USMANI KITCHEN — Restaurant in Sugar Land

Mandi Cafe is a hidden gem of a restaurant. I went there to as a suggestion from a friend to try a Yemeni food. Upon entrance, I noticed that it's a small restaurant that could fit about 30 people at max. It had a raised floor type of seating so you can eat in a traditional Yemeni way.

I ordered 1/2 chicken and 1/2 lamb big plate. The portion size was huge. While it says that it's for 2-3 people, it could easily feed 4 people. The plate came with a half of chicken and goat meat on top of a bed of rice. The flavor was exquisite. The rice has a perfect texture. The Chicken and the lamb were perfectly marinated. I can taste the spices all the way to bone. The meat was fall-of-the bone level of tender without being mushy or overly cooked. The sauces that came with them added some acidity to cut through the richness of the dish. My favorite was the green sauce since it's spicy without being overbearing (I have a high level of spice tolerance so take this with a grain of salt). While the other sauce has a tomato base which akin to a salsa from a Mexican restaurant.

My only complaint was the wait time which was understandable since Mandi is one of those dishes that takes time to be made. I would suggest the waiter to give approximate wait time for the customer after taking the order. The waiter even gave us an extra piece of meat because he noticed that my group were in a bit of hurry during our wait.

My other suggestion to the restaurant, for the traditional seating (the place where you would sit on your foot like you sit on the floor), is to level up the cushion and the table together so the customers legs/knees wouldn't rubbed against the edges of the table. I found it a little bit awkward to sit since I have a pretty long leg.

Mandi Cafe is an excellent place; I would definitely come back with a larger group of people...

I recently dined for Iftar at Mandi Cafe, and my experience was extremely disappointing. The advertised price of $9.99 per person was misleading due to hidden taxes that were not disclosed upfront. When I asked for a receipt, they were hesitant to provide one. Somehow, a pre-tax total of $29.97 for three people turned into $36.96 with no clear breakdown. To make matters worse, children as young as three are charged the full price, whether they eat or not. There is no tap or filtered water available—you are forced to purchase bottled water, with Rooh Afza being the only free beverage option. The food itself was a complete letdown. The so-called “Aloo Gosht” was just potato curry with no meat, even after multiple requests. The biryani was just rice with no chicken, and when they refilled it, they only brought more plain rice. The naan tasted stale, as if it had been sitting out for two days. The seating was uncomfortably cramped, with chairs placed so close together that moving or adjusting your seat was nearly impossible. The staff rushed the process, never checked on customers, and avoided feedback—probably because they already know the complaints. What’s even more frustrating is that, unlike most restaurants during Ramadan, they have no courtesy of providing free water. If I could give zero stars, I would, but unfortunately, the lowest rating allowed is one. Save your money and time—next-door Dilpasand offers a much better experience at the same price. I doubt the owner will take any action to improve the restaurant, but at the very least, they should stop charging hidden fees and provide free water during Ramadan. I would never return and would not recommend this...

Please don’t west your star to give them a review very bad food, very bad quality and customer seems the owner he is very rude guys he don’t know how to talk to people he call him self owner we order him for 2 days ahead for bday party the time he gave us we reached there he said ohhh food is not ready wait 1 more hour we order 2 party tray of chicken Mandi we wait after that the food he gave us don’t ask it’s very bad test when we came home open food for server it’s white rice with Zafron color on top with chicken we had no other options we order some other place biryani then on urgent next day full tray I take it back to place he is rude agian not accepting his mistake that he give us white rice with chicken not Mandi he just telling me that we make like this I told him sir look at you website pic and food you serving now its totally different you gave me. Please go to Hadramout Restaurant Mandi place 100 times better then this nice staff and owner they talk friendly to. People who put for them good reviews they are sit there and eat or they are there friends and family put for them.Mandi cafe 👎 The guys Daniyal Usmani very rude I can not even keep him my employ he don’t know how to talk people or specially ladies i don’t know how he talk to his family ladies very...