Urban Tandoor

This is a very popular Indian restaurant in the Arlington area. The buffet is reasonably priced though the options somewhat limited, especially for vegetarians. They are very busy on weekends with a line of people waiting to get in.

We came in for lunch and started with the Crispy Corn, which was super crunchy and full of flavor — definitely a highlight. For the main course, we had naan, malai kofta curry, and paneer biryani. The service was amazing, and the vibe of the place was warm and welcoming. Overall, it was a really good experience, with the starters standing out and the main course being satisfying as well.

The restaurant offered a mixed experience at dinner. Chicken drumsticks and garlic naan were tasty (4/5 each), but the butter chicken was disappointing (2/5)—the worst tasted so far. The tandoori roti was thick and saggy (1/5), needing major improvement

Great buffet and ambiance! Excellent Chicken Biryani and Tandoori! Highly Recommended!

Great curry. Amazing spice level (hot) and seasonings. Really friendly staff. Had a great time. Assorted naan was great too.

The location is conveniently positioned at an intersection and therefore peaked my interest. I finally made it and I was not disappointed. The food was good and service 💯. We enjoyed a great dinner of tandoori chicken, lamb biryani and other delightful dishes.

Urban Tandoor was amazing! We ordered steamed chicken momo, chicken chili momo, chicken 65, and samosa chaat, and everything was absolutely delicious and full of flavor. The staff was very friendly and patient, which made the experience even better. Definitely one of my favorite spots for Nepali food, I can’t wait to go back!

Urban Tandoor offers an unbeatable buffet experience that feels both indulgent and welcoming. With a spread that includes a rich variety of Indian and Nepali dishes—each prepared with care—you can enjoy everything from hearty curries to the best momos in the DMV area, all for just $15 on weekdays and $17 on weekends. The moment you step in, the friendly staff and warm atmosphere make you feel right at home, while every bite, from the flavorful biryanis to the perfectly steamed momos, tells a story of culinary passion. This isn’t just a meal—it’s a vibrant food journey that invites you to savor every moment.

The Buffalo momo and wild boar sekuwa was delicious and reminded taste of back home. The servers were very friendly and knowledgeable. The ambiance was very classy yet very cozy

We went on a Sunday for the buffet. The ambiance was nice and cozy for our both seat. We had the lamb biriyani, goat curry, naan, and butter chicken. All were nice and flavorful although the biriyani lacked the heat I'm used to. The goat was tender, but didn't fall off the bone as easily as I'd like. The service was good. My partner sat without eating much and his drink was refilled. We were there close to closing but invited to stay. I would revisit.

All you can eat lunch is THE BEST! Under $20 on weekdays and weekends. So delicious, you will have to take a nap. I've done the lunch around 10x now and they don't have the same stuff every time, so it is nice that they switch it up. There are typically a few chicken options, a few veggie, rice, appetizers and desserts.

I typically don't prefer Indian food, not because it's bad, but because I don't like spicy food. However, my friends convinced me to give it a try, and it was delicious! I asked them to make it not spicy, and the customer service was outstanding. They followed each instruction perfectly, ensuring that my dish was exactly how I wanted it. Since we are quite picky, we gave a lot of instructions, but they did an excellent job accommodating our requests. The staff was incredibly attentive and made sure we had everything we needed. The ambiance of the restaurant was also lovely, creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere. I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the meal, and I would definitely consider going back again.

Went here for their lunch buffet, and they didn't disappoint! The inside was very nice, clean, and welcoming. Got there just as they opened, food was fresh, tasty, the staff were very attentive and helpful. They cleared plates pretty quickly and made sure our drinks were always full. Would absolutely come back the next time I'm in Arlington.

Excellent food! Service awesome! Very clean and super nice establishment! Will definitely dine there again.

Ordered take out of Butter Chicken and Lamb Saag. They are both bland. But I am happy that they were not overly salty like other Indian takeout. Hard to park my car for pick up. There was a spot on the street I parked with emergency lights on. The planter by the side scraped my car because it was hard to see and my car sensor was not active when the speed was near zero. Oh well, the price you pay when you have other people cook for you!

