Service is decent. It has improved a lot over the past few years. The food is where it shines though. Best in the capital region for Indian cuisine imo read more

I came mid week with a friend for a lunch buffet. This restaurant is located deep in the corner of a strip mall. It has a small dining area, a nice spread on the buffet, clean restrooms, and friendly staff. Before being seated, we were asked whether we wanted any sodas, juice, water, or hot tea. I ate the chicken biryani, tandoori chicken, and curry goat. Everything was absolutely delicious and well seasoned, but not spicy. Tandoori chicken is probably one of my favorite things to get at an Indian buffet. Unfortunately, the pieces that I grabbed were on the drier side, but they were still tasty. I didn't see any Naan on the buffet. Overall, this was a nice experience and reasonably priced. I would return in the future. read more

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The food was really good. I had the tandoori chicken, garlic chili naan, and the samosas. All very flavorful

I order take out from here often and I have never been disappointed. Excellent portions and value, and the food is always great. I appreciate the consistency between orders as well. Chicken tikka masala is creamy, tender and delicious. The lamb korma is the same story. The naan always seems fresh and the samosas are perfect every time. I really don't have any compliant for the take out. It's good, cheaper than most places and extremely satisfying. read more

I was in Albany recently and found myself looking for some Indian food at 3 PM. There are numerous South Asian restaurants in Albany, but they all seem to be closed between 3 and 5 PM. That is, except for Spicy Mint! They stay open all day. So I drove up (never been there before), and initially was a bit hesitant, looking at the facade. It's located in a mall called Shoppers Park (off of Wolf Rd.), which has certainly seen better days. There are many vacant storefronts on either side of the restaurant, and the area has not been maintained very well. The exterior is dim and not especially welcoming. But I went in, and was glad I did. It was a little cold inside, so I kept my coat and hat on. I had a chai tea and a couple of samosas, which were good. Tea was strong, if not extremely fresh, and the samosas were well made, warm and tasty. I ordered some dishes to go; Lamb curry, Chili Chicken, Navratan Korma, and two Rotis (whole wheat tandoori bread). Rice is included with main courses. The server asked how spicy I would like the spice level of the food, and I replied "medium" to all the dishes. All the food was good, and the portions were big. Their version of "medium" is on the spicy side (as in the name), so if you don't like it hot, ask for "mild". The roti was outstanding. Just like a good Dabha (roadside tandoori cafes) in New Delhi or Mumbai. I love roti, but I noticed that some places aren't able to produce a delicious roti. Spicy Mint obviously has a good tandoori oven and knowledgeable chefs. All dishes were tasty and well prepared. I would definitely return, and I recommend this place. read more

After our last mediocre experiences we came here recently and I expected to leave a lower rating and vow not to return. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised with how much I enjoyed it. They remodeled the place in the past year and we hadn't been back since, so it was a bit alarming to see everything moved around. The buffet had shifted over, the tables were all rearranged, the walls were repainted, and everything seemed cleaner. Those were all nice, though in my mind the buffet itself seemed a bit smaller. However, the food was just as good as ever. I like this place because the buffet frequently features some dishes I have never seen at other buffets, or even at this place. Either the head chef is constantly changing or trying new recipes, but I enjoy the variety of great food here. Some dishes are spicy... not hot enough to burn you at the onset, but instead packed with a slow burn that catches up over time if you are not careful. Most disappointing was their naan. It wasn't fresh but instead put in a metal pan on the buffet where it dried out on the bottom and steamed soggy on the top. Several other patrons ordered fresh naan directly from the kitchen which was a smart move. Their dessert options today consisted of fruit, two types of rice pudding, and those doughball soaking in the sugary liquid. This place is right around the corner from us, and it has reclaimed its rightful spot as my favorite Indian buffet. It isn't perfect, but I love their variety and quality of the food and know I will be back again. read more

