A vegetarian adventurer's delight. Nothing to look at, but a great meal at great prices. I'll be back.

Balaji Cafe. Let me count the ways we love your food. Samosas, chaats, thali, rasam, pickle, breads, and dessert. I can keep counting, but I think you get the drift. Tucked away in a non-descript business park in Herndon, right next to my favorite coffee shop (looking at you Weird Brothers), you would never suspect that you would find a taste bud tantalizing experience like this. First, you walk up and order your meal. No waiters and no waiting around. If you aren't sure what you want, the cashier will be happy to help guide you through the short, but sturdy, vegetarian menu. This will be the last time you even think (or care) that what your meal has no meat. In fact, you will wonder why you ever needed to eat meat in the first place. Your number will be called, and the fun begins. You will be taken on a culinary journey of spice induced happiness. I have not had a bad dish here. Everything I have tried has been excellent. Not only are the prices reasonable, but the quality is high and the portions are perfect. I will be back again, and again, and again.... So the Washington Post got this right. Balaji is a hidden Herndon gem, and a gem worth visiting. And that's my "beef" for today!

I remember the first time I noticed this place. Ironically, I was about to devour a WooBoi Hot Chicken sandwich (fabulous!) when my wife spotted the south Indian restaurant and checked it out on Yelp. She loved the pictures and descriptions of the dishes and expressed enthusiasm, but said undoubtedly as a dig at me, "BUT, it's vegetarian." I wrinkled up my nose and said, "Yeah, maybe. If you want." After The Washington Post recently named it one of the best 25 casual restaurants in the DC-area -- THE ENTIRE WASHINGTON AREA! -- my interest perked up and we tried it last night. Let me say this: After eating Balaji's vegetarian offerings, I don't need no stinking meat, man! Seriously, meat or no meat, it was one of the best meals we've had since moving to the Herndon area. Affordable too. The restaurant itself is bare-boned, plainly designed, unimpressive. Apparently, it used to be an Indian grocery store and traces of that previous existence are evident everywhere. It's clearly set-up now primarily as a take-out operation (which is how we ordered). Still, there were a couple of families happily dining in-house. But don't let the unremarkable interior fool you: What goes on back in the kitchen is superb, delicious magic. Despite the absence of meat, our dishes burst with flavor, freshness, complexity, and depth. I honestly didn't miss or even care about the lack of a protein. The pappadam was crackly good, the samosas buttery-hot perfection, the Indian pickles freshly made, incredibly salty yet spicy and the perfect accompaniment to the Gobi Paratha). Portions are generous; we easily ended up with plenty for a second meal (which I'm already thinking about). Balaji's located in the middle of an aging but bustling industrial park that includes WoiBoi (a couple doors down), Amphora Bakery, Weird Brothers Coffee, as well as the highly regarded Ethiopian restaurant, Enatye. There are several other businesses as well, which can make parking challenging, especially since the recently opened Wooboi's is perpetually jamming out its spicy poultry to legions of fans, including me. Despite my continued affection for hot chicken, Balaji's food was a revelation. It turned my head around about just how delicious and satisfying vegetarian cooking can be. We already can't wait to delve further into the menu. As usual, my wife's foodie instincts were spot on!

Stopped by for takeout after passing Balaji a few times. The dining area is basic and spacious. Pretty quiet for a Saturday evening but imagine that was due to the snow storm forecast. Ordered two types of Dosa. Masala & Mysore Masala. Potato filling was good with the crispy crepe/pancake. The star of the show was the sauce/Sambar. Intense flavors and just right spicy. It brought all the flavors together and everything combined reminded me of the Dosa I had in Bangalore. Owners were friendly and you get a free dessert with your Yelp check-in. Will be back to try some of the other entrees!