Taj of India Cuisine

Let me start by saying you do not judge a book by its cover... If we read the reviews, we might have skipped this restaurant. However, we are glad that we did not read the negative reviews... We went twice over the weekend and we had nothing but amazing service, classy people and a wonderful tasting food... We ordered the beef biryani and chicken masala... Both were hot and fresh and tasted amazing. It's too bad the restaurant looked light in traffic... I don't know if they can survive with the light traffic, however some of the negative reviews are uncalled for... The decor is very nice and the location is convenient as it's away from the traffic.... The price is extremely reasonable.... The beef biryani was $17 and the ticky masala was about $16 or so... We both thought the portions were very adequate and we actually ended up taking some home.... The nan was warm to hot and very fresh... We ate the beef samosa and it was slightly dry but overall very good. My wife and I have been around the world and we have to travel to multiple continents and I can tell you the food was very good. We will absolutely go back there again without any doubt.... I am not saying it's the only restaurant that we will go back to. However it is a five-star restaurant.

I had a great experience here. I feel like this was the best Chicken Curry and Garlic Naan I had anywhere in the US. Also, they charged my phone while I was eating. Great service.

A below average place. We had ordered Palak chaat and kofta. The Palak chat was extremely oily and fried in Besan( a kind of dough). The kofta was good but cold, felt like something old and not freshly cooked Also ordered a masala Indian tea - which deceived by the traditional tea, instead it was simply a dip-tea with tea bag in hot water

Walking in the doors at Taj of India got me so excited for the food I was about to enjoy. I sat down with my group and took a lengthy gander at the menu. My friend pointed out the Butter Chicken but my eye was caught on the Chicken Tikka Masala. I ordered it with some garlic naan and was ecstatic to get to enjoy the dish. My food came out and I finished it in within 10 minutes. It was absolutely phenomenal. The flavor of the Tikka Masala sauce was to die for and the chicken was perfect. I then dipped my garlic naan in the incredible sauce and cleaned my plate with it. Overall it was a wonderful experience and will definitely be coming here again.

I was recommended to give this place a try, and I am VERY Happy I did. My best friend and I went with two Meats Lunch Specials, Chicken Pakora and even a Mango Lassi. Everything was superb, fresh and just full of flavor!! I have to also mention the service was fast, friendly and welcoming! Whenever we are back in Georgetown we will be visiting again no doubt!

Such a great experience here! The staff was wonderful, the food was flavorful and made with fresh meats and spices (if you know your meats you know when it’s fresh from farm). The drinks were also great, and the ambience was clean but still had that cultural appreciation at heart. I would come here everyday if I could, true cultural comfort food with a warm humble staff.

The food was really great! Really enjoyed and also good service and friendly staff.

I would give no stars, but I have too give 1 or i wont be able to post my review,It was disgusting and tasted purely of curry powder. When we first came here 4 years ago we sat in the restaurant one evening and the food was very good. We are brits and love our Indian food. We then started getting takeaways and noticed that everything we tried all tasted the same. It was mediocre so we stopped buying from there. 3 years pass and i thought lets try it again. My online order was ordered for 1930 which would have given them 40 minutes to cook and prepare, and to give me time to get there and enjoy a beer while my meal was cooked. When I arrived 6minutes after ordering the meal.....It was ready, wrapped in a take out bag and on the bar with all the others.......6 mins....you cannot cook good food in 6 minutes........and I was right. There are 3 levels of heat on the order form that you can choose.....basically three levels of chilly powder that they put on to the vats that must be sitting around ready to go out. We ordered Medium and we couldn't eat it it was so ridiculously hot and I love my chilly heat...this tasted of just chilly powder not cooked in. The goat on the bone was just fat with bone attached and the taste, when you could recover from the chilly powder was oily and fatty. The Okra was over cooked, it was quite herd, over cooked hard, and bitter. We threw it away in the end, the whole lot. We should never have returned. It still repeating on me.

Amazing. Dined in the other day and loved it. Just ordered door dash. I'm one happy hippo.

