Spice Express

Very much blah and bland food, overpriced for what you get, and I didn’t see a South Asian person on staff, in the kitchen, or in the dining area. You try to be adventurous and seek different lunch options and then are out $ 14 and have a sick stomach. Stay away from the pitchers of chutney. There is no ambiance here, either– it has the look and feel of a decrepit hole-​in-​the-​wall joint but boasts an excellent location.
Don’t bother with the mango lassi — I don’t know what is in it, but it’s not lassi. For the love of your stomach, give your $ 2.75 to a homeless man or woman instead!

Perfectly fine but nothing special. A bit more expensive than I think is fair for this food/​dining experience.
Not big portions, but it was enough for lunch. Selection is limited. Food is uninspiring but fine. The staff is friendly (they happen to be Spanish-​speakers and not folks from India). Décor is not great but the place is fairly clean.
They have about 12 selections of meat and vegetarian dishes. You get to pick rice and 3 selections. Your meal comes with one piece of naan and one small cup of sauce. Everything else is an up– charge.
In essence, this is like a mall cafeteria or fast food place.
I very much doubt that I will return but I just happened on this place when walking and I became hungry. My lunch satisfied me so I would normally give 3 stars when I am satisfied, but this place was a bit over-​priced and a bit too much like a fast food restaurant for me.

It’s Indian food — good portions for a very reasonable price. You get three (different) entrees + rice. I’ve tried a few of their dishes, but I usually go with my favorite — which is chicken tikka masala — it’s always great. I usually get 3 entrees/​servings of it. I wish the naan had more flavor (I Love garlic naan! wish they had it). You have a choice for white or brown rice. Vegetarian and meat dishes. It’s not as fancy as other places in downtown DC, but it certainly deserves to be there (and it’s super convenient when I don’t want to go to the fancy sit down place or wait in line for an hour or be hungry 2 hours after lunch).

After passing by this restaurant on multiple occasions, I was finally drawn in by the sign inviting passer-​bys to try 3 curries for under $ 8, a bargain for a lunch out in DC.
On first visit to Spice Express, the colorful array of choices drew me in and built excited anticipation, so I chose chicken tiki massala (my favorite typically), palak paneer (tofu in spinach medley), and muttar paneer (cottage cheese in golden curry sauce). Nan and a dipping sauce of your choice are free bonuses. Although excited at first about the cost to volume ratio of my forthcoming meal, none of the dishes really shone. Everything was just ‘decent’ so the outing can best be described as average but not superb.
On a logistics note, the plating of these dishes could use a container with separations since my curries started blending on the route back to the office.
Overall, I may come back in the future just to give the place a second chane but this is hardly a highlight of Indian cuisine.

this place gives heaping portions at a really reasonable price. i got the chicken tikka masala (which was not bad, not super special) and saag paneer (only 3 cubes of cheese? :(cmon, fatty wants more!). my mango lassi was thick and delicious.
the only weird thing is after eating lunch here, my coworker and i both felt like we were burning up. he even got a bloody nose, while i spent the afternoon trying not to sweat too much at my desk.

The lunch deal that virtually cannot be beat– 3 selections of curries over brown or white rice $ 8! Vegetarians should be clicking their heels, as the meatless selections are actually better. The chicken is decent not as tender, it is definitely a great place for lunch. The dining in is very pleasant, it’s nicely decorated for a to-​go spot. Staff is friendly and it’s never too crowded.

We went there almost by accident as we were looking for another place to eat. The food quality is not all that great and the paneer was like stone and uncooked/​frozen. The sauce in that dish was very sour and wasn’t good. The palak paneer and Chana masala was good. Paying $ 8 pet dish wasn’t worth it but food could be better.

Ehh for on the go Indian food and not as pricey for the portion size you get. However, it is a little bland and not the greatest Indian food DC has to offer.

Decent cafeteria-​style Indian place. Some of the meat dishes can be a bit bland, but many of the dishes are flavorful. If you want, they will put a generous helping of cilantro on your food, which really helps. Your service and portion size can vary greatly depending on which particular employee serves you. I am not particularly enthusiastic about the samosas or the naan.
This place is cheap and super convenient. Even during the peak lunch hours, the line is quick. If you work near the White House and your favorite food truck is not at Farragut West that day, this is a pretty good value.

Decent bibimbap, but perhaps a bit over-​priced. Service was only decent, but whatever — you obviously don’t come here for five star treatment. Good for a quick lunch if you’re working at the Bretton Woods institutions around the corners.

Perfect little takeout restaurant when you have a hankering for an Indian meal on-​the-​go. It’s not the best, no, but it gets the job done. And, at $ 8 for rice, a main entrée, 2 sides, and a drink, you can’t beat that. They serve roughly 7 – 8 classic Indian options (e.g. chicken tikka masala, lentils, etc., etc.) each day. You choose your favorites and they all go into one rather large bowl. Then you leave, or snag one of the few seats inside, and eat. It’s like Chipotle gone Indian.

Fast and average priced. No atmosphere and limited choices. This is your cafeteria style Indian food. Choose from minimal selections. Very close to the White House.

Objectively this may be the worst Indian food I’ve ever had. However, it gets two stars because 1) it’s not «I’m going to get food poisoning» bad, it’s just bland; and 2) three curries, rice, and some crappy bread is a lot of food for $ 8 in this area so it’s not exactly a bad deal if you’re starving.
I’d probably go here over wasting my money at Cosi or Quiznos but this neighborhood has many other excellent lunch spots. Not recommended.

Last resort indian food craving for lunch. so many better options in walking distance to this place– only reason i came here so much is cause it’s the closest indian food joint within walking distance to my work.
the curry is suspect~ it doesn’t look fresh… at all~ I don’t care how cheap the food is~ if it looks like reheated mush, i can’t have it (too often) nor would i recommend it to friends.
prepare to douse your samosa with chutney in order to lift the taste of fried potato cardboard off the plate. their samosas are like re-​fried pastry dough with bland potatoes chunks inside.
Service is swift, but it still feels like the workers exist only to put food in a tray, ring me up, and say «NEXXXT~» food, eh. service, also eh. this place may be cheap as a mofo… but cheap for more than a couple of reasons.

I ordered lunch today from Spice Express. I wasn’t too happy with the help as they weren’t very helpul and rather than suggest, they simply pointed and grunted. I was offered two choice of rice and I took the basmati rice. I swear he was counting rice grains because he was very specific on th eamount he gave me.
Anyway, I could bore you with all the details of why I didn’t like this place. I will wrap this up.
The food tasts like it comes from a jar (which is okay if I am at home but not when I dine out). I had the tikka masala for your reference. I did not have any of the sides because they didn’t look too appealing.
I will keep this quick because you deserve better.

Decent enough, but the veg options are far superior to the meat. Samosas are rather tasty. Good bang for the buck, and easy to get in and out of. Very little seating, so definitely a takout place.

Nan bread looked like it had been run over by a truck and then deep-​fried. Very strange. Smaller portions than the Vermont Ave location, but Vermont Ave is getting stingy too — I asked if there was new management, but they said no.

Spicy and tasty Indian food. Good chicken and lamb but the dal, chickpea and other vegabtable dishes all tasty.
Good place for take out, limited seating.

decent food at a decent price. Three mains, rice and bread for 7 bucks. Chana Masala, Chicken Curry, Palak, etc. All tasty, if not fabulous but a good addition to the lunch circuit