Food is five stars. Service was kinda bad, but I'm giving them a pass since I visited their opening day. Recommendations: Cauliflower Tapori naan Lamb biryani Quail Remember the mango cocktail We already booked another reservation in a few weeks to try more from their menu! It's so good! I'm sure the service will also improve in time. read more

I came here last night with my friends and it was honestly incredible. For drinks, I got the guava swizzle which was delicious, very creamy and refreshing. For food, we got a pretty good smattering of items off the menu including the pani puri, lotus chaat, cheese kulcha, podi dosa masala, nilgi scallop, butter chicken, and the paneer chop. For me, I think the standouts were the lotus chaat, the dosa, and the butter chicken. I love a good chaat and the lotus root was so crispy and flavorful with the tamarind sauce on top. The dosa was so so crispy and delicious, it was fantastic dipped in the sambar and chutneys, and the gravy with the butter chicken was phenomenal. Honestly, I don't think there could be a single bad thing on the menu. Next time I want to get the Cauliflower 65 as I understood it to be similar to gobi manchurian. HIGHLY reccomend coming here if you're in the mood for some excellent Indian food. read more

KenScale: 8.0/10 Visits: May 2025 When I used to live in New York City, I would sometimes get the halal cart food from the street, especially after a long night of socializing with friends. I stopped going to these carts at some point after someone told me how much calorie goes into the dish but that doesn't mean I don't miss an absolutely delicious plate of chicken and rice with the addictive white sauce. On a recent restaurant visit in DC with my wife Jun, I think I discovered the closest thing to what I remembered to be this late-night indulgence. One of my favorite restaurants in the District is Daru for its distinctive take on Indian cuisine, so I was very excited to hear about the team's new project called Tapori that features South Asian (Nepalese and Indian) dishes inspired by street food culture of the region. Compared to the environment at Daru, Tapori looked livelier with glitzy lighting and a large communal table in the center, and the restaurant team does seem intent to replicating a rowdy street environment somewhere in Mumbai. More importantly, we enjoyed many of the dishes we ordered from the fun and eclectic menu. The small plates at Tapori are quite ideal for sharing while taking in a sip of cocktails. The cauliflower with roasted garlic and curry leaf, accompanied by Kashmiri chili mayo, quickly disappeared after it landed on our table, and I was glad that Jun ordered the cold lotus root chaat with tamarind and sweet yogurt. I only vaguely knew that Nepali cuisine has dumpling dishes, and one of the first dishes that grabbed my attention when I browsed the menu was jhol momo, a wagyu dumpling in consommé. It tasted somewhat like a Chinese xiaolongbao soup dumpling that we were more familiar with, but unfortunately wasn't quite as memorable as I thought it would be. I was somewhat surprised that there was no curry-based dish on the menu at Tapori, but we still had delicious main dishes. The tandoori chicken, with the whole roasted poussin accompanied by garam masala spice and Greek yogurt, was not surprisingly delicious on its own, but it truly shone with the dum biriyani dish that came with slow cooked goat and saffron. The chicken and the deeply aromatic basmati rice from the biriyani was a potent combo, especially with a side of spicy Kashmiri-Habanero chutney that gave us irresistibly spicy kicks. It was while savoring this potent combo that I had this eerie sensation of devouring on a chicken and rice dish back in the days in Manhattan. By the end of our meal, we were sweating profusely with our faces red, but we walked out one happy couple. Getting a reservation at Tapori wasn't too challenging; one thing to note is that if you want to get a booth seat with your own table as opposed to the communal table, make sure to select the correct option. As noted above, the fun, hectic vibe that the dining space was giving could either be an attraction or a distraction to your dining experience; our reservation was on the early dinner time, so it didn't feel as chaotic during our meal but I can see the place being an absolute party atmosphere during peak hours. The cocktail program incorporating various South Asian ingredients and inspirations will help with enhancing your meal, and the wine list was surprisingly versatile with some fun options designed to complement the South Asian cuisine well. Tapori is the kind of restaurant that would be a great place to visit with a large group of people where you can liberally indulge on a variety of foods and drinks. While Jun and I would probably lean more toward Daru when it comes to Indian food, it is another strong newcomer to the increasingly colorful dining scene of the H Street corridor. read more

