I love this place for a bit more upscale Thai/Vietnamese food. The mini rice pancakes appetizer is hands down my favorite item on their menu. They are full of flavor though pretty sweet. Really unique item!! I also like their Tiger Cry, yellow curry, and special Vietnamese curry. A lot of restaurants bulk up their curries with potatoes, but at Mandalas, they really go heavy on the chicken so you're getting your money's worth! I also love the coconut rice cake and often get this as a side to dip into the leftover sauce. And the sticky rice desserts are amazing as well. Obviously we can't dine in right now but this restaurant also has a great bar with yummy cocktails. Highly recommend!! read more

Such a great experience we had at Mandala. Love everything about this place from service, drinks , to dishes. They are well balanced in flavor and presentation. Especially restaurant decorations, loveee it ( if I were the owner ). Its young, modern and sheek , so well put together. Definitely we will come back dinning with family and friends. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

We love this place. The food is always great, the service is usually pretty attentive (we've had a couple so-so experiences but nothing atrocious), and they have great cocktail and win options. My cocktail of choice is an Old Fashioned and they add a coconut twist to it that is just delightful. I highly recommend the Shaken Ribeye and my fiancé loves their curry. I also love their Mama Phuong's Egg Rolls. Great food and a nice atmosphere with some decent outside seating options. Can be a bit noisy from street traffic, though. read more

High quality family owned business. Pad see ew with tofu and some spice has become my go to lately, amazing flavor and portion. Always top quality service and a beautiful clean restaurant read more

Nice restaurant we found in South Lamar, decent size and they weren't too busy around the time that we went! Decent portion sizes for the food and friendly service. Wings and edamame are good starters. I ordered the fried cajun rice which was pretty good! Only thing is food just tasted heavy of MSG but other than that, not too bad if you're looking for some comfort food read more

Incredible food and service. Kieu was an amazing host and made my graduation night memorable. Food is fresh and authentic. Can't recommend this place enough. Will definitely be back for other celebratory nights! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - a plate of fish and salad - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

i originally found this place on uber eats and became obsessed with their tofu pad thai. amongst our friends we have a running debate on the best pad thai in austin.... i'm telling y'all THIS IS IT!!! my bf and i swear by mandala kitchen and bar and everyone we take here agrees!!! these days we actually go to restaurant more than we order delivery n i really don't know how they aren't packed every night. it's a great location, they have TONS of other delicious food other than pad thai lolol, lovely place to meet up, beautiful bar, comfortable booths, little outdoor area, reliable, service is always great, it's an institution if you will if you don't like mandala WE (me, my bf, and our friends) DONT LIKE YOU also side note there is an alamo drafthouse basically next door in case you're looking for a little post dinner activity read more

I had the yellow curry which was tasty and had lots of chicken in it. It even comes with white rice. I also really enjoy their spring rolls - crispy with a tasty dipping sauce. I'd love to try more of the menu, but based on what I had it was great! read more

Great food and drinks- really bad service. Still five stars- but you guys should handle that read more

Open late Chicken stew- sweet, dry, barely any red coconut curry sauce. When we asked for more the kitchen gave us the lame excuse that it was a special sauce. Pad Thai- basic nothing noteworthy Weak watered down drinks. Limited liquor selection. The only flavored vodka they had was Deep Eddy grapefruit. Not crowded and the service was horrible. The food took a long time to come out. The waitress was clueless. Every question we asked her she couldn't answer. read more

While visiting Austin, TX for the weekend, I enjoyed numerous amounts of beef at a couple meals; on my last day I needed something different. I remembered my neice mentioned she loved their Pad Thai & frequently ordered it. I decided to give them a try & ordered their green curry with tofu. It was delicious & spicy just the way I love it! The pad Thai was good but I prefer a more peanuty flavor instead of a sour based, that's a matter of preference not necessarily a negative on the dish. There are so many other appealing options on their menu but alas I'm not from Austin just visited. But you enjoy! FYI, I had food delivered so I can't make comments on service. read more

The food was good but overpriced. The yellow curry was decent and the pho was just okay. There wasn't much potatoes in my yellow curry which was disappointing. The pho wasn't as flavorful as others I've tried in Austin. You can go to other Vietnamese/Thai restaurants and get better food and lower prices. The location is great on south Lamar. There is parking in the garage but given the day and time it can be packed. read more

