Daru

“Great spot for some creative Indian fusion food with an easy going vibe. Can't really decide what was better, the food or the service. The Reshmi Chicken and the Paneer dishes were my favorite. The hostess gracefully fixed me up with an off menu Old Monk drink.”

“Our party of three (a vegan, a vegetarian, and an omnivore) had an amazing dinner here Friday night (5/29/2026), largely thanks to Dawn’s expert guidance and hospitality. We appreciated how throughly she answered our questions, walked us through the menu, explained dishes, and helped us make decisions based on our preferences. The vegetarian loved the creative paneer lasagna (the paneer replaces the pasta component), and the daal burrata. The vegan had the mirchi ka salaan (a stuffed pepper with potatoes, asparagus, and a perfect peanut sesame sauce), and the excellent eggplant bharta. The omnivore enjoyed the murgh makhani (chicken), and pomegranate aloo potatoes. Thank you, Dawn and Daru, for a great evening!”

“I’m not an Indian food connoisseur so take this review with a grain of salt but I really liked the food! The sauce accompanying the scallops was just about the best thing I’ve eaten ever. I couldn’t stop dipping naan into it then gave up and just used a spoon like it was soup. The lamb chop was juicy and tasty. Loved the zaatar naan. The burrata daal was some of the best I’ve ever eaten. I don’t get over to this side of town often but this place is worth the trek.”

“Delightful Indian fusion restaurant! I didn’t know it was fusion before visiting, but the elements of Italian,l and Mediterranean flavors were a fun and pleasant surprise. My partner and I went to Daru for a mid-week date night, and the space was completely full — a great sign for their popularity, but definitely recommend getting a reservation! We were seated at a cozy two-person table at the back of the restaurant, which was made more romantic by the tea lights, plants, and tastefully colorful decor dotting the space. We split one appetizer and two entrees, which was a great portion for the two of us. We started with the scallops, which were perfectly tender with a lovely crust from both the sear and spice powder. The sauce was rich and creamy, and, per our server’s recommendation, we also got a piece of za’atar naan to soak up the rest of the sauce. The naan was absolutely coated in za’atar and was remarkably fragrant; I had never thought to pair za’atar with Indian food, but it was a great combination. For our mains, we split the pesto paneer tikka and steamed branzino, both of which were phenomenal. The pesto paneer was super flavorful, and I loved the contrast between the nutty, herbal pesto with a very bright, citrusy, and slightly spicy sauce they drizzled on top. It always went great with the roasted red bell peppers and fresh tomatoes and figs. The pieces of paneer were pretty large, so you do need to be pretty excited to eat a _lot_ of paneer at once, but it was delicious. As a note, this dish doesn’t come with rice or a side, so if you want anything else, you’d need to order it separately. Our branzino, though, came with a side of their green khidichi, which was nicely aromatic, savoy, and veggie-packed. It went wonderfully with the tender, perfectly steamed branzino. The fish itself was very lightly flavored from being steamed in the banana leaves and honestly would have been wonderful on its own, but it was definitely elevated by the slightly spicy and citrusy sauce served on the side. All in all, such a wonderful spot for a date night, birthday dinner, or otherwise nice meal! Can’t wait to come back!”

“One of the most overhyped restaurants in DC. The food is below average for most, and we ordered around 10 items. The service is fast, and I was able to get a view of the kitchen, which was like a roadside dhaba kitchen. Reshmi chicken kebab was certainly a big highlight of the meal.”