1015 Fort St, Victoria, BC V8V 3K5, Canada
• Authentic Indian Cuisine: Enjoy Butter Chicken, Lamb Roganjosh, Channa Masala, and more, made with fresh, local ingredients. • Family-Owned & Chef-Run: Personalized service from a dedicated family-owned, chef-run restaurant. • Indie Modern Interior: Dine in a stylish setting blending modern design with traditional Indian decor. • Daily Buffet Lunch: Available from 11 AM to 3 PM with a variety of dishes. • Homemade Spice Mixes: Take home Butter Chicken Mix, Chana Masala, and more. • Accessible Restrooms: Fully accessible bathrooms for all guests. • Family-Friendly: Ideal for families and special occasions. • Takeout & Catering: Convenient options for home dining and events. • Cooking Classes: Hands-on Indian cooking
I’m from spain nd on vacation in canada.. nd i checked reviews on google for best indian food in victoria for lunch nd i choosed mantra.. Great food, especially loved the chilli chicken and also garlic naan Naans were super crispy , hot and tender… nd service tooo good specially girl dharna attended so professionally nd too friendly.. best indian food in Victoria🙂
Good food & excellent service by Dharn. Samosa chat was so flavourful. If you are looking for clean & friendly environment. This place is for you. Must visit
absolutley great, that you can have as much Naan (yummi) and Chai tea as you want... the goat curry was my favourite 😍😍😍😍 as well as the the fried vegetables... the Water in the own bottles on the table gives a nice touch.
I love this restaurant. I come back here every year. The food is fantastic the atmosphere is very up to date, service is friendly and always accommodating. Also just so you know their play list is the boom! I Shazam it every time I’m here.
The mantra of an Indian restaurant typically revolves around authenticity, flavor, and hospitality. It aims to offer traditional Indian cuisine that reflects the diverse culinary heritage of the country, using authentic spices and cooking techniques to create flavorful dishes. Additionally, Indian restaurants often emphasize warm and welcoming service, aiming to provide guests with a memorable dining experience that showcases the richness of Indian culture through food.
I was on the island for work and I stopped here for lunch. I ordered the lunch time buffet and I quite enjoyed it. There were veg and non-veg options. The food wasn't too spicy thankfully and the meal comes with naan. I don't tend to go for the buffet option but I'm glad I did on this occasion. I thought it was good value for money and I would come here again.
Excellent Indian food so good that we ate two suppers on successive nights. The server is friendly and is supported by a robot which is both entertaining and efficient as it delivers food to your table. The first night we ordered tandoori and the second night our server recommended some curries, which were accompanied by fresh light naan bread.
First time visit, primarily to try their lunch buffet. Nothing great, but not bad either. Service was decent. Dessert options were pretty non existent. Food was good. Was surprised with the robot coming to deliver our fresh bread (Nan, paratha etc). Place is in downtown Victoria which is a blessing, and currently one of the few giving an Indian lunch buffet experience. Would be willing to give it a try again, next time I visit.
Good food, Great hospitality. Highly recommended. Vegetarian options: They have paneer tikka, lentils curry, samosas and Pakoras for vegetarians Food : 5/5 |
Best Indian food in town!
Love the lunch buffet - and the chai is always great! Vegetarian options: Plenty Food : 5/5 |
Delicious food, top-notch client experience & friendly team at the restaurant. Thanks to Dharna & the friendly owner for making my dining experience so memorable! Vegetarian options: Great food
My coworkers and I had a lovely lunch at Mantra and our server Dara was very welcoming and kind. We will return again! Vegetarian options: There was an assortment of vegetarian options! Dietary restrictions: There were options for people with dietary restrictions!
Such a warm and positive setting. It is clean,& generous with fabulous food. Thank you Vegetarian options: Great variety Dietary restrictions: They were very open to suggestions. Parking: Easy to find something on the st Kid-friendliness: Super and the robot is a hit Wheelchair accessibility: Very
Yum
Dharma was so kind :) we will be back for sure!
