Masala Express
| Address: | 2622-A N Pershing Dr, Arlington, VA 22201, USA |
| Phone: | +1 703-647-9079 |
| Site: | masalaexpressarlington.com |
| Rating: | 3.8 |
| Working: | 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–9PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–9PM |
Location
Photos 25
Reviews 15
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Alice Wang
What a great find! Masala Express is one of maybe four stores in this small parking lot, but they deliver fantastic Indian food. My boyfriend and I went about 30 minutes before closing and lucked out of having to wait in line (apparently earlier that day, there was a line that wrapped around the restaurant and out the door). We ordered chicken tikka marsala, butter chicken, aloo ghobi, and garlic naan to go. We waited maybe 10-15 minutes as they cooked it in the kitchen. The smell wafting from the kitchen was intoxicating. Luckily while we were waiting, the owners wife and son made conversation with us which made the wait time pass by quickly. Everything was delicious. The chicken tikka marsala and butter chicken were cooked perfectly. The aloo ghobi was also very good. Our food came with a tall tub of rice. The garlic naan was also tasty; we got two big garlic naans. So glad to have found another fantastic Indian restaurant in this area! Service was great. The owner, his wife, and son were all very nice and really seem to love what they do. The son even mentioned to us that he wanted to grow up and become a chef/restaurant owner like his father. Hope he keeps Masala Express going!
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geoffrey koury
I have been getting carryout from here for a couple of years, now. Last night, for the first time, I tried their samosa - it was delicious! I alternate between the Chicken Tikka Masala, Butter Chicken and Chicken Saag and request they be made extra spicy - I LOVE the result! If you like it hot, do yourself a favor and ask them to spice it up. That is, the heat is definitely up there, Scoville-wise, but the addition doesnt eradicate/overpower the flavor - it only compliments the dish, adding another dimension. Also, I usually have a roti, which is flavorful and crisped just right - they have their own tandoori oven! I can also highly recommend their mango lassi if youre in the mood for a sweet treat ;) I spend the week anticipating the next time Ill be able to get more food from here. Also, just to address some of the reviews complaining about wait time: I usually order ahead of time, over the phone - theyll give me an estimate as to when everything will be ready and it always is! In my mind its unreasonable to expect made-to-order dishes to be ready instantly. If you like the cooking its no big deal to make an allowance in your schedule for it to be prepared!
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Heather Parker
The food here is excellent, but they just made me wait 45 minutes to call and tell me that they were refusing to deliver to my location (PRECISELY 3 miles from their restaurant) even though they delivered to this EXACT SAME LOCATION yesterday. I used to visit this restaurant at least once a week when I lived in Arlington. Im moving back to the city permanently, but I will not be visiting their location again. Ill find a different establishment that doesnt accept an order for deliver (with location) then make the customer wait 45 minutes before telling them they wont deliver.
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Adiba Chowdhury
Fantastic taste of authentic Indian food.. my favorite Indian place (that I have on speed dial lol).. its too bad they dont deliver to our area but its a testament to how good their food is if were willing to drive there to pick it up every time! Its not a sit down place.. they barely have 3 tables so dont expect a fancy place when you pop in, its mostly for take out. But the taste is totally worth it! I normally get the Butter chicken and Lamb vindaloo entrées. Great price for that amount of food too
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Melissa A.
Masala Express is my new favorite Indian food restaurant. The food was very good and had a nice depth of flavors. This is definitely one of those places that in-the-know locals would recommend for authentic, tasty food, not to mention insanely low prices. This is not a fancy, sit down restaurant, and if that is what youre looking for, you will be highly disappointed. However, if youre looking for that hole in the wall restaurant for great food at a good value, you cant go wrong with Masala Express.
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Paige Midstokke
Best takeout Indian in the DMV area I have found so far... plus its pretty cheap! Dont go for the lunch buffet that has been sitting out, order directly off the menu for great homemade curry and naan. Its between courthouse and clarendon metro stations. Not a good place to go eat dinner, very little seating and setup more like a takeout joint but definitely a great place to grab dinner for a night in at home. My roommates and I live for this place!
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Amanat Hussain
The owner of this restaurant ( the middle age man age about 50- 55) is absolutely unprofessional, rude ill mannered.He treats people in terms of the price of the order/ food value. Moreover he offers people to use stainless still traditional Indian plates that placed in the floor back of the register where he and the employees walks frequently nevertheless he said its clean and hygienic but honestly its NOT. I was so disappointed of his behavior.
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iCollectApple 2
The food at this place is wonderful. I am telling everyone that once you come here you will always want to come back. The place is small, but the food comes in 16oz. containers. "Which is a large portion according to me." The things that I like to get are Chicken Tikka, Shahi Paneer, Samosas, and naan.The Butter Chicken is also very delicious. Overall, this place gets a big thumbs up from me despite it being small.
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Praveen D
First review ever in my life- I ordered chicken biryani on uber eats. The rice was broken and chicken was ugly. It had a weird paan flavor instead of spices. I felt like the food was not freshly made, it might be 2-3days older. I just tasted the biryani and threw it in the trash. Worst feeling ever.i will never order again from here. Waste of money. If there was a chance I would give a -5 rating to it.
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SaHdt Ain
people in the restaurant behave like an illiterate, does not know how to talk and great customer and the worst food and hospitality, dirty and not totally clean. We were very unhappy about their behaviour. Worst experiences ever. Served with dirty tray which was laid down in the ground. Unhealthy environment.
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Pradeep Kotari
Bland, food color, artificial flavors. The place is very congested, seats just 3 groups inside. Ordered lamb biryani which was given with 3 tomato slices in rice flavored with some rose water. Rotis were not bad. Tandoori Chicken was full of food color, it was bland. I will never visit again.
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Fred Hagemeister
Taste wasnt too bad, but there were two big problems. The mix and match was based on the "buffet" which only had one entree (buttered chicken) and everything looked dried out. Ordered two entrees off the menu, and both came in 16oz containers and were more than half watery sauce.
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Vsb G
The food was great. Strong flavor to delight the palette. On the other hand, eating at the restaurant dropped 2 stars due to the 2" roach stuck to the bottom of my boot. On the other hand look on the bright side, the food is good enough to give it 3 stars despite the roaches.
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steven clark
This a family owned and operated restaurant. Very good prices and very good food. I suggest getting the mix and match. Meat entrée, 2 veggie sides, rice and naan... Short wait time (just for the fresh naan). Not many tables so best for carry out.
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Patrick Williams
Stopped by there today with a friend and can say that I will certainly be back! Prices are pretty reasonable and was rather tasty. Like others have said, the place is certainly more of a take out joint. Staff was pleasant and friendly.