Went in here to grab lunch/dinner for later during my trip. The girl was nice and smiling to greet me and I asked for a take out order of their lunch buffet. She gave me a container and I went and picked the items myself. I went for the chicken biryani first, topped it with chicken curry, a side of butter chicken and another side of some peas I've never seen before. I was disappointed they didn't have and paneer as that is one of my favorite Indian dish. I ate this food a couple of hours later, reheated, and I must say, it was amazing! So much flavor. The biryani was by far the best. I mixed everything with it so I think no matter what I mixed it with, made it amazing. I will be back when in the area again. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Buffet order once reheated - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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The food is excellent very flavorful, I never found one thing I didn't like! It was very authentic and that is exactly what I was looking for. The service was great and the inside is very clean and organized. I did the buffet and got a bunch of stuff and it was all great. I recommend! read more

Spicy Mint Albany - The buffet area. - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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For Lunch Buffet..., this place is a hit. I was in and out, so didn't get much chance to rate their service. On Point lunch, everything is served in smaller quantity to choose from, so the food remains really fresh and hot. Definitely a must return. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Lunch Buffet Food - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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One of the worst Indian lunch, buffets, I've ever been to. First off if you wait at the door to be seated, people will blow by you and go right back to the Buffet. There is no service culture here. The people who ate for lunch often took their dirty plates back to the Buffay. No one corrected them. When I first arrive, not a single dish was filled. This was 2 PM and they close at 3:30 PM. No excuses. I am vegetarian, and one of the offerings was rice, and the second offering was rice with vegetables, which were just a few peas and carrots. 'Cabbage pakoras' were not ever filled the entire time I was there. Remember cabbage is a very inexpensive vegetable. They finally refilled the egg plant which was swimming in oil and was completely tasteless. The naan bread is left on the steamer and soggy. The worst thing was a Ramen noodles dish made with a cheap packet of Ramen and a few onions and carrots. What on earth was that doing on an Indian buffet? People seem to be eating a lot of butter chicken. Since I don't eat meat, which is common in Indian culture, I filled up on basmati rice for my 1299+ tip lunch buffet. I will never go here again. Even the salt shakers were empty and crusted. A rubber vase was suction to the table, and very unappetizing. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - A cheap rubber vase and crusty salt shaker indicative of poor quality. - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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The food is stale and lacks spice. The restaurant is messy with food on the floor dirty dishes on tables and loud kids crying or running around! They let their friends come in with big bowls to pack food off of the buffet while paying customers have to stand and wait for 10 to 15 mins! I've seen one of the host allowed a group of his young friends to stand around the buffet pans eating. read more

Opens at 11:30am for lunch, no options other than buffet offered. Buffet was ready until 11:40am. Food was warm not hot as you would expect for a buffet. Food was basic with very little spice in it. Waitress was slow and not very attentive. Average at best. read more

Had dinner. Among the tastiest meals we've had at an Indian restaurant. Pakoras were crisp and delicious. Chettinad chicken curry was amazing, with distinctive flavors. Palak chicken was superb. We'll definitely return when in Albany. In addition, prices are reasonable and our server was accommodating; even brought us some hot green chilis upon request! read more

Love Spicy Mint! Food is always fresh and delicious. It's a great, affordable meal in the middle of a work day.

I've followed them on social media for years but just never managed to get there for a visit. It's next to Guitar Center and it's just not somewhere I end up--or if I do, I've already eaten. So it was a little after 1, maybe closer to two pm so outside the normal lunch rush. Food was still hot, everything was clean and neat. Staff was friendly and outgoing. They had really good chili chicken which is one of my favorite things (I can't help myself). The biryanis and chicken curry were great as well. I forgot what else I ate but everything was good. I'll definitely have to go back when I'm feeling better to try the rest of the foods. read more

