Super yummy! In from NYC and was craving some Thai. The server was lovely, she told me her favorite I ordered it and it was amazing. A super flavorful chicken curry. Thank you for some yummy food at the end of my day. Come try it as a NYC foodie it's great. read more

Delicious food and great service! Every dish was flavorful and had a good amount of spice to it. The pad kee mao was our favorite, but all of the dishes we ordered were delicious! Will definitely be back! read more

everything i've ordered from here has been solid, but the standouts are: - the banh khot appetizer. it's a unique little app that's great for sharing. afaik this is the only place in austin that serves it. - chicken wings. comes with 3 but it's both the drum and wing so be conscious of that because it's very filling. nice and crispy but light batter. - cajun fried rice - made with proper technique for fried rice, i think, and very generous on the crawfish! great wok flavor. - pad see ew - had great wok hei/smokey flavor - crispy rice pancake - i eat a lot of vietnamese food but wasn't familiar with this dish. everyone at the table loved it! while the food is delicious, i also really appreciate the location and aesthetic. i love that mandala is housed in a corner unit with a storefront that opens up like a warehouse door--it makes for a very cool bar seating area and dining experience in the evening, right in the heart of s lamar. now, i've seen some gripes about the price and to those folks i say... bear in mind where you are, because the rent here is insane :) read more

Love this place for two reasons - their Vietnamese/Thai food is yummy AND they have clearly labeled gluten-free options! For someone with celiac's, to find an Asian restaurant that nicely labels everything is such a Godsend! I've had their red curry, their rice cakes, and their cajun fried rice. All were delicious. My only complaint is that the rice I received with their curry was a little mushy, but other than that I will look forward to coming back again. read more

Had an excellent visit to this sola location! We had Tiffany as our waitress and she was very knowledgeable about the drinks and food menu and has a great personality to boot! Had a great evening - a few shots, some wine, whole crispy snapper, curry, noodles, lotus salad and birthday chocolate tower. What a fun nite, what a great find! Well worth the visit. Thanks Tiff, you are one great lady! read more

Fun restaurant with some different takes on Thai-Asian cuisine. I had the Cajun fried rice, very good but a little pricey. Bar looked fun, looks like a neighborhood hang out read more

Ordered takeout so didn't get the full experience, but would have to say that the Pad Thai was some of the best I've ever had. Perfectly complimented by a squeeze of lime -- just the way true Thai lovers like it. $16 for Pad Thai seems kind of pricey but one order can easily feed two. Will be returning! read more

We tried Mandala Kitchen & Bar out while waiting to go see a movie. The atmosphere was great (not too loud) and impeccably clean. Staff was friendly, neat, and very knowledgeable. The food was FANTASTIC! I'd suggest ordering their chicken wings as an appetizer, taro root salad, Pad Thai (for the less adventurous eater), Pho was phenomenal, Beef stew dish (I forget the name) was unforgettable. I can't say enough good things about it. We will definitely return! read more

This gem is fantastic to regulars and very welcoming to people new to the area. Good Japanese whiskeys and fantastic soups. The glass noodle salad is especially good and the mango sticky rice was excellent. Usually no wait, and Taylor or Carmen are wonderful. Food is excellent quality for the price, and the menu is diverse enough to warrant multiple visits. Highly recommend. read more

We ordered the pad thai and dumplings and they were so good! the portions were large and the taste was amazing. Would highly recommend to any Thai food fans. read more

The food wasn't the worst except the PAD THAI which was inedible. The pad Thai tasted like unwashed genitals, seriously. Not even being funny. When I gave the noodles back immediately, I asked to get it removed from the bill. The servers said yes, and the manager was extremely rude, not accommodating, not even saying no just keeping it on the bill. After noticing weird glances from the angry lady at the bar I realized the manager, named Kay, had been gossiping to a customer about our problem and not even discussing it with us. After I approached her, she became loud and aggressive and the customer began shouting at us that it wasn't a barter system. Why is this customer recruited into our dining service? Weirdest dining experience ever!!!! This was like a Dick's experience except I didn't sign up for this awful treatment. I can only laugh now because it was that RIDICULOUS!! The restaurant was E M P TY so I'm sure many ppl are already aware. I do not recommend signing up for this experience, I definitely will not be. read more

Pho was good. Curry was good. Rice Pancakes were amazing and unlike anything I've ever eaten.

