I really enjoy coming here, especially on weekends for their thali and dosa. The flavors really stand out--you can genuinely taste the depth of South Indian cuisine, which is something that's not always easy to find. Everything feels well-seasoned and thoughtfully prepared, and the variety in the thali makes it a very satisfying meal. The dosa is also consistently good--crispy, fresh, and paired with flavorful sides that complete the experience. Overall, it's a great spot when you're craving authentic South Indian food, and it's definitely a place I keep coming back to. read more

Mantra - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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We had a very disappointing experience today. We waited nearly an hour for our food, while another family who arrived before us was served and had already left. When we finally asked about our order, we were told it had been accidentally canceled and had to be placed again--something that should have been communicated much earlier. To make matters worse, basic service was lacking. Cutlery wasn't provided initially, and when we requested it, the new staff member didn't respond or acknowledge us. Overall, the new team (with the exception of the front desk staff) seemed untrained and inattentive. When we asked for the manager's contact to raise a complaint, we were simply handed a piece of paper and a pen to write comments--no contact details, no proper escalation process. We were told they had run out of contact cards, and even when we asked directly for a phone number, it wasn't provided. The service here used to be much better with the previous staff. It's disappointing to see such a decline. This is a nice restaurant with a good reputation--management needs to pay attention before poor service starts damaging its name. read more

What an amazing find. As an omnivore I had my doubts about eating at a vegetarian restaurant. But my friend convinced me to try this place out and I'm so happy that I did. Situated in a strip mall next to Safeway, Mantra has a modern relaxed ambiance with booth seating. Everything looked good on the menu. We tried: * Black pepper cauliflower fry - Like pakoras but with more pepper flavor. These were delish! * Chana bhatura - Honestly the best bhatura bread I have tasted. Not too oily with lots of bite. The chana masala had just the right amount of spice. * Soya Chaap Tikka Dum Biryani - Biryani rice with soy pieces, not tofu. This one was good, not my favorite. * Sabudana Vada - With tapioca pearls, this reminded me of a McD's hash brown. (Don't judge.) * Railway Peppers - Banana Peppers, Onion, Yogurt, Mint, Tamarind. The flavors surprisingly blended well together. Service was attentive and they were kind enough to keep my phone since I forgot it! I can't want to come back here. The dishes sound amazing and I especially want to try their dosas. read more

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First time and have been wanting to check out this vegan/vegetarian restaurant. It was almost overwhelming with the options for vegans (a lot of the vegetarian dishes could be modified vegan). Tried an assortment of dishes with our group and each option was delicious!!! Service was great, food tasty and I'll definitely be going back! read more

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I like the big open space, lots of open seating. Great customer service, very polite. Water upon sitting without requesting. Large portions, delicious, fresh, amazing flavors, and dipping sauces. I'd have to say, this has to have been one of my favorite Indian restaurants yet. I'd love to come back and try more. The only advice I'd offer, is providing images of food items on menu, for those not familiar with names. Sometimes images can remedy that. read more

Mantra - Spicy Indian Cucumber Salad Cream Of Mushroom Soup Chana Bhatura Dal Makhani Veg Fried Rice - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

I decided to order via DoorDash. The food came quickly, and it was still hot. I ordered the beetroot salad, an extra dose of masala, and for my bread, I ordered a chapati, and a kerala porota, which was like a layered flatbread. I loved the beetroot salad. You could definitely taste the beets. I'm not sure how it was seasoned, but you could definitely taste the Indian spices without it being too spicy. It had just a little bit of a spice to it, enough that I noticed that it was there. I put some of it inside the chapati for like an Indian taco, and it was absolutely excellent! The second bread, the Kerala was also very good. The layering of the bread made it kind of fluffy. I did the same thing with this spread and the dosa masala. However, for me, the dosa was kind of a letdown. It was basically mashed potatoes with some Indian spices. For me, I could taste a little bit of the Indian flavor, and it was just a little bit spicy, but not very much of the Indian flavor was coming through. To me, I felt it was underseasoned. The rest of the menu looks great, I want to come in and try more items, but I will stay away from the dosa next time. Thank you. read more

