About a 2.5: Masala Express is a small Indian eatery that's mostly a carry-out, but there are about 3 small tables in which you can sit down and eat. The mother who runs the cashier up at the front is extremely sweet and very personable! This place seems to also be family-owned and run, so that was cool to see! The menu offers biryani, tandoori entrees, chicken/lamb/seafood/vegetarian entrees, and some desserts. Getting the meal was a little on the slower end, as they seem to prepare everything once the order is put in. I had the Butter Chicken and my husband tried their Chicken Tikka Masala. Both came in a plastic disposable container, and it also came with a substantial-sized styrofoam cup of basmati rice. The Butter Chicken had slightly less of a tang, but both tomato sauces tasted pretty much the same. The Tikka Masala had chunks of red onions and bell peppers, so if you like your veggies, you might enjoy this. We both weren't fans of the basmati rice as it was a little undercooked, and the side of the naan bread (regular naan (slightly burnt), garlic naan (not much butter/minced garlic), and the roti (chewy); additional charge) were all more on the chewy side. I saw some of the patrons picking up supposedly a 'specialty' of theirs, the pumpkin curry, so I would like to maybe try that out in the future. I'm glad I was able to check this place out, though! +friendly and personable mother at the front +more of a carry-out than a sit-down read more

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Where do I begin.......I ordered chicken roganjosh take away and, to quote Gordon Ramsey, "this chicken is raaaaaw!" That's enough to never return but the saga continues......garlic naan looked great on top-lots of garlic-the underside was black and it all tasted burned. The sauce was just a puddle of oil on top and inedible whether it had raw chicken in it or not. I was fuming and hangry as I hadn't eaten a damn thing in 9 hours! Biggest waste of time, I went out of my way to come here-shame on me! -And money ($13- and I took one bite since I quickly discovered the chicken was raw)! I will never return here and I'm hoping I don't get food poisoning on top of not getting to eat dinner tonight. read more

Masala Express - Garlic naan - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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This place is hit or miss. Tikki chicken masala and paneer was good. The portion size is great. The rice pudding had such an awful flavor I think something went wrong with our batch like disinfectant fell in or something but it got tossed. I could not stand the rice. It had dried seed pods in it that just felt like you're chewing sunflower seed shells in your rice. I would probably go back but only for the popular items. read more

I ordered online through yelp and received my order within 15 minutes (restaurant is ~1 mile away from my apartment). Pros: The portion size was on-par with all the other Indian restaurants serving Chicken Tikka Masala in the area. The food arrived fast and the order was correct. I didn't receive any utensils, but I was eating at home so it was't a problem. The garlic naan was large and delicious. Cons: The sauce was SUPER runny and more spicy than Tikka Masala I'm used to getting in the area. The chicken was dark meat and some of it was really chewy. The rice was good, but when you order it through yelp it doesn't say your dish comes with rice (I just correctly assumed it did). Overall it's a decent place to order Indian food from, but it's not anything special. read more

I eat here every week and you should do. Consistant flavors, good prices, and tasty. I posted a pic of the menu, front and back - order from that, don't even try to use their web site. It's in a tiny shopping center near the corner of Pershing and Washington. If you're heading down Pershing toward Arlington Blvd, it's on the right after you cross over Washington. Turn right into the second parking lot. I always get the vegetable samosa with chole. Nice size, flaky, a little spicy, with a dollop of chole on top. Use some of the green sauce on it. The butter chicken isn't adventurous I know, but it's savory, tender, and deelish. I also get the baingan bharta - silky roasted eggplant in some kinda sauce, a little spicy and very good. The accompanying rice is good too. Call ahead and pick up in 15-20 mins. read more

Masala Express - Back of menu - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

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Great place if you're craving some quick Indian cuisine to take home! Tiny place, although they have a couple of dining tables - not really intended to dine there. Take out portions are decent size. Would most likely come back since it's nearby. I don't eat Indian food as often but can't go wrong with Chicken Tikka Masala! read more

Masala Express - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Ordered palak paneer and naan for kids on our stay during DC visit. Naan was great. But palak paneer could use more cooking. It has raw kasoori methi flavor. I think would have other better stuff. Will give them try again if visiting DC. read more

