Indian bowls, masala chai cookies, mango lassi, unique decor
"Co-owners and Eater Young Guns (‘18) Sahil Rahman and Rahul Vinod started this local fast-casual brand to introduce Indian food to a broad audience. Choose from premade bowls highlighting chicken tikka, lamb kebab, shrimp, spiced beef, and more. Customers can also build their own, choosing from a base of vegetables or rice and adding mains, veggies, and toppings. End the meal on a sweet note with masala chai chocolate chip cookies and vegan soft serve. Pair the meal with icy bottles of Taj Mahal beer, cardamom mint juleps, and spiked lassis, which can be delivered in a coconut. Along with its newest Rockville outpost, the fast-growing brand maintains locations in Navy Yard, Arlington, Mt. Vernon Triangle, and Fairfax." - Tierney Plumb
"The VP enjoyed a mango lassi and discussed her love for idli with the owners." - Tierney Plumb
"The Mango Lassi at the fast-casual Indian destination comes with puréed fresh mango, saffron, dahi (yogurt), sugar, and water ($5). The colorful, traditional drink can be spiked with Cotton & Reed spiced rum." - Tierney Plumb, Vinciane Ngomsi
"As D.C. prepares to lift the majority of public health restrictions on businesses, the Indian-American owners of fast-casual RASA are personally grappling with the world’s worst wave of coronavirus cases. Owners Sahil Rahman and Rahul Vinod say they’ve lost more than 10 family members in India, making a faraway crisis that’s responsible for close to 250,000 (counted) deaths hit close to home. “Because it’s so far away it’s easy to not understand how bad it is,” Rahman says. “It’s the closest thing to a wartime situation.” The country is in dire need of oxygen, so to help from afar, RASA is sending 10 percent of proceeds from Aloo Need Is Love bowls full of sweet potato tikki towards Mission Oxygen India. They point to Diaspora Co.’s list of relief groups for other ways to donate. “The global community is finally starting to step up and provide support,” Rahman says. “Until we defeat COVID globally, we haven’t defeated it.”" - Tierney Plumb
"Customers can make their own salad out of Indian components at Rasa, which offers a base of greens in place of grains, rice, or rice noodles at its walk-the-line counters in Navy Yard and Mt. Vernon Triangle. Consider a spinach base topped with turmeric ginger shrimp, tamarind chili sauce, and charred eggplant. Masala beets, mango salsa, roasted pumpkin seeds, and roasted lentils make for a delightfully crunchy topping." - Elsie Yang
