Karma

I like this place. It’s a quick and fast lunch buffet, with both vegetarian and non-​vegetarian options. The service is very helpful and pro-​active — filling my water glass quickly. And the food is very, very good — a blend of both Malaysian and Indian. I like it because it is flavorful and not as oily and heavy as some other Indian restaurants I’ve tried.
I love the breads and the dals here. My favorite dishes are the the chickpea curries and the spinach with cheese cubes. Great sauces and I could easily much happily all day on just those two dishes.

Karma is now out of business. :(

I’ve been to Karma with BP once and the other time I had lunch from the buffet.
The food is really authentic. Usually, Indian food can be oily, but Karma was great!
The naan is soft and goes perfect with curry or on its own!
Also, try their sweet yogurt lassi. If they allowed free re-​fills on that I’d be there everyday.
If memory serves, their buffet runs close to $ 10, but I was really pleased with the options on the menu.
They had appetizers (pakora), vegetarian curries, chicken curries and kormas, different flavors (sweet/​sour) of chutney, and even desserts.
Since I was not able to stay and eat, I was given one carryout carton to stuff to the brim with food. Believe me, I did just that :)

Been here a few times and the food is good enough to eat, but nothing special. I think it might be the fusion menu of Thai and Indian and the mediocre execution of both cuisines that didn’t impress me. I wouldn’t mind eating here if I was on my way to watch a movie at Rio, or walk around the pond on a sunny day. It’s a nice place to people-​watch in the summers while sipping on a cold adult beverage. Can’t beat the location.

I can’t tell you that it was authentic because I don’t eat indian food too often… but I can tell you it was delicious. And hey, at least there were a lot of indian people eating there and working there. Good enough for me!
We split 4 things. The Garlic Shrimp appetitzer, the Kadai Paneer, Chana Masala, and the Lamb Chops. They were all really delicious. The garlic shrimp had a sweet sauce to it and they were a pretty decent size. Both that chana and paneer had really good sauces. I enjoyed the paneer more, but I definitely recommend both. And the lamb chops were very tender and tasty; they came out sizzling and were delicious. I’m definitely coming back to eat more.
Other variables you may want to consider because my rating system is based on food taste only…
–Service was pretty good and quick.
–A little expensive for the portion you get
–Food and restaurant décor are a little on the fancy side

My husband and I tried the weekday Indian lunch buffet today for the first time and I was pleased to see it had my favorite item — chicken tikka masala! The buffet featured a wide variety of items from vegetables to noodles to a few other traditional Indian dishes. I’ve had better chicken tikka masala at other Indian restaurants, but for a buffet, I was very pleased.
The interior itself was different from a traditional Indian restaurant — leaning on the more modern look. The restaurant has big open windows so you have a nice view of the lake. I noticed some damage on the flooring which leads me to wonder if it’s also a night club. The restaurant has a full bar which could be nice for happy hour drinks, so I’ll have to check that out!
Overall, I was happy with my experience here and will return to try their dinner menu!

Not sure I like this 2 restaurants in 1. We went there because I saw the Penang sign outside and I love the Penang in Bethesda. They got very little selections of Malay food we ordered spring rolls, 2 roti canai and seafood tandoori. The roti canai was good everything else were ok. Next time I’ll just go to penang in Bethesda.

I have to first say that the reason why my husband and I ventured into this restaurant was because we saw the Penang sign outside of the restaurant. It wasn’t until we sat down and opened our menus that we discovered that this establishment was really 2 restaurants in 1: Karma and Penang. We didn’t really care because we were hungry, this was the only restaurant that didn’t have a wait, and we love Malaysian food! It seemed like a total win win.
As we read through the menu, however, we found that the menu was over 95% Indian, with maybe 2 «Malaysian» dishes per page. Since we were in a rush to catch a movie, we had no choice but to eat here, so we decided on a lamb curry and pad thai Malaysian style. I assumed — incorrectly — that this was going to be a version of mee goreng, but more on that later.
After we were seated for over 10 minutes, a waiter stuck a finger out at us and said he’d be right back. A couple minutes later he returned and asked in a rush, «yeah, are you ready?» No hi, no sorry for the wait. No how are you?
He took our order and then asked if we wanted anything to drink. No, water was fine for us, and luckily it was because there was no designated bartender on duty. Finished drinks sat on the bar for who knows how long.
It was an odd crew working — about 4 bussers and only 2 or 3 waiters. The outside seating section was completely full. There were several large parties, and people were coming in constantly, many seating themselves since there was no host/​hostess working either. One family walked out.
15 minutes after we ordered we got our roti canai. It was more Indian than Malay but good. Another 15 minutes and we received our main entrée. The hubby thoroughly enjoyed the lamb curry so no complaints on that. However, my «Malaysian» pad thai was no more than regular pad thai. The seafood inside was very small cut up pieces. It was very sweet.
As soon as our main course was served, we asked for the check immediately since the 2 servers were running around, sweating. We put out the credit card for payment and not long after, the server comes back and says the network is down so we could either pay cash or he would write down the credit card # and he would charge it later.
Wow, that was the icing on the cake. The hubby wasn’t going for that, so we spent about and extra 2.50 on the atm to withdraw some cash.
The worst disappointment here was the menu because it lacked even the most basic Malaysian dishes. Where was the mee goreng and beef rendang? I can somewhat understand the missing beef given the Indian side of things, but what was Penang thinking agreeing to be part of this place? Needless to say, will not be back unless the menu is changed drastically, and they decide to staff the establishment properly.

