Ordered food for pickup. I arrived exactly at the posted pickup time. As soon as I walked in, I was greeted with 7-10 other people crammed into the entrance area waiting on their food. No one was helping. My food wasn't ready until 27 minutes after the pickup time. That's insane. I wasn't offered an apology or compensation of any form. After the whole fiasco, I got home to realize the food is just mediocre. So many better Indian restaurants in the area. Spend your time and money elsewhere. read more

My wife and I both ordered the Onion Rava Dosa. I have never had a worst meal! Wonder if the dosa was even rava (semolina) more like some sort of improvised flour batter poured on a griddle. The accompanying sambhar was a bland watered down veggie stew with no southern flavors of curry leaves or broiled mustard seeds. The chutneys served were pathetic. The tomato chutney was old and turning over. No clue what the green sauce was supped to be. I sincerely hope the management reads this and take heed. Have not tried their curries, Indo Chinese etc, so cannot comment on that. read more

(3.75) ~ Good Overall Food & Service MENU: ** Andhra Lamb Curry (Spicy) = (4.25) Very good & Rare treat ** Mango Lassi = (4) very good ** Garlic Bullet Naan = (4) very good ** Raitha = (4) very good ** Ras Malai = (4) very good * Basmati Rice = (3.75) Good * Lamb Vindaloo (Spicy) = (3.25) pretty good, but too ketchupy for me;) * Onion Kulcha = (3.25) pretty good read more

I love this place!!! The food is tasty and spicy. I LOVE, LOVE their rice pudding. They had stop including it in the lunch buffet and I asked the manager if they would it bring back and he was nice enough to do so. He said he will try to have it out every Thursday. So far rice pudding is back on the buffet menu and it has been close to two months since I asked. I think that is such a nice customer service gesture. He got my vote on that portion. Back to the food...my favorites: the okra, curry goat, there is a rice blended with chicken (oh so tasty!) and the dahl. The naan bread is good too but I try not to full up on it because I need the space for the tasty food. Chase that food with a mango lassi and you will be a contented person all day. I would recommend this restaurant in a heartbeat. The food is so good that people wait 20 minutes to be seated and this is around lunch time. read more

Great food authentic and delicious, love the Hakka noodles. Chicken with saag and their maulagatany soup

The food was excellent. Naan must be tricky to make because it is not great at a lot of places. The naan at this place was delicious. The spices in the saag paneer were perfect. The price was also reasonable. We can't wait to go back. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

We love Minerva's the food is delicious, even though one or two dishes were salty. We went when it was set up for a buffet lunch, the waitress was very attentive and made sure she kept our water glasses filled. It is always clean and the amount of items was excellent for the price of the buffet. There is usually a long line to checkout, and it's a slow process. We wish this part of the experience could improve. read more

Minerva - Yummy Indian Food - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I went there recently after I was searching Indian restaurant where serves buffet near my town for a long time. Many of them don't have it anymore after Covid-19 situation. Lucky me, I found them, The buffet was very nice and enough choices to eat. The service and inside restaurant were good. I paid for buffet around $20 with tip per one person. One thing I may concern is the female restroom was not working very well. Anyway, I will go to try them again, of course. read more

Minerva - Buffet w/butter chicken, chicken saag, chicken rice biryani, naan bread, chicken tandoori and many more++++ so yummy. - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

I've had many of their entrees and also their lunch buffett (which is now a favorite). 2 thumbs up: The vast majority of their dishes is delicious from butter chicken to chicken tikka masala to fish curry to the paneer and naan. ***You have to be careful with the lamb/goat or chicken biryani because of the bones. 1 thumb up: The chicken vindaloo was only mediocre. Ambience: Decently spacious, standard decor - this probably needs some investment to spice things up Service: Fast, efficient, pretty friendly read more

If you want some authentic delicious Indian food, this is the place. I always get butter chicken and goat curry, w/ naan and garlic naan. I did try "bullet naan," and omg...that is FIRE. It has heat so be careful if you do get it. I haven't tried their buffet, but I do plan on it. I always get carry out, due to work...but the portion they give you, its more than enough. On top of that, its damn good. read more

It was fair. Food lacked that Indian Food power of searching for so possibly not as authentic in the kitchen. Compare a few other places. Friendly enough staff. read more

Ever go to a restaurant and tell yourself that it has been too long since you had this food with a smile? Well this is how it all started. I tried everything on the buffet table. Most of the dishes I went back for seconds, it was THAT good. The waiter is not quick to fill you water, but it has that weird taste to it anyway. After leaving, I felt thirsty so I drank a whole bottle of water. It must have been the spice. As time progressed, I started feeling a growing pressure in my stomach. The pain increased linearly until I could not bear it anymore. I stopped the car and ran into the closest shopping center in search for a men's room. I found a bathroom in an Aldi. I headed straight to the toilet, opened my mouth, and food started spewing out like old faithful at Yellowstone National park. When I thought it was over, the spewing started again. After a repeat of 4 times, I washed my face and rinsed my mouth at the nearby sink. I took one more look at the toilet which had about two quarts of chewed up lamb stew and butter chicken, then I flushed. I don't think I'll be back.... read more

