Dropped in for lunch before a stop at the local Dentist. The atmosphere is welcoming and friendly, and the service was excellent. Had the Lamb Saga with a cold Kingfisher beer, and for a treat had Gulab Jamun with Cardamom ice cream. Pure 100% deliciousnesss! I will be back. read more

Ordered a meal for Valentine's Day. Bit into uncooked chicken. Immediately had to spit it out. Cut into the reminder of the dish and realized the entire chicken dish was not fully cooked. The lamb dish was overcooked and mostly filled with potatoes, very few lamb pieces. Incredibly disappointed. Will certainly not be ordering here again. read more

Masala Art - Murg Tikka Masala (uncooked chicken) - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Masala Art has superb Indian food. Perhaps a bit too spicy for many Americans, but great nevertheless. Still, I will not be returning. Post-pandemic, the dishes have become uber-skimpy while the prices have risen. I understand the economics of running a restaurant have changed, but some have adapted better than others. For example, by offering a smaller menu with a few well priced items. And a short but thoughtful wine and beer list. It's still possible to find good value for money in the DC area, where the staff, too, take pleasure in the experience they are providing. At Masala Art, the drop-off in value is evident in the service quality as well - even the servers seem to get no joy from this experience. I hope this can somehow be turned around. read more

Shrinked down portions, dinner prices don't reflect that. Service just so so. Servers looked rather grim. Have had better Indian food in DC. read more

I walked past this restaurant yesterday, seeing a sign that they had a lunch buffet for $17, so I decided to walk in and try it. The service was friendly. The inside of the restaurant was nice and had plenty of seating. The buffet was small, with about 7 dishes and a dessert. The waiter brought naan bread which was really fresh and just came out of the oven. I had the fried cauliflower, yellow daal, paneer makhani, chicken curry, a potato and green bean dish, and a carrot dessert (don't remember the name). There was also a dish with spinach and corn, which I didn't try. I was not a fan of the yellow daal. The chicken curry, which was the only meat option, was a bit bland. The best parts of the meal for me were the fried cauliflower, naan bread, and carrot dessert (which tasted a little bit like carrot cake). The green bean and potato dish was okay, but pretty cold by the time I got there (I got to the lunch buffet on the later end- 2:00 pm). Overall, I didn't like enough of the buffet items to want to come back, unfortunately. read more

Food was very good with many different dishes normally not found in the typical Indian restaurant. Flash fried spinach was amazing, vegetarian cauliflower was in a fragrant, delicious sauce. Tandoori chicken was tender and plentiful. Service was attentive and prompt either good recommendations from the owner. Ambience was nice and the prices not outrageous. Definitely would go back. read more

Absolutely delicious food and great atmosphere. Service was excellent. Overall a lovely meal. read more

Masala Art - Lamb Neelgiri Korma (N GF) chicken Methi Murg (GF)Paneer Khatta Pyaaz (GF) Chicken Saagwala (GF) - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Yummy food! Great service! Beautiful space and ambience! Our group of 13 were all happy. Every drink, appetizer, and entree were raved about. We will be back. Highly recommend! read more

The food was just ok. The setting was pleasant enough. The server was nice, but the host was not friendly.

Masala Art is a place that I have driven past dozens of times without stopping in. Well, we finally had dinner here. The food and service were great. We ate pani poori, naan, butter chicken, lamb nilgiri korma, mango chutney, and delicious rice. There is street parking available nearby, and the Tenleytown Metro station is across the street from this restaurant. Give this place a try someday, and you will be impressed with the delicious food items for dinner. read more

I don't even get the few star reviews! This is a terrific place! Food is tasty & creative, and there's such a great variety to choose from. Meat eaters and vegan alike were pleased. Service was very good. It's neighborhood place, yet it feels upscale. The Aam Palak Chaat (sp?) -- fried spinach!? -- was a fun surprise. read more

