I was blown away by this restaurant in Washington DC! The ambiance and service were exceptional. They have a superb cocktail list with Indian fusion. Our favorite dishes were multigrain sev puri, Kerala fried chicken and paneer amul cheese tapenade! Born and raised in India, Amul cheese is the most heartwarming cheese for me. And this dish was next level, so beautifully executed, served with basmati rice. They have some great dessert options and we were so full but couldn't decide between chocolate dome and baked gulab jamun so ended up getting both and they were to DIE FOR! They don't serve chai, I wish they did. Parking is easy and very close to a nearby mall and it was so reasonable, $3 for 2 hours. read more

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This place takes me back to the roots of India. The cozy interiors with Bollywood touch makes you feel at home. Our table had some real Mambaikars and Punekars who refused to accept the slider version of their sacred Vadapav. But when the dish arrived and they tried it, they were blown away!!! Loved it and probably the best vadapav in the area. The Crispy Lotus Stems had a good crunch and very flavorful but could be better if it was less sweet. (That could be my tastebuds tho, don't have a sweet tooth) Since I am vegetarian, I only tried the chutney that was served with the Chicken Gyoza and oh I feel in love with it!! The Paneer Amul Cheese Tempanade was another surprise! I have had a similar dish at a popular celeb restaurant in NYC and it was very bland. So I didn't have high hopes. But this.... Omg! Beats it! The best dish that night for me. The paneer so soft, you don't need teeth. It melts with amul cheese. The sauce beautifully complementing it! Definitely gonna come back to retry some favs and explore the menu more! read more

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So good. Tried the broccoli (truffle creamed), paneer amul cheese tapenade, Kasinof seabass, and butter chicken, with naan. Everything was great and adventurous flavors that surprised and delighted us! read more

Gorgeous Indian food in the middle of Columbia Heights. Presentation of dishes is gorgeous - I wish I had photographed the saag. Delicious flavors and beautiful interior. Service was a bit uneven but ended up well. Price is higher than I was expecting but so tasty I'll likely be back! Get something to go and you'll get this cute purple reusable bag! read more

Tamashaa - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Honestly, dining here was a very mixed experience for me. The food was trying to be "too much" in the sense that the presentation was performative and the food quality did not match. It was good, but not great. The only standout dish for me was the kulfa dessert. The most frustrating part of this dining experience was the service. The rules around Restaurant Week were confusing from the prices relative to what's offered to what's the menu published online vs in person. The staff tried to accommodate to my questions, but I left still confused. The interior was very dark, which made it look at others with the Lidl lit up outside. Overall, I probably wouldn't go back read more

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Ordered the Classic Dak Bungalow Chicken Curry for delivery! A harmonious blend of onions, tomatoes, ginger, garlic, and spices met perfectly tender chicken in the most heart warming of curries. It also came with a side of basmati rice which is nice compared to other upper scale Indian restaurants in dc which charge an additional fee. This was on the pricier side at $24 but the high quality of ingredients and depth of flavor in the curry made it worth it. The ambiance and service definitely seem to be big selling points here so I'll have to make it in person! Thanks Tamashaa :) read more

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Went back on New Year's Eve for dinner and tried a few new places. The food was still great and we loved the whole experience. Here are the new things we tried: - Pulled Jackfruit Bao: this was so flavorful and delicious. Loved the jackfruit combo with a Bao. - Ghevar Chaat: this was so good. What a great way to make chaat out of Ghevar. So creative. - Veggie Biryani: this was ok. Definitely have had better biryani. But still good. - Baked Gulab Jamun: this was incredible. The Gulab jamun comes on some fried bread pudding and the combination was amazing. Love this place. Definitely go try it out. read more

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Overpriced and small portions. $5 for a single piece of naan, wilted salads...just not worth the price read more

