They are doing quarantine take away!!!! Quarantine crawfish to the rescue! We've been coming to Mandala for viet crawfish for years. Hands down, best we've ever had. Better than New Orleans. Better than any Cajun Austin attempt at "spicy". They also have one of our favorite cocktails in all of Austin, Tango Foxtrot. Whoa. It's so so so good. If you are bouncing around town on a sunny Saturday, stop for a cocktail and mini rice pancakes. We dream about these. Sit on the patio for people watching. People WILL stop and ask about your cocktail. It's pretty. Haven't tried their traditional Thai noodles yet, mainly because we live far away and would fall asleep if we ate noodles during the day. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Viet crawfish during quarantine - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

Prime example of Austin's eats!! The surf clam Ceviche was so FLAVORFUL! We also had the Tom yum soup, the pad kee mao & mango sticky rice. The pad kee mao was spicyyy, but great flavors! The waitress told me that it was just due to it being a fresh batch of peppers and it's not normally that spicy! But the MANGO STICKY RICE! Hands down the best I've had! I'm such a sucker for this dessert, but mannnn... it is the most satisfying bites you'll taste! Love love love this place! Will most definitely be read more

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4.5 stars? Really? What am I missing? Came to Austin for a few days just to enjoy some of the best food in Texas. Because it was cold out, I had to audible away from food trucks and stumbled upon this place on Yelp. Because it had the same rating as Franklin's BBQ (seriously, this is absolutely absurd), I decided to check it out. My first clue should have been that the restaurant was empty at prime dinner hours. We got there at 7 o'clock on a Monday and maybe one or two tables were occupied. The staff were clearly not very busy, but the service was still not great. At one point, the waiter spilled water on the table, didn't clean it up, and only did so about 10 minutes later after we asked him to. The food was... not great. I don't know what kind of ceviche y'all have in Austin, but if you call this ceviche good, you should come on down to Houston and try some. It was somehow both bland and overly acidic at the same time. I didn't even finish it. The spring rolls were below average at best and were super bland. The pad kee mao was the one thing that was ok. It had flavors, but it was still underwhelming, and is the kind of dish I would give a place 3 stars for if I paid $10 for it. But I paid more than that, and combined with the other lackluster food I received, I cannot in good conscience give this place a higher rating. And in the foodie city of Texas no less! Overall, do not come here, you will be disappointed and pay a lot for substandard food. I have no idea how this place remains open in such an amazing city. Avoid. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Ceviche - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Each week when I have a free minute I walk to mandala with my dog and sit outside and enjoy a great craft cocktail and some very unique ceviche that you can't find anywhere else in Austin. Mandala kitchen has a great full menu and the appetizers are so impressive, I bring friends all the time to enjoy the patio life on S Lamar. The Tom Yum soup is amazing. I really can't say enough great things about this place:) read more

I got the pad see ew and dumplings and was impressed! The pad see ew was good! The dumplings were good but I would prefer steamed

Good food, good service. Pad kee mao noodles melt in your mouth, nice heat kick to the dish. No complaints (and I love to complain). read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Pho '84 - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Daaaaang. The pancake appetizer may be the best thing I've ever had...ever. Crispy on the outside, OMG sweet/savory/crunchy/chewy whoa on the inside. We always get their crawfish when in season...but here we are, in covid, forced to get their goods takeaway. Along with top three bites of all time (pancake), they also have one of our top drinks of all time: the Tango Fox Trot. Tonight we tried the wings (sauce on side) and the thai basil fried rice with shrimp and chicken. Hands down the freshest shrimp fried rice EVER! The shrimp was so fresh and seemed like fresh from the gulf. We got a small side of the green curry and drizzled it on the fried rice. Mind blown. Please guys, let's support this amazing establishment! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Tango fox trot, to go! At home - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

my boyfriend and i visited here today and the food was amazing. being from houston i didnt expect their pad thai to be so fresh and flavorful but i was so surprised. we ordered thai wings - 8/10. served with sweet chilli sauce, it was pretty good but way too salty. it was crispy though! $11 pad thai tofu - 10/10 my fav. the noodles were so soft and flavorful, tofu was fried just to the right amount and it had jus the right amount of sauce. $16 thai basil fried rice with tofu - 10/10 sooooo good!! it was really spicy but it was packed with flavor. $16 grilled porkchop & egg - 10/10 served with a sweet but tangy sauce, the egg sat on top of it and the pork chop was pretty good as well. $20 service - 10/10, there was only one lady there and i think she was the manager or owner. she was really nice and recommended the pad thai to us! the environment is very nice and clean. would definitely come back. read more

