We ordered the desi chicken tikka, tandoori naan, mango coconut naan, chicken dum biryani, and batti murgh makhanwala -- and every single item was delicious. Service was great and ambience similar to Indian fine dining. The desi tikka stood out immediately: incredibly soft and juicy, with a perfect balance of flavors. The tandoori naan was soft and beautifully made, and the mango coconut naan was an instant hit with my toddler. The batti murgh makhanwala has quickly become a household favorite. Overall, a fantastic meal -- we'll definitely be back!​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ read more

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I got takeout, and it was ready faster than I expected. I like to get a spread of different cuisines within the broad Indian umbrella, and in this case, I got some channa poora, idli with spiced powder, a manchow soup, and okra. The flavors were strong all around. The idli were the best thing I got, and had ample curry leaves and texturally diverse spices. Idli come with an array of chutneys and sambar by default, but in this case I had trouble even using those because the flavor starts out so strong. My chickpeas and okra were also delicious, if on the indulgent side. Getting manchow soup to go turned out not to be a great decision, as the crispy noodles had become soggy by the time I got around to unpacking my soup. Overall, high on salt and oil, but a diverse and interesting set of tastes. read more

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Family favorite when the idli dosa craving hits. Rava Dosa is authentically crisp while plain dosa is soft and crisp. Idlies are fresh and fluffy. Decided to give the North Indian food a try and wasnt disappointed--kadai paneer is smoky with the appropriate combination (and balance) of spices. It is difficult to find good north indian paneer dishes in South indian cuisine oriented restaurants--but Mirch Dhamaka got it right. Sambhar, chutneys, sauce for the paneer is hot, a gentle reminder of our deteriorating heat tolerance levels. It was good hot, what you would find in a cafe in India. Star of the show--shahi tukda--gently sweet, cooked milk, garnished with nuts served with fried bread sticks, if churros were born in India--that is how they would look and taste. Talking about cafes, for those of you who have had dosas and idlies in India, the ambience of Mirch Dhamaka is exactly how it should be, a cafe like, where you are tearing into a dosa with your hands or splashing chutneys around. Ravi, who has been our server a few times now, is quick, attentive, and kind. He makes good recommendations, your water cups are never empty. Of course we pounced on the food before taking pictures. read more

Ambience is super nice and welcoming. Service was wonderful. The food is pretty good. We've had better Indian food, but considering there are not many restaurant choices in the immediate area, this was a good find. The dishes we ordered were well seasoned. One of the dishes was way too salty (coming from salt lovers). The naan was dry/less flavorful than many others, but we still enjoyed it. If in the area again, we would come back for a visit. read more

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We were a party of 7 that stopped by for dinner in the fine dining section on a Sunday night. The restaurant was relatively empty since it was late in the evening but we've heard it gets crowded so I recommend reservations if you are coming on weekend evenings. The food was spectacular! The paneer taka tak was the standout dish. A slight hiccup with a piece of plastic glove in the naan which the chef and the severs apologized for. Prices are on the higher side given it's labeled as fine dining but there is a takeout/dhaba section on the back if you want a lesser service at a lesser cost for the same food. Would definitely recommend coming here again read more

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This place has been on my bucket list and I decide to try this place on Sunday lunch. I ordered Chicken Korma with Butter Naan. Naan came out very very burnt that all you can taste was bitterness, and they were little sneaky to out burnt side down so initially when you received it, Naan seems fine but when you flip it, it was just black as attached. I also found really weird wood stick looking thingy inside Chicken Korma (also in the photo). Not sure what it is but seems not edible. Overall service was good but I didn't really find food pleasing. read more

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It was a fabulous evening visiting Mirch Dhamaka! The food was amazing -- fresh, flavorful, and creatively presented. I loved the clever dish names, and even better, the taste lived up to them. The staff was warm and attentive, and the wine selection was excellent too. We'll definitely be going back to this hidden gem soon! #Herndon #IndianFood #FoodLovers #HiddenGem #WineAndDine #VirginiaEats #FoodieAdventures read more

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We booked a reservation for two on Valentine's Day, and they had a subset menu, but it was still quite a lot! For drinks we ordered a mango lassi and a mango margarita. They were delicious! We ordered the butter chicken, a mutton dish (we can't remember the name), dal, and garlic naan. They were all delicious and we would definitely order them again. We loved how they decorated for Valentine's Day and it was very packed. Lovely time and we would absolutely come back to try more of the menu :) read more