Stopped by for a quick meal on a Saturday night; we ate there, but there are only a couple tables and it's definitely meant to be a take out spot (everything was served in take-out containers). The place seems to be family-owned, which is always nice to see! We got the butter chicken, chicken korma, and naan. Our total was about $23 (pre-tip). I will preface the review of the food by saying that we love Indian food; it is a favorite and we eat it a lot. That being said, we were not very excited by our food here. The dishes were creamy and rich, but had little depth of flavor or spice. They were actually both pretty bland. The butter chicken tasted more like a creamy tomato bisque, and, while I like tomato bisque, I do not want my curry to taste like it. The very reason I love Indian food so much is because of the flavorful spices! The chicken dishes also had a few chunks of chicken, but no veggies. $9-10 is a pretty good value for Indian dishes, but it was really mostly sauce here. Overall, this is a decent place to grab a quick, pretty inexpensive meal, but if you are in the mood for Indian, there are much better places in the area. read more

Masala Express - Butter chicken + chicken korma - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Ordered delivery on a Monday night and was impressed at the speed and accuracy of delivery. I chose the butter chicken and lamb korma due to the reviews here and did not regret it in the slightest. Both were not very spicy but had good flavor. The naan I ordered was yummy as well. Everything was hot and delicious and packed in easy to manage containers (easy to pop the leftovers in the fridge as well). Highly recommend! read more

We've loved Masala Express for many years. The prices have risen quite a bit from the early days, but it's still very good.

This place... totally fulfilled ALL OF MY INDIAN FOOD cravings!!!!!!!!!!!! Omg. How in the world did I find this little hole in the wall in Arlington? Well. A few steps led me to this amazing Indian restaurant (more like a takeout/delivery Indian joint located in a small shopping strip). I had an appointment at Zapatat (they moved location guys) for laser hair removal (painful but totally worth it, I will do a review on Zapatat hair removal shortly). Before I could find Zapatat, I saw Masala Express and thought to myself, "hmmmmmmm I need Indian food in my life." Luckily I was very hungry so decided to go for it, as I was waiting to be seen at Zapatat, I called Masala Express to put an order in for pick up: butter chicken (extra spicy please) and garlic naan. The guy that answered was very nice (contrary to what others have said on yelp) and it took like 2 minutes to order. He told me the food would be ready in 20 minutes. So I got my treatment at Zapatat within 20 minutes (score!) and walked right over (the walk took 1 min). I paid ($13 something) and picked up my order. Now fast forward to when I got back to DC (14 minute lyft ride, yasssss!) and devoured my meal. Omgoodness guys. I was in Indian food heaven, actually I still am since I just finished my meal 5 minutes ago! The portions were large! The butter chicken came with a side of rice and the garlic naan was fluffy, garlicky and huge. The butter chicken, chicken slow cooked with spices, butter, tomato sauce, and cream -- really made my day. It tastes like it came from one of my auntie's kitchen. The meat was tender and full of flavors from the spices. Absolutely a must order here. The garlic naan tasted just like it came out of the oven and it was so garlicky and delicious. A must order as well. I'm so full and happy and wanted to make sure I wrote a review right away because this place deserves it. The food tastes just like my aunties' food (I love having Indian friends -- all of their moms are great cooks!). You should definitely check it out. Don't let the fact that it is a little hole in the wall discourage you. TRUST ME. read more

So I was walking by and stopped in and ordered the chicken saag, soooo good I'm a huge cumin fan so this was great for me. I also tried the mango lassi it had some spices I wasn't accustomed to but I still liked it. This place is like a little hidden gem and decently priced! I'll be stop by again for my lunch break sometime soon read more

Very good Indian food and good value. Wasn't greasy like some places. I will be coming back.

Given that we weren't able to try the food here, this really merits no stars. Yelp listed the restaurant as open, and we were able to place an order through Grub Hub. The order was confirmed, and we were told when it was ready for pick-up. Not sure how, since the restaurant was closed when we got there. read more

Yummy! Great home-cooked Indian food. Generous portions, reasonable prices. What's not to like? We ordered the Chole and Vegetable Biryani. Chole had excellent depth of flavors and just the right kick. Biryani was light and fluffy and quite spicy (a good thing). We will be back. read more

