Mantu Afghan Persian Cuisine — Restaurant in Victoria

I am solely writing this review for constructive criticism. Whoever is replying to these comments, please don't attack me!

Food (7/10): we got the koobideh and the meat was tasty but very heavy on the garlic and greasy. It was served with 2 barely grilled cherry tomatoes which was not enough for the 2 big skewers they come with. The salad on the side was nice but not enough and not very traditional. The rice was basmati and buttered which was tasty

Service (3/10): really confusing choices made with the service. The menus are on expensive tablets meant for just browsing but not ordering. You give your order to a single server that runs the restaurant; we had to wait until he was done taking the order of a big family while we could have just put our order on the tablet if implemented. We requested drinks, they had a non-working tea machine and their drink selection was only limited to pop cans (no dough or other authentic drinks). Water was provided in luke warm small paper cups (no ice). What is more bizarre is that a large family of 8 came by and I think they ran out of paper cups because they give all the kids water in white paper bowls. Our food was served on wooden plates with parchment paper underneath the food (it looked like it was meant to not get the plates super dirty). The food arrived pretty fast but I imagine the only thing they were preparing fresh was cooking the kebab.

Atmosphere (1/10): the most bizarre interior design I have seen. Not enough seating tables. There are around 50 pot lights all pointing at fake plants hanging from the ceiling. There is a chair and neon-led sign for supposed Instagram selfies/promotion and #eatatMantu neon sign all while having traditional chairs, crystal chandeliers and 2 mannequins dressed up in afghan clothes facing the restaurant and looking at u while u eat. Also there is a TV in the center of these mannequins display the same 5 pop music videos on repeat. But the funny thing is, the videos are on mute and the music playing in the restaurant is seperate.

My feedback: This place suffers from not knowing what it is and not thinking through some business decisions. Why can't you afford glass or washable plastic cups or plates but can afford the tablet menus and the expensive and unnecessary light bills illuminating fake plants. As for the food, on the menu I order dal and a small bowl of dal was shown but I received 2 sauce sized amounts of it. The koobideh dish was $20 and was basically meat and rice with little amount of veggies. I get the same dish in Vancouver from an authentic Persian place with more tomatoes, rice and sauces for $15. And finally the interior design... Either lean into the authenticity or lean into the modern take. If modern, remove your chandelier, remove the mannequin and stop showing tacky music videos and put on a montage of scenic Afghan locations.

Finally.... It's pretty disgusting to see the lengths the owner or whoever is running this account goes to discredit the reviewers (take look at the 1 star replies). This place is clearly overated and it saddens me because I love afghan cuisine and culture. It is a glorified and overpriced...

I recently dined at Mantu Restaurant, and it was an exceptional experience from start to finish. The first thing I noticed was how spotless the restaurant was, creating a welcoming and comfortable atmosphere. The delicious aroma of food filled the air as soon as we walked in, setting the tone for an enjoyable meal. The staff were incredibly friendly, attentive, and genuinely caring, making us feel welcomed and well looked after throughout our visit.

We ordered the Kebab Kubida and Chicken Kebab, and both dishes were fantastic. The meat was tender, fresh, and clearly high quality. The kebabs were perfectly seasoned, capturing the authentic taste we were hoping for. Alongside the kebabs, we enjoyed a beautifully presented salad that was fresh, crisp, and tasted as great as it looked. The rice served with the meal was well-cooked, fluffy, and flavorful, rounding out a satisfying and delicious experience.

For dessert, we had Firni, which was truly the highlight of our meal. This creamy, sweet dessert came topped with a sprinkling of pistachios, adding a lovely crunch. It was smooth, comforting, and brought back warm memories of my childhood—a delightful and nostalgic ending to our meal.

Overall, Mantu Restaurant is a true gem. The quality of the food, the friendly service, and the welcoming ambiance make it a place I would highly recommend to anyone looking for an authentic, delicious experience. We will...

Even 1 star is too much. As person who had his own persian resturent for about 8 years , i have not seen any bad Lamb shank as bad as yours, i have got your Qaboly polo so i highly recommend you to pay attention on how to cook it . It is super easy meat to cook and it is get tender and delicious if you cook it right and in low heat and long enough. HOWEVER your cook made a desater lamb shank by not cooking it enough and made it super chewy and even the fat on lamb shank didnot melt so obviously they didnot know how to cook it. The second food that i have got was beef kebab and even your cook didnot know how to cook it becuase it was Suppppperrr over cook and crazy dry like a piece of cardbord and it was full of garlic so i highly recommend you to change your cook and hire someone who has clue of how to cook these foods. Thanks Additionally , iam writing this after that unfortunet reply of the owner to my review which is not very professional so i I highly recommend to the owner of the resturent to try other afghan resturent and other Mantu branch resturent in Surrey which is Afghan Cuisine to see the diffrences...