Came here for lunch buffet. The restaurant is in a really good location right by the lake in Rio and it looks very modern and nice inside. The food for buffet was pretty good too. I liked how they had vegetable samosas and lamb rogan josh for lunch which was pretty good. The chicken tiki marsala here is ok but not great, and the vegetables and naan are also decent. Overall, not a bad place for indian buffet.

First time at Karma & we were pleasantly surprised. Laid back but swanky atmosphere with high ceiling & modern décor. Our waiter Deepak was super friendly & helpful in picking out authentic Indian dishes (since we were newbies). Food came out quickly & had excellent flavor (generous portions as well!)
Would def recommend!

Yum, yum, yum! We just ate there tonight and while we’re both fans of traditional indian houses (décor et al), this was a welcome alternative. The vibe was much more modern and sleek than any other I’ve been to south of New York.
So, this Indian-​Malaysian spot rocked it. From the service to the apps to the entrees, we were impressed.
Quick rundown of the meal :
Roti Canai with curry chicken dip — made me love my close-​to-​totally-​boring-​poultry aversion; beyond enjoyable
Veg Platter — pakora (meh, but true, I’m just not a fan), samosa (yum but –ish on the dry side), ragda patties (in the epic words of Mr Homer J Simpson «aggggghhhhhhhh» with a touch of drool from the corner of his/​my mouth)
Goat Curry — totally my favorite of all but the Roti; it was tender, flavorful, and delicately spicy.
Lamb Patiala — from my date «so good you don’t feel guilty about spitting out a leftover on your girlfriend’s cheek while talking.» Obviously, his favorite.

A group of us went there for lunch during weekday. The restaurant was not busy. We were seated right away. The food was flavorful and full of spices. The chip (at the end of the buffet table, near the dessert) was really good. The naan was really delicious, too.
The food was good and the service was attentive. With the discount from
, I might have to go there again soon.

Oh wow how awful. Where do I start. Strike 1– as I’m being seated outside– I point out a big dead bug on the table to the hostess who proceeds to flick it off and point to my seat. Mind you there are five open tables all around me. Strike 2– I sit waiting to be acknowledged for 10 minutes. No water, no waiter, no nothing. I don’t get service until my boyfriend sits down at the table. Strike 3– I order a Blue Moon and was given a Miller Lite with an Orange wedge. When I pointed the mistake out to the waiter– he proceeded to argue with me saying he saw the bartender pour the beer. I looked at the clear translucent beer and told him that he was completely wrong. My actual Blue Moon came out 15 minutes later with a careless sorry from the waiter. Strike 4– throughout our entire meal, my boyfriend and I tried balancing our meals and drinks on a very wobbly table.
The only saving grace is the cooking. For an appetizer we had the Veg platter that had Ragda Patties, Pakora, and Samosa which was very good. I had Chicken Makhani which was tender and flavorful. My boyfriend had Chicken Vindaloo which was good but very very spicy.
The meal came with a small side of rice and no Naan– very disappointing.
I would never eat there again and will never recommend this restaurant to another soul.

