Mandala Restaurant
Mandala Restaurant Photos
MANDALA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE
You might also consider
Recommended Reviews - Mandala Restaurant
Start your review...
Reviews With Photos
Great hole in the wall. Polite staff. The chicken tikka masala is not as creamy as your traditional tikka but it still packs a lot of flavor. Peaceful around lunchtime on a Wednesday.
Super disappointing. It smelled like fish when we walked it so we opted to sit outside. My son got the kids meal. Chicken was dry and overcooked. No flavor at all. The chicken tikka masala was also not very flavorful and meat didn't taste fresh. Sushi was mediocre as well. The jalapeño app was the only decent thing we had. Would definitely not go back
This place floored me. It was simply wonderful in every respect. Having bought a home here less than two years ago and we always wondered about this colorful place, so we looked online and saw that they had sushi. Seemed sorta oddball for Tibetan cuisine but what do I know? Anyhow, my wife and I felt like sushi so we went to Sea Fresh in Ojai and were told that their "sushi chef is off Sunday and Monday" so we said "Ok, so let's give Mandala a tumble". SO GLAD WE DID. The sushi was excellent, far superior to one full time sushi bar we tried in Ojai who threw indelicate slabs of fish on top of rice etc. These sushi chefs really prepared sushi delicately as it was meant to be and as I have enjoyed it in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many places in Southern CA etc etc etc. We had been under the impression that the sushi menu was limited but that is not really so, offering a great selection of nigiri sushi, "Yellowtail" etc and lots of rolls etc. For anyone who "feels like sushi" this place is a strong GO! At some point I will try some of the other dishes that looked excellent. The entire idea of the place is a trip. I gotta tell you, ... Mandala LIVES UP TO AND FAR EXCEEDED any expectation I had. Mandala is a LOCAL TREASURE.
Fusion has always been iffy for me, but this was a perfect balance for myself (who is Japanese) and my partner (who is Indian)! We ordered sushi and dal - both were perfect and delicious. The owner has an incredible story and he even served us himself! The ambiance was impeccable and we even enjoyed a book of the owner's private book collection during the dinner! Will definitely return if ever in Ojai again, and 1000% recommend to others!
They have just opened up this month for breakfast hours, and we had a fantastic meal. My husband is vegan, so it's not easy to find a breakfast place where he can have a nourishing meal. He ordered the traditional Tibetan porridge which he loved, especially after having a little bit of honey added on top. As always, the service was perfect. We got to sit out on the deck in the shade of an umbrella, but also enjoyed the mellow summer sun. I had a delicious mimosa and they even offered me tthe chance to try their sake bloody Mary. That was yummy as well!
This family run restaurant has been here 8 years and today was the first time we discovered it while in Ojai. Can't believe we never noticed it seeing as though it's on the main road into town! Brightly colored flags adorn the restaurant both inside and out. Service is friendly and prompt. Menu is varied and includes Tibetan, Japanese, and Indian cuisine. As the day was gorgeous, we decided to have our lunch in the spacious outdoor patio rather than dining indoors. We started our meal sharing a delicious spicy tuna burrito. Then we ordered a garlic tuna roll with ponzu sauce., also quite tasty. The highlight of our lunch though, was a savory Tibetan Momo soup, full of fresh veggies and amazing dumplings. The dumplings can be stuffed with beef, chicken or vegetables. The soup was absolutely delicious and quite filling. Restaurant is 10 minutes off the 101 freeway, highly recommend. Ample parking in the lot out front.
Everything here is wonderful and delicious and happy. Good vibes all day everyday! It's like eating with your family at home. I always get to see the little daughters of the owners. Intieed the Tibetan soup with seafood and it was full Of fat mussels and scallops and shrimp and I chose the udon noodles which were plentiful and YUM!!! You can choose your level Of spice. I'm a wimp. Wish I wasn't!! My husband had the sushi burrito with salmon and said it didn't fill him up so I gave him some Of my soul. I still have enough left For my dinner ! I was too full to have my favorite dessert EVER....the tempura fries green tea ice cream With tons of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. If you have room, you HAVE TO HAVE THIS!!
