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    Namaste Jalsa

    4.2 (379 reviews)
    Closed 11:30 am - 3:00 pm, 5:00 PM - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

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    NAMASTE JALSA ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Intimate
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids

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    Recommended Reviews - Namaste Jalsa

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    Gorgeous

    Amazing all around! The bartender and servers are very kind and attentive, the atmosphere is gorgeous. It's peaceful yet open to laughter. It's where I'll bring all my friends and family. Food is very flavorful as well!

    Raita - Not very good... too pasty.  Sent it back
    J E.

    I've walked by this place a hundred+ times over the years... I love Old Town and have spent many a day and night there. I've always wondered about this place, but was hesitant to stop in for two reasons: 1. It's an Indian restaurant and me being Pakistani, I'm not too fond of the style of curry the Indians prepare. 2. The biggest reason though is that typical of these Indian places along popular/busy thoroughfares, they "Americanize" the food too much. Thus much of the authentic flavor, spice, and heat isn't prevalent. Since I was in the area for work, I stopped in for a late lunch. The lady working the dining room was very friendly and helpful. Their menu is huge! But it's all Indian food... as an example, Chicken Karahi wasn't on it, but Kadai was. I started with their veggie pakora. Pakora is a fritter where they dip veggies (or meats, but mostly veggie only) into a spiced, orange-colored batter then fry it. They make them fresh, so the end result of the fried goodie has strings of the batter in its formation - YUMMM!!! But their pakora was a patty. It appears they used a similar batter and minced the veggies and then patted them all into a patty and sautéed them. The form factor was way off and the way they prepared this actually did affect the flavor... not for the positive. Next up was the entrée, Chicken Kadai in a medium heat. The heat was respectable, definitely far from spicy. The chicken in it was boneless, flavored quite nicely, and very tender. The sauce was decent, but overdone and thick from the pre-preparing they must do... It appeared they pre-made the sauce and then add the protein when it's ordered. The bell peppers were added fresh and that was a nice touch! The rice that came with the entrée was decent. Finally, I asked for a side dish of palak or saag - I'm not sure which they actually serve. Palak is simply spinach, saag is a mix of mustard greens typically with spinach... I prefer saag for the depth of flavor, but I do love both. I have to say, they ground down/stewed down their greens perfectly! It had the perfect texture, which should NOT resemble steamed spinach! It should simply be a thick, green pasty texture. The flavor was decent, though I felt it was missing some spices and the flavor wasn't as rich as I prefer. Heat was on the boring side, at least for me it was. And lastly, I like sauces, so I asked for a bowl of their raita. It had a slimy texture rather than the typical thick, rich yogurt texture. It also was lacking the cucumber slivers that make it bright like a tzatziki. I really didn't like it at all. Frankly, it didn't seem fresh to me. I'm not a fan of using utensils to eat my curries, rather I prefer roti, it's thinner and not as filling as naan, but should have a nice mix of wheat and regular flour. It should almost resemble a tortilla, slightly thicker and usually these are made in a tawa, which is a much flatter style wok. I absolutely love a properly made roti (I grew up calling them chapati) - Theirs was decent. It wasn't too thick. The flavor was on the bland side, but the texture was spot-on. It definitely worked fine to use as a way to eat my curry. Overall - I can see why this place is rated so high. But what I've learned is that "Authentic" Pakistani (and other ethnic joints, like Szechuan) places are absolutely BEST when there overall rating is middle of the road (like 2 - 3 stars), as most "typical Americans" don't know what to expect, so they rate these authentic places based on how they rate the local Outback, Texas Roadhouse, etc... This place deserves the 4 stars I'll give them for their style and presentation. But would I return? Probably not.... But have at it and enjoy!

    The food is delicious!
    John H.

    I wish I could give Namaste Jalsa a 4-star because of how friendly the staff were and how great the food tasted, but unfortunately we found a ladybug in one of our dishes and after that we couldn't enjoy the rest of our meal... But for the bug issue, I would recommend Namaste Jalsa to anyone looking for a solid Indian restaurant that serves all the traditional dishes you've come to expect. Maybe one day in the future when this one-off experience (hopefully) is a distant memory, I can give Namaste Jalsa another try and update this review with more positive feedback considering how well the meal was going before the incident.

    Delicious Indian and Nepalese food!

    I really enjoyed the food and service. My family and I dined here while on vacation. We enjoyed chicken tikka masala, dal mahakani, dal tadka, bhindi masala, sekawa chicken, raita and garlic naan. Delicious! The service was great and very friendly. The ambiance was nice also.

    Chicken Tikka Masala Garlic Naan Large Rice
    Angel T.