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Great Thai food and nice ambience. The pad Thai with medium spice was actually pretty spicy (just to keep in mind), but I enjoyed the spice. The edamame here was really nicely seasoned. Other than that, it was a pretty standard Thai restaurant and what you would expect. They do seem to have a very wide selection of menu items ranging from an entire cooked fish to crawfish. Overall, nice dining experience. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Pad Thai - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

Solid 3 stars. Went there for dinner a couple nights ago and it was about half full. It occupies short-lived El Burro's old spot on one of the corners at Lamar Union Square. Their happy hour drink menu isn't bad at all. $4 beers and similar pricing on wine plus some sake specials. We had some pan fried dumplings but they seemed more like they'd been boiled and then pan seared on one side. Filling was a little bland and dipping sauce had some spice but not a lot of flavor otherwise. My friends ordered the Shaken Ribeye and the Curry Mussels. I had the Vietnamese chicken fried rice. I didn't taste the ribeye but for $25 it looked like some meat chunks on top of some overcooked veggies in a brown sauce. He said he liked it, though. I did try the mussels (my first time, I know I know) and the sauce was good but did not taste like a curry. My friend said they were decent but she wouldn't order them again. As for my rice, it was just simple fried rice, nothing to blow you away. The service was fantastic, though they weren't busy at all, even for a Friday evening. I can't say I'd go back, but it wasn't a terrible meal. read more

Ordered last night on Door Dash. Legit the best beef pho I've ever had. Even in SF and Thailand. The broth was so flavorful. Pricey because the beef is choice. The veggie eggrolls were also fire. read more

Love this place! I go to Austin 2-3 times a year and I love exploring new restaurants here. Mandala was on my list because of the good looking dishes and the wide variety of options. - Food: mind blowing. We enjoy every dish we had here. Favorite: crispy rice pie, shaken beef, and surf clam ceviche. I love how the chef has her own modern twists to each dish, yet keep the good side of authenticity in them. The drinks were also really good as well. They have daily drink specials. - Service: Amazing. Really nice and friendly servers, very polite and cautious with our group's needs. - Parking: free parking in the mall garage in the back. read more

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Typically a good experience, this particular time was not. I ordered delivery and got the mini rice pancakes and was disappointed as soon as I opened the styrofoam container. The pancakes were basically hollowed out and just bread. Very little filling like usual. A waste of my money. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

We sat at the bar and ordered the crispy rice pie, the mini rice pancakes, egg rolls, and the Cajun fried rice. I would order everything again except for the crispy rice pie. The crispy rice pie wasn't anything special or very flavorful, but I loved the mini rice pancakes and the egg rolls. read more

The pad see ew was great but when I bit into my wings they were very pink and under cooked

Really good Thai food but also very pricey. I ordered tofu and shrimp spring rolls and pad Thai w/ chicken. Spring rolls were pretty standard with the house peanut sauce. Pad Thai dish was surprisingly large and filling. It was a bit saucier than pad Thais I've had at other restaurants. Overall, food was excellent but would probably only come for more special occasions! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Spring rolls - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I am a loyal madam mams for pad see ew but I was in the area and it was holidays so everything was closed but this place so we gave it a try and so glad we did!! I LOVED the amount of veggies!!! Usually there is never enough for me, but if you're a meat lover there was plenty of shrimp too! Very big portions, was definitely two meals. The leftovers tasted almost better than the first meal!! Flavor was excellent! Only thing I didn't love were the noodles bc I prefer the wide ones and these are more the large flat ones like din Ho. Tasted great, just a preference of mine. Will stop by again next time I'm south of the river!!! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Pad See Ew w shrimp - half eaten sorry!!! - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

I really kind of love this place! I think the "kinda" part is because of location. If I hadn't have yelped it, I would never have decided to go there; however, I would recommend you hit them up! It feels touristy and like not locals would make this their regular spot, but I hope it stays as good as it was when I went. They have a cute indoor/ outdoor bar situation (on Lamar tho) and food is amazing and so was the drink that was on special. Like, it was out of this world great! The clam ceviche is fantastic!!! I will be back very soon! read more

