Great Indian food at decent prices. Nice interior and good service. Some dishes tend to be pretty spicy though you can specify the level.

Always an excellent experience with either delivery, take out or dine in. The patia is a repeat favorite.

Always my favorite when I'm craving Indian food ...and the first place I think of when I have out of town guests looking for good food. The service is always amazing - they even helped to encourage my littles to try new flavors. We ordered the Saag paneer, tikka Masala and the Bhel Poori Chaat which is now my new favorite! We came at lunch and were treated to the side salad, special side and dessert. I love their chutney they also serve with the meal. read more

Fave!! Garlic Naan, Aloo Ghobi, Biryani & Khorma. I guess they have other dishes... :-) This food stays warm on the 90 minute drive home... I'm happy!! read more

Went to Anokha for lunch today, and the food was absolutely fantastic. Their spice grades are 1-6, I went with 3 (adventurous, right?) and it was nicely spicy without being too hot, probably going to try 4 next time. It was almost packed when we arrived (A party of 4) but we still got served pretty quickly. The food came with a shared bowl of rice (Which was replaced during the meal with more rice) and a chefs special (Not sure what it was, but very tasty) After the meal we were given a dessert which also was delicious, and a very nice contrast with the somewhat spicy food. It was some kind of cold creamy stuff with mango and other fruits in it, very tasty. Oh, and the price? About $12... read more

The dinner portion is so small, not worth the price, we order an 17 $ biryani and 18$ butter chicken, the bowls that contain the food are so small , much smaller than the lunch size bowl of other restaurants read more

Delicious food. Service helpful, attentive, but not in your face. Prices might be a bit high, but it's tasty.

For the years this establishment has been open I have been going to and thoroughly enjoying the food and service provided. Vindaloo (Vin d'lho), either Lamb or Chicken has always been one of my favorite dishes and the efforts of this restaurant have never been disappointing but, any of the dishes they serve are fantastic. read more

I can't believe I haven't written a review of Anokha as I've eaten lunch there many times over the last couple of years. But I returned after a few months absence and am happy to report that the food remains consistently good. Today I ordered the vegetable korma which is one of the many bargains to be found on the menu. The sauce was creamy, the vegetables tasting fresh, and the seasoning was just as I had requested. The korma was served with a bowl of delicious, large grain rice that was fluffy and slightly flavorful. Good stuff there. All of the meals at Anokha come with a vegetable side dish, and today's was pinto beans in a jumpy sauce that blended well with the rice. A nice, complementary side. Often, appetizers, bread and dessert take a back seat to the entre, but at Anokha they are stars in their own right. With a choice of soup and salad, my recommendation based on previous experiences is to choose soup (the salad is nothing special and tastes like something anyone could pull out of a plastic bag). Today's soup was coconut/lime wonderfully seasoned and perfect consistency. Seriously delicious. A dessert included with your meal is usually a pudding or ice cream, with the latter being today's serving. It was a passion fruit? sorbet. As the woman sitting at the next table said upon polishing her's off, she wishes she could carry a tub of it home with her. Mine tasted like it had been frozen too long but, still, I concur. I am leaving the consistent star of the show for last. The naan is always perfectly baked, somehow doughy and light at the same time, with an almost imperceptible crunch to give it a nice consistency that almost melts in your mouth. This is five-star naan, folks, among the best I have ever eaten. Rarely do I carry home uneaten food, but I always ask for a bag to scoop up any that has not been gobbled down during the meal. You will have a blessed day if you are lucky enough to get a basket of this from right out of the oven. We are fortunate to have two of the best Indian restaurants (Lehja) in town, both close together. You cannot go wrong with either. Notable food, great service, reasonable prices. It's all good read more

OMG!!!!!! This place is soooo good! I wish I remembered to take a photo of my food, but I'm sure it wouldn't do it justice. The service was AMAZING. Especially during these times. They were very aware of keeping us distanced and sanitizing. The wait staff was so patient and kind. Our server was also pretty funny! We ordered curries and they were amazing along with samosas as an app. Every single thing was delicious. We had 2 meals, an app, an extra order of naan AND a bottle of wine and spent $71. You really can't beat that for quality cuisine. I 10/10 recommend this spot! read more

Went on a spontaneous date night and wanted to get some ethnic food and had our expectations exceeded! The food was delicious and our server Brian was so friendly and helpful! Will be going back for sure! read more

amazing food! Great service, very fast! will definitely be going back! The ambiance was very nice for lunch as well!

