I've eaten Indian food all over the world - sadly, not including India itself - but Spicy Mint is the best we've had anywhere. At this point all we can say is that the four dishes we had were fantastic. We don't live in the area but will stop here whenever possible. They have a South Indian menu which we ordered from since it isn't often that we can find it. I don't like to write a review after only one experience so will leave it to next time. read more

The food could've been good if the waiter didnt mess up my order. I didn't want my food spicy but my boyfriend wanted his food spicy. Our orders were swapped. I couldn't enjoy the food at all and had to order something to go. They seem to run out of certain things a lot. I wish i could've given more stars but I was simply not satisfied. read more

Too many inedible parts on the buffet. Specifically bones and chunks of fat in the chicken and goat dishes.

A good, solid, if not spectacular choice for Indian food. This restaurant was recommended to us by Indian friends -- which speaks well for it -- and we've eaten here twice. The ambience is okay for a restaurant in a strip mall (with a hockey facility, a pizza joint...and a chapel. Go figure), and the service is friendly, if a bit slow on our most recent visit. Prices are generally reasonable, especially given that most portions are pretty generous. We were here on a Wednesday night, and the restaurant was a little less than half full. Our orders were taken promptly, but took quite a while to come up, and one entree was served before the other. It's certainly not the slowest we've ever seen, and I got the impression they may have been short a pair of hands, so this wouldn't stop me from going back. As for the food, it's uniformly well prepared, though not the best Indian we've had in the area. We chose the samosas (excellent, with flaky dough and a nice hit of spice inside) and garlic naan (slightly overcooked, and too crispy; not enough chew) to start. For entrees, we had the dosas (good, though a little on the oily side) and malai kofta, which had a great blend of spices and a lovely, creamy sauce, but was stingy with the dumplings -- only 4 for $11.95. Overall, I think Spicy Mint is a good choice, especially if you're out and about on Wolf Road and want to stop at a place that isn't right on top of road traffic. I'd go back...though I might forget the entrees and load up on samosas. read more

See all

Normally I am the picture of restraint as anyone that knows me could tell you - a Fire Goddess, strong and proud, not easily tempted into a fight, courageous, tall and blond too, FYI. And then I went to Spicy Mint and I totally lost it. The food was THAT GOOD. Who would pop first???? Red polished off plate #1 before you could blink, but I went back five times, sure I would win. Pony dared the Curd Rice (mostly yogurt and rice with spice and little hard things, savory and kind of odd) - a heroic tasting. Library Lady smiled quietly and cleaned her plate, seemingly effortlessly. Spicy Mint gave us her best - great food, lots of variety, attentive service, and a good price ($9.98/person). The colors were bright and varied, as were the spices - complex, not too much heat but always there in the background. There were plenty of vegetarian offerings and dal, which is good, and nothing, absolutely nothing greasy or bland. The spinach pakoras (deep fried fritters with chickpea flour) were a big hit - Red ate four or five and just about knocked me out that time - crunchy, spicy, powerful, addictive even. The Chicken Tikka Masala was a head shot - creamy sauce, super tender chicken. The simple salad was loaded with onion but that fresh punch on the side table was a welcome part of our meal. Carrot halvah??? Sweet, scented with cardamom - this took my breath away with its simplicity - a lovely finish. Red definitely ate me under the table this time, but I fought back with gusto. I'm sure the next time I will demonstrate immense self-control, now that I know what I'm up against. Sure. Zena, Goddess of Fire read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Vegetable biryani is good with raita - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

Hands down best masala dosa in the Albany area. Very satisfied with everything I got. Keep it up!

Surprisingly good. I had lunch with a group of friends here. It's my first time to test out Indian food, and there's a selection of food to choose from. Everything in the buffet looks interesting. There's a lot of chutneys, fish, chicken , goat and vegetable dishes that I tried out and found full of flavor. There's also a variety of desserts included, and chai tea for drinks. I paid around 16$ +tip for lunch which was worth it. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - What I got. :) - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