This is a one-of-a-kind family owned restaurant where you can taste the love in the food. We see this place on our drive home from work everyday and its colorful appearance and location next to Circle K makes it questionable at first, but don't be deceived, this is a gem! We arrived at 12:10 on Friday, and they didn't technically open until 12:30 but the owner welcomed us in. We sat down inside at first, after looking around at all the unique decorations, but then migrated outside to the patio since it was a beautiful day. Both inside and outside were great places to sit and enjoy the meal. The owner took our order and my Mom stood by the kitchen and watched him make it. A true Pro he was! An excellent chef, very skilled in the kitchen. My mom ordered the Tibetan chow mein, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I got the baked salmon roll which melted in my mouth, so good! And my husband got the sushi burrito which I ate half of. The burrito was delicious! I'll be coming back again for that, but I'm also excited to try all the other goodies on the menu. We also got the vegetable Momos, which were tastey. And everything is very reasonably priced. Very worth it. To top it all off we got the green tea ice cream. That was the Big Bang to go out on. It was 4 scoops of deep fried green tea ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It was sooooo delicious! The coolest part of it all was that the owner came and sat with us for the second half of our meal and we got to chat with him about his family history and the business and then his family came (wife and 2 little daughters) and we got to meet them too. They are a beautiful family which makes it feel even better supporting a place like this. We will definitely be coming back.
Driving up to this spot, you'll be presented some hesitation. Commit and check it out! I think a place like this would be appreciated by Bourdain or Jonathan Gold since it's a wild fusion of Nepal and Japanese food. The sushi was great and fresh! Good combinations for a spot next to a gas station!
I ordered the pineapple chicken with white rice and it is really good. It has a lot of flavor. Maybe a little too much sauce. I ordered it to-go for my work lunch and there was sauce all over my bag. There was no napkins and no silverware. I was very disappointed because I wanted to eat in my car, but I had to go back into work and get silverware. I even gave a two dollar tip. Next time I will rethink that tip. I'm not sure what happened but to me, I think it shows how much they care about their customers when they add napkins and silverware for to-go orders. They were not busy. But the food was good. I will be back and try the sushi!!
3 months ago
so delicious. I had to go back. first time for lunch I order salmon lunch. this time teriyaki chicken. so much food I could not eat it all. delicious. hot. served by the owner. well worth stopping in to take a break. atmosphere is relaxing. read more
5 months ago
Had a great time at the new happy hour and great service from the staff and Richard! Come check out the great prices and fun happy hour bites. read more
Really liked the food here! Got their- Vegetarian Momos with a side of chilli garlic chutney: 4/5 Fried rice with egg: 3/5 (it had a strange after-taste) Vegetable Chowmein: 4/5 Samosa (served with a mango-chilli chutney): the samosa was really good but the chutney did not go well with it My friends also got the chicken momos and said it was pretty good, but could have been better: 3/5 Great ambience, friendly staff. All-gender, accessible, clean restrooms. Free parking in lot outside. read more
10 months ago
Great hole in the wall. Polite staff. The chicken tikka masala is not as creamy as your traditional tikka but it still packs a lot of flavor. Peaceful around lunchtime on a Wednesday. read more
1 year ago
Super disappointing. It smelled like fish when we walked it so we opted to sit outside. My son got the kids meal. Chicken was dry and overcooked. No flavor at all. The chicken tikka masala was also not very flavorful and meat didn't taste fresh. Sushi was mediocre as well. The jalapeño app was the only decent thing we had. Would definitely not go back read more
2 years ago
