Just moved back to the DMV area and tried this restaurant based on the recommendation of some of our friends. Truly enjoyed this meal. The food was fresh and had tons of flavor. All of the people were extremely nice and the place was clean and comfortable. I will be going back and recommend it to anyone looking for an authentic Pakistani meal. read more

Top Tier. this food is amazing for the price. the atmosphere is amazing. the people are vibrant. this place will have you feeling right at home. read more

Finally made it here. Dinnertime on a Wednesday. The restaurant is larger than what it appears from outside and caters primarily to the Pakistani diaspora. Good clean fair priced place. Most people opted for the buffet which has a decent selection. I tried the beef Bihari Kabab, which comes with a nan, chickpea curry and pilaf rice. The morsels of beef were generous, well seasoned and nicely charred. Tasted and really liked the butter chicken of my companion. Service was efficient and courteous by Zeeshan, who might be connected to the owners. Will be back to try more of their offerings. Not a date place though. read more

Went during Eid. Food was not of quality and the goat biryani was not cooked well. The rice was crisp for some odd reason and very small. Overall, food was not healthy and not tasty. When contacted about their service, they did nothing about the condition of the food. The ambiance was alright but I would recommend staying away from the restaurant. read more

Placed an online order and 20min later Yelp sends me a message "order caned!" Reason... umm they are too busy to fulfill the order! Well damn!! Hey Dera.... I would give you zero today! Not cool read more

It's was terrible day at Dera, 1. Butter chicken & Tandoori both not cooked from inside outside looking good so nasty 2. Servant are rude F up 3. Family with three kids when I try to pay I told them 3 adults & 2 kids even already count my oldest to adult still questioning the age!!!! This is not first time happened to me mother F I hate this attitude for food. 4. Girl work is dam rude when I asked water said one minute never show up, myself went to get some water all empty jar and she treat Dessi Vs. Other different attitude F blade Dessi. Keep your attitude under your AH Never ever go this way anymore and encourage the all same. I don't care anything but attitude F you read more

Poor service Cold food Expensive Less varieties in the buffet. I will never ever come back. read more

Hello yelpers this is my truly unpaid review, I happened to be in the area with my friends and looked up for good authentic Pakistani Halal Food and I decided to come to dera restaurant in Springfield, the minute I walked in I felt like I was at the right place, I knew The food is going to be really good especially that food smell made me really hungry,me and my friends we ordered bunch of Different food, we had biryani,chicken karahi variety of different kebabs as well, we tried the fresh buffet and not to forget there sweets to die for absolutely delicious which reminded me of back home, The place was well-maintained very clean and very well decorated in a unique style, good for groups and families very nice atmosphere the staff is very polite, friendly and very professional, they do catering's as well !!! Whenever you in the mood for good Pakistani, Indian food come and try at the Dera restaurant highly recommended !!!! read more

Would not go here during Ramadan . Tried to pre order samosas / pakoras at 7 pm . They said I couldn't pre order because it was already ready. When I got there at 745 they had run out. Usually go to niralla for snacks and they have much better service . read more

Oh man this place was actually recommended by a person painting our house if you are not middle eastern you may feel out of place but dont! This is as welcoming as ALL the food is delicious. I normally dont like stale buffets and prefer to pay more for fresh made but this buffet was way way way to appetizing and fresh to pass up and it did not disappoint and all for half the price that you would expect a definite revisit and a strong recommendation for any and all nationalities Melvin C. read more

The hubs and I came here for lunch to partake in their weekday Pakistani lunch buffet. I was able to try some of their Vegetable Biryani, Butter Chicken, Chicken Curry, Beef Seekh Kabobs (ground beef, seasoned with spices and char-grilled), Gosht Karahi, Daal Mash, Daal Masoor, Saag Paneer, ground beef with green bell peppers, and Channa Masala. I really enjoyed the Chicken Curry, as the chicken meat were all fork tender and juicy. The sauce, while not too thick, was flavorful and dressed the chicken well! I wasn't surprised to learn that it was one of the restaurant's specialties! I also enjoyed the ground beef entree, packed with some flavorful spices and huge chunks of green bell peppers. We also received some hot thick naan bread to chow down with, as well as a bit pitcher of ice water. Besides the buffet, they offer an array of shuruaat (appetizers), salads, breads baked in the clay oven, BBQ, rice, vegetarian options, chef specials, as well as desserts (they had a bakery case). This restaurant seemed to have been recently remodeled, with the sparkling chandeliers and a larger area off to the right for larger parties/banquets. A simple buffet featuring some flavorful Pakistani fare, if you're in the neighborhood, check them out! The staff here were super friendly, and there were plenty of seatings. +Chicken Curry! +ground beef with green bell peppers! +hot naan bread +weekday lunch buffet +friendly staff +plenty of parking in shared lot read more

