Mantra Indian Cuisine & Bar

5 stars primarily for the service. The food is the general, solid fancy Indian restaurant menu (paneer dishes, navratan korma, chaat). Their appetizers are also interesting! I like their mint paneer the best. Flavors and quality are great, and there’s nothing shady.
I want to note that the wait staff is amazing. Both times, I came with an embarassingly obnoxious group and the waiters were simply amazing and tolerant. They did not do any less of a job due to the terrible and inconvenient requests of my party.

We enjoyed our dinner. The décor was more upscale/​trendy than we expected, and if we had a choice, we wouldn’t have had dinner with our 10 month old (thank goodness she behaved.) The food was delicious, large portions and fresh. The service wasn’t great and the wait was a bit long, even though the place wasn’t packed. We will probably come back for lunch or just for drinks at the bar.

Cliff notes: Buffet 4 Stars… ordering entrees off the menu 3 stars.
We tried Mantra about a year ago and were completely underwhelmed, so it took us a while to head back. We noticed they had a sunday lunch buffet for about $ 12 a person, which seemed pretty reasonable so we decided to give them a second try. There is a nice parking garage pretty much across the street which makes accessing this place easier than most downtown fair. it’s a short little walk across the street to the restaurant, and it is a very nice, modernish, clean looking place. There are 2 options for dinning there. A lunch buffet and dinner.
Overall I give the buffet 4 stars. Why?
1. Large variety, which gave me a chance to try a lot of different dishes.
2. Everything was flavorful, but not too spicy, which was nice since i’m not big fan of «my mouth is on fire and my lips are going numb!» Spicy.
3. It was all hot, fresh, and reasonably priced for the amount of variety you get to try.
Why I would give ordering off the menu 3 stars?
Well, while everything on the buffet was good, there was nothing there that made me think, wow! this is so good, I would come back and eat a whole plate of just this! Especially since the buffet on the weekend is about $ 12 (weekday about $ 9) which is reasonable to try a bunch of ok things, but i would not want to pay $ 15+ for one big ol plate of OK. So in summary $ 12 for a variety of OK! things: acceptable $ 15+ for a plate of 1 thing ok: not acceptable… um, wow, not sure that any of that made sense, but that is the logic in my head. lol
There are some pretty good options for indian in Raleigh that I like better than this place, so Mantra is not a place I will go out of my way to go to, but if we’re downtown and it’s lunch time (aka the buffet is up), then I would consider this place.

Second Dine was 2-​23-​2014 and was a little better than the First dine, around September 12, 2012… Looking for an Indian Restaurant that was as good as or close to my favorites and since I know very little about Indian Food, I could assume this is more Authentic than the perhaps «Designer» Indian I am used too??? After our first meal we were in no hurry to return, though assumed the Chef took the night off? Could we have caught this place on two «off» days? Yes! Though I’m betting this is NOT my style of Indian!
Sunday Lunch Buffet —
What I liked :
Every Item had a distinct flavor, which is Great for a buffet
Nothing was too Spicy nor too bland
Everything Looked Delicious
Servers were very Polite, Friendly and Efficient!
They brought out warm Naan, instead on letting it sit at the buffet
The Place is Nice looking and it was great to see the rest of the place
All appropriate Dishes were plenty Hot
Plenty of Variety
Where I was Disappointed: :
Flavor ! ! ! !
Nothing was a Standout, though Nothing was Bad either, though the Naan and the «side» Sauces were a little more Disappointing!
All, ALL Dishes LACKED what I think of when I think of GREAT Indian Food!
I tasted Every Dish, Sauce and Dessert to say nothing wowed me would be an Understatement!
3 Unilocal stars EXAKTLY!