$14 for pad thai to go and they couldn't even include a napkin? Food was decent, but I just felt like this place would be better experienced for dine-in, and obviously that's closed due to Covid. Doors were locked and I had to call in and then wait on the curb while they finished making my food. I've done a lot of pickups this year and this one just felt... weird. I don't know, can't put my finger on it. Guess I'll come back in 2021 when I can appreciate the ambiance of this spot. Meanwhile, I have to wipe my mouth and just used my sleeve. read more

Mandala's has become my #1 Thai Restaurant after years of searching. Their food is so flavorful and tasty, with amazing spice levels. I love their service and the design as well. Their menu is experimental and unique, but their curries have the best traditional flavors. My favorite is the green curry with +1 spice level. Other gems are the Cajun fried rice, Red curry (+1 spice) and Pad See Ew. read more

Before going to Mandala Kitchen and Bar, my experience with Asian food was limited. However my first taste of a meal at Mandala, changed my life forever! The texture is fresh, crispy, crunchy, smooth, and perfect. Now I am a Mandala addict with no desire for recovery. The owners and staff make the restaurant even more enjoyable. Personally, I don't drink alcohol but those who do, rave about the choices and flavors there. Part of bar is open for walk up traffic and the outside tables are great. The inside seating is the perfect combination of Austin's casual but upscale dining. It's a great place to hang out with friends, take a date, or just hang out around friendly people. Every time I visit, they prepare me a unique dish that fits my milder taste buds. However, the spicy-food crowd are shouting their praises. [Hint: The parking garage entrance is underneath and behind the restaurant. Enter just south of the lobby of Alamo Draft House.] The perfect date includes dinner at Mandala Kitchen and Bar, a movie at the Alamo then return to Mandala for most awesome, bright purple sticky rice with mango for dessert. Ten stars from me! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - My take home box. Mega size servings. - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We've been ordering take out from Mandala throughout the pandemic and it's one of our favorite Asian spots to order from. Their pad thai and tom yum are the stand outs for me. Although you can get these dishes almost everywhere Thai food is served, Mandala prepares them with way more depth in flavor than other places around town. I can't even touch the tom yum at Madam Mam's anymore...it just doesn't compare. They have a lot of unique dishes and they're all good, but you know you have a winner when they can do popular dishes in an outstanding way! read more

Mandala has never let me down. The crispy rice pie is a must-get! Their staff is stretched thin... so please take this into consideration when dining in (prepare to spend 2 hours here, just chill with your friends because service is slow at peak hours). If you are in a rush, order takeouts. Pho is not their best dish. Get the noodles and fried rice. I also got the whole fish here once, pretty amazing. During ACL weekend they opened until midnight and I ordered here right after the festival. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

I came to pick up an order and it was backed up 40 minutes after estimated pickup time. While sitting here, I saw about 12 other customers come and be told that their food isn't ready either and leave angrily, and one person have an hour left. When they asked if they could cancel their order, they said no. Food was average, and perhaps it was a fluke and only one bad day. But do not recommend so far. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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We were served soggy chicken Pad Tai with no vegetables, a dark brown sauce & chicken that tasted like it was left over from several days ago. We were very disappointed & even more so when hours later we both became suck with a headache & stomach cramps. Never eating here again. read more

Came back here on a Saturday night, still in the middle of crawfish season. Relatively empty, no wait. Ordered two orders of the viet Cajun crawfish... So disappointing. Wasn't nearly as good as the first time. Crawfish were TINY. I mean like just born or something. The tails were so chewy and if they weren't chewy, they were mush. I came back thinking I would get the same experience as the first time and now I never want to try their crawfish again. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I came here during their soft opening and visited again recently, and can say this is one of my favorite "upscale" asian fusion places in town. This place is a notch above somewhere like Sap's or Madam Mam's...closer to somewhere like Sway. I personally like it more than Sway because it has good portion sizes, a bright interior, you don't have to valet, and it's not communal seating. During my most recent visit, we got the mini rice cakes, pad kee mao, and pork chop and eggs. All three were delicious. The mini rice cakes were really unique. They had a savory and sweet flavor with good texture from the crispy rice. The pad kee mao was done well with perfectly cooked noodles and veggies...both still had good bite to them. It had really good flavor and wasn't too spicy, but there was a little too much onion. The pork was super moist and good flavor. I'm so impressed with how they cooked it perfectly so it wasn't dry at all. The egg was super crispy on the bottom but runny on top, and slaw was yummy and fresh. Overall, all the dishes were very good. More expensive than most Thai or Vietnamese restaurants, but well worth it if you're looking for something a little nicer all around. read more