Came here for an early dinner so the place was deserted. Service was quick and attentive. We ordered seafood tandoori, chicken makhani, vegetable briyani, naan, and mango lassi. The seafood tandoori consisted of salmon, shrimp and scallops. The seasonings were great and the fish cooked perfectly. The shrimp was a little bland, but the mint chutney kicked up the flavor. The chicken makhani was creamy and slightly spicy. I probably would prefer it more spicy and the chicken cut into smaller pieces. With that said, the chicken was not dry. The vegetable biryani was different from what I am used to. The «vegetables» consisted of cauliflower, broccoli, potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, AND raisins! That was kind of strange to me. Apparently, putting raisins in biryani is Burmese style. The meal also came with basmati rice and yogurt.
Overall, the food was really tasty and the service was prompt. If I lived in the area, this would be one of my top places to dine out. However, I am rating it 4 out of 5 stars for the raisins and price ($ 53 for the meal).

Enjoyed dinner for two here for the first time. Decided to sit outside because it wasn’t super hot and humid despite that it’s late August. The lame Jimmy Buffett cover band tarnished the outside atmosphere, but that’s not Karma’s fault. Stupid Rio.
I had a Nirvanatini (basically a margarita) while I waited for my dinner date.
For dinner I had the Buah Mango, which was sweet, savory, and spicey. My date had the tandoori salmon which was so tender and falling apart.
The service was good. Our waitress kept us up on drinks as well as regularly checking in on us for anything else.

Short version: space is pretty, the food is good — but think twice before planning a party here.
Long version (yes, this will use all 5000 characters):
I had been planning my husband’s surprise 40^th birthday party for almost 2 years. 6 months before the party, all negotiations with Glen Echo broke down (review to come), so I got on Unilocal Talk, whined my little heart out… when Ol’ Yella, came up with a great alternate solution for me… why not have it at an Indian restaurant, and go with a crazy Bollywood theme. BOLLYWOOD FTW!
I decided upon Karma, because 1) they are owned by Tandoori Nights in Kentlands, and my husband LOVES that place to death, and 2) it’s near my husband’s work, so it would be easy-​peasy to get him there.
I made an appointment with the event planner/​manager. He was extremely personable and nice, although a little flaky and too eager to agree with everything I said. We discussed the number of guests (35 — 40), the menu (buffet style), booked the date, and discussed the bar package. There was a room divider and the back half of the restaurant would be all ours to use. Excellent! I stressed that this was a SURPRISE party, so that if he needed to call me, he would probably need to leave me a message, so that I could call him back when my husband wasn’t around. He thought that the idea was hilarious, and he was excited by my idea of having a belly dancer as entertainment. All in all, a great first meeting. I offered to pay in cash (for a discount), and put down a hefty deposit, and I blithely went on my merry way.
Three months before the event, on a Sunday night, while I was with my husband… I get a call from Karma. I ignore it, expecting it to go to voicemail. Five minutes later, calls back. I ignore it again. Two minutes after that… AGAIN. And AGAIN. AND AGAIN. SIX TIMES HE CALLED ME! SIX TIMES! Six times that I had to ignore the phone and tell my husband «oh just one of my friends that I’ll call back later». SIX TIMES! At the SEVENTH ring (all of this within a 20 minute span… and no messages!), I run to the bathroom to pick up the call and bark out «WHAT?!» The event planner/​manager just wanted to confirm the date of the party. WHAT!!! With 3 months to go? I already paid a deposit! I have a contract with them. Was 7 calls in 20 minutes on a Sunday (at dinner time), really necessary?!?
After I calmed down (this was several weeks later), I talked to the event planner, and he said that it was a misunderstanding. There was someone who wanted to book a party on the same weekend — and he thought it was going to be on the same date as our party. Um… the date of the party is CLEARLY written in both his scheduler (I watched him write it down), and on the contract. There was no need to call me SEVEN times. UGH.
Then 2 weeks before the party when I went to pay the balance and to confirm the details, all hell breaks loose. He couldn’t remember if I was having a buffet or a sit down dinner. Then, when I confirmed that the total number of guests was going to be 38, he tried to tell me that I had to pay for 40, because that was the minimum number required (our initial discussions were for 35 — 40, and this was never brought up). THEN he tried to switch up the bar package on me. Originally it was $ 10 per guest, for all you can drink. Now it was $ 10 for beer and wine only… it would be $ 20 for liquor! WTFOMGBBQ!!!
At this moment, I gave SERIOUS thought to cancelling and trying to find another venue within 2 weeks. Only because I was stressed out from dealing with the new house on top of the party, that I didn’t walk out of there right then and there.
Then the day of the party — the bar wasn’t set up when the guests arrived, and the appetizers weren’t out either (I had requested that both be ready at the start of the party). Then, when the bell dancer came (and she was amazing!), the bartender/​waiter for our party, stopped working and started taking pictures of her… CUTTING IN FRONT OF MY GUESTS! Yes, you read that right! Then it took nearly 90 minutes (and 3 requests) before the entrees were put out. And we never did get dessert. Most of the time, the bar was unmanned — my guests ended up pouring their own drinks (heh…this was actually a bit of a win, now that I think about it)!
The food was great, the space was beautiful, but I was so incredibly frustrated that night that I couldn’t even get drunk! My frustration and annoyance sobered me up! UGH.
However, my husband did have a great time, as did my guests… which is why I’m giving 2 stars, instead of 1.