This is our new favorite Asian restaurant in town. We're obsessed with the mini pancakes, such great flavor with the juxtaposition of the savory sausage and the sweet coconut sauce. We can't get enough! Our new favorite entree is the Vietnamese fried rice. We typically split it as it's a large portion and we add their chili oil for a little added spice. It's just such a good classic dish and it's consistently spot on. The service is always great and the owner seems like a really nice, genuine guy who you'll see around every once in a while. We're glad to have this restaurant in the neighborhood! read more

Came here tonight with my boyfriend and was blown away. Service was amazing (hi, Rowdy!), the Tom-Yum soup was some of the best I've had, and we throughly enjoyed our curry dishes. Excited to come back and try the Pho and have a cocktail! read more

Came here after seeing a photo of their version of banh khot (mini rice pancakes) on a friends Instagram post. I love banh khot and so had to give it a try. Also really intrigued by the viet Cajun crawfish but unfortunately we visited when crawfish was out of season. We ordered the mini rice pancakes, crispy rice pie, egg rolls, shaken ribeye. I'm always a bit weary of fusion places but the food was actually really good. I wanted to give marks against the veggie stir fry that came with the shaken beef (it's usually served with watercress salad) but the veggies were actually really good. The mini rice pancakes were good with a bit of coconut cream drizzled on top which was an unexpected and yummy surprise. I commend them for putting cha bong (dried pork thread) on the crispy rice pancake because I wasn't sure how a non-Asian crowd would receive that. It was very tasty and crunchy. The shaken beef was good, but we made the mistake of ordering it a bit rare (this dish cannot be over cooked so I asked for medium rare. I think the default medium would've been better). We also ordered the frose and Vietnamese iced coffee which were great on a hot day. Finished off with the mango sticky rice which was excellent. My only complaint was that service was a bit slow and our lunch took 2 hours. read more

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Ordered the crawfish fried rice which I've never seen on a menu before. It was good but extremely rich and oily. Restaurant seemed understaffed and service was subpar read more

I love the basil fried rice (with shrimp!) and the black mussels curry- delicious! Friendly staff, good bar selection, cute outdoor bar and patio area, and relaxed atmosphere. read more

Cute new little place that I heard about from a friend. They are still in their soft opening but so far I think the place is great! Location is easy to find, there is free garage parking in the back for those worried about parking when eating on somewhere south lamar. Food was well prepared. Crawfish are a must try. read more

Amazing foods. The rice pie dish was delicious also was the lotus shrimp salad. Never disappointed... will comeback again for sure. Staffs were nice and friendly. Thank you for a great experience .. read more

Fantastic in every way. Great location, great service, but best of all - the food. It was Epic. Fresh ingredients, properly spiced, and amazing flavor. We will be back. read more

Great food and great service! Order the pancakes for appetizers or the 5 spice beef. Two of my favorites. If you're looking for good crawfish, go here when in season. read more

I had the Cajun Fried Rice for lunch. It was muy excellent and a very ample quantity.

We've now eaten here 3 times in the past week. I'm surprised by the recent review saying that Austin has a lot of great Thai food. There are three other Thai restaurants in the area - Krua, Sway, and Thai Fresh. Krua and Thai Fresh don't come close. Sway is just a different thing - if you want community seating with innovative smallish plates, yes Sway is where to go. If you want a large plate of curry or noodles, quick, attentive service, and a good ambiance Mandala can't be beat around here. read more

Best crawfish I have ever had hands down. This restaurant is for spice lovers. Highly recommend the chef special fish. Exceptional Thai tea and commodious decor. Definitely coming back. The pancakes were a nice starter as well read more

Not the place for a quick lunch. Food was good but service was SLOW. Ordered Tom yum soup and it took half an hour. Coffee was amazing. Not sure I would come back unless I had a few hours to kill. read more

