Last I left a review for Mantra was 6 years ago, after having amazing successive experiences especially thanks to our host Gagan! It was quite a nostalgic moment to run into Gagan again all these years later again during my visit last week, and Mantra continued to be exactly how I remembered - spectacular food, service and ambiance with an attention to detail on making sure customers have a great time. Gagan, thank you so much for the amazing hospitality and team Mantra for the finest Indian dining experiences in South Bay! read more

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Went for the lunch buffet on a weekday. Pretty crowded, but was able to get seated immediately. Good selection of choices, including chilli chicken, pani puri filling and quite a number of different curries. Naan is served at the table. We enjoyed our lunch. read more

This was an Uber Eats order from Mantra, and truth be told, the value was ridiculous in the best possible way. We ordered the ghee-roasted butter chicken, lamb rogan josh, and biryani. The butter chicken was good, though not the best I've had. The lamb rogan josh was amazing, complex and deeply flavorful, although the meat could have been a little more tender. The biryani was very North Indian style, delicate, fragrant with saffron, and not spicy. The real clincher was that Uber Eats had all three dishes on Buy One, Get One. So I ordered dinner and somehow ended up catering a small Indian wedding. Amazing value for money, plenty of leftovers, and an easy five stars. read more

Mantra India - My plate - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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I recently visited Mantra India Restaurant with my friends after hearing a lot about their buffet menu. Unfortunately, the experience was quite disappointing, especially for us as vegetarians. The vegetarian main course options were very limited and not up to the mark. The paneer and dal were particularly disappointing in terms of taste and quality. The dessert was good, and the fruits were probably the best part of the starters. However, the self-serve Pani Puri was a letdown - the pani tasted like it was made mostly from store-bought masala powder and lacked the authentic flavor you would expect. We were also never offered naan or roti by the server, and given the quality of the main dishes, we didn't feel the need to ask. I also tried the Mango Mastani, hoping it would be a highlight, but it was extremely sugary and had very little mango flavor. It felt more like a sweet drink with a small amount of mango purée rather than a true Mango Mastani. Overall, I had higher expectations and bad experience based on what I had heard about the buffet, but the vegetarian experience needs significant improvement. read more

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Mantra is easily one of the best Indian buffet spots in the Bay Area right now. The sheer variety of options they manage to pack onto the line is impressive, and unlike many other buffets, the quality doesn't take a hit just because they're serving at scale. Everything feels fresh and well-seasoned, making it a standout choice if you're looking for a reliable, high-quality lunch in Mountain View. What really sets it apart is how well it caters to everyone; whether you're strictly vegetarian or a meat eater, there is a massive selection for both. Oh and their dessert selection is always top-notch and naan are fresh, soft and buttery. read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Came here with some friends for ayce lunch and the spread was amazing! So much food to choose from at such a reasonable price! They even have a few chinese food dishes to choose from to give you a little bit of variety. All the dishes were great! Loved the naan bread they give you when you sit down. It's a nice restaurant with a classy feel and the waitstaff is courteous with filling your water glass. Next time I'm with friends craving Indian food I will definitely make the trip to this spot! read more

Mantra India - first plate! - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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The chicken biryani was stale, dry, and overcooked. We ordered it during lunchtime on a weekend, so we were hoping to receive a fresh batch. Instead, it seemed like we were served biryani that was several days old. Unfortunately, we had to throw the entire order away due to food safety concerns. read more

Mantra India - Chicken biryani - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

On Castro Street in Mountain View, surrounded by a variety of food options - a solid spot for Indian food. We went in on a weeknight and were seated right away. The restaurant was about 50% occupied. We got a manchow soup which evoked memories of Indian Chinese and was perfect for a cold and rainy evening. We followed it up with lamb seekh kebabs, chicken peshawari kebabs and butter naan. The kebabs were served on sizzler platters which kept them warm while we ate them. A great combination, good service and good for a liesurely conversation with friends. Will come back if I'm craving Indian food while in the area! read more

Mantra India - Chicken peshawari kebab - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Came back again for their lunch buffet. Great selection of both vegetarian and non vegetarian options. Clean and food was well heated. Fresh naan brought to table. Note that chai is not included in the price. Good option for weekday lunch Indian buffet. read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Asparagus cheese tikki was good! Quite crispy. The pav bhaji is a bit in the spicy side. The malai paneer is great. The kachcha aam drink was a bit bitter, will try the pan next time. The star of the show was our server "Joy". He was helpful, attentive and prompt. Really appreciated the service. The outdoor seating area was great too! read more

