Curry Mantra

I was craving good Indian Cuisine and had no clue where to go in NOVA, so I did a quick search for “the best Indian food near me” and “Curry Mantra” rose to the top! So there I went and I am so delighted I did! The menu was extensive and it appears they make most if not all of the menu items from scratch! My server was so patient and helpful she answered all of my questions as I had quite a few. I ordered the Samosa (to-die-for!) as an appetizer— definitely made from scratch—you can taste it! For my entree, I had the Tandoori Mixed Grill with a side of Garlic Naan Bread and the Mango Lassi -YUM! Great meal! I really liked the jumbo shrimp and boti kabob (lamb)! Full disclosure, I found the chicken tikka a bit tough for my taste. The Garlic Naan bread was delish! It tasted like the kitchen freshly peeled and diced the garlic and grilled it up fresh!! Take my word NOVA and visitors, you will LOVE IT! Food is made fresh and to your preference, but most importantly, the food is made with love! And there is nothing better than that, except for Momma’s homemade of course. Sorry no photos! I ate first then decided to write this review! But as you can see from my clean plate(s), I thoroughly enjoyed my meal.

The dine-in experience was amazing! My boyfriend and I went for lunch and the service was quick. The staff were super polite and understanding, with lunch deals that made both my taste buds and wallet happy. 🎉

My husband and I visited Curry Mantra Indian Cuisine and really enjoyed our meal. The portions were generous, the food was delicious, and everything was full of amazing flavor. We’ll definitely be coming back!

This is my go-to Indian restaurant in Fairfax City. Having traveled to India multiple times before the pandemic, I like to think I know good Indian food. Whenever I’m craving something truly authentic, this is the place I turn to.

This was the best decision my sister and I made EVER! We happened to be in the area of this restaurant and decided to try it! We both love Indian food and can say without a doubt the food here was absolutely delicious! The service was impeccable. We cannot say enough good things about our experience! This will be a staple in our dining choices from now on!

Curry Mantra is exceptional. The butter chicken sauce, naan and samosas with the tamarind sauce is 10/10. I have been eating here for 7 years and consistently amazing! I recommend!

I highly recommend this spot!!! Food was absolutely delicious and the service was even better. Our server was so sweet and accommodating for our family of 5, we felt so welcomed from the moment we walked in. Everyone loved their dish and the portion sizes were perfect, as we had just enough for leftovers. The Dirty Mango Lassi was my favorite drink and just in case they’re out of Rum like they were with us, just ask for it to be made with Whiskey! We also ordered the Chicken 65 appetizer and it was so flavorful (pictured). Loved our time dining here and will definitely be back!

Please be warned that most of the reviews here are fake. I recently ordered from uber eats and this was by far the worst indian meal I have had in DC. The chef it seems is making a mockery of Indian food and has no clue what mthe dishes actually taste like. The dal makhni was a pile of boiled up lentils with no flavoring at all, the madras chicken had a layer of oil floating over it and was bland as well, like no seasoning or flavors at all just chicken and oil. The naans were undercooked and tasted like raw dough. The steam momos were ok but again there was something off about the filling. This was the most upsetting experience with Indian food ive had in a long long time. I mean yes there have been disappointing experiences but this feels like an outright scam. Again PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY ON THIS PLACE. Way better options out there.

Curry Mantra is my go-to place for a lunch deal! I discovered them on Uber eats and was impressed with their biryani dish. You can gauge the spice but it is some of the best within the Fairfax area. The atmosphere itself is a quaint little location down Main Street. I usually call in the order or order through pickup but the service is friendly and efficient. I will say it can be a bit pricey depending what you order, which is why I sometimes suggest ordering through the app as they also have some buy one get one free deals on their butter chicken and other dishes. I love their Chana (chickpeas) the sauce it's in is so savory and flavorful. Combined with the soft fluffy biryani rice it is a delicious mix!