I was all set to like this place, but lunch was dismal.
The restaurant was nearly empty, and felt lifeless.
Service was very poor, from the minor (waiter reaching over me and across the table to clear plates) to the major (one of the three dishes we ordered never arrived, nor did the drink we ordered).
The food was no better than the service. The shrimp in both our dishes was tough and flavorless. Sauces were gummy, the fried rice was greasy. ..
All of this for a high price — $ 30 for lunch for two without drinks.
You can do much better.

Is Unilocal not the forum to express my opinion on anything? Talk about poor business etiquette. I will never go back to this place and do not recommend it for anyone. As I am not the only person to give this place a 1 star it is clear that my opinion is not misguided.
I’m updating in response to a recent message…
~~
message from Karma P.
Hello David
I am Sorry to hear that, that you didnt like the Lamb Sheekh Kabab, But for ur FYI In the Menu its clearly says that its Mince Meat of Lamb, So if you dont Know how to read the Menu, Its Not Our Fault, And only a Indian Can Understand what Is the real taste of Lamb sheekh Kabab, so i feel sorry for you…
~~
I must amend my previous review. I was contacted by the owner or someone of affiliation to Karma and he informed me I do not know how to read and that lamb sheekh kabob is for Indians only. Math and an unrefined palate, damn my yellow skin!
I understand that it’s minced meat and for that I apologize for bashing the texture, (which i still think is not good since it is grilled) but there is no excuse for flavor. In my opinion, it was not good and my entire table agreed. If there someone out there who’s had this dish, please tell me what you thought? If there is no one, mission accomplished. You can thank me later for saving your money.
Anyways, adding horrible service (I didn’t mention, I arrived 20 minutes late and my food arrived before a friend who ordered previously. He in fact had to remind the waiter 3 times to place the order) and a lack of professionalism to the mix (the rude letter), and I would like to retract my lone star and give this place a 0.
~~~~~~~
«Not bad, but its not good…» the reoccurring theme of the meal.
I tried the chicken vindaloo and some mango chicken that others at the table ordered. The chicken in both were a bit dry. The mango chicken was the better of the two.
You’re probably wondering why I gave this place a 1. Word of advice. DO NOT ORDER the Lamb Seekh Kabob. Worst… dish…ever. The taste was horrible and the texture even worse. I assumed the dish was chunks of lamb, but the meat was literally ground to a pulp and shaped into sausages. I’m not even convinced it was even lamb. I barely managed to finish 1 out of 4 sausages. Luckily, I was able to convince some others at the table to join in my misfortune. It’s true, misery does love company.

We went to this place with our kids to have a good Indian meal but it turned out to be a very bad experience. The food was insipid, the service was horrible. We were seated at a table with two hungry kids for more than 30 minutes before our food arrived. When asked if she could provide a glass of warm water for our child, The waitress curtly retorted that she could not ! The manager kept slamming the door for some reason.
The food was very ordinary, the appetizer seemed dry and overdone, the soup was insipid, the drinks were tasteless.
We will never go back to that place again… At karma hospitality is the last thing on the managements mind!

Karma is a perfectly fine restaurant for the Rio center. Nice interior; good selection of Indo-​Chinese and Malaysian cuisine (per the waiter, the restaurant is apparently two restaurants in one: Penang and Karma; huh??); and friendly servers.
The food, however, was lacking. We had the Roti Canai as an appetizer. The roti tasted good but was way to crispy, rendering it useless for scooping up the chicken curry. I’m not sure if this is the same Penang as the restaurant in Bethesda but the one in Bethesda has a much better roti, texture-​wise; the curry tastes pretty much the same.
That being said, the appetizer was probably my favorite dish. For our main course, we got the chicken manchurian and vegetable fried rice. Both were just… meh. The rice was a bit gummy and insipid. The chicken was spicy but not spiced well. Nothing we had was bad but I’ve just had better examples of all of it.