Stopped here for lunch after suit shopping with my friend Ki. The location is nice, Georgetown is such a vibe. The inside of the restaurant has nice ambiance and has that fine dining feel. The setting is perfect for a date or meal with a good friend or family member. Our waitress was friendly. We had a small miscommunication about the water but it was laughable and helped us to connect. The food was really good. Indian cuisine is one of my favorites. I really enjoyed my chicken korma. The sauce is flavorful and savory with a slight sweetness that was so nice. I could just eat naan with the korma sauce and be happy lol. Ki's tikka was good as well. The meat samosas were good and pretty filling but we still managed to finish most of our entrees. Take of India cuisine is a great Indian spot to try out if you're in DC

The best, so good! The servings were HUGE, I would absolutely recommend going family style as I could not finish my entree. I got the lunch special of the day which was so delicious and let me sample a bunch of their popular options. Our server was so kind and very attentive even though we were sitting outside. Would recommend trying their drinks, the lassi and juices we got were top notch

+ I ordered online, and the order was ready on time for pickup. There was a 10% discount. - I requested utensils but did not receive any. I got chicken saag and chicken korma. Both were thin and greasy. The chicken saag was supposed to come with fresh spinach, but it did not look or taste fresh. I would not order from here again.

An OK restaurant that gets the job done but no more. I recently went on a weekend night with two friends and we were seated immediately. Taj of India is a white-tablecloth restaurant but not fancy. Our service could have been better-it took a while for our dishes to arrive and we got our appetizer and mains all at once instead of staggered. We all shared the paneer tikka, which could have used more flavor and more sauce. We also split the garlic and cheese naans, which were the best dishes of the evening. The portions were good, the garlic naan sufficiently garlicky, and the cheese naan had a good amount of cheese. For my main, I got the goat vindaloo at the Indian spicy level. While there was spice and flavor, I was expecting the dish to be hotter, especially since vindaloo is normally quite spicy. I was also surprised when the goat came on the bone-this was not indicated on the menu and would not have ordered it had I known. I tried my friend's vegetable dumplings and while the sauce was delicious, the vegetable dumplings were bland. Taj of India is worth going to if you are looking for a reasonably-priced sit-down restaurant in Georgetown, but there are far better dining options in Georgetown and Indian restaurants in DC.

I come to this restaurant every time I visit the DC area for work, which is pretty frequent. Best saag paneer I've ever had! The garlic naan also is phenomenal. Prices are reasonable for Georgetown too. Service is also prompt.

Horrible food. Poor preparation. Incomplete order. Some items were wrong. Delivered after 1.5 hours. We didn't order that much food and the chef/manager complained that we ordered so much food. Don't go here. Save your money. Highly disappointed. Poor tasting food. Zero stars.

Very bad customer service. Not sure if they're racist or this is how they treat customers. The restaurant only had 3 occupied tables including ours yet we couldn't get the server to come get our order. The table next to us were also complaining about their whole experience. I've been to the one in Alexandria multiple times but never had an issue. Not sure if it's under the same management. DO BETTER!

Good food and a wonderful service! We ordered for appetizers Vegetable Samosa, Paneer Tikka, an Indian style cheese cubes marinated in yogurt and spices...delicious!! It is a good place if you like India Cuisine

I had a delicious, well priced vegetarian thali. Service was excellent. Not crowded. I highly recommend this restaurant.

Terrific biryani, papadam , and other classics; warm service & atmosphere. A little unpretentious gem in Georgetown:

Ignore bad reviews, maybe they're old. This place is great and has the best Dal Makhani, tikka masala, garlic naan and service. Great location , I prefer it to going to more expensive and overhyped places like Rasika.

Came on a Sunday afternoon, there was only 2 tables and we weren't sure how good this place was. I'm glad to be surprised. Food was excellent, not too spicy not too salty with lots of flavors and spices. We over the tandoori chicken. It was a bit dry but tasted good. Lamb curry was delicious. Garlic Naan was fresh and out of the oven hot... sooo good, we had to order a 2nd one. All this came with a huge plate of Bismati rice that was perfectly and frangantly cooked. Service was impeccable. Our waitresses was always checking on us to make sure we were good. I like the decor especially the pothos plants on the stairs.