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From the founders of Daru, Tapori lives up to the hype with an innovative and modern take on Indian food. I just ordered a couple of appetizers, the Dahi Kebab and Roast Duck Kulcha, which both provided great presentation and dishes I've never had before. The Dahi Kebab was both crunchy and creamy, sweet and savory, combining yogurt, cashew, pistachio and guava into like a fried savory pastry. The Roast Duck Kulcha adds caviar, sour cherry and masala over a duck filled bread. The service and atmosphere were also great, with both bar and table seating. read more

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A friend and I stopped by for happy hour. An amazing experience, the bartender was top-notch! And the food was delicious. Highly recommend will absolutely be back for happy hour and dinner to follow. read more

One of the best Indian meals I've had in a while. Must get dishes are the vada pav, lotus root chaat, and the tandoori salmon. The dosa was underwhelming. Drinks were great. read more

Tapori - Tandoori Salmon - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

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Fun, vibey, awesome for groups and the food is fab! Flavorable and shareable! Service was attentive. Reservations are definitely a good idea. read more

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Another fantastic collaboration night with Matt Adler. Tapori is a can't miss restaurant but the extra special nights have food that beats almost any restaurant in the city. The paneer Milanese and squid ink pasta were insane. Highly recommend any trip here read more

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Stopped in the first couple weeks of service - overall it was a good meal. Space is nice, service was friendly and food was pretty quick. We sat at the shared table which was fun, struck up some conversations with neighbors - it's a beautiful big table with enough room for privacy but still encourages interaction. For drinks, we tried a couple cocktails, both of which were ok but didn't stand out (can't recall the names, but one was a swizzle and the other a vodka pomegranate drink). For food - tried a good number of items, favorites were the smaller bites. Pani puri, vada pav and lotus root chaat were the easy highlights of the meal. the fried cauliflower was ok, texture was on the more fried side, sauce was mayo based but didn't love the flavors or texture overall. the pistachio naan was fluffy and warm, but not much flavor comes through for the added $. The tandoori broccoli had barely any char and the madras curry did not come through. The momos were pretty tasty, delicate broth. the calamari were sauteed in a paste that had some heat, these were ok. And finally we had the mushroom pulao, which was good as a filler dish but not much stood out other than the raita. Overall a fun new spot to try, but will wait a bit for them to refine the menu to return read more

Cute restaurant. Food is extremely tasty. I ordered the naan and cauliflower and could've ate more. Cauliflower was perfectly fried and seasoned literally don't even know how they accomplished that but this is one of my favorite type of cuisines and the drinks are good! read more

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I came with a friend on a Friday early evening the weekend following their opening. When we arrived, we didn't have reservations but found two spots at the bar. Once sat are bar, the bartenders did not greet us, and really didn't pay us any mind. My friend waved one down to order a drink and then I did but when it came to food we were lost. We were staring at the menu a while confused and the bartenders didn't once ask if they can help us or make a suggestion. I finally had to wave one down to ask some questions. We first ordered the calamari, the pistachio naan, mushroom biryani, dumplings, vada pav, and the broccoli. To be honest, we found the food just okay. I thought the calamari would be fried, but it wasn't. It was spicy but the flavor was only okay to me. The naan was good but came with no sauce. It really needed a sauce. The vada pav, which were like fried potato sliders, were good but also a little dry- it also needed some kind of sauce. The mushroom Biryani was okay. The dumplings were the best part but you only get 4. We both felt underwhelmed. We had high hopes but nothing really stood out. I also think the menu should describe the items more. The vada pav does not state its a sandwich like slider. We didn't get the cauliflower, which seems to be the most popular, but we would have if the description actually mentioned it was fried. Majority of the menu doesn't actually describe what the dishes are. After our meals, we both didn't really feel satisfied. The only woman bartender that night was particularly curt with us the whole night but when a new couple arrived next to us, was completely different. She made so many suggestions, which we would have liked. We heard them recommend the lotus chat, which looked good when it arrived so we decided to try one more thing and order it. The lotus chat was very good. That by far was the best of the night. For drinks I ordered one of the orange wines. I liked it, it has a similar taste to rose. I also got the Remember the Mango cocktail and enjoyed it. Overall, we had high expectations because we both love Daru but Tapori just didn't hit the mark. Nothing wowed us and service was rude. Maybe it was an off night but unfortunately, they didn't live up to the hype for us. read more

