Kindi Chicken Rice — Restaurant in Herndon

Imagine walking through the streets of Southeast Asia lined with food stalls, echoes of locals chatting, and surrounded with intoxicating aromas. Some of those aromas would likely come from a humble plate of chicken rice (commonly known as Hainanese Chicken Rice) with accents of ginger, chilis, and other fragrant herbs. If you've ever been to Singapore or Malaysia, you likely know exactly what I'm talking about. A dish that was, at one point, not available anywhere in the Greater DC area has finally made it's way here. Kindi is run by an extremely passionate and friendly duo, Nelly and Jacky, and brought the Thai version of chicken rice "Khao Man Gai" to Chantilly, VA. My family lineage can be traced by to the Hainan province so I couldn't be more excited.

I had the opportunity to try the Kindi Combo, Crispy Chicken Wontons, and Sriracha Wings. The Kindi Combo combines their two chicken preparations into a heavenly bowl of their signature Khao Man Gai (poached chicken) and the fried marinated chicken served atop simmered rice with Thai herbs garnished with fresh cucumber and cilantro. Drizzled with the homemade ginger and garlic sauce, it was nostalgic and comforting thoroughly enjoying every single bite. The wontons were a bit light on the chicken filling, but addictively crispy. The wings were flavor bombs with tasty heat.

Overall, the food is one of a kind. They might specialize in chicken rice, but definitely don't sleep on the other delectable offerings. So take a culinary trip to Southeast Asia with one of the most beloved street foods. You won't regret it. It's a truly authentic experience... one that I intend on visiting over...

The food was ok but not a great experience. Not sure about all the Google hype (currently 4.7 stars).

First, it's just a food kitchen - there's no dine in - you can't even walk in. Curbside pickup only. When you arrive it's it an industrial park in the back of a lot. There's no signage for the restaurants that use the kitchen and hardly signage for the kitchen itself. Glad I didn't go here for the first time in the dark because I probably wouldnt have found it.

Second, the doorbells they use don't work. There was a button with a sticky that said to press hard but it didnt work at all. We pressed several times and the doorbell lit up to show we pressed it but apparently it doesn't ring inside. The staff wasn't looking for us either even though we placed the order and they knew the doorbell wasn't working. Someone from another restaurant in the kitchen eventually found us and went to tell Kindi we were there.

Third, the portion is pretty small for the price. It's like ~$14 without a drink. You get the equivalent of one big chicken thigh on a bed of rice.

The food itself was ok. I didn't think it was mind blowing. But for the location, setup, price, and experience I give this a not good 2 stars. It's expensive takeout in an inconvenient location...

Khao Man Gai is my favorite comfort Thai dish so I was really excited to try this local spot out.

For starters, if you’re searching up the address to Kindi Chicken and Rice the gps will take you to “Ramen & Rice Bowl” but don’t fret because you’re in the right place! It’s a little confusing and I’m not 100% sure why it’s like that but maybe if it’s because the Kindi Chicken and Rice aspect is literally only a fraction of the restaurant/menu. They serve Japanese and Thai cuisine (wish that was more apparent).

Anyways, we ordered the Signature Khao Man Gai and Combo B - Signature Khao Man Gai (Poached) and Grilled Khao Man Gai (Yang). The Signature KMG was great, it had a mix of dark and white meat (not a fan of white meat but I also didn’t ask if I could only have dark meat so I’ll definitely ask next time). The Grilled KMG was a little sweet which was odd so not my favorite. In a pinch when I’m craving KMG this place will definitely hit the spot....