I recently visited Mandi xpress in Irvine and was really impressed by the authentic Yemeni food and…read morebold flavors throughout the meal. We tried the Fish Mova ($24), Chicken Full Mandi, Beef Sabousa, cheese, hummus, and the fresh Yemeni bread made daily. Everything was flavorful and satisfying, and the bread was especially memorable. It came out warm and fresh, making it the perfect addition to the meal. If you're looking to try Yemeni cuisine in Orange County this is definitely worth a visit.

If you're craving Yemeni food and want something quick and satisfying, Mandi Xpress is definitely…read moreworth checking out. I ordered the chicken mandi, and while the rice wasn't quite as flavorful as I expected on its own, it really came to life with the house sauces. They added the perfect amount of flavor and brought the whole dish together. The chicken was the highlight for me. It was tender, juicy, and fell right off the bone, with crispy, well-seasoned skin that paired really well with the rice. The cheese sambosa was easily one of my favorite things I tried. It was perfectly crispy on the outside with warm, gooey cheese inside, and I'd absolutely order it again. We also had the fresh Yemeni bread, which came out warm and soft and was perfect for scooping up the chicken, rice, and sauces. The portions are generous, the service was quick, and it's a great spot when you're looking for a comforting halal Yemeni meal without a long wait. Overall, I'd definitely come back--especially for the chicken mandi, cheese sambosas, and those flavorful house sauces.

We had the buffet. It was all Super super super super tasty from the pani puris to hot nans and…read moremutton, fish, tandoori chicken etc

Came here in a rainy night and it was packed. We were hungry and ordered so much food and the…read moreflavors of everything just hit the spot. The chicken tikka masala was not anything spectacular as I have had better elsewhere. But it definitely hit the spot. The samosa and the paneer were stars as each bite produced additional flavors which continued to build on each other. I could just eat these two dishes forever. We tried the dosa and the goat. The dosa was perfectly crispy when it was hot. I personally didn't enjoy eating it as leftovers the next day. But I couldn't stop eating it and dipping it in all the curries and sauces when it was piping hot. The goat surprised me as I'm not a huge fan of lamb or goat. But the flavor profile and the spices made this a dish that was more flavorful than our usual go to tikka masala. Will definitely come here again and again.

Service is wonderful. This review is for a catering order…read more We ordered 20 butter chicken burritos (and they offered to turn the order into 40 mini burritos. Perfect!). The burritos individually wrapped and were the right size for the parents, though even at mild, the butter chicken was a little spicy to me. I asked about allergens, and the lady let me know that they were going nut free in a week and everything would no longer have nuts. The butter chicken does contain dairy in the form of queso. We also ordered a tray of the corn bhel (this was AMAZING) and mixed salad (in hindsight, probably not the best order for a bunch of four and five year olds). Both are dairy-free and nut-free. The food was delivered promptly to the venue exactly on time. I paid for the order via Zelle when I placed the order.

What did I just eat?…read more I'm genuinely confused after eating at Maast Indian in Irvine, because I don't know how something can look so promising on the outside and taste so disappointing on the inside. I was skeptical walking in, not gonna lie. The place wasn't exactly packed -- maybe three tables had people and there was one person waiting on an order -- but I figured hey, every new spot deserves a fair shot. The interior actually looks really nice. Clean, modern, good layout, good lighting... it feels like a place that should be delivering quality food. Then I ordered the Tandoori Chicken "Panini Sandwich". First of all... $15 for a sandwich like that is wild. And if you're going to charge $15, the food better be memorable in a good way. This was memorable in the worst way. The flavor was just off. The chicken didn't taste like tandoori should. It didn't have that smoky, spiced kick you expect -- it tasted bland and kind of weird, like the seasoning didn't know what it wanted to be. The whole sandwich felt thrown together, and the "panini" part didn't add anything except disappointment. And what really got me was the value. No fries. No chips. Nothing on the side. Just a sandwich. For $15. During lunch hours. That's crazy. For that same price, I can go to Curry Hut, Curry Time, or other grab-and-go Indian spots and get a full combo plate that actually fills you up and tastes like Indian food is supposed to taste. This wasn't even in the same league. This wasn't a "maybe I ordered the wrong thing" situation. This was a "how did this make it onto the menu" situation. I hate leaving negative reviews because I understand how hard it is to run a small business, and I'm not here to tear anyone down. But the food needs a serious reality check. The presentation and the space are great -- but the kitchen needs to match that same standard. If the owner sees this, I'd honestly love to talk. Feel free to reach out. And for anyone reading this: you know I don't throw out 1-star reviews like that. The only reason this isn't a 1 is because I genuinely don't want to hurt a small business. But this experience was not good.

Well, you have to order on a roughly organized touchscreen and they got my drink wrong, but this…read moreplace was absolutely delicious. Got the braised beef soup and a scallion pancake and both were solid and delicious. Not spicy, but very flavorful. Service was friendly, they gave out complimentary veggies which were quite nice. Not the most exciting decor or ambiance, but a pleasant place with excellent food.

Taibat Noodle House is known for their affordable hand made noodles. I came here for lunch with…read moreseven other people. When we arrived it was busy but no wait. The restaurant itself is small and casual but they had lots of tables and chairs. The lady working there was really nice and set up our tables and gave us waters right away. We decided to just share everything. They brought items out as soon as they were made. We tried several noodle dishes, one cabbage dish, and a few protein dishes. We ordered their popular Traditional Hand-pulled beef noodle soup and the Big Plate Chicken with Noodles dish they were known for. I wasn't a fan of the traditional hand pulled noodle soup but the big plate chicken with noodle dish was pretty good. Everyone's favorite noodle dish was the Stir-Fried Shanxi Knif-Cut Noodles though. It was super flavorful and delicious. For protein, my favorite was their orange chicken. We all found the Kung Pao chicken to be wayyyy to salty. It was edible with the stir fried cabbage though. The lady working there was really nice and made sure to bring us everything we needed. She also refilled our waters. The pricing of food is super affordable and portions were pretty large. We had some food left over and was able to to bring some home. The inside like I mentioned is very casual. They even had a to go section where you can pick up pre-made foods. There's payment through the kiosk or you can pay with the cashier. It was good experience for a casual lunch.