A regular customer, walking distance from my work place, even having average Indian buffet with higher then average prices. Today was my 3rd time in 25 days I went there after 1:30pm, noticed they are stopping replenishment of food unless you ask and food is cold, asked and waited for naan, tandoori chicken and okra, waiting 20 minutes only got 2 out of three, noticed some other customers are asking for food too. I talk to owner/manger who instead of acknowledging the problem and solve it, try to justify. One star is for hard working staff, I WILL NOT GO BACK AND DON'T RECOMMEND THIS PLACE! read more

I have been trying to go to Minerva for several months now. On a Butter Chicken whim, BP and I tried it for dinner. We both ordered the the Dinner prices vs A La Carte since we read on the menu it came with soup and other side items. Little did I know the sides were actually samples... The samples were okay: Soup of the Day (tomato), lentils, a vegetable curry (with one baby cauliflower stalk), something white and gingery (I think it was their raita-yogurt) and for dessert sample sized rice pudding (my favorite). The butter chicken was bright red-orange. This frightened me as it was so artificial looking. Well, I ate it any way. The food was piping hot, which was nice. The chicken was boneless and the chunks were medium sized. Ordering the Dinner portion also meant that my meal came with white rice (about a cup-cooked) and four pieces of naan (bread). The chicken was good, flavorful and not too spicy. The naan was great! Buttery and soft. BP ordered goat curry on my recommendation. It was horrible! It was not boneless (lamb was boneless, goat was not) and it also contained barely any meat. Seriously, we paid $14.95 Dinner price for a steaming bowl of fat. I should have taken pictures of how much meat there was compared to fat. Since I did not take a picture, I'll paint one. If I had to hold the gross goat fat in my hands I would have a whole fistful of it. The actual meat? it could fit on two table spoons. This is not an exaggeration. We also ordered one Mango Lassi and one Sweet Lassi. The Mango Lassi is worth a try. My mom makes it a lot better. The Sweet Lassi was sour! The waiter did replace it with a Mango Lassi ($2.95) and only charged me the Sweet Lassi price ($2.50). Also, the waiter was so stingy when we asked for to go boxes. It was like pulling teeth. We went home with our goat curry... just the curry (because all that was left was goat fat) maybe that was worth the $14.95 we paid for the meal. read more

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Probably had the worst experience as far as catering is concerned. We were invited to a party but found out that the store delivered half the items ordered by the host. When the host called, they weren't willing to accept their mistake and then when agreed they did an error instead of providing what was ordered they tried to fill in with another curry that the host didn't want. This was the worst customer service. read more

Minerva is a fairly decent Indian restaurant. I would recommend sticking to ordering from their South Indian dishes, as their North Indian dishes were not as flavorful and even had a bit of an odd sweet taste to them. We ordered mutter paneer, butter chicken, and malai kofta, all of which were not that great. However, the chole bhatura, masala dosa, and spring dosa were all really good! My favorites were the chole bhatura and spring dosa, both of which were super fresh and yummy. I came to Minerva for dinner with a big party, and the service was really accommodating, which was nice. However, one of our dishes came out so late that half the people at our table had finished eating their entrees. The sambar that came with the dosas we ordered were initially cold, but our waiter immediately gave us new fresh ones. Although the waiters were friendly and accommodating, it was annoying to keep asking for help with these issues. read more

Minerva - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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they're pick up system is so fast and easy! it's right in the front of the restaurant as soon as you walk in and they have it all organized and ready to go. you just say your name and the way you placed your order. ex: natalia uber eats pick up order! love this place read more

Minerva - pick up station is great! - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

It's surprising to see comments that Minerva is soooo good. There has got to be a better buffet than this place. I went this past Tuesday for the buffet. It was 11:45 and only 4 other patrons seated. They ran out of Tandoori chicken only 15 min. after opening for lunch. I waited and waited and waited. They brought out more rice. they then brought out more naan. It wasn't until 25 more minutes to bring out a fresh pan. Of course everyone was waiting so it was gone in 4 minutes. They had a SUPER limited selection for the buffet. Of which 3 were watered down soups, some breaded thinly fried onion strings. The naan was cut into strips, cold and was dried out. The only entrée items were butter chicken that had obviously watered down sauce. The chicken was tender but with cooked with NO seasoning, a lamb dish and chicken Biryani. No Saag Paneer, no vegetables. So disappointing read more