I have always enjoyed Indian food, especially on a rainy cold day. The spices and warm nan are just so comforting. My friends and I came in on a Friday night to celebrate passing our qualifying exam (wooohooo go us!).
The restaurant was not very busy and we were seated right away. Because of the way the restaurant is laid out, some of the seats are far from ideal. We were seated at a table in the back corner.
We decided to do family style and order 4 dishes to share. Each of us picked out one, and we ended up with tandoori chicken, lamb vindaloo, malai kofta (it’s cheese in the same sauce as their butter chicken masala), and hydrabadi dum mantra biryani with vegetables. We originally ordered everything spicy. We were warned that the lamb vindaloo and the rice would be more spicy because they don’t come in sauces. We decided to back off on the rice (hydrabadi dum mantra biryani) but decided to stick with spicy for our chicken.
It took a while for us to get our food, but it was definitely worth the wait. Everything was so delicious. We devoured our plate and wish we had a bigger stomach so we could eat more. The tandoori chicken was nicely spiced and not dry at all. The lamb was very tender and the spiciness of the sauce had me gulping down water and wiping my nose but I did not want to stop eating! The malai kofta was very good as well. It was my first time trying the rice dish and I am glad my friend ordered it. Everything was great and we enjoyed it very much.
It would have been a perfect night out if we didn’t have to wait for our check for so long after we’ve gotten boxes for the leftovers. We waited and waited and waited and no one ever came to drop off our check. At the end my friend walked up to the bar and got the check himself. Blah. Other than this hiccup, my night was filled with lovely company and delicious food.

Excellent food; unacceptably poor service.
I was here for dinner once before and experienced good food but poor service. I attributed this to being in a party of 12, and perhaps an ‘off’ night with inexperienced staff, however this is clearly not the case.
During each visit (first on a Saturday night, second on a Friday night) for which we had reservations, the restaurant was not busy (5 tables). The most recent visit, we waited more than 10 minutes for our drink order to be taken; our waiter had to ask multiple times and had extreme difficulty with this task. Then we waited an additional 15 minutes for our drinks to be served (3 beers and one simple mixed drink). This scenario occurred with each round of drinks, ordering appetizers, and ordering entrees. Further, the waiter and the manager who began to assist him, were not kind and did not have a service oriented attitude.
In summary, the food is consistently excellent and the service is consistently and frustratingly poor. We will only consider ordering take-​out from Mantra in the future.

I don’t typically deduct points for service. I go to restaurants to eat, not to be coddled by waitstaff; I believe that the food should speak for itself. However, like many of the below reviewers, I need to shave off a couple of stars to account for Mantra’s disregard for the customer.
Their website currently lists an opening time of 11am. After arriving at 11am, I encountered a sign outside that stated the restaurant is now opening at 11:30am. Then, after waiting outside in the cold, I entered at 11:30am to find no signs of activity. Eventually, at 11:45am, one of the waitstaff notified me (without apology or explanation) that the restaurant now has an opening time of 12pm. There goes my lunch hour!
Aside from a complete bungling of their posted hours– and their apparent lack of concern about the issue– the food was not terrible. The lunch buffet offered several vegetarian and chicken dishes, all of them reasonably well-​spiced and sufficiently diverging from standard buffet fare to piqué my interest. I might have considered returning for a full course meal. But given my experience here– and those of my fellow reviewers– I’ll have to take a pass.

My friend and I went for the lunch buffet. We sat at the bar.
I thought the variety was pretty decent and the food was good. The desserts were a little bit scant, but the rest of the lunch was good. I loved the rice and the yogurt dish and all the chicken dishes.
The naan was fresh, warm, and good.
I think I like «Chefs of India» on Chatham Road a little bit better food-​wise, although Mantra has a better ambiance (e.g. no silly Bollywood movies playing loudly on television screens).
Parking lot is small and there was not a space to be found, but we did find street parking fairly easily.
Price was decent, as well. About $ 15 for one person (under 30 for us both together), which is: the buffet, a diet coke, and that also includes the tip.

Lackluster service and mediocre food puts this place at a 2 stars.
Came here for dinner. Service had so negatively impacted my experience that I wouldn’t want to come here again because of it. On to the food first.
Chickpea and Spinach Chaat: Topped with crispy crunchy sev and rice krispies, this was a really good chaat dish. Had creamy yogurt, tangy tamarind sauces drizzled on top of a spinach patty. Refreshing and great contrast of textures.
Malai Kofta: Ordered medium (from a scale of mild, medium and hot) heat. Non-​existent spiciness. The tomato sauce was rich, creamy and on the sweet side. I had two plump koftas filled with potato and vegetables, and they were crisp on the outside and soft on the inside.
Didn’t order dessert, as our server said only these were available: gulab jamun and pistachio ice cream. No ras malai, no kheer, no kulfi? Slightly disappointed that they had such a limited offering.
Our server didn’t deign to introduce himself, nor did he ask us how our food was after it came out. He also didn’t check on water refills. We basically had to flag him down for anything we needed. I felt like we were more of a burden to be waited on. If that is the case, which I know some customers can be a PITA, at least fake courtesy. This was not a fun long leisurely dinner either. It took about 2 and a half hours for our «experience» to end due to slow service.
Overall this is a good place to take people who are afraid of spicy food out to Indian for their first time. As someone who knows what they want and would at least like decent service to go with it, this is not going to be on the list to go back again. Service here is close to non-​existent.

