Curry Mantra 2

I love this restaurant. The food is amazing and the staff is attentive and professional. They even deliver!

Great buffet! I’ve only gone to the lunch buffet but the food and service has been great every time. It’s not a huge selection, maybe about 6 or 7 dishes, salad and rice pudding, but each dish was very delicious. Good price at $ 10!

I went here for the daily lunch buffet, which already convinced me at the low price of $ 10 per person! And when I say daily, I mean DAILY — the sign said they have the buffet on weekends too (although I’ve never been on the weekends).
The buffet was on the smallish side — about 6 dishes and one rice container lined in front of the exhibition kitchen. But the taste was absolutely delicious! The chicken tikka masala was very good, the chicken neither dry or overcooked and the sauce was flavorful, not like some places with what tastes like a can of tomato sauce. I forget the name of the other dish I really enjoyed, but it had potatoes and chickpeas in a slightly spicy sauce. The buffet also had tandoor chicken; some pieces were a little dry, but the taste was very good and with the sauces offered at the beginning of the buffet, I enjoyed it. The naan was delivered to the table warm by the waiters, and they were very good at keeping it filled! Also, when I went, they had a bowl of fried spinach leaves with the bowls of sauces at the beginning of the buffet — such a good idea and great taste!
The staff was nice and attentive, even when the restaurant was not even half full and the day seemed slow and everyone was there for the buffet. Definitely going back; really want to try some of the other recommended dishes!

so happy to find HALAL indian place in Fall Church! The lunch buffet is goodd!!! Price is $ 9.49 which is so reasonable. It a bit spicy make me love this place even more! Just one thing, i wish CM2 butter chicken can taste the same as CM3. My lunch place every week! Yes, it’s that good :)

My coworkers wanted to go out for lunch the other day and suggested we try a new buffet, I had not had good Indian food in a long time and was excited to try it. The buffet did not disappoint, and the naan was fantastic. If you are in the Falls Church area and looking for a decent Indian buffet at a fair price then definitely try this place.
*Edit — I am looking forward to trying the Fairfax location as well.

This is an excellent Indian restaurant that provides a lot of food for its value. I have been twice and provided free food both times, including an appetizer and desert. It is the best Indian I have had in the DC metro area outside of Rasika and much more affordable. The only question I have is how it is not more crowded? The past two times the restaurant has been empty. I can’t seem to find any reason why.

I either go here or Haandi (right up the street) for my Indian fix. I typically receive excellent service and there is usually an array of buffet items but my coworkers and I came here last Friday, it was busy and our party of 6 was split up to two tables which was über disappointing because we came to celebrate a coworkers depature. Even though they were two arms lengths away, we couldn’t make conversation as we’d hope to. I get that they were busy but the seating arrangement is pretty cramped here.
Because the restaurant was to close at 2pm and we arrived around 1:20pm, the buffet was lacking food. A few trays had less than a spoonful of a serving left — had to scrape up the spinach if you wanted any. The lamb was tasty and the rice pudding was the nice and fragrant unlike other Indian places.

Went here for the first time tonight and I was impressed! Finally a delicious Indian food restaurant in NoVA. I had the Kofta Curry and my girlfriend ordered the Chicken Tikka Masala. Both were absolutely delicious and I’m looking forward to coming back again and trying other things on the menu. Oh and we ordered the toasted spinach appetizer and that was great as well.
The service was great and the waitstaff was very attentive. Our food came out very quickly and was hot and fresh.
It’s located in the far end of a strip mall and I think a lot of people might pass it by because of this but it’s definitely not a place to be missed! We’ll be back!

Everything on the menu was very, very good. We tried salmon tikka masala, lamb vindaloo, saag paneer, and goat in a creamy sauce with garlic naan and another bread. Even the jasmine rice was better than any we have ever had. How do they do it???
Appetizer of chadpa pat? Not sure of spelling but it was like Indian nachos :-)
Very bright and fresh. Not heavy at all and I highly recommend it! spelling but it was like Indian nachos :-)
I also love the size and décor of the place. Service was excellent! Parking was easy too.
I read another review which stated this was not as good as Bollywood Bistro and I disagree. The food is equal. Try it!

