Mark Dedrick Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I couldn't find a topic on this place. If it exists, my apologies. We went to Cusbah late last week, and were impressed. The food was very good, extremely flavorful (they were not afraid to use heat), and extremely affordable. My goat vindaloo was $11, while my wife's chicken tikka makhni was $9, and it was more than enough food for us. They had some decent drink specials as well (and some appalling sounding mixed drinks, which involved Goldschlager and Jagermeister mixed together). I wouldn't travel to go here, but it's definitely the best Indian food I've had on the Hill (which is, admittedly, a low bar). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 18, 2013 Share Posted June 18, 2013 I couldn't find a topic on this place. If it exists, my apologies. We went to Cusbah late last week, and were impressed. The food was very good, extremely flavorful (they were not afraid to use heat), and extremely affordable. My goat vindaloo was $11, while my wife's chicken tikka makhni was $9, and it was more than enough food for us. They had some decent drink specials as well (and some appalling sounding mixed drinks, which involved Goldschlager and Jagermeister mixed together). I wouldn't travel to go here, but it's definitely the best Indian food I've had on the Hill (which is, admittedly, a low bar). They must have really upped their game. We got delivery from them about 6 months ago and it was grim...like we threw everything out and got pizza grim. Have you given Chicken and Rice a try? It's the incredibly nondescript place in the H St. Connection building. The quality can be really hit or miss, and seems dependent on having the head cook present, but if he's there, it's really great. When he's not there, it's varied between just okay, and waaayyyy to salty. As for other Hill places, I can say that Aatish is at least consistently not terrible, and tends to be our go-to for delivery Indian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dedrick Posted June 19, 2013 Author Share Posted June 19, 2013 I didn't realize Cusbah did delivery actually, but I'll give that a shot. I will say that we had quite low expectations going in, which is why I'm hesitant to rave about it too much. But all three of us at the table really enjoyed our food. I haven't tried Chicken and Rice. I'll have to give it a go. I've actually not been super-adventurous in trying the nondescript spots on H Street. Those that I have tried (Citi Pizza) have justified that decision, but I need to probably stop in at some of them. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Josh Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I think your decision is probably the best one...I actually investigated Chicken and Rice thinking it would be a Latin American joint of some sort, and really pining for some good Puerto Rican food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaRiv18 Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 Los Verracos at Union Kitchen has good PR fare. I had a chicken dish at my daughters school fair a month ago. I was too busy monitoring 2 kids in a sea of humanity and cant recall details but it was tasty. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JimRice Posted June 20, 2013 Share Posted June 20, 2013 I have some friends who go to Cusbah fairly frequently. I was told that sometime in the past few months, something changed in the kitchen, where 'authentic spicy' went from spicy to OMGWTFMYENTIREGASTROINTESTINALTRACKISONFIRE. So, there may have been a chef change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dedrick Posted June 21, 2013 Author Share Posted June 21, 2013 I have some friends who go to Cusbah fairly frequently. I was told that sometime in the past few months, something changed in the kitchen, where 'authentic spicy' went from spicy to OMGWTFMYENTIREGASTROINTESTINALTRACKISONFIRE. So, there may have been a chef change. In that case I'm glad I waited before trying. We found the "authentic" pretty much perfect, but then we like spicy food. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simul Parikh Posted June 26, 2013 Share Posted June 26, 2013 Went last night. I really like the set-up of the place. The bar is one of those that opens to the inside and outside, and the outside part has a very nice patio with regular tables and high tops. The heading says Northern Indian, but a lot of the dishes were Goan and curry dishes you'd see down south. Also, had the typical north Indian dishes, as well, though. We got the raita/aachar with naan to start ($5). I've only recently begun to like raita (spiced yogurt with cut up vegetables), it especially hits the spot in the summer. The aachar (pickle) was good, probably out of a glass jar (why make it if you have access to the Nirav brand?). We also shared a chicken kathi roll (basically a wrap), and it was very big for the price ($6) - one would be enough for lunch. It was tasty, nothing amazing about it, probably not good as the Rolls on Rolls food truck. For