Indique

I went for restaurant week, I ordered these fried cheese tacos and lamb. The tacos were actually really good (tacos at Indian place?) the lamb was spicy and very tender like it’s been marinating for days a little too tender like mushy almost but spicy, flavorful and grilled perfectly. The lamb came with many little sides that was a great surprise, potatoe mash, veggies, basmati rice, yogurt dip, and tamarind sauce. It was all very delicious. I will eat here again. Get the traditional Indian ice cream its more like orange spiced sorbert though but interesting and good.

My Fiancé and I went to Indique after hearing great reviews from friends and seeing Chef Vinod compete in DC Central Kitchen’s Capitol Food Fight. We are going to India for a wedding in a week and wanted to try the best Indian food in DC before we went, we were not let down! We started off with 6 appetizers, which were all unique and beautifully presented. My favorite was the Chaat Papri, I could have licked the bowl it was so good. Other unique items such as lamb shepherds pie which was an interesting Indian flavored twist on a classic dish. Next we had entrees, ordering Chicken Tikka Makhani which has incredible flavor, Mattar Paneer and the Baingan Bhartha, all fantastic. The naan and raita were great as well. We then had a trio of 3 desserts all so delicious. We left very full and have a lot of leftovers for dinner tonight! The service there is wonderful, so many people came by to ask us how we were doing and they truly know how to take care of their customers. I would go back in a heartbeat and try even more dishes.

Went for a late dinner around 8.30pm on a Friday night. Restaurant is nice, it has two levels, we got seated straightaway on the upper level. We had chaat papri, appam, chicken Stew and chicken Biriyani. Appam and chicken stew were amazing, would definitely return back to have them again. Parking could get difficult, would recommend taking a metro.

This place was pretty good! Oh wait this is an Indian restaurant right? Because I’m pretty sure they were serving Mexican food. After getting an appetizer that was straight up nachos we got a very run of the mill tikka. The environment was nice, decorum ok. So much more potential for this incredible space in an ideal location.

Indique was great! My fiancé and I were in town to catch up with some friends and the 4 of us came here for dinner around 6:30pm. We were able to sit out on the upper level balcony, which was great for the privacy and people-​watching.
The food was delicious – spicy and flavorful. I HIGHLY recommend the samosa – I’ve never seen it made this way before and it was so cool.

So my second go at Indian cuisine and Indique delivered!!! My friends and I sat on the upstairs patio area, which was really cool since we could look down and people watch. It really was a great view.
We started off with some drinks and I ordered the Lychee bubbles. Tasted like lychee champagne so I cant complain there! We had two starters, Achari chicken tacos and pork belly. The tacos were okay. I personally prefer flour tortillas over corn, but I loved the pork belly! It just melted in my mouth and was seasoned perfectly! For our main dishes, we ordered the Shirmp and Scallop Masala, Lamb Vindaloo, Chicken Tikka Makhani, Chicken Biriyani, 2 Garlic Naan and 1 Onion Kulcha. My favorite was the Lamb Vindaloo and Chicken Tikka Makhani! Both dishes were perfectly seasoned and spicy (especially the chicken!!!) Pairing the both dishes with the Garlic Naan just made my taste buds go crazy! The dishes came with rice and dal, and the dal was delicious as well! I fell in love with the Garlic Naan and Onion Kulcha! The naan was lathered in oil and garlic, and the portion size was decent. The Onion Kulcha reminded me of a Chinese scallion pancake, except this was way better! The Shrimp and Scallop Masala was decent, I was just disappointed that there were more shrimps than scallops. None the less that dish was delicious. Lastly the Chicken Biriyani was okay, but I wish it were a little spicier.
The décor of the place was simple and had great mood lighting. Its a perfect place to go on a date or if you want to have a nice night out. The wait staff was polite and attentive to when our water glasses were running low.
I definitely recommend this restaurant and will gladly come back again to try other dishes and to try their brunch option.

Seriously the best. Can’t wait to visit DC when I go back home just to eat here like we used to.

Visited this place Aug 12, 2015. I am not really sure where the Indian food was. We ordered some appetizer and it tasted like a mexican enchilada.
The buttered chicken or whatever it’s called was bland and the flavor one would expect with Indian curry wasn’t there.
Not a single Indian person in sight eating there. That should have been my first clue. My second clue was the ingredients listed were more commonly seen in Mexican restaurants.
Majority if not all staff was Hispanic… which may have explained why things tasted Hispanic in nature.

Amazing restaurant … Right on Connecticut Avenue with lots of paid n parallel parking options. atleast on Sunday’s;)… Service n food was amazing … Very neat n clean restaurant. U can sit outside or in a balcony or inside … Lot of options. Would def go again with some friends.