See all

Went their for weekend brunch buffet. Food was cold, puri/naan no where to be seen...had to wait 10 minutes with food already on table. So, basically we were sitting waiting for puri. No halwaa no chai had pay extra for chai?? Buffet stuff was abundant. I felt the price was high too. Not a clean place either. read more

I decided to take my lovely Pakistani friend here for lunch the other day after some shopping. I had been wanting to give her a break from cooking for me, which she always does when I come to visit. Being that I have no idea how to properly prepare Pakistani food, and that cuisine is her preference, I felt it would be best to go to a restaurant. After some helpful suggestions from Yelp friends, I chose this place and begun to convince my friend to make the trip from her house in Reston. I have to admit that the GPS directions were all but crap. It not only led me about a quarter of a mile away, but also took me to the wrong side of the road. If you feel you'll need electronics to get there, just be prepared for them to lead you astray. Also, the front of the building l was under a little construction, which makes Dera hard to pick out among the other businesses. It's in an older strip mall, so the facelift appears to be doing it some good, but for now it's kind of inconvenient for first time visitors. The staff is very friendly. My friend and I were treated wonderfully, and given extras of certain dishes, sauces, and even unordered desserts during our meal. The gestures were very kind, but when we were given an extra dessert and green tea at the end, I felt kind of like I might pop a button on my slacks. Haha! We first ordered the small platter, which included barbequed chicken, veal, and ground beef. Each were moist, boldly, but not overwhelmingly, flavored with just the right about of heat. Pairing them with the cool yogurt sauce in the fresh roti kind of made me think of tacos. Come to think of it, many of the Pakistani flavors mesh well with Latin...hmm...idea for a new fusion food: Paxican. Come on! Think of how popular that cuisine would be served out of a food truck! Our other entree was a chicken curry. Although it was flavorful and very well cooked, it was a little oily for my taste. In fact the top of the dish had large puddles of orange, spice tinted oil all across it. Talk about a stomachache and heartburn. Jeesh! Worth it? Yes. Would I eat it again? Strong possibility. If you all know anything about me, you know that I lloovvee gulab juman. It's my new craving in the sweets department, and Dera has it in supply and hot. I won't say their version was as decadent or yummy as Co Co Sala's (not that I was really expecting that), but it did manage to put a big cheezer smile on my face, which, in terms of food enjoyment, puts it pretty high in my book. :D I loved how Dera added a little red food coloring to it as well. The slightly pink color made it look like a shiny, round jewel fit for any 10-year-old girl...or me. I really enjoyed my trip to Dera, and I'm even more happy that the meal was up to my friend's standard. Now I'll have a place to take her when she wants a break from cooking for me. read more

Dera - Chicken Pakora. - Pakistani Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

I've never walked in a restaurant only to walk out sick of disgust and shock, without ever ordering food. This place advertises itself as a fine dining Pakistani restaurant. There is nothing fine about this dining establishment. The service is horrible, no customer service. The folks behind the counter seem to be lallygagging, with no regard for customer service. The hygiene is something that is not at the top of their priority list. The customer in front of me wanted to try some sweets, they offered her a sampler spoon, and she double dipped and used her bare hand to grab a third serving. She did this in front of the employees who did not seem to care. Save your money, go to the chick fil a across the street, you will at least get fresh, quality food, with good service and a smile. I wish they had a 0 stars option, 1 is way too generous. read more

Great food, good service. Clean bathrooms. Decent hall for events with an interesting background. Definitely the best indo-pak buffet in the Dmv region. Competitive prices. Our family go to place for dinner or after dinner snacks. We don't mind the 40 minute drive to get here. Yeah it's that good !! The manager is very hospitable and they have an actual street cart in the restaurant selling street cart food like pan and bun kabob etc. read more

See all

-1 for the nonchalant attitude of the staff working the cash registers. They could honestly care less whatever I want to buy. My uncle loves their channa mix so three boxes for $5 seems like a good deal. I have yet to be disappointed in their sweets... Dera offers a great variety and I love the beautiful boxes they sell for special occasions. They are SO pretty! read more

We went to Dera on Saturday night, and it was well worth the experience. The buffet includes approximately 15 dishes, including desserts, and the price was fairly reasonable. The naan bread was the best I'd had in the NOVA area. The restaurant was very clean, and the staff was nice and accommodating. The overall experience was enjoyable, and each dish item was great, with well-balanced flavors. read more

