Perhaps not the most authentic compared the others down around Edison, but tasty and solid nonetheless. It's pretty obvious that they have dialed the heat index way down for those of us who may be less accustomed. Have been here numerous times for the lunch buffet. It's fairly consistent and perhaps not the most exciting. However, the quality is definitely there. Tandoori chicken is tender and moist. The fish curry is bold and creamy. Service and lighting are both much better than most of the other Indian places around the area. This is probably the thing that set them apart from the rest of the competition. read more

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I have for many years wanted to go to this restaurant and could not get anyone in my family or friends to come with me! I was happy to know that it survived the pandemic. So I was wanting Indian cuisine terribly last night and decided to order out and "wow", so very happy I did. Everything was delicious!! I may have to go dine alone!! I would give this restaurant 10 stars if I could!!! read more

I was disappointed in my order. I really enjoy Indian food. I ordered Chicken Tikka Masala and the order of Samosa. The samosa was very salty and didn't appear to be fully cooked inside compared to other restaurants. Then I noticed that there was no rice with my order. I called the restaurant and they stated it doesn't come with rice and it's an add on charge. This is the first time I ate from an Indian restaurant and was told rice was an add on charge. I think it's a way to get more money. I'm going to try other restaurants in the area. read more

In person experience was awesome. Started ordering for past couple weeks & each time the service is deteriorating. Food arrives late & cold. I thought let me give business to my favorite indian restaurant while it's close & just delivering but I guess I'll have to wait till they reopen. Chef cooks excellent but delivery is poor. Also, they ask you to schedule time for delivery & if you pick between 3-5 pm they will call & give either the food has to go before 3 or after 5:30. Why even bother to provide that time slot if you don't deliver during that time slot? I understand if food arrives 10,15 minutes late but 30 to 45 minutes late? Never had this problem from any other restaurant. Highly disappointed as I love their food & chef is excellent. read more

Thank you C.P. for your wonderful service at our table! The food here is amazing! Wonderful flavors and beautiful presentation! The ambience is beautiful as well as the music that you play! We are so looking forward to coming back to enjoy ourselves here! read more

I was very positive when I went to this restaurant on March 20th, Sunday, with my kids but I was really really disappointed by the food and the difference of prices online and on my invoice. I ordered: Naan, Veg Makhanvala, they changed it to Avadh ki bhindi and I din't realize until I got the invoice. I felt like bhindi when I was eating but didn't question them, Calcuttala ki Kachori (only one kachori for $16), Rice -Birayani, Chef's special- something like chura (3 teaspoons of yogurt with cumin powder for $16) , and one more veg sabzi. Their food is average, very creamy veg sabzi with minimum vegetables in it. Biryani had no salt in it but it was still ok. Naan was really good. Naan - five stars Biryani - three stars Chura - negative five stars for the taste and the price Calcutta ki Kachori- negative five stars for the price, 4 stars for the taste. Avadh ki bhindi- which I never ordered but ate and din't even question them as I thought that is how they cooked but one star for Avadh ki bhindi as probably 8 small pieces of bhindi with creamy sauce. Overall negative five stars for their ethics as they charged way more than their menu price. I have a huge problem with their ethics. I don't mind paying for good food (however, it was somewhere between average and good) as per the menu price but are you going to charge more than the menu price for multiple items? Where is your ethics? I still tipped good as their service was not bad. I still have to post a picture of the invoice to prove myself. I will do it when I get a chance. read more

This feels like a fine dining Indian restaurant with plenty of great food choices. It can be hard to decide what to eat here so I recommend checking the menu before coming here and also asking the staff for recommendations. The service here was absolutely excellent, the dining ambience was wonderful, and the food was great. I recommend coming here with friends and family and eating and sharing the sizable entrees and having a bite of eat tasty dish. This is a wonderful restaurant and I highly recommend coming here. read more

They have spoilt the taste! :( One of the curry , malai mushroom tasted like Ravioli sauce! :( I am so disappointed to find this taste in an Indian restaurant rather than in Italian restaurant. Hope they don't cook using the readymade pasta sauces as base. read more