Tamashaa - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

When it's only Day 2 in DC but your desi soul is already filing a complaint for Indian food... you know it's time. I'd heard so much about this place, I had to check if the hype (and the flavors) were real. Spoiler: They are. And the presentation? Absolutely gorgeous and so creative. We kicked things off with a drink called Sukoon (yep, "peace" ‍) -- ironic, because this one was a flavor explosion and definitely on the stronger side. The pani puri came with three different types of pani -- all of them lip-smacking good. The vada pav disappeared in seconds... I blinked and it was gone. And listen, when a girl from Mumbai says the chicken tikka is a 10/10, take it seriously. Pair it with the cheese garlic naan and jalapeño chutney -- honestly that combo is a whole meal and my personal favorite here. The butter chicken had that proper dhaba-style flavor (which says a LOT), and the dal makhani hit the spot too. If you're craving authentic, bold Indian flavors in DC -- add this place to your list immediately. read more

Tamashaa - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Stopped in on a Friday night, not crowded and we did not need a reservation. Service was great! We had multiple servers checking in on us, refilling water, etc. The managers also came out to check on us which was nice! We ordered the bread basket, lamb biryani, and the amul cheese paneer to split. The bread basket was a must, and the lamb biryani was flavorful! My fave was definitely the amul cheese paneer tapenade. If you've ever wanted to eat a gooey block of cheese in a buttery tomato sauce this is the dish for you! It was so creamy and delicious. Will def make a return trip here to try more. read more

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Amazing Indian food with beautiful decor and great staff. My wife and I came here for lunch on a Sunday during Restaursnt Week and loved everything we tried as well as our cocktails. They are also on InKind and have a coupon on their site via InKInd you can use as well. read more

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I had a great experience at Tamashaa. When we visited, it had started getting busier in the restaurant. Even then, the service was great. We were able to order our food and receive it pretty quickly. Everything was very good. We enjoyed both entrees and the variety of naan they have. If you want some good Indian food, then Tamashaa is your place. read more

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I've been meaning to try this place for awhile and when I saw someone on Insta post their brunch I took it as a sign to head there. Their brunch menu looks divine but we decided on their restaurant menu today. We tried the tostadas and the chili chicken. Both were amazing starts to the meal. Next up we had the squash kofta and the pepper chicken. Both were absolutely delightful. My fave was definitely the kofta. The sweet and savory combo cannot be beat and was the perfect meal for a cold day. Ended with an apple dessert that was sweet and crunchy. All this food was 35 dollars per person which is an amazing deal for the amount and quality of food. I loved this place. I'm already trying to come back here for this brunch menu. read more

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Ver cool and creative. Not your typical Indian restaurant.. the aesthetics of the food and the restaurant are so appealing. Great place for a work meeting or to hang out with friends. read more

Tamashaa - Eggplant fritters - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Vibrant, colorful and inventive are the vibes that the restaurant was giving me. I had the opportunity to try a little bit of everything on their brunch menu and a few of the signature cocktails. Standouts for me were the: - Margarita w/ Mango Caviar - Green Moong Lentil Chili Pancake - Meat ( Lamb) Martaban w/ Garlic Naan - Gulab Jamun Rabri If you're interested in checking out the three course brunch, it will run you $37 per person and $17 per person to add the bottomless drink option. read more

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I just gotta start off by saying the lamb was SO GOOOODDDD. It was cooked perfectly and the gravy it's served in was so tasty. We finished up our rice just to consume all that gravy! This was by far the star of our meal! Ok, back to the regular pace of a review. I came here on a Tuesday with one other person. There was a good crowd even though it was cold, and that was nice. We got right to ordering food and we're ready to eat!! The waiter strongly suggested the fried cauliflower, which wasn't anything unique or special, but enjoyable for a dish nonetheless. The preserved lemon relish was nice to enjoy with our dishes, not quite as enjoyable with the crisps that accompanied them. The soft shall crab came in a mild coconut curry and was perfectly lovely. As you saw at the start the lamb was SOoooOooo good! We didn't plan on getting cocktails, but their very well printed and drawn cocktail menu caught our attention. The drinks themselves, while pretty, didn't taste as unique as the cocktail descriptions. Would definitely suggest better attention to the mixing and balance of ingredients for drinks here. Service was friendly and pleasant. For the price point and what they seem to want to achieve, I think they could elevate their service to match their intentions. Would come back to discover what other menu items are home runs! read more

