Minerva
Minerva, web site, 10364 Lee Highway, Fairfax, VA, 703-383-9200 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Citysearch]
Other locations:
- 2443-GI Centreville Road, Herndon, VA, 703-793-3223 [Gayot]
- 14513-B Lee Jackson Memorial Hwy, Chantilly,VA, 703-378-7778
- 4305 State Bridge Road, Alpharetta, GA, 678-566-7444
The best. Amazing buffet for lunchtime, weekend lunch is when you should go. Real Indian food, north and south. Truly spicy. The best are the dishes that look weird or unusual. Use the chutneys. Use the curd rice. Experiment. One of the best places on this list if you know how to choose from the buffet properly. Buffet spicier, and more interesting, on the weekends. (Non-buffet) dinner is also excellent, though sometimes a bit slow. Opt for their unusual dosas and south Indian specialties. Great for people-watching, especially at lunch.
You’ll notice they have some Chinese dishes, which mimic how Chinese food is served in India. The peppered chicken is best. Indians love these, they are evidence of how authentic the restaurant is, not the contrary.
Comments
Based on Tyler's recommendation, I had lunch at Minerva the last time I visited Northern Virginia. I think I sampled most everything that looked interesting. I was very impressed. Good service and good selection. I already have a trip planned for DC in the summer and will be going back to Minerva.
Posted by: Lewis | May 2, 2006 08:35 AM
I love this place! I'm only sad that the last two times I went, (Fairfax and Herndon locations) they didn't have my favorite Butter Chicken on the buffet.
They've been around for at least a decade on Lee Highway and still going strong. Every single Indian developer at my old firm ate there, which just goes to show you how authentic it is.
Posted by: mapgirl | May 24, 2006 09:17 PM
I've been eating at Minerva for quite a few years now and it's always been excellent. Now I need to try the new vegetarian restaurant - Saravana Palace in the Lee Plaza on Lee Highway in Fairfax to see how it compares with the food at Minerva's.
Posted by: Tony | September 11, 2006 12:02 PM
I went when it first opened in Farifax many years ago and was not impressed. I also went to one the in Herndon shortly after in opened and was also not impressed. Thus I avoided it for years. Then I finally went back and was very impressed. My wife, kid, and I go about once a week for the lunch buffet (living only a little more than a mile away helps). I love the indo-chinese stuff. My fav. exeperience was going on Christmas day. We were the only non-Indians in the entire place and it was wall to wall packed. I called it the Bombay simulator. Great place!
Posted by: jeff | October 13, 2006 11:30 PM
I've been to both the Fairfax and Chantilly branches numerous times and I've always found the Fairfax dishes fresher and more aggressively seasoned.
Posted by: Aaron S | April 29, 2008 10:30 AM
First time my Indian husband and I went to Minerva's (Chantilly location) it was Thanksgiving, and I was the only white person there. Delicious! We were both very pleased with the quality of the food & the variety. Among our favorites were the chilli chicken (hard to find in the US) and the sambhar. We now go once every few weeks for the lunch buffet on weekends - and every friend we've dragged along has loved it.
Posted by: Gori Girl | May 21, 2008 06:09 PM
I've only been to the Herndon location. The buffet is usually great. The thali dinner is delicious but too much; if you eat the things that don't keep well and enough of the rest to be sated you'll probably be left with a good lunch. The only real downside: service is very slow, so wait until you're not in a hurry.
Posted by: Kat | June 19, 2008 12:06 AM
hate to rain on this parade, but tried minerva this weekend and was not blown away...the food was well spiced, but the quality and selection were disappointing--one chicken dish, one goat dish (no lamb!), both more bone than meat.
the food was on the greasy side. the fish was past its prime. the fruit in the dessert was clearly from a can. for 15 bucks you could do a lot better at delhi club or indique heights...
Posted by: a-train | July 1, 2008 12:09 PM
There are tons of good Indian restaurants around the Northern Virginia area, but this place, IMHO, is the best of the lot. I've only been once, however, so "test-retest reliability" is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, the selection was unparalleled (this was for the Saturday lunch buffet), and, barring a couple of entrees (and the dessert), the quality was very, very good. As others have noted, they have "Indian-Chinese" (otherwise known as "Ludhiana Chinese") and South Indian entrees in addition to the usual North Indian entrees--so, basically, three different types of cuisine.
Overall, very highly recommended.
Not that this necessarily qualifies me as an expert, but I'm Indian and tend to eat Indian food a lot (though I can't cook to save my life).
Posted by: gmu shmoo | November 20, 2008 08:38 PM
Minerva is great but only the Herndon location at the clock tower shopping center. The one in Fairfax seems to keep changing chefs and recipes for the same thing. Everytime I do their the ginger chicken keeps changing in flavor and texture.
Posted by: sas0mi | March 8, 2009 08:36 PM