Came for lunch buffet. It's good, not great. A little pricey for what you get. The are vegetarian and meat dishes. There are dosas but not filled with anything. There is sambar and naan. Indian cuisine is not known for desserts. . The soupy thing with the fruit cocktail was pretty gross. It's $20 for the buffet. Most of the food is fresh. There were quite a few patrons but the place was not as busy as it used to be back in the day. read more

Looks like plenty of food options, but almost no vegetables. We tried several dishes, sauce are off, dishes taste bland, naan and kadai almost has no taste. Place doesn't looks clean. Prices are fair, but food flavor we didn't like. Stuff is friendly tho. read more

The food quality is so bad, all the buffet food and carry out food tastes old and not fresh. The meat is either too dry or so spicy that you cannot even eat it. The sauces are inedible. I used to love this restaurant, not anymore. So many better places now. Please read the reviews below, people have had way worse experiences. Don't waste your money. read more

I just picked up from here last night, and I had to rush back after I finished the last of my food to spill how good it is. Firstly, I placed the order and within 15 mins my food was ready. The establishment is very clean with friendly staff. If you love savory and sweet, get the malai kofta. It has a very mild spice along with the savory creamy flavor inside of the paneer, so it is a little spicy. But, it is absolutely hands down the best malai kofta I've ever had. It tastes really good paired with their garlic naan. I also got their vegetable samosas, which is honestly really good once you get past the medium spice. (If you like spicy food and aren't sensitive like me you will absolutely 10/10 love these!) Safe to say, I will be coming back here. Again and again. read more

Today was the first time back in about 3 years. I stopped going because the buffet dishes use to be drowned in oil and ghee, it was so greasy that it was inedible. Fast forward to today and was quite pleasant. Tandoori Chicken was moist, bread was warm out of the oven, salad was fresh with lettuce thinly chopped. Only critique I have is the vegetarian (forgot name) could've used more spice and the goat curry was over cooked. I plan on going back soon read more

Bug in my food never again!!!!! I paid over 16 dollars for food that had a nasty roach in it I will never be back!!!!! read more

Minerva - Bug in my food - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

DELICIOUS FOOD. Apparently, this restaurant has South Indian influence, which means a large selection of dosa. Butter chicken is fantastic. The buffet is fabulous. I'm craving it and hope the buffet doesn't end up a casualty of the draconian rules recently forced on MoCo restaurants and businesses. I find all the dosa (and I've had many) to be utterly delicious. The Gulab Juman is the best I've ever had. The service feels sort of brusque and impersonal, but once you get a conversation going with some of the staff the exchange is very pleasant. I like the owner and have had some nice chats with him. read more

We have been Minerva customers for 10+ years and ordered catering for my birthday party (about $500 worth of food) and all 15 of our guests (including us) got bad stomach cramps and diarrhea. When I told Alex at Minerva, he didn't believe me and made me submit a note from my doctor! Terrible customer service. they didn't even try to make things right. I will NEVER go there again! Arlene S. read more

I love the goat curry at Minerva. It's tasty and delicious. It is often on the buffet table.

We arrrived around 12:30. They open at 11:30. Many things were already finished at the buffet table, such as bread, dosas, onion pakora. They refilled after awhile but you have to wait for them. The chicken dishes were pretty good. The goat, which I had for the first time, was good (not great). The palak with aloo was nasty--I couldn't take a second bite. The various rice dishes were not very good or interesting. The carrot dessert was tasteless. The raita tasted very onion-y. The dosa was good. The bread was not very good. My friends who brought me there love it, but give me someplace like Jewel of India. This place is not cheaper but not nearly as nice. read more

If your in the Gaithersburg's Rockville area stop in for a spicy lunch. The price is great at $10.99 they have a good selection of traditional Indian cuisine. They keep the food coming, the Nan is ok. Lunchtime be prepared to wait for seating and a line for paying. I wish they would keep the bathroom a little cleaner and not keep mop water in the bathroom with dirty water. It just makes me wonder what the kitchen is like in the back. read more

Minerva - Lunchtime buffet is a big hit - Indian Near Me - Gaithersburg, Maryland

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Used to be our goto local restaurant during the pandemic. The wait was long but the food was fantastic. In the last month we've tried the food twice, 6 different dishes and universally the taste has been different than we were used to in a negative way. All the sauces are off, weaker and frankly just not good. Unsure how you can make a curry taste bland, but they've managed it multiple times. The vindaloo tasted like tomato paste, kadai tasted like..nothing, etc. For fairly pricey food with a 1hr+ wait time for pickup, dissappointing. read more