This place is just ok. We arrived around 7 on a Saturday, and the place was busy. But, there were empty tables. That didn’t stop the waiter from making us wait in the cramped entry way for 10 minutes while he decided if we could actually sit at the empty table.
Once we were seated, the waiter took our order, and that was pretty much the last time we saw him until nearly two hours later when he delivered the check. He did mention that one server didn’t show up for work, but, two hours without so much as a «how is everything»… crazyness.
The food was just OK as well. I got the lamb Bryani. The lamb was tender, but the rest of it was just «meh.» A friend got the aloo gobi and barely touched it — so I’m guessing it also wasn’t particularly great. Prices were fairly high, although portions were big.

I would rate their food average. However I must admit that we have visited this place quite a few times since there are such less options of decent Indian food around. And the food has been consistently average. Service is shabby but I would have ignored that if the food was great!
If you like the Minerva’s/ Jaipur of the area, then this is another place added to your list, just with a much higher price point for dinner. If you like the Rasika’s, Bollyood Bistro/​Indique. you should be prepared for disappointment.

Very nice place. The food was excellent and the service was pretty good. The manager came out and gave us lots of personal attention.

the all you can eat buffet for $ 10.44 is one of the best deals around (I eat there about 3 times a week). Food is exceptionally well with out standing customer service! Rez the Manager and his staff do a phenomenal job of representing Curry Mantra.
2 different styles of Basmati rice
Chic Biryani or goat Biryano depending on the day.
Mixed veggies
butter chicken
goat curry
tandori chic
Matter paneer
cheese and peas
spinach
different types of rice putting.
salad station
Pacak Anar
papri chaat.
the food stays the same about 80 percent of the time but the chefs do change a few of the dishes up daily.
Great for Vegetarians !!!
lots of veggie dishes.

I’m not an expert on Indian food. Curry mantra does have an extensive menu though and is a great place for Indian cuisine noobs like me to try new things. I ordered delivery with a huge group of coworkers and got to sample many of their dishes as a result.
Appetizers:
Naan (garlic and regular): there’s a reason this is one of the most popular items on the menu. Freshly baked and huge in size!
Roti: those of you looking for a slightly healthier bread, the roti is less oily than the naan and still very fresh!
Palak anar: I didn’t realize based on the description but this dish is essentially deep fried spinach with some pomegranate seeds. Not my favorite.
Entrees:
Tandoori salmon: a sizable entrée with 4 pieces of fish and a huge heaping of rice. However, I found the fish to be very dry and lacking in flavor.
Butter chicken: the curry sauce that came with this was amazing and I loved that there were some bell peppers mixed in with the chicken. Definitely counts as eating my veggies, right?
Chicken Daniya: the cilantro and mint made a tasty sauce. I would have liked it to be spicier but my coworker was a fan. The dish could have used a bit more chicken though — the curry-​to-​chicken ratio was pretty skewed
All in all, most of the dishes came with large portions, which was good because they were also decently expensive. I’d be willing to order from here again and try more of their curry dishes, though the price will hold me back from being a regular.