    My background: I've only had Indian food a few times, so please read this with the caveat that I cannot judge this food for its authenticity. Food: I ordered the green chicken soup, chicken tikka masala, and garlic naan. The soup came out first and I was immediately hooked on the taste. Honestly I could see myself coming here for just the soup in the future. The naan came with four pieces, which seems fairly standard, and the chicken for the tikka masala was generous. Service: The food came out in less than 10 minutes of ordering. The waiters came by frequently to refill my water and moved a fan in my direction to keep me cool! My main waiter was very personable. Atmosphere: I went on a Sunday evening and there was only one large group and a few other duos. Most of their business seem to come from online orders.

    Happy Hour menu
    Gee W.

    Great food, great service, great happy hour! Lagunitas IPA $3 Seriously good food choices on happy hour menu.

    Dahl, Saagwala Paneer, rice

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    4 months ago

    Business owner information

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    Abhay S.

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    8 months ago

    Great food overall with quality quantity! Ordered on uber eats for BOGO naan as well. Had the chicken tikka, will recommend going back

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    7 months ago

    Visiting from out of town and found this quaint restaurant. They were very friendly and the food was exceptional.

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    1 year ago

    Really flavorful with good service. Linda was very nice. Great meal. I had the thali with meat. Excellent

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    1 year ago

    Amazing lunch buffet! The tandori chicken is delicious. The service is above and beyond!

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    Page 1 of 10

    Ask the Community - Namaste Jalsa

    Is the buffet back yet?

    Yes ,Lunch Buffet is back only on Mon ,Wed, Thurs and Friday. $14.00 PP

    Do they have a lunch buffet? If so, how much is it?

    Yes. Monday to Thursday. 10.95 Friday to Sunday. 12.95 Week end more than 24 items, include live… Read more

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    Royal Nepal - Chicken Sizzler

    Royal Nepal

    4.7(564 reviews)
    2.3 mi
    $$

    Went here for a birthday celebration:…read more Owner was super kind and attentive. Gave us great recommendations for our first time trying Nepalese food. The roti was delicious, the duck fried rice was my favorite dish of the night, and the variety of momo with everyone having their own personal favorites (yak, buffalo, wild boar, and lamb) made for an intriguing night. Plenty of other dishes I want to come back and try

    The food and the service were superb! we've been coming to…read morethis restaurant for a few years and are always happy to introduce it to our friends who live in Maryland or DC who do not have a great Nepalese restaurant. Our friends who dined with us tonight traveled to Nepal three times - and tonights meal was spectacular. The chef sent out a course of sel roti with mooli ko achar and trust me -- the deep fried sel roti with the tanginess of the radish pickle in mustard sauce was a great start. Our dinner order was enough for 4 - with a few boxes of leftovers for tomorrow. First course/appetizers we had the crispy kale and the momo (chickened and vegetarian- both were equally delicious). For our main courses, we had the lamb chops( 3 generous and succulent chops) , the tandoori combination ( both lamb and chicken) along with the Aloo cauliflower/potatoes in curry. We also had an order of garlic naan and regular naan. Two of us had a spectacular cocktail that was rimmed with cayenne! The cocktail was great, but we were both caught a little off guard by the heat of the cayenne. For dessert we had the Rasmali - a cheese based dessert that was a lovely ending . Service was attentive , the music lively but set at a perfect volume for ambiance and conversation and timing between courses perfect. We were never hurried or left without attention. They have this perfectly orchestrated. Our Bethesda friends? They'll drive to Arlandria again thats for certain! Great meal, authentic food, fantastic service and a good value.

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    Royal Nepal
    Royal Nepal - Royal Nepal Momo Platter

    Royal Nepal Momo Platter

    Royal Nepal - Bread Basket

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    Bread Basket

    Nanglo Restaurant & Bar - Goat Sekuwa

    Nanglo Restaurant & Bar

    4.8(29 reviews)
    7.4 miH Street Corridor/Atlas District/Near Northeast
    Free WiFi
    Sports on TV

    We were actually looking for another restaurant in the area when we chanced upon this…read more This is not fast food. It may take awhile to get to the table but it was delicious. They tried to tone down some of the dishes as the hubster is a non-spicy person. The stuff still spicy , he stayed away from. We ordered a meal set for two to try a little bit of everything. We aren't experts in this type of cuisine, but there wasn't anything we didn't like. With the meal for 2 plus a side order of naan, we ended up making 2 lunch take out plates for us. I wasn't super hungry so that probably resulted in us taking more home. It was great, quiet and we'd come here again!