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Starting from the call to the super kind hostess who helped me confirm there are dairy and gluten free options, this started on a high. my mom grew up in India... so food like this is always hard to feel like it hit's right... she was shocked. the sauces were perfectly balanced - not too sweet or sugary and not too heavy. the spice levels were authentic and the flavors uncompromising in their authenticity. that level of flavor and sophistication brought back a lot of childhood memories for her. the happy hour menu is BEYOND generous. a new staple for us. Glen our server / bartender was patient with all of my questions (I don't like sweet cocktails, I prefer to eat dairy free gluten free, always asking for extra something or other) he never flinched and was supportive of my THIRD dosa order !! we also did the lotus root salad, two orders of the fried cauliflower (GF!!!), pani puri, potato vada pav. my regret was not getting the meat vada pav on the HH menu- so get it! my mom and our friend also did the goat cheese kulcha and it looked amazing.... beautiful interior, fabulous music, candles and a vibe ! A NEW FAVORITE! read more

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Tapori is a neighborhood gem. As a West Indian who did not enjoy a single dish at Daru, I was not excited to visit the sister restaurant. But my friend really wanted to try it out, and I'm so glad I went. The flavors here are amazing. The ambiance is energetic. And the service is thoughtful. read more

Another hit from the Daru team! The interior is absolutely gorgeous with vibrant shapes, colors, and textures at every corner. It has a wonderful sense of place and vibrancy, culminating with the long communal table in the center. Service is incredibly friendly and everyone takes pride in the offerings on hand. The food is spectacular. Everything is incredibly flavorful with inventive aromatic pairings and just enough heat to keep you coming back for another bite. We started with the Lotus Chaat (fried slices of lotus root perfectly dressed with tamarind and other sauces for consistently perfect bites - think Indian flavored nachos) and the fried cauliflower is totally craveable. For mains, we ordered the Bison Momo that comes served in a clear but flavorful broth and the Paneer Steak. My friend loved the Momo. The Paneer steak was unlike any way I've seen it served before, though similar to the Pesto Paneer at Daru. Served with pickled slaw of red onion and persimmon and a dollop of mint sauce, the paneer is cooked to perfection (3 ways they said!) and each bite is so satisfying. I'm glad I brought some home to enjoy the next day. Don't skip the bread, either. We had the stuffed cheese bread which was just cheesy enough without being too much as the pickled onions on top gave a nice little piquancy. We ended with the cheesecake which is flavored with cardamom and complemented nicely with an aromatic berry compote. Don't sleep on the drinks either. The bar team here is top notch and the drinks and some of the most unique I've had in town. The Guava Swizzle is inventive and not too sweet. The Old Fashioned is excellent and imbues spices gently with the familiar flavor of the cocktail. Obsessed. Will be back. A lot. read more

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Excellent food and service! We tried so many dishes and loved the chaats the best! Would gladly return and get the other half of the menu

Great ambiance Food had a different take on your traditional Indian Cuisine ... less formal but perfectly executed Cocktails were spot on! Definitely a must go... read more

if I could only eat one cuisine for the rest of my life I am like 98% sure it would be Indian food - this is a relatively new spot with some great reviews. the inside is so vibrant and has small tables surrounding one giant table down the middle for a communal dining style. loved the colorful decorations and artwork built into the table, bar, and bathrooms - the lotus root chaat was crispy-sweet- sour-creamy-crunchy everything you could want in a dish. such a refreshing take on a classic Indian starter - honestly that description applies for most of the dishes. most were really well done with some intense flavor and all presenting with flare - the dosa was a great dish to share, the outside was thin and snapped at your fingertips. the inside had warm potatoes spiced just right. the dips that it came with were rather disappointing with just the faintest flavors. - the goat biryani was delicious. I wish there was more goat in it because the TWO pieces of goat that came in the dish just came right off the bone and were so tender and juicy. another very pretty dish. this restaurant may not be ideal for major meat eaters - the naan was disappointing, it's a very small piece of bread where you have to get a side of some sort to dip it into to double the price... the saag like curry we got for dipping was good with a rich deep spinach taste without too much spice to overpower it - we tried the cheesecake as well, which was very spiced and an interesting take on a classic American dish!! read more

