Urban Tandoor — Restaurant in Arlington

2 friends and I came to have dinner and when leaving, I ran into 2 more that I knew. Ended up staying and chatting with them while they also ordered and ate. Collectively our mixed ethnicity group ordered 1 app, 5 entrees, 3 orders of naan, wine and 1 dessert. App was pani puri, came as an order of 6 with 3 different flavored shots - sweet chutney, traditional green pani and an orange flavored one. The green had zero flavor or heat, and the orange tasted weird. The puri’s were crispy but had a really small squeeze of a spiced mashed potato inside. The quantitiy of the filling was not enough not were there any toppings. Entrees were lasuni paneer (palak paneer), lamb vindaloo, butter chicken, chicken Biriyani and chicken Tikka masala. The Lasuni and Biriyani were the only decent dishes at the table. The butter chicken was a huge disappointment - it was dessert level sweet, and inedible. The chicken Tikka tasted like what the butter chicken should have like. Types of naan ordered was garlic and goat cheese - which was plain naan with pretty non-existent goat cheese. Dessert was rasmalai, and the best thing we ate all night - it tasted fresh and homemade. I had this with my first group and then talked it up to my second group. They wanted to order it but since service has been spotty, they wanted to see if it would be offered to them. It never was.

As for service and ambiance- we understand it’s their first week. However, we had to ask several people multiple times for water and peppers. One person was brought the wrong wine, another perso had their wine order forgotten about. It does not feel like you are in a nepali/Indian restaurant. No table cloths, the booths and chairs are similar to what you see in Panera or Corner Bakery. There is no Indian/ethnic decor and of my 3.5 hours at this venue, never once did any Indian style music come on.

As a 12 year resident of the area, I’ve seen many places come and go in this spot. Ballston could use some ethnic flavor and this restaurant would have minimal competition right now. My group is really well versed in Indian/Asian cuisine and all had really high hopes for this place but sadly, we all left disappointed. Had a nice chat with the owner who was fairly friendly, but it was clear he was not open to suggestions. He said his chef had 20+ years of experience, there were no plans to decorate and that Indian music would play if we waited long enough. I genuinely hope they read the reviews and are able to work out the kinks and...

Love this gem of an Indian restaurant! I have been several times since it opened as I live right around the corner and am a big fan of Indian food. Each time it has been packed, but I have not had to wait long for a seat. They have a dine-in AND to-go Indian food buffet 7 days a week, and also offer a la cart dining experience, as well as a bar. I have done the dine-in buffet, dine-in for dinner (a la carte), and ordered food for carryout. The food has always been delicious and the buffet offers a nice variety that changes daily (although I have not seen any lamb dishes, only chicken and veggies at the buffet, which I assume is due to the reasonable price). The owner/manager has been there most times I’ve visited, and is extremely friendly, helpful, and accommodating. Greets customers, answers questions, and ensures they are attended to and satisfied with their dining/drinking experience. I’ll admit the first few times I went, service was a little slow, but in more recent visits it has improved vastly, most likely due to growing pains from being a relatively new establishment and the feedback provided on these sites. I think the staff has begun to recognize me after all the times I’ve visited their restaurant, and are very friendly and attentive now.

I went there today for dinner and asked the owner/manager for a recommendation of a non-spicy lamb dish I could order to pair with my Chicken Tikka Masala and Roti. He recommended the Lamb Korma (Chandani Gosht), which was so delicious! Everything was so yummy and flavorful, and it tasted so good together! Really hit the spot! The memos (dumplings) and desserts I’ve ordered there before are also quite good too, and I would not hesitate to recommend them! I can’t wait to go back and try more...

I have eaten here several times in the past. Therefore, this evening I took a family member who was visiting from out of town and specifically requested Indian food. To say that the staff here were rude and inconsiderate would be an understatement. Although we were little more than half way through our meal, the waiter came over and asked us if we wanted anything else because they were getting ready to close the kitchen. Fine. However, almost immediately, they came over again and asked us if we wanted a box. Um, no, thank you. THEN, a man who appeared to be the owner or manager came over and put the check down. After hurrying me to give him my card, he brought the check back and literally stood next to me waiting for me to sign it while we (again) were in the middle of our meal. I really wish I had not given them a tip at this point. But, I was still feeling generous. The last straw, however, was when the same man came over approximately ten minutes before they were scheduled to close and told us we needed to finish eating because he wanted to leave at 9:30pm (their stated closing time) in a stern and rude manner. TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE! On top of all of this, I would say the food was mediocre. (Nothing to write home about.) I definitely will never return. TIP: If you don't have time to give your customers proper service, don't seat them at all. There are plenty of other restaurants in Arlington. In fact, my prediction is that, eventually, these employees will not have to worry about closing down on time at all because this restaurant will no...