Food is delicious Best service by Yogita Food
This is our go-to place for take out and also dining in. The staff are also friendly - both the robo-cat and human varieties. The decor is simple, open, and pleasant. Three of us ate for less than $100 with two pots of Chai, and we were stuffed.
Good food and service
Great food and service. Definitely recommended.
Amazing food ever!
Good was delicious and was in full quantity.. service was great .. I really appreciate this place OSM job Keep it up guys Vegetarian options: They have all vegetarian options.. Kid-friendliness: Great Wheelchair accessibility: Lot of space
Visit the place with the party of 9. Got seated right away. The service is amazing. We all loved the food.
It was great
Hands down, one of worst butter chicken I have tasted in British Columbia!
Love the one on Fort st. Best lunch buffet for wanting authentic Indian with a nice atmosphere. Clean restaurant and nice staff. Yummy yummy eats.
My absolute favorite place to eat! Satisfies my tikka masala craving every time. Not to mention how lovely the staff are
My favourite place to go for Indian buffet in Victoria. Food is always hot and fresh with a variety of main dishes that change throughout the week. Friendly and prompt service from Darma today - naan was served with a smile. The chai is must! Vegetarian options: Many vegetarian options.
My family orders takeout from them regularly. The food is always good, the service is excellent, and the restaurant is very accommodating. We ordered once when we were having friends over, and on the way home from the restaurant one of the bags broke and two curries spilled (no fault of the restaurants). We called them and they remade the curries within ten minutes at no cost.
Love Mantra so much, best Indian food in town. I did order take out recently and server mis heard my medium spice level for extra hot :( Regardless, will always come back here :)
Very good experience all around!
We are regulars here because the food is sooo good.
We went for the buffet and it was excellent. Dharna was a excellent server. All in all a great buffet.
Vegetarian options: A variety of vegetable, bean and lentil dishes Food : 4/5
We often come here for their lunch buffet. Its quick, efficient, tasty, and also nice bonus that it includes dessert and chai tea!
Food is all good. and price is also good.
The food is delicious and enough, the enviroment is nice and the best was a service Dharma is very kind and smile person. I hope come back very soon!
Vegetarian options: God services Food
Dharna served us today. The good was good and service was great. We had the lunch buffet
The lunchtime buffet was great, simple curry and worth the price. I d go here again for a big feed.
The food was delicious! Nice lunch buffet selection. Friendly staff. Great atmosphere. Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs. Main floor.
Best seating Ive had in a restaurant. Dharna was a really fun host for our table of 6 :) the buffet was a great deal (and tasted fantastic)!
Kid-friendliness: Great place for families Food
The servers (including Robi!) were super nice and the food is top notch. Lamb coconut curry was outstanding.
Dharna the server provided very excellent service. Buffet was really nice. We will definitely come again.
Dharna is very nice and accommodating. She keeps everything nice. She is good with kids, talks with us and give us excellent service. We will be back because Mantra is one of our family favorite restaurant. Vegetarian options: N/a Dietary restrictions: N/a Kid-friendliness: N/a
Love the buffet here. And the service is always amazing.
One of the best valus lunches in victoria. Good food great price
Dharna is nice and accommodating and fast. And food always excellent, my friends and I love to come this. Food
Fancy little tool, and amazing food. Ive eaten so much it hurts.
Best lunch ever so tasty! The fish curry is absolutely amazing !!! Food
The staff and food is really good here
The food was really very delicious
I recently ordered Butter Chicken, Goat Biryani, and Eggplant Bharta from Mantra, and I was extremely disappointed with the experience. The Butter Chicken tasted stale, and the gravy had an unusual sourness to it, which was very unpleasant. To make things worse, I found what looked like a strand of steel in the Goat Biryani totally unacceptable and concerning from a food safety perspective. The Eggplant Bharta was overly sweet, which threw off the expected flavor balance. When we raised these concerns, the staff kindly offered to take Butter Chicken off the bill. However, since we had already started eating some of the food before noticing the issues, we decided to pay in full ourselves.
Dharma offered an amazing service. One of the best Indian buffet in downtown Victoria.