Just ate dinner at Taj today for the first me, we asked for the take out containers for the left over food but the manager denied. They gave us the flimsy sectioned ones. We just wanted the tight lid ones for curries so they don't spill. He was also not speaking very nicely to his employees. Pls be nice and be kind. Thanks

I love this place !! The food is always great and the staff is nice. Best Indian in Georgetown 10/10

Best indian I've had! And trust me, I reallllllly dislike Indian food in general. I stuck to a chicken briyani for a reason. This one was a different flavor but loved it. I paired it with their mango chutney which was unique but still great and boy did those flavors hit the spot. Loved the meat samosa with the red chutney, the green was a no for me. My friend has some sort of lamb dish and she raved about it. Not a fan of lamb but the sauce it was in was finger licking good. Garlic naan was just alright. Tea tasted like Lipton, hard pass. Just an overall great meal.

Delicious lamb biryani Good not rushed service Def recommended Very quiet as of Wednesday night

Though a little worn, the food here is amazing, especially the lamb. I had the Thali and all was great, creamy chicken tika, delicious beef saag, and the lamb, tangy, smooth, melt in the mouth. The food takes you right back to the streets of North India. I just wish I lived closer, as I do want to explore the vegetarian options.

I ordered for delivery. The estimated window was 1 hour but my food arrived within 45 minutes. The delivery driver called me a few minutes before arriving. The food (chicken tikka and raita) and beverage (salted lassi) was really carefully packaged, tasted flavorful, and still hot. The huge chunks of chicken were delicious and well seasoned. Delivery fee was $3 and there was a $20 minimum order. I would order from them again!

i ordered online, when I went to pick up the order 20 minutes later, they were rude and told me to come back in 30 minutes, no explanation given. when I returned 20 minutes later they told me to come back 30 minutes later. I asked for a refund and didn't give it to me. i couldn't return 30 minutes later. So I lost my $130 of the order and couldn't come back for the food. Terrible customer service, there was an angry woman waiter. on top of that the place didn't have air conditioning. is 90 degrees today!!! will never come back I don't recommend it. Carolina

I usually como here to enjoy the chicken curry plate, I love it along with a Taj Majal beer. Place is grate, service is good.

The lamb vindaloo, rice, and naan were all well prepared. The service wasn't the greatest. I was never asked for a drink order or how spicy I liked my food.

We had a great meal tonight. The service was spectacular and our two dishes were very flavorful and the sauces had good consistency. This restaurant is a must if you want great Indian cuisine.

Taj of India was lovely! I went with my boyfriend for Valentine's Day dinner and our waitress was so kind and extremely attentive. Our food came out in the perfect amount of time, was a great portion size, and tasted wonderful. Would highly recommend!

Around DC there's many Indian restaurants to eat at. It's just not that many good ones. Taj of India is yet another average place for Indian food, overpriced. It's popular for delivery. They have a dining area, but a lot of customers come to get takeout. It offers delivery. It seemed risky with all the middling reviews. Physically going there might have saved us from some trouble. It looked good in the pictures. We were hoping it wasn't as bad as people said. As it turned out, it was better. It helped having very low expectations. The atmosphere is mostly pretty quiet. It's classy but it's casual. One time before we vent for the dinner menu. It wasn't very crowded. The female companion had the Aloo Matter. I had the Bhindi Masala. These are each about $11 and among the cheapest entrees, so yes the menu can get pricey. Each of us was satisfied with spice levels. They can make it spicier. Ask them if you need to have spiciness adjusted. The hot level wasn't that unbearable. As for the rest of the taste, it was fine. There wasn't anything particularly notable about it except that mine had lots of eggplant, and a tiny bit of some other stuff. Food overall is pretty good. They could give you more for what you pay for it. It's better to get the buffet. This is a much better deal because you can get as much as you feel like. It's about $12 for the buffet. This is every weekday at lunch. We were surprised there were no issues with getting the order correct. It made our visit better than expected. The prices being kind of high for the amount is the biggest problem.

The food here is amazing! The curries were so creamy and full of flavor. Highly recommend. Don't listen to the bad reviews. Businesses have suffered a lot through and after COVID. Let's give people a little grace.