Don't go here. They are disorganized and overpriced. I ordered and paid through Grubhub and arrived on time. They never got my order because they forgot to turn on their iPad during lunch time. The hostess desk is messy and disorganized as well. Their lack of care for their technology and facility leads me to believe they will not care about my food or cleanliness of their food prep area As for the food, it tasted like it was made yesterday and reheated. The sauce was barely warm read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Messy Hostess desk - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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Delicious Indian buffet only 12.99! Friendly staff and nice clean restaurant, the foods taste amazing omg, I'm addicted! Shame I live in New York City read more

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I've ordered the vegetable biriyani and onion pakora for catering. Our guests enjoyed the dishes. I'll definitely be back to order when I'm in the area. Service and pick up was easy and fast. read more

This is absolutely the best Indian food I have ever eaten!! A different and higher quality dishes were offered on the buffet. The pani puri was so fantastic, I can't even describe it! Very reasonably priced and a 5 star rating! read more

I had already began eating and almost forgot to snap a picture. The butter chicken was yummy but I added some chili chicken to it for a little spice. Everything was great and we'll definitely stop back by when we're in town. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Yummy lunch - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

We discovered this Indian restaurant while dining at the Chinese buffet restaurant nearby. So today my dining mate and I had lunch there. We were greeted by friendly staff. The restaurant is clean and neat. The buffet has some great buffet dishes with choices of goat curry, several chicken dishes, vegetarian selections to include rice and vegetable dishes, soup, salad, naan bread, a yummy mango custard and carrot halwa for dessert plus masala tea. Of course there is a regular menu too. The buffet for lunch about $10 per person. Food was attractive appearing, some quite spicy, all heated well ane plenty to choose from Overall we enjoyed everything and would return sgain. read more

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My boyfriend's stepsister and her husband live in Albany and they frequent Spicy Mint. Given that my boyfriend's stepsister's husband is Indian and he loves this place, then I figured it must be to die for. I mean, if you're Indian and eating at an Indian restaurant, it means that it meets your standards. You recognize authentic flavors, you know what you are getting, etc. Such was the reasoning that made me think this buffet would be better than it actually was. Don't get me wrong. I'm probably making it sound way worse than it actually was. The restaurant can be found in a plaza, and at first glance, looks way smaller than it actually is. Once you open the door and are led inside, you see that it is much bigger than it looks. There is ample spacing in the tables, much like there is parking up front. The station itself where the buffet is, though, is a bit crowded, but if you are civilized and go in turns, you should do all right. The service was superb. The waiter we had clearly knew my boyfriend's stepsister and her husband. They really are regulars here! If it's for the customer service alone, I definitely understand it. Not to mention that a buffet that is moderately priced for Indian food isn't something you see every day. Or heck, it isn't something that you see in South Florida where we all happen to be from. In terms of novelty and price, I don't think this place can be beat. Unfortunately, my removal of stars deals with lack of flavor. I only began eating Indian cuisine a few months ago. I know I have still much to learn about the spices that go into these dishes. What I can say though is that the food I had in general was bland. I mean, it did have seasoning as I felt tinges of it, but compared to my favorite Indian restaurant in Miami, it lacked heat. I don't know if it's because I grabbed food from the buffet. My boyfriend's stepsister did say we could order from the regular menu, which we did end up doing for samosas, but that's about it. The samosas were massive. We couldn't finish them all and we were lucky they let us take them home. In terms of what we grabbed from the buffet, everything was essentially there except appetizers and naan. We had two orders of naan: onion and garlic. Both were perfect, the garlic being my preferred choice. Something to note as well pertaining to the buffet: there were a lot of options, especially for vegetarians. Thus, vegetarians rejoice: you could have yourselves a feast! Funnily enough, I tended to prefer the vegetarian and noodle dishes over the meat ones. My feelings are ultimately conflicted. I want to rate this place so much more than what I am rating it, but I just can't. It wouldn't be right. I mean, the food was fair and I enjoyed myself, but when you find yourself in one place thinking of another, that's just inconceivable. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Basmati rice, noodles, chicken tikka masala, and goodness knows what else. - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

