Are you victimized by your lunchmates' insistence on standing in line at Potbelly? Are you overcome with the yeasty smell of Subway when you lie in bed at night because you eat there so often? Take some initiative and get your coworkers away from that meatball sub and into something truly delicious: Naan & Beyond.

When we think Indian for lunch, we picture $12.99 lunch buffets and picked-over chafing dishes. But Naan & Beyond changes all that. A (mostly) carryout counter by the Farragut North Metro stop, Naan & Beyond serves up a menu of Indian staples that translate nicely into Washington's lunch culture. Namely, get it and get back to your desk. They have your sandwich. They have your salad. They even have pizza! Though unlike your everyday lunch spot, they've replaced the microwave with two roaring tandoors.

Naan & Beyond's focus is its tikkas—chicken, lamb, sheesh (minced beef), veggie, shrimp, and paneer (cheese)—and builds its menu by piling them on naan. Their naan sandwiches are the staple, with each filling wrapped in the freshly cooked naan with a cabbage slaw and tomato. The naan itself is cooked while you wait right before your eyes, and comes from the tandoor oven piping hot with a good amount of char on the outside, but still doughy within. It may be a little more doughy than other naans around town, but it walks the fine line between being fully cooked and pliable enough to be used as a wrap.

The filings are what make the sandwich, though. Naan and Beyond's chicken tikka is succulent and well flavored, and the shrimp follows suit, benefiting from the yogurt-spice marinade the restaurant uses. Both are spicy, but in way that excites rather than singes. The lamb, on the other hand, was dry both times I tried it, and was not seasoned as thoroughly as the others. If you like the slightly gamey flavor of lamb (and I do), then you'll probably find this lamb to be sufficient, but stay away if you're looking for anything else. The paneer—a homemade cheese—makes a great sandwich for you herbivores. Coupled with large chunks of barely-roasted red and green peppers, the slightly spongy cheese provides an interesting contrast in texture. The flavor isn't bad either, but it is very mild—go for the pizza (basically an open-faced sandwich minus the slaw and plus some cheese) if you're looking for lactose. Be sure to add either the mango or mint sauces to your wrap as well, since they are both great with any filling.

Naan and Beyond also serves Caesar salads with your choice of topping, a well-cooked and flavorful biryani (tumeric rice and vegetables, chicken, or lamb), full or half roast chickens, and tasty-if-you-get-them-hot samosas. Their homemade potato chips, which come in a translucent paper bag, beat the pants off of anything from Lay's, what with their perfect crispiness and mild spiciness. And we wouldn't normally mention it, but it's a place to get whatever soda you want; their beverage selection is unparalleled. Five coolers provide anything from your regular Coke and Pepsi products to Honest Teas, Nantucket Nectars, mango juice, and pulpy coconut milk.

Prices aren't spectacularly low, but sandwiches are $6 or $7, samosas about $2, and a side order of biryani around $3. A good bet on a full meal is to order the special from the board on the sidewalk; they don't stray too much from the regular menu, so you can't really go wrong. At any rate, it's easy to get out for less than $10. Naan and Beyond is open until 9 p.m., so you can swing by after work for some cheap dinner as well. Dump Jared and forget about kitschy decorations. Go Beyond.

Naan & Beyond
1701 L Street NW
(202) 466-6404

Photo from flickr user var resa.