I ate here for lunch last week. I saw a mouse or rat running around a corner at lunch. They need to call pest control. The service was good, but the saag paneer tasted like rubber and the chicken tikka masala was overcooked. Main concerns are with safety and hygiene. I tried calling them to report the issue so that I wouldn't have to bring this to Yelp, but unfortunately the person answering the call did not speak enough English to understand the complaint.

Comfortable Indian restaurant. Large selection of traditional Indian cuisine. Reasonably priced. Friendly service. Good location.

My friend and I decided to give this place a shot during lunch time on Friday. Once we entered we were seated right away, and since it was so cold outside the waiter offered to bring a space heater over to our table to keep us warm (so thoughtful!). He asked if we wanted to have the lunch buffet or look at the menu and we decided to give the buffet a shot! Options: LOTS. There was 3 chicken options, 2 veggie options, 2 lamb options, dessert, rice, nann, and toppings. This is my first lunch buffet in the city so I can't comment how Taj compares to others, but I can say it was a good selections for lunch time. Quality: Although some of the options were not my personal favorite, they all tasted pretty good. The food was warm, the rice was well made, and the toppings were pretty fresh. Favorite: the dessert. We had rice pudding for dessert and i had to go back up for seconds, it was so delicious! Outcome: Although this is not my favorite Indian restaurant in the city, I think it was pretty good for the price and the options. if you work nearby, I would give this place a shot for lunch!

This place is the best!!! I am in town visiting a friend and this was a great experience. I got the chicken tikka masala, and it was super good! I don't like spicy food too much but the spice level was PERFECT!! The environment was also really fun, I loved the music and it really made the experience fun. The only reason I'm giving it 4 stars is because the service was not the best, but the vibes and food were awesome! I wish I could come back (-:

Such a bop, great food, great people. Very spiritual and rich. Love the people and atmosphere

2 stars for an Indian restaurant that has good aspects, but just can't seem to get out of it's own way. My wife and I live in Georgetown, so we have looked to get Indian food several times. Due to the proximity, we have generally looked to get food at Taj of India. Located on M Street near 29th, Taj of India is your standard Indian restaurant with sit down seating and lots of take-out and delivery service. When it comes to this venue, we have had some good experiences when we kept the order very basic. The sauces and chicken are comparable to other more expensive Indian restaurants, and the interior itself is fairly nice. Unfortunately, I'm not sure if it is a change in management or cooks, but the experience has been stressful the last handful of times we have been. We have placed orders, usually a butter chicken for me and thali for my wife, with simple instructions like no cilantro or extra spicy. Each time, we have had problems with having some or any of those instructions followed. Since we do the pickup option, that means walking back and having them redo it. Usually that turns into cilantro free food with little spicy factor, but we usually just suck it up and eat it. While this has been annoying, it all came to a head recently. We once again made our standard order, and once again it was wrong. I walked it back and handed them the bag to show the cilantro issues and mentioned the need for it to be spicy. After a few minutes, I was handed the bag with an insincere/please go mention of sorry. I bring the food home and we find a good spicy factor for one of the 4 dishes and another dish the cook essentially repoured into another bowl after trying to scoop some cilantro out. We called to complaint again and were essentially told we were wrong about the cilantro and the chef made it spicy. Essentially calling your customers idiots or liars isn't a good business strategy, so we have decided to start looking elsewhere. Overall, Taj of India has the potential to offer a good meal if you dine in. The food quality is good and the venue is nice. However, the repeated failures handling takeout orders should be taken into account if you are considering anything other than dining in.

Terrible service and complete lack of apology from management. I have ordered food "to-go" from Taj of India several times and have had minor issues with each order (ex: ordered hot and got mild) though I generally like the restaurant. However, on my most recent order we specified no cilantro on top of the Taj Thali dish. We also requested that the dish be prepared "very spicy". When we get back with the food, it has cilantro added on top of everything and the sauces are not spicy. Additionally, the naan bread was soggy and flat. In light of this, we called the restaurant to have the meal replaced. They were not apologetic and the chef audibly objected to remaking the food for us. They eventually agreed to re-make the food. We returned all of the Taj Thali to the restaurant and picked up a new dish. The dal makhani still had cilantro on top and was cold. I believe it was the same dish we had just brought back and they simply handed it back to us in a paper bag. When I called to discuss the dish, the manager told me that the chef said he had not added cilantro and she wasn't sure how she could help. At this point, I'm ready to go back for a THIRD time and bring back all of the food for a refund but none was offered. Frankly, shocking rude and distasteful experience.