I always eat here when I m town - Dharna is the best.
Amazing food and love the service Vegetarian options: Vegetarian Curry are amazing Food : 5/5 |
Lamb biryani and Amritsari Kulcha is to die for. (Edited) Masala Chai and samosa chaat and rasmalai is my new go to. Light and mighty. Food
Superb buffet selection, great quality, excellent and friendly service and to top there was their own style of Black Forest cake for dessert, chai tea and the famous rice pudding! Can never get enough
Yogita was really sweet and tasty food
Nice service by yogita. Had really good experience. Nice food . Nice technology
It was great experience,love the food . Yogita kept us entertained, love the robot waitress.
They made my made my food spicy I liked it. There is a very cool robot.
Friendly warm and delicious
Good food and chill vibe
Excellent service, even though the dishes were carried by a cute robot, the waitress was attentive at all times, giving us a good experience in the place. Parking: If you arrive at dinner time, after 7pm you can park for free outside the restaurant.
Delicious Indian food. Plain and simply the best Ive had in 65 years so that makes it excellent. Vegetarian options: Great cauliflower entree.
Im really looking forward to my next visit to Mantra restaurant! It s such an amazing place with a great atmosphere and excellent hospitality. I can t stop thinking about that delicious buffet I tried it was absolutely fantastic! I can t wait to go back and indulge in those flavors again.thank you so much
Very Good Lunch Buffet ! For the Price .. Under $20 including Tax you Can t Beat It . Give it a Try ~ Vegetarian options: So delicious !
Good food and customer service by Dharna. Would love to visit again Vegetarian options: Food was amazing Food : 5/5 |
We love it here and will come back again and again. The food is always fresh and packed with flavour. The owner is a gem. Vegetarian options: Amazing food Dietary restrictions: Lots of vegan and vegetarian Parking: Easy Wheelchair accessibility: No stairs
Best spiced Indian food I have ever had
Vegetarian options: Good chole bhature Food
The food was amazing. Such a great flavor but not overpowering with spices! The service was great we had Dherna as our waitress and she had a great attitude and persona always polite and brought us an extra side on the house to try new things. Been here several times and it does not disappoint at all
A very nice service from our waitress Dharna she is so efficient and helpful. And the food is delicious nice coconut rice!!. Food : 5/5
Dharna, did the great service and food was amazing. We will come next time for sure.
I had there lunch buffet. The food was too cold and not so tasty to eat. Service was okay as theres no service required with all you can eat. And atmosphere is good.
Such amazing vegan options! This is our go-to place for Indian food in Victoria Vegetarian options: Theyll make anything vegan! Food : 5/5 |
Awesome local restaurant with incredible food! Im a big fan of the Goat Curry, and the Gulab Jamun for dessert.
Excellent food and service. Try the tandoori chaap!
I recently visited Mantra Restaurant in Victoria and unfortunately, it didnt meet my expectations. The buffet was disappointing as the food wasnt fresh, which really affected the overall experience. Additionally, the staff wasnt very helpful; instead of addressing customer concerns, they seemed more interested in arguing rather than understanding our needs.Overall, it was a letdown, and I hope they can improve in these areas.
Great place to eat
Great food, great staff 10/10
So yummy! Always kind and friendly service. And the rice pudding
If you ain t eating lunch here you ain t living! I have never eaten food so wonderful, so varied, so delicious! Don t waste another moment! Put down your Tim Hortons bagel and get down here! Right now! Today! Tomorrow! And every day after that!! Mustard fish waits you, dear patron! Victoria shmictoria without MANTRA! I liked the mustard fish - one satisfied Mantra customer
Mantra is a very restaurant. The food is amazing.
The food is consistently good with great spice and flavors. We come here regularly and have never had a poor experience. Our server, Yogita, was fun and very attentive. Would definitely recommend.
Very attentive & pleasant service, great nice atmosphere, very tasty food
Best service, best food, must visit restaurant
Delicious food, bottomless chai and exceptional service!!