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Ordered take out online cuz, you know, corona virus Ordering online was very easy and picked the order up shortly after placed on the Yelp app. The food was delicious and can't wait to go back. The spring rolls were delicious and had amazing flavor. I am so glad the peanut sauce wasn't overly sweet or overly peanut buttery as some places have a tendency to go either side. The bamboo salad was slightly too spicy for me, but it has such amazing flavor that I had to push through. We will definitely be coming back! read more

Had first bad experience here. Steak & shrimp combo was WAY overcooked. They gave us a few dollars off, but it was my husband's first (and last) visit. read more

I had super high expectations because of all the 5 star reviews but ummm...there's a lot of great Thai food in Austin. You shouldn't ever get a 5 Star review unless you're phenomenal! This place was mediocre. We had egg rolls, Vietnamese friend rice with chicken, yellow curry with chicken, and Cajun fried rice. Nothing blew me away. Service was pretty spotty. We weren't asked if we wanted a drink- just given water. That was kinda strange. He was really friendly but didn't check on us much. Ambiance is cool, I like the outdoor area. Bathrooms were kinda dirty and the door didn't lock in my stall, which is weird for a brand new restaurant. I dunno y'all, I'm just disappointed. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Wow, this was a pleasant unexpected surprise in this plaza. I showed up early to the Alamo to get a ticket for a movie, then wandered out in pursuit of dinner to while away the remaining hour. I didn't feel like shelling out $30 for shellfish, so I kept walking down toward the street. Mandala's decor is contemporary and understated, while the staff are friendly and accommodating. I asked for a suggestion between the curry and the pad kee mao, and was very pleased with the latter. It's definitely on the spicier side (just as I like it), and everything was well proportioned. I am always wary about stir-fried sliced chicken, but mine was tender and juicy throughout. Perfection. The owner/chef is very kind and personable, and chatted with me about the influences behind her cuisine. And Sammy, the bartender, was thoughtful about making sure I had a good experience. This was just the pleasant surprise I needed after a long week. Thank you, Mandala! Now that I know there's good Asian food within walking distance of easy parking, I'll be here a lot more often. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

Great little place in a newer area of Austin! Note: the map puts it closer to the movie theater, but it's really on the front corner on S. Lamar. Colleagues and I had just arrived in town and were hungry for lunch. Yelp helped us find a unique place touting Thai and Vietnamese cuisine. After parking it took a little while to find, since all maps say the location is towards the back of the complex, when really it's at the front. We were about to give up when we finally found it. We received a warm greeting and introduction to the menu as we were seated. They are still in their soft opening, so it's a limited menu. Still plenty of great options though!! Everything we ordered was shared family-style, which is a great way to taste and experience as many menu items as you can in a sitting with friends. I'm a huge fan of Thai and always order Tom Yum soup as my "standard" for grading across restaurants. The Tom Yum here is not at all like others I've had. Not bad, but not traditional Tom Yum. The broth was heavy on tomato, which threw me off quite a bit. This may just be the chef's spin on the dish, but I was saddened by the flavor profile. We also ordered the egg rolls, which were good, but a bit greasier than I like. The pad kee mao noodles were very good, but the red curry was the star of the meal in my opinion. It had some heat to it, but not overwhelming for more sensitive tongues. Regarding heat: we were not asked if we would like any particular spice heats, so I'm assuming all dishes come as they are. Since we shared family style, this was probably for the best. I would definitely come here again on my next trip to Austin! read more

