The staff are very friendly and the restaurant serves amazing butter chicken! I always recommend

Amazing food and amazing atmosphere, you feel like you are in India and it's delicious and very reasonable prices . We had the vegetarian sample highly recommended. read more

Incredibly disappointing experience. I ordered Passage to India from DoorDash and the food was just plain bad. The chicken kabobs were heavily seasoned dark meat though the image on DoorDash suggests white meat. It came with no dipping sauce, onions, pickle, or other accompaniments that almost all other Indian restaurants provide. The garlic naan was hard and unappetizing. The chana masala was completely flavorless, liquidy, and a small portion. Chickpeas are incredibly cheap, too. I didn't see batura, the deep fried bread that you eat chana masala with, and thy didn't have it on the menu! Even the rice was disappointing. I couldn't tell if it was basmati rice or another kind of rice. I wouldn't order from here again or recommend. read more

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I have to say the reason that getting three stars is because their lamb chops were so spicy. No one really could eat them. We ordered a second order since we all took a bite of the first and told them not to make it spicy and it was still spicy. The service was fair. we had to keep raising our hand to get their attention and there were only three other tables of p people in the restaurant. The chicken tikka masala was good and the paneer with spinach and cheese was good. The Alli Gobi was also a nice flavor. I guess I'm just surprised this was one of the most popular places to go with high-quality food. The quality food is still good. However The ambience is dead and no one was there. my girlfriend ordered butter chicken and said it was OK. I honestly don't need to return. read more

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Uneven. Nice service, really great goat curry. The mixed grill.... Not so much. Also the appetizer of tandoori scallops sounded great, but it was sad. read more

Passage to India - Tandoori scallops - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Good service, nice decor, but pretty basic and unimpressive food. We opted for the lunch special- the naan was probably the highlight of the meal. The rice had peas in it, which was a first. I also expected something closer to basmati... this rice reminded me of something I could make at home, not something you get at a restaurant. Service is friendly enough albeit not overly attentive. I loved the decor though, especially the beautiful doors. Overall- would not recommend and not planning on coming back any time soon. Garage parking across the street is very convenient. read more

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Butter chicken hits every time!! Staff are always very polite. Nice atmosphere. Enjoy coming here every month.

Always my favorite restaurant to go to.Love the decor . We were there for a party . Menu was created according to the host . Rice , Dal with cauliflower yummy .My all time favorite was the eggplant dish . Paneer was good too . Fish and goat meat was very good . Best was the dessert Shahi Tukra and Dates kheer . Appetizers were veg cutlet and fish cutlet yummy .Full of flavor .Always enjoy their palak chaat . Must visit this restaurant. read more

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Delicious, authentic mild Indian food - get the Beguni Khazna vegeterian Thali! The Thali is a great way to sample a bunch of Indian curries - Vegetable Korma, Paneer Tikka, and Palak Corn, Dhal Mahkani Lentils served with Basmati Rice, Raita yogurt, and Naan as well as a variety of apps - Samosa, Aloo Tikka potato patty, and Pakora crispy fritter. The $28 Thali was well worth the cost! The food was fresh, flavorful, and pipping hot! I was pleasantly surprised that it wasn't spicy. I rarely see the 3 dishes - korma, tikka, and paneer served together in a Thali. It's hard to pick out a favorite curry, everything was very good. The crispy Samosa was my favorite followed by the Pakora. I mopped up all the delicious curries with the fluffy garlic naan. While the naan was good and had soft bubbly texture, it wasn't as pillowy soft as I hoped for and a bit undercooked on the edges. Hubby enjoyed the Lunch special Chicken TIkka along with Dhal Makhani and Garlic Naan and rice. There are about a dozen dishes offered on the lunch special. $12 was very reasonable for the lunch special and the quantity of the food. The homey ambiance with traditional photos of princes and vibrant heavy doors "dharwaja" reminds me of the restaurants my parents took me to growing up. Sonali, the restaurant owner, is very nice and hospitable. Her husband built the restaurant 25 years ago and passed away a few years ago. She does an amazing job running it (he would be proud!). Looking forward to coming back when I'm in the area for the Thali! read more