I went here for the second time last Friday night. My first experience was great, Vadi Pav was delicious as was the Chicken Tikka Masala. I was excited to go back. We called around 8:30 and they told us to come on over. When we arrived we were seated quickly as the restaurant was almost empty. I ordered Vadi Pav again and was delighted! BUT when I got my tikka masala, the dish was full of uncooked onions and peppers (which are supposed to be stewing for a while to make them soft and delicious!) I had to remove almost all of the veggies from the dish and realized that they comprised most of the plate and there was barely any chicken. ALSO, the sauce was different this time! Quality control is so important and I expect chef’s to follow strict recipes so that I can expect the same flavors each time. I was super disappointed in this dish.
Here’s why I’m never going back to this restaurant: The restaurant closes at 10 pm, and as someone who has worked in retail storefronts for years, this means the following: WHEN 10 pm HITS THE CLOCK AND THERE ARE STILL CUSTOMERS PRESENT, THE STAFF WAITS TO CLEAN UP AND CLOSE THE RESTAURANT UNTIL THE LAST CUSTOMER LEAVES. end. of. story. Basic customer service.
.at 9:50 my boyfriend instructed me to chug my wine and leave because he was seated facing the kitchen and bar and realized that all of the staff was ready to go, with their coats on, at the door. At that moment, all of the lights were turned off on us besides a few lights over the tables. The kitchen was dark, the bar was dark, the ENTIRE staff was sitting at the door. THIS IS BIZARRE AND SOOOOOO RUDE. I can’t even begin to accurately describe how uncomfortable I felt. You NEVER clean and begin to shut down a restaurant while customers are still eating. IS THIS A JOKE?! Just because your door says you close at 10, does not mean that you should be in your winter coat BEFORE 10pm, ready to go home. We were not offered the option to order dessert or an after dinner drink. I’m still in shock. Don’t worry, I’m spreading the word about this restaurants terrible attitude towards customers and making every experience enjoyable for each and every diner.

A long overdue update. We’ve been here a couple more times over the summer, since our initial visit and I have to say I’m a fan. The food was still delicious, but spicy as hell! Probably one of the more spicier Indian places I’ve been to. If you’re like me, you’ll sweat like a pig and drink like a fish, so keep the napkins handy, and the water glass full! My recommendation, wear light, loose-​fitting clothes!
I really wish this place was a little more affordable, but what I do see now that I didn’t understand from my first review was just how much they care about the customer. On one such visit, we had an issue with our food. We told the waiter who immediately told the manager, who immediately came to handled the situation. He said he would «take care of it». We understood that to mean he’d take that dish off the bill. At the end of our meal when we asked for the check, we were really quite shocked that the manager comp’ed the entire check, especially since the other dishes were just fine. As all the other reviewers have already establish, this place ain’t exactly inexpensive. So it was a big gesture!
So anyway, we were all really surprised, that it wasn’t until after we got home that we realized we didn’t even leave the tip for the poor waiter. He did after all, still have to work even harder to make us happy. We called the restaurant right back and explained in our shock, we accidentally neglected to leave the tip for the waiter but wanted to reward him for his hard work. We asked for the waiter’s name so we could stop by later and leave the tip but the manager refused saying he would take care of the waiter’s tip too.
With that level of service and customer focus, we definitely feel like we can justify the premium price. Great food and as another Unilocaler said, superb service! We will definitely be going back. We’ve seen several Groupon like deals, so that definitely helps! The deals make the decision to come back easy!

So, here’s the thing: I hate writing bad reviews for companies that have not wronged me. I want to like this place so badly. The location is sweet. They have parking in the back. The interior is gentile, and romantic. The service was superb.
BUT, the food…
Dammit! we love Indian food. We love all food. The end.
So, since my main squeeze had eaten here before, I thought, shoe-​in for good eats.
I can’t remember being more disappointed. We ordered two very different dishes. One vegetarian, and one (spicy)lamb dish. We had the usual naan and ordered wine as well. The wine was OK. The naan was OK.
The vegetarian dish was so bad, chunked with oversized bits of spices and roots that I could not finish it. Terrified of a bite finishing with an overwhelming shot of cardamom or ginger in my mouth prevented me from eating my dish. I then moved on to MaK daddy’s plate of lamb, which was so hot, neither of us could get through it.
Mind you, we love lamb, and we love spicy. This was borderline inedible is was so hot.
I packaged my vegetarian dish to go, thinking, perhaps it just didn’t suit my fancy that night, but I would try it again in a day or so. NO. I just tried to eat it again, and had to spit out a chunk of flavor, not even sliced/​diced small enough to mock good flavor.
Terribly disappointing. I have no idea what went on in the kitchen that night, but I am in no hurry to try it again.

