TAPORI — Restaurant in Washington

Phenomenal experience, greatly surpassed expectations. Very inventive and well curated street food menu, and it's all killer, no filler. Gorgeous decor, and amiable service made this an all around wonderful experience.

We tried the following:

PANI PURI (Potato, Black Chickpea, Raw Mango) - good, simple easy bites as a small starter

LOTUS ROOT CHAAT (Gram Flour, Tamarind, Sweet Yogurt, Black Salt) - excellent blend of flavors and textures with the lotus root, highly recommended.

BISON PAV BHAJI (Minced Bison, Onion Tomato, Served w/ Soft Buttered Bun) - tender savory bison on the softest of rolls, excellent as well.

Wagyu Momo (Handmade Buckwheat Wrapper, Sesame Chutney, Chili Oil) - solid momo, differentiated by the wagyu quality.

PODI MASALA DOSA (Fermented Rice, Lentil Crepe, Asafetida, Potato, Sambar, Coconut Chutney) - this was strongly recommended, and while it was very good, I didn't think it was as exceptional as described, but you won't be disappointed either.

PANEER CHOP (Honey, Rhubarb, Ginger, Green Chili, Persimmon Radish Salad, Mint Chutney) - one of my favorite items all time, it's a grilled brick of the most perfect paneer. Superb. Must try.

Hudson Valley Duck Choila (Rohan Duck Breast, Timur, Garlic, Ginger, Mustard Asparagus & Edamame Salad) - perfectly seared and prepared duck, tender and flavorful. The sauce was a wonderful accompaniment and stood up to the robust duck flavor. Outstanding.

I enjoyed my Remember the Mango cocktail, a little sweet for me but still pretty well balanced. Sips like a South Asian Manhattan. The others my friends ordered weren't as good unfortunately.

Overall, excellent, can't...

Update: we went back three weeks after opening day to try more of their menu. A few items had changed over the three weeks, which is nice to see new things. I also think we did a much better job ordering this time around and were much happier with the food.

This time we ordered the dosa, chaat, duck kulcha, tandoori broccoli, and boti kebab.

Dosa and chaat were our favorites, followed by the boti kebab, kulcha , then broccoli.

Over both our trips, I would say my favorites are the cauliflower, dosa, chaat, and kebab.

If you enjoy rice dishes, I would order the goat biryani.

Also, there is a portion of tandoori broccoli in the boti kebab dish, had there been mention of broccoli on the menu, I wouldn’t have ordered it separately.

Lastly, there is a 20% service charge on the menu that wasn’t there at opening. I also missed that since the server did not mention it at all, and I missed it on the menu.

Also, the service has improved a lot and I thought the staff as great at clearing our empty plates and keeping our water glasses and drink glasses full.

I’m sure we will be back again soon.

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I love Daru, so I knew I’d love Tapori also. Almost everything we ordered, I enjoyed, the exception being the cheesecake.

I visited opening day, so I expected a few hiccups. Opening day service was not great. Lots of long pauses, the cauliflower arrived not hot and the texture of the cheesecake was meh. I felt like the water pitcher was unwieldy for the waiter. Also, there were several long stretches of time when we sat with empty plates in front of us and several wait staff passed by without offering...

We’ve been to Tapori twice now—first on May 7th and again on September 20th—and both visits were nothing short of amazing.

On our very first visit, Nishita welcomed us with such warmth and friendliness that it instantly made Tapori feel special. Dante Dutta and EJ were also incredibly welcoming that evening, setting the tone for what we knew would become one of our favorite spots in DC. I’ve actually known Dante for almost two years now, ever since we first met at his other restaurant, Daru, where we spent time talking about whiskey while enjoying one of his finest collections. Seeing him bring that same passion and hospitality to Tapori is wonderful.

Fast forward to September 20th—it was great to see Nishita again, who remembered us from our first visit, which speaks volumes about her attentiveness and genuine care for guests. This time, we were served by Gustavo, who did a fantastic job making sure everything was perfect.

And of course, the food—absolutely consistent, bold, and flavorful both times. Hats off to the Tapori team for keeping the quality so steady while delivering such memorable service.

Tapori isn’t just a restaurant; it’s an experience built on warmth, hospitality, and truly outstanding food. We can’t wait to...