I love Indian food. Masala Art, not so much. At $72 for dinner for two this was the least value I've had for a dinner maybe ever. Shrimp chili garlic: Six small shrimp in a cloyingly sweet sauce. They say their food is complex; as complex as cough syrup. I had no clue there was garlic in it. Chicken Bang Bang: rubbery. And not enough chicken to call it a bang. More like a poof. Call it Chicken Poof Poof. Kasundi Salmon: I didn't know salmon could taste so fishy. I think "kasundi" translates to "inedible salmon." read more

Myh wife and I had another nice meal here -- this time, a dinner. Lovely decor and good food. Nancy had only appetizers: the Dahi Bhalle, which she pronounced a tad boring, and the cauliflower Bejule, which I thoughy delicate and pleasant. My appetizer was the Aam Palak Chaat -- bigger spinach leaves than often see in this dish, and my main was the Awadhi Dum ke Murg, nicely flavored and the chicken was flavorful and cooked just enough to still be tender. Sadly we had to rush out to catch a 7:30 curtain but we were able to get in a nice dinner, and to decide to come back when we can have a more leisurely meal read more

We ordered in from Masala Art for dinner tonight. It's been our go-to Indian place for a decade, but this is my first review. Needless to say, our long-term relationship means we're big fans. This is a good moment for a review since we tried several new items on the menu. First was the dhokla, which I can best compare to mashed up jalapeño corn bread. Definitely liked it. Our mains were the half cauliflower in curry (name escapes me) and the methi murgh. Both delicious and spicy. If you dine in, btw, service is good and I'm a fan of the low lighting and earth tones decor. read more

This is my favorite Indian restaurant in the DC area. The service is always great and the food is amazing. I make it a habit to bring out of town guests here because the food is always on point and the wait staff never makes you feel rushed through your courses. Definitely surprised by some of the lower ratings, which seem to mostly be from DoorDash customers. Those reviews run completely counter to my years of eating there. read more

We had a large party tonight and I could not have been happier with our choice of restaurants. We arrived and the host took care to make sure everyone was comfortable. The wait staff was great, explaining what the dishes were and helped tailor each meal to the spice level so nobody's meal was too much to handle. All the appetizers and main courses were delicious! We totally recommend Masala Art to anyone looking for a great night with awesome food! read more

Came with some friends for a Monday night dinner. We arrived around 6:30PM and the place was kind of empty but by 7PM it was full of guests. The 3 of us ordered the vegetarian Thali Dinner, which consisted of a tasting of 4 types of curries (eggplant tomato curry, a spinch curry, red paneer curry, and a spicy lentils curry), raita dip, salad, and rice. We ordered some additional potato and plain naan. What's included in the Thali Dinner changes on a daily basis but we loved all of the food (with only me disliking the paneer) and I think the Thali dinner was pretty special. Service was kind of slow, I think they were short staffed as it took a while to get someone to come by and take orders the menus were dropped off, and then food took more than 30 minutes to come after ordering. read more

I went on a three week trip to India and my first meal back in DC was Masala Art. We were regulars before the pandemic but have ordered from the restaurant at least once every month for the past year. The food is flavorful, and I love the half order vegetarian curry sides (which are only $8 apiece). For the price, this definitely gets 5 stars! Some of our favorites: Awadhi Dum Ke Murg, Saag Paneer, Lamb Korma, and the Baingan Mirchi Ka Salan (eggplant, recommend seasoning with salt) read more

The food here is fantastic! I ordered take out, as I live in Maryland, and the drive was 100% worth it. I was starving on my way home so I broke into the Nan that I had ordered, and the smooth, lingering heat from the Aloo Parantha and the Garlic Chili Nan was amazing! I must have a spice addiction cause along side that I had ordered the Aloo Ke Gutke, and all I can say is make sure you have some milk around, or maybe a fire extinguisher, or even better order a side of Raita, because the Aloo Ke Gutke tops the Scoville scale! Some people say you can even hallucinate from high enough levels, and while I wasn't taken on a trip, I was taken to my little spice heaven. My only concern would be close parking, and while I know this is not entirely the restaurants fault, the street parking is very limited, so if you're not able to park right out front, be ready to walk a little bit. Other than that, brilliant time! Definitely will be coming by again! read more

