Spice Express

I like it .if u r looking for quick Indian lunch .then this Is the place. spicy curries are waiting for u .lamb vindaloo is my fav. great deal for Indian curries.

Went by today for lunch and they were closed. No sign or anything to indicate if they are renovating or out of business. A couple of other people walked up after us thinking they were open as well.

They have a cheap lunch where you can get 3 curries and rice, but not all the curries were good. The spinach had cheese in it, which was kinda gross. The potato curry was okay, but didn’t taste fresh. The chicken vindaloo was the best curry. The naan bread was fried and tasted more like dessert. I’ve had better Indian before, and you deserve to too. Skip.

I always have the 3 curry special over brown rice with naan for $ 6.99. Everything is very flavorful with the perfect amount of heat. I usually have the veggie curries. They have a good selection and it’s hard to choose! Great place for lunch — I love it!

I work in the neighborhood and happened to come across Spice Express. I am Indian, and tend to be very harsh on Indian places, especially fast food lunch places. But this is the good stuff! I was happy to see that most of the dishes don’t use a lot of oil (something most Indian places seem to thrive on!). The owner is extremely nice and tends to look out for the customers. I have seen him dole out free samples of the food. You might catch him, if he isn’t busy opening a new restaurant! :) Furthermore, not a lot of people notice this, but the cutlery and takeaway containers are environment-​friendly! This has become a great lunch hangout for me and my coworkers. It also doesn’t hurt that the place is really cheap!

It’s a little surprising, giving how low it was starting from, but it appears to have gotten worse. I’ve only been here once since Tandoori Time opened, and I can’t imagine what would possess me to go back.

I was looking for something other than a sandwich for lunch, just mix it up a bit. Sadly, most of the places around tend to be sandwich places. So after just wandering around, I remembered getting a flyer for Spice Express, and figured I would give it a try, especially after I saw the lunch special which is two curries and rice for $ 6.99.
I picked up the Chicken Tikka Masala and the Palak Paneer, as well as adding in a Samosa (I absolutely love Samosas). I got all that and it was still under $ 8, though thinking back on it, I believe there was an error or something.
The sauce for the Tikka was good, though none of it seemed to permeate into the chicken. Leads me to believe the technique is missing something, since there is plenty of flavoring typically when I order this from an Indian place. The Palak Paneer was decent too, though the cheese curds are definitely overpowered by the spinach. As far as spiciness goes, its pretty tame.
The Samosa was very good. A little bit different than I am used to, but nice crispy crust and great spicy filling. I noticed that you can get two of these for $ 2.99, which based on their large size, would definitely be worth it.
All and all, this place was pretty decent, good find for when I need to pick up something quick and easy and not feeling all the usual options.

This place is cheap and delicious. I knew I was in the right place because it’s full of indian people all the time. So far I haven’t had anything I didn’t like. However, steam table food is never really hot or fresh enough for me. For the price this will do. Also I don’t like how they have the tables set up because they are large or small. No tables for 4. It’s either 2 or 6. In a city where everything wants to be upscale I like that this place is no frills

Good food at great prices. A convenient Indian carry-​out where you can satisfy your craving for curry. My meal was very filling and flavorful. A good option for a quick lunch in the downtown business district.
Extra point for green measures.

As an Indian, I can honestly say that the curry from spice express isn’t that bad. I mean, it could be a lot worse. It’s not very spicy at all, but it’s very decent. The place is a perfect lunchtime spot for those working in Farragut. $ 6.99 for 2 curries and rice is a great deal… generous portions too. But DON’T get the naan. It was soooo greasy and gross. The rice was fine, better to just stick with that. The people who run the place are really nice and are more than willing to help you out if you’re not satisfied. Basically, go there for lunch once a week and you will be a regular!

Spice Express by the numbers:
19^th Ave
$ 7
2 curries
1 full belly
That’s about all you need to know. Not exceptional but i can dig the price. The chicken is dry but the vindaloo is almost spicey and that’s more than what half the local indian joints can claim

This place is decent by fast food standards. I echo what someone else said about their containers though — I’m all for eco-​friendly and compostable, but the first time I went here, I got takeout and the dal spilled all over the bag. How about eco-​friendly and compostable with a secure lid? I ate in the 2^nd time, and will only go here when I want to sit down and eat here.
I’ve been here twice, and both times the chicken was overcooked. However the vegetarian dishes were good. I had the dal once and the chana masala once. I also have had the chicken tikka masala (sauce was ok) and the chicken vindaloo, which wasn’t anywhere near super-​spicy, but the sauce was still decent. The naan didn’t impress me at all.
If you’re vegetarian you could probably eat here happily, but if you need meat or poultry, you’ll be a bit disappointed. I don’t mind going from time to time when I’m looking for a quick and inexpensive meal, but there are other Indian restaurants around that are better. You do get a lot of food for what you pay for… they load up the rice, and you get decent amounts of the two curries you choose.

It is about 5 degrees outside and the wind is blowing. I don’t even have to cross a street to come here (well maybe an alley, but that doesn’t count). I love Indian food and decided to give this place a try to warm me up. I got the Chicken Tikka Masala, and Chana Masala (chick peas) as well as garlic naan. I’m glad my next meeting is via conference :)
The food was really good for a small take out. It had pretty good flavor, a small amount of spice, and was hot and fresh. The chicken could have been marinated a bit longer to infuse the taste but it was still good. The garlic Naan was great. Past reviewers mentioned that if you don’t eat it fast it will turn very stale or chewy. That is actually true for all fresh out of the oven Naan I have ever had. It was very good, and had lots of garlic. The food was not as spicy as I like, but I can see how they need to cater to a mid crowd. I asked for some extra hot peppers.
Would I come here for a dinner date? Probably not, there are too many great Indian restaurants in the DC area to choose from. Will I come back for lunch? DEFINITELY! It was good, fast, and cheap for downtown. A winner in my book.

