Agni South Indian Cuisine: An Exceptional Dining Experience in Sterling, VA

OMG, the best Indian food I’ve had in quite a while (maybe ever). This is a small hole in the wall place in a strip mall, so not crowded (tonight) or fancy but we enjoyed our evening there (so nice to be able to hold a conversation without raising our voices). Lots of people picking up to go orders, they know good food!

Came here to try a few dishes before placing our catering order. Found amazing, authentic South Indian dishes spiced perfectly prepared by a talented chef. They offer North Indian dishes as well, but I suggest you steer towards their traditional offering. Chicken 555 is their unique dish and a spin on the traditional Chicken 65; the fried chicken is coated with a savory sauce that kicks it up several notches. It was by far my favorite dish and a must try. The onion pakoda was different from what I'm used to but good nonetheless. The chili baby corn was a lip smacking dish with one of the best sauces I've had on such a "chili" appetizer. Another must try. Malli chicken and Mangalorean chicken were similar slightly thicker coconut curry based dishes. Both were spicy but the Mangalorean was definitely spicier; enjoy as is if you like things hot or ask for it to be toned down. Skip the naan and order the Parotta instead; it's a delicious, flaky and perfect pairing. The north Indian dishes tend to be the typical offering but very rich; like I said go with their traditional South Indian dishes. Excellent, friendly service. One of the best Indian restaurants in the area. If I could I would give this place 6 stars! Highly recommended; give it a try. If you haven't tried South Indian (Kerala) dishes, I think you'll be pleasantly surprised.

I've heard great things about this place amd decided to try it since ai was in the area. As soon as we walked in, I fell in love with the cute triangle people deco on the wall, as well as the decoration behind the counter. Unfortunately there was some sort of smell, which I cannot place but it didn't smell pleasant. The tables were very nice, but the chairs felt like barstools in chair form. The gentleman who was taking orders was extremely nice, quick and efficient. I'm not sure if they had any takeaway orders they were working on, but he did seem a little busy... So I felt bad for him, being the only person working the counter/diners. I wanted to try the thali, but it was too late in the day to eat that much food. There were so many other items on the menu that sounded amazing. We ordered the masala dosa, to keep it simple. It was quite large and very shareable...just not much filling inside. The masala dosa was ok, as were the sambar and chutney. I do wish it was a little spicier. I also ordered a Kerala parotta to go...havent eaten it yet though. I will return next time I'm in the area.

Food is delicious, 4 stars because the butter chicken is chewy, but the flavor is delicious. The Dosa is 5 stars! I got the plain Dosa. Friendly service. Nice casual atmosphere. No way to rate it between 4 and 5, but I'd rather this place as 4.8 out of 5.

The food here is phenomenal! They have a lunch special with several dishes to try, all of them were great. The hostess was also very kind and helpful. I would recommend this to anyone.

Omg, one of the best South Indian food in DMV area. Had Madras tea and it was freshly made. Most of the other Indian restaurants have premade. Kotthu parota and idly and medhuwada out of the world. Softest idly I ever had! Definitely my go to place for South Indian food.

If you are a South Indian food lover, then you should try this place. I am from Kerala and I love strong tea and filter coffee. All the tea and filter coffees I have tried here have been just average, but here it was excellent. The masala dosa, sambar idli and the kothu parotta were superb. Apart from food the place is also pleasing to the eye. The service is also very good. Must try place

During my stay in VA, this was one of the go to place for dosas n filter coffee. The food n service was good, can get a little better as there was an error with my order. But certainly the served food is tasty n sensed fresh.Filter coffee n any sambar item a must try depending if u not allergic to anything. It’s in a small strip mall with a few parking spots, so prepared to park on the street on a busy day/ hour.