Chaat Mandi — Restaurant in Cary

BIZARRE UPDATE

After leaving my initial feedback through Square, I received a response from the business at past 10 PM, thanking me for my "Google review"—despite the fact that my original message was sent through Square. This felt like an intentional and passive-aggressive way of letting me know they connected my private feedback to my public review.

I find it unprofessional for a business to respond in this manner, especially at such a late hour. Instead of addressing my concerns with professionalism and a genuine effort to improve, they chose to subtly call me out. This only reinforces my decision to no longer support this establishment. Future customers should be aware not just of the inconsistent food quality, service, and pricing, but also of how they handle honest customer feedback.

The decor is vibrant and trendy, with great music, but the food was a major letdown.

After a disappointing first visit, I called the restaurant and was promised a meal to my specifications to make things right. Unfortunately, my second visit only confirmed my initial disappointment.

I spent about $57 on street food, including Veg Hakka Noodles, Veg Manchurian, Burnt Garlic Rice, Fries, Chai, and Malpua Rabri. The Veg Manchurian was dense and doughy, drowning in a watery gravy instead of a proper sticky sauce. The burnt garlic rice was swimming in oil, and my daughter's Hakka noodles—shockingly made with Maggi instant ramen—felt like an overpriced, lazy shortcut at the shocking sticker price of $14.99. The fries were barely a handful for $5. The only decent item was the slightly stale Malpua Rabri.

On my second visit for the comped meal, I waited over an hour with no apology. My Bombay Vada Pav had tiny potato balls lost in oversized buns, and my daughter’s Hyderabadi Chicken Sandwich was drowning in mustard, making it inedible. The experience made me feel like I was being punished for complaining.

I rarely leave negative reviews, but after wasting my hard-earned money on mediocre food and poor service, I had to share...

Alright so this is a new business and typically I would not do this without giving them another chance but I need to put this out there.

The restaurant opened on 25th September so we went to check it out. The line was so long that it went out the door and all tables were taken. First thing I noticed is the place is quite small so it doesn’t accommodate too many for dine in. Anyway we stood in line to order some items and as soon as we got to the register the chef or owner whispered something to the cashier. Before I could order anything she says “we have a 1 hour wait, so just want to give to a heads up before you order”. We came with a toddler so that was too long for us, so we left.

We attempted take out today. My husband ordered online and saw the restaurant opens at 10:30am on Saturday/Sunday. He got to the location at 11:45am and the doors were still locked. He stood outside and saw there’s someone at the cashier looking right at him, but turns around and talks to people in the kitchen. Doesn’t even acknowledge that he’ll be right over to open the door. Anyway, he finally makes his way over to open the door but my husband is already annoyed by then. What’s the point to specify timings on your site/door when you can’t keep up to it.

Now, given the hype about this new place we were excited to try it out but the customer service wasn’t great from whatever we experienced and unfortunately the food was disappointing too.

Items we ordered with review: -Vada pav: this came as 2 Vada pav with tamarind /date chutney and mint chutney. The dish was so bland and lacked flavor/salt. The mint chutney was also bland. Tamarind chutney was ok. -paneer kathi roll: did not have any chutney. It was tasteless and bland. -veg dum biryani: did not have any flavor or salt as well. The cauliflower was raw and seemed like it was added later, it was not soft.

Overall very disappointed. Doubt...

Extremely Disappointed with Stale Tea and Terrible Ragda Patty & Chola Bhatoora

I recently visited Chaat Mandi with high expectations, but unfortunately, my experience was nothing short of a letdown.

Firstly, I ordered a cup of tea, expecting a soothing and refreshing beverage. However, what I received was a complete disappointment. The tea tasted stale and lacked any semblance of flavor. It was as if I was drinking a sad, watered-down version of tea. This was extremely disheartening, as a good cup of tea can set the tone for a meal.

Next up were the Ragda Patty and Chola Bhatoora, two dishes that I was particularly excited to try. To my dismay, they turned out to be the worst versions I have ever encountered. The Ragda Patty was excessively tasteless. It seemed like it had been sitting out for far too long, resulting in a stale and unappetizing experience.

As for the Chola Bhatoora, it was a complete disaster. The chola (chickpea curry) was devoid of any flavor or spice, rendering it bland and uninteresting. It was such a shame to see such a classic dish poorly executed.

Overall, my visit to Chaat Mandi was an extremely regrettable experience. The stale tea, terrible Ragda Patty, and underwhelming Chola Bhatoora left me with a sour taste in my mouth, both literally and figuratively. I cannot recommend this restaurant to anyone seeking a satisfying meal. It is evident that quality and attention to detail are sorely lacking here, and I urge the management to take immediate action to address these issues.

I hope this review serves as constructive feedback and prompts the necessary improvements needed for a restaurant of...