IndianBistro14 — Restaurant in Arlington

India Bistro 14 - what a pleasant surprise! In the past, another Indian restaurant was my favorite. With the pandemic, my favorite restaurant was no longer in business. India Bistro 14 does not have a buffet. You cannot look and try a few dishes to get familiar with them. What they offer is “thalis.” These are metal platters containing complete meals. A parallel is the Japanese bento box. The thali has an appetizer, main curries, rice, bread, and dessert.

They have two thalis: vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There are dining-in and take-out versions. They offer “curries-of-the-day” (non-meat and meat versions). For dining in, you get three curries. For take out, you get two. You have a choice of two types of bread: tandoori roti or naan. For dessert, you have a choice of rice pudding, Gulab jamun or mango custard. Their menu is on their website.

During the pandemic, I prefer to order take-out. For lunch, they had dining-in as an option. So, I tried both. Not at the same! Dining-in first. Then take-out a few days later.

The pandemic discouraged many customers. The interior was tidy and bright. Large windows wrapped the dining room. The wait staff were young and friendly. The background music sounded like Indian pop music. Not relaxing. I am not a fan of pop music of any variety for dining.

We both ordered the meat lunch. We chose the same naan bread and rice pudding options. When the metal trays thalis arrived, the portions were generous. Everything was a tight fit on the glass table. I dropped a piece of the naan bread by accident.

I thought the curries were among to die for. The spices were not hot yet full of flavor. The basmati rice was fluffy. The vegetable samosa was delicious. The naan bread was not dry and tasteful. The rice pudding was fragrant and not sugary. Everything was delicious. Wow! India Bistro 14 deserves more customers. Worth another trip, no doubt.

The second trip we ordered take-out. We ordered a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian lunch box. We ordered distinct desserts: one rice pudding, and one gulab jamun.

I suspect they must have had another chef. We did not get the same level of taste as the first time. It was not bad, but nothing special. At least we had a larger table at home.

Worth a repeat visit? Of course, I...

From 5 Stars to 0 – Serious Food Safety Concern:

I’m devastated to be writing this after 4 years of loving this restaurant, but I can never eat here again. After spending nearly $200 at this restaurant through UberEats/Dine in/Take out in January & February '25, I found a large bug in my food (02/18/25); bright red, with long legs and whiskers, fully mixed into the dish. I unknowingly bit into it before realizing what it was.

I am pregnant, have contamination OCD and severe emetophobia, so this experience was deeply traumatic. Worse, my toddler also ate from the same dish, which is horrifying to think about.

We even dined in on Valentine's Day because we loved this place so much, but after this, I have zero confidence that any of my previous meals were safe. It’s beyond disappointing to feel this way about a place we trusted for years.

A refund for this order was issued through UberEats, but I wish I could be refunded for all orders from January and February, because after what I saw, I can no longer trust that anything I previously ate was safe.

I truly hope the restaurant prioritizes food safety. Maybe this was a rare accident or something, idk. But regardless, I can’t unsee what happened, and my family and I will never return to what was once our favorite restaurant. A deeply unsettling experience.

-- Feb 1 2025 update- I'm pregnant and have been ordering from here via uber eats and it has been so amazing every time. Super accommodating to my new GF + vegan dietary restrictions. I still recommend even for delivery. — 2024 Update: have been coming here for over 4 years now and still my fav Indian spot in the DFW area. I absolutely adore Trini. She’s so amazing and super accommodating. — 2020- I am plant based and I highly recommend. Super delicious, authentic Indian food. Came during the pandemic and they were super accommodating and friendly. There are LOTS of vegan options as well. Almost everything on vegetarian menu can be modified to be vegan- just ask! :) will...

I have been looking forward to visiting Indian Bistro 14. I was greeted by Arianna, who was ready to assist me with the selections on the buffet when I told her it was my first time here. The buffet had two soups, tomato and lintel, and over 15 choices for entrees, including a nice selection of vegetarian dishes.

The most challenging part of the meal was taking small portions of each dish. I tried each soup. Both were good with subtle flavors, the lintel soup was my favorite.

I normally place rice, in this case Basmati and Pilau, in the center of my plate and place dishes on each side. My friend, Karan, explained to me that put a little bit of chicken Tika masala and meatball korma with rice on your fork when eating them. This allows a sweet and salty flavors to compliment each other. Highly recommend you try this!

All of the dishes were excellent, and represented the foods and flavors of northern India very well.

An Indian meal is not complete without an assortment of dessert. The mango custard is always a good choice. The jewel though is the Gulab Jamun and Kheer! The Gulab Jamun is a fried pastry made with cake flour and soaked in a sugary syrup. Super sweet! Kheer is a traditional Indian rice pudding with a light flavor and texture. You take the Gulab Jamun and cut it into small pieces then eat it with the Kheer. The sweet and mild flavors enhance each other for a balanced bite of deliciousness.

If you are looking for authentic flavors, great service and a relaxing atmosphere I recommend...