Rasika West End

5 D St SE

american restaurant

Mr. Henry's

601 Pennsylvania Ave SE

A Capitol Hill institution where the crowd is as much the point as the food—themed parties mean you're likely to catch the room mid-celebration, and the regular cast of neighborhood characters keeps things genuinely lively.

indian restaurant

Rasika

633 D St NW

Serious Indian cooking in a handsome room where the kitchen clearly thinks about every plate—go if you want to actually taste what you're eating, not just eat something familiar.

indian restaurant

Diya Indian Cuisine

218 N Lee St

Someone looking for genuine Himalayan and Nepalese cooking—not the sanitized version—should head here. The kitchen respects traditional recipes while the Old Town location means you can walk off dinner through cobblestone streets.

indian restaurant

Haandi Indian Cuisine

1222 W Broad St

This spot serves the kind of Indian food that makes you understand why people have strong opinions about their neighborhood restaurant. Go if you want to eat well without pretension.

indian restaurant

India Curry House

3181 Wilson Blvd

If you want to actually taste what you're eating instead of just feeling the heat, this is where someone who knows Indian food comes to remember why they fell in love with it in the first place.

indian restaurant

Indique Heights

2 Wisconsin Cir

This spot does contemporary Indian cooking with real skill—go if you want familiar dishes executed better than you'd expect, or if you're ready to try something beyond the standard curry house rotation.