Mantra - To me, the potatoes were underseasoned - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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We arrived at a time when it was extremely busy. We waited for about 10 minutes before being seated. The waitress apologized and made sure we were taken care of. The food was excellent and service was great too. One of our orders was wrong, they came to table apologized, brought the right dish and comped it as well. We ordered aoya chaap, hakka noodles and masala dosa. Everything was excellent . We loved the sambar and chutneys- very fresh and taste was on point. Kudos to the waitress who served with a beautiful smile even when she was stressed read more

Great quick and easy dinner spot! Loved by kids and adults alike. Friendly staff, clean and modern dining area. We ordered a few items and asked for a suggestion on another dish. The food was beautiful and delicious! Will be back. read more

Food is good. Service is half ass by some people. Karthik service is very good, but Mariam on the other hand rolls your eyes at you and expects you to pass the food down the table. She has an attitude problem and not good listening skills. read more

Quiet place and very good quality food. We ate plain dosa. It's amazing good. All of the sauces are great taste. If you like Dosa, must try. read more

Mantra - Plain Dosa - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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First time dining at Mantra, we were seated promptly with menus and water, looked at the menu in detail we knew we wanted paneer and chana. Ordered Chana masala, Paneer butter masala, Kerala porotta And Samosas. Everything was delicious! The tamarind chutney with our samosas was amazing, well balanced in flavor and texture. One of the best porotta's we have had! I was looking for a flavorful but mild chana masala and this one is in my top 3 favorites I've had ever, my other top 2 are homemade. The paneer was also very good! Will definitely be coming back, and next time I will order the same and add a mango lassi! Thank you for having instrumental music in the background. read more

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Food was amazing. Service was spectacular, polite, and informative. Also a great atmosphere in the restaurant. So many items on the menu that I'll most definitely come again to try new things. read more

What a Gem!!! Decor is refreshing with beautiful face portraits of people on the wall. We ordered the following items but they'll never loose points for anything as the service was peaceful and graceful. There seems to be one guy youngish who walked around to make sure things were in order and he was very calm and peaceful. 1) Palak Paneer - oh bapre this was so delicious everyone at the table loved it. Idk if it has cinnamon added to it or not, but the warming spices touched my heart. Definitely get this if you are considering it. 2) Paneer Tikka Dosa - paneer and dosa, since I ate this after the palak paneer I didn't taste any flavors but the sambhar and chutneys prolly made the dish good. 3) Chana Batura - the chhole was nice ans well cooked (no hard crunchy chhole). This dish came with a cut mango pickle which tastes so much like something we make at home and I love loved that. 4) Idli: standard sambhar with 3 very large idlis. Their complimentary chai is outstanding: Cardamom, clove, cinnamon, lemon juice and honey! Bapre I love this place!!! read more

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Went to Mantra as a group of 5 on a Friday night around 8:30pm. There is lots of parking and we were quickly seated in a booth with an extra chair on the side. The booth comfortably sits 4 people, but it was a bit tight for 5 people so we asked if we could move to party room area in the back of the restaurant where there are bigger tables. However, the waitress said the back tables are limited to groups with 6+ people even though there were empty tables so we managed with our booth. Ambiance of the restaurant is nice and there are interesting paintings/portraits on the walls. We ordered one Gobi Manchurian to share, one mango lassi, two Chapathis, one Mughlai Kofta, one Paneer Butter Masala, one Paneer Paratha, one Kanchipuram Masala Dosa, and one Andhra Kara Dosa. We were not allowed to substitute the rice that the curries come with for chapati so we decided to order two. Gobi Manchurian (4.5/5): Came out warm and crispy. Tasted delicious! Could have been spicier and it would have been nice if it came with a sauce but this was a good way to start off dinner. Mango Lassi (4/5): Good, standard lassi. Can't go wrong with this. Would have liked for there to be more cardamom in the lassi. Chapathi (3/5): Tasted devvent but it was not as soft as I was expecting. Considering the chapathi was $3, I expected a big portion size but it was regular size. Price is a bit steep Mughlai Kofta (3/5): We requested for max spiciness but it actually tasted rather sweet. Wished there were some nuts to add texture. I liked the creaminess of it. Paneer Butter Masala (3/5): Essentially same gravy as the Mughlai Kofta gravy, main difference is paneer. Kanchipuram Masala Dosa (3/5): Presentation was great. We had never seen a dosa come in a funnel shape in a bowl. However, the dosa, potato inside, and the sambar it came with tasted bland and could have been spicier. The chutneys were also could have used a little more seasoning. Andhra Kara Dosa (3/5): Standard dosa presentation but taste wise same to the Kanchipuram dosa. Paneer Paratha (3/5): Could have used more salt and spice. We liked the sabudhana raitha it came with, it tasted fresh Overall, while we appreciated the ambiance and enjoyed the Gobi Manchurian and lassi, we felt the other meals lacked seasoning. The portion sizes seemed a bit small for the price. Our seating arrangement was also a bit tight for a group of 5. I am unsure if I would return read more