This place ruined my day. I visited on a Friday for the buffet (12.95). For a weekend there wasn't anything exciting there. It was so lackluster in flavor, I felt so much regret coming here after each forceful bite. (Obviously we couldn't leave since we already made plates) we even asked one of the waiters for some achar salt or chili's as we explained the food had zero flavor, he smiled and almost agreed explaining they cater mostly to non desis. Oh man, not even Americans deserve to think this is authentic not fair or right. Anyways in addition to this, the main manager walking around (blue shirt) was extremely rude, ignored us with a dirty look every time we asked for naan, help, etc. the buffets negativity lasted for another 9 hours as it made me so sluggish. The only nice thing about this place was the ambiance - it's very spacious and nicely decorated. read more

This is my favorite Indian restaurant! Service is always great. The menu changes often & anything new that I try, I absolutely love. The food is excellent quality. The flavors are outstanding & presentation is beautiful. It's also great for take-out. Some of my favorite dishes are: Appetizers: Dahi ke kebab, Lemon coriander soup, Mantra salad, Dal shorba, dal e khaas Entrees: Goan shrimp curry, Murgh korma chicken, Tandoori mixed grill. Don't forget the garlic & cheese Naan bread read more

You can't wrong with the place - great ambiance, service and food. Consistently good.

In general I think this Indian restaurant was pretty good. The naan and lamb chettinad were right on target for spice and texture. I thought the saag paneer could have used a bit more spice, though the spinach was extremely fresh. My wife enjoyed it. read more

Delicious Indian food and great service. Malaidaar Paneer was very good. The restaurant has a wide variety of not so typical food options and the taste does not disappoint. read more

I called the restaurant before we went there to ask if we needed to reserve a table due to limited seating required by State of New Jersey. The person who answered the phone asked us how many of us, and I told him only two. When we went there, three tables were occupied. One table had about eight people. The tables' arrangement was in such a way that six feet distance was not observed. We asked to sit in a corner, away from everyone else, but when new party arrived, the waiter put those four people on the table next to us. My husband got upset and told the waiter that he does not feel safe. We asked to move on the different table and were allowed to do that, but it was hardly six feet away. The restaurant has kept table arrangements from before and has not modified the arrangements according to the COVID laws. We ordered kachori and Lasoony Gobi for appetizer, and were happy that the quality of food was A grade. For main course we ordered Malai Kofta, Bhindi Masala, and Butter Naan. To our surprise, Kofta was softest we have ever had. Naan was freshly made and hot, and Bhindi was delicious. There is no question, that the quality of food was best we ever had, but we wish that COVID laws such as distancing and wearing gloves were observed. There was only one waiter working. This waiter was talking on the phone, touching it without gloves and handling the spoons and dishes without washing or sanitizing his gloveless hands. Clearly this waiter needs training of observing the distance when placing customers and practice sanitary habits. I know it is hard for restaurant owners, and I appreciate that they are open, but I would not want a restaurant with such a good quality food be punished for not observing COVID-19 related laws. I would order a takeout of hot food any time from this restaurant, but do not feel safe eating indoors, unless the staff is trained properly. read more

I have been here several times for the buffet and even had a family function here. I like their selections and the food has flavor. Recently we ordered for delivery and decided to try their Indo-chinese fare. The food itself was good but I was surprised to see the color of the food. We ordered Shrimp chili and chicken manchurian. Both looked identical and were close to black in color. Picture this in a black serving container and you get the picture!! Shrimp seemed rubbery but i'd take it if the color were'nt black!! See my pics in the pictures section. read more

Mantra - Chicken Manchurian - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

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Indian restaurants around this area are a hit or a miss. There aren't a lot and the one that are around are small. Luckily, Mantra succeeds as being a great Indian restaurant with its very nice and formal environment and tasty dishes. I went on Saturday morning with a group of 10 for their buffet (online they don't mention buffet but call and ask for their buffet specials). They offered amazing and very tasty foods, ranging from different sauces to different kinds of chicken. Unfortunately, their dessert and rice options were limited to only one kind each. As good as the food was I was hoping for more options rather than just one kind or rice a a few kinds of chicken for their entrees. The services is excellent with waiters always walking around ready to accommodate to our needs, and always filling up our waters every couple minutes. Overall the place is great, service is amazing, food is exremely flavorful although more options would be nice. Considering it was a group event i didnt really pay attention to the price but id say it was around a 20 dollar budget per person give or take. It is well worth the price even if it was 30 dollars. Definitely a must try for the people in bergen county. read more

Mantra - Buffet table, great food ! - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

