Spices are a lot like chaperones: they make things more tasteful, are used in small quantities, and get you nervous about where you’re putting your tongue. Place your tasters with confidence with today’s Groupon: for $15, you get $30 worth of Indian cuisine and drinks from Diya Restaurant, Lounge & Banquet in Vienna.
A spacious, windowed bar area and large booths shrouded in curtains surround Diya customers as they dine on cuisine from across the Indian peninsula. Start with cuckdoo wings, chicken wings and drumsticks marinated in yogurt and spices before being thrown on the fire to attain stylish grill-mark tattoos ($8). Malai shrimp are soaked in coconut milk, cinnamon, cardamom, and bay leaves for a creamy crustacean entree ($16), while vegetarian saag paneer combines homemade cheese with spinach to create a partnership more lasting than the buddy system at summer camp ($13). The personal-sized naan pizza ($6.50) or lamb tikka wrap ($9), served with fries and mango, spicy, or mint dipping sauce, appease obstinate lunch crowds sick of waiting until dinner to get their naan fix.
The roomy restaurant can accommodate up to 400 people and includes an event space for parties and large interventions. Though their cuisine may come from a long Indian tradition, the décor at Diya is modern and clean with hints of Indian influence. A large patio out front allows Diya to take their business outdoors during warmer months, and otherwise displays an impressively organized brick collection.
Reviews
Five Yelpers give Diya Restaurant a four-star average, and OpenTable reviewers give it an average of 3.3 stars:
- The pork chops were spicy and tender and juicy and the perfect size to allow us to sample all the other foods! – Holly F., Yelp, 12/2/2010
- The food was really very good. – An OpenTable reviewer who dine on 01/14/2011
Diya Restaurant, Lounge & Banquet
Spicy scents waft through the air to greet guests with the aromas and atmosphere of South Asia. The product of more than 25 years of South Asian–cuisine experience, Diya Restaurant, Lounge & Banquet's menu suffuses both meat and vegetarian dishes with potent herbs and spices. Tandoori ovens roast servings of salmon, jumbo shrimp, chicken, and lamb chop. Though fans of Indian cuisine can savor their old standbys, the restaurant has a few tricks up its sleeve as well—burgers tinge pub favorites with exotic spices, and ingredients take on even more flavor through Dumpukth—a technique of slow-roasting dishes over a fire in a tightly-sealed clay pot and seasoning food with specialized herbs and spices. The dining room's decor further strengthens the South Asian feel as bright colors embolden earth-toned walls and match the hues of ambitious side dishes vying for a starring role.