Quick, casual Indian restaurant that specializes in take-out food; good food, good prices. It's hard to find good Indian food in Rosslyn, and my friend and I were looking for somewhere quick and cheap. We found Masala Express online and decided to give it a try. The service was very friendly and also quite quick. This is a very casual place that mostly does take-out, so seating was pretty limited, but we grabbed a table outside to enjoy the warm weather and sunset. The portions were good, and the food was delicious. We had the palak paneer - which was very creamy, but light on the paneer - and the chana dall - a plethora of chickpeas in a savory sauce. The food fortunately came with equal parts rice. Between the two of us we finished the palak paneer and chana dall in no time, along with half the rice. I will definitely go back next time I get a craving for Indian food! read more

Masala Express - Chana dall and palak paneer, along with rice - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

You get what you pay for, cHeap but bad taste plus there is this mean old guy working

4 after the last visit. I understand it can get busy but you shouldnt be picking up phones and taking orders when there are customers waiting to be handed food that is sitting behind the counter anyway, tried the lamb korma this time. sauce was great with a little kick, but the lamb im pretty sure was beef...will stick with chicken from now on as usual, served with plenty of rice and also ordered garlic naan which is my favorite around here read more

Most tasteless north indian food. Ordered dal makhani and palak paneer. Both were horrible, tastes like 3 day old and has no flavor at all. Dont waste you time. Its for foreigners that cant eat even a little bit of spice or salt. Very dirty place and no space to sit. I wonder how there kitchen is in the back. I wont be surprised if they have roaches and rats since place dosent have a rating yag on the door. Offcorse service is with a straight face, no smile or gesture. Guy trying to do his job with least effort. AND toilet has a big tape saying "out of order" but it's a functional restroom. Just to deter people from using it. So they want you to come eat and pay but not use their restroom...funny.. Try something else... read more

Fantastic value; never had anything on the menu that was bad. All-around one of my favorite places in Arlington.

It was very yummy and authentic Indian food. I had veggie creamy curry and butter chicken with garlic nahn. :) read more

Masala Express - It was a great and yummy Indian food. I had veggie creamy curry and butter chicken. :) - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

I was looking for a place to replace the quickie Indian take-out that had been in Ballston Mall and had noticed this place from the street. Being inside made me less hopeful due to the interior and the busted bathroom (that was taped up), but what was worse is that the three people working there failed to look up or even acknowledge me being there. Instead they spent all of their time on the phones, which were ringing off the hook. They kept passing around the phone and basically yelling at whoever was on the line that they didn't understand them. There's no way to order online, and if this is how they treat folks who are there in person, forget it! Good luck getting thru on the phone. Perhaps that is a sign of quality, but from the reviews, seems like it is the sad fact there is little competition. read more

I really like this family run place. It is exactly what it should be for a small takeout Indian restaurant: good food, reasonable prices, relatively fast. There are about three tables in the restaurant, but I have only once seen people eating there. We frequently call in an order and pick it up. The family that owns and operates the restaurant is always there, including their hard working son who can't be older than middle school but takes orders and runs the register like a pro. Bharta (eggplant), Chole (chickpeas - and the owner will tell you is not "chana"), and saag are all very good. Naan is hot and fresh. Entrees are about $9-$10 each. Two thumbs up! read more

Lamb curry was more of a gravy then a curry, very runny. Small pieces of lamb, not the usual larger pieces like at other Indian restaurants and the meat quality was OK at best. Overall, not a good dish. At least the garlic naan was good... read more

Me and my girlfriend got an order of samosas, garlic naan, chicken roganjosh, and palak paneer. Everything was so good and flavorful! The chicken was cooked just right, the sauce was a perfect blend between creamy and spicy. Advanced Indian spices according to my Indian friend. The palak paneer had a harmonious balance between the healthful spinach and cheesy chunks of paneer. Topped off with some fantastic samosas and to die for garlic naan (I could sleep on a bed of that garlic naan, it was so fluffy and there was so much of it). I've been going to this place for years now and have a great relationship with the owner and his family. A wonderful establishment and what I believe to be Arlington's finest Indian cuisine. read more

Small family business that has a lot of love in what they're making. Chana day was mildly spiced, palak paneer has a lot of cheese; tandoori chicken wasn't dry, naan was so fresh and crispy !!! Overall it's a great fast stop if you're hungry and want something fresh and tasty for the fair price!!! read more

I really enjoy the food here, but cannot give 5 stars due to the appearance of the store. Even though I always get it to go, I can't help but wonder what the condition of the kitchen looks like. The customer facing portion of the restaurant is U-G-L-Y, and just gives the impression of being unclean. The owner isn't super friendly either. But again, absolutely love the food. If you're looking for a sit down experience, go to Delhi Club in Clarendon. read more

Undercooked, underseasoned. Exactly what Indian food is not supposed to be. Do 1.7 billion people a favor and don't use a meal here as a benchmark for Indian food. read more

Lamb Roganjosh and Garlic Naan was amaaaazing! I highly recommend to try this place out, food was quick too!