Bread is the best flatbread in DMV, the chicken curry sauce was good but very gamey flavored chicken. Butter chicken could use a little more tomatoes or something. read more

Best Pakistani food in Virginia! They make all type of food, come try their Ramadan menu! read more

See all

I was in the area and there was a much popular and higher rated Indian buffet but i chose to come to this one solely because it was Pakistani and so i assumed that they have the usual seekh kabab and tikka that are signature pakistani dishes, even said so on their website. However the "buffet" was really not a buffet at all. Not even biryani. White rice, haleem, nihari, and some channay. The salad stations was JUST chopped romaine im not even exaggerating. And all the food was super bland and oily. And i like oil in my food so im not just saying that to seem extra healthy or anything. Kheer was way too sweet and the gulab jamun were weird in texture, too... bready? And all for a whopping $18 and this was at LUNCH btw. Plus they only give you 2 naan, anything more is for an additional price. For $18 the least you can do is have unlimited naan like a normal buffet. To top it all off, they added a 15% gratuity. I've never heard of automatic gratuity unless its a 5+ people party. We were literally just 2 people. Extremely dissatisfying and disappointing. Desi people should not go here because i can guarantee that you will make better food in your own kitchen. read more

I wish yelp would let you give a 0 star! The people at this restaurants are cheaters and liars. The first time I went, I walked in and asked how much it was to get food for carryout from the buffet. They told me 7.99, so I packed up a little bit in a box and took it to the counter. Turns out the guy lied to me, and it was 7.99 a pound, so I ended up paying 20 dollars! I left so angry. I am a person of second chances, so I went back after a couple of months. The second time they gave me expired food that exploded when I opened up the packing, and it smelled. I tried to ask if they could give me a refund or remake it, on the phone, and they said no! DO NOT GO HERE IF YOU KNOW WHAT IS BEST FOR YOU! read more

The staff was the highlight of my family buffet lunch. They were very attentive and so nice. The food was decent. It was not bad but just wasn't fabulous. The tandoori chicken was the best dish at the buffet. The complementary naan was very good (crisp on the outside and soft and doughy on the inside). I think the floor could use a good mop. If you are looking to fill your belly with some decent food and chat with family or friends then this place will satisfy. read more

I went here for my first date. I've never had Pakistani food before so I was excited! Their naan is amazing! I haven't found a place that makes really good naan or roti. My favorite dish from Dera is butter chicken! Savory and sometimes a little spicy. One of the best places for butter chicken! read more

This place had very affordable price and delicious food before and I went there with my family so many times. However I went there in Ramadan to buy some food for Iftar. There food costs double or even threeple of the actual food price. I bought the food and when I ate the food. All of the food was so salty and didn't have any taste. I wish I can give them less than one star. I don't recommend this place at all and don't waste your money for this junk food. read more

This restaurant is HORRIBLE. I dont understand how people even give any good stars to this restaurant. First of all, the service is really bad. Very slow - the food comes after hours of waiting even when the restaurant is not busy. Secondly, the butter chicken I ordered had PRE MADE TIKKAY in it that were swimming in the curry!! THAT is definitely not how butter chicken is made. Absolutely tasteless. And yeah, dont forget that CHAI comes in STYROFOAM cups that are harmful! Never coming back and wouldnt recommend to anyone. read more

The food is absolutely trash and disgusting the meat was Raw and the rice were stail and old. The only edible things were there soda . read more

Dera - Rice - Pakistani Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

See all

Best buffet I've ever been too! Food is always fresh, delicious and flavorful! Visit this restaurant at least 4x a month!!! read more

Dera - Pakistani Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

Ordered and they gave me cold meat and didn't inform me and said they just took it out the freezer.don't come to this place it's not good .

Sometimes food is taste good but most of the time same old menu taste less fried fish biryani Nihari etc. When you call them b4 you go what is the menu for today they say Tandoori chicken exec etc. But once you arrived there menu is something else. Compare to other Halal restaurants Dera is ok. read more

Been here a total of four times. The food is good when they make it good but usually it is very inconsistent. The tandoori chicken is usually burnt. The chicken tikka (only grilled item on the buffet) was not available for over an hour. Their excuse was that the grill is busy. read more

See all

I've tried limited items here so can't speak for much but my experience was great! The chatpapri was savory and sweet-- really good as well as their sweets. Great for family dine ins and events. The atmosphere and decorations are great!! read more

Dined in here recently and the food was great. We had pakoras, chickpeas, chicken karahi, lamb karahi, fried fish, and chicken biryani. The service was good. read more

