“ Went here with some friends the other night and loved it. We were seated at the bar and the two bartenders there were absolutely amazing. They went above and beyond answering our questions and even had some time for conversation throughout our dinner. We each ordered a different dish and shared a bit so we could all try something different. For appetizers we had pesto paneer, lamb seekh kebab, and tandoori cauliflower. I usually hate paneer, but the flavor and texture of this one got my stamp of approval. The lamb seekh kebab had a great mix of spices and the chutney that came along it was a nice spicy addition. The aspect of the tandoori cauliflower that stood out to me was the smokiness imparted into it from cooking in the tandoor and I loved that. For our entrees we had chicken curry, butter chicken, biryani, and lamb ghee roast. I also had a side of grilled okra. The butter chicken was creamy, aromatic, and slightly sweet from the tomato. The biryani was very fragrant with some nice tender chicken. The chicken curry was slightly spicy with a nice little tang to it as well. The lamb ghee roast was tender and had a nicely thickened deep sweet oniony sauce. The side of grilled okra was insanely crispy and had a nice salty sour seasoning on it. I didn't eat any of the naan since I have celiac disease, but my friends loved both the garlic naan and goat cheese naan. I'm typically not a fan of bar seating since I don't drink, but the two bartenders (Chelsea and Nick) were awesome and made our night even better with their knowledge and good vibes. I hadn't been out to any of the desi restaurants in RVA for a few years since I usually just cook for myself and I'm Pakistani so I can make most of these dishes at home whenever I want, but this was quite the experience and definitely worth it. ”

“ Went to their Valentine's dinner. It was a reduced menu. Everything we had was excellent. So flavorful! Our server was friendly and very attentive. Highly recommend! ”

“ I ride past this place so many times and have wondered! Then one evening I brought my curiosities to life . The food was entirely too good!!!!! Drinks so perfect . Instead of the traditional Old Fashion , they have "The Distinguished" The service was on point . Didn't have to wait long at all. The vibe was surely demure ! ”

“ Always a great experience here at Kismet. The ambience is one of my favorites in Richmond, initially designed by a chef...and the attention to detail is well executed. Perfect for date night or a casual night out with the girls. If you're looking for heavy, greasy Indian cuisine, go somewhere else. If you want the essence of Indian cuisine with the right balance of spice, textures, flavor, and consistency, Kismet will not disappoint. I highly recommend drink pairings - some of the best cocktails in the city. Familiar faces (add Roku gin) uses fresh hibiscus and you can taste it. I'd drink this daily. My favorite dishes: Chickpea kofta Braised lamb Laccha parantha Mumbai sliders Tandoori cauliflower ”

“ I had such a great experience here! There wasn't a single menu item that I ordered that I didn't love. There's a parking lot adjacent to the restaurant, but it's small and used for by other businesses, so parking can be elusive. We had a 6pm reservation on a Thursday and the restaurant only had a handful of patrons. By the time we left (a little after 8:30), the restaurant was packed. As a party of two, we were originally seated at a table for two, but the two-seaters are small and too close to other tables for my liking. Since we DO NOT PLAY when it comes to dining out, we knew we needed to migrate to the bar or a larger table. As we were moving to the bar, thankfully a table capable of seating four became available by the window which was very pretty at sunset (great lighting). If you order a wide array of menu items like we tend to, I would suggest sitting at the bar or requesting one of the larger tables because the tiny ones couldn't have accommodated us well. Again, everything we ordered was delicious, fresh, and well-seasoned, even the rice that came with the curries: -- Familiar Faces (a mocktail to which I added vodka instead of the suggested gin): so good I ordered two -- Garlic naan -- Mint cucumber raita -- Dal makhani -- Tandoori shrimp -- Laccha parantha -- Nilgiri chicken -- Homestyle chicken curry I look forward to returning to try the desserts and other menu items as well. Big thanks to our server, Danny, for being so kind and helpful. Another gentleman occasionally checked on us as well (perhaps the manager?), and he had such a great sense of humor. Made for quite the fun experience. ”

“ Kismet may be pricey, but it is well worth it! I've been a few times and each dish I've tried has a unique depth of flavor. Their menu has a little story about the spices they use to give you further background on the food you're about to eat. The Calcutta Jhaal muri is a must try to start (even though I did not take a picture) and I have thoroughly enjoyed every dish I've tried from "the journey continues" part of the menu. The naan is fluffy and garlicy, the spice level varies for each dish, so I highly recommend chatting with your server about your tolerance when choosing dishes. All of the staff is super knowledgeable and friendly, and willing to share their opinions about the dishes! As a heads up, the curries do not come with rice, you'll need to order that separately. The restaurant itself is so well decorated and the wall tiles are gorgeous! All in all a great vibe. Perfect for groups since the plates are all shareable and it's wonderful for special occasion celebrations! ”

“ Kismet is so delicious! I love the attention to detail in everything from the decor (they placed a happy birthday sign on the table), to the food (loved the presentation) to even the Mrs. Meyers soap in the bathrooms. We were larger party and pre-ordered apps and they were on the table 5 minutes after we sat down. Highly recommend adding this to your must-try list! Even if you are unsure about Indian cuisine, I promise there is something for everyone to enjoy! ”

“ First time dining at Kismet. My sister and mother had been here a few times, so I was really looking forward to trying it out. Especially since we were celebrating my mother's birthday. The restaurant was empty for a Saturday (lunch time), with the exception of a private event (engagement in the back). Our only complaint would be the wait time. We had to wait about 45 mins for our meals, the waiter apologized many times, and eventually, we got our meals, they provided us with extra drinks (complimentary). If you're wondering, yes, it was worth the wait! The food was absolutely delicious, and big portions (dinner menu). Enough for us to share and even had left over. The drinks were delicious and complimented our meals. I will definitely be returning! ”

“ I'm noticing a trend towards high-end Indian fusion. On the one hand it's good because it means many people are eating Indian food, on the other hand, I'm wary about potentially ruining a good thing and paying much more for that privilege. The good: you're paying mid-to-high-end prices and you're largely getting that level of service and presentation. The space also has a lot of character and is bright and spacious. The less than ideal: I still think the prices being charged for what it is is too high. I've had much better Indian food for just over a third of the cost many times. I don't see compelling enough reason to choose this over better, cheaper Indian food (not that there's much competition in Richmond in that regard, honestly). The parking lot also is very tight. If one person parks like an A, you literally can't get past (which happened to us). In terms of the food I loved their Indian take on puffed rice. It was inventive and tasty. The paneer masala dish was very tasty. It was a little too tomatoey though. The goat cheese naan was interesting as well. Dipping that naan in the masala tasted more like an Italian dish. Still tasty though. Garlic naan was good, a little thicker than it should be but it tasted better than it looked regardless. The dal makhani was the dish most true to standard Indian fare. All-in-all for the reasons stated above I can't say it's perfect however it's inventive and tasty enough to make me want to try a couple more dishes to see if there are more wins. ”