Diya Bistro

As a new restaurant they still don’t have they’re liqueur license. They’re menu isn’t very developed and they don’t have as many options as most Indian restaurants. Desserts are premade and not very good. They sit in an open fridge when you walk in. Not a fan.

Sanjana is a really nice, warm and friendly.
Their sarson da saag is nice and fresh food.
Glad I stopped by.

Ordered takeout and they messed up my order but it was still ok. The butter chicken and naan was good. I thought the lamb vindaloo was pretty good but I thought the saag paneer was pretty bland. The prices are pretty reasonable and I would like to come back again and try some of the other dishes.

Wow! While we’ve enjoyed thali (sampler plates, all veg or including meat) here, and loved the a number of the samples, as well as the friendly service, a couple of the dishes that we had last night were extraordinary.
Let me get right to my favorite in case you don’t read the rest of this review: Sarson da Saag. OMG! If you like Palak Paneer (pureed spinach with paneer cheese), but you want something a lot more flavorful, and are okay without the cheese, then you may LOVE this Punjabi standard as much as I did. Spicier than Palak Paneer, this dish features mustard leaves instead of spinach (spinach is added in part for color), plenty of ginger, a bit of hot pepper, and a masala (mix of spices) of some sort. Not very spicy-​hot, but if you don’t do spicy-​hot, then you may want to ask if they can make it mild, which I doubt because it is a long-​cooking dish.
The Lamb Roganjosh (was Josh Rogan named for this dish?), a red Kashmiri curry, was quite good, also medium spicy-​hot, but the other stand-​out of the evening was the Tandoori Chicken. We’d had the Tandoori Lamb Chops last time that we at here, and they were delicious, and amazingly moist and tender, so I again broke my usual habit of not ordering Tandoori dishes, as they are often too dry and tough. The chicken was brilliantly, but not overly, flavored, and as tender and moist as the lamb chops that we had the other day.
I told one of the very proud owner-​managers how much we particularly like the Sarson da Saag and how much we appreciated that the chicken was so juicy. In addition to telling me how ubiquitous the Sarson da Saag is in the state of Punjab, which border Pakistan, he proudly told me that the chicken is so good because, unlike most Indian restaurants, practically of which feature Tandoori Chicken (if they aren’t vegetarian), Diya doesn’t cook theirs in advance and then microwave it, so you won’t get yours as quickly here, but it’s a quantum leap better.
They should have their license to serve liquor soon, but we’re lovin’ Diya, so I’m sure we’ll be back before they do. I’m not usually a Masala Chai (spiced tea, with or without milk) drinker, but I like theirs. I do miss the rasam (perhaps Majjiga Saaru), hot, spicy, and milky, that I used to drink at Kerala Café, but they do have cold tamarind drink here that tastes like spicy tamarind candies. I liked it, but Crystal doesn’t have a taste for it.

I visited Diya this evening with a dear friend who is allergic to spicy food. We ordered the vegetarian thali, but it was still too spicy for her. The staff at Diya were incredibly kind. They prepared all-​fresh items for my friend, free of the spices she needs to avoid, very rapidly. They really treated us both like royalty. It’s so rare to get this level of personal service anywhere today. We were extremely impressed and can’t wait to go back.
On top of all that, as others have said, the food was really quite delicious. Also, I was charmed by the weird décor. Why shouldn’t I enjoy some dal beneath giant antler chandeliers? I loved it. Rumor has it they might even start carrying a nice selection of Indian sweets under the big glass counter — please please please let it be true!

Our first time eating here and we were impressed. Food was stellar and prices were hard to beat. 4 entrees for close to $ 40.really enjoyed the Briynani and butter chicken, nan is made to order… Comes out hot.

Delicious food, good prices, and the veggie or meat platters are all you can eat.
Nice atmosphere and good staff

Food was very tasty and reasonably priced. Been there twice and got the butter chicken both times. Will come back again.

We decided last minute to grab some dinner in the Kentlands area, and decided to try out Diya. We ordered the crispy spinach appetizer, the butter chicken, and chicken vindaloo. Service was a little spotty — it was unclear whether the servers had assigned sections or they just served on a first-​come-​first-​served situation. Our server seemed like she had a lot of tables, even though there were other servers walking around and the restaurant was more than half empty.
The food was fine (no major complaints) but we have better (and cheap) Indian food closer to home. If you like a lot of tomato in your Indian food, you’d love Diya. I don’t think we’ll go out of our way to eat at Diya on a frequent basis, but we certainly won’t avoid it either.