It just really ANOKHA. Awesome people works here. Best food. Some surprise will comes free

What a great dining experience! First of all, Anokha Is taking all necessary precautions plus more for Covid. The restaurant is extremely clean, and the servers are wearing gloves. It's a lovely place. Our food was absolutely delicious. We ordered the chicken tandoori, Lamb korma, garlic naan, allo Parantha, tandoori sampler, and the saffron infused cosmo! All dishes were perfectly presented, aromatic, and divine! It looks like they're doing a great take-out business, but we really thought they have taken a good deal of Covid precautions and we felt very safe. Of course, that's up to you! read more

This is a fancy place. There are other Indian restaurants but this is on the higher end. As for food I usually get Chana and garlic Naan. I enjoy it . It's a nice intimate spot if you're looking for good Indian food read more

Best Indian food I have experienced in Richmond. Although I am not vegetarian, my go to is Palak Paneer {medium to medium spicy}. This did not disappoint. I also invited Raita and Pickle to the dinner party. Raita was dressed appropriately with nice cucumber threads and Pickel always spreads good cheer around the table. This is definitely on my list of good eats to share with family when they are in Richmond. read more

According to legend, and Wikipedia-- Chicken Tikka Masala's origin story is as mysterious as the Castles of Scotland, it goes like this: ".....Ali Ahmed Aslam, proprietor of the Shish Mahal restaurant in the west end of Glasgow, invented chicken tikka masala by improvising a sauce made from yogurt, cream and spices, He said: On a typical dark, wet Glasgow night a bus driver coming off shift came in and ordered a chicken curry. He sent it back to the waiter saying it's dry. At the time Dad had an ulcer and was enjoying a plate of tomato soup. So he said why not put some tomato soup into the curry with some spices. They sent it back to the table and the bus driver absolutely loved it. He and his friends came back again and again and we put it on the menu..." For Richmond, Anokha has to be the finest version of this dish. It is my absolute favorite meal to share with friends, and that's what I did on January 2nd, 2017. What can I say more? If you're searching for this meal, Anokha has it, and it is the best for Richmond. On this particular day, Service was also on point, I love being greeted with a smile, offers of "more rice" are perfect for this girl who loves that "Jeera" which is the proper name for Basmati Rice and Cumin Seeds.. something I only DREAM of recreating. The only thing that would've made this 5 stars is that the speakers need to be replaced as they rattled from being blown. It was hard to make conversation with static blaring inbetween new age EDM. Thank you so much Anokha! read more

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Having grown up on a steady diet of Indian food, I'm quite picky when it comes to Indian restaurants. Furthermore, I often find that the best Indian places are hole-in-the-wall type joints that are better-suited to take out than for a night out or a special occasion. That said, Anokha does a fine job of offering tasty food in a polished atmosphere. The dining room feels warm and intimate and the service here is better than most other Indian places. On a recent Friday night, we arrived to a dining room packed with mostly Indian people (always a good sign). We started with three appetizers, of which the shrimp koliwala (battered, spiced shrimp) and the tandoori sampler stood out the most. The appetizers, uniformly, had a little too much salt. We also were puzzlingly offered some slices of naan to accompany our appetizer, but it was fresh and tasty to munch on between bites. Our entrees included lamb kadhai, chicken tikka masala, shrimp vindaloo, and chicken biryani. Despite the lamb described as "medium," it carried an intense level of heat that surpassed the "very spicy" shrimp vindaloo. It nonetheless was the favorite of the night due to that aforementioned chili heat and a smoky, sweet flavor from the spices. The chicken tikka had tender chunks of chicken in a gravy rich with fenugreek and warm spices, which tasted better than most other renditions of the dish I've had elsewhere. The other two dishes impressed as well. Garlic naans had plenty of punch and tandoori rotis had a great char and chew. None of the food tasted heavy or laden with butter/cream, which scored major points. Overall, while the fare at Anokha isn't quite as tasty as the low-key, hole-in-the-wall places I'm used to getting takeout from, the food holds its own and the service/ambiance make it a great option for special occasion Indian meal. read more

Had a wonderful dinner at the bar last night at Anokha, great pour of wine, vegetable samosas, and a delightful vegetarian dish. Everyone was friendly, can't wait to get back there! read more

I miss dine-in @Anokha. Take-out quality superb. Keep curbside pick up going! Glad to be able to support this place in difficult times.

