First time visit, primarily to try their lunch buffet. Nothing great, but not bad either. Service was decent. Dessert options were pretty non existent. Food was good.
Was surprised with the robot coming to deliver our fresh bread (Nan, paratha etc).
Place is in downtown Victoria which is a blessing, and currently one of the few giving an Indian lunch buffet experience.
Would be willing to give it a try again, next time I visit.
We we’re looking for a new (to us) place to have dinner this evening and decided to give The Mantra a try. We order glasses of Shiraz wine and Hoyne Pilsner beer while we perused the menu. A plan soon was hatched to order enough for dinner tonight and lunch tomorrow. We chose mild-medium heat for most things except a couple we chose medium. We’re not really brave when it comes to the spice level of food but we would comfortably choose medium for everything next time. Every dish we had was excellent and the server who was working her first day was really great. Everything was delivered by Robbie, except for the tandoori fish that someone carried out sizzling madly (the fish not the server)! We will be back for sure!
My best friend recommended this place while I was in town so we met up with my cousin and enjoyed the buffet lunch before I left town. It was absolutely delicious - some of the best Indian food I’ve ever had and for the price/value it cannot be beat. I will be returning every time I am in town. Service was extremely friendly and the atmosphere is so lovely. Decorated extremely well. Love the robot too; it took us by surprise! Not sure what the pistachio/coconut type pudding was but both me and my friend were obsessed!!
The best value Indian in Victoria. Simple buffet with quality ingredients all of the dishes are well done. The Nan bread is excellent and the robot is the icing on the cake. Chai is also included which is above and beyond from my experience in other cities.
Went for a celebration dinner and enjoyed the restaurant to ourselves pretty much. The robot brought our dishes and sang happy birthday - silly but fun!
The spinach paneer was very good and a nice bright vibrant colour. They will accommodate vegan requests for many dishes which is appreciated.
Great food. Always available for takeout. Great portions and always hot. Tandoori prawns are the best. You can ask to be served by Robbie the robot! Robbie will even sing happy birthday! Always lots of takeout coming and going. You wont be disappointed.
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Nov 9. Went again, this time for the lunch buffet. Friend wanted to go and hey even bad indian food is good. So gave it another try. It was good. Again not the best Indian food, not even on the island put still good and satisfying. The paneer was exceptional, best dish in the buffet imo. The black chana was a little undercooked, but the rest was good. Im vegetarian but my friend had the goat and butter chicken and said it was quite delectable. Wouldn’t be a regular go to but if someone wanted to go I’d not avoid it. And at $14/person it is worth it.
Sept 2. Last minute decision to stop in at @themantravictoria I pass by here almost daily and it always smells amazing. Plus the lure of paneer pakora drew us in. Unfortunately they were out!! Very disappointed in that. (The table beside us tried to order samosa which they were out of as well. Not like we were there end of night, it was 6:00!) Instead of paneer had the veggie pakora with onion bhajia, gobhi Garlic cauliflower, dal makhani, & eggplant bhartha. Everything was good. Nothing spectacular. The eggplant part of the dish was excellent, too much raw onion filler though. The onion bhajia was too oily, didn’t let it drain enough. Pakoras were good not quite done all the way through, a little raw batter in the middle. The dal was quite decadent, came out steaming hot but nothing compares to @khazanayeg dal makhani though. Not sure I’d go back but glad we went. Still on a mission to find spectacular indian on the island.
We lunched here twice on separate trips and Mantra delivered both times. Lots of delicious vegetarian options in the buffet. Their Kadhi (fritters in chickpea flour and buttermilk gravy) is excellent. Great service too. The Naan-delivering, dish-running kitty robot is amusing. This may have become our Victoria tradition.
Hands down to the best Indian food in Victoria!! Whenever I visit the island, I have to stop by the Mantra.🇮🇳 They serve authentic Indian food and Indian street food which are the best. The service is amazing. They also provide the option to eat through a buffet where you get to eat and try more dishes. My favorite dishes from the Mantra are the Gol Gappey, Kulcha and Chole Bhature. They’re so full of flavour, spicy and delicious. Can’t wait to go back again. You will not be disappointed and will leave with a happy belly!!😊
What a great find. I went for the lunch buffet. They have a variety of delicious vegan dishes. I love their vegan Indian food. They even have a robot server!
Great value too. Lunch buffet is less than 15 dollars.
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