Best Indian Place near Victoria! Excellent
Amazing food and service by dharna
Amazing and a variety of different dishes every time, nicely done Team Mantra - and great music too!!!
Best amritsari kulcha in Victoria.
Yogita- was awesome. The chai is the best way to finish off a meal
Excellent food and service. Love this place!
Unli orange ang grapefruit Vegetarian options: Vegies Food : 4/5 |
Raw pakoras, undercooked cauliflower and rice. Very disappointing. The
The food is phenomenal, a bit quiet atmosphere at dinner time and wonderful service.
Very good food and a nice choice of indian specialities, especially the service of yogita was very good
All good food delicious an friendly service by Yogita
Best service! The food was good and the stuff was so friendly and nice . Yogita was so nice
Had lunch buffet. Good for $17.50(?) the best thing we had was the naan! Butter chicken was sweet and not lot of spices. Fish masala(if i m not mistaken would be second best!). fresh fruits were good, but the second batch that they served it tasted like onion, I guess they cut onions with the knife before cutting the orange. Service was good, they were busy with the function but still managed to have staff. Good job!
Great food and great service from Yogita
I had the buffet lunch. The rotis were good.
Excellent food and service by Maheshia. Vegetarian options: Lots of options Dietary restrictions: Lots of options
Delicious food with awesome service. Must try
Ordered Samosa online towards closing time. They sent a cold samosa and couldnt eat it. Worst!
The Mantra was a lifesaver! My starving extended family (14 people) came in an hour and a half before our ferry departure, and In 45 minutes we were all well fed and ready to set off again. The food was delicious, the service friendly, and we re so glad we chose this place on a whim! We also had several vegetarian and vegan people, and there were so many DELICIOUS options!! I m vegan and I would recommend the takda Dahl, veggie samosas, and veggie biryani
Only lentils were OK, everything else was horrible.
Mantra Indian Cuisine serves delicious Paneer Tikka, chole bhature, panner saag, chicken korma, garlic cheese naan, mango lassi. we ordered so many things. The spices were balanced, and the tangy mint chutney complemented it well. Sweet staff made everything better.
Great food and service.
Best in town
I have been a loyal customer of The Mantra Fine Indian Cuisine for over five years, and I keep coming back for a reason! The food is always exceptional, with flavors that are consistently on point. The prices are fair, and the service is top-notch every single time. Whether its a casual dinner or a special occasion, The Mantra never disappoints. Highly recommend this gem for anyone craving authentic and delicious Indian cuisine.
The Mantra Fine Indian Cuisine is my absolute favourite spot for Indian food! The flavors are always vibrant and authentic, with each dish offering a perfect balance of spices. From the mouthwatering curries to the delicious biryanis, every meal is a culinary delight. The pricing is very fair, especially considering the generous portions and high quality of the food. The service is consistently excellent, with a friendly and attentive staff that makes you feel right at home. Whether dining in or ordering takeout, the experience is always top-notch. For any occasion be it a casual meal or a special celebration The Mantra is my go-to restaurant. It never fails to impress, and I can t wait for my next visit. If youre in the mood for some amazing Indian cuisine, this place is a must-visit!
100×Superb Vegetarian options: Great Dietary restrictions: Great Parking: Great Kid-friendliness: Fantastic
Food was delicious. Service was really good. Highly recommend come enjoy the Indian cuisine in Victoria.
By far my favourite Indian food in Victoria! I have been ordering take out from the Mantra on Fort for about 2 years now on a regular basis, and it is always consistent, with quick service. My favourite dishes are Papdi Chaat, Gobhi Garlic, Amritsari Kulche and Paneer lababdar. All of the curries Ive had are delicious, the naan is always fresh. I always order the coconut rice and get a piece of naan as my side choice for the curry. Thank you for continuing to make delicious food during these tough times for the service industry!!!
Food is so delicious and friendly staff
Awesome food, friendly staff. Vegetarian options: Yes Dietary restrictions: Lots options Parking: Paid parking Kid-friendliness: Yes
Excellent everything :) would recommend
great eggplant bhartha! friendly staff Vegetarian options: 8-9 vegetarian curries Food : 5/5 |
Lovely butter chicken and naan
Great overall!
