Masala Express — Restaurant in Arlington

What a great find! Masala Express is one of maybe four stores in this small parking lot, but they deliver fantastic Indian food. My boyfriend and I went about 30 minutes before closing and lucked out of having to wait in line (apparently earlier that day, there was a line that wrapped around the restaurant and out the door). We ordered chicken tikka marsala, butter chicken, aloo ghobi, and garlic naan to go. We waited maybe 10-15 minutes as they cooked it in the kitchen. The smell wafting from the kitchen was intoxicating. Luckily while we were waiting, the owner's wife and son made conversation with us which made the wait time pass by quickly.

Everything was delicious. The chicken tikka marsala and butter chicken were cooked perfectly. The aloo ghobi was also very good. Our food came with a tall tub of rice. The garlic naan was also tasty; we got two big garlic naans. So glad to have found another fantastic Indian restaurant in this area!

Service was great. The owner, his wife, and son were all very nice and really seem to love what they do. The son even mentioned to us that he wanted to grow up and become a chef/restaurant owner like his father. Hope he keeps Masala...

I have been getting carryout from here for a couple of years, now. Last night, for the first time, I tried their samosa - it was delicious!

I alternate between the Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and Chicken Saag and request they be made extra spicy - I LOVE the result! If you like it hot, do yourself a favor and ask them to spice it up. That is, the heat is definitely up there, Scoville-wise, but the addition doesn't eradicate/overpower the flavor - it only compliments the dish, adding another dimension.

Also, I usually have a roti, which is flavorful and crisped just right - they have their own tandoori oven!

I can also highly recommend their mango lassi if you're in the mood for a sweet treat ;)

I spend the week anticipating the next time I'll be able to get more food from here.

Also, just to address some of the reviews complaining about wait time: I usually order ahead of time, over the phone - they'll give me an estimate as to when everything will be ready and it always is! In my mind it's unreasonable to expect made-to-order dishes to be ready instantly. If you like the cooking it's no big deal to make an allowance in your schedule for it to...

I wrote this on Yelp too, but feel the need to give great coverage. I do NOT want this place to close. Ever. Masala Express has OUTSTANDING flavor and price. Everything is homemade and authentic (per my Indian co-worker who referred me there). It's a small family business, and you just can't order anything bad. The prices are great also - super inexpensive. I am a meat lover, but I often order vegetarian here, because the sauces are overwhelmingly amazing! I also love spicy food. If you don't do spicy, remember to order "not at all spicy". The malai kofta is my go-to, but my friend loves lamb. I don't really like lamb, but I would have eaten his entire lamb roganjosh had I not had my own order of malai kofta. It was delicious! The lamb was ever-so-tender and flavorful. Also wonderful are the palak paneer and samosas. Then there's the naan. I could eat tons of their garlic naan. Soooo soft, chewy,...