I went here with my nieces and one of their friends. We had a wonderful time! The food was delicious! We ordered a number of appetizers and entrees and shared some. I really liked the cheesy naan. I had the shrimp vindaloo. It was spicy, make sure you like spice. The girls had milder curries. We split some rice puddings for dessert. I highly recommended the mango lassi for a refreshing sweet yogurt smoothie. The service was excellent! For downtown Georgetown right on M street I was think it's hard to find a better deal. It's a fine dining experience and you can walk way having spent $20 to $30 per person. Also, tables distance for safety. Given the health concerns all precautions we made by staff.

This restaurant is located in a convenient place of Georgetown on M street. I highly recommend the chicken korma. The butter chicken and palak paneer dishes are also delicious. The rice is served on a different plate, so make sure to ask for extra if you need any!

I have no idea why this place only has 3.5 stars but it's so good. Literally th food, service, and prices are unbeatable. So delicious and such a great experience!

Came here for a quick lunch. They have two lunch special options - vegetarian or non-vegetarian. I had the non-vegetarian, which came with rice, naan, lamb curry, chicken tikka masala, salad and chicken tikka. Came out to $14.75 with taxes. Service was fine, no issues there. I would give the food a 3. The chicken tikka masala didn't look or taste like chicken tikka masala, but it wasn't bad. The lamb was very good. The chicken tikka was fine. Rice & naan were fine. The salad was a bit unappetizing, so it would have been better without. Overall, it wasn't bad but it wasn't the best. I would probably come back.

We stopped in here because it's in a great location in the Georgetown area. We thought we would be getting the buffet, but unfortunately, that is only on the weekdays. Overall, the customer service was just fine, there was not really any complaints on that end. Our interactions with the server really only consisted of when he took our order and delivered our food, but that was very timely and soon after we had placed our orders! My biggest complaint out of this restaurant is just how expensive the food is. I know it's a pricy area but the serving sizes are not that large for how much you are paying. If that's not a concern, then consider stopping in here! I ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala and it came with rice and was delicious!

Butter chicken was really good, 5/5. I recommend people to try it. It reminds me of the one I tried back in LA.

Scam. Sign on the door advertises there is buffet for $12.99. You go in and there is no buffet. I asked the manager and he said the buffet isn't available. Said that they haven't had the buffet option since the beginning of the pandemic. I then said that they should take the sign down. The manager said something about the owner not taking it down. I thought to myself: "aren't you the manager??" ‍ They leave the sign on the door because after you go in and get seated, most likely you'll order something else from the menu. It was my first time there, nobody ever explained the dishes or made any suggestions. Customer service was terrible. I had to figure out on my own. Once I placed the order, I was very clear that I didn't want my food spicy. The food was extremely spicy and I could barely eat. Waste of time. Won't go back.

Delicious Indian food! We come here all the time when we are in DC. Great food! Recommend:) Cheers:)

THE BIG: Spice Spice Spice! I love Indian food and this place didn't disappoint. Located in Georgetown so be wary about parking. Space is decent size but it could get crowded fast. I would recommend calling ahead for dinner. THE BLACK AND WHITE: A few of us came here on a Sunday hungry for some good Indian. We were seated immediately, however service was on and off. When my waiter was pouring my drink, he overpoured and water splashed everywhere. I let that go. It took 10 minutes for us to get our menus, which also left a bad taste in my mouth. Usually menus are delivered on spot and questions be asked. For appetizers, we ordered the 2 orders of the grilled paneer (serves 4), which is essentially grilled cheese (that looks like tofu). I thought it was a bit dry but had good flavor. The other appetizer were the vegetable samosas, which were DOPE! I could've eaten 5 of them.... by myself.... no pillowcase. For the entrees, we ordered 6 main dishes: Butter Chicken, Paneer Makhani (cheese) , Dahnsaak(, Bhindi Masala (okra), Daal Makhani (lentils), and the Paneer Taj Thali (cheese). We also ordered 4 naan until the waiter was like... we'll start off with 3 naan. BURN!! But he was right, 3 naan served 6 people very well. Everything but the Paneer Taj Thali was served in the typical long oval dish. The Paneer Taj Thali was presented in an intricate pot with a portable flame keeping it warm. Presentation is KEY! My favorite was definitely the Paneer Makhani. The homemade cheese cubes melted in my mouth and the creamy tomato gravy was the icing on the cake. Everything blended so well with the rice since it absorbs all the flavors of the dishes. THE FINAL BAMBOO: Food was great, Service was subpar. We all split the bill evenly, so through 3 appetizers, 3 naans, and 6 main dishes, the total was around $20 ($25 including tip). I would order again... but maybe for takeout.