Came in for the lunch buffet, $17.50 for a whole buffet! Incredibly reasonable and the food was amazing. Yogi took the BEST care of us!
Nice place for family dinning!lovely food and service
Delicious family run restaurant! Authentic Indian food! I go here lots, and it never disappoints.
Great food and service. Lovely atmosphere. Yogita was a lovely server.
Went for the lunch buffet. Was ok but nothing special. Some dishes were not that fresh either.
I tried the lunch buffet and really liked the food! The selection of dishes on the buffet was quite nice. And their complementary naan and chai are absolutly stellar! Can recommend it! Food
We came for the lunch buffet for 18$. For that price the food was great, it also included chai and as many fresh naan as youd like. We really enjoyed the goat curry! Service was lovely and the ambience was fine too. Not sure that youd find anything better for the selection and taste! Vegetarian options: We were there for the lunch buffet. 4/6 options were vegetarian and all of them tasted great!
Goat curry is divine
Good buffet, reasonable price, polite service. Quite nice
The food is delicious, authentic and very reasonably priced. Will be returning regularly
Loved visiting this cuisine and enjoyed some amazing food! Service was amazing. I d highly recommend checking it out!
The BEST Indian food ever, anywhere! Vegetarian options: Many veg options!! Food : 5/5 |
The mantra is a house hold Indian cuisine in Victoria since 2014. Family owned still the great iconic taste, every bite is made with love. Highly recommend been all over Canada and nothing beats chicken labadadar. Food
Cozy atmosphere, great service and a good buffet for a reasonable price!
Delicious! Great for Sunday lunch and chai tea
Good ! Vegetarian options: Good Food : 5/5 |
Vegetarian options: Very good Food
For $21 including tip, I would expect better. The service was very friendly, but the curries were watery and the chicken and the butter chicken was dry and chewy. The rice was also dry and crispy. I won t be back.
Usually my favourite Indian food in Victoria, however when ordering your food be very very adamant on the spice level. We typically order mild and it s never consistent. Tonight we ordered two mild butter chickens and they came extremely hot like they cooked it with Carolina reaper peppers, eyes watering, nose running, literal pain in stomach it s so spicy. Unfortunately I had to stop eating because I like to enjoy what I m eating and not be in physical pain. EDIT: Ordered butter chicken again, once again confirmed with store I wanted mild many many times and told them last time they did not listen to my request. I still received this extremely spicy butter chicken that cannot be eaten again. I won t continue ordering from here. This is disappointing because this has been my go to Indian food for about 4 years. Unfortunately mantra you will lose my business
Its really embarrassing but the restaurant doesnt live upto the Indian Standard. When you order through skip they accept the modification but when you want to dine in wants the same modification they denied. Even, the Chef is so much full of attitude that he refuses to meet the customer to understand their need or demand. The hostess Pooja was really nice in understanding the need but she was not being respected by the chef. So all and all not a nice customer experience at all.
Best one in town. Good food and service by Yogita.
First time at Mantra and we went in the afternoon for lunch buffet. Great food, especially loved the butternut squash curry and the raitha. Naans were super crispy , hot and tender. Ended the lunch with some nice masala tea! Thank you Mantra! Vegetarian options: Butternut squash, kadhi pakora,
I order online Chiken biryani, Paneer lababdar and tandoori roti. Biryani was bone less was expecting with bone, and who add tamarind in biryani. The roti was burnt and paneer lababdar same burnt onion or I ll say over caramelised.
Lunch buffet at Mantra was a great experience! Not the typical options of paneer and dal makhni, rather we had a variety of seasonal vegetables cooked similar to how we cook at home. And the perfect Chai to end the meal! There were meat options at the buffet too for non vegetarians, so dont worry :) The owner and his team are very warm and the service was excellent!