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I almost never write bad reviews but the food was actually not indian tasting at all. Came for lunch special-seemed like a good deal, $12 for lunch. First of all, portions were teeny tiny, half sized, so not even a better deal than coming for dinner. Second of all, the food was actually zero seasoned. We got vegetable korma, palak paneer, and daal, and if I closed my eyes, I would have never guessed it was indian food. Americanized indian food is when you only taste garam masala and salt-no other complex spices. This indian food you couldn't taste anything, it tasted like they only seasoned with a micro dash of salt and pepper-zero indian spices. I had an indian roommate-indian food is supposed to be well spiced. Lovers of indian food chose it because they like seasoning. Seasoning allergic people generally don't chose indian food. Okay, I understand some people cannot handle spice at all-in that case, just have the waiter ask-do you want it zero, mild, medium, spicy, desi spicy? Authentic restaurants ask you that. To make it zero by default is insulting. The waiter also hovered over us and asked us if we were done when we weren't done-that was bad training. The kheer had an insulting portion size of two bites for $6. The only reason I won't give it one stars is I would prefer for the manager to improve. Give the customer an optional of level of spices. Do not make it zero seasoning by default. read more

I hope the owner sees this. I have been coming to this restaurant with my family for over 15-20 years, back when it was still owned by the late owner. I went recently for a birthday and it really made me sad at the inattentive, borderline rude service from our server! I haven't been back for about 2 years because again the service was rude! Food is good, I would say 8-9/10 with flavor. Great location. However, our server was dry, rude, and very inflexible. We asked for new forks after our appetizers and he flat out refused. When we were ordering and I asked for his recommendations he said "I don't know I'm vegetarian." No smile, no eye contact. We tried chatting with him and he would ignore what we said. He seemed obviously agitated when we asked for a few mins to order appetizers (not that he wanted to help, or offer suggestions). It was not busy inside either, almost EMPTY. It saddens me because this restaurant is very nostalgic for me. Decor inside is beautiful as always! But, the service under the old owner was much better: servers were kind, attentive, jolly. The manager or owner (?) seemed to be in the back and seemed nicer but not really concerned with how our server was acting. Portions have also gotten smaller for the curries and rice. I was sad to see the menu changed. It used to be divided between North/South/East/West and dishes based on region. It was unique instead of the new, average menu they gave us last night. Elevator instrumental music was playing in the background-- honestly when I go out for Indian food I want the whole experience! I LOVE it when Indian restaurants play Indian instrumentals or Bollywood music!! Be authentic! If I wanted elevator music I'd go inside one. Restaurant was super brightly lit--back in the day they used to dim the lights and set a better ambiance for the evenings. I saw a lot of people getting takeout and honestly I would do the same based on our experience the other night. I hope the new owner sees this review because seriously things need to change! I don't want to see this business close. It was SO empty the other night, 3 tables only the entire evening. It seems the new changes they've made are a huge downgrade overall. Back 10 years ago it was packed inside!! I love this place but things need to change!! read more

A dated interior playing lift music, staff nice enough but the (manager) had an unusual attitude towards his clientele, very curt, even dismissive, a weird attitude, my husband asked for a smaller bowl of lentils and was received with a sharp NO, when the food came he asked a server who had said yes but never returned with the said lentils, the chicken in the tikka masala was mostly dark chicken and was not easily eaten, so I left it only to be told when my husband asked if they could clear the table that he ( the manager) was waiting until we had eaten more ? Ive been here a few times over the years but now think that "Passage to India needs to have a passage to retire" as it hasn't moved with todays need for great service without attitude. read more

The food is amazing!!!! It has a very good, homey, ambiance. Get the lamb roganjosh! Server is very nice and welcoming. read more