Good food, good décor and ambience. I liked the chicken chettinad. Spicy and complimented well with the white and yellow rice.
The papadi chaat was tasty with fresh chutney flavors.

It’s birthday time and the birthday girl wanted to go here! First of all I love this neighborhood so cute but still semi-​urban. Nice place to walk around when it warms up.
So my foodie friends had been here several times but it was my first time. Not the biggest fan of Indian food since I have had some bad experiences but clearly I was going the wrong places.
The restaurant is very nice two levels with the top over looking the bottom floor. Sit upstairs! For starters we ordered the mussels, veggie samosa and Achari chicken tacos. The mussels were AMAZING, the samosa was good and the chicken tacos we could have done without. Half of our mussels were closed so we told our waiter and he took care of it by bringing us another bowl.
For entrees we ordered the Chicken Chettinad, Shrimp and Scallop Masala and the Malabar Shrimp Curry. (With garlic naan and paratha).We had to do it family style to sample eeeerrry thang. It was delicious but I especially loved the curry! I recommend this place for a girl’s night out or date! Close to the metro.

These review is for the weekend brunch, which I think is the best brunch deal in DC. Unlimited brunch drinks, which include rum lassis, tamarind margaritas, and screwdrivers. Then each person is allowed to pick four dishes off of a rather extensive menu and let me just tell you, four dishes will have you bursting at the seams. We tried the following
Chicken Kebabs: These were absolutely delicious! So soft and tender and amazingly flavorful
Chicken Biriyani: Overall, this was decent biriyani, but I loved that they cook it so the rice and nuts on the bottom form a crust which they upend so that they are a crusty top.
Chicken Kati Roll: This was also delicious. Chicken pieces were tender and the spices were spot on.
Kerala Shepard’s Pie: Deliciously savory lamb but the potatoes were a bit bland.
Papri Chat: Huge portion and very delicious. The papri were perfectly crispy.
Onion and Cauliflower Kulcha with Parmesan Cheese: These were awful. Not just ok, but actually awful. Talk about false advertising. A kulcha is supposed to be light, airy and flaky. This was glorified garlic bread where you couldn’t even taste the cauliflower.
Salmon Sliders: These were delicious, but a small portion that isn’t the best for sharing.
Kulfi: Lovely end to a meal. A great version of an Indian classic.
Achari Chicken Taco: These were probably my favorite things. It was the only decidedly spicy thing that we ordered. A lovely tangy/​pickle flavor.
Calamari: Good taste but nothing special.
The only complaint I have is that the drinks are not that strong. We were barely tipsy after 5 drinks. I would request strong drinks, if that’s how you roll.
I would highly recommend this place! It’s still relatively unknown so its not hard to get a table for brunch. Try it before it becomes too busy!

Why oh why does this place not have a four star rating? The service is impeccable, the décor is comfortable and tasteful without being over the top, the food is almost all superb. Regulars get special treatment (as they should): Most times, I receive a complimentary dish or two, and these are real dishes, not popadoms.
It’s not the only decent Indian in dc. But it’s one of few, and I’ve never had a bad experience. And if I ever do, I’m pretty confident it would be addressed quickly and politely.
Keep up the good work, Indique.

I’m never sure how I feel about Indian food. Do I like it? Dislike it? Does it make my sensitive stomach hurt? Do I want it more than I want, say, Thai, which I love? Indian food has always been sort of a mystery to me.
BUT OH, INDIQUE. Indique changes everything. Indique is divine.
Smooth & satisfying mango lassis, impeccably mixed cocktails, flavorful dips & chutneys & spreads… Their Shrimp Varuval, jumbo shrimp cooked with onions, tomatoes, & spices, is hands-​down the best shrimp I’ve ever had. And I love the Chicken Tikka Makhani (marinated boneless pieces of chicken cooked in tandoor & finished with a thick tomato sauce), & the rice that comes with their entrees is cooked to perfection, surprising leaps & bounds above all other rice (which seems like such a weird thing to say). I’ve never had anything else there, but I’ve also never dined there with anyone who was anything less than thrilled with their meal.
The atmosphere is lovely, though it alternates between very quiet when it’s empty & very loud when it starts to fill up. They also have a great patio that overlooks Connecticut, perfect for a sunny day or a sunsetting evening.
Bottom line, I love Indique & would go back much, much more frequently if I were able to afford it.

I think this is a good place, but I have one complaint. I ordered the vegetable jalfrezi– it ended up coming with cheese in it. The dish’s description made no mention of cheese, but other dishes did list cheese as an ingredient, which makes one think that similar dishes that don’t mention cheese won’t have it. Why randomly list it?
I’d appreciate it if they fixed that, but other than that, this was good food and at a great location.

