Indian Bistro 14

Loved it. First time eating here was amazing. Hadn't had Indian food in a long time. It definitely hit the spot. Had the traditional curry, hot. Tasted really good. Paired with garlic naan, perfect. Also had Mango lassi definitely the best one I've ever had. Will definitely have to stop in next time I'm back in Arlington.

India Bistro 14 - what a pleasant surprise! In the past, another Indian restaurant was my favorite. With the pandemic, my favorite restaurant was no longer in business. India Bistro 14 does not have a buffet. You cannot look and try a few dishes to get familiar with them. What they offer is “thalis.” These are metal platters containing complete meals. A parallel is the Japanese bento box. The thali has an appetizer, main curries, rice, bread, and dessert. They have two thalis: vegetarian and non-vegetarian. There are dining-in and take-out versions. They offer “curries-of-the-day” (non-meat and meat versions). For dining in, you get three curries. For take out, you get two. You have a choice of two types of bread: tandoori roti or naan. For dessert, you have a choice of rice pudding, Gulab jamun or mango custard. Their menu is on their website. During the pandemic, I prefer to order take-out. For lunch, they had dining-in as an option. So, I tried both. Not at the same! Dining-in first. Then take-out a few days later. The pandemic discouraged many customers. The interior was tidy and bright. Large windows wrapped the dining room. The wait staff were young and friendly. The background music sounded like Indian pop music. Not relaxing. I am not a fan of pop music of any variety for dining. We both ordered the meat lunch. We chose the same naan bread and rice pudding options. When the metal trays thalis arrived, the portions were generous. Everything was a tight fit on the glass table. I dropped a piece of the naan bread by accident. I thought the curries were among to die for. The spices were not hot yet full of flavor. The basmati rice was fluffy. The vegetable samosa was delicious. The naan bread was not dry and tasteful. The rice pudding was fragrant and not sugary. Everything was delicious. Wow! India Bistro 14 deserves more customers. Worth another trip, no doubt. The second trip we ordered take-out. We ordered a vegetarian and a non-vegetarian lunch box. We ordered distinct desserts: one rice pudding, and one gulab jamun. I suspect they must have had another chef. We did not get the same level of taste as the first time. It was not bad, but nothing special. At least we had a larger table at home. Worth a repeat visit? Of course, I cannot wait.

We saw their signs advertising the lunch buffet but we showed up and it turns out they didn't have the lunch buffet. It was really wishful thinking since I haven't seen an Indian lunch buffet since before the pandemic. I knew it probably wasn't true. However, they do have very good Indian food. We ordered the Shahi Korma with Lamb, Mixed Grill Kebab and Garlic Naan. Each dish had very good flavor and we would definitely return. They served a good amount of Lamb in the Korma which most places don't do. The prices were also reasonable and they have a nicely decorated small space.

I typically hate trying Indian food where I don’t frequent. I came from out of state visiting family friends and went for dinner. The service was great. Staff were accommodating and extremely nice. The food was also really good. I’m relocating in June and can’t wait to get come back! The portions will definitely fill you up and are reasonably priced. I find the menu to be extensive where you can definitely find an option for you. I love that there is a lot of vegetarian options as a lot of my family are pescatarian and vegetarian. This will definitely be my home away from home for comfort food.