I had good experience here on my recent visit. The location is convenient, service was very friendly, and the decor is pleasant. The sauce in my chicken tikka saag dish was pretty good, but some of the meat was very dry and difficult to cut. My husband's chicken dish was the same. Our kandari naan was also tasty but contained very little filling. Except for a few bites, it tasted like plain bread. Overall, I think this is a safe choice for Indian food, but I wouldn't say Spicy Mint is among the best options locally or even in this zip code. I'll be back again if it's convenient, but this isn't a stop I'd go out of my way for. read more

Spicy mint was discovered by two of my coworkers! They finally decided we should come here for dinner on their Thursday night buffet. Last time I had Indian food was in San Marcos/San Diego area and it was very good! I loved most the items I tried today. The buffet was a good idea for someone who is still trying to figure out what I love and don't love. We got there as soon as they opened at 5:30, wished food was ready as we all expected, food was still being prepped and we watched them set up till about 5:50. We sat down, the ambience is nice and restaurant is very clean. The chutneys and tamarind we're my favorite sauces/dips. I wish there were more vegetables as its a vegetable buffet, I felt like the carbs were all there, noodles, three kinds of rice and a ton of fried sides. I liked the samosas but the Paneer fell short it was shredded and it was in an extremely spicy curry that was cold so that was disappointing as I like dishes like paneer Palak. I did like the chickpeas and their fried rice was awesome. Lentil soup was watery it should be a lot thicker. Also wish Naan came with the dinner buffet but this is extra. We will probably return not sure I would do the vegetarian buffet but for the price point ~$15.00 per person for dinner after taxes is not a bad price. The desserts didn't look appealing but I did not try it so I cannot review the three lentil based type dessert or the coconut dessert. Great location and lots of parking down by Wolf road! read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Chickpeas, tamarind, fried rice my favorites from The buffet. - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

this shit was delicious!! rlly rlly flavorful, great big portions! there's not much to say, it's just delicious. i would definitely recommend read more

This place was recommended to me, so me and my husband thought we would give it a try. Despite bad reviews on yelp. We still tried. Not very impressed at all. We ordered chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani with raita, and a plain naan. $34.50. Expensive for the quality and amount. I wish i had taken photos of our take out containers to post on here. They were not even full , as if someone had had some before we received it.Full scoops missing. Raita came in the smallest dipping container (like ketchup) was terrible here. Naan could've been cooked longer not toasted. Tikka masala okay. Biryani had chucks of meat ,throughout most of it bones and small sliver sized bones. we wont be ordering from here again. Maharaja Indian Restaurant remains our favorite at this time. read more

Spicy Mint used to be our favorite Indian Restaurant in the region. The old owners apparently did not survive the closures from the pandemic. The new owners seemed to try to make things safe for the pandemic so kudos there. The food has been a mixed bag - sometimes it is well spiced, sometimes much less so. The quality of the vegetables has dropped. The main problem with the buffet became that if you did not arrive immediately after they opened, the food on the buffet was not kept adequetly hot. The next problem with the buffet was they simply closed it during the week. This was a good option for lunch for people working in the wolf road area. That said, maybe this is the only way they can keep the food hot. read more

Big disappointment. Many dishes are way too spicy, not in a round, flavorful way but in the painful, dark, acid way. I get it, the name is Spicy Mint, but ohmygod. Some unusual flavors hiding behind the heat wanted to come out and play, but they're also hindered by the salt content in some of the sauces. They weren't serving rice pudding (kheer) or the farina-like dessert with almond slivers and golden raisins (suji halwa). Maybe they do, on other days. Today there was beet halwa, not entirely unpleasant but doesn't make you run back for seconds. And the dessert cheese balls tasted unpleasantly gamey, like they'd been made with raw goat's milk sitting in the sun. They seemed to be constantly coming around to refill our water. Given the risk of second-degree burns from the spice, I imagine it's good to keep first aid handy, but it would be more polite to put a pitcher of ice water on the table and let us cope and bitch on our own. Lots of variety in the savory buffet. English descriptions would have helped. Like, what's in those sausages and pale white meat hunks among the Tandoori chicken pieces? Is it pork? We shouldn't have to ask. Why serve (overly spicy) crab legs and claws without putting shell crackers on the buffet table? Why put the veggie rice (the one thing I felt really good about my child eating, because of the broccoli and cauliflower and lack of intense heat) in Saran Wrap where it can soak up all that leached plastic chemical goodness? The kid did enjoy making nice little pouches of food with these light crispy bubble things. I've posted a pic of that. On the plus side, I only saw cilantro here and there. Some places don't know how to edit their use of the devil's herb. For those of us who experience it as soapy dirt, it can ruin otherwise lovely food. And there was an almond drink that helped with the mouth burn, another positive. It's overpriced at $13.99 for the lunch buffet, same price for my 11-year-old who maybe eats $7 worth of food. Go to Latham Biryani, Curry House, or Shalimar for an experience more pleasing to the average palate. I love many Indian and Pakistani foods and I realize I don't prefer the authentically challenging recipes, like those on offer at Karavalli, and that's okay with me. If you like Americanized Indian cuisine, this place is not for you. Oh, and the naan was fine. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