I feel I have to update my review now that I've experienced the other side of Masala Express. Having picked it up previously, my experience with their delivery service was a one hundred eighty degree difference. You know when you order food and they tell you it's going to be an hour? You think to yourself, "OK, I can last an hour." Then an hour passes, an hour and twenty minutes pass. Then time becomes a blur. Centuries pass and the void between hunger and madness is no longer a gaping chasm but a thin veil breached by the mere utterance of food. You call the establishment and they tell you the driver is on his way. Is he though? The restaurant is only five minutes away and it's been ten since you called. Then twenty. Then you realize they asked you to tip while you were ordering and not upon delivery. Then you get angry. @#$% this place. read more

10 STARS if possible! The curry that this place cooks up is INCREDIBLE!! OUTSTANDING Indian curry. Very highly recommend this place!! We have been in search of flavorful Indian curry, comparable to only the best, for the past two and a half years. To think that this place has been right down the street. The butter chicken is incredible and this cannot be emphasized enough. The flavor greatly exceeded our expectations and it is extremely difficult to fight our craving for the curry. THE CURRY!! Seriously, we're having this for dinner almost every night now. It really bursts with flavor and all that yummy spice-e-ness. The lamb rogan josh was the husband's and although it was equally amazing, it's not my thing. The butter chicken curry is my thing! Still, also very flavorful and I wouldn't turn it down if it was the best dish being served up. The naan. Best naan in Arlington. Best naan in VA for sure. Best naan we've had in the states (so far). The fresh garlic is a wonderful treat as well...just wish they had geese naan too! Bottom line: If you think you know good Indian food, try this dish and this place. If you've been wanting to try great Indian food, this is an ideal place to start. Prices aren't too bad either. $32 read more

The food is *very* inconsistent. Always a hit or miss. I personally do not like the way the owner makes the food, so I only order on the weekends. He seems to hire cooks during this time and only works at the counter. During the week, I ordered the Tikki Masala spicy. The owner said it doesn't taste good spicy, so he didn't make it that way..really?? But that's what I ordered. There is always a little boy at the counter who seems unenthusiastic and just plain does not want to be there. If I were his age, I wouldn't either. Hope they are aware of child labor laws here in America. read more

I just wrote a review of Sacrificial Lamb, a great, inexpensive, Indian delivery place in DC. I was out in VA hanging out with a friend at her place in Rosslyn when we decided to do delivery Indian for dinner to save ourselves from the frigid cold weather outside. I knew Sacrificial Lamb wouldn't deliver, and yelp suggested Masala Express. The reviews looked legit, and they were significantly cheaper than any other delivery options in the area. There's no online ordering which was a little annoying, but not a big deal at all. The woman took my order easily and assured me my food would arrive in 45 min. Right within that time frame, our food showed up. That's when the real fun began. We ordered chicken tikka masala, malai kofta, aloo gobi, 2 samosas, and 2 garlic naans. I didn't realize how big portions were...each of us was only able to eat half of our entree, half our naan, and half of a samosa! All of the food was delicious - the chicken tikka was excellent, with lots of flavor. The malai kofta was based in the correct nut cream sauce (for some reason, other places in DC use a tomato based sauce which isn't right). Samosas were flaky and spiced well. The garlic naan is giant and comes with 2 slices per order, so 2 people can easily share one order. The rice also had jeera (cumin seeds) for added flavor. The aloo gobi was my least favorite, and that's mostly just because I make it at home for myself a lot and I'm used to my own spicing now. It was still delicious, just wish it was a little spicier. Highly HIGHLY recommend, and I plan on getting this everytime my bestie and I have a slumber party since they don't deliver to Logan Circle DC where I live. The food is really cheap at ~$8 per entree, and the portions can easily be two meals. Plus deliver is quick and friendly. Outside of having my aunties cook for me or putting in a lot of effort to make dinner myself, this is probably the best way to enjoy Indian at home! read more