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I was pleasantly surprised by this spot! It has a real Instagram aesthetic and the prices are definitely on the higher side, but the vegetarian dishes really impressed me. We tried the crispy okra sweet potato chaat (4.5/5, really great texture/flavor combination with the fried okra!), the ghevar chaat (5/5, amazing saffron mousse that paired so perfectly with the chickpeas and tamarind sauce!), and truffle malai broccoli (4/5, a bit overpriced considering the ingredients but absolutely fantastic flavor and perfectly cooked broccoli - we were scraping up every last bit of the sauce!). It's pretty clear that they're intentionally playing around with the concepts and flavors here, so if you're looking for classic/traditional dishes this is not your spot, but I really enjoyed everything I had. I've heard more mixed reviews of the meat dishes, so I won't comment on that but based on the dishes we tried I would 100% recommend it for a vegetarian - there are a wide variety of options. We also had to get dessert! The jaggery creme brulee was excellent - the coconut flavor was clear without being overpowering and it was just a really well-executed and beautiful dessert. All the plating here was a work of art. The chocolate dome was probably the most beautiful dish but also sadly the weakest - it was very difficult to break the chocolate (which is why places I've seen serve desserts like this usually pour warm sauce over them to partially melt it), and then the flavors were simply not strong enough. This one dish felt like style over substance, but everything else was fantastic, so really that's a minor complaint! Service was great, the space was huge and had plenty of room for groups, and on the whole I would definitely come back and try more of the veggie options - and the ghevar chaat again because it was so good. I was impressed that they delivered both on looks and on flavor - so often I'm disappointed by places where the food looks good but doesn't taste good. read more

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We walk in on a cold December night and the place is freezing .Everyone had their coats on indoors . The service was okay but them arbitrarily adding a 20% service fee was not . It sounds too presumptuous. Most of the food we ordered was quite ordinary the curries kept me all night with severe acid refluxes. The paneer inside the saag paneer was quite tasteless and looked more ornamental. I must mention that the Chef made the effort to come speak to us and the service I must say were the highlights . read more

The vibe may be festive here, with Tauba Tauba played multiple times over the course of the night and the full crowd dressed for the occasion, but there was no tamaasha in the kitchen - everything was meticulously assembled across one of the best modern Indian meals I've had in some time. While the cocktail menu is exhaustive and offers such curiosities as a pineapple-infused paan rum beverage, I opted for a simple old monk on the rocks to focus on the food. My favorite dishes of the evening were the ghost pepper chutney, which paired very well with some of the inventive kulchas, and the paneer tikka, which seemed to have some sweetness in the marinade and was superb. I loved the concept of the ghevar chaat. Ghevar is typically a Rajasthani fried sweet served in chashni (which I last had on the streets of Patna), but here they transformed it into a crunchy savory chaat with chole - very creative and true to their goal of serving regional cooking from around India. read more

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We had a fantastic dinner at Tamashaa. The service was wonderful, anyone was very friendly and attentive. The flavors were incredible. Great depth of spice, the jackfruit was amazing. Will definitely be back! read more

Gave this restaurant try while we were in the area. Good ambiance, service was quick but over priced. As shown in pic, there was sticker left on bell pepper in paneer tikka, they replaced the item but could have offered something to make it up. read more

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The food really lived up to the expectations!! The chicken kulcha was perfect and the spiced apples on the side actually tasted exactly like apple pie filling. Chicken tikka and chicken biryani were cooked very well, would rec this food. Ambiance was great here, gorgeous lighting fixtures and set to dim lighting. Tables had good spaces between them too which I loved! Service was okay, not the best, but enough to have a good meal. But they did provide a birthday dessert with a cute candle. it was tiramisu but I'm not a big fan on that flavor so it wasn't the best in my opinion. read more