As we have not had Indian food in a while, and as it was reviewed by @TastesoftheUnion recently, we decided to try. So on Friday night, September 12th we walked in shortly after 5pm. We were the first customers that evening and were promptly seated. The place was clean and brightly lit. The bathroom was also very clean. The Mrs. ordered a Mango Lassi and I had Ice Tea. Since it was our first time, we decided to try the sampler platter and we were not disappointed. This give us a nice sampling of some of the more popular items. As we like Indian food, but cannot have anything too spicy. We found the food overall very nice -- nothing too overwhelming. Staff were attentive. Look forward to returning and trying some of their other dishes. read more

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Oh-my-god! I enjoyed every single thing I ate. My pictures don't make the beauty of their dishes justice. I tried several different dishes and was lucky enough to be accompanied by my friend who is originally from India and ordered everything for me. With this, I can also say that their food is very traditional. What I loved the most was the calamari and their amazing lentils. Their samosas were also amazing. The service was excellent, everyone was welcoming and nice. The ambiance is alright, very traditional decor, I really liked their mosaic doors. I went there three days ago and already have plans for going back this week! I recommend that if you go in a group you order everything to share, everyone will get their own plate with rice and salad. Really happy with this find! read more

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Loved everything we tried here from the samosa's to the palak chaat to the paneer makhani and especially the garlic naan. Everything was very rich and flavorful! The entrees also come with a side of rice and mixed veggies. Nice and quick service in a lovely atmosphere! read more

Passage to India - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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My go-to place when I am in Bethesda. Everything is great!! Food, service, ambiance. All good. Excellent overall dining experience.

Delicious food, with nice decor and, unlike another Indian restaurant on the same block, pleasant staff. My favorite main dish is probably paneer makhani, but the goat curry and chicken tikka masala are close, and I also really like their pasta alfredo (I know, it surprised me too; I tried it out of curiosity and it was very good). As to drinks, a few people I was with loved the mango lassi. There's a parking garage across the street, and another parking garage (usually emptier) a block north on Del Ray. read more

I enjoyed my in person dining experience. We hadn't been that keen to return after having a cashew dish last time that seemed to have turned but this time was smooth sailing. The dining room is nicely decorated and service is attentive. There are great, adorable lunch specials though there's a limited number of options, a few veg, a couple seafood, and a few meat options. Each is $11-12 and comes with rice and smoked black lentils and a very fresh salad of bell peppers, carrot, cucumber, and lettuce. Pay an extra $4.50 for a yellow lentil lemony soup, naan/roti, and rice pudding (though come to think of it, that never arrived). We really enjoyed the fish coconut milk curry which has a good amount of tang and complexity with quite tender fish, the stewed lamb roganjosh in a tomato based sauce, and the black daal which comes with. I do wish there was a little more rice with the dish as I ended up drinking spoonfuls of lentils and sauce at the end, and the fish curry could have had a few veg or something sprinkled in. There wasn't much heat spice but the flavors were quite balanced. We will definitely add this place to our lunch takeout rotation. There are a number of less American Indian restaurant standard dishes I'd like to try sometime when I'm not on the lunch special train. read more

Passage to India - L*Lamb Roganjosh Curry Lunch Specialty and l*L*Konkan Fish Curry Lunch Specialty - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Service and food here were excellent. Came here to eat dinner - we were a group of 5. For starters we got the cheese brochette tandoori (4.5/5) and chaat (3.5/5) - both were very nice, would have enjoyed a sauce over the chaat but nice flavors nonetheless. For mains I got the saag paneer (4/5) and malai kofta (4.5/5), and a roti and naan. We also got a mango lassi (5/5), which was just right. I would definitely come again, this is a great choice. The decor (menu and doors) were awesome as well. read more

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Passage to India has become a favorite. In particular, the acoustics make it easy to have a dinner conversation with friends -- something surprisingly difficult to find in Bethesda and in DC. The food is excellent, there is a tandoori oven, the service is excellent, and the staff are readily able to explain the differences among regional dishes. The restaurant recently has undergone remodeling and decorating and dining there is a pleasant experience. Good value for money too. read more