The food was so good I took some to go for my husband. The samosas are a bit pricey, but I loved them, especially the one with the toppings. I ordered the extra spciey chicken shwarma, and it was amazing! Cons: I ordered a mojito, and they didn't have any. Then i ordered a margarita, and it was so salty, and i couldn't taste the alcoho. Also, the online orders are not the same. I ordered food during the week and had the butter chicken, and it was watery and tasted like tomato sauce. I also ordered it extra spicey, and it wasn't even mild.

An Indian restaurant just outside of Fairfax City, Curry Mantra is a pleasant place, with pretty decor and friendly staff. We had Garlic Naan, Kadai Chicken and Chana Masala, all of which were good, and spiced as ordered.

Excellent Indian food - my fav now after trying them out during FfxCity restaurant week. Cozy but pretty ambiance, service tad slow with one hostess/waitress but very friendly. Chai tea was delish too; complimentary Nan bread - yummy all around.

We usually get carry-out from here. It is normally good, but last night my husband got the fried chicken appetizer and it wad inedible. Also, I ask for mild and yet my dish is always too hot. I love Indian food and don't have that problem at other restaurants.

Highly recommend this restaurant! Food was awesome! Just wouldn't recommend the lamb as it was extremely tough! The ground lamb was delicious!

Had some delicious food here! One of the best Indian/Nepali restaurants in the area. They have delicious naan and great portions of a variety of entres. I also very highly recommended the samosas for an appetizer. Great space with plenty of tables. Wonderful service.

Service was fantastic and really on top of waters. Everything we ordered is on the receipt- all was delicious, especially the goat curry.

I ordered delivery from here and I ordered Lamb Biryani as well as the chicken vindaloo. Flavors were well balanced and strong without any one flavor overpowering the others. Really enjoyed my meal from here as the chicken was tender and soft, the rice was fluffy and complimented the curry/gravy well. Will order again in the future.

Great food. Was our go-to place for Indian for many years while we lived in Fairfax. I was particularly fond of the Paneer Makhani.

One of the best Indian restaurants in Northern Virginia area. This location has pretty good hygiene and the quality of food is outstanding. The server is amazing, and the prices are also great.

My fave Indian place in VA! It's a little far from where I live so I ask my bf to pick it up if he's out in the area for work or activities. I've never been disappointed by anything I got from there which is a huge compliment bc my mom is an excellent cook and she is what I compare everything to. It'll never be moms cooking but it is a nice substitute when I can't have her food :)

I met a new friend here for a quick lunch together... I ordered my Chicken Tikka Masala SPICY and it came out medium spicy. No big deal.... The food was still yummy regardless. She looked cute, and ordered something vegetarian from the daily special menu, but I don't remember what it was. I remember that she liked it. The decor is here is a little bit intense, maybe a little too much RED.

Very good food and no complaints. We ordered the chicken biryani and the Chicken Tikka Masala and they were both very delicious. I would definitely come back to eat more.

Bland. Under seasoned. Not fresh. There are so many other places that are so much better and worth the money. This place went down hill...it used to be good. What happened?? I got the samosa chaat and the chicken 65. Both were absolutely terrible. :-(

Got DoorDash from here. Rounded up to 4 - would give them 3.5 if I could. Butter chicken was in a tomato sauce akin to tomato soup. It was not buttery enough and too much tomato. The chicken saagwala was good. Reminds me of palak paneer but instead of paneer it was chicken - that was good. Each was $18. A little steep for what it was. Came with rice - rice was buttery with cumin - good. No bread offered. Not sure I would order from here again.

The food is good but if you are looking for real Indian this isn't what I would think of first. It's heavily sauce based. The place is nice and clean.

I have ordered delivery from Curry Mantra several times now and each time has been a deliciously positive experience. The spice levels are true to advertisement and the portions are respectable particularly given the pricing. The meat-I've tried lamb and chicken dishes-has always been tender; although, most recently , I thought the portion of chicken in the vindaloo was on the smaller side. The biryanis are flavorful too. Delivery has always been quick and accurate. We will definitely continue to order from Curry Mantra, our go-to Indian restaurant in our area.