I was in the area and this place was suggested by a friend...there were no good Indian restaurant in this surrounding areas earlier...people were very much waiting for a good authentic Indian Cuisine.... This place is not even average as per my view...the food is bland...may be the non Indian group may like the taste...but frankly I like to eat spicy indian cuisine...this is no match.... read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Buffet.... - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

My husband and I tried Spicy Mint for the first time for lunch today. We are big fans of Indian buffet and have to been to many, both here in Upstate NY as well as NJ. The location is within a shopping center right off of Wolf Road (by Stickley Furniture) and looks small from the outside but is actually rather spacious on the inside with a very nice booth running down one side of the restaurant and many well-spaced tables all around. The atmosphere was clean and quiet, and the servers were very quick to remove dirty plates and refill water. The buffet itself is small and lacks variety. There was a small bowl of a very plain green salad (no shredded veggies, no tangy dressing) and a few condiments and sauces which all seemed slightly off. The tamarind sauce was more bitter than sweet and the yogurt sauce was thin. The entrees were 3 kinds of rice, 3 kinds of fried dough (no filling, not samosas or pakeera), chicken tikka masala and tofu tikka masala, chicken tandoori and another spicy chicken. There were a few more vegetarian dishes which did not seem very interesting so I skipped them. Perhaps this buffet is intended for vegetarians, which I respect! Aside from the boring factor, everything I ate tasted good and I was full, but my palate was not quite satisfied. I will most likely not return. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - A sampling of the Lunch buffet - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

Came here in search of authentic Indian food for dinner but I was so disappointed. We came on a Tuesday night and apparently on Tuesday nights they serve Indo-Chinese-Thai buffet...whatever that means. $14 for an ayce buffet is pretty cheap but I didn't really like any of the food items that they had. Everything tasted like Americanized Chinese food with Indian spices added to it...very weird combination. We also ordered an extra garlic naan and that was decent. I'm sure the regular Indian menu items are much better but we didn't get to try those. On the plus side, the service was excellent. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

I came to know of this place from a friend and I came here as I was driving by Albany. Their buffet on the weekends is better than on the weekdays. Nevertheless, they serve good authentic food. They also keep mixing up third buffet dishes which is good as it gives some variety. read more

It's in a strip mall near a strip mall college (?!?!) and we only found it because we were getting tile at a tile store nearby. But wow, the food is amazing. The flavors are richer and differ a bit from what one normally thinks of as Indian food. Service is a little slow, but well worth the wait. Interestingly, most of the customers are either photogenic Indians (many of them muslims) or morbidly obese gringos. read more

We got take out for our first order, and asked for all of our food - an appetizer, nan, and entrees - to be mild. Instead, absolutely everything was so brutally spicy that it bordered on inedible. I can't imagine what their spicy food is like. It was all nasty and left my mouth burnig for hours. Leftovers were tossed. We will never return. read more

I've been here 5 to 7 times for the lunch buffet and I'll keep coming back. Food is excellently favored and there are 12 (I think) items on the buffet. Gotta love the buffet, no pronunciation embarrassment! There are usually 3 to 4 meat items, usually chicken, on the buffet. The nan is fresh and warm. Sat down and ate here twice, both times service was excellent... Very quick and attentive. Other times I've gotten the once thru take out box and that was equally friendly. I prefer the take out. Who needs all you can eat buffet pressure, when you can get a ton of food, a bag of fresh nan and even separate desert container, for a buck less and skip the tip as well? See my photo. Leftovers are awesome. read more

