We celebrated Diwali here this evening and they were extremely accommodating as we had 28 people. They treated us like family and the food was excellent. They had a Diwali special Masala coke that everyone enjoyed so much. Special thanks to Dinisha who was an excellent host and took care of everything, so thankful for her. Wonderful time had by all and will definitely plan other events at Madras Palace. read more

Worst!worst!worst.... everything is week old food served. Worst experience.... some curry and chutney were spoiled .... Paratha was hard like frizzbee.. read more

As my mom said, they were known for their Dosas and Sambar and when we tried them after they reopened, they carry that reputation still. I tried the buffet, it was okay. I liked how previously before it was a strictly vegetarian restaurant. My advice is bc they're known for the dosas, go for that; No one can beat them there. Otherwise the food is okay. read more

I ordered kothu. It was very soggy. It had too much vegetables. It didn't have much roti at all. Last time I ordered the dish, it had more intense flavor. Why price it $13.95. Too small portion for that price. You can do better. Tish read more

Being a huge fan of South Indian food, I am always looking for good South Indian restaurants in the DC area. Wish the quality was as good as the ones in NY and SFO. Anyways, this was the only one that popped up on yelp in Germantown and I decided to give it a try. As I walked in, I noticed a big screen tv playing an Indian movie. Why you would have a movie instead of soothing music is beyond me. If people are interested in watching tv, they will eat dinner at home. The loud noise def didn't make my dinner experience cozy. Now to the food. My husband decided to go for the buffet. The food was cold. I hate buffets where the owners don't even bother to ensure the food is at least hot. I ordered a rava dosa which was mediocre. The buffet was cold, dosa was mediocre, and ambiance was cold (it was actually cold inside. Saving money on heat??) I feel bad dragging my hubby here on a Saturday night. I will not be going back here at all. Oh how I wish we could have NY and SFO South Indian restaurants in DC. read more

Wonderful place! I'm south Indian and have been looking for more south Indian restaurants in the DMV area. Madras Palace is just the place. They have a great variety of south Indian dishes and some north Indian dishes, both meat and vegetarian, and very affordable prices. There is a whole menu for dosa and uttapam, plus Indo-Chinese specialties. Madras Palace feels like being back home in India. The staff are also super friendly and helpful. Highly recommend this restaurant! read more

Ordered take out during the pandemic for 6 adults. It was delicious. We ordered an array of curries, naan, tandoori. Everything was tasty. I am a big fan of Indian food and this place definitely lived up to my expectations. When we came in to pick up the food the staff was very friendly and polite. We even got free dessert! Next time I'm in the area and have a hankering for Indian I'll definitely be back. read more

This place is decent food with wonderfully attentive people, traditional flavors and am extensive menu. However, it is a trek unless you live in the Gaithersburg area to get here. With so many other choices closer to DC proper, I needed a reason to stop by this all veg place. The spinach dosa was pretty convincing! The attention to my vegan concerns was comforting- and they also substituted chutney for the raita. Although I loved the flavor and chutneys and sambar, it was a bit too salty for me. I liked the spices in the curry dish that were hot and flavorful. The portions were average, not too small, and not too large. The price was just right. The decor is outdated, but the Indian families that kept strolling in for dinner during the week did not seem to mind. Once the food was there, I didn't mind the decor or the Planet Bollywood TV show either. It's good, but the distance and the decor, along with the curry and dosa both being too salty, I might happily go here if nearby and looking for a veg eatery, but it's more likely I would dine closer to DC. read more

The one star is for customer service -there was NONE. No food rating because I didn't get to eat. Went yesterday for lunch buffet. Arrived at 12:50. No real greeting - I just kinda stood there not know what to do or where to go. After a few minutes of my standing there looking lost an older Indian lady asked me "1"? No hello, no welcome, no smile, nothing. I sad yes, 1. She then again said only 1 as if she was upset I was alone for some reason. Anyway, I said yes and she pointed to a seating area and said you can sit over there. She didn't move an inch. I sat down at a table in the area she sent me and sat, and sat, and sat. No greeting from wait staff, bus boy, mgr, or anyone. No menu, no water, no would you like to order or buffet, completely ignored. While waiting another couple who somehow managed to order from the menu before I got there food arrived. Waitress dropped the food on the table and took off. The couple called her back to ask for silverware and water. Waitress came back after a few minutes with silverware while their food was getting cold. No water. They again asked for water and waitress disappeared. A few moments later large Indian family arrived and were greeted with open arms, pleasantries exchanged for a few moments and then they were personally walked to the buffet and served food. It is now 1:05 and I had been sitting there, alone and totally ignored for 15 minutes at this point. I got up and walked out. No one said a single word including the same older Indian woman who told me where to sit as she stared at me in disgust as I walked out. read more