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So I ordered from here late night from UberEats...I realize that's not fair to judge a restaurant based on its takeout, but will say their takeout was still pretty good. I will definitely come back to dine-in and try their curry and their cocktails...also apparently their crawfish-who knew! I got the Veggie Egg Rolls and the Tofu Pad Thai...they should probably name that order combo The Basic Betch Special, since it's pretty much the equivalent of "cheese pizza with ranch" of Thai food orders. Anyway, the veggie egg rolls were awesome. The sweet and sour dipping sauce was my favorite part, and I am a big fan of the long skinny crispy egg rolls vs the really fat ones some other places offer that fall apart. Definitely will get these again. The Tofu Pad Thai was good, but it was a little on the greasy side. It was still piping hot, even after it's adventure in the UberEats delivery car. It also had a tasty tamarind sauce, decent amount of egg (which is my personal obsession when it comes to Pad Thai), and the tofu was cooked really nicely, with a golden crust on the outside. read more

This is my new favorite Thai fusion place. Sorry Sway. *Mini pancakes - loved it *claw ceviche - my SO though it was good. It came on 5 or 6 spoons. He said it's a little too chewy and too many spoonfuls of it? I think they should just cut it up into pieces into a bowl but he recommends just sharing and having one or two spoons each. *Tom yum w/ chicken- I always get this at Thai restaurants and it's pretty hard to mess up but it was great! Tender chicken in it too. *Mandala crawfish - great flavors, not too spicy but it was overly salted. I couldn't eat the sausages in it because it was too salty. Was able to eat all the crawfish because the salty sauce was mostly on the outside and had to scrap the sauce off the corn to eat it. read more

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11 out of 10. So pleasant with nearby parking, dog friendly patio, no reservations required. We had pad tai, chicken curry, and a white fish dish with pineapple. Starters were chili edamame and tofu sprig rolls. Yum. read more

This place is awesome for having a table for 7 people ready so fast when I called in. The waiters are very nice as well as the restaurant. This place can be a cute date place to take someone special to. I love the bathroom. It's very clean and unisex. The food was good. The mini pancakes are like mini banh xeo (if you're Viet, you would understand). Even though my pad kee Mao came out warm/cold, the waiter was able to bring out another one that was hot for me. I thought that was super nice of them. Thank you again! Anyway, I would come here again. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Mini pancakes - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I stumbled upon this place walking down Lamar and thought that it was great. I'm always a little leery of fusion places but this pulls it off well. My friend and I were hungry and started off with the crispy rice pie. They were so good that we ordered a second helping! There's definitely a hint of coconut milk in the secret sauce, but I'm not sure what is in their take on the banh khot. I also grabbed the shaken ribeye. I think that it was a good interpretation of the bo luc lac. There's no watercrest but the combination of veggies at the base add more complexity. I the service was a little slow, but the staff was friendly and personable. I had a great time, and you will too. Go check this place out! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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I went to Mandala Kitchen & Bar the minute I heard that they had Viet Cajun Crawfish!!!!! I was so excited that I went as soon as I could. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint. For 18$ you get 2 lbs of crawfish AND corn, potato, a good amount of sausage, and mushrooms!!!! It was amazing. The flavor was great, the crawfish were huge, and they were so incredibly fresh and clean. I was very very happy with my meal. It was so much I was struggling at the end to finish. (I left over half of my corn and a few sausages and mushrooms) I'm daydreaming about going back right now. The decor in the place was so pretty! The place is definitely hip and gives off a classy vibe, so it's kind of funny to eat crawfish there, but nonetheless, they serve it to you on a silver platter and makes eating crawfish classy! My boyfriend ordered the chicken fried rice. Although it was very basic, it was delicious, especially when I wanted to offset the spiciness from the crawfish. We got it with Thai chili sauce on the side and I loved the Thai chili sauce. The fried rice was definitely overpriced at 14$+2$ for chicken, however, it was delicious and there was a good portion. Overall, I had a great experience there and the food made me very happy. I hope more people in Austin will be inclined to try Viet Cajun crawfish. read more

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High quality family owned business. Pad see ew with tofu and some spice has become my go to lately, amazing flavor and portion. Always top quality service and a beautiful clean restaurant read more

Nice restaurant we found in South Lamar, decent size and they weren't too busy around the time that we went! Decent portion sizes for the food and friendly service. Wings and edamame are good starters. I ordered the fried cajun rice which was pretty good! Only thing is food just tasted heavy of MSG but other than that, not too bad if you're looking for some comfort food read more