Pappe, which means ‘brother’ in Punjabi, doesn’t have a single open table when I dine there on a Tuesday night. This is a pretty extraordinary feat for a new restaurant in the holy grail of dining aka 14th Street.
Pappe is the brainchild of Sanjay Mandhaiya and Shankar Puthran, who were both chefs at Saffron in Falls Church, and first-time restaurateur Vipul Kapila.
Kapila missed the food from his childhood in Delhi and wanted to recreate that experience for a DC audience hungry for more casual Indian options. Menu highlights include chicken pista korma, samosas, chicken tikka masala, fish chittnad (red snapper), and channa pindi.
Signature cocktails include a Cardamom Gimlet made with cardamom-infused simple syrup. As well as Southern Somras made with rum, Amaro, allspice dram, tamarind and curry leaves.
Everything was absolutely delicious and a great entry-point for those who love Indian cusine and for those who are newbies.
Pappe serves lunch and dinner as well as a daily Happy Hour from 3pm-7pm.
First Look