I've been coming here for the better part of a decade and Dera has only gotten better. The buffet, especially after the most recent renovations, is great. The best item on the menu, though, is the beef bihari kabob, which is unfortunately wildly inconsistent from visit to visit. read more

Dera - Redesigned buffet - February 2018 - Pakistani Near Me - Springfield, Virginia

The absolute worst experience ever. I ordered 7 naan and they were not ready in time as they never are. When I had brought this up with the person at the front register he rudely talk to me as if it was my fault that the naan weren't ready I would not recommend going to this place if you prefer a nice customer service. read more

it started when i first parked my car at the front. it took us a few minutes to stay in the car to discuss something before we go in. this uncle behind the counter from the inside the store started starting at our car, as if we were parked in a wrong spot. a bad impression on the customer and not a welcoming look. when we went inside no one greeted us, the waitress were walking around and were very rude. will not go there again. read more

I've tried the buffet several times & there are a few items that taste good but lately things have been changing. The tandoori chicken is great & so is the butter chicken but everytime you go theres just gravy with no chicken, last time we mentioned that & the chef just came, grabbed the tandoori chicken & dumped it in the butter chicken! We called the manager & told him the butter chicken wasnt right. The manager told us he would taste the food himself & come back with a verdict. He then told us it tasted fine & that if we ordered the butter chicken off the menu instead of taking it from the buffet it would be completely different. Seriously? They tack on a mandatory service charge regardless of the number of diners, be it 1 diner or 10. It doesnt make sense since youre going to the buffet & essentially serving yourself. There have been several instances where I put my own dirty dishes away as well. The staff is not the most courteous, they seem a little cold & would rather avoid than serve you. It makes sense because either way theyre getting tipped with the "mandatory service charge" Overall the food has become quite greasy, the rice is always really shiny because of the oil & theres a very limited amount you can eat. It tastes ok though. The dining area is nice & they have remodeled the place. We have visited this place several times a month over the last year but dont see ourselves coming back. read more

After reading a review in the Washington Post, husband and I decided to try Dera, a Pakistani restaurant in Springfield. It was easy to find, and yet, we had never been there before. It was lunchtime on a Wednesday, and we were seated immediately. We decided on the buffet, because we could sample many things that way. The offerings were interesting, to say the least. Starting with salad, we worked our way to vegetable dishes and chicken dishes. Their butter chicken was the best I've ever tasted, as was their spinach with chicken. The small piece of tandoori chicken that I selected, was not as successful...a bit dry. Husband loves spicy food and enjoyed the chickpeas with ground beef. Other choices included peas and zucchini. In addition, two pieces of fresh, hot naan were brought to the table. The price, $9.95, was great. Similar restaurants charge more for less quality. Abdul, our waiter, brought some additional desserts for us to taste, and we found them interesting, especially the rice pudding, and carrot sweet. Would I go back? Yes, often! read more

Seeeeeeeeeeee need water its so spicy. Last time here. One of my guest was with me and I proudly said to him l take you best Pakistan food place so he was so excited. But when we reach there and tried food my friend look at me and said WTF. Cold, spicy and no taste. I really not recommended. Chickpeas was dry looks like no one touched for hours. Butter chicken tray was full with gravy but four pieces of chicken in there. And price they said under 10$ but they charged 11.50$ each. There is no problem to pay 12 $ for food when you having good food ,but this buffet not worth for even 5$ read more

The food is not that good. It can pass if this was the only place on earth, but other than that, I will never go back to this establishment mainly because the service is absolutely terrible. I go in for lunch with a friend and the restaurant is not that busy. The buffet looks decent but I was interested in ordering Butter Chicken for my entree. The server has not a clue of what is going on and looks like she's never seen a human before. She tells me they have Butter Chicken at the buffet. GREAT news at first BUT then come to find out that the entire dish of the chicken they had out was mostly bones. It's supposed to boneless. So I tell her that's not what I'm interested in. She keeps trying to talk me into the buffet.........Jeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez that was annoying. They also served us a pitcher of luke-warm water. We asked for Ice, it never came. We had to get up and go to the counter to ask for ice. I asked for rice with my chicken (after the girl finally just put in an order for me for a fresh BONELESS portion of it). It never came. I was instructed I had to go and walk up and help myself with the rice at the buffet...after I asked 3 times, however. The chicken: flavorless and the sauce was too thin. The rice: not how jasmine rice should ever be. Also flavorless. The complimentary bread: FLAVORLESS. The service: I can't deal. read more

We came here and ordered quite a few dishes, and everything was good. The chicken karahi was my favourite, and the chicken tikka masala was also very good. We also got goat karahi that was pretty good. I liked the naan as well. read more