I don't normally re-review places but this place deserves 5 stars. After our first visit in March, my boyfriend and I have come here at least 4-5 more times (keep in mind, it is now early April). The owner is absolutely one of the nicest owners I have ever met and he is willing to explain to you what exactly a lassi is. Plus, after making you a lassi, he won't throw away the remaining lassi that don't fit into a cup but actually give you a smaller cup to go too! The banana is still my favorite and I think you'll still find yourself in heaven. With the weather getting progressively warmer, a banana lassi WILL make your day. read more

After walking by this place no less than 20 times, a friend recommended that I try the place and I'm so glad I did! The food by itself would be enough to warrant 5 stars, but the owner, Hassan, really goes above and beyond to please his customers. I told him that I never had chaat before and it was also my first time to his restaurant. He gave me a brief history of chaat as well as reasons behind why it is so satisfying (texture, balance of flavors, each bite is different than the last.) He asked if I wanted vegetarian or not, spicy or mild, and then got to work. Honestly I was glad not to have to create something myself because there are so many options. Better to let the pro take over. Anyway, the end product was this tremendously satisfying mix of mangos, dried cranberries, figs, potatoes, mint sauce, chickpeas, a samosa, and several other ingredients I couldn't make out. It was all delicious! I also got a fig lassi and another couple got a mango lassi. He gave us some of their extra as well as our own extra. The lassi was also, not surprisingly, amazing. Bottom line: He won't charge you unless you think the food is amazing, and he absolutely deserves every penny. read more

I took my mother to mood cafe yesterday after seeing such great reviews on yelp, and we both really enjoyed our dining experience! Everything about it was a refreshing twist from the standard indian fare we are used to. We shared a chicken tikka salad chaat which was light, filling and delicious but there are so many other options that I need to explore. I've also never seen so many varieties of lassi (yogurt drink) ever. I grew up on mango lassis, but at Hassan's suggestion I ordered a rose lassi which was so good and memorable, I will definitely have to come back for more. My mother ordered a spicy mint lassi which was too spicy for me but my mother loved. Once it melted down though and it got a little less spicy, I took it away from her and downed the whole thing myself. Lastly and most importantly, the owner and his staff are wonderful to get to know and clearly appreciate their customers. Although mood cafe is a small place, it has a wonderful charm that makes it worth revisiting. I look forward to seeing some openings in NYC! (Hopefully, brooklyn :) ) read more

A very unique, yummy meal! Check out my full review with pictures below! :) http://goodyummyeats.wordpress.com/2013/08/18/mood-cafe-ecstasy-guaranteed/ read more

I used to live right next to Desi Chaat House and pretty much went there just for the grab-and-go mango lassi. If you're in the area, Mood Cafe is definitely the better out of the two. Depending on how busy they are, they will walk you through what exactly each chaat is (and what chaat is if you've never had it), and will make recommendations for whether you are craving something spicy, savory, sweet, etc. I've stuck to the lamb and beef chaats, but all of them are pretty tasty. Customer service definitely prevails on this one. read more

My sister brought me to Mood Cafe two weekends ago, and I was delightfully surprised. I spent most of my years in Philly going to Desi Chaat House, which is not too far from Mood Cafe. However, she insisted this was the new spot. We arrived right as they opened, and there was already a line. The owner was on the phone trying to fix the computer/credit card machine. He took our orders anyways, and let us eat outside without paying up front - it was very sweet to see a restaurant owner trust their clientele. I got the Punjabi Chaat, it was very delicious. I like that he uses larger chunks/crisps compared to Desi Chaat. It's larger chunks of mango, larger pieces of dried samosa, and the portion was perfect. He even let us take the bottle of chutney to add as we ate, whereas other places charge you extra. AND even better it tasted like my mom's chutney and hit very close to home. Loved it. I also tapped into my sisters Tandoori Chaat which was PHENOMENAL, the chicken was moist and very flavorful. I almost wish I could've had that alone. Well done! read more