Mantra India - Asparagus Cheese Tikki - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Indian buffet AYCE on Castro street in Mountain View $40/person for special event holidays. I came on Mother's Day and despite being crowded the wait wasn't long. They have nice outdoor seating as well with Dosa grill. They have mocktails for special events but they are not good, the flavors are weird. They also do not have gulab Jamin. I do like their butter chicken tho and it's not too spicy. Overall I would come here again because it's a good location and I like buffet style. read more

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The service was friendly and the ambiance casual; however, the experience ultimately fell short. While the North Indian flavors were decent, they felt overpriced for what was offered. Before ordering dessert, I specifically asked for a recommendation and was assured multiple times that the rasmalai was prepared in-house and highly recommended. After the first bite, it was evident that the dessert was from a frozen source. Toward the end of the meal, the server acknowledged that it was indeed taken from a frozen box. This lack of transparency was disappointing and undermined the overall experience. Despite the acceptable food, the absence of honesty makes it difficult for me to recommend this restaurant or consider returning. read more

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All you can eat India buffet at Mountain View downtown. We made reservation earlier for lunch. It was busy when we arrived.. The restaurant is not that big. It has very narrow walkable area in between table which make it a bit difficult to walk around. Same with the area to get the food. There are plenty choices of dishes to choose from. It has vegetarian, chicken and mutton. It is interesting they have veggie briyani and mutton briyani but no chicken briyani. The briyani are yummy. Tandoori chicken is also yummy. They also have one chinese chicken dish. The veggie also good. read more

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Excellent Indian Cuisine in this popular restaurant here on Mt. View's busy Castro Street. Not a tourist trap, as we saw tons of locals here. Not your usual Indian place either, with many special dishes with their unique take on things here. We came here on a very busy Friday Evening with the German Christmas Market happening just a couple of blocks up. Service was prompt and friendly, but the kitchen was understandably a smidge slow by maybe 5-10 minutes for our dishes to come out because they were so overwhelmed.. It was loud inside with so many tables filled to the brim with talkative people like us! LOL We ordered several items, of which the "Chaat Samosa" from their appetizers ("Streets of India" section on the menu) was the total standout for me. Think of this as a "deconstructed Samosa", with chunks of tender spiced potato chunks and different chutneys all mixed together with Samosa shell pieces all together on a plate. Totally Yummy. Garlic and Plain Naans - on point, tender on the inside, ever so slightly crisp on the outside, and not super-burnt up like you see elsewhere sometimes. Classic Chicken Curry - On point if you are ok with some spiciness. We ordered "No splcy" but for us, it was still a bit too spicy, so we had to order some Mango Mostanis - which are a nice take on your traditional Mango Lassi, but better! Basmati Rice - on point and good. PRO TIP: When finished, don't flag down your waiter.. Just pay at the front counter on your way out like a Diner! Mantra India is definitely worth coming back to if I am in the area again. read more

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A solid Indian restaurant option when you find yourself in Mountain view downtown. I came here without reservation on a Saturday evening with a group and we had to wait for about 15 minutes. Their service is pretty good and fast. We had kids with us and they were accommodating of the requests. For appetizers, we ordered the Tandoori sampler and paneer tikka. I enjoyed the paneer tikka, the paneer was juicy and perfectly cooked. Both the dishes came with a side of 2 dips which wrrw good too. The Tandoori sampler came with few pieces of lamb, shrimp and chicken. I liked chicken the most amongst them. For the main course, we ordered Chicken chettinad, hyderabadi bagara baingan and halibut fish moilee. The chicken chettinad was my favorite amongst all the dishes. The flavor of the curry was really good and perfectly spicy for my liking. I went with medium spicy for all dishes. The fish entree was my least favorite, the fish wasn't as delicious and the curry seemed quite ordinary. The baingan was a decent dish although I felt it could have benefited from some flavor in the baigan. All the flavor was in the curry but not so much in the baigan. But the baigan was cooked well. For the breads, I tried both the butter and non butter version of the tandoori roti. Both were good. They have a buffet selection as well and I would be open to trying that out. I think it's a pretty decent Indian restaurant option in the area. read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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Today is my second visit to this Resturant . I decided to bring my friend to introduce him to Indian food. Food was so bad . Meats were old . Chicken Biriyani was bad very old chicken legs were looks old. Deserts tasted stale . Carrot Halwa tasted bitter. We are very disappointed and writing this review before leaving the Resturant . Service is very poor as well . Only two waiters and service is very slow due to lack of waiters . Never come back again. read more