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I had lunch here last Friday and wow was I impressed. The place is beautiful inside, with bright colors. We were immediately greeted when we we arrived. Their drink menu is one of the most beautiful menus I have ever seen. They have an extensive mocktail selection which is nice and we decided to go the non-alcoholic drink route. I got the kunti and it was flavorful and refreshing. To start, we got the sweet potato chaat, which was so delicious! The crispy okra and potato crispies were so go good on top and added an array of textures. For entrees, we got the soft shell crab with coconut curry and the pistachio crusted lamb chops to share. Both were so good. I LOVED the soft shell crab so much. I am big fan of coconut curry and theirs was perfect. The saffron sauce the lamb came in was delicious as well. I mixed some of the sauces with the garlic naan and *chef's kiss.* I wish I got pics but it was so good we just dug in. The service was great. Our server, who name I cannot remember but I believe started with a P, was so helpful and provided such great detailed recommendations. The chef even came out and asked how we enjoyed our dishes. Overall, we were so impressed and find Tamashaa a wonderful new addition to the city. I will definitely be back. read more

Amazing elevated Indian food on 14th street! We've been here twice and loved it both times. They are often busy but it's worth the wait. Make sure you check out their absolutely gorgeous cocktail book. The cocktails are as tasty as the art that compliments them. The food is great and they have many vegetarian options. Sam and Suman took great care of us tonight. We will definitely be back. read more

Tamashaa - GOAT VINDALOO and paneer pinwheel - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

Love the ambience and the food is delightful And friendly waiter.. it's in the hearth of Columbia heights. I will def come back read more

Tamashaa - Yumm - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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A large group of us came to Tamashaa for brunch after an early morning hike. As such, we were hungry and a bit disappointed by the portion sizes, but that was 100% our fault. I would come back to Tamashaa with a bigger budget and a smaller appetite, but the food was exquisite. It wasn't traditional Indian food, so don't come expecting that, but the flavor profile was so phenomenal in every single one of the dishes I tried, even if they were a bit unconventional (e.g. Coconut curry softshell crab, which is reminiscent of Thai food more so than Indian) that I would be back to try more. The appetizers are nicely plated but pretty expensive considering the portion size + type of ingredients you're getting. The entrées were much more worth it. It is pretty expensive, though. I am generally not a fan of places that charge extra for rice or charge per naan (which Tamashaa did -- I might be incorrect in remembering but it was somewhere between $2-4 for ONE NAAN, which is absurd). read more

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A great new restaurant in Columbia Heights! Tamashaa has joined the ranks of the relatively few upscale restaurants in Columbia Heights, taking over a location that has seen several restaurants cycle through in the past decade. I recently went here with two friends for a weekend dinner and we were seated immediately. Tamashaa has great ambiance, with lots of natural light, white tablecloths, and nicely plated dishes on beautiful plates. We received good service from the time we were seated until we paid the check, with dishes coming out in an appropriate manner and well-spaced. Tamashaa's menu is vegetarian friendly, with five vegetarian mains and several vegetarian appetizers. My friends and I shared several dishes (detailed below): Crispy Okra Sweet Potato Chaat: The sweet potatoes were delicious, although I could barely see or taste the thinly sliced and fried okra. There needed to be more okra on this dish. Crispy Lotus Stem: The star dish of the dinner and one of the five best dishes I've eaten at a restaurant this year. The stems were crunchy, sweet, and spicy, and I couldn't get enough of them. I could have had two or three orders of the lotus stems to myself and been thrilled to have them as my meal. Amul Cheese and Onion Kulcha: Perfectly baked bread stuffed with delicious cheese with a fantastic accompanying chipotle sauce. Cigar Rolls: These were fine, although they could have used more flavor and spice-a spicy and/or sweet chutney for dipping would have paired nicely. Kasundhi Seabass: The seabass was perfectly cooked, although I found the fish too lemony and the bread underneath too dense. My friends and I ordered the Baked Bapa Sandesh as it sounded unique. We were disappointed, as the cheese base had little flavor or taste and the sauce (which tasted like the syrup used in gulab jamun) could not elevate the dish. Tamashaa is expensive, although if you share dishes and don't order drinks you can do dinner for under $50 a person. Tamashaa also automatically includes an 18% service charge which is listed in very small print on the back of the menu. However, Tamashaa does clearly indicate on the receipt "Additional Tip." I would recommend Tamashaa for your next special meal out! read more

