Mandala Restaurant — Restaurant in Alaska

Dean; thank you so much for your review of Mandala

I have dined at Mandala many times; And Every visit has been absolutely exquisite. You mentioned the prices of Mandala? You have me at a loss here sir; as literally I have not found a Michelin star eligible restaurant in Anchorage with lower prices. But just to be totally fair: I have taken it upon myself to use the inflation calculator and see how his prices would range throughout the years – compared to McDonalds. For Fine Dining personalized service – At McDonalds you will pay 12 dollars for a McBurger, fries and a Coke. At Mandala you will pay 20 dollars for professional service, a cooked and made from scratch meal utilizing the Chefs extensive knowledge of both his culture and his skill at food. I am VERY curious as to how you were “overcharged” for this. When I enter Mandala I do not feel I am entering a restaurant; but rather Chef Sanjays home. Everyone is treated as a welcome guest in his house Chef Sanjay is not just a pillar of our Alaskan community; but has the utmost love for his city, his country and his heratige. Every dish is made from scratch and made to order; with a love and passion that echoes through the exotic flavors, textures and rich variety in a unique way i've rarely seen. Though in my world travels I have never been to India or Nepal; I feel as though I am there when I enjoy his cuisine.

Even though they close at “9:00” I have never seen a guest turned away; but greeted with open hospitality. Even during the busy hours; Chef Sanjay finds the time to come out and speak with guests about their experience, he even puases his busy work to present Wine Service to couples. He is truly a one man Master – the likes I have never seen. These are the personal touches

And this whole place is managed by three people; Chef and his Father and one server whom is a Le Cordon Bleu Graduate – who; while new to the cuisine has shown me nothing but friendlyness and givin me the breadth of his knowledge; and willing to check with Chef on any questions I may have. I have found Mandala to be nothing short of a michelin star experience – and I look forward to each time I enter...

I have read the reviews and even had this restaurant as one of my “places I’d love to try” list. They did NOT disappoint!!

We ordered the Bombay Aloo (medium spice) and Pappadi Chat (medium spice) for starters. The sauce for the Bombay Aloo was so so good! I highly recommend getting the Pappadi Chat, each bite is just an explosion of flavor and all the ingredients you wouldn’t think go together, blended and complimented each other so perfectly!

We ordered the Garlic Naan, Butter Chicken and Tikka Masala for our entrees. Garlic Naan was well buttered and had the perfect amount of garlic ratio and soft. Butter Chicken was highly recommend when I was looking at the reviews and it did not disappoint! I got it medium spicy and it was just perfect, the chicken was nice and tender as well. The Tikka Masala was probably the best I have ever had! Chicken was tender and the sauce was creamy and so flavorful.

Overall, I am so happy we chose to eat here and excited to go back for dinner to try their Clay Oven items!

The chef was friendly and kind, he let us know about the Pappadi Chat and what to expect when we took our first bite. He told us how everything is made to order and how he gets the chicken so tender! My fiancé and I both appreciated it very much since it was our first time and we will both definitely be back and will be bringing our family and...

Where to start? First of all the customer service is unrivaled. I'm very unfamiliar with Indian cuisine. The owner not only greeted us but explained each of the dishes as well as appetizers. Making suggestions based on our questions.

The Thakali Curry, a dish that comes from the owners village came with a charming story which which not only explained the dishes smokey flavor but gave a personal insight into the owners history and the history of the dish itself. I did try it and thought it had a wonderful and complex smokey flavor. I ended up ordering the Butter Chicken for myself which was a perfect introduction dish. Not only was it incredibly delicious but it was something, that in my opinion, anyone could enjoy.

Do yourself a favor and order the Pappadi Chat. It was phenomenal. While it is an appetizer I could easily see myself ordering it for lunch or a light dinner.

When looking at it from the outside you would never guess how charming the interior is. It's a smaller restaurant but it has a very personal feel to it. From the presentation of the dishes to the white linen tablecloths.

I would recommend this restaurant...