First off… this place does not need valet service. It’s extremely out of place to have valet at a strip mall, in the suburbs, in a parking lot!
We were greeted upon entering and directed to any table of our choosing. We were both having the lunch buffet, so everything was pretty self-​explanatory. Everything tasted pretty good, and the selection was pretty typical. Some Indian restaurants have more options though, which is always nice. On the plus side, you can see the bread being freshly prepared (and indeed, it was fresh!).
The main thing that I didn’t like though is that everything was fairly spicy. It wasn’t TOO spicy, but most restaurants understand that not everyone likes spice; so they prepare the buffet to be mild… and then provide a few hot sauces (or in the case of Indian restaurants, chutneys) so that spice-​seekers can get their kick.
Went primarily because of the $ 20 for $ 10 Unilocal deal. Some people may dig this place; but I doubt that I’ll be returning as I’ve been to other Indian restaurants that are more to my liking.

I love this place!
But I’m guessing the 5 stars I gave it told you that, right? So here’s why:
I pulled up to the restaurant on a rainy Wednesday evening. I was fully prepared to park and run to the door so as not to arrive a sopping wet mess. That is, until I saw the FREE valet parking. FREE. Let me say that again — FREE. At that nice price, I was all about it!
I walked in and could immediately see the kitchen. I have never seen that in an Indian restaurant before! It was awesome. When someone lets you see into their kitchen, to me it says they are confident in their food and cooking methods and they are CLEAN! I stood there and watched the chefs do their thing, which made me hungry.
I was shown to the dining room. Gorgeous. You see, I like details. Details mean that someone gave a damn. I noticed the serving dishes and silverware and wine glasses. Yes, someone took great care to make this place very visually appealing. It really sets the tone for the meal.
My boyfriend and I were starving, so we ordered the samosas to begin with. YUM! They are definitely spicy here! But not overwhelmingly so. Taking a walk on the wild side, we also had the crispy spinach. I haven’t eaten spinach in forever. Like since I was 5 and I discovered I hated it. HOWEVER, crispy spinach is NOT the same. This was my first time having it and I am in love! It’s so light and fluffy! And then there are the sauces and pomegranate seeds on it – to die for! So, this will be my new go-​to appetizer. I just hate that I’ve been missing out on it all my life.
I ordered the chicken tikka masala for my meal. Boyfriend ordered the butter chicken. Both were really good, but I did like mine better. Again, spicy, but it didn’t kill me. When you see the portions, you might think that it’s small. But you are getting a bowl full of chicken, spiced potatoes on the side, a mountain of rice, AND a small bowl of lentils. If you’d like to finish it all, I’d suggest you skip a few meals before you get there. I definitely have enough leftovers for lunch. Looking at the menu, the prices are higher, sure. But you also have enough food for two meals. Sooooo, you’re looking at like $ 10 a meal. Hell, you could spend that at a fast food place and I’m SURE they won’t let you see into their kitchen, nor will you be as satisfied with the food.
I saved a little room for dessert because I like Indian desserts. I ordered the gulab jamun. I can’t describe it. It’s just good and you should have some. Immediately.
The service here was great as well! Nothing worse than having spicy food and an empty water glass. That didn’t happen here. The servers were on point and super nice.
If you are the type of person who likes flavorful food, to be taken care of by your server, and nice ambiance, then you need to try Curry Mantra 2.

What a fantastic new addition to the City of Falls Church! It’s a little difficult to find since it’s tucked into the nook of a smaller older shopping center but this place is a gem! The staff was amazingly friendly and the food was fantastic.
My co-​worker and I came here for their lunch buffet which is reasonably priced at $ 11.99 and a great selection of dishes. Can’t wait to go back for more!