Dakshin Indique — Restaurant in Washington

Decided to try this place for brunch after a recommendation from a friend. $25 for unlimited tapas style food and $12 for bottomless drinks.

AMBIANCE: A small two-story spot in Cleveland park right by the Metro. With different color painted walls and hand-crafted Indian artwork on the walls, it was a nice vibe.

FOOD: The presentation was great. Even a dish as simple as a samosa had nice presentation. The food was spicy to me and I love spicy food. Started with the samosa chaat and chicken tikka makhani. The chicken tikka makhani was basically chicken in a creamy tomato sauce with rice served on the side. It was very delicious. DRINKS: I am always a fan of Margaritas. I saw the Tamarind Margarita on the drink menu and figured I'd give it a try. It is definitely an acquired taste and although I am a huge fan of tamarind, I did not like it. The after taste tasted too much like Indian food/spices rather than a refreshing drink to enjoy alongside delicious Indian food/spices. The Rum Lassi on the other hand was absolutely delicious. It was basically an alcoholic mango smoothie. I ordered two of those and left with a buzz.

SERVICE: The service was definitely subpar mostly due to the buffet style menu. We were never asked if we wanted more drinks. Each time, we had to approach the server ourselves to place a drink order. A reason I am deducting a star is because we were forced to either have the entire table choose a la carte or have the entire table choose the buffet option. This was annoying due to the fact that some members of our large party were pickier eaters and some did not want to drink as much.

Overall, this place was a good experience. I don't often go out for Indian food, and it was nice to get to try some of the classics for this...

My girlfriend and I came here based on her fond memories of this restaurant from her time in D.C. Here are Pro's and Con's of this restaurant from my perspective.

Pro's: The restaurant is in a good location right off the Cleveland Park Metro station. Easy access! Off street parking at 6:45 P.M. was also relatively easy to find compared to other D.C. restaurants. The outdoor seating was plentiful, and the second level outdoor seating was very cute with protection from the rain from overhead awnings. The view of the bustling city below enhanced the experience a great deal. Servers - They were fantastic. Quick to refill water. Great pacing on drinks to appetizers to main course and dessert. Creativity - The meal types are very creative. Indian can get repetitive with a menu that looks like any other Indian restaurant. This had some very creative dishes and combined South Indian culture well.

Con's: Value - The value is just not there for me. One appetizer and two main courses with no drinks, desserts, or added naan was $50. This is high given the amount of food on offer. Taste - The best thing about Indian food is that it has powerful flavor profiles. You go for the aromatic dishes that you can't get from other cultures. The dishes here called out the flavors of their respective main ingredients well, but the dynamic punch from the spices was muted and I personally thought they were...

As someone with South Asian roots, I found the food remarkably underwhelming - particularly in terms of spice levels, which were noticeably tame compared to authentic Indian cuisine.

The restaurant's weekend brunch policy was especially frustrating. They enforce an all-or-nothing rule where either your entire table must opt for the unlimited brunch option or everyone must order à la carte. This rigid policy feels unnecessarily restrictive and doesn't accommodate different appetite levels or preferences within a group.

Despite multiple requests for flexibility, the staff remained firm on this policy. After much back-and-forth, we reluctantly chose the à la carte option. In retrospect, this was a blessing in disguise given the mediocre quality of the food. I can only imagine how disappointing the unlimited brunch would have been.

The dishes were thoroughly average - lacking the depth of flavor, proper seasoning, and heat that characterizes good Indian cuisine. Nothing stood out as particularly memorable or worth returning for.

Overall, I cannot recommend this restaurant, especially to those familiar with authentic Indian food. Between the restrictive dining policies and the uninspiring cuisine, there are certainly better options elsewhere for satisfying your Indian...