Came for lunch and we were treated to a wonderful sample dish with basmati rice, chicken tikka masala, curry chicken, green chutney, tamarind chutney and vegetables. It even included a dessert and free food refills.
Service was so so (one star less for that)!but the food was outstanding. Don’t miss special desert called Kher!

Since my initial review, all the original waitstaff seems to have been replaced with the less enthused. Bad service is crippling Mantra as I see less and less people here each time I visit. A shame too, food is very good and I’d recommend Mantra for take out, but for dine in? I’ve been on a hunt to replace my previous Indian fav.
Main service issues:
–slow
–uneducated on menu and bar offerings
–don’t «check in» after food is delivered
–hard to get refreshments refilled
–feel like you’re more of an inconvenience than anything

Four of us, early Sunday night, great experience!
Now, none of us would ever profess to being particularly knowledgeable about Indian food, but we sure know what tastes good, and everything was GREAT. I think what made it especially great was that we opted to share everything. And fortunately for us, we chose a nice variety that worked well together.
We wolfed down the complimentary thin and crispy treat with three sauces that is brought out at the beginning. A white yogurt type one, green cilantro one, and a brown sort of bbq type one. (I rest my case that we have no clue what, but know it’s GOOD).
We shared two vegetable dishes and two chicken ones:
Mantra Shahi Chicken which was described as chicken breast stuffed with spinach, ground chicken served with onion sauce and sauteed vegetables. I can tell you that two in our group don’t care for onions, yet they liked this just fine, and any onions were totally hidden. The «sauteed vegetables», were more like steamed ones, and were a nice compliment to the rich dish.
Butter Chicken Masala: Chunks of chicken in a ginger and garlic marinade in creamy tomato and fenugreek sauce. Have no clue what fenugreek is, but it was just plain good.
Veggie-​wise we knew we wanted spinach, so we ordered Mantra Palak with Potato. Delicious!
Probably the most unusual dish which we all thoroughly enjoyed was Malai Kofta… described as Paneer and Vegetable Medley hand molded served in a cream sauce with cardamom. YUM.
We also got two orders of garlic Naan. And we were brought two large bowls of rice.
We were asked about spice level and went with medium. I will say that I wouldn’t have minded having one or two of them kicked up a bit more, but it was all certainly tasty.
Portions were plentiful, our teas were kept replenished… we were checked on repeatedly. We even had some enough left to fill a take-​out container, which we sent home with the birthday girl who had (wisely) chosen the restaurant for her celebration.
I do want to add (especially since some previous reviewers mentioned prices seemed high for portions)…that we didn’t experience that at all. Our feast was just $ 72 before tip. Very reasonable, IMHO for the quality and quantity.

After trying Mantra for the first time as a small girls’ night and my first time really eating Indian food, I’m hooked.
When I arrived, the restaurant was empty except for us, but I liked it since the waitress was able to give us her full attention. And we definitely did ask a lot of questions because I certainly had no clue about Indian cuisine. Having said that, our waitress didn’t have an extensive knowledge about the menu. What she knew, she explained to us in simple terms, which didn’t always mean I understood it. For example, I asked her what Paneer cheese was, and she just said, «It’s cheese.» Okay… I didn’t want cheese anyways.
So before I go to any restaurant, I always look at their menu online. I saw that Mantra had a 7 course testing menu, so as soon as I sat down, I asked our server, She had no clue what I was talking about… I didn’t pry or anything since I was already late, and everyone was hungry.
We ordered a couple of vegetarian dishes (for me) and a chili chicken and shrimp biryani. I LOVED the food. My stomach wasn’t used to all the spices, but the flavors were amazing. I’m glad that I ate Indian food the right way for my first experience.
Service was good/​nice, and our waters were always refilled (thank goodness). Even the manager was super friendly and approached us making sure everything was okay.
The food is wonderful, but the servers should know the menu better! And the next time I go, I would love it if my server knows what the 7 course testing menu is please!