Have been doing takeouts from here over the last couple of weeks. Food is great. Recommend their Chicken Saag.

The food is good but don't order carry out they give about half of what you receive when eating in.

I've been wanting to go here for a while because my friend has always raved about it and I'm finally glad I got the opportunity to try their lunch special. Their food is out of this world!!! First, their lunch special comes with unlimited hot, buttery naan and basmati rice. I could honestly go there just for that. In addition to this, they give you soup or salad, side and an entree. I chose the soup (corn), Chicken Korma, and the side was peas. The soup was okay, nothing special, but the peas and chicken were delicious! Our waiter was nice and friendly as well. The restaurant itself is beautiful, and even though it was crowded when we came in (during the lunch rush) we were seated and served immediately. If you have an extended lunch break, I definitely recommend you to check Ahokha out. read more

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This meal was the highlight of my trip to Richmond. Reasonably priced and big portions, not to mention a soup or salad as a starter. You can't beat the lunch deal, especially considering it comes with unlimited naan and rice. Everything I tasted was better than the last. Even my toddler ate a few different items, and she lives off of cereal and yogurt. I will definitely be going back next time I'm in town. read more

Great Food. It can get spicy, so if you're not familiar with the heat level, I'd recommend to sticking from low to mid level.

Was excited to order from this place and was prepared to leave a great tip until I tried placing a lunch order online and got called and was asked if I could get the dinner portion. I decided not to buy unfortunately because on their website it does not say anywhere that they're only serving dinner portions. Disappointed with the service. read more

My friends and I ordered a variety of things off the menu because one friend is vegan while the rest of us are not. Everything we ordered was delicious and the portions lasted me for three meals. Everything was incredibly flavorful and they were attentive to the spice level you ordered. I cannot wait to try more menu items! read more

Don't think I could add anymore good words as all the reviews have covered it. As per my family and all friends this is the best place for Indian food. Everything they have is awesome.. nice ambience.. quality..taste..and price. We are vegetarian so we have tried almost everything veg on their menu and everything is great. Do try their palak kulcha which I feel a must with any gravy. They usually have that lunch special which is good to taste different things like starter..main course dishes and 1 from the desert. read more

LOVE this place! Food: Prepared with SO MUCH Flavor. I've only been for lunch but if you order a lunch entree it looks like this: Choice of soup or salad for the first course (I always get salad because they taste amazing); You get unlimited basmati rice and Naan with your meal along with the side of the day for the second course; and Finally you get desert to finish off your lunch. I've never had a bad food experience here...I usually get the chicken tikka platter with paneer and it's fabulous. Also, makes sure you tell them how spicy you want your food...if you like your food hot then ask for Indian Hot. Service: Service can be slow during lunch and there are some communication barriers with some of the servers so orders might be off a little at times, but overall the service is good and they are quick to fix any mistakes. Atmosphere: Very trendy...they have really cool music playing in the background and the design of the interior is sort of a classy exotic feel. The seating can be kind of tight during busy hours if you are only dining with one other person. Think a cruise dining experience...you have a seperate small table, but it's inches away from the next table. Prices: VERY affordable...expect 10 - 15 dollars for the entrees during lunch hours. I eat here nearly every month...I am a huge fan and definitely recommend anyone who has either never tried indian or loves indian food to check this place out! read more

Always on the hunt for great Indian food, and I have most definitely found it. The spices and the curry here are delicious. In my opinion this place has the best flavor and best quality Indian in the RVA area. My favorite for sure. Outdoor dining area is perfect on a nice day. read more