I'm not sure how an Indian restaurant can mess up plan basmati (white rice) but this rice that was delivered with my order was terrible. It was either very old or undercooked. I also ordered a chicken tika and a daal Tadka and SPECIFICALLY asked and double checked that they would make it not spicy for my children. They sent over a dal tadka that was beyond spicy and had over 6 red hot peppers in it. When I called, all I was told was sorry, next time ask for me the manager. And that was it. I was very disappointed when I had to send my kids to bed unsatisfied with their dinner since they were already so tired waiting for the delivery and it was past bedtime. I guess a quick Mac and cheese would have done the trick better. Oh well! I don't recommend an Indian spot that serves old or undercooked white rice. read more

I ordered delivery on Seamless and the food was very delicious! Chicken Tikki Masala with garlic naan is my favorite! The samosa was ok.

I came here for lunch at 2:30 pm. People still were in eating and the buffet was there. The manager said we are closed! If you want you can only take a box to eat outside. I told him will be quick .. I have been going to this place for the last couple of years.. His response was no!! I told him fine.. will take it in a box, but can I eat it at the bar area, since the owner had agreed before? He was was mad and started yelling " She "meant the owner" doesn't make the decision and I run this place so either you take the box or leave!!!" I told him, I have been in this business for years and this is not the way to handle such a business, I hope the owner of this business is aware of your attitudes. He told me to get out of the restaurant! I was literally kicked out of this restaurant. read more

Excellent Indian cuisine with superb service, period. Elegant. Delicious. Good people.

Very nice service, amazing food, not very pricey(ab$35 per person). Perfect if you don't know where to take your girlfriend. read more

Mantra - Food - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

I had this place bookmarked for a while and went with the fam and was ready to take on my second Indian food venture lol I was a little skeptical by the outside appearance which looked a little rough to say the least but don' t let that sway because when you enter the ambiance and decor is PHENOMENAL !!! As far as the food goes WOW: The menu had a nice variety with plenty of options. And diverse for vegetarians and vegans etc.. which is the case with most Indian places I have been told. Everything we had to eat wad FLAWLESS.. We started with the garlic Naan and plain Naan for appetizers and WOW the softness and taste was The portions were plentiful and very good cost vs portion quality ratio! Their Chicken Tikka Masala was just amazing. A thick well seasoned tomato sauce seasoned with onions and peppers prepped and baked in a large clay oven and you could taste pureness.I had that with plain Basmati rice (Not Pictured for the whole table) The rice was so light with full of flavor mixed with green peas. This dish was just heaven the taste was REALLY REALLY good in an addictive way seriously. The "Khate Masale Murgh" Tender chicken breast cooked with lemon puree, turmeric and onion was also REALLLLLLLLLLLLLL GOOD the Tenderness of the chicken bursting with flavor The turmeric and lemon gave it a that perfect blend of mouth watering flavor. MUST ORDER PERIOD !!! my daughter also got the got the spinach rice as a side (My daughter will try different stuff LOVE HER LOL !!) It was different to say the least but very good surprisingly for me, My son and mother ordered Kabobs which they said was very good as well. Big SHOUT OT TO THE STAFF FOR THE PATIENCE AND PROFESSIONALISM. We had many questions and they answered them every time. The service here was very attentive, and the waitstaff so friendly. Just a flat out overall amazing experince amazing experience. Other reasons to visit/try this lovely beautiful place in my opinion: 1. Large private parking in a mall strip so no issues their 2. the prices are so cheap for all the food you get - rare for an Indian place 3. Portions are generous vs cost and quality ratio are great. 4. They deliver Overall here are my the score/mini breakdowns recap lol: Food: 6/5 Everything perfect !!! Service: 5/5 Patience and professional from the entire staff and that was much appreciated and refreshing Atmosphere: 4/5 Don't let the outside deter you from missing out on a great experience Price: 5/5 Reasonable prices for the quality of food you receive and portions. Overall this experience was perfect in every aspect for my personal experience. They made my family feel welcomed and the food and ambiance/decor was very nice. This is also a great place for a special occasion or date/anniversay etc.. Its pretty sexy inside lol read more