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Had a great meal! Our server Oscar was great, she directed us to the mango cocktail which was a bit sweet but definitely not overly sweet! All the food was well spiced, and the booths were great if you are able to get one: book in advance. Attaching a pic of the menu as it is different than what it currently says on the website, it seems they probably change their menu often. Cauliflower 65 is a must order if you like spicy food. read more

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Walking in and laying eyes on Tapori in person for the first time brought such a huge smile to my face. Playful, colorful, and elegant, the restaurant is beautifully designed. And the food matches the excellence of the environment it inhabits. We only had a few bites - the Jhol momo (my favorite), dum biryani, and Tapori naan - and we loved all of it. So happy the folks at Daru decided to bring their amazing restaurant to H Street. read more

This place is really phenomenal. There are some rough spots on H St that can dissuade people from visiting at night, but Tapori is one of the very best dinner options in the city. Top notch food, excellent cocktails, and a very welcoming staff that really understands the food and preparation techniques. read more

The food and service was amazing! Our server was so kind and super helpful in picking out gluten free items and giving recommendations on drinks. I think the dosa was my favorite (but I'm South Indian so I'm probably biased). Everything in the photos is GF except the momos. I have also posted their GF menu. read more

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Went to Tapori on Friday with the girlfriends! We were seated at the communal table which was a fun vibe. Definitely appreciated the before decor and the immaculate vibes. The cocktails were also excellent as was the service. We were slightly disappointed with the food and didn't find it as flavorful as we would have liked. The portions were also a little small for the price. We enjoyed the street food options and the ability to order and share many things. The tandoori salmon is a MUST have. read more

Great vibe, food, and excellent service. Gustavo and the rest of the staff couldn't have been more attentive. He had a deep knowledge of the menu and helped my wife and I order the perfect dishes for our taste. read more

Beautiful restaurant with tapas style food that is delicious and creative. Also some of the best cocktails you'll find in DC are here. Get the bison, the lamb, or the wagyu momos or go veggie and get the dosa, cauliflower, and lotus root chaat. Ideally, go with a large group and get most of the menu! read more

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Delicious!!! The flavors were dynamic and all of the dishes we tried were delicious. The star of the show was the lotus root chaat. We likes it so much we asked for a second order. The space is beautiful too. Will definitely be back! read more

Limited offerings, expected more in terms of spice and flavor. Surprisingly according to the server only desert without egg was the sorbet. If you're vegetarian or vegan, maybe best to give this place a skip read more

awesome service while being served drinks and food to go. everyone is friendly and helpful. . their food is incredible.

What a fantastic find--recommended offhandedly to us by someone at another nearby restaurant. We sat at the bar and received fantastic, attentive, and insightful attention from the bartender. We ordered, drank, ordered more, drank more, and then ordered even more -- it was really one surprising and excellent experience after another. Fantastic vibe, lively and busy without being too loud, and with speedy attentive service. We sampled our way through an embarrassing percentage of the menu (for 2 people) and there were no misses, only degrees of surprise and success. The final dish -- a lotus root chaat that was like a riff on nachos -- was an absolutely delightful exclamation point on a tastebud-inspiring meal. Cocktails reminded me of East Bay Spice Company (Berkeley) back when it was firing on all cylinders. Would go again in a heartbeat. read more

Great ambiance with a cozy feel. Service was great, especially for a restaurant that just opened. I got all the vegan options: tandoori broccoli, lasooni palak, pani puri, lotus root chaat, cauliflower 65, and dosa. I was pleasantly surprised by how good the dosa and Sambar were for restaurant that isn't South Indian! read more

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Had such a wonderful dinner, even though they were booked for the night they snuck us in between reservations! Dinner was delicious. Atmosphere is amazing. Service was perfect and attentive, our server helped us pick from the menu to get a perfect amount of food and mix of flavors. read more