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What a wonderful Folsom find! Don't let its placement in a Safeway strip mall turn you off, this place is amazing. Super clean, sleek and modern interior. Many tables (we scored a booth without even asking for it ~ loved that). Very quick and friendly service. Extensive menu with delightfully diverse offerings. Since this was our first time going, we both opted for the Thali plate, which is seemingly offered daily with a sampling of small portions of many different things. Just delicious! Really satisfying meal and all vegetarian options. I will most definitely be back again, likely very soon. I want to try all the things! read more

Mantra - Friday Thali ~ lunch sampler - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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This place is very professional, we really enjoy the consistency and quality of the food. It is clean and the service is great. Prince is usually there the days we go, and always is very cheerful and helpful. Great vegetarian place and just overall the business is run well. We are regulars! Try the Rava dosa and the kofta dish!! I wish they had naan, but they have Kerala porotta so that's good! Great place!! read more

I have been here 3 times recently, loved the food here so much. Very fresh and delicious, and one doesn't feel bloated or too full as one feels often after eating restaurant food. Their bhatura has great texture. Railway peppers had such a unique flavor and texture combination. Cauliflower black pepper fry was perfect with great black pepper flavor not overpowered by garlic or other spices. Benne dosa is buttery, crispy and fabulous! Still want to try many things on their menu. read more

I have been to Mantra a few times with my colleagues for lunch. It is a vegetarian only restaurant. Usually we order the lunch thali which comes with 3 dishes and a side of rice and roti. Food is good especially for vegetarians read more

This place is a total disappointment. From the staff to the food and service. I don't think I'll ever return and place is no longer busy.

First time trying dosas! Our waiter was amazing answering all of our questions as we tried to figure out what to order. I ordered the Bangalore Bene Masala Dosa. I can't remember the name of the other dosa, but I liked the Bangalore Bene Masala Dosa better anyway. It was so good! It's like a light crepe with a delicious potato masala filing. It looks small but wow I was surprised at how stuffed I was with one plus the little side/sauces that come with it. We also ordered the cauliflower Gobi Manchurian. Flavor was legit but it was so spicy. I liked it even though my mouth was on fire lol. Next time I'll ask if it can be made mild. Great experience trying something new expanding my Indian food palate! I ended up ordering take out of the same dosa again soon after! read more

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Great service and great tasting food. We stopped here for lunch on our way to Tahoe and had the Thali, DBSP, Baby Corn Manchurian (perfectly balanced crispness and indo-Chinese sauces), Paneer Butter Masala, Chana Bhatura and Biryani/Parotta Combo. Everything was exceptional (in the mild side by request). I tried the Soya Chaap Biryani and it was amazingly good! Very Happy with this Indian Vegetarian restaurant with good variety of North and South dishes on their menu. We will definitely be back! read more

One of our favorite South Indian restaurants. They have a clearly marked menu for dietary preferences (gluten, vegan) and they are very accommodating. On New Year's Day we came in for their special Thali and they were able to make it vegan for us. They always have a good variety of foods to try. The staff is friendly and the food comes out quickly. It is a proper sit down restaurant. read more