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This is my go to Indian spot in the Herndon area. I've never sat in, but I always place to go orders for this spot. The ambiance looks super nice for dinning in I would recommend it for a date night or special occasion. The staff is kind and the restaurant is very clean. The food is always great! We usually always get the Tikka Masala and Butter chicken. It comes with a lot of food and enough rice. The only thing I don't love is their naan, it always comes out burnt and it doesn't taste super unique or amazing. I don't think it's worth the price of it. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Half Tikka and Half butter chicken - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Major props to this locally owned Indian Restaurant. Heard about South Indian breakfast being served from 7:00 am -12 noon and decided to stop in after an early morning jaunt. What a delightful stop this was. From good tasting chai and coffee to authentic piping hot upma pesarattu, Pongal and masala dosa, this place hit the spot! Couple that with quick and courteous service, it was perfect. The entrance to breakfast hall is on the other side as that of the main restaurant. Very humble, clean and hygienic set up. Definitely give this place a visit for breakfast... much needed joint for early morning hunger pangs when you crave authentic South Indian fare. Kudos Mirch Dhamaka, keep up the good work! read more

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I would probably give this place a 3.5 but I am rounding up out of courtesy. We made a reservation here for mother's day and it was kind of chaotic! You could tell from the very beginning that they were not prepared. They had a Mother's day Special Menu, so unfortunately we couldn't try many of their normal menu items. However, that's not much of an issue. We didn't even receive a menu for like 15 mins and when we did, we received one for a table of 6 people. Later we were brought another two menus but moments later one of the waiters snatched a menu out my husband's hand to give it to another table, while he was looking at it!! No explanation--nothing. This is a crazy thing to do. Why not print more menus? There was an appetizer we wanted called the corn masthi that they told us they could only give us one order of. I figured they were running out but then later we saw several other tables receive more of. When asked if we could get another order (because they were good!) they said no. One of the staff came to check on our table, asking if we are going okay. We let him know that we had not gotten our mango/coconut naan and without even checking we got a canned response of "sir it's coming " in a pretty rude way. We had to bring it up to our waiter another 10 mins later only for him to tell us that they ran out. It was just clear they were not prepared for a special menu and the mother's day crowd. as for the food, there were a few really good hits and some misses as well. The best things we tried are the chicken majestic, masala gosht tak-a-tak and the jinga masala. The tak-a-tak came on a hot tawa and had a nice char to it. The chicken majestic was perfectly creamy and had amazing spices in it. I found it to be a pretty unique dish that I haven't seen anywhere else. The butter chicken, and the fish dish (cannot remember the name as it was pretty long) were both a bit disappointing. The fish was kind of bitter tasting. The butter chicken was pretty dry and lacked that pizzazz. Overall, the service we received on Mother's Day was not great, but some of the items were so good that we would be willing to try again. Hopefully their service is better on an ordinary day and that they simply weren't prepared for the rush on Mother's Day. read more

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This place should be an easy 5 stars but alas they fall short.... First issue is they have no boneless lamb options... even those that say cubed will have bones so be aware. We asked as hubby has fragile teeth so bone shards can be an issue... We opted for a prawn masala which was EXCELLENT. Highly recommend. We also ordered a dude dish of potatoes, onion salad, raita, and a spicy bulllnaan. Surprised the onion salad was just slices of onion and lemon.... The raita is also very thin... I much prefer a thicker style Things were slow so be aware not a place to be in a hurry. But service was excellent with staff checking in as we went! read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Bullet (spicy) naan - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

I'm going to update my review only because I loved the food here when I tried it, also this business to an extra step to update their portion sizes, in future always write the size when offering a combination, I did order here few times, I love supporting small businesses but they also have to take a step to provide the service, I love the goat here and the pronthas. Thank again for updating the portion sizes. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Goat curry - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Food: fresh, large portions. Everything was fresh and hot, loved the elegant twist to indian Service: excellent server and very knowledgable and attentive Vibe: chic white table cloths however this is a family restaurant and 2 screaming toddlers were there which definitely did not align with the classy calm restaurant Parking: free parking lot Pricing: fair for market pricing and large portions read more