Urban Tandoor has risen in my esteem. Now they are more responsive. Order on apps (UberEat) is ready faster than before. No more long wait and begging. That's a plus. Food was delicious and well packaged. I recommend their -- seafood mixed tandoor grill mixed tandoor grill garlic naan and samosa!

Went for the lunch buffet and given that it is so hard to find 1) a place that does lunch buffets and 2) has decent food we walked out very happy. The staff was very nice and attentive. The pictures do not do justice as the phone didn't eat first. I will definitely be returning for the buffet.

Friendly staff and quick service. Nice and upscale ambiance for an Indian restaurant. Chicken biryani tastes great and very good quantity.

This place is excellent. I used to live nearby and whenever I come home to visit, I try to go back. My go-to dishes are the chicken korma, vegetable samosas, and added garlic naan. Take out is just as good, just give them 30-45 min on busy weekends. I prefer eating in person because the staff is so friendly and the food comes out hot. The spice levels are very spicy so I stick with medium for the chicken korma.

The food was expensive and lacked flavor. Mostly just tasted bitter. The momos were decent, definitely the best thing we tried.

I have been missing Indian lunch buffets since the pandemic. Glad this place offers one and it checked all the boxes. Good selection, attentive service, nice atmosphere on the corner of Wilson blvd in Ballston. The dishes all seemed fresh with quality ingredients. Excellent rice pudding to finish things off. Will be back soon.

This is for their lunch buffet. We were seated right away because we came during the week which was the only pro. The selection was very scarce and from what we chose nothing was spicy or frankly had much flavor. We ended up only taking one small plate and leaving so definitely didn't stay for our moneys worth, but we just wanted to leave and grab lunch elsewhere. Stick to ordering takeout for dinner when you can control whats ordered and how much spice you want.

Delicious food with attentive, kind service! I've been here several times and each is better than the last. I'll definitely be back soon for the buffet. Tonight was carry out (butter chicken and naan), but the ambiance was welcoming at pickup. Props to Amit at the bar for serving the best espresso martini I've had in a long time. Plus, it was only $5 tonight!

Went for lunch buffet on Saturday. Very diassapointed. salad was stale, Raita quantity in the bowl was so less ,we could not even have two table spoon. Bhindi was frozen. Naan were half cooked- could see atta.Vegetarian food lined up with non veg. Bus boy never picked up dirty plated from our table. Appetizer container was empty. overall really poor quality service and food. Please don't go

A few things to consider here is the fact that very few restaurants offer buffet options at a reasonable price point like this spot. We were in the area doing some sightseeing and stopped in for a quick bite to eat as it was close by for lunch. In comparison to other options similar to Indian and Nepalese food, there are better options but the choices were decent and well stocked through the end of the buffet as we arrived closer to the end of the hour. The staff were friendly and attentive and the location was quite busy but to be expected since it is in a busy area. The ambiance was quite pleasant and the options offered were decent but the recipes could be improved on. It was lacking in the robustness that would make customers want to return again other than the price point for a lunch time stop.

My go-to for Indian takeout. Pleasantly spicy, not cheap but worth the cost. Make sure you don't skip the moms!

Tasty food. Good service when we've eaten in or taken out. There are yummy veggie options for vegetarians.

We drive to the area from NY to celebrate Thanksgiving with our kids and this was an easy, tasty dinner after an 8 hour drive. Food was good and kitchen appeared kitchen was busy with takeout orders to explain the empty tables on the night before Thanksgiving.

The service was terrible! They waited a whole 25 minutes to tell me that the dish I ordered was not available. Then I ordered the lamb korma that took forever and it was terrible! I will never eat here again nor would I recommend it to anyone.