Not that this place needs another 5 star review, but I have to say, the best value for the food I have ever gotten as far as I can remember. And the service you just can't put a price on. Hassan (I hope I am spelling his name right) was over the top. He took the time to explain the different menu options and finally made me something that was awesome. This joint takes "Chaat" to a whole different level compare to what I am custom to in DC Metro. Definitely will stop by again if I am around Philly area. read more

Mood Cafe - Chaat salad with beef keema - Cafes Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Love, love, love! My boyfriend introduced me to Hassan's place down the street, Desi Chaat House, and it was love at first bite! Then I came in and met Hassan, and he was so alluring and passionate about his chaat's that it just keeps getting better and better the more I experience his sweet, savory, delicious chaat! If you have no idea what chaat is, go in and tell Hassan, and just enjoy the show! His excitement and passion will lead you to the perfect meal for you! It's such an awesome experience, and nothing like anything else in Philly. I am in love and I'll shout it from the roof tops! Favorite Chaat at Mood: Vegetarian Mastana! Favorite Lassi at Mood: Guava with Almond Milk I will note though - if you like the samosa chaat at Mood, try it at Desi Chaat House too, cause that's the only one I still need to go down the street for! :) read more

Seriously an awesome place. Stopped in last weekend to try it out while I was waiting on laundry, and the owner was awesome. Made tons of suggestions, was patient while I decided (first time getting a lassi) what I wanted and even whipped up a few samples for me! Seriously a great guy and AWESOME lassis! If you stop in try the mango or rose+cardamom! read more

Wish I could give it more than 5 stars! We read about this place online, thought we'd give it a try and boy was this the best little gem we found! We tried the samosa chaat; which was delicious! It was one of the best chaats we have tried in the Tri-state area. Perfect amount of spice and it was authentic! We also tried a few flavors of lassi; mango, strawberry, mango papaya, and rose. All of them were so delicious! Their rose lassi is definitely a star and must have! Above all, the owner Hassan provided great company. Him and my dad even have the same name! Overall, amazing experience! read more

Mood Cafe - Samosa Chaats and Mango Lassi - Cafes Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

As the owner said to us, "Chaat is a party in your mouth"--what a great line! The lassis are creative, ranging from the traditional to outlandish (chocolate raspberry?) and use real fruit/ingredients. Lots of vegetarian options. The owner is super nice and very friendly. He gave us great advice and guided us through our first Chaat experience. read more

***Just Another 5 Star Review...*** There is a reason this place gets five-star after five-star review. The chaats are priced similar to the ever popular Chipotle burrito bowls, but the comparisons end there. The menu can be overwhelming, especially if you don't even know what chaats are when you walk in. Just let the owner, Hasan, know it's your first time. He'll work with you to create a "simple" chaat for your liking. "Simple" only being a relative term. I'm not sure I ever had a meal with so many flavors. And not only that, but they all worked together so well. If it was as simple as warming up some chicken and randomly throwing in a handful of a bunch of spices, Philly would be full of 5 star restaurants. Mood cafe has chaats down to a dime. It's quick, relatively healthy and filling too. 5 stars as far as I'm concerned. Hasan will also refuse to take your money unless you are satisfied with your meal. He's well aware of the success of the business, as he showed me his five-star Yelp average on his phone. I don't blame him...after all, its rare for a place with this many reviews to consistently get so many top reviews. And as recent reviews show, Mood Cafe isn't coasting on its Yelp fame by lowering quality. Its a tragedy there isn't a second Mood Cafe in NY, but then again, another location might not be able to retain Mood Cafe's magic (I'm convinced the NY Han Dynasty dandan was subpar compared to Philly locations). I guess I'll have to return when I'm in Philly. Until then, keep up serving delicious chaats, Mood Cafe! FINAL VERDICT: Definitely worth checking out for the chaats. read more