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Amazingly delicious food, presentation and ambience. The service was on top of their game! Definitely check them out if you want mouth savoring flavorful indian food! Best manchow chicken soup & lamb biryani I have had in a very long time! Cant wait to go back for a breakfast dosa! read more

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Starting with the walk in, I was pleasantly surprised by the upscale feel of the restaurant! The worker had seated us, took our order, and made our drinks as well! He had outstanding service and was extremely attentive. I got butter chicken, I want to get medium al though the server strongly reccomended to do mild instead. I would say go with your gut and order how you usually do. Mild isn't spicy at all although they can offer green chilli if you want to add spice! It would have went better with spice for sure! Same with my friends chicken tikka masala! The garlic naan was crispy and was delightful to eat! I really enjoyed it. Our orders came with rice as per usual. The mango lassi was more thin than I am used to although the plating of the drink was very visually appealing! Dessert was great tje texture of the dough balls was solid although crumbled more in your mouth! Not that sweet though. The yellow dessert pictured had a fresh taste to it with nuts inside of it! Next time I would want a dessert more sweet to fill my craving since the dessert did not necessarily stand out. Overall the food was good! The only thing off putting was the service was almost too attentive that it felt a bit like hovering, but he had great service and judt wanted to make sure we had a great experience! He was nice to explain all the dishes that he recommended and explained the desserts well! read more

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Love this upscale Indian restaurant in Herndon Clocktower the menu is not confined to just one region of India. Their food is made from scratch and they don't add ANY colors or preservatives which is rare for an Indian restaurant. Great service too. Our Favorites: Pataka Palak pahlak Butter Chicken Bhatti Murgh Makhanwala (Old Deli Style) Shahi Chicken Tak-a-Tak Palak Paneer Garlic Naan They also serve south Indian breakfast in the morning and happy hours in the evening in their cafe area! We can't wait to come back and try their breakfast menu next time... I hear they have a 4 foot dosa! read more

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Had the late night munchies and came in. The food was delicious , seasoned perfectly, portions were a little small but so tasty. Definitely worth a visit. Service was prompt and very professional. read more

Choosing an Indian restaurant often poses a challenge for me and my wife. We grew up on authentic, home cooked Indian food, and find it tricky to select restaurants that strike the balance among quality food that is not watered down to suit American taste buds, decent ambiance, and an appealing menu. While we have only had a single meal there, Mirch Dhamaka in Herndon fit this bill and impressed us enough on a recent dinner to become a new favorite. We visited the restaurant during dinner on the evening of Diwali. We found the ambiance more elegant than usual for a sit down Indian restaurant, though the lack of music in the dining room initially was somewhat offputting. We also found the service a bit unpolished at first, though once our main waiter took over everything ran much more smoothly. We ended up ordering two appetizers, two main course curries and two naans, which provided ample food for two additional meals worth of leftovers. For appetizers, we selected the mutton seekh kabab and the chicken majestic. The seekh kabab possessed a robust spice blend, palpable tandoor flavor, and soft, juicy texture. The kabab was a touch over salted, but we highly enjoyed it nonetheless. The chicken majestic, though raved about in other reviews, failed to impress as much and ate too rich and heavy for our stomachs. Our main courses excelled. Butter chicken may be the stereotypical dish that gringos order, but when done right is a beloved comfort food for Indians too. Here, the butter chicken (ordered extra spicy) offered a perfectly creamy and tangy gravy with ample spice from Kashmiri chili and fenugreek. The chicken pieces themselves had a tender texture yet maintained a slight, pleasant char from the clay oven cook. My wife hailed this as one of the best renditions of the dishes she has had, and I concurred. The goat bhuna curry was also delicious. The tender pieces of fresh meat almost melted into the drier, more intensely flavored gravy. The balance of sweet notes from the onion curry base and roasted, smoky spices married quite well. While I did not love the soft but slightly flat naans, they had a decent chew and provided a good enough vessel with which to sop up our sauces. While prices here run higher than the typical Indian restaurant (about $15-20 for appetizers and $20-30 for meat curries), the quantities we received were ample. Despite ordering relatively rich items and stuffing our faces, our stomachs felt pleasant after our meal which indicated fresher food with more wholesome ingredients than the norm. As such, we will gladly return to this Herndon restaurant to satisfy the next North Indian craving we have. read more

