Jyoti Indian Cuisine — Restaurant in Washington

Went here recently with my mother. Made a reservation, though one was not needed (they were doing more take-out business that night than in-house service).

Person who greeted us and seated us (as well as helped out with filling water and removing plates throughout the meal) spoke no English and seemed a touch baffled about what to do (though she did what she did and did it well enough). Odd to have someone wait on you who can't interact with you and seemed kinda' shocked when you tried to talk with them.

The other person, who I assume is the owner or a long-time employee, was gracious and as attentive as he could be, given that he was also moving take-out meals from the back kitchen to an almost constant stream of delivery people who lined up in the restaurant. I saw other people who seemed to work there, but they often disappeared, reappeared, and then were gone again. The only people we interacted with were the person who initially seated us and the other employee.

We ordered samosas, garlic naan, Aloo Gobi, and Chicken Curry. While I was surprised that the curry was advertised as just "curry" with no variations, I found the entire meal to be well-priced, well-portioned, and nicely varied in terms of taste (as the employee asked us about our spice preferences. The mint cilantro chutney for the samosas was bright and also had a nice, though not overpowering, kick. Even if the dough-to-filling ratio was a bit off on the samosas, they were warm and filling. The naan were smaller than I was used to, and not traditional in the sense of having any char on them. I suspect that they, and the samosas, were not 'prepared' in the 'traditional' way. But they tasted fine. The curry and the gobi had nice proportions and distinct tastes (with tender chicken in the first and nicely cooked vegetables in the second), with the latter being a touch more spicy that I am used to . . . but in a nice way. They were also presented in nice bowls alongside a generous serving of basmati rice that was well cooked.

This is a nice, small, restaurant in a thriving neighborhood. I wouldn't call the setting amazing. But I wouldn't say it was bad. The service was a touch slow due to interacting with the delivery people. But it wasn't too slow. And it was good service. I also think (as I noted) that they cut some corners on preparing some items. That said, I wouldn't say the corners cut push this place to three-stars. I also think that they are trying to balance the usual cost/staffing/food cost issues that all restaurants are facing right now (hence, some of the issues above).

This was my first time back in DC in awhile. And I picked this place based on the reviews (at least the ones that didn't seem to be spiteful or odd or hard to figure out). Would I come again? Sure. Is this top-tier? For me, no. But it isn't bad and I thought they made the effort to serve food that was well-priced for what was offered and what (I assume) they are having to deal with currently.

Bottom-line: four stars, no more or less. Your opinion...

Ordered takeout on the 12th of January, 1 medium spicy dish and 2 mild. Picked up, and went back home (I live 1 block away). Both mild dishes were hotter than the medium. I call them, they apologize, ask me to come back so they can change the dishes (lucky I only live 1 block away, unluckily it's raining). I go back, wait 10 minutes for them to make new ones (they waited until I was there to make the new ones..); Manager says he'll comp those 2 dishes, Ok. I go back home. By this time, our 2 guests who were sharing the hot dish have finished eating. Dishes are still quite spicy (my wife and I like our curries mild). I call them and the manager says that they can't make dishes less mild than what they serve, that it will always be a bit spicy, I'm confused and I tell them: how is this possible, if I order mild, it will still be spicy? How can this be? After a lot of back and forth, the manager finally says that the sauce(s) is pre-made hot and when a clients wants less hot, they just add cream to dilute the spiciness (?) but then they can't put too much cream otherwise the flavor goes away. I did tell them that this was not how you're supposed to do, you should start off with a mild pre-made sauce and add the spiciness to accommodate client's wishes. Basic cooking 101.. Anyways, this was nearly 2 weeks ago; the thing is if they had reimbursed the dishes like they said they would, I wouldn't have written a review, I just wouldn't have gone back. So I go back yesterday asking why they didn't reimburse, manager wasn't there, they call him on the phone, manager reluctantly agrees to reimburse one dish, I insist on the 2 as they promised (36$), they don't want to but finally relent and they give me back 32$. Why not 36 I ask them? Manager says (over the phone) that is the most I'll get. At this point, I'm fed up, I do not want to make a scene so...

Jyoti Indian Cuisine is by far one of the best traditional Indian cuisine restaurant in the DC area. As soon you walk in you are greeted with a vibrant atmosphere from the Indian/ modern music playing from the flat screen TV & surrounding speakers, to the painted murals + intricate trinkets hanging on the brick wall, & and warm hospitality from the employees.

Our server Madeen was amicable & super helpful in explaining the items on the menu. We started off with the vegetable platter appetizer and included a trio of sauces; tamarind, mango chutney, green chutney. My personal favorite was the mango chutney, with a sweet, pungent spicy kick to it however all of them are rich in flavor. The drinks were great as well, would recommend getting the Alabama Slammer & Mai Tai.

As our main course we ordered one of the most popular dishes recommended, the Tandoor Red Snapper along with the Lamb Seekh Kabob and Chicken Biriyani & choose mild as our preferred spice. We also had a side order of a yogurt sauce called Cucumber Raita & Garlic Naan. Not only was the presentation spotless, I kid you not every bite of those dishes did not disappoint. From the creaminess of the sauce served in the lamb, fish was grilled to perfection, & chicken biriyani was also tasty because the rice was blended with these aromatic spices that I am still trying to figure out! Flavors so complex yet it enriches your palette. The Garlic Naan came out fresh and hot, & just paired so well with the refreshing Cucumber Raita.

I had the pleasure of meeting with the owner Shiva & I love how hands on he is within the restaurant & his employees. It truly was a lovely experience & definitely would come back to try out their...