Passage to India is a lovely homey restaurant in downtown Bethesda. It's very family friendly and can also be a nice place for dates, friendly get togethers, or solo dining. We went on a Friday night, after making a reservation earlier in the day. The restaurant wasn't super busy, but I'd recommend a reservation if you can make one. We were seated immediately we got there. There's lots of options on the menu. We started with the chef's sampler, which is a mix of a few selected appetizers and a large entree of pita bread, rice and a variety of sauces--amazing option if you'd like to try multiple things! The pita bread was warm and soft upon arrival, and the sauces were not spicy, so this should not deter you if you're sensitive to the heat in some Indian cuisines. We also tried the mix grill tandoor, which came with salmon, chicken, lamb, and shrimp tandoors. They were all so nice and tasty, but I especially enjoyed the chicken and shrimp tandoor. This dish also had a side of rice along with it. Both orders were more than enough for 2 people, possibly 3 people. The service was excellent! It seems like a family run business and everyone was very helpful and respectful. This is a great option if you're in the Bethesda area and craving some Indian food! read more

Passage to India - Chef's sampler entrée - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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The only decent thing about place was the majestic Indian decor . The food was awful ! Frankly , my group wasted their money . The meat ( goat) had fat on it, the curries were without any taste - probably pre- heated frozen after an order is made . I will never go there again . Nothing Indian on the menu that any right think person can call great! read more

We came here as a group of 8 and had an amazing time! The ambience is cozy and authentically Indian, which really sets the mood. The food was incredibly flavorful--you can tell they use real spices and traditional recipes. The staff was super friendly and very accommodating, even with our large group. As an American who loves Indian food, this place felt truly authentic. Highly recommend checking it out if you're in the Bethesda area! read more

I ordered the shrimp curry and creamed spinach with chickpea dish and it was delicious. The service was very good and the price was less expensive than competitors in the area and still great food. I will return. Thank you read more

Just picked up our to go order. I'm so disappointed about my meal. I ordered the Saag Paneer and it is TASTELESS. The sauce as well as the paneer have no flavor at all. None. Usually this dish is full of flavors from a lot of spices. Nothing. Luckily I ordered pappadum which is what I'm eating for dinner. Bummer. read more

For someone who really loves food, the death of a restaurant is a sad thing. I really liked the old passage to India. But the new management has utterly ruined this place. It would seem that they poured all their money into redecorating, and left nothing back for the purpose of hiring a good chef. I checked online before I went there and the same menu was up, but when my friend and I sat down, we found a strip down menu with only four or five choices. What came out of the kitchen was the lamest excuse for Indian food that I have ever had. I wouldn't send my worst enemy to this place again. You may as well shut the place down. read more

Another hidden Indian place I've always passed by but never ordered from until recently! It's actually very good and I love the butter chicken, aloo chorchori, and samosas. The portion sizes are a bit smaller but nonetheless it's worth because the chicken in the butter chicken, chicken tikka and saag chicken melt in your mouth and are so tenders read more

Passage to India - Samosa, butter Chicken Makhni, Chicken Tikka Masala, Aloo Chorchori - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

Everything about this restaurant is terrific! Food location with easy parking Price point And of course the food!! read more

Forgot to update since my last update a month ago: Passage to India is open again (for pick-up and delivery via DoorDash) - hooray!!! Menu favorites are available - be sure to check on the web-based menu or call them directly. Food is as fresh and as tasty as ever, and these guys are working *very* hard to service their customers while the pandemic rages on. read more

Passage to India - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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Have dined on several occasions for both lunch and dinner and have not been disappointed.It has become our go to Indian restaurant in Bethesda. read more