If you're in the mood for something out of the ordinary, Mood cafe is the place to go (sorry, couldn't resist the pun). I came here entirely based on Yelp reviews, figuring that a near-perfect rating from over 200 reviewers couldn't go wrong. The cafe itself is in a rather charming part of town, and although it is rather small, it also screams cleanliness and efficiency. The owner greeted us immediately, and let us peruse the various items on the menu with an amused look on his face before we finally gave up and admitted we had no idea how to order. He explained what chaat was, and that we shouldn't be overwhelmed by the multitude of choices written on the board - we should just tell him what type of meat we wanted and our desired spice level, and he'd take care of the rest. My boyfriend got lamb, spicy, and I got chicken, medium spice. We also ordered mango and pineapple lassi. The lassi was amazing - I don't think I'll ever be content with a smoothie ever again. Mango taste was light and airy, not too sweet, but enough to satisfy any craving. The Pineapple lassi was very refreshing, and offered the perfect blend of flavor and sweetness. Even better, with our lassi we got a little cup with the leftover drink (I'm guessing they made extra), which was perfect for sharing. When I got my chaat, my first instinct was to say "Eeww, how do these even go together...?" Radishes, cilantro sauce, mangoes, honeyed dates, chick peas, fried dough strips, chicken pieces, several types of mystery sauce? I then dubiously mixed everything together and took a tentative bite. It was an absolute explosion in my mouth, a taste sensation I've never had before. Sweet, sour, savory, salty, spicy, and everything in between - all in perfect balance. Saying that it was delicious would be an understatement. My chicken chaat was seriously awesome, and my boyfriend's lamb chaat was even better. It literally comes down to personal preference what meat/veggie you get, but I don't think you can go wrong. This place makes the 2.5 hour drive from Maryland to Penn worth it. Would I recommend this place? Absolutely. The owner is super friendly, helpful, and service-oriented. The food is a mind-blowing culinary experience. My only qualm with this place is that if you don't order a lassi, the serving sizes for the chaat might not be enough to fill you up completely (but since I did order a lassi, I ended up staggering out the door due to how full I was). The do offer other awesome desserts like gulab jamun and carrot halwa - I'm currently doing stomach expansion exercises so I can fit those as well next time I'm around. read more

I love this place. It's amazing how a mish-mash of a million different flavors and textures comes together and tastes so fabulous. Seriously, it's like a symphony. I must admit the first time I had chaat I was not impressed. On a whim and with a deep craving (who gets cravings for something they don't like?!?) I declared that I absolutely had to go back. And boy was i glad that I did. As most others have said Hasan is perhaps one of the nicest business owners in The City of Brotherly Love. The strawberry lassi is my new favorite, the samosas are incredible (especially when dressed up with the sauces) and the crazy chicken chaat is like a modern art project both to look at and to taste. If you've never had it before let them know, you'll get a brief lesson in all things chaat. read more

GO HERE. Seriously--we were blown away with Mood Cafe. Walking in, you got the sense that the proprietor couldn't wait to tell you about chaat: he is to this celebrated south Asian street food what Bubba from "Forrest Gump" is to shrimp. Before we knew it, we were dancing around his dizzying selection. "But don't worry," he said. "If you don't like, you won't pay." That wasn't a problem. We got the chicken tikka chaat, the panir chaat and the samosa chaat. They were all incredible, with layer on layer of flavors and fresh ingredients that you won't sort out before you get full, which you will, because the portions are quite generous. To my surprise, my favorite was the panir chaat. Rather than the usual (and somewhat boring) tofu-like blocks of curd, this chaat was suffused with a crumbly, golden cheese with a flavor similar to burrata. It wasn't awash in the stuff--just enough to get the flavor through without feeling heavy. It was perfect. We came at an off hour, with no other customers in sight, and the proprietor seemed to be getting a kick out of blowing our minds. He kept giving us stuff on the house. I had not even mentioned the word "Yelp," so this was really just kindness. We tried his carrot halva, which Heather loved--I thought it was too sweet--and his oh-so-decadent rice pudding. The lassis we ordered each came with a side cup (as seen in some of the user photos), meaning that we could each have some of one another's lassi. I got the almond pistachio with a dash of cardamom, and Heather got papaya. Heather thought her papaya was a bit too yogurt-forward at the start, but found that it grew on her. I thought that mine was perfect, and had to cut myself off. The entire order was $33, and we each got two and a half meals out of it. Even excluding the generous samples that we enjoyed, that's pretty damned good--especially for a place with such wonderful food and service. read more