I wish I was Indian, because this place feels like home to me. The waiters are friendly, and the food and atmosphere give it that homey feel. I always look around to see if they're judging me when I mix the sauces from lamb rogan josh with the chicken tikka masala together, but they know that's just how I like it. The tikka masala is a little on the creamier side (just the way my boyfriend and all of my other friends like it), but I add the rogan josh sauce to make it a little more tomato-y. I've been here for lunch a billion times now, the waiters know me and all. A different soup offering each time I go (or you can get the salad), rice+naan+entree, and dessert for $10 is an amazing value. Who needs a lunch buffet when I get all that and it all tastes great?! I love it. But I have to say over the past 2 years, it's kind of slipping. I usually order things medium-hot to get a really good sweat going, but now I can't even get a tingle in my mouth. There have been a few times when the lamb has been a little tough. I can't bring myself to stop coming here though. And I feel like I'd be offending the Indian mother that I've always wanted that probably cooks all of my food in the kitchen...that I've never met. I have tried 90% of all the other Indian restaurants in Richmond, and It's still the best place in the Richmond to get Indian food. read more

I've had Indian food before a while back but it never left me a memorable impression as Anokha did the first time I tried it. I can't stop going back for the garlic naan and the chicken tikka masala when I'm craving food. [Garlic Naan] The garlic naan is always so warm, fluffy and flavorful. They usually serve you 4 pieces of naan with each order which is a good amount because they also serve rice with the dishes as well. If that's not enough for you, you can always get more! [Chicken Tikka Masala] It's basically chicken with a tomato based cream sauce with mixed spices. You can get the tikka masala with other meats or even paneer (vegetarian). The portions are pretty good and very easy to share. [Patia] Tangy Curry with Mango, Ginger and Scallions...This was also very good. It's more on the sweeter side of all the two curries. So you can definitely have something sweet and savory with your garlic naan! Besides the food, the ambiance and decor is inviting and intimate. You can have a party of two or even a family/friend gathering. There's plenty of seating indoor and outdoor. The service is also great and on point. I definitely recommend this place and will/have been back on multiple occasions =b read more

My 5 stars are for Richmond area Indian restaurants. I would be giving a 4.5 if allowed but rather the 5 than just 4. Second trip after the first time where we only ate appetizers. This time a much more comprehensive and enjoyable meal. First, I can't eat Indian food often...the spice combination doesn't work with my old-ass system, so I have to be selective. If I could, I would eat here a lot more often. We came as a last minute decision on a Saturday night, getting there at about 845. Pretty full but most people were finishing up, but this is not surprising in Short Pump...not a late night destination. We got seated right away and ordered some decent drinks. The prosecco based cocktail was nice, crisp, not too sweet...good start. Appetizers were the Vegetable Samosas and Bhel Poori Chaat. Samosas were fine, good, nothing amazing...if you like them anywhere, you will like them here. But the Chaat was delicious. It's slightly different wherever you might find this dish but Anokha's version is a real winner. Puffed rice, potatoes, spices, onions, crispiness and tangy bits of flavor throughout. It goes a long way and we both totally enjoyed it. Dinner was a huge affair. The Dal Makhi was great...nice lentil dish with a really flavorful, almost stewed qualify. Redolent of garlic, onions, and deep roasted tomatoes, we both enjoyed this a lot. We split the Chettinadu Curry Chicken and Lamb Vin d'alho (vindaloo, in most places) and both were excellent. Lamb was really good, intense vindaloo flavors without being too tart or too overly spiced...although it was hot--that good heat that a proper vindaloo brings with balance of flavors. The lamb itself was remarkable for being perfectly cooked.Often lamb in Indian restaurants is either tough and stringy or overly stewed and crumbly. This meat had taste and texture and that really made the dish. The chicken was delicious. Not entirely sure I can pinpoint the explicit distinguishing characteristics of the curry, but if I need to ever order a "curried chicken" this would be it. Again, chicken nicely cooked, although the need to cater to American palates with boneless breast meat does ofter lead to dry chicken. (dark meat is good!) A word on this food: the portions are very fair--big enough to share and we brought food home. I would say they are huge but I feel like some Indian restaurants are serving smallish portions of Chicken and Lamb. These were nice-sized. We had garlic naan because it's good and onion chutney because I like it a lot. Anokha's chutney is a much fresher version than many places. It's very onion-y but also delicious. Anokha has a great atmosphere and as a plus, the music was very cool...Indian-electronica (think Tangerine Dream in Mumbai!) All in all, a definite 4.5. And in Short Pump, that's hard to find. read more