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I've been going there for a few times, starting a couple of years ago. At that time the meals weren't too bad, they were reasonable, hot and generally on time. As I've gone back there lately time and again I've noticed that the food isn't that great. The chicken soup has hardly any chicken in it and the quarter leg chicken has hardly any meat on it. The rice is kind of flavorless and the service is usually late when I go to pick it up at the assigned time on takeout. Considering that the price is that are charged for these meals, you would expect better quality and a lot more value for each meal. I know it's colonie and maybe it costs more to have a business there, but I can get a better deal and better customer service at Tara, who's business always greets me with a smile and maybe a free cup of tea if I have to wait for my meal. I know it's always busy when I go there, so it must appeal to some people, for me what I get as far as courtesy quantity and quality, it just doesn't hit the mark. read more

I came to Spicy Mint for their lunch buffet with friends on a day I was in the area because it was convenient, and because I had not yet been there (yeah, there I go with that "Thrill of the Hunt" thing again). Overall, I enjoyed the meal, and I found it quite reasonably priced at just under $12 before tip. The one dish on the buffet for which I was expecting better was the chicken tikka masala. The sauce was very light-colored, as in light in tomato base, and the chicken was not yet tender. However, this is the type of dish that improves as the day progresses, and I bet it's a much tastier dish at dinnertime. I was surprised at the sauce, because there was another masala dish on the buffet, I believe a paneer masala, which had exactly the type of sauce I crave and into which I dip my naan naan-stop. The dishes I particularly enjoyed on today's buffet were the tandoori chicken and the garlic broccoli. The latter was cooked just enough to retain its crispness, and the garlic was present without being overpowering. I also enjoyed the mango custard on the dessert table, something I've not seen at other buffets. There are quite a few Indian restaurants with lunch buffets in the area which I enjoy visiting, and this one just got added to my preference list. read more

Came here for dinner with my family and I was pretty impressed. The staff were very friendly and the quality of the food was good. I had naan, rice, butter chicken and beef and everything was top quality. Also had masala chai afterwards and it hit the spot just nice. If you're not into spicy food then maybe this place might not be for you. But this place definitely packs a lot of flavor read more

What a tragedy. New owners and a rapid descent in quality of food, cleanliness and service. The food used to sing. Now it is muted. Chicken is dry, dishes were overly oily, and OMG, is there ever a real reason to start adding frozen mixed vegetables to you're dishes? Wow. I should have been clued in when I noticed photocopied signs newly hung on the walls warning that uneaten food from the buffet would be an extra charge. Nothing says quality establishment than posted threats. But that's not the least of it. Service? Inattentive. Argumentative. Tables? Not the cleanest. And for the love of all that's good - put in a friggin mask! We'll never go back. Damn shame. read more

It is very upsetting to write this but I had a horrible experience at Spicy Mint this evening. This was one of me and my wife's favorite places for authentic Indian cuisine. We ordered three curries and all were lackluster. My wife's goat vindaloo was bland and not spicy. We also ordered a mixed grill that had tragically bad tandoori chicken. My wife believes they took the chicken they already cooked from the buffet and cooked it a second time before they served it to us. It was like paste on the bone. We told the server, he went to the kitchen and came back talking about the lamb on the platter. He totally disregarded my comment and didn't even consider compensation. The service was pretty lousy too. Maybe there is a reason we were the only people in the restaurant when we arrived. What a shame to see this once flourishing restaurant go right down the tubes. I am giving them two stars because the Garlic Naan was still fantastic. This, however, will not be a reason for us to return. read more

Do not expect for food to be ready when they say they are open. Plan on waiting for water or any drinks. Poor customer service.