I ate at the Minerva Express plenty of times before and their food is delicious. Since the pandemic, the Express has closed and I tried to order food from their main location. When I called for a carry out order, I asked if I could pay over the phone and how long. The man told me he will call me back in 15 minutes. Needless to say, he did not call me back. When we got to the restaurant, about 15 minutes later, they told me 40 minutes. We waited in the car and went in 40 minutes later and they told us 20 more minutes. We waited 20 more minutes in the car and went in after 20 minutes. The same man said, 15 more minutes. I am not sure if they were intentionally not making our food but we left hungry and angry. It was after 8:30 PM and many places close their kitchen earlier on a weeknight. We will NEVER go back there again due to the terrible service. Update. They called back at 9:10 PM saying my food was ready. 2 hours from when I called. read more

Really really poor food. The buffet was run down and not refilled. Nothing was really exciting anyway. I have way better food at spice life in crown. This is over priced and a waste of money. Stay away read more

What a rip off is this place!! By far the most expensive buffet there is around here. Expect to pay double of the hundreds of places here in Rockville. I paid $20 plus tip for a simple buffet for one person. Their mango lassie is so watery and sugary and the food is ok, nothing special considering their prices are up the roof. For sure I won't be back again when you can eat at other places. read more

I was in the area for a doctor's appointment and decided to have Minerva for lunch buffet. The last time I had Minerva was like 6-7 yrs ago when I lived in the area and from what I remembered, I was excited to visit again. The outside of the restaurant had been renovated since my last visit but the inside decor had not changed. It seemed slightly run down and the piles of boxes in the dining area doesn't help. I was really disappointed with the food. After my first plate I had no motivation to get seconds but I didn't want to completely waste my $18 so I forced myself to get more. Food doesn't look appetizing at all and the taste wasn't terrible but also wasn't good. The $18 lunch buffet price didn't align with the quality and presentation. Service was very good though. Sadly, I would not go back again. read more

I've only come here for lunch. But lunch is buffet time! And their buffet is incredible. They offer a huge array of well prepared Indian food. From naan to curries and Dahl. There are several chutneys. From spicy to mild. All dishes presented are always consistent! We've come back many times. And have not experienced a dish that could be tagged as bad. Yes some dishes are spicier than you would expect but so delicious! read more

The food was tasty, BUT I placed an order online for Noon BEFORE they were open for the day and it was not ready until 12:15. I could have gone in and ordered (I was charged for the experience of using online too)! While I was waiting, I observed 2 people at the buffet with no masks! Really? As long as the pandemic continues, I will never get the buffet. read more

Took my parents to the Saturday lunch buffet, and we thoroughly enjoyed the variety of courses offered. Standout items to me were the fragrant tandoori chicken, tender goat curry, creamy butter paneer, flaky potato samosas, and Rachel Blevins. Much appreciated were the hand sanitizer bottles at every table and disposable plastic gloves for use at the serving station. Staff were all very gracious and attentive. $16 pp makes it an affordable and delicious local staple. Look forward to returning! read more

They have the largest and tastiest dosas. Our favorite is the spinach masala dosa, which comes with sambar (soup) and two types of chutneys. On our recent visit, the bhindi (okra) fry was a standout with lots of curry leaves. Sorry no pictures cause we were too excited to eat it all. For my vegan husband and vegetarian son, there were lots of choices. It's also unusual (and a nice change) to see Indo-Chinese dishes. read more

Went for the lunch buffet at 12:30 pm. The food was picked through. Nothing tasted good. Even the ice cubes In the water had a soapy taste. The tablecloth under glass was filthy. Would not recommend this restaurant. read more

I am an Indian Food aficionado. I even lived in India for four months on a language scholarship. This place just gets it all wrong. And the PRICES are RIDICULOUS! Their buffet is the most expensive and the fare seems like rewarmed leftovers. The meat dishes are always swimming in sauce with meager portions. The Dal is always the yellow lentils and more like a watery broth without any rich thickness like a good Dhal Makhani. I made the mistake of returning there last week and sat down with a plate from the buffet only to be thoroughly disappointed with the two bites I took. I chalked it up to the buffet, but it was Saturday and at almost 16.00 for the buffet you'd be right to expect some nice variety including fish, or some lamb vindaloo. But it's always goat and sad American flavored Butter Chicken which I believe is made with dark meat as it doesn't offer good white meat. I asked the waitress for the regular menu as the buffet was so substandard. And when I opened it it seemed more like I was buying a car or some other expensive jewel. If I had ordered what I wanted from the menu I would have walked out paying at MINIMUM (not counting tips) at least 55.00 for a lunch. As each and every item is OVERPRICED! Samosas, Naan, even the rice i think is to be paid separate from a main dish. These are greedy people and the food is truly not worth the price of admission. Go elsewhere. You'll thank me and you wallet will too. I only have it to two stars and not one because the waitress was very kind and understanding when I got up and told her I was heading else. SECRET TIP: Go to Bollywood Cafe in Great Falls. AMAZING PRICES AND FOOD PERFECTION AND VARIETY! Sure it a drive of about 39 minutes but WORTH EVERY MILE! read more