Go here - really. Ambiance: Tastefully furnished, quiet and a good place for nicer night out Service; Friendly and helpful. Really nice people here. Food: Probably some of the best Indian I've had in DC, and I'm pretty picky. I had the Chicken Malai Kabob which was ridiculously tender and flavorful. And plenty of it - I took enough home for seconds and more. My friend had the Chicken Tikka Masala which was also excellent. Another real surprise was the naan which was fresh, chewy and perfect. Price: Excellent value for money Worth the ride out to the 'burbs just for this.

I highly recommend this place !!! the food is amazing. The service is amazing. The staff goes out of their way to make sure you're comfortable. The staff also recommends dishes to you, if you are new To Indian cuisine. Best Indian restaurant in Fairfax !!'n If you have not tried this restaurant, you do not know what you're missing.

Enjoyed my lunch here at Curry Mantra. It is a small family owned business and has a great taste. The sauces provided were very good with the chips and I definitely enjoyed the food. The spice level was pretty accurate and if you like spice I would say go with "spicy". Extra spicy are those who can barely taste spice and need it. The mixed grill is definitely something I recommend if you want to try different meats and a cool presentation, very steamy. The goat biriyani was good as well. First time trying goat and I liked it. Would recommend the mixed grill over it however.

Quiet place with good food and great ambience. Had samosa and I was pleasantly suprised to find actual samosas instead of frozen ones.. malai kofta was tasty. Not too spicy not too sweet. Will visit again

Beware! Something's changed here. This has been our go-to take out and dine in Indian restaurant for many years. We ordered two dishes and roti to go, and it was extremely disappointing. The palak paneer, which has been a favorite for years, was watery and flavorless. The chicken in the makhani was tough and dry, and I swear the sauce was Campbell's cream of tomato soup. Again, a really subpar product. The roti was perhaps the biggest disappointment. For years, the roti was extraordinary- flaky and a little buttery. Tonight it was no better than a whole wheat tortilla. I'm sorry to report this. We're not going back. Shame.

This is by far my go to spot for Indian food. I love there lunch specials with the butter chicken. I can't wait to we are back to normal operations for the buffet menu. Love it love it.

Great service, great food, fresh and clean environment. Great place to stop by for dinner and good amount of room for groups.

Great delivery Indian food. I usually get palak paneer, samosas, sometimes fish curry. Solid, tasty food!

This place is my favorite to go to place for indian food. Their food is flavorful and well spiced. The portions are similar to other locations. I would recommend their chicken 65

We love to try Indian restaurants in the area. We tried Curry Mantra as part of Fairfax City Restaurant Week. This was a disappointment on every level. We were the only ones in the place the entire time which should have been an indicator about the food and service. The food portions were small, served slightly warm, with little flavor. Service was inattentive especially since we were the only patrons. We will not be back .

Food is consistently good here. The tandoori chicken is better than most places I've tried, and can't go wrong with any curry dishes or biryani. Portion sizes are generous - most entrees will run you around $20. Not cheap, but most Indian food around here isn't. Complimentary baingan bharta, but naan is extra.

I ordered there lamb chops, chicken tikka, and there gulab jamun it all came with rice and chick peas. Lamb chops- spicy delicious and juicy. Chicken tikka- was delicious and tasty, chicken was cooked perfectly. Chickpeas- taste so good. Gulab jamun - mouth watering!

This is the best chicken biryani in Virginia. Hands down. The dish is complex and huge portioned and predictable. They don't skimp on the quirky ingredients like cinnamon, fried onions, cardamom or star anise. It tastes exactly the same every time I get it, and the spice level I request (usually hot or Indian hot) is exact. Predictability, and quality predictability, is a top feature of this little place. Plus, chicken biryani (among more standard dishes) is available on their lunch menu (not a buffet, but a reduced-price menu), a rare treat for an Indian restaurant. You can get their lunch special on Saturday and Sunday also, up to 3pm every day. What other Indian restaurant does that? Oh, and this place doesn't close in the middle of the day for a nap. I've eaten there at 4pm. One of the top restaurants in Virginia. Highly recommend.

Great meal. Warm bread basket with a variety of flavors. Mongolian dumplings pan-fried to perfection and a great Tandoori shrimp with spicy chick peas. To top it all, a reasonable price. Will return again and again.