Spicy Mint Albany - Less than $10 Tues - Thurs, Friday $1 more... - Indian Near Me - Albany, New York

Once and done... I have heard great things about Spicy mint so thought I'd give it a try. Unfortunately, I am sorry that I did. I ordered through GrubHub, which might be part of the problem. The food arrived cold. I started with mulligatawny soup which I understand is not always prepared exactly the same. This however was thin and tasteless. I tried to add some spice, but it didn't help. It was so bad in fact that I dumped it down the drain. My husband ordered lamb biryani which is described on the menu as juicy boneless lamb. There were many bones in his meal! Quite dangerous when you're not expecting it! Not a good way to end the evening. read more

Ths place has a great lunch buffet that feels a little more authentic than a few of the other local Indian buffets. They also aren't afraid to have some spicy things on the buffet. My husband loves this place. read more

See all

Legit Indian food with good spice levels. Normally when you go to an Indian restaurant they specialize in either north or south Indian cuisine and you are left disappointed at either choice. Spicy mint was able to fulfil both taste buds of mine. Their dosas hit the spot- light, fluffy and jam packed with flavorful chutnies (coconut, tomato and mint). They even have a dosa buffet night with many varieties. Fav dosa: rava masala Notable dishes: 1. Gobi Manchurian (tip: order it spicy) - good kick, not too much batter and lots of flavor. 2. Chicken 65 - must try! 3. Lamb vindaloo -hot, tender lamb with a complex broth 4. Goat pepper fry - I could eat this all day! They also cater parties and events. What a treat to find decently priced good indian food in the 518! read more

If you want authentic tasting Indian food in Albany, look no further than Spicy Mint. The chicken Manchurian and palak lamb reminded me of the spices from India. Just right. Staff were courteous and thank god the restaurant was open on thanksgiving. read more

One of the better buffets I have tasted. Had some cold food. But overall it was good. Fish curry and fried chicken were the stars. Try avoiding the tandoori chicken and chicken tikka masala as with every Indian buffet. read more

See all

This is my first visit to Spicy Mint- and I was very impressed! It is very clean, and the staff is friendly. Their food was excellent! Everything was well seasoned with just the right amount of spicy. They had multiple non-meat options that were so well done that I wouldn't have missed the meat. They also had multiple desert options, the Gulab Jumun was perfect, sweet without being too sweet. But the most important part- I have tried Chicken Curry a million places, and this one is the best I have ever had! One of the other reviews mentioned a new chef, if correct it was the absolute best choice. If the food is always this good, I will visit many more times! read more

We ordered Chicken 65 as an appetizer - was expecting it to be close to the 65 recipe that I've seen from numerous chefs with curry leaves being present in the dry sauce for the appetizer. However it wasn't that way - not authentic, but the spices were well enough for being medium spicy that we opted for. They will be too spicy for some people. Chicken pieces are boneless as expected but the spice coating on them was a letdown. Just red chili powdered spice mix isn't the right way for making chicken 65. For the entree, we ordered Chicken Chettinad along with a Tandoori Roti (whole wheat bread). The chicken pieces were well cooked, again boneless here. The curry for the Chettinad asks for black pepper, browned onions, spice mix and coconut - and they were spot on in this entree. The dish had a slightly mild tangy taste coming t it, probably from the yogurt added to it. But the spice level was just right, I might have preferred a little less black pepper in it. The rice accompanying the entree was fresh, warm and had a few peas and carrot pieces thrown into it. The Roti was fresh, not too hard, just the right amount of warm and softness to it made it a nice accompaniment to eat with the chicken. Overall, this is a good place for Indian food in the Albany area. You can try Chicken Chettinad, but not Chicken 65. read more

Excellent food. The new chef cooks better food than most other places even in NYC. Highly recommend.

Went for the lunch buffet and the selection was great. For the price that I am paying, it exceeded all my expectations. Make sure to stop by for lunch if you're in Albany. read more

Pathetic food taste and quality. Vegetarian Dum biryani was pulao!! Sambar was tasteless!

Worst Customer service ever. The lady who takes orders is rude and reckless. Food is not great as before. Just Edible. Definitely not authentic food and worst experience from this place. read more

Don't ever eat idli or vada or samosa here .. its not fresh and only frozen one re fried or microwaved .