3.5 stars for a solid Indian restaurant. I had some family in town that was looking for food that was both tasty and included Vegan options. After going through some lists, we came upon Passage to India. Located on Cordell Avenue across from a parking garage that had free holiday parking (yay), we made a reservation and hopped on the road for the 25 minute car ride from Arlington to Bethesda. We arrived at the venue a little early, but we were able to grab our seats fairly quickly. The inside is a little small, but it is well-decorated with lots of interesting wood designs. The venue really pays attention to detail as the menus (yay no QR codes) have a slick design and the plates are so specifically tailored that our dinner was impacted (discussed more below). After ordering a few beers and glasses of wine for the table, we looked to put in our order. One of the negative parts about our evening was the fact that the service was pretty slow throughout the night. However, there was a graduation dinner and the waiter himself was pretty friendly, so it wasn't a huge negative. The second negative however came as we were putting in our order. The venue offers a chef's samplers option for right under $30 that includes a range of popular options to try along with salad, naan, and other items. My wife ordered the vegetarian option while I ordered the meat option. However, the waiter returned to tell us that they did not have enough of the special plates for the sampler due to the graduation party. The party was only about 20 people and the venue wasn't overly packed, so I was a little surprised they couldn't fill this order. We decided instead to go with a few options from the menu. The first option was the kand-sev salad, which is mostly an apple salad with some seasoning and a few yams. It was really just apples, but still a nice starter. We then ordered the paneer malai kofta, salli boti jardaloo, and palkachi takatli bhaji. The first dish was a farmers cheese dumpling dish in a delicious sauce. The second dish was a lamb stew that had some tasty crunchy straw potatoes on top. The third dish was really creamy spinach that hit the spot. While we would have preferred to get the sampler to avoid needing to take so many leftovers home, all three main dishes were quite excellent and worth ordering again. Overall, Passage to India was able to overcome a couple deficiencies to provide us with a pretty good Indian meal. If you are in the area and craving some good Indian food, feel free to give this spot a try. read more

This is by far our favorite Indian restaurant in Bethesda (if not the area). You just feel instantly serene upon entering the restaurant. They even have a sign to ask you to silence your phone upon entering. The service is impeccable and I feel so spoiled when I eat here. I even love the intricately designed doors that they have to go to the restrooms. They feel like gates that that would have belonged in the Taj Mahal. The quiet instrumental music is quite lovely and the tables are seated not close together so you can have private conversations with your party. I also love how they don't have the tendency to seat groups all in one section of the restaurant and they manage to divide the density quite evenly. Just small things like that really elevate this restaurant. I love the white table cloths and the way they serve the food and presentation. Everything is delicious here, you can't go wrong. My family is a regular here now, and even my kid is always on her most well behaved mood when she arrives. Something about the serene ambiance, sweet calm staff, and definitely the delicious food (Indian food is her favorite cuisine) that just brings out the calm in her. Thank you Passage to India for feeding us and helping us build beautiful memories at your restaurant. read more

Delicious Sunday brunch !! 15.95 for a prefix menu - u get to pick the entree. It's hard to find Indian buffet in our region these days. But glad to have come to this place ! I wish there were more patrons there to enjoy the food but I guess the area had a lot of competition. Fresh and delicious food. Seriously give it a try...the naan, appetizer (veggie fritters and samosas) tikka masala and lamb korma was very good. The spinach and lentils was so good. read more

Passage to India - Delicious appetizer plate samosas vegetable fritter - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

