Passage To India

Had lunch today.catered by Passage. Cannot say enough about this restaurant. Excellent quality food. Love their goat curry, chicken with spinach, Famous Bengali dish poopy seed paste with vegetables, Chana dal. Not to mention mustard salmon. Just mouthwatering food. Not oily like most catered food. Definitely going back there to watch again

Amazing food. Lovely ambiance. The food was fresh and tasted good. The owner was welcoming and cater to all the needs.

Beautiful place, tasty food and beautiful people serving you here. Though it was late for us to arrive there and their kitchen was about to close, they were very courteous and welcoming.

Very good food at reasonable prices. We were there on a Monday that was unusually busy and they were a bit shorthanded. The waiter forgot to bring a second glass of wine for one of us until after the food was gone, and then the milk for the after-dinner coffee was sour, but the waiter took so long to check on us that we didn't feel like another cup, we just wanted to leave at that point.

I'm going 4 starts because the food was an excellent value and the short staff explains the inattentiveness. There are a lot of Indian restaurants in the region and this one's food is in the top 20% while the prices are below average, so I would try them again.

Exquisitely delicious food and good friendly service. We ordered Tandoori scallops and it was cooked to perfection. Squid was good and so was the eggplant. Main courses were the tastiest. Chicken tikka masala was the bomb! All those spices just blends so well and really tickles your palate. Chicken cilantro was just as good and the lamb was good too but I most likely won't order it again next time.

Place was almost perfect. It could have used a little bit of music. They were busy but they also immediately asked for patience and understanding which I thought was really nice of them. Great experience. Will be back!

Just finished my meal here, and it was as tasty as I was expecting it to be. Started off with the Sev Murmura Chaat, a cold rice dish served with a lentil cracker bowl. It was a bit too spicy for my tolerance, but great flavors nonetheless. I got the Aloo Phoolkopir Dalna as my entree, a cauliflower and potato mixture with spices, cumin and ginger. Served with basmati rice and a salad, with a side order of fresh naan (came out warm and fluffy).

The dish was fantastic, and I ate every bite. I ended the meal with rice kheer, a light rice pudding with grapes/raisins (?) and slivered almonds. It was cold and milky with great flavors. Different than any other rice pudding I've had.

This place is a hidden gem and the place has been consistently good for years. Really on par with some of the top DC Indian restaurants - if you've been to Rasika or Bombay Club - check this place out, and from a food perspective, you will not be disappointed in terms of flavor - all at a lower price point.

Great food, albeit service is a bit lacking. Lots of eclectic options plus favorites.

Just got food delivered via grub hub which was very fast, like 30 mins The food was good but it's better in the restaurant.

Tried this out after passing it a few times. I ordered the naan. Both plain and garlic. It was above average and worth the cost. I also got the samosas, I highly recommend. For the main course I got lamb biryani which was above average. I would opt for a curry dish however. I also got papas which was amazing compared to the others I have tried. It had a hospitable environment and the order was enough for me and my dining companion as, the portions were above generous. I will be back very soon!

Always great! Been coming for 10+ years. Buttered chicken is my favorite and is always consistent.

Have been here multiple times over the years. Only once have I had a dry piece of chicken or beef, and tonivht was not that time. Even in COVID, this restaurant puts out high quality Indian cuisine.

First time ordering from Passage to India. I wanted something with a little kick to go with some Riesling I opened last night, and was super excited to see that they had goat curry. Said curry arrived promptly on time from GrubHub, and wow! It is really, really good. Beautiful spice aromas, lots of meat, just the right amount of heat. This exceeded my expecations and I will definitely be ordering from here again.

We arrived and we saw a lot of delivery guys waiting in reception, we wait for a couple of minutes and we were seated, but it took forever to get the food, (I think they need more employees) I ate bohri murgi style bohras of yemeni and it was delicious and my husband ate tandoori chicken and he liked it too. The prices were okay.