The food was great once again! Very consistent. Also service was top notch! If you read my previous review I feel the same way. I only have one small issue. I didn’t enjoy seeing the cooks eating food off of their own personal plates in the same space where they were cooking food. I can’t see that again. So hopefully that will be gotten together next time I come because this place is awesome and I will absolutely be back! I’ve told all of my friends!
Ps. The manager is so attentive. I see he really has a passion for what he does. Very involved and knowledgeable.

The brunch here is to die for. I had no idea this even existed and honestly it’s been underrated:
1) For $ 25 during weekend brunch hours, you can get 4 tapas plus the option of bottomless cocktails so price-​wise this is awesome!
2) Great for groups — everyone who works there is so friendly
*note that everyone can order what they want here because there is so much variety
3) Outdoor seating
4) Of course the food, my personal favorites are below:
— Bhelpuri
— Salmon cakes
— Uttapam + other south Indian dishes
— Meat dishes
— Kulfi — the icecream is pretty good
— Mango rum lassi
Highly recommended! Will be going back next week!

I’ve never truly been able to appreciate fine dining takes on certain genres of food (Jamaican, Indian and Chinese). I was raised on those foods so I can be pretty particular about how it’s served. But, I had to take off my «I’m the child of foreigners» hat for this meal. And when I did I was pleasantly surprised. So the curry wasn’t «just» like how my auntie makes it. It was still darn good. As a matter of fact, everything was good. I had the chicken tikka, tandoori quail, lamb curry and calamari, all uniquely prepared and very delicious.
The vibe of the restaurant was lively and fun, but you could still enjoy your own private conversation without screaming. Our server was MIA for the most part. We had to ask for her a few times to place our order, but we weren’t in a rush so it wasn’t too much of an issue.
The next time I’m in DC I’d definitely go back.

Just finished up this meal at Indique and man was it delicious. I was expecting more Indian fusion but it was actually very authentic to me (I grew up eating at hole in the walls in Sunnyvale, Fremont, all parts of Northern California). Again this is definitely somewhere you should go hungry because the bread, rice and curry-​based meals are really heavy.
My friend and I got the Chaat Papri appetizer (consisted of flour crisps, chutney, garbanzo beans, yogurt) and it was surprisingly light and refreshing. Completely unexpected. We also got one order of garlic naan and split it (enough for two very hungry people).
For our entrees I got the chicken tikka makhani (I was seriously craving curry) and she got the tandoori chicken chops. I loved my curry, the chicken was super tender and juicy. The curry sauce was not overwhelmingly spicy but was still infused with the perfect amount of spices and flavor. My roommate got the tandoori chicken chops (more of a dry dish, no curry) and it could have seriously used some sort of sauce. Still very well prepared but could’ve been better!
All in all, a great experience, and without drinks our meal came to a little over $ 30 per person with tip and tax.
Closest metro stop: Cleveland park on the red line (literally as soon as you walk off)

Look, I was really hankering for Indian food last night, and let’s just say that I’m paying for it today. What I (and my 2 other dinner companions) had last night certainly didn’t satisfy any cravings we had for Indian food. If you’re looking for the real thing — this is not it. This is not real Indian food, it’s not even «fusion»…it’s just store-​bought Indian food with Indian flavors. As for the real thing… this is just not it. It’s not fresh, and it’s a cop-​out because the food — while presented nicely — just does’t hit the warm, tasty mark that real, fresh, Indian food should have. I’m still wondering how the management can — with a good conscience — serve this very average [at best] quality food for the prices they do. I wouldn’t mind the overpriced items as much — if they were actually giving real, tasty, quality food.
So, the bill for 3 of us came to $ 111. We were a bit taken back because none of what we had felt worth it. We split a $ 30 bottle of a decent Australian shiraz, everyone had water, we chose 3 plates to share as an appetizer, and each had our own entrée, with a side of 3 pieces of naan (bread). I suppose the quantity and location of the establishment could warrant a bill of 100 some dollars. But, honestly… the food made it all awful. Oh, and one thing you should know is that: I didn’t have anything that was at all spicy… That food was not fresh, and that’s all I have to say about that.
Tips for the Management: create better bathrooms, update your look/​menu (it’s been over 5 years and you’re doing the same darn thing), get better servers who actually understand service in a fine dining establishment and can speak English and are able to fully pronounce the words on your menu), and don’t bring out uncovered sauces when customers first sit down to a table (unless you’ve got something complimentary to serve along with them).