This place floored me. It was simply wonderful in every respect. Having bought a home here less than two years ago and we always wondered about this colorful place, so we looked online and saw that they had sushi. Seemed sorta oddball for Tibetan cuisine but what do I know? Anyhow, my wife and I felt like sushi so we went to Sea Fresh in Ojai and were told that their "sushi chef is off Sunday and Monday" so we said "Ok, so let's give Mandala a tumble". SO GLAD WE DID. The sushi was excellent, far superior to one full time sushi bar we tried in Ojai who threw indelicate slabs of fish on top of rice etc. These sushi chefs really prepared sushi delicately as it was meant to be and as I have enjoyed it in Tokyo, Osaka, Kyoto and many places in Southern CA etc etc etc. We had been under the impression that the sushi menu was limited but that is not really so, offering a great selection of nigiri sushi, "Yellowtail" etc and lots of rolls etc. For anyone who "feels like sushi" this place is a strong GO! At some point I will try some of the other dishes that looked excellent. The entire idea of the place is a trip. I gotta tell you, ... Mandala LIVES UP TO AND FAR EXCEEDED any expectation I had. Mandala is a LOCAL TREASURE. read more
Fusion has always been iffy for me, but this was a perfect balance for myself (who is Japanese) and my partner (who is Indian)! We ordered sushi and dal - both were perfect and delicious. The owner has an incredible story and he even served us himself! The ambiance was impeccable and we even enjoyed a book of the owner's private book collection during the dinner! Will definitely return if ever in Ojai again, and 1000% recommend to others! read more
1 year ago
They have just opened up this month for breakfast hours, and we had a fantastic meal. My husband is vegan, so it's not easy to find a breakfast place where he can have a nourishing meal. He ordered the traditional Tibetan porridge which he loved, especially after having a little bit of honey added on top. As always, the service was perfect. We got to sit out on the deck in the shade of an umbrella, but also enjoyed the mellow summer sun. I had a delicious mimosa and they even offered me tthe chance to try their sake bloody Mary. That was yummy as well! read more
This family run restaurant has been here 8 years and today was the first time we discovered it while in Ojai. Can't believe we never noticed it seeing as though it's on the main road into town! Brightly colored flags adorn the restaurant both inside and out. Service is friendly and prompt. Menu is varied and includes Tibetan, Japanese, and Indian cuisine. As the day was gorgeous, we decided to have our lunch in the spacious outdoor patio rather than dining indoors. We started our meal sharing a delicious spicy tuna burrito. Then we ordered a garlic tuna roll with ponzu sauce., also quite tasty. The highlight of our lunch though, was a savory Tibetan Momo soup, full of fresh veggies and amazing dumplings. The dumplings can be stuffed with beef, chicken or vegetables. The soup was absolutely delicious and quite filling. Restaurant is 10 minutes off the 101 freeway, highly recommend. Ample parking in the lot out front. read more
9 months ago
Everything here is wonderful and delicious and happy. Good vibes all day everyday! It's like eating with your family at home. I always get to see the little daughters of the owners. Intieed the Tibetan soup with seafood and it was full Of fat mussels and scallops and shrimp and I chose the udon noodles which were plentiful and YUM!!! You can choose your level Of spice. I'm a wimp. Wish I wasn't!! My husband had the sushi burrito with salmon and said it didn't fill him up so I gave him some Of my soul. I still have enough left For my dinner ! I was too full to have my favorite dessert EVER....the tempura fries green tea ice cream With tons of whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. If you have room, you HAVE TO HAVE THIS!! read more
5 months ago
This is a one-of-a-kind family owned restaurant where you can taste the love in the food. We see this place on our drive home from work everyday and its colorful appearance and location next to Circle K makes it questionable at first, but don't be deceived, this is a gem! We arrived at 12:10 on Friday, and they didn't technically open until 12:30 but the owner welcomed us in. We sat down inside at first, after looking around at all the unique decorations, but then migrated outside to the patio since it was a beautiful day. Both inside and outside were great places to sit and enjoy the meal. The owner took our order and my Mom stood by the kitchen and watched him make it. A true Pro he was! An excellent chef, very skilled in the kitchen. My mom ordered the Tibetan chow mein, which she thoroughly enjoyed. I got the baked salmon roll which melted in my mouth, so good! And my husband got the sushi burrito which I ate half of. The burrito was delicious! I'll be coming back again for that, but I'm also excited to try all the other goodies on the menu. We also got the vegetable Momos, which were tastey. And everything is very reasonably priced. Very worth it. To top it all off we got the green tea ice cream. That was the Big Bang to go out on. It was 4 scoops of deep fried green tea ice cream with whipped cream and chocolate drizzle. It was sooooo delicious! The coolest part of it all was that the owner came and sat with us for the second half of our meal and we got to chat with him about his family history and the business and then his family came (wife and 2 little daughters) and we got to meet them too. They are a beautiful family which makes it feel even better supporting a place like this. We will definitely be coming back. read more