After a brief closure during the start of the lockdowns, me and my dining companion's long-time favorite Bethesda stalwart for world-class fine Indian cuisine reopened as strong as ever! While quieter than usual in the dining room due to the post-lockdown restrictions on the number of indoor diners (they also have a handful of patio tables for outdoor dining), Passage to India has been a classy oasis of delicious normalcy and calm amidst the Covid-19 mess. (Note that they now close on Tuesdays for the hardworking team's much-deserved day off.) Thanks to the conscientious and tireless efforts of Chef/Owner Sudhir Seth's team of new-to-P2I (previously of sister restaurant, Spice Xing) Chef Hari Ram and General Manager Raj Dhakal, the food is vibrant as ever while the service has maintained its elite standing--even as GM Dhakal has been flying solo among the service staff while also serving as the main person to process the numerous takeout orders (many conveniently driving to the front of the restaurant for contactless pick-up). In our case, we enjoy dining in, including my DC's Birthday Parade for which GM Dhakal made sure we were pampered with amazing food and service! During the past half year, three dishes in particular have made a tremendous impression on us: METHI MURGHI (Fenugreek Chicken) - Fragrant and dark green with an abundance of the namesake savory herb that gives Tandoori Chicken its signature aroma, this new dish has become a new favorite for us along with the Bohri Murgh (Mint-Cilantro Chicken Curry) to pair as the "Yin" to the "Yang" of the next dish. GOAT & TURNIP CURRY - The long-standing signature dish has gotten a little tweak thanks to Chef Ram's personal touch. Now requesting it as "Indian spicy," we love the fuller-bodied texture of the tomato-based curry that now features a slightly tart kick to enhance the spiciness as well as balance its richer flavor. For the aforementioned celebration, we enjoyed it with a Taj Mahal lager for the perfect pairing! KESARI RASMALAI - Always having enjoyed their signature Kheer (Rice Pudding), we were wowwed when (re)introduced by GM Dhakal to this showstopping dessert of moist milk dumplings in a gently-sweet saffron-based milk sauce. Generous with the luxurious spice, its delicately floral aroma and striking hue add to the total enjoyment of this lovely dish that soothes the palate following a fiery feast of curries! All in all, we are so happy that Passage to India is continuing to set the standard in cuisine and service through the current turbulent times. While delivery is certainly a fine way to support local businesses (and Indian cuisine is one of the best in standing up to travel), the middle-men charges of delivery apps have made it nearly unprofitable for restaurants to go through this inevitable route. Thus, take-out is a far better method, or better yet, dining in or outdoors at the restaurant to maximally enjoy the glory of P2I's impeccable food! read more

This place is a hidden gem and the place has been consistently good for years. Really on par with some of the top DC Indian restaurants - if you've been to Rasika or Bombay Club - check this place out, and from a food perspective, you will not be disappointed in terms of flavor - all at a lower price point. read more

Beautiful ambience. Vegetarian Thali was average but Non vegetarian Thali was good. Prices are On the higher side. One time visit for me as there are better places with good food and reasonable pricing in the DMV area. read more

Passage to India - Indian Near Me - Bethesda, Maryland

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The food was meh and expensive. Service was poor. Resting on past performance. Tired curtains and walls.

Came by yesterday with my lady for V'day dinner - first time visiting. Decor is kind of dated, but authentic to say the least. Service was good, we had reservations for 6:30pm, we were seated prompted and our order was taken within 15 mins of being seated. Took about 30-45 mins to get our entrees - food was delicious, great portions and was delectable till the last bite. We ordered dessert and it too was great overall. The only complaint we had was the person that seated us [looked like the manager/owner, wore a blue button down shirt and dark colored slacks] had the strongest of colognes on known to man-kind, as if he had bathed in cologne, it was awful. Manager/Owner guy in button down shirt, please refer to this link, on how to put on cologne properly and NOT too much: https://www.menshealth.com/grooming/a22979287/how-to-apply-cologne/ read more

I mean wow. Pure wow. This restaurant gets my upmost highest rating. The food was exquisite and the service was superb. Every detail and flavor was well thought out. I recommend the khazanas, which stands for treasures and a plethora of them. It includes an appetizer, entree and dessert. You can pick between badshahi (lamb and chicken), begumi (vegetarian) and samudri (seafood). I got the begumi. They brought out papad (toasted lentil crispies) with three dipping sauces when they brought out my wine (of course I ordered wine. This is a work trip after all so necessary). The three dipping sauces were a variety of bold flavors: sweet with tamarind, spicy and cooling with raita (yogurt). Next course was the appetizer, which included a samosa (fried triangle pocket of curry, potatoes and peas) and a salad with warm potatoes on top with a delightfully sour and balanced dressing. The main event was impressive, coming out on a silver tray with six small containers, four entree samples and two with a cucumber salad and carrot pachadi (grated carrots in seasoned yogurt). I have no idea what I ate as the four entrees but here is a guess: saag paneer (spinach with non-melting Indian cheese), something with lentils, something spicy and something sweet. I know...I should have asked what they are called but you know I would never be able to remember nor spell it. It also came with basmati rice and naan. Last course was rice pudding and I was stuffed. The servers were attentive but not hovering. You had just a few moments in between courses to relish the dishes. Best restaurant I have been to in a long time. read more

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