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Really good food, like really really good. I need to go back and I just want to note, that this review is based on my last experience at this restaurant which was in the summer of last year. There was no A/C. I do plan to go back soon and I hope to update my rating. read more

YUM! Perhaps my new favorite upscale Indian restaurant. This place absolutely hit the spot! Beautiful interior in a very populated and often loud/dirty section of Columbia Heights, this restaurant felt like an oasis! Service was super attentive too. The food was quite expensive but extremely high quality. I loved the soft shell crab, sweet potato chaat, and the delectable braised lamb. I would definitely come back here! read more

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With Bombay Street Food mere steps away (which has excellent food), I wasn't thrilled to see another Indian place replace the dreadful corner spot where bars, fried chicken, and self-pouring beers failed to succeed. However, I must say I was pleasantly surprised. Food came out a tad slow to fit in lunch in between work. However, there really was no other complaint. Staff were very kind and responsive and the food was really tasty. I ordered the eggplant fritters, the ghevar chaat, pistachio crushed lamb, black garlic naan, and 3 chutneys (gooseberry cilantro, smoked pineapple, ghost chili & garlic). The eggplant fritters (4/5) - think chips and dip. A mound of garlic dip with small pieces of fried eggplant stuck in it like a pinecone. Ghevar chaat (5/5) - beautiful plating, chickpeas atop honeycomb with a very light cream. Pistachio crushed lamb (5/5) - very flavorful lamb chops in a curry. Black garlic naan - I thought was so so slightly overcooked. The edges were a bit tough but the rest of it, the texture was chewy, pillowy delicious. Chutneys - generally all tasty but my favorite of the 2 were the ghost chili (has a great level of spice but not overbearing) and smoked pineapple (explains for itself, so delicious). It's interesting to see so many seafood options on the menu but I'm excited to come back and try other items on the menu. read more

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Finally tried out Tamashaa, and it did not disappoint! We tried their $37 3-course brunch- it was a great way to try a variety of the dishes with dynamic flavors and beautiful presentation. I especially loved the lamb dish, and potato curry. Their dishes have the perfect amount of spice, and are very filling. We adding the $17 bottomless drinks as well - I tried the White Sangria (with a generous amount of fruit) and my partner got Bloody Mary's (spicy just the way he likes it). We will definitely be returning! read more

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We started with a variety of small plates and definitely liked the taste of the starters over the main dish. The crispy lotus stem was so delicious and perfectly flavored - it's a must try! The house chutney experience (3 for $14) comes with papad as the "chips" and was a fun experience - my favorite was the Bombay Tadka Guacamole. Our waiter was very kind and highly recommended the lamb vada pav slider and it was a 10/10, it's a must order. The flavors were absolutely delicious and it was perfectly cooked. We wanted to try one of the mains so we got the paneer pinwheels, which said spicy on the menu - so we were prepared but honestly it was very mild. The flavors were in the gravy but were very muted, we wished there was more flavor and the paneer itself was a little dry unfortunately. The paneer only comes in one piece per order, just a heads up. The avocado and pomegranate raita was way too sweet, if you're looking for something sweet this is the move for you. Finally we had to end our meal with dessert and got the coconut and jaggery creme brûlée. Overall the service was really nice and relatively fast. The place itself is super cute and I absolutely do recommend checking it out! Their mocktail menu is phenomenal and I highly recommend getting the Gandhari! read more