Everything was amazing. Drinks Food Service If you don't like spicy you won't like the food. It was definitely on the spicer side. Except the appetizers, which were equally delicious. And they're happy hour menu looked great, unfortunately we arrived past 7. read more

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We celebrated a family member's 70th birthday here last night. I called and the chef helped us put together a menu full of traditional Vietnamese dishes for a party of 16. Most of the dishes are not on their standard menu; but as I understand it, can be requested if enough advance notice is given. We had over 10 dishes and I wish I had taken pictures of all of them. I was just too busy stuffing all the yummy morsels in my mouth. There's a special lobster dish that was spectacular. I'd say the closest comparison is the house lobster at Newport Seafood in Orange County, California. It was super fresh and tasty. For seafood enthusiasts, the sweetness of a really fresh lobster is one of life's great joys! The grilled fish was another highlight of the evening. The accompanying sauces were delicious! Every single dish was on point! Excellent presentation and wonderful-tasting! Perfection! Austin doesn't have anything like what the chef here can whip up! Our last Vietnamese comfort food restaurant that came close was Sea Dragon. Mandala has surpassed Sea Dragon by a distance. We're gonna go back to try their hotpot soon. You need to reserve it 48 hours in advance. It can be hard to plan ahead, but it's really worth it...or at least our meal last night surely did not disappoint. I'm hoping if enough Yelpers start demanding it, Mandala will add some of the most popular Vietnamese staples to their regular menu. Carmelized catfish cooked in the Claypot (Ca Kho) Lobster! Grilled Kanpachi Carmelized Pork Belly with or without Shrimp (Thit Kho) Vietnamese Sweet and Sour Shrimp Soup (Canh Chua Chinese Sausage Fried Rice They also have these lovely appetizer bites on their menu: Mini Rice Pancakes - you can't find these anywhere and if you do, they're not this good! Crispy Rice Pie The dinner was smashing success! The waitstaff was very attentive. We left with full bellies and smiles! Thank you Mandala Kitchen!!! read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Grilled Kanpachi - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

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Mandala kitchen is a Thai and Vietnamese inspired restaurant with a bar that views the Austin skyline. The restaurant is contemporary and hip on the inside complete with an outdoor lounge. Located in the same strip center as Alamo Drafthouse makes it a great date night location. A number of parking garages also make accessing the restaurant easy. The cocktails were a good balance of taste versus alcohol. Our entrees were high quality, presented well, and very delicious. The wait staff were prompt and courteous. I will be looking for reasons to travel to south Austin so I'm may dine here regularly. read more

I have had a few good meals at Mandala. But this last time it was awful. We ordered take out from Mandala for a dinner with another couple in a Sunday evening . It took a long wait to get it. We ordered the crawfish rice, spring rolls and pad Thai. ALL were mediocre at best. And I love Thai. We paid good money for bad food. Last time I order from this restaurant. read more

Something fishy here... the rave reviews don't really correlate with the lack of crowd it draws. I live nearby and drive past almost daily during dinner hours. -- There's rarely a packed house. I've been here a number of times, and here are my reasons: 1. It's Overpriced - I actually work in commercial real estate, so I am familiar with the rents these landlords charge to lease these spaces. I know you need to charge a certain amount to make a profit - That said, if you're going to lease this quality of space and location, the food needs to be up to par 2. Food is only okay - There are quite a few Thai places in Austin to choose from and this one is pretty average - Their pricing is comparable to Sway, but offers much less in terms of quality, service, and atmosphere 3. Service is bleh - Most of the people who work here act like they couldn't care less about anything - I've had drink orders take forever or be wrong. And food served all out of order and at different temperatures Specifics: - $8 for egg rolls? They weren't even good... - $25 for the "Shaken Ribeye" -- which was essentially chewy beef in an asian sauce with vegetables - Chef's Special Pineapple Fried Fish was soggy. Literally no crisp to the fried fish... what's the point. Also $18 - The crawfish isn't bad, but it's almost overwhelmingly spicy. Like they're trying to distract you from the lack of quality or flavor - Fried Rice was pretty average In conclusion -- there's so many better Thai places in Austin, with better parking and more bang for your buck. Try Sway or Titayas. read more

The food and staff are amazing. Atmosphere is perfect and very relaxed. Eat here, you won't be disappointed.

