The Mango Tree - Spokane Valley — Restaurant in Spokane Valley

Tonight my friend and I tried another Indian restaurant in the area. This time we tried The Mango Tree - Spokane Valley. Now I can say I have been to every Indian restaurant (by name) in the area. 😂

We started with some drinks, Indian Margarita (didn’t know it was a thing) and a Prickly Flower Martini. Both were great and something I haven’t had anywhere else. I didn’t even know there was such a thing as an Indian Margarita…. But it’s definitely worth a try!

My friend also got to try a Mango Lasse. It was her first time trying it, and it was yummy.

Next course was Veggie Pakoras, they were great and (surprisingly) also came with a house salad.

In the restaurant we went with grilled entrees. I ordered their fish and my friend the shrimp. These entrees came with basmati rice, and a really fresh tasting house salad. Not sure what dressing they used, but it was light and wonderful. As for the grilled entrees, the amount of protein was great, the seasoning that was sprinkled over the protein was (in our opinion) a little on the salty side.

We loaded up on to-go food though. We ordered Chicken Tikka Masala (two different spice levels) and after asking another friend what her favorite was, I ordered the Mango Curry (with chicken) to go as well. With the curry bowls we were also able to get an order of garlic naan for each bowl. That’s a great savings!!

We had a great visit, great food, and our server was fantastic!

I did stop at Top of India on the way home for some extra-hot Rogan Josh and Raita. We have plenty of food for...

I went to the downtown mango tree a few years ago, and had a fantastic experience.

This evening we tried the Valley location and it was a bit of a let down.

I have mixed feelings on the food. The garlic naan was delicious, but my butter chicken mostly tasted like tomato sauce. It didn't necessarily taste bad, just not the butter chicken I was hoping for. I was also pretty shocked at the amount of food I got for $20. I know that Americans tend to be used to larger portion sizes, but for $20 I was expecting to have at least a little to take home with me.

The service was just fine, nothing special. Our server didn't say much. I feel like maybe we caught them at a bad time, switching between shifts or something. The service was sort of slow at first but picked up a bit near the end.

Lastly, the atmosphere is just odd. I understand it used to be the ref sports bar but between the jumbotron screens, chain link fence bar seperation and concrete floors it didn't exactly scream "Indian food restaurant" or "taphouse" to me. Also the cool white colored lights made it feel so cold, big and empty in there.

Overall not the worst experience by any means, but I was expecting a better experience based on my previous dinner at the downtown location. Not sure I'll be back....

I was SO SAD when I saw that the beloved "Ref" had been replaced by a chain, and a restaurant chain, at that. I figured, "well, COVID caused a lot of hell for a lot of folks". Curious to try, and being a huge fan of Indian food, I tried. Walking in here was one of the saddest experiences I've ever had. The Ref was a fun place to gather where the staff were excited to see people and the customers were always having a good time. I was told that the serving and kitchen staff were still the same, but I guess Mango Tree has forbidden having a good time and enjoying yourself in the restaurant. You have KILLED The Ref, and The Mango Tree is just a sad stuffing in the old shell. The food is mediocre at best, and the mood inside the restaurant is just like someone ran over the staff and the customer's dogs. Nobody seemed to be having a good time, the staff just slogged around like zombies, the customers looked as if they had stuffed shirts, the fun is gone and it just feels dead inside. If you want to go and just stare at the paint, go here. If you want really basic "Indian" food, go here. If you want somewhere fun and really tasty food...go somewhere else. Not likely to come back here...