Azitra used to be my go-​to Indian place until I found my Mantra.
Now my friends and I haven’t looked back.
Let’s just say first off
Mantra knows how to start the party off right with a seasoning skill set beyond this world.
Flavors have been matured in a way that can only come from lengthy simmering.
There was a particularly creative Tandoori Byriani that was to die for. It arrived in a pyramid shape that three of us shared.
I have also had lunch there recently and while I tend to run from lentils, cute little shapes, but most people don’t know what to do with them. Mantra offered a simmered overnight black lentil dahl that made me want to lick my plate.
I have been fortunate enough to visit at least three times and each time a different meal, and a complete delight.
They care about what they serve and it shows.
Ambiance
Nice long bar
Seating kinda weird but it is the shape of the space. Some dining feels like you are cut off from the rest of the restaurant. Some feels cozy. But it did not matter as the focus will soon be on your meal, not even your accompanying guests.
Pros
Everything.
Cons
none.

Mantra’s actually stuck around in their location for a little over a year now. It seems to be a make or break spot with quick turnover, but Mantra might actually work. They seem to transition well from an Indian restaurant to a Bar, but they don’t seem to manage large parties well.
My first experience to Mantra was on a date just a little while after they opened. While I don’t remember the details and the date wasn’t fabulous, I do recall the food being very good and the service attentive.
Flashfoward to last week when I went to Mantra for a Unilocal Elite party. Samples didn’t seem quite as available or plentiful so some of us gathered at a table outside and decided to have ourselves a nice little dinner. Some of us ordered items that we’d sampled like samosas, chicken kathi rolls, and kababs. I ordered the Lamb Vindaloo because I knew that was an Indian dish that I’ve determined I really do like. Lamb and potatoes in spicy vinegar, chili, and black pepper sauce. I was breathing like Puff the Magic Dragon and reaching for that Naan!!! While overwhelming with flavor and spice, it was pretty damn good. Being priced at $ 18.95, it better be though. I admit to even heating the other half of it the next day for lunch and I was still breathing fire.
They’ve redone the inside with dim lighting and more defined different rooms inside which provide more intimate atmosphere. The bar is long and spacious. I had a peppermint cocktail and it was pretty good too. I really liked the outside seating on a railed porch. I’m interested to see what the place is like at night and when they’re not overwhelmed by Elite Unilocalers storming the premises to take it all in. I’d love to check it out another time too.

I met up with Susan Z at Mantra for lunch recently to make use of her expiring LivingSocial coupon. They require reservations if you’re planning on using a coupon, so Susan called ahead and we had no problem redeeming the coupon. I’ve come to appreciate when a business handles coupons from local deal sites well because of the few cases where businesses handle them poorly.
The lunch menu has nice variety in both appetizers and main courses, and then a great set of group meals based on the number of people. We went with the 2-​person group meal, which came with two meat dishes, one veggie dish, rice, naan, salad, and a dessert (mango mousse).
The meat options include fish and lamb, so we tried the Kerala Fish Curry, Lamb Madras, and Paneer Makhni. All three entrees were top notch, but the fish curry (a well seasoned whole fillet over curry) stands out as the best entrée to me. I found the rice to be a little dry and flavorless compared to some of the other Indian restaurants in the area, but the naan came out well so I used that instead.
The salad had pretty good quality ingredients and even came with sprouted beans, but the dressing wasn’t particularly enjoyable. I’m not exactly sure what was in it, but it really just tasted like oil (and smelled like vinegar). Fortunately, the dressing came on the side and the salad tasted good with the Raita chutney as a dressing instead. We also ordered samosas, which had a pretty complex filling and came with a really tasty tamarind chutney.
For drinks, we ordered a watermelon based cocktail and a mango lassi. Both drinks were refreshing and tasty, although the mango lassi could have been a little thinner and colder for my taste.
Mantra is definitely one of the better Indian restaurants in the area, but I’d have trouble recommending it over Kadhai for lunch aside from the location. On the other hand, I would recommend Mantra over Kadhai for dinner, and generally recommend it as a nice dining experience even with the higher prices. The lunch buffet during the weekend sounds amazing from other Unilocalers, so I’ll make that my next Raleigh goal.