I really like their Pho! The broth is really rich and has a deep beef flavor and the Thai chili adds a nice kick. They add a ton of brisket and filet mignon tons of protein and it's veryyy filling. The ambiance is nice with lots of decorations. Only thing is the service can be a little slow here. I enjoy my meals here, try them out! read more

Mandala is a gem in Austin's food district. The food is so unique and was simply delicious! Overall, the place has an amazing vibe and well located. read more

Read reviews before coming here for a birthday party. Was a bit skeptical of the high ratings due to the lowest ratings. It wasn't my choice to go here so that was that. When I arrived and sat down, the server asked me what I'd like to drink. I ordered a Zinfandel. She didn't recognize the name of the wine and asked me to point it out on the menu (um...you should know your menu). She came back and told me they were out. I asked for Pinot (again she asked to see the name of the wine on the menu for reference as if she didn't know the menu) and again she came back and said they were out. That was annoying. Never have I been to a restaurant this expensive where they didn't have their best wines in stock. After deciding not to try a third order, the server took it upon herself to bring me a full glass of another red wine to taste test - a waste of wine in my opinion. She had no idea if I would like it or not. This is a very unusual thing to do as most restaurants don't like to waste their wine. Typically, they bring out about an ounce of wine to taste test. Incidentally, I didn't like the wine she brought me. So she took it back. I decided to not waste my money on any other drinks since my group was heading to a bar afterward, with lower drink prices. The server took quite some time to finally get our orders in. After our orders for the entree were placed, we waited over 30 minutes. That's far too long for me. And I was starving, so that didn't help. What saved the night was the quality of the dish I ordered. I got the Pad Kee Mao with chicken. A nice big portion. Very tasty and satisfying. When the server was getting our bills printed, she got a ton of stuff wrong and people's meals were on the wrong bills. She had to do it all over again. My feedback is for them to work on training their wait staff to be more professional and precise. The kitchen seems to know what they're doing. I probably won't go back here if given the choice. read more

Have you ever been to Thailand, and you'll go to dinner and have a great cocktail and an absolutely delicious, low-key gourmet meal made with fresh cut pineapple and other ingredients? Yeah it's this place. read more

This was my first and probably last time dining here. I LOVED the GF Thai basil fried rice! The dish was served sans condiments and it didn't need any. It was perfectly seasoned with the right amount of heat. The shrimp were big and plentiful. I was pleased to see there were several gluten free options to choose from. Unfortunately my fussy lunch companion did not enjoy his dish as much as I did. The restaurant was bright and clean and the service was prompt and professional. The leftovers were just as tasty. read more

Looking for a different restaurant & wound up at Mandala s . Thank goodness !! It was fabulous!! Service was great , the rice patties have an amazing flavor !! Both of our main dishes were fantastic. Serving sizes large. We served it family style so we could try it all. read more

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FANTASTIC! I ordered the mini rice pancakes, edamame, and the 5 Spices stewed beef ( HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)!

Service was terrible from the entering the establishment. I wasn't greeted-but ignored. I decided to just have a seat where the pick up customer was ti patiently wait. A party of 4 walked in and someone ran from back in regular clothes to greet them and ask for the party size. I waited 15 mins more and walked out. read more

Unless she paid for our food, Shannon could not have been a better server. We trusted her as we did not know what to eat. She brought out the Mini Rice Pancakes. It has a bit of coconut cream mixed with ground pork. It was our FAVORITE item on the menu. Mixed together with the peanut sauce, you end up wanting to eat 20 of them in one sitting. I had the pork chop and eggs because I'm 70 years old and scared of change. The chops were cooked perfectly and mixed well with the eggs. Shannon kept our drinks refilled the entire time and was as sweet as our Mango Sticky Rice dessert! Next time I come I'm gonna get her. And her little dog too!! (Assuming she has a dog) Will be back! read more