Stopped in here for dinner and was pleasantly surprised. I used to go to this building when it was Famous Dave’s BBQ. They did a nice job with the remodel, nice atmosphere. The staff is new but very attentive and quick to take care of your needs. The owner was also very nice, going around the dining area to make sure the guests were being taken care of.
I had the Lamb Roganjosh, my coworker had the Hakka Noodles with Chicken. Both were very good and well spiced (We both asked for spicy). The garlic Nann was good. The samosas where small but good flavor and crispy. I appreciate the fact that everything was fresh, they do not precook dishes and let them sit. Dessert was a small order of Golub Jamun and my friend had Falooda (Kind of a part frozen, part rose milk drink with tiny rice noodles). I admit I had never tried a Falooda before, it is a bit different, but he definitely enjoyed it.
One strong element to Diya is they have a collection of dishes from all over India, it is a great place to go if you have a group with a variety of tastes or to introduce someone new to Indian Cuisine.

We live nearby so we know how to get into the place but don’t let that discourage you, it is difficult but worth it! The manager golem was super attentive. The Thali is the way to go for sure, basically a chef’s tasting menu. The lamb and chicken on the non– veg was definitely worth a trip back! So if you are looking for something new, satisfying and delicious try Diya!

Tucked away in the heart of the Kentlands is literally this hidden gem of a restaurant!
Girlfriend had the vegetarian Thali. I had the non-​vegetarian Thali, which I highly recommend. Thali is essentially a chef’s tasting menu and takes the guess work out of deciding what to order. And it is apparently unlimited, although we were both full after our first respective plates. I regret not bringing my appetite, as I packed my stomach with as much as I could handle and am now in a food coma…
The highlights:
Lamb = ⁵⁄₅. Delicious
Butter Chicken = ⁴⁄₅. Very good but not the best I have had in the area.
Naan = ³⁄₅. I am a very discriminating diner when it comes to naan. Had the plain naan. If I had the butter naan I may have rated higher.
Lentils = ⁴⁄₅
The house manager Golem and his staff were very attentive as well, no complaints. An overall fantastic experience and would go here again when the craving for Indian food hits!
P. s. I know cows are sacred in India… but deer??? You’ll get the reference when you go there.

I have to say this was pretty good! Maybe even exceeded my expectations! Just a little hidden away if you didn’t know it was there… Gps!
The décor is a little weird. Antler light fixtures? Ok I can overlook this but really…
We were promptly seated and given menus. Good variety so may it had to choose. Got the butter chicken and spinach tofu dish. The butter chicken was well cooked. Creamy. And tasty! And there is a little kick… The spinach tofu (it has another name on the menu…) is really good. Firm tofu and well spiced spinach. It’s like creamed spinach. Loved it. Each entrée comes with rice and naan. Naan was very good. Left more than full… So very content.
I would definitely return to try more dishes. :)

