Amma’s Indian Vegetarian Kitchen

Another visit to Amma, and was even more dissapointed from my last visit. After I picked up my order my number was announced again — so I am not sure I had what I had ordered. The rava dosa was sadder than a bollywood tragedy. And as the stars are going down with every visit I can only see a very very sad ending to my affair with Amma.

Closed down. Very sad.

Amma’s is one of the best Vegetarian places I have been to for lunch and dinner! The food is inexpensive and sooooooooo very tasty. Everyone I have taken to try this place completly love it!
I have had Mysore Masala Dosa, Spinach and rice (not sure of name)
Note *Amma’s have recently move to Vienna, Georgetown location is now close

Not outstanding, but pretty solid. Love the vegetable kofta and the puri; less excited about the masala dosa, aloo gobi, and vegetables with coconut, but they’re still tasty. For Indian food, and for the neighborhood, it’s pretty cheap, and the portions are adequate. Aditi, right down the street, has much better food and a decidedly more polished atmosphere, but I think Amma is a good choice for a casual, inexpensive meal in Georgetown.

I preferred the old hole-​in-​the-​wall feel pre-​Crêpe Amour, whereas the new upstairs seating has a bizarre color scheme, reminiscent of home-​swap shows where you’re stunned to discover that your neighbor has painted your dining room yellow and battleship gray.

I’ve been there only once, and I plan on going there again.
Their Dosa and Rasam soup are to die for.

— Excellent and fairly authentic south Indian food.
— I had the Mysore Masala Dosa and the Lemon Rice –both were great.
— It is very good if you are travelling to DC /​working and want a light lunch because the food though filling is simple and does not make you feel like taking a nap!
— Good pleasant décor as well.

Well I finally made it to the infamous Amma’s for dinner last night and I have to say, for the most part, was a very positive dining experience.
The Pros:
— Casual — With four big screens and chairs that you can easily whisk with just a finger, this place is completely unpretentious
— Affordable — most dishes were around $ 8 or $ 9, not bad at all
— Portion size — seriously generous — the basic masala dosa stands about 3 feet wide!
— For a small alcoholic selection (I think there are only 2 beers and 4 wines to choose from) the quality is pretty solid, well, atleast I liked my pinot!
Cons:
— May take a while to get there. Unless you live in Georgetown. From Capitol Hill via Circulator, it’s about 45 minutes
— Quality of the food — while I was super happy to savor some South Indian home cookin, I was a tad disappointed with the seasoning. I felt like there was a lack of spice and my food was a bit bland. The chutney was good but the sambar was kind of dull.
All in all, considering I can’t have real home cooking as much as I would like (parents are an 8 hour drive away!), I’m happy to settle at Amma’s Kitchen, but if my Amma (mom) was in the vicinity, this restaurant would have some serious competition!

I am a chickpea fiend — I like chickpeas with my spaghetti, I love falafel — and i LOVE CHANA MASALA
I have a number of dear indian friends, from different parts of india, I’ve eaten at all sorts of indian restaurants — NOBODY DOES SPICY CHICKPEAS LIKE AMMA’S
Get it with the rice, get it with the puffy fried bread — get a bowl, put your hair in a bun and dive in face first — its sooooooooooooooo good (a lil spicy, so get ready for the heat!!)

Great authentic South Indian food. The sambar is reasonably good and the rasam even better. I’ve gone a couple of times and have had the thali (not the north Indian one– wouldn’t recommend that at a South Indian place) and the onion-​chili uthappam. Both were great.
Service is noteworthy as well.

The only authentic South Indian restaurant I’ve found in the District.
I was raised in a South Indian vegetarian home and have traveled in the motherland. Amma is the real deal. The dosas are better than my Mom’s.

Not bad — really. I read the reviews before I went, and I was pleasantly pleased. Service was good, not solid, but good because there was only one guy.
Food was good too, I ordered the Mysore Masala Dosa, flavorful, tasty and fresh. My husband got the Saag Paneer which was also good.
It’s close by, it’s good, you get what you pay for — I’d go again.

Its a great place for people who love south Indian food. I have been to this place couple of times and really liked the food every time. Its located in Georgetown (M st.)and one can easily pass by it without even noticing it (keep an eye on the front sign). The restaurant is not on the street level and you have to go upstairs for that. They have several kinds of Dosas (my favorite is the Mysore masala Dosa !!). Mango lassi is a good option for beverage. My friend tried the Kerala Thali (containing assortment of curries, Indian bread, dessert etc in one plate) and really liked it. Try Indian coffee (south India is known for its coffee) to finish off the meal.
One minor complain is that service is bit slow as there is usually one person at the front desk. But, with such low prices and great food, I would highly recommend it to anyone, vegetarians and non-​vegetarians alike.