YUM! I got the chicken biryani, medium on the spice. The portions were huge, so well worth the cost. I could only eat a third of it before I was full. It was very flavorful, I would call the spice level closer to hot, but regardless I could handle the heat as it wasn't a painful heat. The raita helped cool it down. I also got the masala tea which was delicious and shared a mango lassi with my husband. This place is a solid choice. read more

You order anything here, they'll give you kadhai chicken. And when you tell them it's not what you ordered, they tell you "If it doesn't have sweet bell peppers, it's not kadhai chicken" Context: I'm an Indian who has grown up eating all kinds of Indian food. These people think they can get away with anything. The lady at the counter didn't even apologize for her mistake, and in fact hung up on me when I confronted her. Ridiculous place. Never going back again. read more

The best Indian in the area, by a considerable margin. Off Wolf Rd. Ina strip mall, so you may not notice it. I recently entertained some foodie New York City types--they sort of scoffed at the idea of getting great Indian food in Albany. I loved seeing their amazement. Try the South Indian specialties, really extraordinary. Get the Masala Dosa-- you'll thank me later. I am just learning the menu, and look forward to exploring. read more

For an Indian lunch buffet, it's not my first pick in the area, but it's a good solid option. I love spicy food, and I was nervous to try some of these dishes out with other reviews noting the lack of heat in some of the dishes. Good thing I was pleasantly surprised. A side of several different sauces including a hot sauce perfectly pepped up the dishes to the heat level I like. Between the veggie dishes and the meat dishes, all of the flavors worked really well together. I also liked the selection of desserts. The mango pudding was not something I was into, but the coconut custard was absolutely delicious. I could go back again and again just for that dessert. I also appreciate the warm tea on the side - but as a heads up, there's already milk or cream in it in case you have some dairy allergies. read more

My son loves Indian food, and so does my wife, so we tried this place for lunch after one of his medical appointments in Albany. It was really good to celebrate, so, Spicy Mint fit the bill. The buffet is AMAZING! We got naan, appetizers, rice Biryani, all kinds of different dishes, and even dessert. The service is great, the owner accommodated our wheel chair, and the mango ice cream was to die for. We have been back and will continue to do so, every chance we get! read more

Actually their offerings are really good, but today they have stopped answering their phone for pick up orders. Glad they're doing so well, making so much money they can turn the phones off read more

Classy yet warm atmosphere. Greeted by friendly smiling faces that are very attentive. Sometimes they want to get empty stuff off your table faster than what you might be used to, and you may not be done with it still after a couple attempts, but I think that's just their ethic and not trying to rush you. The food is amazing. Great traditional flavors you expect to find on their menu, but they go a little bit deeper into Indian cuisine than many other restaurants. Some bites of chicken had a bit of cartilage which is never fun, but it was not frequent enough to merit losing a star. Everything was very delicious and I look forward to going back! Their beer and wine selection is inexpensive but also kind of basic. The something 5000 beer is very malty. My first taste of beer brewed in India. You may want to go with something brighter and bitter like an IPA with Indian food, but I don't think I found that option on their menu. read more

Happened to be in the area and noticed Spicy Mint in the strip mall. It seemed like a new place, so we rolled on in for lunch. We were seated in a near empty dining room by a pleasant waitress, who told us that the buffet was the only option. We are buffet goers, so that was fine with us. No salad, as is pretty much a standard in Indian themed buffets, but there was chaat, pakoras, and chutneys as starters. The pakoras were starkly cold, as it seemed like the sterno underneath the platter wasn't lit. As a matter of fact, several items on the left side of the buffet steam table were also barely warm. 10-12 items to choose from, mostly vegetarian stuff. Spinach and paneer, lentils, vegetable korma, chick pea cakes, and others for us veggie people. There was also fish curry, chicken tikka, and chicken tikka masala. Lotsa bok-bok for the carnivores, but not much else. Two desserts that I passed on were also offered. The spread was checked on by a cook, stirring some of the items to keep them looking fresh, however should have noted the temps on them, also. Service was great, the place was clean, the vibe was good, too. Pricing was moderate @ $12.95 or so. read more