Jodhpur — Restaurant in Herndon

DMV area just got it’s crown Jewel restaurant called Jodhpur in Herndon when it comes to authentic North Indian Thaali experience. If someone asked me last month, what is that one thing that I missed most in our DMV area when it comes to food, I would have said it is the authentic North Thali Experience - where while you continue to eat, wait staff doesn’t wait for you to ask for food but bring it right to your table and serves you right in your Thaal. Jodhpur did not only bring the authentic Thaali experience in the DMV area but also the flavors from India

I push door which took me inside the restaurant while a young lady greeted with a huge smile. We were seated immediately and a member of wait stuff stopped by and greeted us. He asked us if it was our fist time visiting them to which we said yes. He explained us that all they serve is Thaali. He quickly explained the process on how good will be served on our table like how it’s done back home.

While he was explaining us details and what was in the menu on the day, one of the other wait staff stopped by our table and asked us if we want some Chaach. We responded in affirmative and whitish chaach was poured into our beautiful steel classes. Another wait staff stopped by with a copper/steel jug of water and pour it in the other glass. They all left and said that our food will be arriving shortly. While I was enjoying amazingly tasting chaach and admiring the posh blue ambiance, which reminds your of Jodhpur (the blue city) with beautiful chandeliers neatly placed tables and restaurants full of people, one of the wait staff brought our Large Thaalis neatly placed in a trolly with each Thaali having its own row. He took the Thaali out and place in front of each one of us.

The Thaali had authentic look to it where there were 9 little Katooria (bowls) placed neatly around the Thaali with one bigger bowl. Two of the smaller Katoories had sweets in them with rest different kind of daal Rajisthank kadi veg Sabzi and paneer dish. In the bigger space in the middle of the Thaali was rice along with two types of chutneys, Gujrati Khaman and veg Kabab. salad and achar along with broken pieces of papadum were neatly placed. Everything looked so pleasing to the eyes.

I picked up the spoon and took spoonful of each of the items on my Thaali and I was wowed by the taste. Every single item was bursting out of flavors, yet none of the items tasted like the one I previously tasted. At that moment I realized that yes it’s going to be a feast for me. While I was enjoying my view of food through my eye, the freshly food aroma through my nose and flavors tickling my tastebuds one of the wait staff stopped by and asked me if I want freshly made Phulka and Puri. There was no way I could say no, when a server asks you so nicely as if they knew me, as if we are family. Phulka n Puri were so fresh out of oven that I could feel my finger tips burn when I broke bread.

Every single item on the Thaali had authentic North Indian flavor. The aroma rising off the Thaali would hydrated my mouth and every single bite took me back home. The wait were on their toes going to each and every table not just filling up the empty katoories with fresh food but also engaging in conversation. You could see that the staff, which is not very Desi knew how to pronounce the names of each of the item. They would lovingly fill up the item and would insist that we eat more. With authentic aroma you could feel love in the air.

We throughly enjoyed our experience at Jodhpur. This is definitely the best North Indian vegetarian restaurant in our area. The Thali experience is just like home. The wait staff is amazing and ensure none of our dishes we were eating in is ever left empty. What I really loved was the friendliness of everyone involved. It felt like home. It’s the love that made the experience more than just another dine out. I am going back and very soon to try out...

This was my first experience with Thali, and also visiting the Jodhpur. It honestly helps this is my culture (more or less), so the North Indian cuisine is right up my alley.

I drove down here Sunday, with family and sister. This spot is right off the main road -- Herndon Parkway, hey! I literally swing by here all the time. There's sufficient parking out front due to a rather massive parking lot, that should have you covered by a long shot.

As we came on a Sunday, the type of Thali -- three dishes rotating on a two-day basis -- was fixed. It was the Purani Dilli Thali, singing to us as we walked in the hallowed (and rather cramped) anteroom.

Waiting time was easily over an hour, or so it felt like. A lone cushioned bench inside, seating three at most; otherwise, you're best to stand around. The space in the entranceway is sparse and conducive to crowding, and the hallway is most decidedly narrow.

A useful tip, there is a sink outside the restrooms to wash your hands. Two trips are customary I feel -- before and following the food.

After a long wait, we got seated. The servers were well-mannered and attentive all throughout. The Thali was a near-masterpiece, and the vegetarian curries like those multi-colored palettes that painters are quite fond of.

Poori was really good, the Roti to a lesser extent. The Rice was decent when mixed with the Chole (chickpeas) or other curries. Too many choices, too many varieties of curries. Two sweet dishes -- including Gulab Jamun, a to-die-for cornerstone of Indian sweets, and one of my personal favorites. Sweet (red) and spicy (green) sauce sprinkled on the plate. Curds or yogurt as a finisher and palate cleanser.

Overall, the variety and (great) service won me over, even though I ultimately found the taste to be lacking. Some curries I liked more than others. None of them high points, but the abundance of flavor and the sweet, savory victory of Jamun left my tongue singing by the end.

Overall, great experience with trying Thali for the first time ever. Recommend if you're in the area, likewise on an empty stomach, and looking for an epic (North) Indian buffet-style cuisine -- featuring Thali to boot.

Food: 3.5/5 Service: 5/5 Wait:...

Indian restaurants are not few in this area but ones with predictable & tasty food that excites the Indian palette are not that many. Pandemic also triggered some churn. When we were reminiscing about good north Indian thalis and ruing the fact that there are hardly any choices nearby, a friend popped the Q - been to Jodhpur?. - thus it was 'discovered'!. We eagerly waited for the weekend to make our first visit, and what awaited us was nothing short of a 'chaka chak' experience :-) Sincerely hope they can sustain the taste & experience.

What we ordered: Purani Dilli Thali (just one item on the menu - so no guesswork. They are serving 3 variations - on different days of the week)

Positives: Amazing spread (no corners cut), great taste (felt very close to what we get in a good restaurant in India, no sign of US dilution in spices or flavor), all dishes unlimited, that too served at the table (felt like royalty :-)), well trained (was impressed how even the non Indian staff have learnt the name of dishes they serve. The hispanic server corrected me when I mistook kichadi for daal, I felt embarrassed) & courteous staff, nice ambience ( right from the hero cycle parked outside to the foyer to dining hall to the Pagris - saw a group doing a photo shoot wearing them)

What can be better?: A lite version - less # of dishes? not unlimited? (I was wondering how my AN will be if it had been a working day lunch :-)). Consider changing the kid's thali age limit (will all teenagers grown to a US palette be able to appreciate the full thali spread? ...our kid enjoyed his without getting overwhelmed only because of the smaller thali he got) - consider the above also to avoid food waste . Any clever way to annotate a plate/thali with name of the dishes - an enlarged picture on the wall? or a place mat? or via a QR code? ;-)

Useful tips: Go prepared for a heavy authentic Indian meal (why miss any), allocate sufficient rest time...