Daru

This is my best Indian restaurant I’ve been to. Everything we ordered was delicious and presented very well, especially the mushroom biryani which was inside a bread dome. Very unique. My favorite dishes were the lamb chops and the sweet potato chaat. We got the roasted carrots and broccoli as a healthier option and it may have been the best carrot and broccoli dish I’ve had. The bread basket had a nice assortment of different naans as well. We felt that everything was worth the price.

The only downside was the parking combined with the restaurant being in a not so great part of town. We didn’t know the area well so when we couldn’t find parking right at the restaurant we found a spot in what looked like a relatively safe area. We will definitely come back but probably not when it’s dark outside.

Daru was an excellent experience. We tried making plans over the last year, but each time something came up, and our inaugural experience was definitely worth it!

Here are brief reviews of the following that we ordered:
1. Pear & Cinnamon Lassi: Very unique take on Lassi, nice and fragrant! The portion size was perfect; if it was bigger I think it would been too heavy to enjoy any other other items we ordered! (Score: 4/5)
2. Mango shrimp bhel: the Shrimp was nice and big, and that combined with the bhel mix was a great combination. (Score: 3/5)
3. Scallops Moilee: the scallops was cooked to perfection, almost a creamy texture, but also seared and crusted with a great mix of spices. They were placed in a bowl with this light, I think tomato-based sauce which was also great for dipping the naan we ordered. (Score: 5/5)
4. Spicy Nawabi Duck Kebab: the most tender kebab I’ve had, and it really packed a nice spicy punch of flavor. The seasoning was perfect, so as not to over power the duck’s natural flavor. One of my most favorite dishes. (Score: 5/5)
5. Squash Bhartha: I’ve only ever eaten eggplant (Bhaingan) bhartha. Essentially lightly mashed butternut squash, but carried other nutty flavors, as well. I think I may try to recreate this at home! (Score: 5/5)
6. Wild mushroom biryani: Very neat presentation cooked with in a bowl, and cooked “dum”-style with a dough cover. Packed great earthy flavors, with an interesting sweet flavor that played with the spicy. (Score: 4/5)
7. Striped Bass Paturi: Probably my favorite dish during my visit! Very well seasoned, which carried a mixture of “heat”-spice, but also packed in the really great citrus-sour flavor that I’d never tasted before. I looked up and one of the ingredients is “Makrut”, who other name is “Kaffir lime”, so I believe that’s what I was tasting. I wished the portion size was bigger for the cost, however. Still give it a perfect score. (Score: 5/5)
8. Black Daal Burrata: Really appreciated this dish because it used the burrata as discrete flavor packets to give the traditionally heavy-cream/butter loaded daal (lentils) it’s creamy and rich texture. Portion size was great, but wish there was more to take home, lol (Score: 5/5)
9. Pomegranate aloo: My mom makes really great sour aloo (potatoes) and this kind of reminded me of those. Again, using the pomegranate to add a nice discrete spurt of flavor. The potatoes were seasoned very evenly, that’s what I like to see; I don’t like seeing bare potatoes, lol! Tired of the salt, pepper and butter BS. Wished they were cooked just a smidge more though (Score: 4/5)
10. Kale Kichidhi: A healthy take on an already homey comfort food that is usually served when you’re sick. I enjoyed the green flavors infused into the kichidhi which was perfectly creamy and rich already! (Score: 4/5)
11. Naan basket: Smaller versions of traditional naan. Not as fluffy as I’d hoped. The herb lachcha was interesting, but didn’t stand out as much. Maybe just personal preference (Score: 2/5)
12. Beetroot halwa: This dessert was not as flavorful, as I’d hoped. I tried the gulab Jamun with ice cream from another person at the table and wished I’d gotten that instead. Maybe I have too much of a sweet tooth. (Score: 1/5)
13. Gulab Jamun with Ice cream: It was not just rose water and dough balls with screams there was something else which gave it it’s fragrance; maybe cardamom? But I only had one bite, and it was heavenly. (Score: 5/5)
14. Masala Chai: Great drink to finish off the night. Very well seasoned with the traditional spices infused in a masala Chai, and not too heavy either! (Score: 5/5)

Daru takes up a neat little corner, and upon entering it was bustling! The atmosphere was very inviting. Upon being seated, we received our menus, which we were informed to try everything on by our accompanying family who have been to Daru before. And we did try A LOT of the menu!

Also want to shoot out to the wait staff. I don’t know how they were trained (well, apparently), but it also speaks volumes that they genuinely wanted to provide a great exp

I recently went to Daru for the second time in 2 months. As an Indian, finding authentic Indian cuisine cooked with the same flavor is really hard. Daru hit the right spots both times with food and cocktails! Personal favorites are the dal makhani (just perfection) and the mushroom choila. Loads of vegetarian options too.

Such a wonderful dining experience from start to finish. The menu consisted of a few traditional Indian dishes but also a variety of unique options, which I found exciting.
Everything we ordered was bursting with flavor..truly an amazing meal.
The lamb chops are a MUST TRY. If the server tells you they’re the best you’ll ever have, believe them!! I could go on and on but there wasn’t a single miss across everything we ordered!

Wow. Daru blew it out of the water. Incredible food and incredible service. They even had a special menu made for my allergen! Everything I couldn’t have was crossed out for me. So grateful. The prices are great for the portions. If I’m ever in DC again I will be returning.