I've been here twice over the past 30 days and this where I take out-of-town visitors and friends. First of all, there is some serious misinformation from a previous reviewer as I visited the official DC website listing restaurant health code violations, and Masala Art in Tenleytown has no violations (you can look it up yourself). There was something in 2013 but c'mon let's be fair. I looked at this other reviewer's profile and she has 7 total reviews and 6 are 1-star scathingly negative, highly dramatic reviews - 6 of 7! The food here is amazing, the Subzi Korma was delicious, as was the Onion Kulcha bread. My friends and family loved it, and the service and hospitality was outstanding. read more

I find the low overall rating strange given our two experiences there last week. We ate in, not take out. Service was top notch and food came out timely. I have eaten Indian food regularly for decades and lived in London for a time many years ago. There were things on this menu I haven't seen before or at least in a very long time. The food is very complexly spiced. Even the standards had things going on I found unique and interesting. Many of the meals we ordered had heat, but it was done differently in every meal. Some had it up front, others at the end - some built and others were over quickly between bites. I never had anything that was overwhelming, but one of our party thought the vindaloo was too spicy. Personally didn't agree, but I've survived Hell Night at the East Coast Grill. I noted some others said it was pricey. I guess compared to some Indian places it may be. I am not familiar with pricing in DC, just metro Boston and the near suburbs. That said, I am not familiar with a place in Boston that has as nice a sit down dining experience as Masala Art. I thought it was fair pricing for a very good restaurant experience. Too often we expect certain regional food styles to be inexpensive without appreciating they can also be high cuisine as much as others. To me this was high quality food - not cheap eats. Well presented, top quality ingredients, uniquely spiced. It's the best Indian food I can remember ever having and I look forward to going back. read more

As soon as I went inside the restaurant, I was welcomed with the wonderful aroma of fine Indian cuisine! What a nice start. I tried this place last Friday with my friends for dinner. We ordered some small dishes and some entrees and we all shared them. We tried vegetable samosa, chicken tikka, shrimp ambi curry, tawa bindhi, lamb vindaloo, nan bread, murgh makkani, okra and chicken saagwala. I actually enjoyed everyone of them, but I especially liked chicken saagwala, that is chicken in creamy spinach sauce. The service was very nice with attentive wait staff. Other than the great tasting quality Indian dishes, this place is very conveniently located right by the metro (Tenleytown), and the prices are reasonable particularly for the appetizers. This is now my new favorite Indian place. Special thanks to my friend Nicole O for her great advise. read more

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The food is extremely plain. The biryani tasted like white rice with seasoning dumped on top. Service is good. I'm Indian and I know good Indian food. This is NOT it. Not authentic and not nearly as flavorful as good Indian food. There are plenty of better places in the DMV. read more

I Ordered the food from DoorDash.. food was so stale and nasty.. and you can literally taste the tarteness of old food... people are not stupid guys!!!my dad got sick eating it.. the naan was burned. NEVER AGAIN!!!! SHUT THIS PLACE DOWN... I AM definitely going to contact higher authority to shut this place down.. because no one deserves poor service like this... read more

They've had a slight menu update. Their new stir-fried paneer and pepper dish in fantastic. They have a wide appetizer selection, and I suggest steering clear of the generic (and overpriced) samosas in favor of some of the more exotic options. Their service is attentive to the point that they're there to pick up a dropped fork before you get it. I could still go for larger portions on the appetizers, but I'm comfortable bumping them up. A few unique dishes I've liked include a corn/pea medley on herbed bread, their paneer kabobs, and tofu in an exciting coconut curry. read more

The food here is absolutely delicious! The service is excellent and the restaurant is beautiful. The Elaichi Gosht is one of our favorites. The naans are a must. read more

Went back to Masala Art tonight for the first time since I moved out of Tenleytown five years ago. I was so happy to find that it remains the best Indian food in the DC area. Appetizers and entrees are distinct from standard Indian fare in the best way possible. Service is excellent. I've missed it and look forward to returning soon! read more