There are quite a few options in downtown DC as far as weekday lunchtime Indian food is concerned. In fact, Indian is «in» in the US these days. The fojol brothers, the Indian experience, Nirvana all offer enticing Indian options on K st. That being said, Spice Express offers speed without compromising on spice.
2 currys and rice for $ 6.99. The format is fast and easy. Same as all those fast food Chinese joints you would find at a mall BUT… This stuff actually tastes good. If you are trying to get a good bit of Indian food that wasn’t designed for white people (fojol bros) or lacks meat options (Nirvana) or takes a time commitment (Heritage, Bombay club or the Indian Experience), give this place a try.
Vegan options are available.

I was pleasantly surprised by Spice Express, especially after reading some of the reviews here.
I brought some coworkers here for a birthday lunch, after warning them that it may not be very good. They were not deterred, in grand adventurer style.
We did have one member in the group who simply does NOT like Indian food. I told him there was supposed to be a juice/​smoothie bar at Spice, to give him a little hope of sustenance. Alas, while there was in fact fresh fruit at the juice bar, nobody was staffing it. Seems an odd decision for a sunny, hot summer DC day.
The rest of us got into line and ordered up the components of our «2 curries + rice» lunch special. I chose the chicken tikka masala, and an okra dish, and sprung for a piece of naan. Others in my group were more adventurous, one going full vegetarian, another getting two meat dishes.
Nobody was unhappy with their food. The chicken was a little tough, and the sauce was thin. Still, it had flavor, though somewhat subtle. The vindaloo didn’t get high marks for heat, but the flavor was just fine.
As for the vegetables, I really enjoyed my okra, and several others remarked that their vegetables were quite tasty. Perhaps next time I’ll go full vegetarian myself.
Note re: the naan — eat it fast! It’s got a nice bit of char, giving it a smoky flavor. However, as it cools it solidifies, and gets extra chewy.
The manager (owner?) came by mid-​meal and asked us how the food was — that was nice and personal. Plus, I appreciate the biodegradable utensils and plates.
Throw in a functional juice bar and I can easily see popping over here for a decent and quick Indian lunch.

The 6.99 two curry lunch special is a good deal.
If you’re looking for top notch India, all I can say is what do you want for 6.99?

2.5 stars
The lunch special is 2 curries and rice for $ 6.99. Not bad. They have several varieties of meat and vegetarian choices and everything smelled good. Portions were generous.
Unfortunately, I found the flavors a bit lacking. The predominant flavor of the chicken tikka masala was butter with some spice. The potatoes in the aloo gobi were lukewarm and mealy, which makes me think it was refrigerated and didn’t have enough time to reheat properly.
Naan doesn’t come with the lunch special. It was freshly prepared when I ordered one, but seemed more like a puffy roti/​tortilla than naan. It had been wrapped in foil to keep warm, but a bit soggy by the time I got to eat.
I appreciate that they’re going green, from the sugar cane fiber take out boxes to the biodegradable utensils and recycled fiber napkins. Now if they just work on the recipes a bit.

Lackluster fast food Indian. (2.5 stars)
I thoroughly enjoy Indian food and what I love is the vibrance of flavors but I found that Spice Express lacked the «oomph» that I expect. I was expecting exciting flavors but it was just uninspiring. Sadly, I was really hungry and they say that hunger is the greatest condiment and/​or spice to food but I really didn’t enjoy myself. The chicken tikka marsala was dry and the other chicken I had was just forgettable. I also had a mango lassi and that was ok.
Anyhow, if in DC this seems like a decent option if you in DC but if you want cheap Indian, have a car, and don’t mind going into Virginia than try Kohinoor Dhaba.

I should give this place 2.5 stars — but am willing to cut them a break given the potential and having their hearts in the right place.
Service was very pleasant and the lunch special is a good deal. 2 items for around 7 bucks (I think) — and generous portions.
Food was flavorful — but not very spicy — and just seemed a little off. It didn’t overwhelm in deliciousness but it tasted fresh and was well prepared — a few tweaks and I think it could be quite good. Chicken was dry (why don’t more places don’t opt for dark meat?).The Naan was exactly as Rachel described… and the most disappointing part of my experience.
I would give it another shot in couple of months and see what happens…

I am also going to echo Will L’s review. I was excited to see a new, hopefully inexpensive, Indian option in the neighborhood so I decided to try the new Spice Express. The service was very pleasant and helpful and I was very glad to see that they are using recycled paper products instead of the ubiquitous styrofoam. So things started well.
Unfortunately, when I got to the food everything went downhill. The sauces were sadly bland (and the korma sauce was unnaturally yellow), the chicken in the Tikka Masala was overcooked, and the onion naan – for which I was charged extra – was dry too. I had the odd urge to ask those sitting around me if they liked their food because it was just soo bad!
On top of the bad food I felt like the $ 9+ for two curries and a piece of bad garlic naan was overpriced. I will pay more for the made-​to-​order fresh sushi or organic/​natural food at other establishements on this block. However, this seemed like a high price for Indian food that may/​may not have come out of the jar (that korma sauce just did not have a natural color…).
I hope that these are simply kinks that will be worked out once this location is better established. However, it is going to take a lot of convincing to get me to try again…