Samosa chaat is excellent. I got it wild (extra spicy) and it didn't disappoint. Staff is friendly and courteous. Highly recommend if you're in West Philly or visiting. read more

I've been to my share of chaat houses, but after seeing this place with it's 5 stars and 200+ reviews, I knew I had to check it out. This place did not disappoint. The Pakistani owner is hilarious and attentative. Seating is limited but we had 6 people and felt fine. The chaat is flavorful, unique, and satisfying. We've been raving about it since. Really looking forward to the summer to experience more of the lassi flavors. Mango is a solid choice, but the cardimum was a show stealer. I would recommend this place to locals and travelers. read more

Had to bump this up because Hassan is always making additions to the menu! Get ready: this fall he's coming out with MEAL CHAATS. I sampled the rice and lentils with garlic pickle tonight. unreal. Do it up. read more

Mood Cafe - Meal chaat! This sampler had lamb, chicken, lentils, a mixed vegetable pickle and mango chutney. Droooooool - Cafes Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Mood Cafe could be the bench mark for quality service in the food industry. Never before have I been greeted so warmly and had so much time spent in finding the perfect meal for everyone in our party. This alone is worthy of the rating, and yet the food is equally amazing. Hands down the best lassi's I've ever had, and the chaat was so uplifting and thoughtful. Mood Cafe goes above and beyond every expectation a person could have. read more

I come here a lot and they already know what i want! Medium spicy chicken salad chaat!! Love love! It's a combination of different flavors that just blends and tastes amazing! Another fav of mine is the papaya lassi!! I tried the mango but i love papaya lassi more! I am hooked indeed :) read more

I kid you not, whenever I go to Philadelphia, regardless of where I am in the city, I will hop a train to Mood and get my fix. No need to look at the menu. Just ask the friendly owner to prepare you something wonderful along with a lassi of whatever is in season and complementary, and he will take care of the rest. The location is unassuming and the prices are beyond fair. but candidly, I'm just thankful his location is in Philly and not Pakistan, because it's saving me a lot in airfare. read more

Good to be back in the neighborhood. Been meaning to check this place out and finally had the time. Other reviews are on point. Not much to add. Hasan is amazing - good dude, good food. Opted for mango lassi and didnt disappoint. read more

I'm not sure what Mihir S is talking about. The chat here is out of this world. I'm Indian too, and Mihir's claims of the chaat not being Indian are exaggerated. Appreciating something novel is not for everyone I guess. The food here is amazing, the maker has a charming, effusive personality..and the price very affordable. This is better than any Indian chat ive ever had. read more

This place is worth the glowing reviews and 5 stars it currently has. Small clean dining space but the important thing here is the food. The chaats are truly a flavor explosion that is custom built for you. I order spicy and find it perfectly so, not too mild but doesn't leave me in tears. The number of lassi flavors and combinations are impressive. I've only had Cardamom & Mango so far but both were delicious! read more

Love this place! Have been here around 5 times in the past year, and its always good! Sometimes I also come just to get the Lassi! I always get the chicken chaat and I am never disappointed. When I first came, it was definitely something I wasn't sure if I would like bc it was my first time having anything like this. There are so many different ingredients and spices here but somehow it all works together. I usually get the Mango Lassi, which is always on point. But got the Lychee lassi last time and it was just as good. Im trying to try all the flavors one by one. Always a great place to go for a good meal. Only bad thing about this place is that this place is very small and has barely enough seats for 5 people. There are few places to sit outside as well, but not much. read more

I went with a friend to Mood Cafe because we had both been craving some spicy food and were close by. We'd both had chaat before (elsewhere) and wanted to give Mood Cafe a try. It was definitely worth it. Hassan was a supreme host - asking us our personal taste, if we liked this or that, how spicy we liked our food. The chaat he created was absolutely amazing; full of figs and raisins and radishes and samosas and mango. It was really a work of art and wonderful to watch him create it, talking to us about the food all the while. I highly recommend the lassi - whether you get a fruit flavored one or a traditional one, they're amazing. He actually created new blends for myself (fig and date) and my friend (mint and honey). It was a perfect place to have a late-afternoon lunch and food conversation. We will definitely be going back. read more