Delicious Dosas! (My favorite is Mysore Sada Dosa) Indian coffee is good too. Medu Vada is also delicious! All the chutneys are also good from here! read more

Have been wanting to update my review for Madras Palace for sometime now - had to confirm my experience over multiple trips. I have to downgrade my liking to 3 stars from 4 stars. Madras Palace still stays high on my list of South Indian fare in the DMV area, but their quality has suffered over time. We had weekend buffet this past Saturday and even though the items on the buffet has stayed the same - lots of choices, the quality has suffered. 2/3 of the items are of the South Indian variety - which is great, and the rest 1/3 are North Indian dishes. They should either hire a chef proficient at North Indian dishes or take them off the menu. I see no purpose in serving North Indian dishes that taste nowhere like they are intended to! Case in point, a dish made of spinach and beetroot had lots of coconut in it - North Indian dishes rarely use coconut in their recipes! The curry in Bhindi (okra) masala was very similar to sambhar! On the South Indian side, the dishes were quite authentic - one of the best Rasam (tomato soup) in the DMV area. Sambhar too was good. The winner for the day was definitely the Masala Coffee that we had along with our meal - well made and reminded me of my trips to South India! read more

I like the authenticity of this place and they really have a great menu. But I was slightly disappointed by the buffet. It's not value for money, and the madras coffee is also more expensive than it should be ($5 !) Otherwise, if you want to have south India cuisine then they really have a plethora of items on the menu and it really satisfies your soul. read more

We ordered take out on a Monday night and this is what we had: Samosas: delicious, would definitely order these again. Pakora: terrible super greasy "American" style battered and fried chili peppers and onion rings. I actually thought they gave us the wrong thing. Don't order things. Sag Paneer: Hit the spot for me, but nothing to rave about. It's very rich with large pieces of paneer. I'd get it again but will probably try other things first. Vegetable Jalfrezi: A good option for someone who is new to Indian food (or not crazy about it but along with a group). Tangy, not too soupy, not too curried. Rough cut veggies were cooked well. Rice: Plain white rice cooked well. Not spiced at all. Sauces: There were four with our order! All were very good (and plentiful). My favorite was the yellow lentils. I'm not sure what it was supposed to go with (or what it was called) but I ended up eating it with just rice the next day! read more

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More authentic compared to anyone else around! This business has been here for a long while and managed to make it through COVID. Hope to eat there soon! read more

This place, menu. Staff, service is really right. Fresh food in massive quantity. Its awesome. Value for money. I just loved it

Went for lunch over the weekend and Great food and excellent service. DOSA were nice and crispy.

The Mothers Day Grand Special was phenomenal! So much variety and soooo tasty. Delectable South Indian all vegetarian dishes from Idli, masala dosa, vada to avial, Brinjal curry, tasan sambar etc. we really enjoyed it thanks you! read more

I ordered Madras Palace for the first time today for delivery and I loved what I received. I ordered a vegetable noodles and veg Thali and Bisi bele bath. I liked the food more than my regular Indian place. Nom read more

Went for the buffet lunch. Very good quality food, i had the chicken biriyani, mutton curry and chicken chettinaad with raita. The dishes were cleanly prepared and flavorful. My parents are vegetarian and had the vegetarian buffet. Even had fresh papad and payasam desserts. Want to go back again next weekend read more

We went last weekend as a family, 6/18/22 for the 1st time, They used old batter to make Dosa, very stale smell, and the so called owner, keeps stairing at the food and watches constantly if they are sharing the Buffet and list go's on very impolite, I would never return there again. very disappointed. read more

Service was great and fast! Food was good! Place was clean! Even they gave us their special sweet for free to taste!! Not only we eat our Dhosa there but also packed some dishes for our dinner next day! If they start servicing Beer then it will be awesome and can easily convince my Husbond to come here! read more

