Tyler Cowen's Ethnic Dining Guide

Saravana Palace, web site, 11725 Lee Highway, #A15, Fairfax, VA, 703-218-4182, one light west of Fairfax Wegman’s, turn into the strip mall, directions on web site (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | MenuPages | Happy Cow | Don Rockwell]

Go for the weekend lunch buffet, which has both better items and a broader selection. Right now this is the best southern Indian, or Indian vegetarian place around. The largest selection of dosas and related items, such as Pesarat. Great okra. Yogurt rice. Carrot dishes. Every vegetable dish is first-rate. Raises the bar for all other Indian vegetarian places. Go, go, go. Excellent for people-watching as well.

Here is a good Washingtonian chat about the place.

Mehak, web site, 7716 Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA, 703-573-8076 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Falls Church News-Press | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | Yelp], also a DC location: 817 7th Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-408-9292 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Yelp]

Update August 13, 2006: Mehak is closed.

A good Indian restaurant, believe it or not they used to serve Italian food also. Not the area's best, but good enough to enjoy, with a good branch in DC too.

Amma Vegetarian Kitchen, web site, 344-A Maple Avenue East, Vienna, VA, 703-938-5328, Chain Bridge Road, just across from Outback Steakhouse (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp]

Also in Georgetown, 3291 M Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-625-6625 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot]

Strictly Indian, strictly vegetarian, mostly dosas. Excellent channa (chickpeas). This place significantly ups the options for Vienna dining. I’ve never tried the Georgetown branch.

Saran Foods, 5151 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA, 703-533-3600 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [City Paper | Yelp]

Very cheap south Indian food, larger than usual selection of dosas. A hole in the wall, but worth a visit.

Update June 1, 2006: A commenter reports that they've moved a few doors away to 5177 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA

Sangam, web site, 1211 N. Glebe Road, at Washington Blvd., Arlington, VA, 703-524-2728 (in the Comfort Inn Ballston) (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [WaPo | City Paper | openlist]

Above-average Indian, though more costly than many. Has both North and South Indian dishes. Draws a very white crowd. Has many loyal fans. I have no complaint with the place, but somehow I don’t feel compelled to go back.

Nirvana, web site, 1810 K Street NW, Washington, DC, 202-223-5043 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | openlist | Gayot]

Excellent South Indian dishes and most Gujarati vegetarian dishes. It is from the people who once brought you Swagat’s, near the University of Maryland. Not everything on the buffet will be good, but the best dishes are superb and original, not what you find elsewhere in the area. You will always feel that this place is not as good as it might have been, but anyone who likes Indian food should have this in their repertoire.

Woodlands, 8046 New Hampshire Avenue, at University Blvd., Hyattsville, MD, 301-434-4202 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp | Gayot] also located in Fairfax, in the mall where Germantown Rd hits the K-Mart, just off of Rt. 29, 4078 Jermantown Road, Fairfax, VA, 703-385-1996 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Yelp]

Finally Fairfax has top-rate dosas. The Maryland branch has now overtaken Udupi with the Indian crowd, although the menus are almost the same. Fairfax branch not quite as good but still excellent. The kind of food is simply hard to beat. Be grateful that you can get it at all. There is one lentils dish, with vegetables, comes with a side order of yogurt, it is my favorite here.

Udupi Palace, web site, 1329 University Boulevard East, Takoma Park, MD, 301-434-1531 (Metro Trip Planner - opens in new window) [Washingtonian | WaPo | City Paper | food-plan | openlist | Citysearch | Gayot]

A great place. Southern Indian food in profusion. Goes well beyond the usual dosa places. The food is an entire level better, and the selection is far more extensive. A real treat. I especially recommend any kind of dosa, the Pesarat, the vegetable dishes, and the yogurt rice. By the way, the Latino music shop next door has some good stuff that is not available in your local Tower.

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.