I can see why India Gate is rated so well. We were going to grab matcha next door but the smell of…read moreIndian spices overtook us, and what do you know, it happened to be lunch hour. They had Father's Day pricing which was $21.99 but usually I think it's a few dollars less. Either way, we'd come back. The food was hot, fresh, steaming and the area looked clean. Service was fantastic. They are consistent in refilling their dishes. Their garlic naan was so chewy and crispy, held our many dishes well. My recommendations are their butter chicken (must have), vegetable korma, paneer, and fish curry. The desserts were all good, from their mango pudding to gulab jumun and gajar ka halwa. The gajar is a blend of carrots slow cooked into water and milk, it's nice and light. Would recommend, better than some of the already tasty Indian buffets in the immediate area!

I live in the area and have driven past this place many, many times. It doesn't look that…read moreimpressive from the outside, the decor and ambiance is a bit spartan (but very clean). But don't let that put you off. Once you try the food you'll have a totally different opinion! We tried the all-you-can-eat lunchtime buffet as that always lets you sample a multitude of dishes at one time. Everything I tried was very tasty and seasoned appropriately for the western palate. In particular the goat curry was very tender, sometimes it tends to be a bit tough, but not here. The naan bread was also exceptional, fresh from the oven and to hot to pick up when delivered to the table. As we had the buffet it's hard to comment on the tableside service. What we saw was good though. As it's in an industrial area lunchtimes can be quite busy.

Absolutely love yellow chili. We frequent yellow chili often as their quality and flavors simply…read morecannot be matched by any other indian restaurant in the area. We order to go more ofter than we would like to admit and our go to are their lamb biryani and their papad. Phenomenal every single time, it is a staple in our household. While i will admit if you are ordering online, try to call before they deliver as we often have had issues missing raita or chutneys. Other than that the food quality is always great. When we are looking for a heavier meal then we like to go in and enjoy. You cannot go wrong with anything on the menu, it is all delicious and crafted to perfection. As a note, their happy hour portions are very small so i wouldn't really recommend for that especially if they are busy. For some reason the service is quicker if you order main dishes and non happy hour drinks during happy hour haha.

Food: The food at Yellow Chili was really good! We especially liked the methi paneer and pyaaz…read moremirch ki roti. The methi paneer was so flavorful and was generous with paneer with around eight pieces. The pyaaz mirch ki roti was unique and almost like a whole wheat naan with onions and chilis and chili powder on top! This was yummy to eat with gravy but also on its own! Our only feedback would be we wished there were a few more naan pieces, or the four quarters were a bit larger. Service: Our server was such a gem! She suggested such nice appetizers, mains, and drinks for us to try, and we liked both of her suggestions that we tried! She was also attentive and asked us how our food was and gave us two togo boxes, despite taking care of multiple tables at once. Truly her outgoing energy, smile, and suggestions made my night! Ambiance: The ambiance is gorgeous! Love the color combination with the peacock blue and darker yellow! Also there's a beautiful painting at the back with Indian men and women in the foreground and American landmarks in the background. There are also two bathrooms, and they were super clean. Lastly, there was generous seating inside and some tables outside as well! To be honest, this place is slightly pricier, and there is similar Indian food for a much lower price. However, if you want to order two to three dishes and want a wonderful dining experience, highly recommend!

DonerG is seriously one of my favorite spots. The food is always fresh, flavorful, and perfectly…read moreseasoned. The döner meat is tender and juicy, the sauces are amazing, and everything tastes high quality. You can tell they care about what they're serving. The portions are generous, the place is clean, and the staff is friendly and efficient. Whether you're getting a wrap, bowl, or plate, it hits every time. If you're craving something filling, fresh, and packed with flavor, DonerG is the move. Definitely coming back.

The Food: I ordered a Chicken Doner Wrap with everything and it was pretty good. It paired well…read morewith the garlic sauce they offer and I enjoyed it. *Edit: I preferred the Chicken over the Beef. Both were good but the chicken was impressive. The Service‍: The service was great and the workers were kind! The Ambience: Pretty standard on the ambience but it was great. Overall: A great establishment and I would recommend it to others.

Came here for date night and we were completely caught off guard in the best way. Burns Road is…read moredoing something genuinely different in Tustin: Pakistani street food meets American classics, and somehow every single thing we ordered worked. The smash burger is the move. Don't overthink it, just get it. We also had the mango burns wings (obsessed, but warning it's spicy), loaded fries, mango lassi, and ended on a dubai chai which is the right way to close out a meal like that. It felt like a warm hug. The menu looks a little unexpected at first glance but trust the concept, it delivers. All of our questions were answered and the recommendations were spot on. The patio at night has a great vibe, good ambient lighting, lively crowd that's not too big, and hookah. If you're in OC and you haven't been yet, this is a must-try.

Burns Road was a unique gem in a sea of sameness in the area. Food was tasty and we looked forward…read moreto returning. We returned yesterday to find that the menu has completely changed. Nearly all of the menu items that made the restaurant special (i.e. Kati rolls) had been replaced with subpar smash burgers and tacos. Extremely disappointing. Bizarre to completely change the menu. Unfortunately, we won't be returning.