While I'm not necessarily discounting this place as an excellent choice for a lunch special on the weekdays (they appear to have a 2 curry with rice, bread, and dessert for $5.65), I am not sure the restaurant would be amongst my first choices for an Indian buffet (even if strict vegetarians were in my group). The lunch buffet is primarily South Indian with an assortment of idlis (rice patties served with different chutneys), sambar (a spicy brown Indian soup typically eaten with rice), resam (a spicy tomato base soup also eaten with rice), masala dosas (a crepe-like bread filled with potato)and paratha (spiral-like bread). On this occasion, channa masala (chickpeas), mini uttapam (a veggie filled Indian pancake), winter squash curry and other items not easily described in English (upma, pakora, dahl, etc.) were present. My main reservations concerning this place was the freshness of the masala dosas and the idlis. As they were not served piping hot, the dosa lost its crispiness and the hot potato filling tasted like a cold mush. The idlis had also lost much of their heat. I topped them with a pallid coconut curry that only solidified into a textural mess over my idlis. On the bright side, the sambar and resam here were fine. The winter squash was well prepared with the proper balance of coconut to balance the juiciness of the vegetable. I enjoyed their healthier version of the typically oily pakora. Overall, this place was a mixed bag. If you searched for the best items through a trial-and-error method, you would eventually come up with a plate that is decidedly above average. But quite frankly, I just don't like to play guessing games when it comes to an Indian buffet. As a result, I cannot give Madras Palace more than a 3 star rating at this time. read more

First impression - Most of the staff seems like an unhappy angry bunch. I tried a combination of both South and North Indian delicacies in our group. As expected, the North Indian curries were nothing to write about. We thought the dosas and the Uttapams could use a certain 'zest', too. The food just didn't feel fresh, even though it took a very long time to come out, and came out in parts, even as we wanted to all start eating together. Now, I realize that everything could not be cooked at once, but it just seems to be a good idea, to me, to bring out the food for entire table at once, instead of piecemeal. The rice was cheap and just not well cooked, and I thought the 'raita' accompanying the curries was sour. Overall, the food just didn't feel freshly cooked. Also, how hard is it for a restaurant to stock up on ice cream when it's 80 degrees outside, and it's on their menu? On the service side, there were times when we waited for someone to fill up our glasses. The option to get ice along with water did not seem to exist. Overall, just an average vegetarian restaurant that thinks adding the word 'authentic' to its name makes it really so. read more

I love Indian and vegetarian food but the experience was so underwhelming that it is hard to write this review. I went on a Sunday when they only had the buffet (I couldn't order from the regular menu); this was really disappointing as I am generally not a big buffet fan. I'd say the food wasn't bad but it is hard to tell because the coldness of the food muffled the taste. One or two dishes were lukewarm at best. Perhaps it was all cooked and then flown in from Madras/Chennai. Most disappointing was the overly watery taste bud disappointing Dal. The buffet set up was also confusing: for some reason, the desserts were placed smack in the middle of the buffet line up! A few minutes after we sat down with our plates a waiter brought us our bill, and another picked it up as we ate off our full plates and added "take your time" after we pointed out we had just sat down and not paid it yet. I quickly started to get a sinking feeling about the place, one that wasn't just from the badly worn cushion of my bench seat. Sitting on the very edge helped, but that isn't exactly how I like to dine. Don't know what was most disappointed: my taste buds or my bum ... or perhaps my wallet. read more

Horrible food. Sambar had rotten smell. Though I decided to ignore Sambar and other food in the buffet tasted bad though not as horrible as the sambar. Unless you are really hungry which will not make you feel the difference between good and bad food, don't go here. This was our fifth visit and food deteriorating quality in each visit. What disappointed me at the end was that the restaurant denied that the food was rotten and attributed the bad smell in the food to the quality of the lentils used. Don't waste your money! read more

This used to be my goto place in DC for south indian fare, but i feel that it has gone downhill over the past few years. Went last sat for a dosa fix, and the place was packed (good sign, right). I quickly realized the staff wasnt capable of handling a large crowd. It took nearly 30 min before anyone took our order and another 40 min to get our food. I think this place relies too heavily on its buffet, as everything seemed geared to it. The food itself was pretty good...we had 3 varieties of dosas and found the texture/taste to be spot on. The sambar was also fairly flavorful though not as spicy as I like. We wanted to finish with some gulab jamun, but ended up passing when the waitress told us it would be ANOTHER 45 minutes.....which I think is hilarious.... will probably return if craving dosas in the area though I hear a place in tyson's is better. read more