Best Indian food around - seriously! I love it most out of all the places I've tried both in Richmond and Northern Virginia. It is the best quality and the most bang for your buck if you go during lunch! For $9-$11 (depending on if you get a vegetarian entree or meat entree), you get either a soup or salad, the entree itself, plentiful naan and basmati rice, the side of the day, and a dessert! I have never been disappointed. Of the several times I've been I have gotten to try the chicken tikka masala, the tandoori platter, the lamb rogan josh, the lamb sabji, the bhindi masala (okra), and the vegetable curry. I've basically explored all parts of the menu and have loved everything! You really just can't go wrong here. Their sides and desserts change day to day - my favorites of those two are the spiced chickpea side and the gulab jamun (a warm ball of doughy goodness in a sweet sugar sauce). If you haven't gone here you are missing out on one the bests finds in Richmond! Go now! The lunch hour gets pretty busy so try and go early! read more

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Pretty bad service. They have table to sit five people, when we came in with a group of four they refused to sit us there. When a person in our group asked for a dish to be made differently, the sever'a response was a blunt no. All in all pretty bad service. read more

I was pretty excited to give this place a try, since I have tried every Indian restaurant within a 30 min. drive of Richmond. I will say that this might be biased since my favorite Indian restaurant has been Lehja for a while. In fact, after I ate at Anohka I felt so bad.. like I was cheating on my favorite restaurant.. and it wasn't even worth it. Good presentation - the restaurant was pleasing to the eyes and ears, but I was seated smack in the middle of the restaurant. It didn't feel private at all. The service made me feel like I was attending a funeral - no one smiled or even greeted me. In fact, most seemed to avoid eye contact. It was so weird. No one asked me if I liked the food, and no one said goodbye when I left. It all felt very uncomfortable and rude. The salad was very flavorful, but the soup that I tried was bland - a very basic broth. I got the Chicken Tikka Masala (as I do everywhere) and so I again may be biased here. The flavor was very creamy - too creamy - I felt like I couldn't taste much else. The pop of flavor I was expecting was just very mild, barely there. The chicken was moist however, and the naan was fluffy. I did like the rice pudding at the end, nice touch. I'm sure everyone has their own preference, but their chicken tikka masala was not mine. And I certainly was not impressed by the service here, the communication was not there and I couldn't wait to leave. No one was specifically rude - and honestly, I'm not someone that likes it when I have a chatty waiter - but recognition and general manners I do expect. I didn't see that here. Sorry, but I think I'll keep going to my favorite restaurant, which is only across the street. read more

I held off reviewing this place for years, which is odd because I'm normally very aggressive about the timeline for my reviews. I've been going to Anokha pretty regularly for a while now, probably once every other month. Between the frequency of my appearance and the eccentricity of my appearance, the staff has come to recognize me. And yet, no review. Well, Anokha has a small but meaningful problem. Their food is highly accessible, which is a huge plus, but it often sacrifices some flair or spice for the purposes of achieving that accessibility. However, I recently discovered that you can ask for pretty much anything, wonderful things like british-influenced chutneys or charmingly spicy garlic-chili-curry-paste-that-I-could-not-really-identify. The real breaker though, was finding out that their lunch specials are varied and excellent. More, they'll let you order ahead if you ask nicely, allowing tightly scheduled business lunchs to go off without a hitch. I finally have some place I can take anyone I know for lunch on a weekday. read more

Never disappoints. If I want Indian food, there is nowhere else in town to go that beats Anokha. Every dish is spot-on, consistently delicious and the staff are wonderful. I like to try something different every time, but always make sure to keep it swelteringly, nose-runningly spicy! I've had lamb, chicken, and vegetarian here, and it's all great. The West End is the place for Indian food, and I like this more than places like Lehja (they know me here, to some degree. Hell! I almost choke-died on a piece of chicken, and it was so good I got it out and went right back to finishing my food! I couldn't leave that tikka masala uneaten!) Go here. You won't regret it. read more

Not worth eating real indian food!! Served cold Naan! No difference in taste in curry whatever subji you order!!! And last but not least, waiters are damn idiot dono how to behave ... No value for money for food!! read more

I have been a number of times to this place and I am always impressed. The food is consistently high quality and the service is top-notch. A word about spices... they offer a three tier system (mild, medium, hot). When they say hot, they mean "mild" by Indian standards; generally the spiciness is adapted to the American palate. However (and this is an important consideration), they do not count on the heat of the dish to carry it through. Everything I have ever ordered has a phenomenal palette of flavors, so even if you get the "mild" it shouldn't detract from the overall dish. read more