Delicious Palak Paneer, creamy Korma, and Garlic Naan - skip the paneer! I've walked past by this corner Indian restaurant bustling with people on the patio over 1/2 dozen times, so I'm glad I tickled my curiosity and tried it out. While the curries are flavorful and have 5 star potential, they don't quite the mark and on the pricey side of almost $20 a dish. They come with a heap of Basmati rice. Palak Paneer (4/5) - The thick forest green spinach Palak Paneer was fresh and flavorful and our toddler devoured it! While there was a generous amount of chunky paneer, it was really stiff and didn't taste fresh and ended up throwing away 1/2 dozen pieces. Vegetable Korma (4/5) - While the creamy gravy hit the spot, the korma was overloaded with veggies (carrots, peas, broccoli, cauliflower, and paneer). I removed more than 1/2 the veggies. The broccoli and cauliflower tasted fresh, but the carrots and peas were from a frozen mixed veggie bag. The chunky Paneer was also stiff and didn't taste very fresh and threw away most of the pieces. Chicken Tikka Masala (1/5) - Very spicy and dry chicken. Hubby threw in the towel only a 1/4 way through and shortly after experienced diarrhea. Garlic and Plain Naan (5/5) - The scrumptious garlic naan really hits the spot and elevated the flavor of the curries. The plain butter naan is quite tasty as well. Definitely recommend the naan over the complementary rice. The $3-4 upcharge for the naan is worth it! If I'm in Ballston craving Indian food, I would get the Palak and Korma curry dishes and hold the veggies and the paneer!

Really like the butter chicken and garlic naan from Urban Tandoor. i have not tried the buffet. The garlic naan usually comes with a lot of garlic which i dont mind. The butter chicken is not that spicy.

Recently ordered some take out from here. Highlights: - chicken momos with jhol sauce were delicious definitely recommend also a rare item to see on a menu - garlic naan was extremely soft and flavorful Let down: - bangain bhartha was truly disappointing it was bland and it wasn't spicy (i requested spicy) and didn't feel like it was made properly at all. I understand that maybe the vegetarian dishes aren't the focus of this restaurant, but as an Indian person myself bangain bhartha is one of my favorite dishes and deserves more respect than this / is actually so much more texturally and flavor wise than what I got. Definitely don't order this item in particular from here Obviously I can't speak to the service or ambiance since I carried out, but will be sure to update this review if I dine in!

Recently tried the buffet after a long time as I work close to this location and Buffett was discontinued during covid. The Buffett has lot of items, including appetizers, basmati rice and fried rice, butter chicken, tandoori chicken, saag paneer and another vegetable. For dessert, they had Sooji halwa. Everything was good and fresh. Definitely worth it for lunch

Note: Don't forget to check-in and get a free glass of mango lassi! It is a bit pricier than I'm used to for Indian food, but it is delicious! I got the Lasuni Palak Paneer and it was creamy (and not too chunky, which is what I prefer) and a nice green color. I was really impressed with the taste, too! I definitely would recommend getting this! My friends also enjoyed their dishes. Someone got the chicken tandoori entree and it came sizzling on top of an iron casket. It looked and smelled amazing. We also shared a garlic naan, which I'd highly recommend. It was soft and fluffy, and the garlic taste was strong. Delicious. The plating was aesthetic since they put a flower head on top of every entree. Overall, this was a great find, and I had enough leftovers for another meal.

The food was mostly dry and tasteless. Unacceptable when it comes to Indian food. Service is so so ....

We have been to this restaurant more than a few times in the past and the service was ok; food was good. We never go for buffet but we decided to give Indian buffet a try at this place. I am extremely disappointed; dishes were mediocre and the vegetarian options were basic. Unpleasant experience; One of the guests was cutting the buffet line repeatedly and was eating standing near where the buffet dishes were kept. I requested one of the restaurant staff to address this; and the staff acknowledged the problem but refused to address it. The staff was absolutely reluctant. If the restaurant staff think that they do not want to address unpleasantness due to the inconsiderate behavior of a guest, I am sure they will continue to lose customers. I will not be going to this restaurant again.

Everything we had was fantastic. The momos were delicious, and my lamb rogan Josh was tender and wonderfully spiced. Staff were incredibly friendly and attentive. Large portions for a good price.