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We had a great meal here. Three of us decided to do family style and had been seeing a lot of posts about the restaurant on Instagram so we decided to give it a try. The restaurant is very cute and nicely spaced out. The dishes we had were delicious - highly recommend these dishes we tried: SMOKED SALMON PUCHKAS LEMONGRASS SHRIMP TIKKA TANDOORI CORNISH-HEN MAKHMALI SAAG PANEER BLACK OLIVE NAAN I think the restaurant is fairly new so i expect that it will expand it's menu options. I think it could use some more dishes to round out the menu and have enough options for different tastes. Additionally, a recommendation for the restaurant is to include a little more food on the larger plates. We had barely enough for three people and my assumption was that larger plates were for sharing 2-3 people (but i could be wrong). For two people it's enough, but for three people we were still hungry. I think the restaurant is definitely worth a try and i look forward to seeing how it develops. Service was wonderful, the staff there are great. They added some gravy to a dry dish for us so we had something to accompany the bread which was very appreciated. Cocktails are awesome! read more

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Tamasha did not disappoint, we went there for my husbands birthday, they accommodated us being a bit late too. Food was amazing, special mention to kerala fried chicken, butter chicken, eggplant appetizer and shakargandi chaat. Naan and laccha parantha were decent. Servers are quite friendly and nice. Nice fancy drinks, although they could work on their mocktails they were quite unimpressive and basic. A good birthday celebration and would highly recommend them as it's good worth for money. read more

Tamashaa - Eggplant appetizer - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

I've had the chance to dine at Tamashaa several times, and it's always been a great experience. Everything from the interior to the thoughtfully designed menu adds to the experience. The drinks are delicious but also presented beautifully. As for the food, I've enjoyed everything I've tried, but their signature lamb biryani is my favorite dish so far. And the service is superb! They make everyone feel very welcome. read more

Overall 4.5 on 5! Fantastic fun vibes , great flavor combos in the cocktails & excellent service Chef Manoj was super kind and attentive . He paid great attention to our feedback & we hope to see the changes the next time we visit read more

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Absolutely loved my dinner here! It's such a fun departure from typical Indian restaurants with more artful presentations. I didn't get a drink, but the cocktail menu is so cute--each drink has its own corresponding illustration and fun name. The menu is laid out so it's representative of dishes from throughout the entire country and they show you which dishes are from which region which is really cool. We started with the smoked salmon puchkas and the Amul cheese and onion kulcha which were both delicious. The bread was sweet, savory, creamy and had a shishito pepper relish which added some nice heat. We then went with the Ghevar Chaat. The tamarind and chickpeas went really well together. The honeycomb was hard to eat so take smaller bites than you think haha. We also did the Kerala fried chicken, which was very lightly breaded and fried. Although the chicken was nice and juicy, I still wish it came with a sauce of some kind For our main, we split the Makhmali Saag Paneer. I've never seen paneer prepared more like cottage cheese but it turns out I'm a fan! The saag was so flavorful and it went great with the rice and the bread. For dessert, we tried the Malai Khaja which tasted just like angel wing cookies to me, but with a creamy sauce with lots of fruit. My friend got the dilli special kulcha which I wasn't a huge fan of but she really liked. All in all I will definitely be back! read more

Tamashaa is not just a restaurant--it's a performance of flavors, atmosphere, and style. Perfect for those looking to explore Indian cuisine beyond the classics, in a modern, Instagram-worthy setting. read more

Tamashaa - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Very good. Even among Indian spots, they are a standout. Food wise, we started with black garlic naan. One of the best, very garlicky. Slightly crisp. Good start. We then tried butter chicken, which is amazing. It is a classic, but theirs is so much better than average. Great spice, and high quality chicken. We also had some grilled truffle broccoli, which is real good, it tastes like a healthier mac and cheese. Truffly goodness on top of it all, we had the crispy cauliflower app. Spicy. Yum. Good but overpriced and not crispy enough. Overall, though, this food is top notch. The bar menu stands out, too. It has beautiful artistic renderings of the drinks. They are mostly variations on familiar classics. For example, the manhattan variation has a drawing of ahookah. The drink comes in smoke but it isn't smoky tasting, it smells like fruity hookah. The drinks are great! A special experience. Do it. read more

We took a group of work friends to Tamashaa and the food was amazing. We ordered each of the appetizers and were impressed with everything. The entrees were all good and more importantly they were different: it is not one flavor done in mildly different ways- instead it was a wide variety of delicious flavors. The service was very attentive and friendly. I can't wait for my next dinner at Tamashaa! read more