I think they've gotten too busy for their own good. My dad and I used to get take-out here on a fairly regular basis, but on the last several visits, our orders were not ready when we were told they would be. On our most recent visit, we noticed a decline in the quality and quantity of the food. The samosas had less filling, the chicken tikka masala sauce had separated, and the rice came in a smaller container. We thought maybe they had changed cooks. We decided to give them another try last night. I called around 6pm to place an order and was put on hold. I finally gave up and hung up after holding for 7 minutes. I'm not sure if I will give them another chance. read more

PLACE IS CRAZY GOOD. Everything is really really delicious. I think it is owned/operated by a small child but I'm not complaining. He is a great businessman/boy. He gets me in and out fast. He never messes up my order and always gives me extra raita. If I'm being completely honest, one time I was there and the mom served me and screwed up my order and I was all like "Ugh. OK. where is that little boy?" I am not totally happy with where our country's at right now but I am certainly glad (in Arlington at least) that we are giving America's youth the freedom to follow their dreams. And if that little boys dream is to run the best Indian restaurant in Northern Virginia, then he is WELL on his way. read more

4.5... I seriously would have never found this place if it weren't for yelp. With my lacking hours of disposable personal time, I'm always on the lookout for affordable meals that can last me a few days during the week. I've been here at least twice already and my absolute favorite is their Lamb Vindaloo. It's the right amout of spicy and the meat is tender and delicious. The sauce is creamy and rich- just how I like it. Some of their other dishes that I've gotten are their Chicken Tikka Masala (which tends to be my staple order at any Indian restaurant) and their Chicken Curry. Quite honestly, it may be my personal ignorance, but I cannot tell the difference between the two. I ordered them at the same time and could not guess which was which. DELICIOUS and chicken was literally so soft, it was shredding in it's own stew. ;) Top all of that off with their delicious Bastami Rice and you've got yourself a meal. All pretty decent prices. Each under $10. I'm a little hesitant to try their delivery, although it would be extremely convenient. Based on other reviews, they take forever and I would hate to hate Masala Express. It's been a regular spot for me now. YUM! read more

My boyfriend and I came here one night bc of the high reviews when we happen to be looking for food in the area. We were not impressed. Service was very friendly but the wait for the food and for the quality of the food, it was not worth it. We waited 25 minutes to get our tandoori chicken and lamb kabob. We were told that everything is made fresh so that's why the wait is long. At first we were really excited and didn't mind the wait, but we quickly changed our minds right after we got our food. The lamb kabob was almost inedible. It was extremely dry and chewy! The chicken tandoori was not as juicy as I expected it to be for chicken that was cooked fresh. It was pretty dry but at least it was edible! My boyfriend and I ended up sharing the tandoori chicken and throwing away our lamb kabob. We also got their dessert and it tasted bland and ehhh. We don't usually eat Indian food but we've had good Indian food before and the food we've had at this place was not even close. To wait so long and pay a decent amount of money for food that's barely edible is inexcusable! We will not be returning to this place. read more

I ordered the fish tikka. 27 minutes later it's ready but the employee is answering calls and serving others while I see it waiting. An update or smile would be nice. Probably understaffed but I hope the food is worth it. read more

Masala Express - Fish tikka. Yeah it's pretty good - Indian Near Me - Arlington, Virginia

Fa- buuuu-las samosas! Perfectly-spiced pea and aloo (potato) filling, flaky pastry, made fresh while we waited (outside, socially-distanced from the other fans of this unpretentious hideaway restaurant anxious for their Indian food fix). Great way to begin any meal, Indian or not. Four stars only because Masala Express doesn't offer a chicken tikka samosa option! Possible Post-Pandemic menu addition? read more

Ordered delivery on Sunday night at 7pm. When we called to put in the order, we were told that it would take 40-50min. HOWEVER, our food eventually arrived after almost TWO HOURS. The restaurant did a horrible job at estimating their service/delivery time. If they were busy and would take longer than normal, they could have told us and we could decide if we would be okay with the wait. We ordered: - vegetable biryani: the rice was overcooked and the flavor was not impressive - aloo gobhi masala: we liked this one a little better. But for the price, the portion was small - baingan bharta: another average dish If you want average food with a LONG WAIT for delivery, this is worth considering. Otherwise, TRY OTHER PLACES! read more