Kinara Indian Cuisine & Bar — Restaurant in Maryland

Kinara has been open since summer 2021, at the east end of the "Liberty Exchange" retail complex, a still partially unoccupied mix of offices and retail. It's easy to overlook despite being visible from Liberty Road, and we did overlook it until favorable word-of-mouth got us to take notice. We were not disappointed at all, and the charm of the attentive staff is a plus as well.

Kinara runs a weekend lunch buffet. Though a tad pricey for the time of day and location ($20), the vaiety was very good and the tastiness top notch. A Friday afternoon lunchtime crowd at 12:30 pm filled most evey table, deseradly so. We found a decent variety of sauce-based and tandoori-based entrees, both hot and room tempeature. They also have one of the better and extremely fresh tossed salads - something appreciated but frequently overlooked.

Staff attentively kept the chafing dishes full. Yes, patrons fish around for the meat and othe good morsels, leaving only thr sauce behind, but at what buffet is this not so?

So a few days after sampling the weekend lunch buffet, I came back on a weekday and ordered lunch off the menu. I loved it and if you like Indian food as I do, you will too. Here is what was great:

A diverse menu, logically laid out and well-organized. Vegetarian faire together, then chicken together, then lamb/goat together, etc. Under each, the sauce/seasoning profile was in the same place spatially on the menu (e.g., if vindaloo is at the top of the middle column for chicken, it also is top of the middle column for lamb/goat, etc.

Interesting and unexpected menu offerings included various "Naan pizzas" - A+ here for creativity.

Very fair pricing (recall my discouragement about the buffet costs) - you can find MANY offerings on this menu at the appropriate lunch menu price point in my mind (less than $15; sometimes a few dollars less).

Courteous service from a friendly staff.

Clearly a lunch entree differs from a dinner entree in terms of its size. Picture a creme broulee round porcelain bowl - this is the dize of your entree portion and a second identical one has provided with rice. It's just enough for a satisfying lunch without being either meager or obviously overboard. Call it just right.

I ordered chicken vindaloo and found is very teasing but verging toward the spicier preparastions of the dish. That was fine for my palate, but those sensitive to this may wish to inquire aboout whether the preparation can be made more mild.

BTW the onion kulcha bread was perfect too. I hope they just leave everything as it is I cannot recall a better Indian food order-of-the-menu lunch experience - if it ain't broke,...

Upon arrival we were greeted pleasantly and promptly, from then on our experience just kept being advanced to levels above Expectations and higher elevations of Taste that made my taste buds Explode! Our service was being led by Jay and by far the most knowledgeable experience I've ever had. Not only was he able to answer any and all questions we had but he was able to communicate it to us on a beginner's level so we really understood each dish and spice along with his great suggestions without feeling like we were being forced into trying anything we really didn't want to and was happy to explain proper execution and techniques of how to eat such foods. The food was so layered in flavors every bite was making my taste buds scream for more!! I've had many different dishes at many other top rated Indian Cuisine Restaurants, but this experience was a step above the rest from the Ambience, lighting was easy on the eyes there's the light sound of classic music and the trickling water in the background. Very comfortable modern seating, an open floor plan with ample room. Speed of service could only be measured in micro seconds and very important to me is timing of appetizers verses main course and Jay and the Kitchen Staff Nailed it. I can't Thank the Staff at Kinara enough for one of my top Foodie moments ever. I RECOMMEND THIS CULINARY EXPERIENCE TO EVERYONE A MUST EAT! I WILL BE BACK WITH WITH ADDITIONAL GUESTS ON A REGULAR BASIS, THIS RESTAURANT JUST BECAME MY GO TO. I cannot wait to return as many times as it takes to try the whole MENU! P.S. And to say that KINARA is reasonably priced would be an under statement. We ordered 2 appetizers Pani Puri and Tandoori Dumplings, 2 Entrees with rice, 2 orders of Naan, Garlic and Kashmiri, Mixed Spicy Pickles and some Chutney's and our total was under $60 and the portions were decent enough to still...

On March 9, 2024, amidst a gentle rainfall, my wife and I found ourselves yearning for Indian cuisine. Our usual preference is to venture towards Columbia for such cravings, but with our children being a bit fussy that day, we opted for Kinara, a place we've visited around 7-8 times due to the limited options for Indian food in our vicinity. Our experiences have generally found the restaurant to be somewhat overpriced and the dishes to be okay, tending towards a sweeter flavor profile typical of a certain region in India.

Upon arrival, we noticed the restaurant was not busy, hosting only one other family and a few individuals at the bar. The owner, engaged on the phone, eventually acknowledged us. He inquired if we had a reservation in a manner that felt unwelcoming, and upon learning we did not, his attention seemed to divert elsewhere. He busied himself with tasks around the bar and tables, prolonging our wait without clear communication or a welcoming gesture. His demeanor gave us the impression that we were not particularly welcome. After an approximate 10-minute wait, we were reluctantly shown to a table. When we inquired about choosing a different table, we were tersely informed that all others were reserved. This interaction left us feeling unwelcome and undervalued as patrons, leading us to leave without dining.

There was a notable lack of hospitality or any attempt to address our comfort or concerns, including basic eye contact or inquiry into our needs.

Regrettably, this experience has dissuaded us from planning...