Kohinoor Dhaba — Restaurant in Alexandria

It's hard to find good Indian food with reasonable prices in the DMV. I was hopeful, but ended up disappointed. I should have walked out when a strong smell of bleach and dirty rags smack me in the face. You know that smell, ugh!!! In addition, the restaurant could use a renovation/update. It's oddly laid out and the entrance to the dinning area is not clear. Is it upstairs or downstairs??? This will be your first clue to find another restaurant. The waiter sat me alone is a separate room with no other customers even though there was plenty of seating in the main dining area. The secondary dining area looked more like a staging preparation area compared to the main dining room. It was smelly, disorganized, and unsightly. I asked to move to the main dining area and he gave me some lame excuse that it was Mother's day and they were expecting lots of diners. It didn't occur to him that I could be a mother??? Regardless, no big crowds ever showed up while I was there. I ordered the lamb vindaloo -- normally a safe choice. It was neither bad or good. The sauce was simple, overly tomatoed with no complex flavors, but I must say the lamb meat was very good and tender. If the restaurant was updated, didn't smell, look dank, and in an inconvenient location I would have given Kohinoor a higher rating since the food I ordered was decent. This place is more suited as takeout only rather than dining in. I...

Staying local I decided to give this place a try based on the reviews. I placed my order online because they advertise on the website that you will receive a 10% discount if you pay cash. I ordered online, selected "pay cash" and called the number that it tells you to call after you place your order. Lol. After the phone rang for a while the person at the other end said the order would be ready in 10 mins. Now, to be fair, I arrived in about 5 mins. So, I didn't give them much time. It was kind of hectic because of the Sunday evening rush. The man at the customer service welcomed me to be seated while the order was being put together. After about 5 mins my order was ready and he invited me to get a can of soda from the fridge as this was part of my order. I guessed the can vice the bottle but this was not clear. Pretending not to notice I wanted to see if he'd give me the 10% discount or not. He did not. I took my food, said thank you and left. When I got back to my hotel I opened the bag. The food was hot! The chicken was pretty good. The naan was outstanding. One problem. There was no fork, knife or napkins. I double checked the bag before posting this. Nope, they left me with my fingers and a sleeve. Haha! Good thing I always carry travel utensils. I would be a bit cautious of the service, but the food was...

I walked over to Kohinoor Dhaba from the Residence Inn, one of the Marriott properties across Route 1. There is a sidewalk between two fenced parking lots on the West side of Route 1, and the traffic light has a pedestrian walk button, so walking there was a snap. 5 minutes. (Route 1 is so wide that you get a picture of a Red Walker and the second countdown after you cross the first 3 lanes. It takes about 20 seconds to walk across!)

Indian talen contest TV show playing, the restaurant is on the 2nd floor. It is small, and economical layout. The decor is simple, slightly worn. Sure, there are plastic forks and knives. I ate off a syrofoam tray (no paper plates). I did not expect more for 10.95 buffet.

Most important, the food was very good! I sampled everything on the buffet and there were no false notes. I was asked right away if I would like some naan. They brought out 4 freshly baked pieces about two minutes after I served myself.

They do a tremendous take out. Two delivery drivers were leaving the restaurant with armfuls of orders when I walked in.

If low budget decor or a TV playing an Indian game show are going to bother you, then skip this place.

If you are looking for a neighborhood hidden gem, this...