The highlights as others have mentioned is the South Indian dishes. Idli with Sambar, Masala Dosas, Rasam and Upma are all safe bets here. The Northern Indian Dishes like Aloo Gobi and Palak Paneer leave much to be desired, although they do give you a free side of Dal. Prices are reasonably cheap too. read more

I am not a big fan of veggie but my friend forced me to go here. I was surprised as I never felt vegetarian is also tasty. This place is perfect for the vegetarians and they have many tasty south Indian dishes in the buffet. Bottom line: If I become vegetarian(most unlikely) this will be my first choice. read more

The place to go in MD (all of Maryland)/DC/VA for south Indian food. The prices are low, $4-6 for a dosa the size of your arm. The food is delicious and mostly vegan. The buffet is reasonably price and has a sneeze guard! Go for all the dosa you can eat! I personally don't like north Indian curries and their butter (ghee) laden recipes. This is a great change of pace. 5/5. read more

my family went there today, we enjoyed the vegetarian options, we loved the atmosphere and location of the place. I had the veg Kurma and Medhu Vadda and Paratha and it was delish. read more

This is the best vegetarian buffet I've ever tried. I'm always pleased with their food. Really delicious read more

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Sis took me out to eat dinner here and OMG, I was transported across the globe back to India with the food. Old world Tamil music playing overhead, clitter-clatter of stainless steel plates, and a decor that needed updating 5 years ago...very Madras-like ;) The food was mouth watering-delish. The Oothapam is a MUST try. I had the onion and chili...it was out of this world! The Chili Pakora was good, a twist on the original with the stuffing. Gobi 65 was great, again a bit on the spicy side, but between the two of us, we finished the plate in 2 min...yea, we were a tad hungry. Briyani was flavorful, however, I would prefer their raitha sizes are larger coz, we kept asking for refills. They nailed the madras coffee...mind you, they don't seem to have a bar license. Sis ordered a Kulfi Falooda...it was a work of art, tasted as good too. Overall, this place is a must-go for me everytime I visit! read more

Very good weekday lunch buffet. Not crazy about the TVs blaring Indian music videos, at least not so loudly. Nice decor. Great plants. Looks like the bathrooms have been redone. I love the "don't waste food" sign. Will be back! read more

Madras Palace - Any buffet place that has a sign like this is alright by me! - Vegetarian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

The owner freaked out due to a sudden rush of tourist bus halt, he had excuse for no staff and food to be delayed for an hour. Really????? Dude why you open the restaurant then? read more

Nice indian restaurant it's more Southern Indian style but it only serves vegetarian dishes. It's spicier but lighter in general compared to Northern Indian cuisine. The buffet is extensive with all kinds of curries and non-curried dishes. The way they make the vegetables makes anyone like eating vegetables! I love the eggplant curry, the fried cabbage, and the sambar. The sambar tasted very authentic! They also serve you a dosai when you are seated. read more

First time....10 years in business.....this is a hidden gem in an almost empty shopping center in Quince Orchard. A Subway still there..... :) Vegetarian all of the way......$4.25 2 LARGE lentl onion potato dumplings....tasty. 1 very longggggg onion masala dosa crepe $6.95.....with spiced potatoes. Tomato and chick pea omelet $7.95 hugeeeeeeeeee and very yummy with the tomato sauce on the side. For $20 total feeds like for 3,4 people plenty of leftovers...... Big catering business I am sure of. read more

Total rip off 2 idli for $8 wow amazing. Will definitely let everyone know in my neighbor not to deal with these con artists. Last time I ordered I got more now it's less real rip off people stay away read more

Very appetising and scrumptious ... what a deal! I wish we had an offshoot of Madras Palace in Washington, DC. It would be a hit - beyond a shadow of doubt. read more

I've never been to India, but spent a month in Malaysia eating lots of south indian food. I also sampled it in San Francisco. So it wasn't as good as either of these places, but I was just happy to be able to order dosa and uttapam and paratha. However, the uttapam didn't have as many vegetables as I was used to, and the dosa seemed a bit too cripsy. Also, everything came with the same two dipping sauces. In my other experiences, different breads came with different sauces. Our server seemed a bit shy, but when I was pressed her for help, she gave a great recommendation. Maybe the weirdest thing was how empty the place was. I took my family on a weeknight around 6 and there was literally no one else there. It did satisfy a craving, and I'd definitely like to give it another chance. read more

Update: new bathroom; yay!!! Now if there was some additional rotation of the curries on the buffet, this place would get full 5/5 read more