I had a pretty good time here with friends! The staff was very friendly and very courteous, always checking in to see if we needed anything. The menu was pretty comprehensive, and we ordered the food family style, which was a great idea! Egg Curry: There were three eggs in the curry that were well-boiled and seasoned. It definitely makes for a good meal, though I was confused why it was placed in the chicken category when there was no chicken inside? I guess it has the "essence of the chicken" as a pre-chick egg! Tikka Masala Saag: I tried some of this from my friend's dish, and it was pretty good. I think the flavor was pretty rich in spinach, so I really enjoyed it. Lamb: This was excellent! I think this was my favourite by far. It was super yummy, and I liked the balance of sauce and meats. Overall, I really enjoyed this place and the experience with friends. I think this is definitely a good place for group eats to share! read more

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Spicy mint keeps fluctuating on the quality of food. The same food ordered twice in a week's span went from good taste to just edible. We ordered chilly chicken and daal makhni along with chicken tikka masala. The portion served is good. The feedback shared for the food isn't taken well or appreciated by the staff. Not recommended read more

I found when searched near the airport. I saw some previous reviews and thought they closed the buffet but went anyways because it was close by, unexpectedly the the buffet is back and it's good. I was not disappointed. The menu was decent and the food had good flavor. I'd recommend a little update of the dining area read more

Salmon Tikka Masala, with the rice and garlic naan on the side is amazing! Tbis is usually my go too. The vegetable samosa are really flavorul and great appetizer food! read more

Horrible. This is the biggest screw up of the YEAR!!! I ordered on Yelp chicken curry and Mutton Dum Biryani and They send me Chick pea Curry and Vegetable Biryani. On top of it they had the audacity to charge me for Chicken Curry and Mutton Dum Biryani instead of charging me for what they gave read more

An inexpensive Indian restaurant in a shopping mall. Totally without any kind of charm it offers a buffet daily for $12.99. If the food was better it would be a great deal but the food is just acceptable. Very few choices and only one dish was really good - a dish with peas, surprisingly. The biryani was o.k. but other dishes were bland and uninteresting. The waitress and staff were very pleasant and accommodating and I really wanted to love this place. Sadly, I didn't. There were no appetizers and a samosa, pakoras or bhaji would have been most welcome. I assume the a la carte menu is much better. read more

Thursday night is dosa buffet night. Don't worry about the buffet. Try every single dosa on the menu. Seriously all of them were great. Most are vegetarian and some are spicy. I've never tried dosa before and I loved it. They're smaller than the traditional ones in India so you can have them all: except just get the sweet coconut dessert one or if you really like natural peanut butter this is also very tasty but not a particularly desserty flavor. Can't wait to return for Tuesday night chaat. read more

September 2022 - Lunch buffet. Very tasty food - sauces. A good choice. Friendly staff. Cleanliness and organization and comfort and food presentation are all ok. The food itself was the best part. Recommend. read more

Ordered Boneless Special chicken biryani and haryali chicken kabob. The chicken kabob had no salt and the Biryani had no gravy. Wasn't the traditional boneless biryani where the pieces are made as chicken 65. This was literally boneless chicken cubes. The rice was oily and lacked flavor. Wouldn't recommend. read more

A quick dinner here. Ordered two lamb dishes (boti kabab masala and rogan toshi) with my friend. Both were excellent. Service was good. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Two lamb dishes - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

Nope. Ordered.m from here through Grub Hub. No napkins, no spoons, no sugar was in the bag. I love mulligatawny soup. There's was the absolute worst. Far too spicy, no flavor, no texture, no cilantro or lemon or salt even. It was just a finely puréed lentil soup that was beyond heavy on spice. I had 2 sips of the soup and threw it away. Mind you, I bought 2 orders of the soup, so the other one was just trashed. The app I ordered could not be consumed given I wasn't give a fork to eat it with. The nasal tea was good, but it would be nice if they gave me a little sugar for it. The entire meal was a bust. I'll never order from here again. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

The buffet has gone downhill bad in the last six months. Went today and they were out of everything. Didn't bring naan, didn't bring the tea I ordered. Had to ask for them to refill the rice. The chapati was hard, everything else was barely warm. read more