Tasnim Kabob

Quite easily the WORST chicken biryani I’ve ever tasted. Dry old bread and a strange chemical aftertaste in everything. The chicken biryani I ordered was priced $ 7.99 on the menu, but I was charged $ 10 because they claimed it was the chef’s special. Avoid this place.

I generally don’t like to give things totally negative reviews, but… geez. We ordered delivery (with some difficulty), and were finally given an estimate of 20 – 30 minutes.
Ten minutes later, I got a rather rude call back informing me that one of the dishes on their menu was only available on weekends. Odd, but ok.
Fast forward an hour, and with no sign of the delivery driver, I called to make sure they had the correct address, given that the folks on the phone earlier had trouble understanding that I even wanted delivery. I was snapped at that the food would be here in five minutes, and hung up on.
When our food finally arrived, the containers were soggy, and leaking grease… not a great sign. We ordered vegetable pakora, chicken kabob, lamb biryani, and naan. The veg. pakora (usually crispy) was mushy and saturated with oil. The chicken kabob containers were literally rice, a bit of lettuce, and five chunks of chicken the size of a half-​dollar. By this point I’m totally fed up, but figured it’s hard to screw up naan. Boy, was I wrong. Burnt to a freaking crisp.
Needless to say, NEVER AGAIN. PLEASE, save yourself the headache!

It was winter and the place was FREEZING cold; had to keep my heavy coat on while I ate. Ordered the Chicken Tikka for $ 10 or so. Got a great deal of plain white jasmine rice with a single chicken leg on it. Admittedly, it was quite tasty, but not quite what I expected for the price. Lunchtime and not another table the entire time I was there. If you really feel like you have to chance it, call ahead and save yourself the trip, as I don’t expect this place to be in business much longer.

I rarely write reviews but this is a MUST!
The place is located right outside the main gate on Gunston Rd. It looked rather small from the outside but it’s decent looking inside. They have a buffet counter located next to the cashier. Very few selection on the buffet trays.
I ordered the Lamb kabob. The lamb was the worst meat i’ve ever had in my life! Seriously. I literally had about 5 SMALL pieces on my plate. It definitely did NOT look like the picture posted on the menu which showed two whole strips of lamb. My coworker also ordered the same thing and his came out burnt! After complaining, they brought him out another 5 small pieces of lamb.
Side dishes: Rice was very moist. I could make better rice in my sleep! Salad was «ok». The only dressing that was provided was a lime wedge for the salad. The spinach side dish was «ok» too. A bit watery but taste decent. Then there were two other sauces that came with the dish. A green and white one. One tasted like mayo and water. And finally, the best part of the place. the pita bread! That’s it.
The entire time we were there, no one came through the restaurant but us. We were there during lunch time near Fort Belvior. plus they offer 10% off for military… I totally understand why it was empty.
But hey, give the place a try. Maybe you like small burn pieces of lamb, watery spinach, lime salad, and tasteless sauces. Might be your thing! :)
I’ll eat at the food exchange on post instead!

Only decent kebabs in the Belvoir/​Mt Vernon area. Better ones can be had closer to Woodbridge but not in this neck of the woods. The stretch of Route 1 south of the Beltway has a fair share of fastfood, family chains, tacquerias, Peruvian chicken joints, and the odd Korean or African place, but no kebabs worth eating. Tasnim is a nice little nondescript joint next to a gas station that you’d probably miss if you were driving too fast. The interior is clean, but has an odd strip club vibe. There’s a little stage to the front with a disco ball and a chandelier. There’s a dozen tables, a few bar stools, and a buffet steam table. The place just opened, so the menu is pretty thin: beef/​chicken/​ground meat kebabs, spinach and chickpea dishes, a few fish dishes, and a kids burger. The owner said the menu should be expanding over the next few weeks. Really nice guy; offered a free drink while I was waiting. I ordered the ground beef kebabs; two generous cylinders of well-​seasoned meat on a bed of rice with a small salad and a side of chickpeas, and naan bread. At $ 10, it’s enough for two. The meat had good flavor and a little heat, the rice was fresh and not excessively buttery, the chickpeas had some good flavor as well. The downside was the naan which was apparently fried in a wok and not an oven (little too greasy/​dough), but I’m not a bread nut so I can let that slide. The buffet looked tasty and smelled good. They offer a 10% military discount, so if you’re stuck in Fort Belvoir and looking for a decent filling lunch on the cheap, you should check out Tasnim. They’re also open every day of the week at 8am, which is pretty unusual. A nice break from usual Route 1 fastfood rut.

4.5 stars…
come here twice. almost didn’t come in because the outside looks terrible… i was the only customer in the restaraunt both times…
when you walk through the door it is much nicer inside.
ate off the buffet and the food was all delicious. I love that he has a lamb or goat dish on the buffet.
ordered tandori chicken — i really enjoyed it! a different presentation that you usually see, with the entire leg and thigh served as a single piece. i truly enjoyed it, even though the spices are a bit different than i have had at other restaraunts before.
the place where this place really shines for me is the owner. what a great guy! my family was with me today and were giving everyone a hard time (crying baby). he actually baby sat her for a while so that my wife and i could eat. definitely will be returning. hoping he gets more business!

I went here when I was on base and was tired of burger king or subway.
I’m not sure exactly which cuisine they specialize in… the kabob i ordered was not very good.
I ordered off the of the menu rather than trying the buffet, but the side dish i was given came straight from the buffet, and as I expected was very bland.
They give you plastic forks and knives… not super easy to cut through the meat with those.