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Last night after shopping I had some amazing Indian food, perhaps the best... We had Garlic shrimp with garlic naan as appetizer which is amazing!!! I also liked the complimentary tomato soup, I don't like tomato soup in general, but I definitely love this one!!! We had Mushroom and truffle oil naan which is good but I still like garlic naan better, chicken tikka masala(a bit mild for me), Lassuni Chicken(garlic, yogurt, and onion sauce) which is heavenly!!! The waiters are very good to us, they brought us complimentary appetizer and dessert. Then I just realized their other location is the Indian place by my job that I also like a lot! What a small world I need to try the jersey city location's menu instead of buffet next time! read more

Mantra - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

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Beware of this restaurant. Even though the food is consistent and good, I was charged $30 for a corking screw on a bottle of wine, the entree do not come with white rice you need to purchased that separately and the waiter added his own tip to the bill on a table of 4. read more

Its expensive goes indian. Possibly a bit more americanized. But the food is good and the ambiance is more upscale. I would go back I generally love my true indian restaurants. This is a great date nite spot. Good drinks good service good good. High prices read more

We hosted our daughter rice ceremony in this restaurant. Starting from the day, we started talking to the restaurant management about the event, they were very cordial. They took time to explain all the details and various options that we can opt from. Then they provided the menu from which we had to select and I must say that the menu list was pretty exhaustive. On the day of the event, the restaurant staff were very cordial. Needless to say the food was fairly high quality and delicious. In our guest list we had people both vegetarian and non-vegetarian and both kind of foods were pretty good. I personally liked the Malai Kofta, Chicken lollypop and Rasmalai in the dessert. Chicken lollypop was definitely the best appetizer the restaurant served that well to all. The party place was also nice and private. I would really appreciate if the lighting was little more, since the lunch was not really a tradition restaurant style, where generally a low light is preferred but anyways, we worked it out. Thanks Mantra Team for letting us hosting the event. read more

This place is a total mess! They offer lunch buffet during the pandemic. These folks are simply desperate. I will be shocked if this place is still around same time next year. Food is so poorly prepared that I prefer the frozen Indian food from trader Joe's. No joke. Service is also very disappointing. The waiters do not look sanitary. One of them did not even have a mask on. I gave a dollar tip on 50 dollar bill, and that was being mighty generous. read more

Worst experience evvvvver!! Don't waste your time or money. And they have no idea how to make a decent martini read more

Mantra - Looks pretty right?? WRONG...worst appys - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

This place was my first time trying Indian food and let me tell you something, it did not disappoint me at all. It's a very cozy and romantic place and the service is really friendly. I go to this place at least twice a month and I can't get enough of it. The food is always amazing and as an appetizer we always get "the garlic naan bread", good starter for our main dish. Don't hesitate to tell how much spicy you want on your food. read more

Mantra - Indian Near Me - Paramus, New Jersey

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We really enjoy Mantra, everything is always fresh and delicious. The lunch buffet has great variety, comes with fresh warm ma'am, and is very satisfying. The a la carte menu is excellent, eating dinner there is a treat with good service, and takeout is packaged well and always on time for pickup. Definitely our go-to place for Indian in Bergen County! read more

We came here for Mother's Day and can easily say that we were pleasantly surprised with the dinner service and food. The dinner was quite pleasant. The portions are great for a family of four. My favorite was the Chicken Tikka Masala and Tilwale Laal Maas( Lamb Cubes). The Tandoori Mixed Grill was a bit dry but overall we enjoyed the food. I highly recommend the Saffron Creme Brulee! read more

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-more like a 2 but rounding up due to the relatively low price -food is 2/5 (maybe a 2.5) -service is 3/5 -decor/bathroom is 3.5 I arrived just as the buffet opened in hope that the food would be fresh/warm but things which were supposed to be warm were still cold (this was, at least, partly a function of the sternos/chafing dishes/serving platters not really keeping the food warm) Some of the food was just plain bad too (palak paneer had large really tough pieces of cheese, chicken makhani had overcooked slices of chicken in it - much of the other dishes were just okay - the aloo gobi was the highlight (especially if you took it from the very bottom of the platter where it was being effectively still warmed...) I'm old enough to remember when this place was Namaskaar (sp?) and I vaguely recall it being superior then... read more

Wen went there on Diwali weekend. It's was 2:36, the reception told us it's after 2:30 so they won't open any tables for us. We literally be kicked out from this place. read more

The best Indian food . Great ambiance. Amazing staff. My favorite place for good Indian food. read more