Hunger in the early evening, with a late dinner planned already, meant that I had to pick a place to grab something to eat. Lamb chops is my weakness, and I found them in the menu for Mantra, so I walked in there. The lamb chops were ok, and the tikkis were good. The old-fashioned was surprisingly good. I ended up eating more than I planned, and the dinner had to be lighter, but it was worth it. The service was good and the ambience was nice. read more

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Recently ordered from Mantra India. Requested non-spicy for the classic chicken curry and received very spicy chicken curry. Additionally, the portion is very small and does not come with rice. Not worth the value of $20 in comparison to other places in the area. attached a photo for reference. read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Buffet for $24. Aside from the usual buffet flare they actually also have pani puri and made to order potato dosa. Crispy hot garlic naan. Best dish was the fried fish. It was battered and fried. Just enough amount of spices. So good with the tamarind chutney. Butter chicken is more on the tomato vs creamier type. More sour than sweet. The Korma was vegetarian only. Good sauce but much milder on the spices. Goat curry was good. Very tender meat, not gamey at all. The tandori chicken was ok. Could use more spices. There was a vegetarian meatball dish with white sauce that was pretty good. It looked like it had spinach inside. Almost like mushroom sauce similar to Beef Stroganoff but with falafel. Like the gulab jamun. Not overly sweet. First set of Kheer was good, pretty balanced on sweetness and the milky yogurt flavor but when they refilled it was a lot thicker and sour. They also had fresh fruits and carrot halwa. Staff were nice. They're pretty attentive. read more

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We've been doing our annual Diwali dinner with friends at Mantra India for the past few years.... The taste and standards of dishes/cocktails/desserts and service has been consistent or even better year over year, which is not a common theme of Indian restaurants in the bay area. Our all time fav is crispy palak chat, asparagus cheese tikki, veg dum biryani (I'm a Hyderabadi), kale kofta curry. The cocktails need a special mention. The beetle leaf bourbon drink is our fav. Moong dal halwa is hands down the best dessert here while we tried and liked chocolate lava cake, ras malai and mango panna Cotta as well read more

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Based on many visits to Mantra, the food is always delicious. Never fail. The quality of their lunch buffet is excellent with several choices. They keep their buffet clean and always full unlike other buffets that run out of popular choices as they get close to closing for lunch. Free buttered naan that is so fresh and hot. Attentive and polite servers. Unbelievable for $20! read more

Would recommend for a date night. The booths high backed seats and table spacing provide privacy and an intimate feeling. Our server (Relando sp?) was skillful and attentive without being overbearing and interrupting. Also accommodating instead of upselling. We split a beer and the vegetarian tali without any of the usual questions on place settings or refusal. Another time he explained Pani Puri and how to eat it and introducing me to a new experience. I have eaten here half a dozen times over the 20 years I have been in the area and the food has always been excellent. I used to feel it was pricy but I think their prices have stayed the same and now seem reasonable for the portions and quality provided. I do wish the menu included simple lassies salt and sweet. A great experience I plan to return more often. read more

The lunch buffet at Mantra India is an absolute hidden gem that offers a sophisticated white tablecloth dining experience for a surprisingly modest price of $19.99 during the week. Unlike typical buffets where quality is often sacrificed for quantity, every dish here from the perfectly cooked fish and shrimp to the flavorful vegetable curries feels intentional and high-end. The service is remarkably attentive with staff constantly circulating to refresh water and clear plates while delivering unlimited baskets of pillowy hot naan directly to the table. For the caliber of the food and the refined atmosphere provided, this meal could easily be priced at double the cost and still be well worth the visit!!! read more

Mantara India is always a great restaurant to go to. The vibes of Castro, the food and drinks here and the quality of service is top notch. We have never been disappointed whenever we go here for dinner. A special shout out to Joy who really was the best and made us feel at home here during out evening out there with family and friends! read more

