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    Mandala Kitchen & Bar

    4.3 (327 reviews)
    ModerateThai, Bars, Vietnamese

    Order Mandala Kitchen & Bar Takeout or Delivery

    Mandala Kitchen & Bar Photos

    MANDALA KITCHEN & BAR ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Trendy
    Classy
    Moderate noise

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    Recommended Reviews - Mandala Kitchen & Bar

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    Edgar R.

    Ambiance: 4/5: We went for late dinner on a Saturday and the restaurant had a nice ambiance. I hear it's a good spot to grab apps and drinks. Service: 3/5: Even though the restaurant was pretty empty when we went, the service was a bit slow. Not sure if they were trying to give us space to chat. Food: 3/5: The rice pancakes were really tasty. Definitely recommend. I ordered the Pad Thai with chicken and it was ok. I feel like it needed more flavor. Overall an ok experience. Will give it another shot sometime.

    Mini Rice Pancakes
    Kyle C.

    Good place to grab a meal before the movies, but not my favorite Thai place out there. Service was very good as were the mini rice pancakes. However ,the pad Thai left more to be desired. I did appreciate that it wasn't soaked in sauce, but it was missing some flavor on its own. Some chili oil helped liven it up. Go here for.... appetizers and a drink, especially when it's nice out and they open the large windows, exposing the bar to the outside!

    Pad Thai
    Ang F.

    Service was great, albeit it being a slow night. The gentleman who served us had a great spirit and was happy to provide us service. The mini pancakes were awesome! Such a wide variety of flavors and textures in one bite: Turmeric rice batter, ground pork, shrimp, mung-bean, coconut cream, house special sauce. Pad Thai was just okay. Big portions and the right amount of sauce. Lacked flavor and needed to request lime and spice on the side. Pro Tip: Right next to Tiny Pies and Lick (if you're interested in a post meal treat, that's not on Mandala's menu, or in addition to a Mandala treat).

    Menu
    Brianna W.

    Went here very late on a Tuesday night. It was a cozy, hole in the wall type of spot with decent music. The service was great and had a good menu. The portions are so big and have a great flavor. This was enough for 2 dinners! I have had deeper seasoning/flavor at other Thai food restaurants which is why I'm not giving it a full 5 stars

    Tofu pad Thai
    Shradha A.

    Used to be one of my favorite places for Thai food in the South Austin area - especially their red curry - but it's a drastically different experience now. The curries were not as flavorful and the noodles were floating on a plate of soy sauce. I don't know if ownership changed, maybe the chef did, or inflation has forced them to cut back on ingredients. But I am sad to say I was disappointed last week.

    Chicken vermicelli
    Bhagyashree B.

    Cute restaurant, nicely decorated and friendly staff. The lemongrass chicken vermicelli was tasty although slightly higher priced with smaller portion compared to other Thai/vietnamese restaurants. The menu is quite limited with even fewer vegetarian food options. Pro tip: Parking is behind the restaurant in the garage next to Alamo.

    Pad Thai & Pan Fried Dumplings
    Meesha F.

    I'm not sure if the reviews are from dine-in only or just paid actors... but I ordered from Mandala to-go... and it was the worst, if not, most mediocre, subpar thai food I have ever had in my life. And I consume thai food almost every week. There was absolutely no flavor and after a while it felt like I was just eating globs of nothing. I don't know, the reviews tricked me - do with that what you will.

    Red curry with chicken and pad thia
    Kristine L.

    Located on S. Lamar, Mandala Kitchen and Bar is a great place for your this food fix! My husband and I came on a Saturday afternoon, around 5pm, and were seated immediately. There were a few larger parties at the restaurant as well. Service was quick and cordial. We ordered the pad Thai and the red curry with chicken. The chicken was over cooked and dry in my opinion. The flavors of the pad Thai and red curry was OUT OF THIS WORLD good. The red curry also has a bit of a kick. Absolutely delicious! Overall, I would dine here again, but maybe with tofu or shrimp as my protein!