I wanted to like this place, like everything in Lamar Union, but they all seem to fail. This place: marketing and price point are what they need to work on. Marketing: the only reason I know about this place is because I go to Alamo regularly. Is the food good- yes. Is it pricey- yes. In Austin, there is a plethora of upscale Asian food, however this one does not feel or taste like that. We showed up during what was happy hour time online. Sit down and I ask for HH menu, the bartender tells me it's not HH and that their website is probably wrong. Fine, we're just here for appetizers anyway. What we ordered was good, especially the rice pie. I don't know if I'd go back when there are better options for the price, but if you can figure out when their HH is, I bet it's a good deal read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Tofu spring roll and rice pie - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

I've been to this neighborhood Vietnamese restaurant a number of times in the last year plus. While all the food is actually great and they make honest/simple cocktails when serving drinks, I have to say, the entire reason I wrote this review was for their unique take on ceviche. The flavor-pairing of the lite citrus-ginger juice along with the fair portion of cucumber and meat is now one of my "treat" orders after a long day. The owners take a lot of pride in what they do and I've yet to meet a person who feels differently about this establishment. If you've never been, any app, or entree will have you telling all your friends they have to go there. read more

Took my family to Mandala Kitchen and Bar for my wife's birthday. The waiter went above and beyond in taking great care of us! Food and Cocktails were all great! ! Great experience all around! Thanks read more

The food was expensive and underwhelming. Too much soy sauce, service was decent. Yelp reviews that led us there were not inline with our experience. read more

Well that was disappointing... We decided to go there for lunch as part of Austin Restaurant Weeks. The website promised a nice sounding three course meal for $20. When we arrived and sat down we were told they were no longer offering the restaurant week menu. That was pretty disappointing, given we had driven from up North to come here especially. If this menu is being advertised you should really honor it. It's just good business practice. We decided we would stay anyway and try the place out. We didn't want to get up and drag our hungry 20 month old somewhere else. We both ordered the Tom-Yum which is one of our favorites. The soup was mediocre and overpriced. There was about ten small pieces of chicken and maybe two or three thinly sliced mushrooms and tomatoes in a big bowl of soup. The flavor itself was one note - citrusy. Tom-Yum soup is undeniably meant to be citrusy, but it's also meant to have notes of sour and hot like all good Thai food. We finished off with the mango sticky rice which was somehow bland - how do you make mango bland! Between the mediocre, overpriced food and the fact they didn't honor the deal we came there for - we definitely won't be returning here. read more

I was a little skeptical of a $16 bowl of Pho, but this delivers. Not so heavy on spices but has a really deep, deep beef flavor. Delicious. The Thai chilis bring a nice heat. I wished I had asked for more of those and more onion. The brisket and steak were great. Overall, a very good bowl of Pho. And perhaps the most filling I have had. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Pho '84 - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

Food: 12/10 would recommend. The curry mussels and Thai pancakes are not to be missed. We also got the Cajun rice, chicken pad Thai, chicken wings, spring rolls, and dumplings. Everything was delicious, but don't mis the first two I mentioned. Service: 9/10 they were overwhelmed by ACL spillover with just two people but did not miss a single food or drink order (in fact comped us these delicious Thai pancakes for our patience). The staff were very well composed despite the chaos. Drinks: 10/10 ordered old fashioneds but the bartender made them to perfection. Perfect balance of spirit, simple syrup, and bitters. They used maraschino cherries and an orange peels like (1 - a boss, 2 - veterans). read more

This is an amazing new place in Austin for Thai food. The ambience is great and the Tom-yum soup even better. The staff is super sweet and helpful. Probably the best place to get Thai food in Austin if you're not doing a food truck. read more

Went to Mandala during a visit for Thanksgiving and loved this place. The food is super delicious and our waiter were very accommodating. I ordered the Cajun fried rice with 4 extra eggs and loved it read more

Excellent!! Service is fantastic. Clam ceviche was unique and delicious. Green curry is phenomenal. Drinks are top notch. read more

The Yellow Curry is very good (the medium is spicy!) Rojelio, my waiter, was great and very helpful Will definitely be going back! read more

Not bad. Service was okay. Drinks were okay. Food was okay. Reasonably priced. Had a good time.

Working in the area and wanted some good Thai, Yelp to the rescue! This place did not disappoint! Pad Thai level 2 was just right. The spring rolls were outstanding as well! Nice atmosphere and friendly staff. I would definitely recommend this place! read more