Mandalay Restaurant & Cafe
| Address: | 930 Bonifant St, Silver Spring, MD 20910, USA |
| Phone: | +1 301-585-0500 |
| Site: | mandalayrestaurantcafe.com |
| Rating: | 4.4 |
| Working: | 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–9:30PM 11:30AM–10PM 11:30AM–10PM 12–9:30PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 8
MV
MV Koper
Lets start by telling you what this restaurant is/is not. Mandalay is a place where you will get a HUGE variety of (what I assume is) authentic Burmese food in a comfortable setting. It is not a fine dining or an updated restaurant. Having started there, Ill proceed. We love this place. Although Silver Spring is filled with dining options, we hardly ever go anywhere else, because we love Mandalay so much! Im a vegan and my husbands an omnivore, and Mandalay suits us both just right; however, even before I adopted a vegan diet, we loved it just as much! Its just worth mentioning for vegetarians, pescatarians, vegans, gf eaters, people who dont like some kind of meat/eggs/dairy/whatever, that there is a plethora of options on this menu. Often those who eliminate something are left with a small portion of the menu if we eat with our omnivore loved ones, but not at Mandalay! Theres a HUGE section of the menu from which to choose, and Ive made my way through quite a bit of it. Before I chose a vegan diet, I made my way through some of the vegetarian dishes, too. I dont think I ever ate a meat dish here, but my husband has, and he loves them. (Im was never big on eating meat out at restaurants like this, but my husband says its very good, so theres his opinion.) There are lots of vegan/vegetarian options for appetizers, and everything thats vegetarian is also vegan! Everything Ive eaten here has been fresh, tasty, and a healthier choice without feeling like "health food." We always leave with leftovers, or we could share a plate, because the portions are pretty large. There are mild, med, spicy options. I always go for med or spicy. I dont find the spicy too much to handle. The restaurant is definitely dated, and you might find a little tear in a seat here and there, but its part of the charm. Theres plenty of room to sit and move around. Theres always enough servers (theyre all family.) The restaurant is decorated with some of their own family stuff - again, I find that charming. Its a bit dark, but the smiles of the staff will brighten it up quickly for you.
A
A Private User
If tipping is forced on the guests then it means one of two things, the business is using it as an additional source of income or they are not paying their employees a livable wage. When we arrived, we had to wait 20 minutes for a someone to take our orders. It took them an additional 20 minutes to bring our drinks. Then an additional 15 more minutes to bring our appetizers that were ordered 40 minutes prior. Our dinners came then on top of our appetizers. We then ordered desert, then had to wait a good bit of time for our check. There were only 3 tables seated at the time of our order. I went there with 4 adults and a 2 year old. The adults all ordered meals, drinks, deserts. The child had already eaten and only ate some rice from his mother. We get the check and it had almost a 20 dollar gratuity included. I asked why that was in there and they said parties of 5 or more have 18% gratuity added. They did not even serve the 2 year old, but included him in the gratuity. We could not even argue the point because the waitress walked away as we were talking to her. The main point is that if the service is horrible, how could they charge a gratuity? How could they even add a child they did not serve. I felt this is underhanded tactics by a restaurant that seems to have a good reputation. I have eaten at establishments that charge gratuities for large parties, but their service was well beyond Mandalay Save your money and go where the service is better..
DA
David Pittman
Ive loved Mandalay since they were in College Park so many years ago. Id go and try to carefully navigate the owners inaccurate heat rating guide, routinely burned. But the heat and food always seduced me again. I never learned. You might not be familiar with Burmese food. The best way to (poorly) describe the food is a mix of Thai, Chinese and Indian. But that doesnt do it justice. Ive been several times since this Burmese cuisine spot moved to Silver Spring years ago, and its just as delicious. The green tea leaf salad, the sour pork with bamboo shoots, the curries, just everything is amazing. On certain nights, theres a special dish. If youre there and its offered, take it without reservation. Go and go now. This place is perfect for date nights, family get togethers, friendly meals with old pals, or takeaway for Netflix time in front of your TV. And its easy on the wallet too.
A
A Private User
Disappointed despite all the good reviews :( I went to Mandalay on a Th night with a group of six other colleagues. It took them a while to set up our table even though nobody else was sitting at their big table. I asked our waitress for the best seafood and she recommended lightly fried catfish with sliced onions and peppers for $13. The dish was super greasy and totally lacked taste. It came in late and was cold. The fish was not fresh; even two pieces were bad and stinky :- We got two sticky rice dishes as dessert for the table which sucked. With only two glasses of beer on the table, we ended up paying $155. I wont be returning to this place.
AM
Amar Bhat
This was actually our first experience with Burmese food. We had the Burmese Samosas, the V14, and the N1 (I dont recall the actual menu names). The waitress was kind enough to suggest that the V14 might be good to try first (we initially were thinking about the V10 which she said was very spicy) and said that the N1 was another great dish that they could make vegetarian (including a vegetarian Burmese sauce without fish sauce). The samosas were very good and the two entrees were excellent. The service was also very quick. It wont win you over with the decor, but the food was excellent for our first Burmese experience.
A
A Private User
Love Burmese food, and was tempted to try it due to the high ratings of others. Unfortunately, I found the food to be very bland and plain. The creamy coconut soup had a little more of a tomato flavor than one finds in other Burmese restaurants, but was pretty good. Chicken with potatoes and onion curry was very uninspired. NanJee Thoke noodles were dominated by sesame, and just not as flavorful as in other Burmese restaurants. On the plus side, the cream of wheat with coconut dessert was very good. Overall, very mediocre experience. I recommend trying Burma Road in Gaithersburg.
MI
Michael Gollner
This is our favorite Silver Spring restaurant with kids! Food is really quick and amazing quality. We had never tried Burmese before but really enjoyed it! When we came with our 10 month old son they brought a high chair, found a place for us with plenty of room, and even brought a splat mat and things for him to play with. Weve never had a problem finding a table either, and theyre quick for take out or sitting down. We always recommend them to our friends now as well. The food is different and exciting - dont forget to save room for the coconut ice cream for dessert - its worth it!
JU
Justin Hardage
Mandalay is the absolute best restaurant in Silver Spring. Their vegetarian selection is extensive, with noodle, bean, tofu, and vegetable dishes in a variety of flavors. The meaty dishes are unique and savory. The dessert menu is small but worth visiting. The ambiance hits that sweet spot that lets you take a date while still wearing shorts without feeling out of place. If youre looking for an expensive restaurant for white people to drink watered down cocktails, look elsewhere. If you want delicious Burmese food, absolutely bring everyone you know here!