After a brief closure during the start of the lockdowns, me and my dining companion's long-time favorite Bethesda stalwart for world-class fine Indian cuisine reopened as strong as ever! While quieter than usual in the dining room due to the post-lockdown restrictions on the number of indoor diners (they also have a handful of patio tables for outdoor dining), Passage to India has been a classy oasis of delicious normalcy and calm amidst the Covid-19 mess. (Note that they now close on Tuesdays for the hardworking team's much-deserved day off.) Thanks to the conscientious and tireless efforts of Chef/Owner Sudhir Seth's team of new-to-P2I (previously of sister restaurant, Spice Xing) Chef Hari Ram and General Manager Raj Dhakal, the food is vibrant as ever while the service has maintained its elite standing--even as GM Dhakal has been flying solo among the service staff while also serving as the main person to process the numerous takeout orders (many conveniently driving to the front of the restaurant for contactless pick-up).

In our case, we enjoy dining in, including my DC's Birthday Parade for which GM Dhakal made sure we were pampered with amazing food and service! During the past half year, three dishes in particular have made a tremendous impression on us: METHI MURGHI (Fenugreek Chicken) - Fragrant and dark green with an abundance of the namesake savory herb that gives Tandoori Chicken its signature aroma, this new dish has become a new favorite for us along with the Bohri Murgh (Mint-Cilantro Chicken Curry) to pair as the "Yin" to the "Yang" of the next dish. GOAT & TURNIP CURRY - The long-standing signature dish has gotten a little tweak thanks to Chef Ram's personal touch.

Now requesting it as "Indian spicy, " we love the fuller-bodied texture of the tomato-based curry that now features a slightly tart kick to enhance the spiciness as well as balance its richer flavor. For the aforementioned celebration, we enjoyed it with a Taj Mahal lager for the perfect pairing! KESARI RASMALAI - Always having enjoyed their signature Kheer (Rice Pudding), we were wowwed when (re)introduced by GM Dhakal to this showstopping dessert of moist milk dumplings in a gently-sweet saffron-based milk sauce. Generous with the luxurious spice, its delicately floral aroma and striking hue add to the total enjoyment of this lovely dish that soothes the palate following a fiery feast of curries!

All in all, we are so happy that Passage to India is continuing to set the standard in cuisine and service through the current turbulent times. While delivery is certainly a fine way to support local businesses (and Indian cuisine is one of the best in standing up to travel), the middle-men charges of delivery apps have made it nearly unprofitable for restaurants to go through this inevitable route. Thus, take-out is a far better method, or better yet, dining in or outdoors at the restaurant to maximally enjoy the glory of P2I's impeccable food!

Forgot to update since my last update a month ago: Passage to India is open again (for pick-up and delivery via DoorDash) - hooray! Menu favorites are available - be sure to check on the web-based menu or call them directly. Food is as fresh and as tasty as ever, and these guys are working *very* hard to service their customers while the pandemic rages on.

I had a unique dinning experience last night at passage to India restaurant. I was literally taken on a trip to East India. I recommend if you have a taste for authentic Indian cuisine Good Service Very Courteous and Friendly Staff Wheelchair Accessible Entrance Restroom

I mean wow. Pure wow. This restaurant gets my upmost highest rating. The food was exquisite and the service was superb. Every detail and flavor was well thought out. I recommend the khazanas, which stands for treasures and a plethora of them. It includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. You can pick between badshahi (lamb and chicken), begumi (vegetarian) and samudri (seafood).

I got the begumi. They brought out papad (toasted lentil crispies) with three dipping sauces when they brought out my wine (of course I ordered wine. This is a work trip after all so necessary). The three dipping sauces were a variety of bold flavors: sweet with tamarind, spicy and cooling with raita (yogurt). Next course was the appetizer, which included a samosa (fried triangle pocket of curry, potatoes and peas) and a salad with warm potatoes on top with a delightfully sour and balanced dressing.

The main event was impressive, coming out on a silver tray with six small containers, four entree samples and two with a cucumber salad and carrot pachadi (grated carrots in seasoned yogurt). I have no idea what I ate as the four entrees but here is a guess: saag paneer (spinach with non-melting Indian cheese), something with lentils, something spicy and something sweet.

I know. I should have asked what they are called but you know I would never be able to remember nor spell it. It also came with basmati rice and naan. Last course was rice pudding and I was stuffed. The servers were attentive but not hovering. You had just a few moments in between courses to relish the dishes. Best restaurant I have been to in a long time.