entrees, we got a chicken dish that I can't find on the online menu, it was yellowish, I think with cashews. Good flavor. I got the lamb vindaloo, spicy. And it was spicy. Not impossible to eat spicy, but pretty intense. I liked that one better and have enough for lunch today. With a few beers, $50 + tip. It's pretty average, but such a nice patio/bar area. Too bad when you look out, the scenery is still gross the gross part of H street. S 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddiebosox Posted October 29, 2014 Share Posted October 29, 2014 This our go to Indian place since we live close by. It is very good, and very affordable. The only problem is occasional inconsistency. Their "authentic" Chicken Vindaloo is very hot (they even sell t-shirts daring you to eat it). I've had it when it was really spicy, where its a slow building heat that by the end of the meal your mouth is numb, and you've got sweat dripping down your forehead. Just the way I like it. Other times, it is so hot as to be completely inedible from the first bite. pepper spray on a plate. Their H street bread basket of all their different Naans is worth it, if you can take all those carbs. They also have a decent beer list, great outdoor seating, and their cocktails aren't bad. While I wish they could be more reliable from night to night, it is still a good place for a curry. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kanishka Posted March 20, 2016 Share Posted March 20, 2016 Crossposted from Facebook. Normally I don't leave Facebook reviews, but I'm still furious about how we were treated tonight at Cusbah. Walked in with two kids, both under three. Cold, rainy nights make me crave curry, and Indigo on 3rd and K was jam packed. Cusbah was itself quite busy, and after we figured out the "heated" patio would be too cold for the kids, we asked for an inside table. The hostess said the wait would be 15 minutes -- no problem. It was only *after* we had waited and a table opened that were told by the same hostess that the restaurant had no high chairs, which meant we'd either have to a: eat with a 7-month old on someones lap or b: leave. We chose the latter. The hostess offered no apology and was in fact rather dismissive and rude. When I asked why she didn't tell us the restaurant had no high chairs at the beginning of our wait, she just shrugged. Cusbah is the only restaurant I have been to on H St. that doesn't have high chairs save for Toki Underground, and I have been to at least 75% of them. This in and of itself is not a problem, but if you see kids, could you please be kind and let the parents know ahead of time that they are not welcome at your restaurant, or at minimum that they could be quite uncomfortable? What a terrible terrible hostess. We will not be back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxdrop Posted April 12, 2016 Share Posted April 12, 2016 Being reported that Cusbah is closing on May 1. https://districtcuisine.com/2016/04/11/cusbah-closing-by-may-1/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saxdrop Posted April 14, 2016 Share Posted April 14, 2016 Just posted on Facebook ---- Cusbah 3 hrs Dear loyal Cusbah Patrons, H Street neighbors and future guests, A number of local blogs are reporting the impending closure of Cusbah on May 1, 2016. The inundation of phone calls, which both reflect support and curiosity have prompted this note. Cusbah is currently in a legal dispute with our landlord regarding our lease. Since we opened for business in August of 2012 we have made every effort, in good faith, to remain in favorable standing with our landlord, our customers and our neighbors. Having that said, Cusbah has every intention to be open at its current address on May 1, 2016. Cusbah ownership, management and staff thank you for all your support. We look forward to having the privilege to serve you today, tomorrow and well into the future. Cusbah Ownership Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted August 21, 2016 Share Posted August 21, 2016 On 4/14/2016 at 6:02 PM, saxdrop said: Just posted on Facebook ---- Cusbah 3 hrs Dear loyal Cusbah Patrons, H Street neighbors and future guests, A number of local blogs are reporting the impending closure of Cusbah on May 1, 2016. The inundation of phone calls, which both reflect support and curiosity have prompted this note. Cusbah is currently in a legal dispute with our landlord regarding our lease. Since we opened for business in August of 2012 we have made every effort, in good faith, to remain in favorable standing with our landlord, our customers and our neighbors. Having that said, Cusbah has every intention to be open at its current address on May 1, 2016. Cusbah ownership, management and staff thank you for all your support. We look forward to having the privilege to serve you today, tomorrow and well into the future. Cusbah Ownership Cusbah was right: They're still going strong on H Street NE. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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