Mantra - Vegan dessert - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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Delicious vegetarian Indian Cuisine. I highly recommend the Butter Paneer and Mysore Masala Dosa. Also tried the Black Pepper Cauliflower dish and Poori. Very nice and clean restaurant with friendly staff. read more

Mantra - Butter Paneer, rice and Poori - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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Amazing quality dosa - easily comparable to the Bay Area! Personal favorites are the Onion Chili Rava Dosa and Kanjipuram Dosa! Also the vegetable biryani is one of the best in Folsom! Highly recommend coming here. It's my family's favorite South Indian place in the Sacramento area. read more

The key to my heart is good South Indian food! Mantra recently opened a month ago and I've been meaning to try this gem of a place! My family and I went last night and truly madly deeply fell in love. We were seated promptly, no wait needed. My kids love cheese dosa- so we ordered from their kids menu! For my husband and I we ordered the samosa chaat special - truly delicious! I also ordered the paneer tikka salad. Very flavorful and each bit was splendid. Quite refreshing too! For our main course- my husband and I ordered the mini tiffin! Loved it. Really enjoyed the Sambar, the mini dosa and idly. I loved each and every moment - cannot wait to come back and try more off their menu. I told my husband I would like to come here for my Mothers Day dinner and he must oblige. If you check in on Yelp app- you also get the mango lassi drink for free- just show the waitress or waiter! Love this new spot and truly recommend it family and friends! read more

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Love this place!!! Beautiful restaurant and ambiance! My family of 4 visited 12/13 and we all really enjoyed our meal. We ordered the black pepper cauliflower, vegetable pakora, potato and ghee dosa, tofu masala, and the onion tomato chili uttapam. We are obsessed with the cauliflower and the uttapam. Everything was so delicious and the portions were a good size. Everything tasted fresh and they had so many great vegan options. We will definitely visit again. read more

This place was quiet when we got in around 11:30 on a Thursday morning. We ordered a mini tiffin, cheese dosa, masala dosa and a cone dosa. Love the chutneys the came with the dosas. They were not too spicy so the kids devoured them. The plain cone dosa was crispy! They also served food in real dishes!!! This is my new favorite place. I will happily return to try the chocolate dosa next time. read more

Mantra - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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Hands-down some of best Indian food in the Sacramento region. Better yet the best plant based restaraunt I've ever been to. I am not a vegetarian, but the couple that joined us are, and they couldn't believe how fresh and flavorful the food was. Our Server "Prince" was kind, courteous, and offered suggestions to accommodate our variety of preferences. We get like VIP's, and all left completely full and satisfied. Can't wait till our next visit. Highly recommended! I give this five stars with confidence. read more

The food was good but not great. We ordered a Thali, Idiyappam with paya, soy chaps, masala hotdog, dabeli, coffee and tea. Dabeli - we got it togo, it was very good Idiyappam - Nice quantity and very clean food Soy chaps - a little disappointed by deep fry Masala hotdog - panner hot dog, it was good Thali - Tasty curries, but very less rice, we couldn't use up the curries. So serve better quantity for rice, and basmati rice was not a good candidate. coffee and tea - very normal, i would expect them to do better, because in the past their one of their soft drinks mango chilli lemonade, was excellent. Service was very good. They even served us the dessert after they closed the kitchen. Thank you The bathroom doesn't have changing stations. Even though restaurants are required to, it is a good if you be more accomodating. They also give styrofoam for togo which doesn't reflect good on the quality side. read more

Looks like they cannot handle more than 10 people. Very slow service. Food, not great quality, comes late and in different sequence (starters came last, had to cancel). Skip it. read more

Mantra - Kothu Porotta - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

Food: ordered the porotta with salna and biryani combo. Excellent, flavorful food. Very reasonable. Everything on the plate was made perfectly to suit the palate. Service: the server went above and beyond to answer all our questions and meet our needs including bringing our toddlers food sooner than later. Highly recommend this restaurant. We have been here many times and I always look forward to trying something new on their menu. read more

What a delight. Great food. Great service. We tried a variety of dishes to get a feel for their vegan choices. We ate indoors which doesn't happen often being dog owners. The staff were so helpful letting us know what was vegan. Also very helpful with info on how to lower the oil and salt in dishes we liked. Look forward to eating here again. read more

Absolutely delicious and truly authentic ! Lots of options. We went two times in one week.