My only regret is that I didn't find this place any sooner. Everything - from the tasteful atmosphere invoking India's rich history to the variety of cuisine on offer - is exemplary. I particularly enjoy how the menu is categorised by which region of India that it hails from, thus speaking to the sophistication of such a large and diverse country. In many ways, dining at Passage to India is more of an experience than a mere meal. This is my go-to restaurant for Indian food. I need not know of any other.

Beautiful ambience. Vegetarian Thali was average but Non vegetarian Thali was good. Prices are On the higher side. One time visit for me as there are better places with good food and reasonable pricing in the DMV area.

We really liked the food. Ordered samosa chat and fritters for starters and they were delicious. For main course we ordered kadai paneer and palak paneer with kulchas and naans. All of them tasted great. Kadai paneer was not on the menu but the bearer informed us when we were looking for paneer options. If you can update the menu it will be helpful for others.

It was very nice restaurant! Quiet, artistic, and good lights. The food were excellent, pretty good portions, and very friendly servers! I had very good time with my husband for date night

The first Indian restaurant I ever tried was called "A Passage to India", so I was excited to check out this similarly named spot. Unfortunately, it was nothing like my hometown restaurant. The decor is beautiful and the service is fantastic, but it ends there. On a Thursday at lunchtime, the place was empty and I know why. I ordered the lunch special of lamb mughlai korma with lentils, rice, salad, soup, naan, and rice pudding.

The only thing I liked was the rice pudding, and I don't really eat rice pudding, so that says a lot. Everything else was super bland. The main dish of lamb mughlai korma had no heat, even though it was marked as spicy on the menu. If it even had black pepper in it, I'd be shocked. There was a decent amount of lamb in it. The rice pudding was fragrant and delicious, though, so if you do come, definitely get that. The lunchtime deal is great because you get so much food. But none of it is good, so it was a waste of money. I'd go somewhere else for Indian.

Three and a half stars. They pretty it up with decor and polite service. They're not too busy at lunch or dinner, and the wait's fairly short for takeout too-- online ordering discount if you're shopping over the $20 worth of noms. Complimentary papadum and chutneys are okay. Mint lassi comes in a conservative tom collins glass, but is tasty (and I haven't seen many places serve it). Naan's on the thinner, firmer side, and their rice is healthy with a side of cabbage salad. Skip the sev-murmura chaat, the tamarind sauce soaks into the puffed rice so quickly.

Black lentils are hearty, and their meat dishes are portioned just right while tender and flavorful. Dark chicken korma was fine. Shalgam goat curry was good, mostly vertebrae pieces with a few lower ribs in my portion. So far the lamb dishes have been the favorite, with a preference for kosha mangsho over the roganjosh. Future hit list: samosa chaat, kashmiri gosht korma, panchphorner parmal shaak, mangalorean lamb stew, baingan mirchi ka salan, salli boti jardaloo.

(4.5 stars) Had a lovely dinner experience here last weekend. Everything we shared was top-notch including the samosa chaat appetizer, our main dishes, the jam-e-gul dessert, and the garlic nan. Also, I really enjoyed the authenticity of the restaurant, both in its decor and its menu. I have to say, I actually learned some things about Indian cuisine from eating here.

Although it was great, I wasn't the biggest fan of my main entree, bohri murgi. It wasn't at all spicy as our waiter had advertised and the flavors didn't really pop off the dish. Rather, it was a bit bland, the consistency mushy, and the flavors subtle. Nevertheless, I couldn't help from rushing to take the next bite. Not the dish I expected but one I would happily order again.

I highly recommend getting the samosa chaat. The presentation and combination of flavors was lovely. A potato and pea samosa served atop a bed of chick peas with yogurt and tamarind chutney drizzled throughout. Definitely recommend sharing one! And, the garlic nan was hot, fresh, fluffy and perfect. The jam-e-gul dessert (essentially gulab jamun) was served with two pieces, both of which were super tasty. Loved the syrup base and the almonds on top were a nice touch. A great option for sharing and finishing off a delicious dinner.