I really wish this was in Chicago. I always trust yelp when I'm traveling and this...fine Philly yelpers, you have done so good by me. I can not express my delight in what you have lead me to. The owner put together what was essentially a perfect meal, and since I mentioned I'm only in town for a week, promised to up the crazy of my chaat if I managed to come back in since he normally eases people into new and exciting chaats but you know, only a short while left. I hope that I can make it back because such delicious food. Aah! read more

Mood Cafe is always my first stop when I visit Philly after a nice drive from Brooklyn. The Lassi flavors range from traditional to ecstatic. It's always great to bring a friend or friends to share because they always make enough to fill your cup and have enough left over to fill a smaller cup that you can trade with your friends. I have a hard time choosing anything other than the Pistachio/Almond Lassi. It's a great balance of rich yogurt, creamy almonds, and nutty pistachios that almost adds an umami flavor to the combination as the pistachios that they use are toasted with a bit of salt. I've recently ordered off the menu. Pistachio/Dates. Also a winner. The chewy pieces of dates sink to the bottom and wait for you to finish your drink before you can pick them out with a straw. It's hard to go wrong here. The owner is very vocal and knowledgable - if you order flavors that he doesn't think will work well together, he will recommend something better. Also, he's originally from Brooklyn. Bonus points for that. read more

Mood cafe was an interesting experience, since I had never had this style food before. The mango was delicious and the employee was nice. I also appreciate the opportunity to try this food. It would be nice to have more people working there because ordering took unnecessarily long and once we got the food, a long line had formed right next to our table, making it unpleasant to eat. The obvious need for security was also unnerving (closed circuit tv prominently displayed). read more

Mood Cafe - Cafes Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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All I can say is "wow." I'm a BIG fan of Indian food, but I had never had a chaat til today, and let me tell you, all these Indian restaurants got Indian food wrong. This is some real, down-home cookin', IndiPak style. I wandered in alone after a random tip, and, man, was it amazing. The fresh-squeezed juices are AMAZING (try something you've never had before -- watermelon juice is just incredible), the owner taught me a lot about Indian food and cooking in general, and everything was out of this world. Oh, and they're vegan friendly! My recommendation: go in with $10, ask the owner for a chaat of his choice and a lassi with your favorite fruit (forget mango, way to common), and, if it's not busy, talk to the owner the whole time you're eating. I promise, you WON'T be disappointed. read more

I have never given a place 5 stars, but Mood Café totally deserves every 5 star they get. After a particularly bad experience with customer service today, I immediately thought of Mood Café. Not because it`s bad!, but because the owner is so kind, and the food is wonderful. My favorite is samosa chaat with a mango lassi. The last time I was in I was tried the rose lassi and it is just so good! Everything here is fresh, the flavors are clean and vibrant. I have nothing but praise for Mood Café. read more

I love Mood Cafe! Hasan not only makes all his chaats with care, he takes the time to interact with all his customers. If the food alone isn't enough to put you in a good mood, he definitely will. I've tried several varieties of chaat and while it's true that the differences between each variety are pretty small, no matter which kind you get you'll have a different experience in every bite. Sometimes you get a bit of fresh fruit, sometimes you get the creaminess of the yogurt, sometimes the punch of hot sauce...and all with those delicious little crunchy bits. Chaat is like the perfect food for people with short attention spans (like me). The lassis are also delicious; fig is my favorite. If I lived or worked closer, I'd be there all the time! read more

What can I say that hasn't already been said? I just moved, and knowing I'd be far away from Mood Cafe was one of the hardest parts about leaving West Philly for me. You just can't get chaat like this anywhere else. And you definitely can't find owners like Hassan elsewhere, either. I still remember the first time I had chaat at Mood.... my tastebuds were SO confused. They were like, "Sweet? Savory? Crunchy? And saucy? I don't know....." and I didn't think I would be back. But then, about a week later, I got this wicked craving out of nowhere for - you guessed it - chaat. And so I went back. Again and again and again. Fell in stupid love with the stuff. Memory pangs. Ouch. Miss you lots, Mood. read more