New Indian food place in Kentlands (kinda sits by itself near condos behind shopping center) which I think used to be Famous Daves, maybe? Anyways, I thought hey a place in Kentlands that is NOT the overpriced Tandoori Nights and equal to Bukhara in Traville for taste and quality. Initially, you walk in and it’s pretty big. Nicely decorated and the staff are willing to please and nice. We sat in booth in the back and I couldn’t help notice the antler lights in the ceiling. Cool, I guess but not sure if that was left over from last restaurant or not. Still overall, very nice looking setup.
Looking at the menu, everything looked really good. And why not? My friend googled one of the dishes and the pic they used on the menu came up but on another site. So they kinda“lifted” the pic and borrowed it for their stuff. Eh, kinda shady but I’ll let it pass if the food was good. ;) We decided to order bunch of different food so we can share and taste everything.
So we ordered the mini samosas, Goat Korma, Non Veggie Thali, Lahori Fish, Hakka Noodles, and Chicken Tikki (6 pieces). Prices were a lot more reasonable than Tandoori Nights and comparable to Hot Breads. Here’s my breakdown on what we ordered below:
Samosas — served 4 mini samosas. These were pretty good, but bite size samosas means there’s a lot less filling and the filling to fried outside ratio was off. Not enough filling. Overall, taste was good but shouldn’t be mini size.
Non Veggie Thali — sampling of 2 non veggie dishes and 1 veggie dish. Keep in mind this is preselected so you need to ask them what the dishes are. We had some lamb, buttered chicken, some chick peas dish, a sweet dessert, rice and naan bread. Chicken was dry, good flavor but nothing too special. Lamb was also ok. The theme so far is that everything is not bad or great, just ok.
Lahori Fish — they were raving that the battered fish is the favorite item and people love it. Yes, they were right. So I lied, this dish was great actually! A big battered Indian style fish and chip without the chip! Must order if you’re here.
Hakka Noodles — they have a small Indo Chinese section that we wanted to try, so why not the Hakka Noodles? Noodles were super soft and mushy and the taste was pretty decent. Was expecting better but was again… just ok.
Chicken Tikka — 6 – 7 pieces of small chicken for $ 8. Definitely not worth it, unless it was amazing! And yet you know what I’m gonna say, all together now, «just ok!»
So that wraps up this episode of Indian eats. What did we learn? Come here if you want food that’s not great, not bad, but… JUST OK!

I wanted to like this restaurant, but the food was extremely bland and appeared to be reheated from leftovers.
Another negative was the waitress.
She was pushy and rude.
It was clear she wanted us to order more than necessary for two.
Note for lunch:
— No buffet
–The thali’s options are fixed menu and no substitutions
No way is this restaurant like the way it was run in the old Ascot Restaurant days in DC

Do yourself a favor and go here IMMEDIATELY. The food was flavorful and fresh. We had the Spinach Chat, Pani Puri Gol Gappe, and a kati roll as an appetizer. Chilli chicken, hakka noodles, tandoori chicken, Garlic Naans, and some Thalis. All the food left us full, drooling, and wanting more. The only recommendation I would make for the restaurant is to put the Kati roll in a traditional parantha instead of a tortilla wrap. The unlimited Thali was a great deal — my family will all become regulars here — easily one of the best indian restaurants in the Gaithersburg area.

I went to try out this newly opened place. I like the menu offering as it allows one to have a lighter Indian lunch without having to go for the buffet (which invariably causes overeating).
I went with a friend. I got the Kathi Roll (lamb), he got the Dahi Bhalla and we shared some Chicken Tikka.
The Kathi Roll (lamb) was a big disappointment. Firstly, it was made in a whole wheat wrap (store bought). For an authentic Kathi Roll you expect either a Roomali Roti (Delhi Style) or a Tawa Laccha Paratha (Mumbai Style) but never an american wrap. Secondly and worse than the wrap it was drenched in oil and dripping all over. It was too messy for me to even take out my phone and take a picture. I’m just glad I didn’t get it on my clothes.
The Chicken Tikka was juicy and cooked well. However, the blend of spices was off. They did not get their spices mixed in the correct proportions. I can’t say I enjoyed the flavors. Almost every Indian Restaurant gets this (spice blend) right, even when they can’t cook it right or can’t get the cut of meat right. I mean it’s ready made in any store.
My friend liked the Dahi Bhalla however and said it was very good.

Pretty good! Bukhra used to be my favorite, however Diya is a nicer restaurant overall and their prices are better. The Tandoori Chicken was perfect!

Excellent Indian food. So tasty! Chicken Vindaloo was excellent — spicy, both flavorful and hot, and perfectly seasoned.
And how, oh how, do you make just plain rice so dang delicious??? Wow. So great.
The garlic naan wasn’t what I was expecting, but I still used all of it to wipe up every drop of the sauce.
The service was wonderful. Even though they forgot to ask for our drink order, they made up for it in every other way. Quick, friendly, and respectful.
We WILL be returning for many, MANY more visits when in the DC area.

Went for Dinner last week to Diya Bistro.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve had better Indian food in DC, MD and VA area. You really need to go here if you want authentic Indian cuisine. We are tried different appetizers like Kati roll, samosa chaat, etc. All were great. The prices are very reasonable too.
Great Food, Great Service and Very friendly staff.