We’ve been back a few times, and the thing that stands out as being consistent is inconsistent and ineffective service. I took a friend there for lunch recently, and the service was so clumsy I wanted to apologize. My guest ordered a whisky, then sat and watched as it waited on the bar for around fifteen minutes. When we inquired as to the drink’s whereabouts and it was delivered at last, the waiter explained the wait by saying it had just been poured; nice try, but we could see the bar from where we were sitting. To my disappointment, there was no basket of papadum as previously. The menu was a lot shorter than it had been before, and the water served was room temperature — a nitpick, perhaps, but on a muggy day something like ice water would have been appreciated.
The waiter seemed distracted despite there being only a handful of tables seated, and this showed up strongly in the service. My palak paneer arrived without the paneer. When I asked for it to be corrected, I was brought a dish containing a pinch of grated cheese. Yeah, no. The waiter excused this by saying that he was new. That’s as may be, but shouldn’t the back of the house staff know what goes in the dish they’re preparing? I grew up with the cuisine; did the people in the kitchen? Then my friend’s dessert arrived lacking a major component listed in the menu. It, too, was eventually corrected, but again I question why the kitchen doesn’t know how the food is described on its own menu.
The food was good (and FAR less salty than previous meals) and I’d go back if I had a Groupon or something, or if someone else was paying. As it stands, I can get much better food without the fancy-​décor price all over the Triangle. Neither the food nor the service truly live up to the promise of the ambiance, nor to the prices. If you value pretty décor more than good service or exceptional eating, Mantra is the place to go. It’s trying, but just not hitting the mark, especially with the weak service. If delicious Indian food and top-​notch service is your thing, head to any of the great restaurants in the Cary/​Morrisville area. Also, I feel I should disclose that I received an email from a Mantra employee regarding my previous experience at the restaurant, offering me a meal (and no doubt an experience tailored to a better review). I declined.

I’ve eaten just about everywhere in the Triangle when it comes to Indian. Mantra is the tastiest. It was also the priciest, until they recently shaved a couple dollars off their entrees.
The entrance is toward the back, which is kind of a pain when walking. There is a very slim chance you will manage to park in their lot. Fortunately, I find it easy to park on the street on North Harrington Street and walk down the steps.
I’ve eaten at Mantra 5 times now, and I’ve always had good service. I’m actually on pace to eat their once every couple weeks. Service and food has always been great, with two exceptions. One time, my wait forgot about our pappadam, but our entrees came very quickly that night. Another time, my girlfriend was served a cocktail with a fly in it, but they were quick to replace it.
My favorite dishes so far are the tandoori mint sea bass, grilled halibut, the chicken tikka masala (of course), and the lamb vindaloo.
Make sure to try the buffet on Saturday!

After eating here another 5 or 6 times I needed to bump up my rating for Mantra. I really do think they may have the best Indian food in certainly Raleigh and likely the Triangle. Stopped in today for their new weekend lunch buffet and it was an excellent selection of Mantra favorites like mantra daal, chicken tikka masala, tandoori chicken, vegetable wraps, tilapia braised in coconut milk and more. About 12 hot entrees, papadum, chutneys and a mango mousse dessert, yum! Fresh naan was brought to the table which just totally completed the meal.
The lunch buffet is only on the weekends but Mantra runs a thali and Executive lunch special Mon — Fri. Admittedly I’ve been primarily here for lunch (a much better deal) but they’ve consistently exceeded my expectations with their food. While Mantra may not be perfect, they’ve done a great job listening and adjusting their offerings based upon customer feedback. I REALLY enjoy eating my Indian at Mantra and hope you check em out. And let me know what you think…

What is not to like? This place is nicely decorated, though a bit too dimly lit in spots. The service is spot on, with only the occasional nudge needed — Could we get some raita? The Thali Special for 2 is a nice value with a chance to sample multiple dishes.
And the food is very, very nice — from the papadum with a mint/​cilantro chutney, to the nice soups and the Mantra Salad, to the very best naan I’ve ever had, and finally to some excellent entrees accompanied by some decent rice. Throw in a couple of Kingfishers, and you have a very good lunch — though a little pricey at $ 4.18 for a regular.
We had the Daal Subz Shorba, very nice flavor, beautifully presented. The Mantra salad was fresh, and the house lemon vinaigrette was a perfect match. The Lamb Rogan Josh was one choice for an entrée, well done with a nicely building heat level as consumed.
The Murgh Tikka Masala was full of tender chicken, and covered in an excellent masala sauce. The Goan Machali completed the trio of entrees, and was no less enjoyable, the tomato & onion sauce makes the dish. As mentioned, the naan was spectacular, and none survived the meal.
We want to try some additional dishes, for dinner next time, but this is a place that may have the best Indian food we’ve had in state, and it is close to our favorite Indian restaurant of all, Chola in NYC.