Besides the Momo which is about 3 of 5 the rest of the food really lousy. The management has changed and the cook

Solid, not spectacular Indian eats. I can't comment on the interior because I had delivery which arrived right on time - definitely appreciate that. I didn't appreciate them not including a plate or utensils despite requesting them several places in my online order. Sigh. Here's how it broke down: Samosas ($5) - ok, not a ton of flavor here Naan ($3) - pretty crappy. It was gummy and soggy and maybe a little underdone. It tasted like a premade naan that had been heated in the microwave. Chana Masala ($12) - good. Ordered spicy, as actually spicy. Gravy was nice and thick but it was really lacking additional spice flavor beyond heat. Not bad, not great. Wouldn't avoid but wouldn't go out of my way either.

I really like the food here. The other day we went in the middle of the afternoon with a party of ten. We had just been to a funeral and were tired and hungry. They took excellent care of us, the service was wonderful. The food is good, hearty comfort food. The palak paneer is probably my favorite in the area. It is not drowning in butter and cream but rather tastes very fresh and delicate. Portion sizes are good and the lunch special is a good deal.

I have visited Curry Mantra twice, once for the lunch buffet and one for ordered meals, both experience were delicious. The first time I visited I had a Groupon and ordered from the menu. Because that was the first visit we stuck with a couple of staples including naan, a spinach dish, and a chicken dish. We both enjoyed ourselves enough to decide we would visit again which says something. Likewise, we were impressed with the look of the buffet and wanted to visit again and give it a try. Well this Friday we had our chance to enjoy the buffet. When we arrived it was about 1:30 and the buffet was in good condition. The buffet including the butter chicken, fritters, goat in gravy, mushroom curry, paneer with spinach, and tandoori chicken along with seasonings and sauces. We noticed restock several items while we were there. Likewise, meat items were never reduced to just sauce. While there is no pressure to get drinks, if you are the mood the chai tea and lassi were both quite good. We had only limited contact with the staff but they were all good interactions, even at the end when I apologized for my failed attempt to clean up a table spill. The woman made a point of letting me know I had done better than she does and it was nothing to worry about. Overall a delicious and pleasant experience. If you like Indian eats and are in the area Curry Mantra is worth the visit. If you can swing the lunch buffet all the better (it is available all week long).

I ordered from them on GrubHub and I was very disappointed. I live on Guinea Rd. across the street from Bowl America, and the order got here in about 45 minutes. I want to give them a four or five based on the quality of the food, but I just can't. I got some samosas ($6.95), some jhol momos (chicken dumplings in spicy sauce, $13.00), some lachha paratha (bread, $3.95), and a mango lassi ($5.95). The quality of the meal and the delivery time were fine. The momos are chicken dumplings similar to Chinese pork dumplings. Momos are famous in Tibet and Nepal. The sauce was spicy and very good. The spices seemed to be intermediate between Indian and Chinese. The sales tax was $2.39; the delivery fee was $2.99; the service fee was $1.87; and the tip for the driver was $5.66. The problem was that I did not get the mango lassi. I requested a refund within the GrubHub app. Over the MLK weekend (Sat. to Mon.), I have been shorted on drinks on three orders three nights in a row. This is with three different restaurants and three different drivers. I had to get a refund within the GrubHub app each time. This is getting ridiculous. It is getting to the point I may have to quit GrubHub altogether. I don't know if the problem is with GrubHub, the restaurants, or the drivers. Are the restaurants shorting my drinks to make more money on the transaction? Are the drivers stealing my drinks? The more parties you add to a transaction, the more problems you are going to have.

Good Indian Buffett spot - would've went with 4.5 stars if they had it. Didn't have the explosive flavor that you can enjoy at other Indian buffets but, the flavors were all very good. Definitely a very solid option if you're craving Indian food and want a quick lunch stop.

Actually giving this 4.5...the food is outstanding and service is excellent. I just didn't care for my cocktail it seemed a little watery. Might be just me. My husband didn't care for the rum mango lassi either. Otherwise delicious

Three great takeout experiences. A little on the pricey side, but very much worth it.