Probably one of the best Indian restaurants in the DMV area. The cauliflower was delicious as was the okra dish. Both were cooked to perfection and were full of flavor. Service was prompt and efficient. Hard to understand why this terrific restaurant does not receive much publicity. read more

I have no complaints. Beautiful, cozy Indian restaurant conveniently located across from Tenleytown metro. I visited mid-December with a friend and we really enjoyed our experience. I had hot tea, naan bread, and a spicy chicken dish. When they say spicy, they mean it. It was really good, jam packed with flavor and service was prompt- we did not have to wait a long time to eat. Our waiter was very kind and checked on us a few times during our dinner. Oh, and the bathrooms are just lovely. I was expecting them to be a mess and not the best smelling since it is a single person bathroom but I was pleasantly surprised. I plan on coming back soon since it is not too far from my job. read more

Had an appointment nearby and remembered eating here several years ago and loved it. My husband is a big fan of Indian food so we went after our appointment. Food was amazing, chicken was tender, naan fresh and service was on point. We will definitely be back again! read more

I was really looking forward to this place and their food. They have a good menu but don't serve as well as the menu sounds. We ordered lamb briyani and it had very little meat in it. The meat was not lamb but chicken. It was a disappointing order. NEVER ordering again. We ordered food worth $50+ and none was to the liking. read more

Masala Art - Lamb biryani. - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I came during lunch time to order for carry out. Instead of lunch prices, I was charged dinner prices. My bill for a chicken curry, Naan, and soda was $30+. If you order online from grubhub, you can save yourself $10! Even though I paid a dinner price, I did not get a dinner portion. Portions were small. Chicken curry was not spicy **AT ALL**. And, I've never had bell peppers in my chicken curry before. Also, instead of delicious, fragrant basmati rice, they give you brown rice. This place is not like any Indian place I've ever been to and not in a good way. It was just a disappointment. But the hostess was friendly and the place seemed clean. read more

Ordered from here for home delivery because they had onion Bhaji's and I've not had them since I left the UK, they were great but the rest of our $170 dollar meal for two was awful. I had a vindaloo that was so ridiculously over done with chili that it was inedible, Vindaloo is supposed to be spicy but not like this, even the biryani was over done with chili's. It honestly felt like a prank. I love spicy food and coming from the UK I'm used to quite hot curries but this was just miserable. I called the restaurant and was told the manager would call me back. No call back, so I guess they don't need my business. Shame I was hoping this would not be another poor quality brown sauce Indian cuisine take out, but it was. read more

This is what you get from Masala Art for $18.00? You are LUCKY my wife purchased this because if I did, I would speaking with the manager, chef and owner about why you are ripping people off in a pandemic. This is embarrassing and ridiculous. read more

Masala Art - Murg Malai Kabab - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

The food was very good as was the service. The place had an upscale and authentic ambiance, although the food items were a bit pricey.

Upset i only had to pee once. The bathrooms are very lovely. You will see. Bring a friend for an intimate date night and explore all the toilets have to offer. As for the eats. Food is on point. I wouldn't order dessert. Leezy's two cents. read more

A little gem near Tenley Town metro. The restaurant is cozy with wooden floor, and is situated inside the same building as a Masonic Temple. They offer a simple but nice lunch buffet, with everything nicely laid out with various onions, herb, and so on. There are two options for dessert. They are quite vegetarian friendly if you have a vegetarian in your group. Servers were generally nice. read more

We ordered takeout tonight and the food was delicious. The flavors were interesting and had real depth. We we're also so impressed with the staff. They forgot to give me a couple of lassis and, when we called about it, the person we spoke to offered to drive to our house to bring us the drinks. That's going above and beyond. (we gave him a nice tip) The combination of super tasty food and super cool service bought our admiration and loyalty. read more

Wonderful food and service! This restaurant is a favorite local spot. The staff are very friendly and helpful with the menu if you have questions. The food is served promptly and hot. The portions are great and it's a solid price point. I've also loved Masala Art for to go food as well. Highly recommend! read more

It's really tasty. It's a bit expensive to get all the time, but when I'm looking for nicer Indian food, this is a great spot.