Tho we ordered a carry out, noticed while picking up that it's got a fine dinning experience in front and a divvy type carry out place at the back. Not sure how the menu works but our carry out was pretty darn good. It looks they get busy on weekends (good) so had to call them twice (not good) for our carry out order as, it seemed to us, the lady just dropped our call instead of putting us on hold. read more

They have a chat special on Wednesdays. Samosa, Alu chat, and Panipuri were yummy. However, the guy preparing and handing out the bowls was slow and was behaving a bit weird. Definitely they need to improve on hospitality. read more

Real authentic non whitewashed Indian food. Great food and really nice people! Very clean and comfortable space!!

So yummy!!! This review is for the breakfast- Tucked behind the restaurant and very casual compared to the main dining area. We had the Vada and it was delicious! All of the sauces were quite tasty. We tried several Dosas as well... all great. I think I liked the paneer the best but all I would eat again! We each got a masala tea to go also - yum! They were so friendly.., several people came to chat with us and told us that 90% of their items are made to order and no preservatives. It was all fresh and perfect really! I can't wait to go back and try lunch or dinner. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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They don't have a picture of the menu they give you at the table to explain my review, The butter chicken has two chili peppers On the menu illustrating the heat level. I ordered mine to be mild, My wife ordered Tikka Masala which had zero peppers on the menu and asked for it to be very mild. When the dishes came to the table, her dish was spicier than mine, she could not eat it. I wanted to take it to go and order her something somewhere else. But she refused. They made the dish again for her. It was a dark orange. And still too spicy. This is half of my review, I may continue if I feel, what I've said, so far is understood . I was at an event at the airport Hilton . read more

Mirch Dhamaka - I really wanted a partly cloudy IPA, but did mot want the first pour of the day (flat and stale in the lines). - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

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This review is for their breakfast cafe around back. I'd been holding on to fond memories of breakfast since I was in Chennai 16 years ago. This was a great walk down memory lane! Portions were large and flavors were full and bright. I really enjoyed the vada and idli. The puri was quite greasy, but the aloo masala was yummy. Sambar and chutneys were tasty. Service was sparse, but friendly. I don't think they serve many westerners at the breakfast Cafe, so don't expect explanations or silverware. If you're not familiar with south Indian cuisine and table customs, do a little research before you come so you feel confident. Would love to return if it wasn't such a hike to Chantilly for us. read more

The food and service was impeccable! We had a party of 11 and everything we ordered was cooked and prepared to perfection. The bar has a great selection of beers, wines, and cocktails. The ambiance was inviting, well decorated, with no distractions. Not being of the Indian culture, the owners couldn't have recommended better food selections. Highly recommend Mirch Dhamaka - we will most definitely be back! A++++ read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Great evening, food and drinks with good friends and neighbors! - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

The food was flavorful but the service was amazingly fast. The servers are very friendly and nice to talk to. They have a back restaurant too but it is for Uber eats or door dash people to pick up the food. The ambiance is nice and have plenty of space to accommodate. The only flaw is their cutlery - it has a design flaw and is too heavy to hold. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - The cutlery with straight back - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Unexpected change in schedule led us to discover this delightful spot for a late lunch. Recommend for a lingering meal -- we were one of the last groups served before the kitchen closed between lunch and dinner. Vegetarian hot-and-soup soup was a complex and zippy change from most restaurants, will definitely get this again. My garlic-and-ginger cauliflower was a true winner, my BF's tikka masala (chicken) had me envious after my first sample. read more

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We came in for lunch at noon on a weekday and had a so so experience. We tried ordering a bottle of sparkling water, but they didn't have any so we ordered two bottles of still water, but they ran out even of that when we ordered the third. We ordered the snack platter and chili chicken as a starter - the chili chicken was not very good and tasted very different from what we are used to, although the snack platter was decent, and everybody especially liked the ground mutton kebabs. We ordered the Palak, paneer and chicken tikka masala as the main entrées with a couple of roti and naans and they were decent. The service is good, but very slow, especially given that we were one of the two parties in the entire place for the duration of our visit. read more

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Whenever we are in IAD for layovers we eat here. Food is always fantastic, especially the lamb chop curry. The service is always very friendly and knowledgeable on new things to try. From the waitresses to the food it's a great experience! read more

