Last week, the Foodies team went out to Tamashaa Indian Restaurant in the heart of Washington, DC to do a content day. We were treated with many menu items from their Happy Hour menu. This spot is truly high end – every dish is crafted with care, and all the ingredients are fresh and aromatic. Be warned, there is a lot of spice in traditional Indian food, so just be aware that many dishes do have a nice kick. If you like some spice, then these dishes will blow your socks off.
Price 💲💲out of 5
Happy Hour is every day from 4 pm to 6 pm at Tamashaa. Every dish on the menu is $10 and could be considered an appetizer. This is great value because of how quality the ingredients are. Not only are the dishes crafted with care, but they are also unique and traditionally Indian – these are not dishes you can just get anywhere. You could easily have a beautiful early date night at Tamashaa for $40 or $50.
Ambience 🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳🧑🍳 out of 5
Tamashaa is so aesthetically pleasing. The restaurant is so colorful, with deep yellow, oranges, and purples throughout. It is well decorated, and there is plenty of seating. The building is uniquely shaped – there are two eating areas, with a main dining room, and then another small area that offers one table that is for larger groups. You do have to walk by the kitchen to get to this area, so there can be a bit of a cramped feeling walking between rooms. All in all, though, this spot is really fun!
Food 🥩🥩🥩🥩 out of 5
The Happy Hour menu has nine dishes. We are able to sample the following:
Crispy cauliflower – the cauliflower was fried beautifully and turned out golden and crispy. It is tossed in a sweet and spicy honey chili sauce. Very good and you couldn’t even tell it was cauliflower.
Cheese poppers – Tamashaa’s cheese poppers are three cheese dumplings served with tangy mint tamarind emulsion. These definitely pack a punch of fragrant spice!
Paneer Bhurjee taco – these chicken tacos were served in a naan shell and filled with cottage cheese and fresh greens. So good!
Smashed slider – these potato patty sliders included maska pao and spicy mayo, along with lettuce and tomato. Would have preferred a traditional beef slider, but for a non-meat option, this was solid.
Peri-Peri masala cheese fries – these fries were crispy and packed with that amazing Indian seasoning.
Chicken quesadilla – my favorite dish of the day, this quesadilla was so fragrant and spicy, served with an amazing makhani sauce. Still dreaming about this quesadilla.
Old Monk fried fish – the beer battered fried fish was fried perfectly, and the garlic mayo was a perfect condiment to go on top.
Experience ⭐⭐⭐⭐ out of 5
Happy Hour at Tamashaa is definitely a fine dining experience that will not break the bank. If you are interested in authentic Indian food, check this spot out ASAP. We will provide an update on regular menu items later, but for now, remember that every early evening at Tamashaa is Happy Hour!