From the outside, it's hard to tell what Mantra is besides expensive and upscale. From the inside, it's still not entirely certain what to make of the restaurant and lounge. Dark to the point of difficulty reading the menu by candlelight with a healthy dose of wood generating an intimate and enclosed feeling, Mantra is definitely an Indian restaurant with predominantly Indian clientele boasting a "fusion" menu with slightly French takes on standard Indian cuisine and an uncharacteristically large cocktail menu where I got the sense some genuine pity would be taken upon a patron who tried to order chicken tikka masala. Not content with just being a premier restaurant, it also functions as a lounge boasting a large menu that is open until 1 on weekends and, if the music in the bathroom is any indication, a mix of bhangra and hip hop. For suburban NJ, especially on the mean streets of Route 4 in a strip mall, this is a bit odd. What is not odd is that the service is impeccable. I don't normally even take notice unless something goes terribly wrong, but they were exceedingly tolerant of our fourteen person group where the first people were late and the rest mostly drifted in over the course of an hour with the last stragglers arriving over 2 hours late and it was a losing battle of attention spans to get our group to complete each phase of ordering. After lengthy but not terribly organized deliberation at our table, I ended up consuming: - Sweet lassi (~$5): chosen over mango or salty variants, traditional and soothed my throat irritated from a congestion-related cough - Chaat ($11 for 4 people, which we were able to split among 5): a starchy, salty and tasty cold salad prepared tableside - Saag gosht ($19): requested spicy, which was dark, ample, flavorful and hot (and I don't mean White People Hot (tm)) - I was glad I declined our server when he noted the chef would also do "fire" and "crying" as spice levels) I was pretty much the coughing dead when eating here and I still thoroughly enjoyed the multi-hour experience. I don't know about the after hours scene, but this posh locale is the place to go in northern NJ for Indian food and I would definitely return to Mantra for a celebratory dinner with friends or to take out a cultured Jersey girl (don't laugh.) read more

Overly priced, less quantity, completely bland. 4 people bill was 120 dollars. We came home and ate food again. One of the worst experience in a long long time. Lassuni gobhi 9 dollars. 4 pieces. Lassi 6 dollars. We threw away half. Salad was awful and less quantity again.. Entree looked more like appetizer.... Will never return again. read more

Worst lunch buffet ever. How do you screw up an Indian staple dish like Chicken Makni? There was no variety, food was extremely bland, very diluted. Clearly cost cutting will ruin the reputation of this place as it used to be the best in NJ. read more

The food and service is so delicious and good that it feels like it's my birthday every time I come for brunch. It's a treat to my taste buds. Highly recommend it. read more

This restaurant is now a money swindling business. Overly priced menu. I been to a lot of restaurants in NYC, Boston and NJ but this is the worst I have ever seen. Potion size was too small from appetizer to entree. I ordered Lahasuni Gobi and we got 4 small pieces of Cauliflower for 9 dollars. Seriously I been to more expensive restaurants where the price is more but quantity is not sooo less. Potion size of entree is not enough for a single guy so for each guy you have to order 2 entree that increases your bill by (~13*2=26). Add one appetizer to it (+9 USD) + 1 non alcoholic drink (+6 USD) and say 2 Naan (~4.45*2=8.90 USD) so total for each person comes around = 50 USD with no alcoholic drinks and excellent poor service where you need to continuously find waiter for the service. Waiter service was very poor. We were looking at our surroundings so that someone can see us so that we can order the next round. And for this kind of service they added 18% tip. For 4 average people diet the bill was 120+. I am never going to that place again in my life. Cons: - Overly Priced. - Very little potion size. (Shamelessly little) Go and find yourself. - Bad Bad Bad service. - Pay 18% tip for bad service. - Price Menu and potion size are designed to keep adding money to your bill. Pros: - If you are on diet its a very good place to go. Ask the waiter and he will suggest you a very bland salad for 8 USD and that too very little. - Excellent place to experience how can someone charge 18% gratuity without even asking you for providing bad service. - Tables here are very small. If you are going with 2+ people then you are going to find issues in where to put your food on the table. - Want to get surprised. Go there.. you will be surprised after receiving little potion sizes in big dishes. read more

I have dined here several times since Chef Purvesh Patel departed early 2009 and they have not skipped a beat! While serving on jury duty in Hackensack I ate lunch here several times in the last few months. For $9.95, or so, it is the best lunch deal in the area! It is a high quality buffet! There are probably a few less options than at many other Indian lunch buffets but the quality of the food is far superior. read more