I've been searching for a new Indian place close to me & I think I have found my place. I ordered delivery & the service was very quick. I ordered Butter Chicken, Chicken Curry, Chana Masala, Naan & Gulab. Everything was hot & nicely packaged when arrived. Very flavorful & delicious. I look forward to trying more dishes here in the future. Highly recommend!

This place has great Indian food at a decent price. The lamb vindaloo is awesome, and the biryani is a solid choice as well. I'm not sure how people decide how many stars to give, but if we're rating this place on food it deserves to be rated way higher than it's currently at.

Decent food, it's not the best or not the worst. It's kinda hard to get the taste from here. I tried a couple times. I just can't leave with with getting the true taste of my Indian spices. Long story short just ask them how would you guys like your spice..

I was in town and ordered butter chicken and garlic naan and it was terrible. Tasted like a can of Campbells tomato soup with huge chunks of dry chicken. The sauce was very watery and lacked flavor.

Lovely vegetable biryani and saag paneer, as well as naan straight from the oven.

This chicken curry was so salty it was inedible. I was hopeful for a new Indian spot but was utterly disappointed. Maybe their other dishes are good but I couldn't eat what was given to me.

So I believe I've posted about this restaurant before and gave it a very high rating. This experience was so bad that I have to renege that and repost. My friend and I went to Georgetown for lunch. We specifically chose Taj of India, because I had had such a great experience before. This time, when we walked in, there was a very unappetizing smell that my friend commented on. As it is an old building, I expected the musty smell, but this was more of a moldy smell (I've worked extensively in libraries, and know mold when I smell it). We were the only customers at 11:30 on a Monday. That should have been a red flag. We we were given menus right away, but no lunch menu (which was posted outside the door) so both of us had to get up and go outside to read it. When we asked the waitress about it, her limited English could not answer our questions. For example, the "meats lunch" was clearly different than the "vegetarian lunch." The "meats" lunch stated that it came with two meats. We asked her which two they were, and she said "chicken." We asked what the other meat was and she said "chicken." Confused, and deciding against the lunch, we chose, Saag Paneer, and Butter Chicken (they advertise their butter chicken as cashew and tomato gravy, and their tikka masala as a cashew and onion gravy, which to me, seemed backwards. We also got the Peshwari Naan because it said cherries, coconut and almond-stuffed naan. There weren't any cherries. There was a pink tinge as if some maraschino cherry juice was drizzled on it, and if there was any almond at all, it was the slightest hint of extract. Basically it was coconut bread. When we got the dishes, of course I put the basmati down and put the curry on top. This would be great if the rice was fresh. Ours wasn't. I've never bitten into rice and had it fill in the crowns of my teeth like putty. That's exactly what happened here. I don't know if it was undercooked, or very old, but it was really not edible. We called our waitress over to tell her it wasn't fresh to which she replied, "butter." After telling her it was "bad," she took it away. She came back and told us it would be six minutes for new rice. By that time all of the curries were cold. The rice was basic basmati with butter, not flavored with even a hint of clove, saffron or cumin seeds. The "Butter chicken" gravy was really thin and almost had a chef-boyardee ravioli flavor." We had not been asked what spice level, but we got no-flavor level. I'm sorry to seem so harsh, but even I can make extremely flavorful, chicken, tikka masala and Palak paneer with minimal effort. With the location and prices, I was definitely expecting more out of this dining experience. Won't be going back.