The Mystery of the Masala Tea
I came to Amma’s and ordered the saag paneer and a cup of masala tea. In my experience, beverages usually come out before the food, and it was a cold day, so I was looking forward to it.
When our food came out without my masala tea, I reminded the waiter that I had ordered it. He said, «Yes yes, it is coming,» as though he knew about the masala tea and had some idea of where it was and when it would get to me.
We finished our meal, and the tea never came. After we finished, I asked for it again. «Yes yes, masala tea is coming,» he said again, as though I was being pushy for expecting it so soon. I asked again after ten minutes, and he gave me the same response.
Finally, about 20 minutes after we finished our meal, about an hour and a half after I had originally ordered it, he brought out the masala tea. It was nothing special, and we received no apologies for it taking so long, so I can only assume this is the standard amount of time it takes them to bring out masala tea.
This is a beverage that can be made from scratch at home in approximately five minutes, so I am perplexed by why it took this uncrowded restaurant so long to bring it to me. I will not be back.
The restaurant gets one extra star because nobody became physically ill, meaning I would eat there again if it were the last restaurant on earth.

I love Indian food, and was excited about the prospect of a casual, local joint where I could conveniently satisfy my occasional craving for classic Indian flavors, no fuss.
Unfortunately, I wasn’t satisfied, and no, I will not be returning.
I got the impression that everything had been sitting in tupperware containers in a freezer or on some back shelf, and was microwaved for my dining partners and me. The samosa filling was limp, and loose inside the dough. The dough itself was thin and crackly (NOT flaky) and had the texture of a stale piece of bread that had been moistened and reheated. Ew.
The main courses were all bland, the raita was watery and loose, the colors were dull and sickening, and the flavors were simply off. Nothing tasted right.
On top of it all, I really felt it was overpriced, ESPECIALLY for the quality of food. I wouldn’t recommend this place.

The service was great, food AMAZING.
My date and I were the only ones in the restaurant, it was a weekday around 6, I thought this to be odd and was skeptical. However, our waiter was full of recommendations and on the ball with bringing drinks/​refills etc. When we first arrived he was jamming out to some pretty cool Indian music that he hurried to turn down, but we insisted he leave it on. That totally added to the whole experience. On top of his great service the food was enough to get me to go back.
The only down side is the loud noise from the dumbwaiter they use and the lack of other customers (I know that’s kind of picky, but it bothers me).

We went all out when we went to Amma’s since we hadn’t had Indian food for a long time. We ordered saag some kind of kofta, tea, lentil soup, and a milkbone dessert. Everything was great and the servers were very nice. We were a little cautious at first since we were the first to have arrived for lunch. After awhile, the restaurant was filled with Georgetown students and Indian families (always a good sign).
The only downside was that the portions were a little small for my husband. However, it was a perfect amount for me.

[-]
a/​They moved down stairs. One staff looked too busy. We waited long and
b/​When Dosas came, some were average and others were stale.
[*]
Hopefully it is tempporary
Previous Review
— — — — — — — -
Previous Star 4
[+]
a/​Good Vegetarian Indian food
b/​Try Dosa (maybe best in Washington DC)

This a a little gem in Georgetown. I love sneaking there for lunch. The dosas are huge and delicious and I love the tamarind sauce.
They also have a sampler of curries which is delicious and fun to eat!
The décor leaves much to be desired… so go for the food.

The dosas are nice. the Sambhar just rocks… One of the best sambhar I’ve had in a long time in a restaurant…
Comparing to Udipi @ College park, the dosas are slightly more priced. But definitely worth it since this is the only south indian place in Georgetown. I haven’t had the Thali so not sure how that would be.

I am Indian. I didn’t grow up in South India, but I do have a South Indian grandparent and I love the food.
In a nutshell: Amma’s serves authentic South Indian food. The ambience is elegant, but understated. The focus is clearly on the food. The Langley Park /​NoVA South Indian places may be a bit more authentic. However, Amma’s is perfect for a relaxed meal (in DC) in a relatively quiet comfortable setting.
I enjoyed the South Indian Thali. I also strongly recommend the salt lassi. It is delicous. Americans are used to having sickly sweet «mango» lassi. Amma’s probably has that as well, but the salt lassi just reminds me of home. Maybe it’s the curry leaves. My companion ordered the Utthapam, that unfortunately was not very good. I have been there before and shared idlis, dosas and vadas with south indian friends. Everyone liked all those dishes. The sambhar (a south indian version of dal) is great and is served with a lot of different dishes.
Date: Amma’s is definitely worth visiting with a significant other or a date. It is quiet enough to have a real conversation. It isn’t a romantic setting, but doesn’t just sharing food engender intimacy?
Update: 2÷29÷08 (dropped from 5 stars to 3.5 stars)
I have been back a few times for lunch. They are generally quite busy and have one busboy and one waiter. The waiter is great, but this set up results in really slow service. Worse still, they have lowered their standards. The vegetables are not fresh. The Dosa’s are still good. Overall, we are disappointed with the place.