Wow this place was incredible located on Castro we went on a Sunday afternoon just exceptional service. The servers were attentive and friendly the outside dosa stand is included in the buffet price and was truly phenomenal! The buffet is set up beautifully looks so appealing from salads to authentic dishes everything was delicious. Thank you for creating such a lovely reasonable place to dine ! Great experience! read more

One of my go-to restaurants. Pros Large variety of vegetarian food and always rotating in different dishes Tasty food Nice staff Weekend lunch buffet includes dosas! Good for groups (non-veg food too) Cons A bit expensive for a buffet. The outdoor seating is too sunny, needs shade. But you can eat indoors instead. read more

Really love the buffets at this place. Lots of varieties to choose from. Never disappoints. The service and ambiance is good. Usually it is pretty busy. I would recommend to go there early like around 12 pm read more

I'm usually not impressed by Indian restaurants, but this place impressed me. This place excels in Indian fusion appetizers and drinks. I highly highly recommend getting the monthly specials especially the burrata chaat. The dinner items were good too, I did enjoy the dum biryani much more than I expected. The presentation and flavors were on point. The staff and service at this place is amazing, we told the waiters it was our cousins birthday and asked for them to just bring out a candle with any dessert option they have but they went above and beyond and grabbed a whole cake from next door to help us celebrate our cousin. Highly recommend this place and will be coming back again. read more

Dahi Bateta Sev Poori 3 crispy wafer, sprouts, potato, yogurt, chickpea, chutney, sprinkle w/ sev, sour, mild spicy Pani Poori Shots 3 crispy wafer, sprouts, potatoes, spiced mint water, not flavorful Cocktail Samosa Chaat 4 not enough mashed samosa, beans, green sauce, savory, slightly sour, not enough crisps Traditional Butter Chicken 4 tender chicken breast, not super juicy, tomato flavor, orange, creamy, not spicy Kashmiri Roganjosh 2 lean lamb, brown curry, don't like the flavor Mantra Lamb Rack 3 tender, too salty, heavy spice Hyderabadi Goat Dum Biryani 4 not enough chewy bony medium juicy goat, long spiced yellow rice, clay pot covered w/ baked naan Pesto Sea Bass 5+ super juicy, flavorful, sizzling grill, green sauce not spicy Kale Malai Kofta 4 deep fried ball, creamy yellow sauce Keema Naan 4 stuffed w/ spiced lamb Mango Lassi 5 Lunch Buffet: Calamari 3 deep fried Babycorn Manchurian 3 sweet, sour stir fry Sabudana Tikki 3 mini patty, chewy dough, savory Malai Chicken 2 grilled, marinated in cream, too dry Achari Chicken 2 grilled, marinated in pickle, too dry Dahi Papdi 3 wafer, potato cubes, red sauce, yogurt, refreshing Chicken Biryani 2 too dry Kashmiri Roganjosh 2 lean goat, brown curry, spicy Chicken Curry 2 brown, too salty Chicken Tikka Masala 3 medium lean Shrimp Curry 3 small, yellow, creamy, non-spicy Plain Saag 2 super spicy Dal Tadka 3 slightly spicy Aloo Bhaingan 3 potato cubes, soft eggplant, not spicy Malai Paneer 3 orange, creamy Rasmalai 5 milky, sweet read more

Mantra India - Palak Chaat - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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The lunch buffet is about $19.99 for all you can eat! There is a good amount of food and veg and non veg options. The restaurant is clean and the bathrooms are clean. The service is not bad. read more

An Indian restaurant tucked into the heart of Castro Street -- it's in a popular part of town, still stands out. The service is great and food is solid. Personal standouts include Crab Sliders and Paneer Curry, recommend getting the Bread Basket to sample a bunch of different rotis and naans for a big group. I didn't feel strongly about dessert, but everything else was great! read more