Short version: strong drinks, friendly and attentive staff, good Viet fried rice/red curry/crawfish. Convenient area to be in with free and valet parking. You can definitely find better Thai curry and Vietnamese fried rice in Austin for the price range though. Long version: I went on a Friday night with a friend, and we got two orders of the crawfish (total of 4 pounds), which came with two corn, two potatoes, a lot of sausage, and just a few mushrooms. The flavor was "Viet-Cajun," which it mildly was. It was good for Austin, but don't expect an explosion of flavor that you would expect at other Asian Cajun places outside of Austin. We also didn't think it was spicy (it comes standard and you don't specify level of spiciness like other places), but a friendly manager who checked in on us let us know that he usually makes it spicier for himself, and that we can request that next time. Having an affinity for crawfish, and eating it often, I can usually tell when a place does four pounds of pure crawfish and then add-ons vs. four pounds of crawfish and add-ons combined--Mandala's seems to do the latter, which left us hungry still, so we got an order of Vietnamese Fried Rice with chicken and the Red Curry to go. The Vietnamese Fried Rice is reminiscent of my mother's, and the chicken was nice and tender. The red curry, which was supposed to be the spiciest of the curries, wasn't spicy but did taste good otherwise. Our server, Taylor, was extremely attentive and also ran through the drink menu for us verbally (don't think they have a physical drink menu as they're still in their soft opening). We got a couple of their house margaritas, and they definitely didn't skimp on the alcohol. Overall, it was good, and I wouldn't hesitate coming back whenever I'm in the area, especially since they have both crawfish and Asian food under one roof. However, their price range, especially considering other Thai and Viet places/ food trucks in Austin, is a bit high for the quality and taste, so if you're craving just one specific dish, perhaps look elsewhere. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar - Four pounds (two orders) of the crawfish - Thai Near Me - Austin, Texas

Absolutely love this place!! The food is delicious and authentic, reasonably priced and a great ambience! Me and my gf especially love the owner Deng! He comes and chats with us every time we are in! read more

Amazing service and very delicious food! We ordered the black mussels curry, chicken wings, Vietnamese fried rice, crispy rice pancake, and the mango sticky rice - all were incredibly delicious and the portions were very generous. read more

Mandala Kitchen & Bar has great quality of food, good service, and nice ambiance. It is located in Lamar Union where young professional people hang out. Great place to meet and dinning with friends. My favorite dishes there are Banh Khot and the black mussel curry. If you are looking to pay only $5 for a plate of fried rice, or $4 for a plate of curry, then this place is not for you. Even a hot dog cost more than that in Lamar Union. read more

Mandala is my new go-to spot for Thai and Vietnamese inspired cuisine and drinks! This place has a great atmosphere. The menu offers a fresh take on traditional entrees and service was excellent. We ordered the tom yum soup (you can choose your level of spice), pad kee mao and the chef's special fish entree. Our food was beautifully presented and tasted great. The portions were quite generous, too - plenty for sharing. Mandala also has a full bar. I LOVE their frozen margarita! read more

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

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Delicious food and great service. The fried rice is really something else! I recommend adding basil to everything.

I wandered into this place by accident during their soft opening on Easter. The weather was perfect for patio dining, or even better, for dining at the airy open bar with the giant open window. Again, the was a soft opening, and Easter, so the options were limited, and they didn't have a liquor license, yet. But the bartender gave me a complimentary mimosa. I ordered the Mama Phuong's egg rolls for$8. Ok. They were delicious, hot, crispy, savory, and satisfying. The chili sauce was pleasantly sweet and satisfyingly hot, with just the perfect bit of bite. I will return. read more

I'm puzzled by all the great reviews. I've been eating Thai food for over 40 years and the curry I just bought is the worst I've ever had. I was starving and couldn't choke down half of it. Maybe curry isn't their thing. It had an absurd amount of sugar and salt in it, turning what might have been a good meal into something disgusting and inedible. And to add insult to injury, the online menu stated the dish comes with a side of white rice, when it actually came with a greasy fried cake that supposedly contained rice. Awful. read more

Very delicious food. I highly suggest the muscles in curry sauce as well as the Pad Kee Mao. I'll be going back soon.

Great food and service! We particularly enjoyed the 5 spices stewed beef dish. The beef was tender and the egg noodles were delicious. Will be back for more! read more

We ate dinner here after seeing a movie at the Alamo Drafthouse (since their food quality has seriously dwindled over the years -- but I guess that is for another review). Anyways, this place is fantastic! I loved the Tom Yum soup, and the red curry is up there with the best curries I've ever had (if not the best!). Our service was also really great -- our waitress Taylor was very attentive and sweet. And finally, it's a casual but hip atmosphere. They weren't very busy for a Saturday night, but they're also new, so hopefully business picks up. We will definitely be back! read more

Fantastic food. The clam ceviche and shaken ribeye are both bomb. Everything I have ever gotten including the soups are fantastic.

Servers are great, food is good, nice open patio, FREE PARKING, and no waiting to get seating on a Saturday night in the middle of South Lamar! read more

Delicious Thai food and nice views from the patio. Noodles and red curry are delicious, get chili sauce on the side it's soo good! Customer service is also excellent. Highly recommended! read more

This place is the cutest. Amazing chicken curry and ribeye. My main thing about eating out is always the service. Carmen was absolutely wonderful. So sweet and such a hard worker! Will be looking forward to coming back soon! read more