Really great Indian food. Portion sizes are good for two, and if you buy for one the food will last at least 3 meals. What I usually order: 1) Butter Chicken 2) Lasuni Palak Paneer 3) Garlic Naan 4) Goat Cheese Naan 5) Mango Chutney The mango chutney is the bomb.com when paired with the goat cheese naan, so 10/10 recommend that combination! This has now become our go to Indian food place if we want something a little bit nicer than masala express.

Had to leave early because my friend ate a cashew even though one of the servers said there were no nuts. There was an onion dish that was very good, as well as the naan and the gulab jamun.

I went for the lunch buffet and honestly was a little disappointed. I am used to Chinese buffets where you have a hige selection of food, like rows and rows of food. But this place only had like less than 16 dishes to choose from. 4 proteins, 4 types of carbs, and some vegetables. The quality was pretty good though but I don't have much to compare it to because I've only had Indian food once before this. The chicken was a little dry but the flavors weren't that bad. Some were a little too sweet for my taste but all together not bad. I forgot to take pictures of the place but they had a lot of seating and the atmosphere felt very nice.

Delicious food and great drinks. A truly wonderful night with beautiful ambiance and fantastic service

This was by far not the type of Indian food I'm used to eating and I wouldn't recommend. The salt content is high and they are heavy on the corn. I'd go elsewhere.

This is a restaurant that cheats customers. The buffet line is open from 11:30AM to 2:30PM, but around 1:00-1:30PM, no more food is brought out. This is the first and last time I went to this restaurant. For example, "Goat Biryami" did not see goat meat but only rice, naan cake was not brought out until about 1:00PM, etc... I came to eat here on May 31, 2024 at 12:45PM. Review/rating is only worth 1*. The service staff is very nice and quick.

Great option for Indian food in Ballston! The chicken momos were so good and probably one of my dishes we ordered, definitely don't skip on these! We also ordered the samosa chaat which was really good and flavorful, we ordered this to go and they put the sauce on top which made the samosa a little soggy but it was still worth in my opinion. In addition we also got the paneer tikka masala, butter chicken and garlic naan; all of these dishes were pretty good and we had leftovers for the next day!

Ordered pickup and it was fast and efficient. Great portion sizes, the chicken tikka masala and naan were excellent (though their naan is less fluffy than others and the curry was ok the sweet side), and the restaurant was beautiful. I'd come back and try another curry,

Ordered takeout from Urban Tandoor and the experience was smooth. We ordered the chicken momo jhol style, chicken biryani, butter chicken, and garlic naan. The chicken momo was the best part, I think I'd just order them by themselves (without the sauce that comes with the jhol style). Otherwise I'd say the food was good, but not the best I'd ever had. Fiancé liked the butter chicken. The serving size was enough for him to eat for a dinner and a lunch. Garlic naan was tasty. I ordered the chicken biryani and I thought it was just ok. They give you a ton, it was the spices that threw me off a little I think. I just didn't particularly care for it. Overall I'd definitely get the chicken momo again, but otherwise I'd probably go to my other usual spot for Indian food.

Absolutely love all the food here- especially the momos! Chilli and steamed, both are great. Rasmalai is juicy and tasty too. Mango lassi is a go to with the momos to balance the heat.

Traveling to Arlington for work and this place was a lifesaver after getting back to my Airbnb late one night! It was opened late and they waited to close before I came to pick up. Threw in some extra nan. Really amazing. Thanks!!

This place is great! I got the chicken korma and couldn't stop eating it. I also tried the cherry pita and would recommend to anyone! Soo yummmy! Can't wait for my next visit back! Portions are a tad on the larger side so it's perfect for lunch the next day too! Unfortunately, they were out of the momos when we went so I can't wait to try that next time!

I wanted to provide an update for Urban Tandoor. My experience was very positive when dining there and not doing take out. I think their food does not carry 'to-go/take out' well because it steams in the containers or may be cold by the time you eat it. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed a very nice meal. We ordered their lemonade which was very refreshing, chicken momos, onion kulcha (flatbread with stuffed onions), lamb vindaloo, and chicken tikka masala. Everything was flavorful, delicious, and cooked perfectly. I didn't find it overly salty like last time, so maybe that was just an "off day/moment". Overall, we enjoyed our meal and I would recommend it.