    Cajun Fried Rice
    Jamielee J.

    Great vegan options! Things are clearly labeled if they can be made vegan, I had the Thai fried rice made vegan with tofu! My boyfriend isn't vegan and got the Cajun fried rice, and he says it was so good! Drinks are also very tasty and cute! Service was good, we went on a weeknight and there weren't many people inside. We ate on the patio and it was the perfect spot!

    Mini Rice Pancakes & Mandala Chicken Wings
    Linh T.

    My bf's family took me here and this place was amazing! The inside is so pretty, a perfect place to go for a casual bite or dress up and eat! There's also a bar. I didn't get many photos because I was too busy devouring the yummy foods, but I will note that I can definitely spend the whole day eating the mini rice pancakes! The mango sticky rice was of course, amazing as well! The chicken wings were delicious! I got pad thai (not pictured) and it did not disappoint, so so so yummy!!! Definitely will go back when I have time! :)

    Thai Basil Fried Rice
    Alyssa C.

    Quiet when you go at the end of the night but quick service, full bar! The food was very flavorful and arrived quickly to our table - definitely great for late night munchies and great portion sizes!! We also enjoyed the Vietnamese coffee liquors which were sweeter and stronger than normal coffee liquors (best of both worlds!)

    Mini Rice Pancakes, best I've ever had!

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    8 months ago

    Great food‼ Great staff‼ kind and friendly ‼ Clean environment ‼ this place is amazing.. thank you to the staff.

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    4 years ago

    When you find yourself here after a long walk in south Austin, you will delight in their menu items. We had the mussels in champagne.

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    Page 1 of 9

    Mandala Kitchen & Bar Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Mandala Kitchen & Bar

    Do they allow dogs on the patio?

    Yes 😀

    Is there gluten free and dairy free options?

    Hi Naomi! We do have gluten free and dairy free option! Please let your servers know your preferences and our kitchen will do the rest! :)… Read more

    View All 4 Questions

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    Pho Phong Luu

    Pho Phong Luu

    4.8(426 reviews)
    10.6 mi
    $$

    I ordered a regular Pho Dac Biet, and right away, I noticed the portions were very generous. The…read moreThai basil leaves were absolutely ginormous, and they gave us plenty of them alongside very fresh limes, which I appreciated. The bowl itself came loaded with meat--they definitely weren't skimping to save money here. The meat-to-noodle ratio felt great, and every bite actually had substance instead of leaving me fishing around for toppings. As for the broth, I landed somewhere in the middle. It wasn't quite as clear or light as I personally prefer, leaning toward a fattier, milkier undertone that almost reminded me of a Vietnamese pho take on tonkotsu. The flavor itself was undeniably very good, but the richness may have been a bit too much for me personally. One way I usually judge how much I love a pho broth is whether I want to sip the bowl down to the very end, and this one wasn't quite light enough for me to want to do that. I've had richer and deeper pho flavors elsewhere, but I still appreciated the flavor profile here and could absolutely see why this place is so popular. It feels hearty, comforting, and satisfying in a way that clearly resonates with many people. Despite how packed the restaurant was, the atmosphere ended up being surprisingly pleasant. Service moved very quickly, which honestly impressed me given how busy everything felt. Even with the crowd, I didn't dislike the spacing or setup at all--the restaurant still felt comfortable, and the sound of people enjoying their food all around added to the lively, welcoming energy rather than making it feel overwhelming. Overall, Pho Phong Lưu ended up being one of those places where I completely understood the hype, even if it didn't become my personal favorite pho spot. While the broth leaned richer than my preference, I still enjoyed the experience and definitely look forward to trying other dishes next time.

    Updated review for May 2026! Still insanely fast service. It was absolutely packed when we came at…read more12:30 on a Saturday and we were served in less than 6 minutes. Parking is easy in the strip mall lot towards the back. The bathroom situation can get annoying when there's more people since it's singles.

