Restaurant Finder

Woodlands

Cuisines: Vegetarian/Vegan Indian Neighborhoods: Hyattsville Takoma Park

Based on 7 reviews.

Address	8046 New Hampshire Ave., Langley Park, MD 20783
Phone	(301) 434-4202
Fax	(301) 434-4207

Rater Comments

These comments express the opinions of individual Restaurant Raters, not those of Washington City Paper.

Review by msquare on October 29, 2007

Good vegetarian restaurent. food was so tasty and good!

Review by ynusi13 on November 2, 2005

The food was absolutely delicious. The desserts looked delectable too, but unfortunately we never got to try them. The reason for this is that it took so long to get a waiter to order drinks and then again to order food (and also to get the check) that we simply couldn't bear to pick a dessert and have to wait forever to order it. It was already pretty late on a weeknight, and the place was nearly empty, so being busy is not an excuse. Also, when the food was cooked it came out pretty quickly, it's just that finding a waiter and ordering it was nearly impossible. Still, the food is so good we might come back, though maybe this time get takeout instead so we don't have to wait all the time. And it's all vegetarian, which is nice.

Review by wingspot on August 2, 2005

Great, inexpensive restaurant in a sometimes questionable neighborhood. I would recommend this place to anyone on a budget.

Review by mcclive on June 2, 2004

Woodlands Indian Vegetarian restaurant sits gently in a strip mall next to some low-end clothing stores and Hispanic take-aways. There are always tables free for dinner, and you’ll be warmly greeted and appreciated. Prices are low here, so order several things. Anything on the appetizer list is a safe bet, if not a thrilling wager, but many things are fried, so if you order the combination appetizer platter, as we did one evening, you’ll wind up with a very filling plate. The somosas are your best bet, followed by the pakoras. The Indian doughnuts and lentil creations are just variations of fried dough; not bad, but you’re better off getting something more flavorful. The standard tangy green and sweet red dips come with each item, and perhaps a small bowl of rasan, a semi-tangy concoction that is usually categorized as a soup, but works well as a sauce.

Indian food, one the world’s great cuisines, rich and varied, has sadly fallen prey to the Chinese restaurant syndrome: all restaurants seem to have the same menu items, down to the same vegetarian dishes. In this, a south Indian vegetarian place, you have some non-canonical dishes, but still the menu is remarkably similar to other Indian veggie restaurants, such as the (slightly inferior) Udupi Palace a stone’s throw away. The crowd at Woodlands has always been mostly Indians when I’ve been there, and everyone seems to order a Dosai, which is like a huge thick crepe made with rice flour, folded over some fillings. Choose from thirteen different kinds, the largest, stuffed with a vegetable mix and hot chutney, costing only seven dollars. A slightly better large, folded concoction is the uthappan, crispy and flavorful, and topped with various items such as onion and peas, coconut, or a vegetable mix. If you’ve never had them, the large size may surprise you, but you’ll get it down.

Order a curry if you must; they are quite decent. Saying “curry” is like saying “pasta sauce”. Sure, there’s sort of a default form, but in practice it could be anything. Tell them how spicy you want it. Remember to get some protein; order some stewed, spicy chickpeas. The bread was light and puffy and the mango lassi almost shake-like thick on the day I tried it. I prefer it a bit thinner, more like a beverage, but never mind. Woodlands is a great value.

Review by saswat on May 31, 2004

A lunch at Woodland is worth the buck. Although they need to have more diverse types of food than the south Indian dosas. One problem with dosa is that it loses the crispy character if not consumed immediately. And secondly, woodland has to improve on the curries so as to cater to the taste buds of people who are not vegetarian. It needs to put the spice in place. But overall, the food is quintessentially south Indian and pretty enjoyable. Yeah one more remark: the sweets, they need to improve...

Review by bart on May 25, 2004

Like it’s neighbors Tiffin and Udupi Palace (UP), Woodlands provides great-tasting food that would take great effort to prepare. The least expensive of the three, Woodlands provides most of the same dishes as UP but with variations on flavors (their Vegetable Pakora has a fried chili, which is great). Some may think that a 3 for ambiance is too high, but the cafeteria-like dining room is all you need to eat this delicious food. There’s no need to have kitschy, bric-a-brac to distract you from the food because the food is good. Like UP, there’s no alcohol.

Review by mgeiss on May 7, 2004

This is a fabulous South Indian destination. The food is delicately spiced, and prepared just right. The menu is entirely vegetarian, so this is not the place to go if you are craving your favorite lamb curry, but it's wonderful if you are looking for a change from your average neighborhood Indian restaurant.