Ordered via skip the dishes. One hour after the order the restaurant canceled the order with no explanation. I understand that restaurants get busy but turn off the ability to have any further orders come in if you don t have the capacity. The food is amazing but the service not so much.
chicken was plentiful but fake.
Nice little restaurant. Good host/server. Simple, ample, but very tasty lunch buffet (approx. $18). Some items included were the Butter chicken (of course), Goat curry, Channa masala (yum!), Vegetable Jalfrezi (the best!), Dal Makhani (Mak-nee), rice, salads, Rice Kheer, Gulab Jamun and some lovely hot Masala Chai. Plus fresh Naan delivered to your table. We left feeling quite full :) 5 stars for all of the deliciously prepared food!
I ordered the goat biriyani, onion naan, and daal makhani. It was the worst biriyani Ive ever had in my life. You made me look bad in front of my white husband. The biriyani was so bad Im telling your mom. The rest of the food was okay
We went to Indian buffet and it was good. Food was delicious and had sufficient variety for the price. Price of buffet is reasonable and affordable. Atmosphere is very good compared to other Indian restaurants.
Tried Lunch Buffet, very basic spread and below average taste. Vegetarian Appetizer was bad, Non Vegetarian Appetizer was not available, Mushroom Pasta taste was good.
Delicious food!
Nice place. Their lamb curry is superb but really needs a much bigger portion for the price. Did not impress my Indian friend.
My first lunch buffet since Covid - OMG what I had been missing. Wonderful location to dine with friends, enjoy our meal with bright big windows, and the service of a robot waiter transformed my experience to unbelievable!!
I saw a mice in the restaurant when i was here with my family It is not good ? No hygiene I dont think the food is hygienic
I really miss your malai kofta . It s the best I ever had and in town.
Best mango lassi I have had in Victoria! Food was delicious and all the flavours were balanced and reasonable servings.
It used to be my favourite restaurant. But this time, 0 service ??? I would understand if the restaurant was busy but we were the only ones. No coming back and ask us how the food is ? The server sent the robot server to us so we would place the dirty dishes there?? Aren t they suppose to take themselves! No Bollywood music anymore !! Food was good but nothing else Probably the server needs more training.
I wont be back. I had a buffet meal with friends over Christmas, service was slow - only 1 person managing the restaurant. Buffet was practically empty and the food was cold- there were one or two items that were replaced but had we not asked for replacement we would not have had much except what looked like the ends of the trays - and there was still an hour to go before closing. When I looked at a friends plate - there was a chicken thigh bone - I asked if there was chicken curry - I hadnt seen any - there wasnt. The bone was in the fish curry. When we asked the owner - he dismissed it and said she was lucky to have it. It seems to have gone downhill from my past visit a year ago.
One of the more poor/mediocre indian buffets ive had. Rose the robot collects dirty dishes and then serves naan on the same trays . Dont see how the healh dept allows that. Not very food safe. No reason for me to go back.
We placed a large order for pick up, and it was ready promptly, nice and hot: 10 dishes plus complimentary rice and naan. They kindly labelled the containers which was helpful with so many different dishes. We often order from Mantra, and the food is consistently delicious and perfectly spiced between mild and medium. Our absolute favourite dishes are the navratan korma, aloo gobi and mutter paneer. We tried some new dishes this time, and they were all fabulous. Everyone had seconds! We do not hesitate to recommend Mantra to all our friends.
The food tasted bland.
Very expensive !! 1/2 c of rice for $3.50!! And 2 rotis for $5. Won t be back.
Our food was good, but not amazing.
Beautiful restaurant with not so beautiful food. Had the lunch buffet. Only meat dish is butter chicken and like all the other dishes not authentic at all. What is it with the sugar. I crave spices when visiting an Indian restaurant but here I got sugar. So weird and not good. Skipped the one and only dessert as I had enough sugar already. Rice is good. Service was fine when available. Very understaffed.
Beatiful setting, healthy and tasty food, and really good lunches. Great price/quality offer.
Solid good all you can eat lunch. End your meal with pudding & chai!
Great tasting food. Nice ambiance. Couteous service. VERY clean. Amazing dining overall