Alan S.

This is unequivocally the best South Indian meal I've had in the U.S. This small Northern Virginia, Karnataka-style dosa shop focuses on benne dosai, the slightly thicker, beautifully laminated variety that's recently gone viral across Delhi and Bombay thanks to a chain that started in Bandra. It is both visually beautiful as well as perfectly textured, true to its name decadently buttered. The other star of the show here is the thatte idli, also known as plate idli. They are in my opinion better than the original more common, convex idlis available at most South Indian restaurants in the U.S. Tiffin Hut nailed the texture perfectly - I'd say it was better than the one I had at Ram Ashraya in Matunga. It was also generously covered in ghee and milagaipodi. Absolute must-try in the DMV area.

Jen M.

This place was recommended by a friend. Small place, good service and great food! Gets crowded and be prepared to wait in line for a table at peak hours, but the line moves fast. They have a small menu and they make every item on it really well. We tried the Karam masala dosa( which is a rice pancake coated with a flavorful spice powder with veggie filling ), the poori masala ( poori are puffed fried bread) and the vaada sambar( a savory fermented & fried rice & lentil served in lentil veggie soup)! My attempts to explain these Indian dishes, don't do justice to it, coz the flavors are so complex. Each item was delicious! If you are looking for a quick eat or an intro to basic Indian food or simply craving a bit of home, this is the place.

Rumesh V.

One of my friends recently told me about this place. I invited a couple of my friends who love dosas so we can try it and rate this place. First of all, they have a great ambiance and service was great. Menu is small, but glad everything on their menu was highly rated. We ordered some dosas, vada and vegetable pulav. Hands down the best dosa in the DMV area. It was perfectly crispy, golden brown (that's how an authentic dosa should be), and the butter flavor was so good. Chutney and sambar were very delicious as well. Sambar is on the slightly sweeter side as they represent Bangalore benne dosa which is on the sweeter side. Vada was absolutely delicious. Perfectly crispy and went so well with the sambar. I can't wait to come here again. I wish they could open one of their branches in DC so I don't have to drive an hour to eat their delicious dosa.

Nari K.

I was solo for a Saturday evening. Got seated quickly. Ordered a Masala Dosa and a plate of Vada, not realizing that it had three vadas! The Irani tea was good but next time I will order regular Chai or coffee since it had too much sugar for me. The Vadas were tasty , couldn't handle all three and so took 2 of them to go. The Masala dosa was crispy on one side but too much dough on the inside like an Ada. Also not spicy at all. Next time I will order podi Masala may be since it was a bit bland. Good service!

Maitrayee D.

Wow what a treat . Yummy Dosas . Podi Masala Dosa too good full of flavor and crunchy . Karam Masala dosa spicy yet full of flavor and delicious. Love their two variety of tea Zafrani Iranian chai and Iranian chai . Sweet buns were delicious perfect to dip with chai . One thing it's full they served my dosa first I was half way done then they served my husband's order . Kept reminding them . The waiter had some weird explanation.Also the waiters were not very friendly and welcoming .

Ankush K.

Vegetarian Friendly: Yup, no meat is served in this restaurant Decor: I cant say its good because it looks like they just keep the record from the last restaurant but the decor itself is not bad its just bland Food Ordered: I got the Dosa and Bun Food Breakdown: Mannn the food was not good lol. Like the Dosa itself wasn't bad but man the chutney were terrible because they were all sweet and just ruin the experience. Even the sambar was sweet. Now idk if this is a south Indian thing or not but this was not it. The bun was also really sweet but that's not a big deal because its more expected but man I wouldn't get it again. Portion Size: for the price it think the portion is normal Service: Overall wasn't bad because there are alot of servers but nothing amazing about the service. Also I love the open view of the kitchen more places need stuff like this. Price: no real issue Would I go Back: Nope, I will not go back. I love the fact they have a small menu because if its great that's all your need but man with everything being sweet its just not it. I am not giving a one star only because the dosa was actually good. Now I am North Indian so I cant claim to know if this is authentic or not but for me this is a no go.

Vidhika B.

Tiffin Hut was excellent! As someone who doesn't usually love South Indian food (def the black sheep of the family in this regard), I was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. Servers were helpful and efficient. The vibe is casual and the space is practical. We were seated pretty quickly upon arrival despite it being pretty packed, and it's clearly a popular spot; there was a constant flow of people coming in and out of the space while we were there (around peak dinnertime). We got the Irani chai, filter coffee, kaaram masala dosa, podi masala dosa, and ghee podi idli. We shared family style and everything was so good! The ghee podi idli was such a tasty take on idli (prior to this I'd only ever had idli in its most basic form), though my favorite had to be the podi masala dosa. The mix of crispiness and chewiness along with the podi flavor just hit the spot. Each dish also came with sambar, peanut chutney, and coconut chutney, and they were all yummy enough that we were sneaking in spoonfuls of them on their own. The sambar was a little sweeter than what I've had in the past, but in a good way. All in all, a great dinner. I'm already looking forward to going back! P.S. The music was so fun! Couldn't help but dance a little in my seat the whole time. P.P.S. The little to-go bags are cute too!