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Wanted to start out and say that we were unfamiliar with the menu and our server didn't do a great job explaining and advising us on the menu and our choices. We could've ordered other things had our server gave more helpful tips. We had leftover carbs! We asked if one order of naan was enough to go with our meal, he suggested we order two naans. I felt that was unnecessary because we brought it home. I also added rice at the same time and that felt unnecessary as well. When he explained the December Specials dish he indicated that it was a minced meat curry with pav. It would've been more helpful if he described it as similar to a dinner roll sandwich. After all the main dishes came out we realized we had a lot of carbs compared to actually dishes. We started off with Tandoori Sampler (skewers) for our appetizer. I recommend skipping the chicken because it came out dry. We substituted the shrimp for lamb since my friend doesn't like shrimp. The lamb skewer was perfectly charred. Skewers were served with chutneys and a modest portion. The Butter Naan was very chewy and dipping in the curries didn't help. I actually couldn't tell that it was buttered or plain. And the Saffron Rice was bland. The Chicken Chettinad was great! Very flavor and hearty! I do feel the portion size was a bit small. Overall, very modern and classy vibe. The restaurant was packed when we arrived around 8 PM. We asked for a booth in the back and they were able to accommodate us. We didn't have to wait too long. Unlucky for us, our table was wobbly. read more

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Finally got to try Mantra! I went on a Sunday at 1PM for their lunch buffet, I made reservations online the day prior but this doesn't seem necessary. It was fairly busy though. They have veggies and fruit, non-veg and veg options, a pani poori station and three dessert items. I kept going back for the papaya salad, Manchurian, paneer tikka and a few other dishes that I unfortunately don't remember the names of. Then I finished with the Gulab Jamun, it's served warm and just melts in your mouth. They also have the best staff, everyone was so welcoming and friendly. Our cups were always filled with water and they were quick to take our plates when we'd go back for another round of food. The only negative is that this place is on the smaller side so it felt cramped when getting food. Overall, I love Mantra and I will definitely be back. read more

Mantra India - Pani Poori station - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

Mantra has been one of my favorite MV restaurants whether it be evening appetizers or the reliable lunch buffet, and they just keep impressing me! Food is always exceptional and cocktails are spicy and unique! They hosted my bday dinner of 20 people fearlessly with exceptional and respectful service the whole night! Special shoutout to JOY for leading all the service, helping me order enough for the table, and bringing things out in a staggered fashion. They adapted to guests arriving at different times, accommodated gifts, and helped with cake cutting. It is so hard to find a restaurant that is delicious and happily accommodates large parties, but Mantra can do it all! Thanks to the team! read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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We had a good experience here. We ordered kala khatta and mango madness drinks. They were delicious. Than we had chole bhature, Peshawar Chana, mantra malai paneer and farmers market veggies with bread baskets. The lucknowi pulao was very fragrant and delicious. Overall a great experience. The service was prompt and the servers were friendly. read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

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The worst Tadka Dal I ever had in my life, bitter, pungent. Who knows how old the ingredients are! And, chicken chettinad was pretty terrible too. Other few items are just okay. But, two above are def. cooked well, complete waste of every penny! read more

This seems like a pretty popular spot for lunch in downtown Mountain View! My friends and I stopped in on a Friday for the lunch buffet and it was packed inside. We chose to sit outdoors as the weather was nice, but we did get a fair amount of debris/leaves/seeds falling on us from the trees, so just something to keep in mind with outdoor tables. Food was flavorful and I enjoyed the variety of veg and non-veg options. The meal also came with a basket of naan for the table, which was great. The price is reasonable for a buffet and I wish I had been hungrier to go back for seconds! Service was friendly and attentive with filling our waters and clearing empty plates. I hope to be back! read more

Mantra India - Indian Near Me - Mountain View, California

we order food for dinner co'z my wife craving for indian food.but we got so disappointed with what we get the sauce is like watery sauce,it's a waste of money!this is over rated restaurant and will not gonna order here again. attached is the photo of the sauce on my plate and reciepts of our order.. read more

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Pros: nice ambiance, attentive severs, good menu items, not so oily food! Cons: the chicken trio appetizer could be better. Recently went there to celebrate a special occasion and it was good. Ordere malai kofta , chicken curry and bread basket. Everything was good but what stood out was the potato kulcha and the kofta curry gravy. My daughter had a mango lassi with pistachio drink and that was really good! Lychee panna cotta was also very good, chocolate lava cake was fine. Overall a good restaurant if you want not so oily Indian food which still taste like home food at a slightly high end price. read more

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Very disappointing experience. I placed a pickup order a couple of hours in advance with a scheduled pickup time, but the food was not ready when I arrived. To make matters worse, once I got home, I realized an item was missing from the order. When I contacted them, they refused to provide a refund and gave a confusing explanation that another office handles it. Instead, they offered a replacement, which I did not want. Overall, the service was frustrating and poorly handled. I expected much better. read more