10 months ago
2 years ago
Driving up to this spot, you'll be presented some hesitation. Commit and check it out! I think a place like this would be appreciated by Bourdain or Jonathan Gold since it's a wild fusion of Nepal and Japanese food. The sushi was great and fresh! Good combinations for a spot next to a gas station! read more
7 months ago
8 months ago
2 years ago
I ordered the pineapple chicken with white rice and it is really good. It has a lot of flavor. Maybe a little too much sauce. I ordered it to-go for my work lunch and there was sauce all over my bag. There was no napkins and no silverware. I was very disappointed because I wanted to eat in my car, but I had to go back into work and get silverware. I even gave a two dollar tip. Next time I will rethink that tip. I'm not sure what happened but to me, I think it shows how much they care about their customers when they add napkins and silverware for to-go orders. They were not busy. But the food was good. I will be back and try the sushi!! read more
2 years ago
2 years ago
Food was just okay but maybe we ordered wrong! We had the sexy crunch roll (I think that's what it was called) and the tempura shrimp roll and both were decent but nothing to write home about. We also had the beef tipetan momos and the aloo gobi and garlic edamame. Again not bad but nothing amazing. My boyfriend described the ambiance as "casual weird" but in a good way haha. I love how colorful it was. Service was excellent! read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
1 year ago
2 years ago
Recently visited here with my partner and had a great time. The ambience was truly unique with the Japanese/Tibetan/Indian fusion. The owner himself surprisingly turned out to be one of our servers and hearing his life story only added to the experience. Although the flavors were a tad different than traditional Indian, it was still incredibly homey and would absolutely recommend this place to my friends and family! Thanks for the great experience! read more
Came here for dinner. Their outdoor patio was cozy. I liked that they had a warm fire pit going. I appreciate that they have a lot of vegetarian options as well. We got the: -Vegetable samosas -Vegetable curry with tofu -Garlic naan -Veggie Tibetan momos -Veggie Tibetan Chow Mien -Vegetable egg rolls -Hot chai Portions were a bit smaller than expected for the price, but not too bad. My favorites were the momos, samosas, chai, and chow mien. Not sure how completely authentic the flavors are, but for Ojai, Mandala is the place to go if you're craving Nepalese food. read more
Who knew there would be a Tibetan restaurant in Ojai? Alas, there aren't too many authentic Tibetan dishes on the menu, which encompasses a hodge-podge of various Asian cuisines--Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Indian. Since I was in Tibet around this time last year (before the pandemic), I had the Tibetan momo soup. It's hearty and tastes like it's homemade. It's the ultimate comfort food after a long day of hiking. Service is very friendly, but the wait could be long. It didn't matter to me because I am on vacation and I was in no hurry. read more
2 years ago
This is a lovely and authentic family run restaurant featuring Himalayan, Indian and Japanese food. The ambiance is colorful and welcoming and the food is delicious. read more
1 year ago
