Herbivore Indian Cuisine: What’s Vegetarian Editorial Review

Herbivore’s name oversells it a little. This Georgetown Indian spot serves chicken and lamb alongside the vegetarian dishes. It’s not the all-plant kitchen the sign implies. What it does well is separate the two clearly. Vegetarian Entrées get their own column, Chicken and Lamb Entrées get theirs, and a vegetarian ordering here isn’t hunting through a mixed list hoping the description skips the meat.

The vegetarian column runs long. Shahi Paneer, Saag Paneer and Kadai Paneer cover the cream-and-cheese end. Chana Masala, Rajma and Dal Makhani carry the lentil-and-bean side for anyone skipping dairy. Malai Kofta, fried vegetable-and-paneer dumplings in a cashew gravy, is what regulars order for something that eats like a special occasion. Baingan Bharta, smoky roasted eggplant mashed with onion and tomato, is worth trying even if you’ve written off eggplant based on a bad version elsewhere.

Most of the appetizer section is vegetarian too. Vegetable Pakora, Paneer Pakora and Vegetable Samosa share space with Paani Poori and Medhu Vada. None of them require asking the kitchen to hold anything. The Vegetable Biryani gets its own line in the biryani section instead of getting lumped in next to the chicken and lamb versions. Small tell, but it means the kitchen treats it as a real order, not a substitution.

Reviewers consistently point to the Shahi Paneer and the Paneer Tikka Masala as the dishes worth the trip. Google reviewers rate it 4.7 stars with photos going back years, so this isn’t a place running on a good OSM tag and nothing else. Some reviews note the spice gets toned down from what a stricter Desi kitchen would serve. Say so at order time if you want real heat. A few reviews also flag smaller portions than the price suggests, and everything arrives in plastic to-go containers even for dine-in. That fits a converted-rowhouse carryout spot more than a formal sit-down restaurant.

Chicken and lamb get cooked in the same kitchen as the vegetarian dishes, so don’t assume zero cross-contact. Nothing on the site or in reviews spells out whether the paneer curries share a pan or a fryer with the chicken tikka. Ask before you order if that matters to you.

The space is a converted Georgetown rowhouse with a quiet outdoor seating area out back, a good spot to eat slowly instead of rushing a carryout order. Hours run 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Sunday. A breakfast menu with Masala Dosa and Chole Bhature covers anyone in the neighborhood early.

This one earns a spot on the list for the labeling, not for being fully vegetarian. Eating with a mixed group works fine here. One person orders Butter Chicken, the vegetarian at the table still eats well, and neither of you compromised.