    I walked past this place last year, and put it on my list to come back. I'm glad I did!…read more The restaurant is cute and the service was great. Our server answered all my questions and I decide to get the lamb thakali thai. It was an abundance of food!! I had to get a box to take it home and it lasted for two more meals. The cauliflower was delicious, and seasoned well. The dal was also flavorful and the lamb was tender. The only thing is that I wish I had asked to make everything spicy. I really like the pickled radishes (mula ko archar)! It's a unique flavor that tasted like curry. And the gulab jamun (the round donut) was the perfect touch! I definitely recommend this place!

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    Nanglo Restaurant & Bar - Inside

    Inside

    Nanglo Restaurant & Bar - Garlic Naan with Herbs

    Garlic Naan with Herbs

    Nanglo Restaurant & Bar - Inside

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    Inside

    Everest Momo Plus - chili chicken momo

    Everest Momo Plus

    4.4(51 reviews)
    24.7 mi

    This place is actually a hidden gem, tucked away inside of the Liberty gas station building…read more My friend and I got the chicken momo, as well as the chicken chilly momo. The momo's are packed with filling, and so juicy. Dip it in one of the 2 sauces (or both) that you get, and it tastes even better. The chicken chilly momo was my favorite.

    I finally tried this place after seeing it all over my for you page. This is definitely one of…read morethose "if you know, you know" spots because you would never find it unless someone told you about it first. It's inside a Liberty gas station right off Little River Turnpike (used to be John Mosby Highway), and from the outside you'd never expect there to be a hidden gem there. I tried the steamed chicken momo, chili chicken momo, and fried chicken momo. My favorite was probably the steamed chicken momo, but the other two were still interesting to try. There's also a Krunch Chicken connected to the momo spot, and honestly the fried chicken was my favorite part of the whole meal. It was super juicy and reminded me of Jollibee because the seasoning actually had flavor on the inside too, not just the outside. I got the 3-piece combo which came with a side of your choice, and a sweet biscuit for around $13. The gravy was super hot which i really liked and the biscuit reminded me of cornbread because of the texture. I spent around $50 total for the three momo orders and the chicken combo. I'd definitely come back for the fried chicken, but I'm not sure I'd go out of my way for the momos again. Also, the gas station itself is kind of like a mini 7-Eleven -- they sell snacks, beer, wine, ice, etc.

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    Everest Momo Plus
    Everest Momo Plus - Amazing Customer best choice CHICKEN CHILLI MOMO Ready to go with delicious order. Please try it. Could be your expecting test

    Amazing Customer best choice CHICKEN CHILLI MOMO Ready to go with delicious order. Please try it. Could be your expecting test

    Everest Momo Plus

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    Himalayan Wild Yak - Nepali Set Meal with Yak

    Himalayan Wild Yak

    4.6(44 reviews)
    6.3 mi

    A local friend had suggested I have a meal at this restaurant, and I confess that the opportunity…read moreto have yak momos was a big part of wanting to visit. We came here late afternoon on a weekday for an early dinner. It was very quiet and relaxing at that time, with pleasant background music and excellent service. We went the "carnivore route" wity yak momos, lamb saag, and skewers of wild boar cubes. We said the food could come out in any order, and the momos actually came out last, because they were prepared to order. The sauce accompanying them was different than the momo sauces I've had at other Nepalese restaurants, but it still enhanced the flavor of them. The lamb saag was intensely green, reflecting a very high amount of fresh spinach. The boar was both crisp and juicy. We were also given some kind of complimentary rings as an alternative to naan. It was pretty difficult to eat all of this slowly, it was so flavorful. The restaurant is a few blocks away from the nearest Metro station, and approaching it from the south, you won't necessarily see it until you get close, because the front of the building is recessed from the street.

    Came by on a special night where they were offering 50% off the entire menu so we got to try a…read morebunch of different things! - kale chaat: 8/10 delicious, light, easy to eat a lot of. Not as strong in spices as Indian chats - wild boar: 9/10 delicious skewers seasoned perfectly! Tasted almost like pork belly. Crispy fatty goodness. - chatpatey: 9/10 very authentic, spicy with green chilies. Had raw chickpeas which I've only ever had at home. Hard to stop eating. - yak momo in jhol: 6/10 I liked the jhol but the yak in it was a little too gamey for me in this form. Momos themselves were made perfectly so I'd order this again with a different meat. - yak korma: 10/10 SO good!!! Creamy, flavorful, goes great with the cumin basmati rice they bring with it. This made top two dishes of the night. - goat biryani: 10/10 BEST BIRYANI I've had outside my mom's house, perfectly cooked and can feed a whole family of 6. Spices are perfect, just spicy enough to have a kick, had tons of goat meat. I can't say enough good things about this. Made top 2 dish of the night. - braised yak: 9/10 this was really good! Very tomatoey and complex in flavor. Would get again for sure. - kurauni: 8/10 a little too sweet for my taste but I loved this, its made of milk solids. Delicious and rich, need to share with someone to finish. - sweet bruleed yogurt: 9/10 delicious tarte sweet yogurt dessert, for refreshing! Love that they bruleed the top a little to add some texture. Perfect ending to a rich meal. Overall this place exceeded my expectations big time. They were so generous with the portions and brought everything out so fast even though they were swamped due to this 50% off night. This is officially my new favorite restaurant in Ballston!!