Pooja S.

A few months ago I was at an India restaurant and ended up talking to the women near me who happened to be from the DMV. One offhandedly mentioned tiffin hut to me after I stated I was from MD, so when I was in town we figured we'd make the 45 min drive to NOVA. Tiffin hut was incredibly crowded around 12:30 on a Sunday. There's a lot of tables, and in the summer there seems to be an outside seating area. But the area is bright and casual. We gave our name and were told a 20 min wait, though it probably took around 15. We could see how efficient the waiters all were. We were sat soon, given the menu, and very quickly a waiter came to take our order. There are really only two items, and we opted for an irani chai with saffron, a podi dosa, idli vada, idli, and a plain dosa. The chai came out immediately and it was so rich and flavorful. Very quickly after came our meal. The dosa was incredible. Easily the best dosa I've had in the US, and on par with some of the best hotels in India. The rasam was great too. The peanut chutney was fine, and coconut chutney better. The vada was also incredible. The idli was the only item we'd skip in the future. My South Indian parents (one of whom is from Bengaluru) loved it. We will definitely be back!

Ramya R.

Tiffin Hut serves authentic South Indian breakfast dishes that make me feel like I'm eating at a good restaurant in India. I've tried almost everything on their menu multiple times, and it has become a staple for us whenever we crave a comforting meal that never disappoints. Benne dosas - crispy and golden on the outside, with a soft and fluffy inside. Thatte idli - melt-in-your-mouth soft. Vadas - deep-fried crispy goodness without being too oily. The sambar and chutneys are very flavorful, though I wish they served a slightly larger portion of sambar. The restaurant gets extremely busy on weekends, and there can be substantial wait times, but the food is well worth the wait. Takeaway orders are usually ready on time and packed well. The restaurant has a pleasant atmosphere and is clean and well maintained.

Nams S.

Trust the snake like queues inside and outside Tiffin Hut. Family in the area highly recommended the place since they've opened, glad we finally tried. Short and sweet menu with a few dosas, idlis, vadas, buns, and ice creams. The butter-based benne dosa is worth the wait and praise--plain for kids, masala if you dont like hot and spicy, podi masala if you do. Coconut chutney is excellent, so is the sambar, peanut chutney is peanut butter-esque. Thatte idli is way better than any other idli we've tried in the area. Wait times can be long on holidays, atmosphere is south indian cafe like. Appreciate compostable dishes and utensils. Kid loved mango sorbet, you can taste the mango. Adults loved rose based kulfi falooda. It is not indian vermicelli noodle based falooda but basil seed based--chia seed like texture, equally delicious. Irani tea with saffron is rich and milky, some in our group had it as an apertif and others as a digestif. Our server, Yamini, was attentive and made good recommendations.

Antarjot K.

I've been going to tiffin hut for over a month and it is a great place to go if you want a Bangalore style dosa! It's a casual fast dining place that is very well priced and you will leave very full. These dosas are crisp on the outside and thick on the inside. They also come with two chutneys(sauces) and sambar(a soup). I got the masala dosa and the masala was good and not overly spicy, but you can order the Karaam dosa if you're looking for a nice spice. The idili is nice and fluffy and comes with the same. I've also tried the vada, the malai bun, the ice creams they have and can firmly say that everything on that menu is really good. However, if I'm eating there I get a dosa and if I get takeaway I'm doing a idili or vada. All of their dishes pair perfectly with either their mango lassi or chai. The masala chai is so good, my Desi mom even approves. The service is great, but watch out for evenings and weekends. It may take 20-30 minutes to get seated or get your order because they literally have a LINE OUT THE DOOR! That is just a testimony to how good everything is there! I will be back ready to eat some good food with some good chai soon. 10/10 would recommend

Varun S.

We tried Tiffin Hut again, we had to wait around 10mins to get seated, they had same limited menu. This time we tried idly wada and podi masala dosa, both of them turned to be good.

Vinay V.

As authentic Bengluru food (city in southern Indian) as it can get in a foreign land. I had benne dosa and thatte idly with coffee. Also got their matka icecream (clay container). A very well run operation, I took to go and everything was compostable and a reusable bag was provided. The taste was delicious and the food invigorates. After a long time I had Indian food that made me feel nostalgic and throughly satiated. Vegan options available, by default some items use butter or ghee but you might be able to customize.