Good but not great! My friend and I came for dinner around 6pm on a Saturday evening and were able to be seated immediately. The patio was busy-ish since it was nice weather but the inside was pretty much empty. We tried ordering the vegetable momos but they were out. We opted for the vegetable samosas instead. We also shared the aloo saag and the paneer tikka masala as well as some garlic naan. We each had a mango lassi as well. The mango lassi was great - very refreshing. I enjoyed the paneer tikka masala too - the sauce was delicious and there was plenty of paneer. The garlic naan was also delicious - strong on flavor but soft and fluffy inside. I didn't love the aloo saag - the saag/spinach was great, but the aloo/potatoes came in large chunks that were pretty much tasteless. It kind of felt like biting into a large chunk of plain, unseasoned potato. I imagine it would have been better if the potato was cut into smaller portions so that you would have both spinach and potato in the same bite, but that wasn't the case here. I would review the vegetable samosas but they actually never came - we decided not to ask about them since we had plenty of food already. They weren't on the check either so no complaints here. Overall, not bad! I wouldn't not return, but given this experience, I'll probably try some of the other Indian places nearby first and circle back if I have to.

I've been ordering from and eating at Urban Tandoor for almost 2 years now. During the thick of COVID, their chicken biryani was my go-to online ordering dish. They do an amazing job making this dish spicy if you ask for it - absolutely delicious! If you're needing some delicious Indian food, make sure to try this.

My experiences with Urban Tandoor has always gone smoothly. Whenever my parents come to visit they always want to order from here. I've never had any concerns with the food and when I order for pick-up, they're always on time.

This is surprisingly good Indian Food. I mean... it's pretty darn impressive. There is something about it that tastes fresher, and cleaner, with bolder more defined layers of flavor. The only reason I take off a star is because of the high cost it comes at. Some of the dishes, especially the lamb we got was overpriced for the portion we received. It was delicious, don't get me wrong... and I would probably buy it again hahaha... but I'm gonna be a bit perturbed about the cost. We got the dumplings too, with the sauce. Those were QUITE good. I was basic and got Butter Chicken. It was absolutely delicious. 2 words: Goat Cheese Naan. Yeah... it's freakin' naan with goat cheese baked into the middle. Oh man... dip that B in the butter chicken sauce or the lamb sauce. Things are alright in life. Also... DO NOT, listen to me, DO NOT DO NOT NOT GET The fried cauliflaur ( spelled cauliflour wrong... what's new) Spelled it wrong that time too But for realsies, the fried white C vegetable is soooo good. I really can't wait to get back to this place.

such a great time! food was delicious and service was great! celebrated a friend's birthday here.

We ordered takeout food from here for the 1st time to celebrate Diwali. Everything came packed very nicely in to go containers but I didn't think the food quality was good as other Indian restaurants in the DMV! We ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (Medium Spice), Assorted Tandoor Mix and 2 Garlic Naans! Chicken Tikka was spicy at the medium level so be aware of this! But it still tasted fine although I prefer my chicken pieces to be a little smaller. Assorted Tandoor Mix included 2 pieces of shrimp, 2 lamb pieces, 2 tandoori chicken pieces and 3 other chicken pieces (not sure of the types, but note the white pieces in the picture). Chicken all tasted fine but the shrimp and lamb pieces were very tough! Garlic naan was excellent! Overall pretty good but 4 stars for food quality. I would come back to try different items on the menu though!

Three of us came in on a Sunday night. I started with a Lychee martini. It was pink and just ok. My dad got the Nepali beer and it was good. The waitress suggested the Chicken MOmO - 6 pieces- as an appetizer. We all loved it. For our main we got the Himalayan goat curry, Butter Chicken, Dal makhni, Chana masala and three kinds of naan (Goat cheese naan, garlic naan, Aloo naan). No one agreed which dish was best- we all had our favorites. But they were all good! I got lots of tasty leftovers that lasted three more meals! My dad finished with the rice pudding and we tried the sugary donuts. My dad said it was the best rice pudding he'd ever had. I'll be back!