SCAM. PLACED AN ORDER THROUGH GRUBHUB USING THE $5 off coupon. I went into pick it up and they had "cancelled" my order since they were APPARENTLY out of chicken momos. I called BS on it right away and left the restaurant and called them to place an order of chicken momos and other things and guess what? They had them now, 5 mins later I left. IF YOU DONT WANT PEOPLE USING COUPONS DONT MAKE THEM AVAILABLE

Love this place! Their lunch buffet has good options and their dinner entrees are great. Good service and hardly ever a wait.

The best aspects of this place, for me, were the chic interiors and an the extremely nice service. Came here for Saturday dinner after reading about it. Appetizers: 1-The Chicken Mo Mo (Steamed dumplings filled with chicken) was amazing and healthy too because it's steamed. 2-Palak Chat (crispy baby spinach salad) was delicious, the spinach was perfectly crispy, and does not taste oily at all. Main Entrees: 1-Butter Chicken was the best (highly recommend). It comes in a buttery sauce that was so flavorful, aromatic, just sweet enough, creamy and very well-seasoned. 2- Lamb Roganjosh had all spices and herbs needed for an authentic and delicious tasting to the complete dinner. 3- Goat Biryani served with a side of Rita sauce. It was so packed full of spices and flavors and the portion made it perfect to share. We also order some garlic naan which was so soft and fluffy that I could've taken a nap on it. Overall we enjoyed dining at Curry Mantra and would return.

It takes forever for the naan to come out but it is fantastic. Wait until it's out before you load your plate. The lunch buffet is a great deal. Goat curry is delicious as is the butter chicken and biryani.

Takeout order. Person talking the call was uninspired and not paying attention. Despite ordering naan bread it was missed in a four item order! Figured it out when I got home. Otherwise great food but check your order despite hoe uninspired the staff may be!

Who doesn't like the sweet and sophisticated smell of Indian cooking permeating from an Indian restaurant. My family and I craved the rich taste of Chicken Tikka, Butter Chicken and the other delectable dishes that Indian restaurants serve. To our dismay, this "restaurant" provided poor service, poor food, poor presentation and a lack of effort. Upon walking in, we were brought to a table directly under an AC vent despite the entire restaurant being empty. We asked for sparkling water and we were told that they only had 2 bottles left and that we should share it. Seems inappropriate to suggest that. The waitress vanished for 20 minutes until we finally had to track her down to let her know that we were ready to order. Once we ordered, we sat there staring at each other for 1 1/2 hours waiting for the food. Nobody came to check on us. Nobody told us what the problem was. Many customers looked annoyed and a few got up and left. I finally tracked someone down and asked where the food was and he said it was coming, never apologizing. Once the food arrived, it was obviously freezing and was bland and mediocre. In addition, they left the dirty appetizer plates on the table and just put the main course plates down. We had to tell them to take the dirty plates...restaurant 101! I attempted to track down a waitress to complain but once again she vanished. It was like a ghost town. This place is horrible. No idea how to run a restaurant. No idea how to give good service. No idea how to apologize. Eat elsewhere!

This is to me fake indian food - everything tasted bland and like they threw regular meats in a Indian sauce. They tried to Americanize it, or used cheaper ingredients, and everything just tasted shallow and simple. Skip it and find a local, authentic place with better reviews. It's fast-food indian. The buttered chicken was like canned tomato sauce, and the chicken was like it was boiled dry. And my wife and I both got an upset stomach from something in the food later that night - and we get these same dishes from other places all the time.

We got take out last night. Everything was delicious. Lamb roganjosh was tasty with a nice zing to it. Chicken Norma was excellent. Both kids liked that one. Butter chicken and Dahl makni were good. Eggplant was ok. It was nicely spiced, but I would have preferred it a bit chunkier. It was the consistency of applesauce. Naan fresh and hot. Will get take out from here again.

Staff was very friendly and attentive. All the food we ordered was great, but we especially enjoyed the samosas. I loved the serving dishes and decor as well.