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    Mandala Restaurant

    4.4 (265 reviews)
    Closed 12:00 pm - 9:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Mandala Restaurant Photos

    MANDALA RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for kids
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Mandala Restaurant

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    Chicken Tikka Masala w/ Naan
    Daniel T.

    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.

    Nima P.

    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

    Larry B.

    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.

    Lovely outdoor dining...dog-friendly
    Kristin jensen S.

    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!

    Decor on outside of restaurant
    Lauran E.

    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!

    Garlic tuna roll
    Elisa H.

    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.

    Lynn R.

    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!!

    Drink and dessert
    Sarah S.

    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.

    Can't remember name
    Keith C.

    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!

    Pineapple Chicken with white Plain Rice
    Joleen B.

    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!!

    Garlic edamame

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    8 months ago

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    9 months ago

    Friendly and lively staff! Recommend the chicken tikka masala and shrimp tempura crunch sushi! Great spot overall (^v^)

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    10 months ago

    The food is awful. The cleanliness questionable. This is an establishment to stay far away from.

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    1 year ago

    Everything about this place was amazing. Honestly, the vibe was comfortable and welcoming and the food was perfect.

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    1 year ago

    The sushi burrito was the bomb . Great place for us locals .always friendly staff great outdoor seating .

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    Page 1 of 7

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    Taj Chaat House

    Taj Chaat House

    4.6
    (147 reviews)
    34.6 mi
    $$

    I love this place. But more I love their spinach chaat…read more Growing up in Bombay, street food is a part of my heritage and is my soul food. One bite of this and I'm transported back to my childhood. The spinach pakoras (fritters) make an incredible base for the multi-seasoned, multi-textured, complexity of this dish. Crispy spinach pakoras, topped cubed potatoes and garbanzo beans, with cool yogurt, seasoned with the quintessential spicy green mint/cilantro chutney and tangy and sweet tamarind chutney and sprinkled with seasonings-- including the tartly delicious chaat masala...yum. Every bite. Every spoonful. Perfect. 5/5 Coconut chicken curry -- creamy, healthy chunks of chicken and a perfect morsel with delicious chewy, soft naan. I asked for medium spice -- next time I'll go max spice. 4/5 Masala chai-- delicious - but missed the mark somehow. Maybe because my homemade chai is so good. Although it is offered free -- so can't complain too much. 3/5 Stuffed parathas. These were well filled and not skimpy on the filling and perfectly cooked. Each morsel taken was a memory of my motherland. I've had biryani, lamb and goat curry and gobi Manchurian here on different trips -- all absolutely delicious.

    Pretty good Indian food but expect lots of butter/ghee in the food!!…read more My friend and I dropped by for dinner Saturday evening around 7:30 pm. To our surprise, there was just one other group there even though it should've been peak dining hours. Because of this, we didn't have high expectations for the food, but surprisingly it turned out okay. The space is nice and big with both table and booth seating. It looked like there was a private room for events off to one side as well. Since it's a chaat place, we got some chaat as well as a curry. We shared the following: Pav bhaji ($10.99) Paneer kathi roll ($10.99) Chicken tikka masala ($17.99) Plain roti and naan ($2.99 + $3.49) Out of everything, the pav bhaji was our favorite. The bhaji was drier than usual (usually it's a bit more liquid), but the flavor was good. There was also a strong taste of butter/ghee, more than what I'm used to, so it's definitely a very rich dish here, especially with the extra chunk of butter they serve on top. Too bad they only serve two pav by default, as at least 3, maybe 4, would've been good to go with the amount of bhaji provided. I only took a bite of the kathi roll, but it was a bit too sweet for me personally. However, my friend liked it and said that the paneer tasted very fresh and soft. The chicken tikka masala was pretty standard. Nothing to write home about. We were pleasantly surprised by the flavors here. It's not super close to where we live but we might come back to try some of the other chaat!

    Photos
    Dining area
    Dining area
    Chaat
    Chaat
    The Spacious interior of the Taj Chaat House

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    The Spacious interior of the Taj Chaat House
    Kaapicat Cafe

    Kaapicat Cafe

    4.5
    (210 reviews)
    9.8 mi
    $$

    Love this so much. My usual is the iced rose matcha. Best…read morechicken and waffles too. Thanks Kaapicat

    Staff is friendly. Limited seating. We ordered and was told to pick up our drinks at the counter…read more Initially wanted the chicken and waffles but based on the pics on yelp, the waffle is very inconsistent (size, homemade vs eggo, etc). Due to that, we switched gears on what we ordered. Iced americano: phenomenal. Very smooth yet bold and refreshing Paneer dosa: a bit of a let down for me. I was not expecting it to be a plain dosa and chutney on the side. Masala dosa: this was better since it was filled with potato. Chicken sandwich: loved this, very juicy and balanced. Side of fries was excellent. The sandwich is small, just bigger than a slider. Finished in 4 bites. Fries with gunpowder: when we got this, it looks exactly like the regular fries. We figured they mustve forgot that we asked for gunpowder seasoning. We went back to ask for more seasoning, expecting them to just sprinkle it on. They were kind enough to remake it and bring it to us, which was very thoughtful. This time we could see the seasoning, but unfortunately they didn't taste any different. Don't get me wrong, the fries themselves were great- amazing crispy texture, but adding seasoning didn't do anything for them. Overall the hits were the Americano and Chicken Sandwich. Service here is fantastic, and the vibe is awesome as well. This is somewhere I'd stop for a small bite, but not the fill up.

    Photos
    Interior - so cute
    Interior - so cute
    Tomato savory pastry with a poached egg on top, a s'mores latte & rose cardamom lassi in the back of the photo (but the front of our minds)
    Tomato savory pastry with a poached egg on top, a s'mores latte & rose cardamom lassi in the back of the photo (but the front of our minds)
    Crispy Mini Puri and drink is the Marine Layer.

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    Crispy Mini Puri and drink is the Marine Layer.

    Mandala Restaurant - japanese - Updated June 2026

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