Aditi, Casual Indian in Kingstowne Town Center - Other Locations Have Closed

[hungry prof]

Who wants some insipid Indian food? Well, do I have the place for you.

A lunch meeting today over Indian at Aditi was, well, just not very good. The chicken tikka masala was just plain sweet with nothing else really coming through. The daal resembled mush. The saag paneer was flavorless. And the chunks of lamb in the korma were like little pebbles. The naan wasn't terrible, I suppose.

Sorry to sound so harsh, but what am I supposed to do? I suppose the useless website should have been a tip-off, especially when it brags about being "a Blue Ribbon Award Winner (from the prestigious Washingtonian Magazine), first in 1991!" Yes, but when was the most recent time. . .

I'm going to Tackle Box next time, with or without my colleagues.

[zoramargolis]

hungry prof said:

I'm going to Tackle Box next time, with or without my colleagues.

Or, if you want better Indian food on that same block of M Street, you could go to Amma Vegetarian Kitchen.

[bbhasin]

Or, if you want better Indian food on that same block of M Street, you could go to Amma Vegetarian Kitchen.

Aditi and Amma are owned by the same person

[Tweaked]

I remember having an excellent meal at Aditi...but then again that was back in 1995

[Waitman]

Found ourselves by accident at Aditi Saturday afternoon (note: unlike the rest of the world, restaurants in Georgetown fill up by 6PM on a Saturday) and had quite a pleasant meal. After un-crisp poppadoms we decided to play it safe, and were well rewarded. Chicken Korma, Tandoori Lamb Chops and the black lentils all came out well-prepared and with a little zing. Perhaps not brilliant, but well beyond adequate. Our first choices had been burgers at Clyde's or Steak Tartar at Bistro Francais -- our meal at Aditi hit the same comfort food buttons for about the same price. I vote yes.

[lovehockey]

An errand in the shopping center led us to try something new for lunch, and we ended up here after the SO mentioned he had heard about it.  To summarize, the buffet was fine but the service was not.

We walked into a restaurant about half full and were told we could sit where we wanted, just not in the back where larger groups would go.  Water got poured and we were encouraged to eat at the buffet.  We asked for menus since we hadn't been there before and wanted to see what else they offered.  It went downhill from there.  Several minutes later we had to ask for the menus again.  The SO got up to look at the buffet and overheard a waiter telling other customers they should go for that option because the kitchen was backed up and slow.

The food at the buffet was a decent selection of meat and vegetarian dishes, including standards like butter chicken and a few curries that had some kick to them but not anything strong.  They also provided complimentary naan.  We both decided on the buffet and stuck with water because the wine list was pedestrian and even if we wanted a beer, cocktail, or soda we decided it just wasn't worth it.  The service was, at best, indifferent.  If we needed something we had to flag down a person.  I think our waiter was the guy who at the beginning poured our water and at the end noticed our table was clear, and asked if we were done and if we needed the check (which we had already asked someone else to get).

It's a nice space and the buffet was $11.99 per person.  But the service will keep us from going there again.

[DonRocks]

An errand in the shopping center led us to try something new for lunch, and we ended up here after the SO mentioned he had heard about it. To summarize, the buffet was fine but the service was not.

We walked into a restaurant about half full and were told we could sit where we wanted, just not in the back where larger groups would go. Water got poured and we were encouraged to eat at the buffet. We asked for menus since we hadn't been there before and wanted to see what else they offered. It went downhill from there. Several minutes later we had to ask for the menus again. The SO got up to look at the buffet and overheard a waiter telling other customers they should go for that option because the kitchen was backed up and slow.

The food at the buffet was a decent selection of meat and vegetarian dishes, including standards like butter chicken and a few curries that had some kick to them but not anything strong. They also provided complimentary naan. We both decided on the buffet and stuck with water because the wine list was pedestrian and even if we wanted a beer, cocktail, or soda we decided it just wasn't worth it. The service was, at best, indifferent. If we needed something we had to flag down a person. I think our waiter was the guy who at the beginning poured our water and at the end noticed our table was clear, and asked if we were done and if we needed the check (which we had already asked someone else to get).

It's a nice space and the buffet was $11.99 per person. But the service will keep us from going there again.

There is, or was, some connection between Aditi in Kingstowne Town Center and Aditi in Vienna on Route 123 (the first Aditi opened in Georgetown in 1989), but they don't appear to be related on the internet as of now - does anyone have any facts?

[Ericandblueboy]

I don't think Additi is still in Vienna. I think it's now Turmeric.

[Mishkilji]

We are regulars at Aditi's for dinner; never tried the lunch buffet.

It is one of our favorite restaurants: the Samosa Chat appetizer is great and out daughter (age 10) is developing an appreciation for Indian food (always a positive).

Fair warning: The spicy food is HOT.

My wife loves the curries we have yet to be disappointed by the staff.

Highly recommended.

[jsfairfax]

Went for Mother's day dinner - decor is quite nice, but food is average.  Overall, I recommend if you are in the area, but not worth driving across town for.  The biggest issue was the Tandoori Platter was undercooked - the chicken was still raw - I would not go out of my way for this place.  Not highly recommended

[DonRocks]

I don't think Additi is still in Vienna. I think it's now Turmeric.

That's right. Aditi Bistro at 405 Maple Ave. E in Vienna is now Turmeric Indian Dining, and the Aditi at 3299 M St. in Georgetown - which was there for 23 years - is also closed, having been originally replaced by an outlet of the ubiquitous Grill Kabob (which closed in 2013), and to be subsequently replaced by the 7th area location of Peets Coffee & Tea. (Thanks, SD)

"Peet's Coffee To Open Georgetown Shop" by Kelly Byrnes on georgetowner.com

That leaves the Kingstowne location in Alexandria, and a quick-serve location inside of Union Station. I don't consider airport locations, stadium locations, food-court locations, food trucks, or in this case, train-station locations to be "Locations," so I'm moving Aditi out of the Multiple Locations Dining Guide, and into the Virginia Dining Guide under the Franconia-Kingstowne neighborhood.

[MSDCX]

Wifey and I ate lunch here last Saturday.  While there food was tasty, there was nothing truly outstanding about it.  The buffet contained the typical Indian fare: salad, butter chicken, chicken biryani, tandoori chicken, and a few types of veggies.  The real standouts were vada (light fritter with almond sauce) and okra.  The food was flavorful, but not spicy (we had to ask for some jalapeí±os on the side, which were also, unfortunately, not spicy).  The place is clean and the service was very friendly.  Check it out if in the area but I would not drive all the way from D.C. to get here.

[DonRocks]

Kingstowne is the only remaining location of Aditi - Vienna, Georgetown, and Union Station have all closed over the years. There was a separate thread for Georgetown, but I moved its posts into here. This is now Aditi's correct website.

[Has anyone noticed our DC Dining Guide is being groomed, courtesy of the ever-perspicacious DIShGo? ]