Diya Indian Cuisine

Best Indian food in... all of NoVa? Don't be misled by the odd building location. Absolutely love Diya and love even more that it's in my neighborhood! The butter chicken and chicken tikka masala are amazing, and so was the lamb vindaloo. The lamb vindaloo really has an awesome heat level and was savory and delicious. The garlic naan is a must and we also really enjoyed the Bombay Cycle (fresh and fruity and fabulous) and the dirty martini for drinks. The service was excellent and always is, they take great care of you here. So friendly and welcoming and it's always easy to get a table. Nice chill vibes, not loud at all. In case our evening wasn't already totally perfect, they brought us a complimentary and very yummy rice pudding for dessert. Will always return to Diya and it absolutely hails as the best in Old Town!

I love this place-- especially for takeout. Their spicy chicken tikka, palak paneer, and dal (the classics) are always so fresh and the perfect level of spice. The mango lassi and kheer (rice dessert) are our go to treats when we eat there in person. The folks who own and work at the restaurant are also super sweet. Will be back!

Diya is one of my favorite Indian spots. I love that their menu clearly marks vegan options, gf too. I love their tadka daal, but everything we've tried has been good. They offer special when you order online too.

Diya is a Indian/Nepalese restaurant in OT Alexandria, located on the 2nd floor of the 218 building. The restaurants offers a daily lunch buffet as well as an extensive menu of various appetizers (samosa chats, chicken momo, pakora, etc.), Indian bread, veggie/lamb/goat/seafood/chicken specialties, and tandoori entrees.We had enjoyed their buffet offerings in the past, but the quality and the flavor has been inconsistent - the Honey Butter Chicken, the Veggie Korma, and the Tandoori Chicken that we have enjoyed has sometimes been undercooked, watered down, or have no flavor.Service has been friendly and welcoming.+inconsistent quality/flavors of the buffet+daily lunch buffet+friendly staff+located on the 2nd floor of 218 building+limited restricted street parking

Always an amazing experience here. The ambiance, staff, and most importantly the food is always perfect. I recommend getting the Samosa Chaat as an appetizer, it's amazing. Palak Paneer is a must-get for me and the garlic naan is also fantastic. Best Indian food in town and it's not even close. We'll be back!

Our party of four really struggled to assign four or five stars for this review. It could easily go either way. Five-star worthy service. We were greeted immediately at 7:30 pm on a Friday evening when the restaurant was not so busy. Our server is the niece of the owner and only four-months into her stay in the US from Nepal. She was a delight; friendly, helpful and attentive. Five-star ambience: we loved the large dining area, brick walls and decor. It was elegant and comfortable at the same time. Beware, the restaurant is on the second floor of a quaint, older building and the elevator is not currently in-service. The other interior shops are interesting and the wooden stairs are beautiful, but it does require climbing legs. Five-star portions and pricing: we often expect smaller serving dishes and need to ask for additional rice. Our meal of four entrees was enough to satisfy our hearty appetites after a day of cycling around DC and provide leftovers for a light lunch the next day. The price is commensurate with other restaurants in the area. Five-star menu selections and offerings of breads in particular. We were impressed. Hard to choose. We had some selections that were unique in Indian restaurant such as chicken chowmein. The garlic naan was top notch. Four-star: flavor/seasoning and preparation of the entrees. Here is where the hard decisions were made. If we could assign a 4.5 overall, we would. We love Indian food and have a favorite in our area if Michigan by which all other restaurants are compared. Diya fell just short of competing evenly with our favorite. The chicken chowmein was my choice. We all enjoyed it. One taste-tester felt it was noodle-heavy and not enough sauce. It was spicy, more as an after taste. I loved that. I enjoyed the green onions and bites of chicken, though more chicken for the amount of noodles might have made the difference. My husband's selection was his favorite Chicken Tikka Masala. The sauce was ample and the flavor was good. He felt the chunks of chicken were a bit drier than he would have liked. Our friends both love Fish Curry. One ordered it with tilapia and the other with chunks of salmon. Of course, the sauce was the same for both dishes. We all agreed that we could not tell the difference, with taste and texture between the two types of fish. The fish was soft on the inside and a little crisp in the outside. No fishy after taste or smell. The flavors were very good but not quite as interesting as the curry sauce to which we have become accustomed. Back to the people and service.... We were offered a dessert on the house; deep fried dough balls soaked in a sweet sauce. Perfect end to our meal, albeit very sweet. A taste was enough. So kind and gracious. We travel through Old Town once a year. We have a favorite Vietnamese restaurant for our first night in town and now Diya is in a too contender for the second night's meal. A wonderful dining experience.

The food was good. It was solid in taste but nothing overwhelming. We had the lamb curry which was pretty dried herby and less tomatoey what I would have expected based on what is written on the menu. It was not spicy. The meat was a little tough. The tandoori chicken was a little dry. I would have loved a little more smokiness. There were five little pieces. The paneer kulcha was decent. Service was very welcoming. We got complimentary dessert which was milk rice with cardamom. Really good. The seating in booths was nice, however, you can overhear everyone and that was not too pleasant.

There was a wide selection and the waiter was more than happy to give us more information on each dish. The food was superb and service was attentive. The owner even came by to check on us. I recommend the vegetable korma.

Diya Indian Cuisine is a true culinary gem! A Saturday night visit left me genuinely shocked by the exceptional food. The samosas, paired with the delightful Tamarind sauce, showcased a perfect blend of spice and fluffiness in the outer dough. The honey butter chicken was a highlight, marrying sweetness and spice in a pleasing dance for the palate. The garlic naan, dipped in the honey butter chicken sauce, was a delicious combo. A fanciful touch was added by the well-crafted dirty martini with tequila, including extra olive juice as per my request. Immaculate service and consistently fresh food ensure I'll be returning for more culinary delights.

LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! We are new to the area, huge foodies, and Diya is hands down our favorite! We try something new every visit and have yet to try something that we didn't like. The flavors are to die for! The owners and staff are extremely kind and make sure that you are taken care of. you will not be disappointed!