Quaint delicious indian food cafe. We walked into this cafe expecting great food and service and that's exactly what we received. Almost everyone that walked in after us had the same story how they have heard of this well kept gem, yelp! The owner was very friendly and helpful. I let him know I was vegan and immediately he knew what should meet my requirements to make the food friendly. I actually never had chaat before but it sure was delicious. If it is your first time visiting the place then the owner will whip you up with a starter to get you familiar with the cuisine. A meal consisting of mangos, dates, dried cranberries, chickpeas, potatoes, and some other delicious combination of ingredients placed into a meal. You can have this as a salad or a regular meal. The meal was placed on top of fresh spring mix. Normally served with yogurt but he knew not to include it. For meat eaters they had plenty of options to go along with this as well, lamb, chicken, and beef. Don't forget to order one of their lassi drinks as well. They make it with yogurt usually but get it veganized with almond milk. Banana date was just what I needed to satisfy my sweet tooth. read more

If you consider yourself a foodie this has to be on your list. I didn't know what chaat was, I don't like fruits mixed with my food, lassis never humored me but none of this mattered. The chicken chaat with salad was easily the most interesting meal I've had in months. It all works, somehow. We got an almond pineapple lassi and it was amazing. We also got a strawberry pineapple. Amazing. The service is great but I didn't think of it as a typical service. The owner is very interactive in that he's not doing you a service by providing you food but he's just living life and happens to be serving you some great food. 5 stars justified. read more

I had hoped for traditional Indian chaat - given my cravings one weekend. But the chaat severely disappointed me. It was definitely more Americanized (which I'll accept) but even the different chaat we had ordered ended up as pretty much the same mix of stuff with one/two variations. I wish they had proper samosa-chana chaat and pav bhaaji. Lassis are a good fare - but not worth venturing all he way there for it. Have one when you are in the area, that;s all. I hate that this place has such rave reviews. It is not worth it, I'm sure. The owner, to me, comes off as a little over friendly, and I had hoped the chaat would be as good as he said - but I won't go back for it. I'd much rather not spend on what seems an awful imitation of real chaat. read more

Overall tasty by it did not live up to the Yelp hype. Tasted more like fancy snack food. I dont think i would enjoy this as a meal again. Maybe if i want a snack or a lassi I'd come back. Parking was a bit of a pain and seating was very limited. Summary: Tasty snack food. Ambiance feels like more of a snack shop than a restaurant. read more

Hole-in-the wall lovers who prefer specialized foods, this is the place for you. Mood Cafe only offers lassis and chaat, but are darn good at the two things they offer. I had never tried chaat before but loved the combination of flavors, colors, and items in my mysterious dish. The lassi sizes are generous, and not that sweet. The owner was also super friendly which was a nice cherry on top. Chaats at $8 and Lassis at $4 are not cheap, but the place is definitely good at what they do. What a place to treat myself once in a while! read more

Let me say that making the discovery of this absolute gem in West Philly was one of the highlights of my stop in Philly on tour. Because I was only in town for the night and had a show to play, I needed to find something delicious that was also fast and inexpensive. The gentlemen at Mood make it a point to live up to the hype of their reviews and boy, do they. If I lived in West Philly, this would be a constant haunt for me. The food here is simple - Chat and Lassi. It's true that you simply can't go wrong. Close your eyes and pick a dish. If you live here, try them all. read more

This chat place offers very creative selection of charts that I never had before and neither do I think I will ever get to experience outside philly. There food collides two course of meal, appetizer and entree in one and does it exceptionally well. I have taken several friends of mine and everyone loves this place. I frequent this place and I will sum up my chat experience as- party in my mouth and everyone is invited. People are very courteous and helpful. Got to try fig lassi and dates lassi. Happy eating everybody read more