Took my family of 4 to dinner here for the 4 course Pre Fixe dinner. It was $55 per person and totally NOT worth it! Except for the Avacado pani puri and the Cauliflower 65, the rest of the items that we got were pretty average and I'm being very generous here. Rajma was bland as was the Lasooni Palak. The tandoori chicken was so so. The lamb was terrible, no flavor and not at all tender. I've had way better tasty and flavorful food for 1/3 of the price! While the staff and ambience were nice, I would strongly advise to not waste your hard earned money on this place. Not going here ever again for sure. read more

My sister and myself came tonight to experience the in Indian/Nepolese street food. It was excellent. My (superior) sister lives on H street so we are always happy when a great restaurant opens on that strip. We started with the cauliflower 65. I'm not a big fan of cauliflower, but who would a thunk-that-frying something makes it taste better? The ACHARI MACCHI KEBAB is excelent. The salmon is is cooked so that you get a nice crisp on the skin, and the fish itelf is melt in your mouth. The accompanying spinach rice and cucumber salad are plated in a way that just looks sexy (the mustard oil and gram flour coating pump up the favor volume). You get a nice puree of mango and yellow bell peppers with kaloni/black seeds as well. Dum biryani infused with so many savory and warming spices and fall off the bone slow cooked goat is another banger dish that you can't go wrong with. The cheese kulcha was tasty, and to finish we ordered the RASMALAI CHEESECAKE, which my superior sibling emphatically endorsed. Our waitress, Mishi, gave excellent recommendations and service. While I stuck with water, my sister really enjoyed her recommendation of the Rangeela-Rita. I had a sip and the it was a pretty complex flavor profile. Spicy, nutty, and slightly salty flavor from the gunpowder masala, licorice notes from the fennel, and some tang/sweeetnes from the bell pepper juice , along with tasty tequilla and hibiscus syrup. Props to her. All of the staff were very attentive without being overbearing. That's a hard thing to juggle, but they do it well .The restaurant has a great vibe and aesthetic feel. Please support this restaurant!! read more

Tapori - Indian Near Me - Washington, DC, District of Columbia

A memorable evening at Tapori last night with a table full of friends. Great vibe. Excellent food. Innovative cocktails. And a team that's a joy to be around. Make sure to get the dosa, the lotus root chaat and the pistachio naans. For non-vegetarians, the botli kebabs and the bison momos. And, lots of cocktails! The Achartini is different and delightful - it comes with a clever, little side of pickled veggies. The Rangeelarita, esp if made with mezcal, packs a smoky punch. Remember the Mango is bright and refreshing. The frozen Kerala Cooler slushie, infused with jackfruit ...sounded weird and tasted incredible: total crowd pleaser. The tamarind infused Tapori comes in a pretty clay cup adorned with an elephant parade. Congratulations to Dante and the team behind delightful Daru for this new venture. Congrats to head chef Suresh for his Rammy nomination. Cheers to GM A.J. and his excellent team that keeps spirits bright at Tapori. We'll be back to taste everything else on the menu. read more

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Interesting. That's the word that kept coming up as we progressed through our meal at Tapori on opening night. But just to clarify, interesting in a very good way. First, the menu looked interesting. Make no mistake, this is not your suburban parent's Indian restaurant, there is no chicken tikka masala or lamb rogan josh to be found. Instead there are lots of things we were seeing for the first time, like lotus root and paneer chop. A bit disoriented but undeterred, we jumped in and with the help of our friendly server, we ordered the lotus root chatt, dum biriani, paneer chop and roast duck kulcha. The chatt came first and it was excellent, rich spicy flavor and crunch. Then came the paneer which was "interesting" but not really my thing. My dinner companion who ordered it thought it was good. The roast duck kulcha was essentially a sort of naan bread but with some "interesting" ingredients....pickled shallot, sour cherry and trout caviar. It was excellent. The dum biriani arrived looking like French onion soup in a round pot with a sort of cheesy crust over the top. While it looked great, the biriani inside was underwhelming, big chunks of bone and fat with very little actual goat meat. For the price I was expecting more. Ambiance was excellent, we were seated by the open kitchen and the sound of the head chef yelling instructions actually added to the vibe, like we were sitting in bustling street cafe in Mumbai! So overall we thought this place was superb and a great addition to H St. It's a tall order following the previous Fancy Radish but it looks like Tapori is up to the challenge. Looking forward to getting back to dig into other "interesting" dishes and bold flavors. read more