Delicious food! Have a good mix of north and South Indian food and all of it was excellent. Tried some of my friend's thali which was huge and an amazing deal, and loved my Kanjipuram masala dosa which was crisp but still soft enough to soak up the delicious chutneys and sambar. Also got a free mango lassi with yelp check in - quite sweet but refreshing and delicious. Definitely recommend if you're in the area! read more

Mantra - Kanjipuram Masala Dosa - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

Mantra offers welcoming atmosphere complemented by an impressive selection of vegetarian dishes. The service is warm and efficient, making it a wonderful spot for a relaxed meal. Like their instrumental music background! read more

Mantra, Folsom, CA - September 12, 2023 We were in the mood for something vegan at lunchtime on a Wednesday afternoon. We were headed in the direction of Folsom, so we did a search on Yelp and found Mantra. We were greeted at the front counter by a friendly hostess who promptly seated us at a booth, gave us menus, and brought us waters. The inside of the restaurant is comfortable and clean. There is a mixture of about 15 tables and booths. Painted portraits of beautiful Indian women adorn the walls. A large front window allows plenty of light to come in. They had a Yelp coupon for a free mango lassi thirst quencher, which my wife ordered. I got a Miami Melon thirst quencher. Both were delicious. We ordered a crispy veg burger with fries, samosa spiced potatoes, and a spicy Indian cucumber salad. The burger was made with a spiced potato patty, lettuce, tomato, onions, and mayo. The Samosa was a spice potato, onion, and peas. Two came on a plate. The cucumber salad included, diced spicy cucumber, peanut, cranberry, lettuce, and a citrus dressing. Everything was very tasty. The service was very good. They brought out each plate in stages so we could enjoy one at a time. Everything we tried was nut free and vegan. They have many other meals that are also gluten-free and dairy-free. read more

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This establishment is perfection. We've been looking this style Indian food for a hot minute now. We have struck gold. I mean pakora gold. Pakora fried to perfection, crispy and delicious masala dosa, and my husband could eat his weight in tomato chutney. The staff was so nice and knowledgeable. The manager stopped by our table to check on us. That little gesture was the cherry on top. Ambiance was lovely and decor was very tasteful. Every time we visit Folsom we can have amazing Vegan Indian food. read more

Mantra - Pakora (vegan) - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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It shocks me that this place has over 4 stars. If you are looking for Indian food in Folsom, there are many better alternatives. I ordered Methi Mutter Malai with a $4 side of Paratha. Someone else at the table ordered a different curry with a $3 side of Chapati. They gave us a single plate with 1 small Chapati and 1 small Paratha. That's $7 for two pieces... certainly not enough to eat 2 curry's with. To top it off the food wasn't great and they never came by to refill the water. If you are looking for Indian food, try Ruchi, Dasara, or Chennai Bamboo Garden. They all wipe the floor with this place. read more

Highly recommend this place for anyone looking for a great Indian food and vegan spread. All vegan items are clearly marked and if you say you're vegan they take extra care to make sure there's no cross contamination while preparing the dishes. I had sabudana vadas, noodles, and baby corn manchurian. They were all super flavorful- the noodles were super spicy which I love. read more

Mantra - Szechuan noodles with manchurian sauce - Indian Near Me - Folsom, California

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Dropped by on the way from Tahoe. Wonderful experience. We ordered south Indian fare, including Dosa, Idli, Vada, and a side of Pepper Cauliflower Fry. The food was fresh, and delicious. The Suleimani Chai at the end made it a perfect ending. Thank you for taking care of us with good food. :-) read more