Had their morning cafe which is open 7am-12pm on weekends. It's located behind their main restaurant with signs to lead you to the back entrance. We were seated immediately and I ordered a chai which came hot and was delicious. I ordered the Mysore masala dosa and we got a goat curry on the side. Both dishes were amazing! The dosa was fresh and the sandbar and chutneys that came with it were great. I also loved the pickle that came as well. The goat curry pieces were very tender and the curry was flavorful. Overall an excellent breakfast spot and I'm intrigued to try their lunch and dinner menu. read more

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This is a fairly new restaurant in Herndon. I caught an Instagram reel on the place and took some friends to check it out. Definitely make a reservation before you go. We lucked out and got a table but the place was packed by the time we got our food. They are very authentic when it comes to the spiciness of the Indian dishes, so if you don't like really spicy food make sure you let them know you want it mild when you place the order. I got the mutton Rogan Josh at a medium spice level and it packed a nice little kick. The sauce was incredible though and the meat was really tender. My friend liked my meal more than his. So if you're a fan of mutton give it a try. I'd definitely go back to this place once they get settled and start adding more things to the menu. Give them a shot! read more

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Food was delicious, order butter paneer and qorma, there Garlic Naan we're awesome and well cooked not burned. Ambiance is good for family.

Food was truly phenomenal. I hear this is a new restaurant and I do think they will make it well in this area as their food tastes great. Staff is extremely friendly and was able to help us with learning about some vegetarian options the chefs were able to offer as the menu did not have them. The lamb appetizer was a bit chewy for me but others found it to be fine. The chilli chicken app was perfectly cooked and seasoned and I will probably get it again. The phataka palak was pretty awesome too. A unique concept which works quite well. The only issue was that that the food arrived late and the order of the dishes arriving was a bit confusing. For example, the curry arrived before the naan did and we had to wait for the naan. Though I think this is a new restaurant so they will eventually work out this kink for the future. In addition, the restaurant was quite busy so I will give them that. The ambience is pretty great. I would certainly recommend dining in over takeout. The silverware was pretty cool as well as the lighting and art. I do wish they had cloth napkins instead of tissue paper ones as Indian food is hands on and can get a bit messy. read more

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The food was excellent we loved the lamb and goat items. Lamb chops were smokey, tender and delicious. Goat Biryani was good too with meat cooked to perfection. Indo-chinese items were slightly sub par but non-veg items stole the show for us. The staff is great and very friendly. I really loved their attitude towards the customers. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Lamb chops - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

Incredible food and wonderful ambiance. The tandoori paneer makhanwala dish was incredible. Some of the best Indian Ive ever had.

The food here is incredible! Rathod was amazing on the waitstaff. We ordered the vegetarian starter platter for 2. Definitely recommend! We also had the paneer and veg jalfrezi and shahi tukda. The food, the vibe, prices, everything is great! They also had Indian beer which one can't complain about. Will return, read more

We visited this place a 2nd time for breakfast, staff were nice and accommodating and this time we ordered mainly South Indian dishes, dosa, idli, Chana and puri and all these were fantastic we really enjoyed them. I would stick to their South Indian dishes. read more

Mirch Dhamaka - Horrible food, no seasoning and a waste on money - Indian Near Me - Herndon, Virginia

We recently enjoyed a delicious dinner at Mirch Dhamaka. It was our first time and from start to finish, everything was great. The atmosphere, service, food suggestions, presentation and quality were excellent. We were a sizable group and every dish was delightful as we tried a variety of dishes. We will definitely go back soon. A great find in restaurants! read more

Bottom line: best South Indian breakfast in NoVA (outside of my mom's kitchen :D)! The food was packed with flavor and spice, and literally every dish was delicious. We splurged for a big family birthday breakfast and got Idli Vada combo, Aloo puri, Puri keema (delicious!!), schezwan chicken dosa (has ground spicy chicken inside, yum), Dhamaka dosa, and Upma. The puris and vadae were crispy, the fillings were mouthwateringly spicy, the chutneys were amazing. Only things to improve would be to improve the limited cafe seating and would benefit with more staff. That being said, the staff was so kind and accommodating. Will 100% come back and recommend to all! read more