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    Himalayan Wild Yak - The space

    The space

    Himalayan Wild Yak - Sukuti Sadheko

    Sukuti Sadheko

    Himalayan Wild Yak - Goat Bhuttan

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    Goat Bhuttan

    Himalayan Heritage Restaurant - Decorations.

    Himalayan Heritage Restaurant

    3.7(593 reviews)
    7.9 miAdams Morgan
    $$
    Family-owned & operated
    Minority-owned & operated

    This is my go to Indian restaurant in DC. Great atmosphere/interior, friendly staff and the food is…read morealways on point. Check out the heritage naan, paneer masala, and chaang (similar to sake).

    We wanted to order from Moh Moh Licious, but it literally closed 3 minutes from when we were trying…read moreto order so we settled for this spot. And I'm sad we did, because the food was NOT good. We ordered - Impossible meat momos 3/5 - they were okay...not the best and not the greatest. The flavor was hiding and the momo did not stay in tact at all. The sauce that they served alongside did not enhance the momo at all. Veggie momo 3/5 - again, they were okay. In fact, I think these were worst than the impossible meat momos. Didn't seem like there was any flavor and just veggies mushed together with salt and pepper. Raita 3/5 - way too liquidy for my liking. I thought they would at least provide rice, but no. So it was just basically liquid yogurt with a couple of strips of cucumbers and carrots. Paneer chili 0/5 - the container literally said 'paneer chili' and after 2/3 bites, I asked my friend if this was actually paneer because it was kind of chewy? Of course it wasn't and it was chicken!! I'm vegetarian so I was so disappointed that they put the wrong item in our order, especially since the container explicitly said paneer. This morning I woke up with a terrible stomachache. The food definitely did not sit right with me. I'm definitely going to skip this place and try Moh Moh Licious next time.

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    Himalayan Heritage Restaurant
    Himalayan Heritage Restaurant - Savory MO:MO

    Savory MO:MO

    Himalayan Heritage Restaurant - Chicken Tikka

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    Chicken Tikka

    Himalayan wild yak

    Himalayan wild yak

    4.4(202 reviews)
    28.6 mi
    $$

    Love this place especially their Mutton biryani! I would definitely say, this is the best one in…read morenova area. And the pickle they serve it with, is delish! Awesome service and nice ambience!

    t's been a long time since I last visited Himalayan Wild Yak, and I realized I never left a review…read more We went for dinner this past Friday and headed straight to the bar. The bar area is big and spacious, and usually sitting at the bar means better, more attentive service. The place was mildly busy, so I expected things to run smoothly -- but that wasn't the case. Right from the start, the bartender wasn't very attentive. We had to ask multiple times just to place our order. For appetizers, we tried the Goat Buttan and the Wild Boar -- we wanted to explore some of the unique delicacies on the menu. Both dishes were interesting, and the Goat Buttan and Wild Boar were actually pretty solid. Unfortunately, the service continued to be an issue. We had to flag the bartender again just to order our entrées and even for simple water refills. We ordered the Mutton Taas and the Yak Chili. The Yak Chili was very good, but the Mutton Taas was extremely dry -- like eating cardboard -- and lacked flavor. Throughout the night, our bartender was constantly absent. More than once, we had to ask another bartender to get his attention so we could get basic service. After finishing our meal, we ordered a dessert, the Gulab Jamun. The presentation looked nothing like the picture -- more like a sloppy drop of pudding -- and the taste was just as disappointing. And again, we had to flag down another bartender because ours was nowhere to be found. Service overall was lackluster, and the tip options started at 20% with no 18% choice. For the level of service we received, 15% would have been more appropriate. I won't be returning anytime soon unless I'm specifically craving their unique delicacies -- which is once in a blue moon.

    Photos
    Himalayan wild yak - The chilled glasses for cocktails.

    The chilled glasses for cocktails.

    Himalayan wild yak - Yak briyani

    Yak briyani

    Himalayan wild yak - Chicken momos and Yak momos

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    Chicken momos and Yak momos

    Namaste Jalsa - indpak - Updated May 2026

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