    Photos
    Pho Phong Luu - Inside

    Inside

    Pho Phong Luu - Cha Gio

    Cha Gio

    Pho Phong Luu - New inside as of Jan 2023 (gillynova - TikTok)

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    New inside as of Jan 2023 (gillynova - TikTok)

    Pho Please - Steak Pho

    Pho Please

    4.4(1.3k reviews)
    2.2 miOltorf/East Riverside
    $$

    I'm Viet and I approve. We get spring rolls, pho, vermicelli and bun bo hue. Not sure on the coffee…read moreand egg rolls. TBH better than some viet places in Austin. Compared to West and East coast maybe 2nd best but here in Austin I like their pho. And they are consistent. I get the everything pho, so can't speak to the others.

    Pho Please has a very modern, minimalist vibe and feels super clean inside. It definitely does not…read morefeel like a traditional pho or Vietnamese restaurant at all, which might be a plus or minus depending on what you are looking for. I have been here for both lunch and dinner and it is pretty busy during both times, so clearly it is popular. I tried the Pho Please pho and the mi kho dry egg noodles. The pho was fine but nothing really stood out. It tasted good enough but did not have that depth or richness that makes you crave pho again. The mi kho dry egg noodles were also pretty mid and honestly lacked flavor. It felt like something was missing and I kept wanting to add more to make it pop. I also got the brown sugar milk tea, which I actually really liked. It was very sweet, which worked for me, but some of my friends thought it was way too sweet for their taste. Definitely something to keep in mind if you prefer lighter drinks. You order at the counter and the food comes out pretty fast, which is nice when it is busy.

    Photos
    Pho Please - Condiment bar

    Condiment bar

    Pho Please - Shrimp Banh Mi

    Shrimp Banh Mi

    Pho Please - Lemongrass Bahn Mi sandwich to go.

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    Lemongrass Bahn Mi sandwich to go.

    Bep Co Tham - KN Kitchen - Bep Co Tham - Vietnamese Cuisine

    Bep Co Tham - KN Kitchen

    4.5(59 reviews)
    9.6 mi
    $$

    I've ordered their sticky rice from here multiple times for takeout. It's nice and savory, features…read moreplenty of processed meat like pork floss and Chinese sausage slices. But it also has egg and scallions and pate; overall the combo is satisfying. Separate from takeout, we decided to go for an early dinner. Their Crab Vermicelli Stir Fry is surprisingly sweet, with sweetness as a prominent flavor. It features plenty of crab bits. I also grabbed a Skillet Combo. It came with two runny side up eggs, pate, two types of cured pork, beef gravy, and a handful of cilantro. The baguette came on the side, as did the mixed salad of lettuce and tomato. The salad had some dried shrimp, fish sauce, and a slightly sweet dressing. The restaurant itself is located in the Chinatown Center on N Lamar. It's a small corner shop. Lots of mirrors and glass. The staff are friendly enough. Unfortunately, they've closed, and it looks like another restaurant will be opening up in its place. The situation leaves me unsure about where to go to satisfy savory sticky rice cravings.

    I've visited this place several times, and each experience has been great. Plus, it's a…read morefamily-owned business, which adds a genuine touch to the dining experience. I recommend giving it a try. Food: The authentic Vietnamese cuisine they serve is truly comforting. Some menu items I like more than others. So far, my favorites are: A1. Grilled Pork Spring Rolls S1. Combo Banh Mi N5a. Char Siu Egg Noodle w/ Wonton (w/ soup on the side) N8a. Shrimp & Squid (w/ sauce & pork broth on the side)

    Photos
    Bep Co Tham - KN Kitchen - Banh Xeo - Pancake

    Banh Xeo - Pancake

    Bep Co Tham - KN Kitchen - Goi cuon - Spring rolls

    Goi cuon - Spring rolls

    Bep Co Tham - KN Kitchen - Mi xa xiu hoanh thanh - Charsiu + wonton egg noodle

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    Mi xa xiu hoanh thanh - Charsiu + wonton egg noodle

    Mandala Kitchen & Bar - thai - Updated May 2026

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