I live in OC, so when I saw Tibetan food in Ojai while searching for places to eat, I knew we had to check this place out. It was such a good choice! It's not located in downtown Ojai, so you will have to drive a few minutes depending on where you are staying. It's easy to find off the road with the colorful flags and lights. We were greeted with a smile, and there were cool books to look at which we took to our table. The restaurant inside was very colorful and vibrant. Right away, I got a good feeling. Our server was super chill and I noticed that it was just him serving about 5 tables on a Saturday night. Then a large party came in, but he did not skip a beat in checking in on us. He took care of everyone by himself and made it look effortless. We started with the Sake Sangria - a Pink Moment. Yes, this is a must try if you like those two liquors, because the combination of the two is pretty damn good. We ordered an appetizer, a rice dish, a noodle dish, and I really regret not ordering the Tibetan Thukpa soup. Everything we had was served hot, tasted delicious, and was unique. The flavors were great and then one of the owners, I think, came out and talked to us for a while. Super cool vibes, good food, good value, a real cultural experience. I'll be back again, for sure! The menu has other Asian food that I've tasted many times so glad I got to experience Tibetan flavors. I recommend sharing plates so you can try everything possible if you're from out of town. Don't be afraid to try something new! If you like Asian flavors you can't go wrong and you'll be happy you tried Tibetan food. read more
2 years ago
This is a sweet restaurant with a compelling story of the owner's journey from Tibet to America. And the food is delicious! We were a little skeptical walking up but are so glad we came in. We had boiled chicken dumplings and they were flavorful and juicy and had the goodness of being homemade. We also had the chicken tikka masala and it was tasty and perfect with onions and potatoes over rice. Warming and hit the spot on a grey and chilly day. read more
3 years ago
We were trying to find places to eat dinner, but kept striking out and finally found this place! I had ordered what I thought was the chicken momos soup, and my friend got the fish curry. Well, when it came, the server put the food down and said here are the chicken momos and soup. So, I figured they were both mine. Not what I expected, because I thought the chicken momos would be IN the soup. So, I started eating and was waiting for my friend's fish curry. After a few minutes, the server comes back and apparently, the entrees that was brought to the table was the chicken momos AND the fish curry. Hah! So, basically, I was eating both my meal and my friend's! LOL! The food did take a little longer to come out, but the dishes were so good and the staff were very friendly! So, even with the mixup, we were happy with what we ended up eating. read more
We thought it's a Japanese restaurant at first but it's a Tibetan restaurant that has sushi options. The place was very calm with the music they played. They also have outdoor seatings. We tried their Tibetan thukap, vegetable Momo, the pakora and the Tibet herbal tea smelled good and light taste. The pakora was like the vegetable tempura but with different seasoning. It was a bit strong but I like how they didn't have too much batter, so not too greasy. The thukap and the momo had lots of ingredients/vegetables and the flavor were just right. We were so full. Also, if you have time, read the article posted by the main door. It tells you why the restaurant and the family is there. read more
2 years ago
Amazing little restaurant on the side of the road. The owner is fabulous. He was so fun to talk to and learn more about his story. Highly recommend stopping here for a tasty meal! read more
2 years ago
4 years ago
If you like nepali, Indian and Tibetan food you should definitely visit this place! They have both indoor and outdoor sitting. Chadani helped us that day, she was very sweet. Thank you chadani for your friendly service! Food were great too! They also have cute little store if you wanna buy some Tibetan stuff. They have free parking! Highly recommended! read more
3 years ago
So excited I finally came into this restaurant after passing it by so many times! Got 2 different rolls! So delicious and fresh! Thai tea was yummy! The owner is amazing! Such high spirit and happy definitely bringing friends next time! Want to try more off the menu! Such a cute restaurant too! Love the decorations read more
3 years ago
Page 1 of 7
More info about Mandala Restaurant
11400 N Ventura Rd
Ojai, CA 93023
Directions
(805) 613-3048
Call Now
Visit Website
https://mandalarestaurantorg.wordpress.com
Hours
Payment methods
Food & Alcohol
Indoor Amenities
Outdoor Amenities
Other Amenities
From the Business
Ask the Community - Mandala Restaurant
You might also consider
Why does Yelp recommend reviews?
22 reviews that are not currently recommended
The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.
10 years ago
10 years ago
9 years ago
5 years ago
9 years ago
10 years ago
10 years ago
9 years ago
7 years ago
10 years ago
8 years ago
11 years ago
4 years ago
10 years ago
10 years ago
9 years ago
8 years ago
10 years ago
1 year ago
11 years ago
