Manas Creative Indian Cuisine
Category: Indian/Pakistani [Edit]
Neighborhood: South Los Angeles2823 S Vermont Ave
Los Angeles, CA 90007 (323) 731-4333
- Price Range: $
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Private Lot
- Attire: Casual
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: Yes
- Takes Reservations: No
- Take-out: Yes
- Waiter Service: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Good for: Dinner
14 reviews
Neighborhood: Studio CIty
"First let me say that I love Indian food and probably eat entirely too much of it. I also like it HOT which can be a challenge for a new…" read more »
18 Reviews for Manas Creative Indian Cuisine
I have yet to encounter non-delicious indian food, and Manas is no exception. First off, it's cheap as hell, especially for Indian, I find many Indian places charging $12.00 for a medium sized bowl of Tikki Masala. But these were decent portions, for a fraction of the price. Everything there is so reasonably priced that it frightens me. Beyond the ease on my wallet is the truly amazing food. There is not a single Indian bone in my body, so i dare not say if this is "authentic" Indian cuisine. But my amateur taste buds couldn't get enough of whatever mush they were serving me. If you're an indian food lover like me, or ready to try an exotic food outside the norm, head to Manas and i guarantee you'll be pleasantly surprised.
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3.5 stars.
This place has been here three years and I went to USC and have still never been here! Surprising for a self-proclaimed curry expert (I work for an Indian company and lived near Brick Lane, London) even if I eat my food in the wrong order and mix the flavors! Hahaaa.
This past sunny Saturday afternoon after getting stood up ;) I stop here on the way home. It's easy to miss amongst the odd mish mash of stores. Inside seems out of place: a modern orangey color scheme with sunken lights and booth-seating, but being next to the (modest) Indian grocery store makes it all logical.
On Saturday lunchtimes it's buffet time. Which is never the best food on offer so I treaded carefully. The onion pakora was too dry to be edible and the tandoori chicken was dry too, but everything else was fine, if a little cold: chicken curry, the lentils, the fried rice. The garlic naan was made fresh and the complimentary lassi was a wonderful surprise.
For $11 this place is a bargain and unbeatable for the price. I'd come again, but it's not my favorite Indian place near downtown. That has to go to Gill's where the decor isn't as nice and there is no flatscreen TV with Bollywood videos playing.
Wow, from the looks on the outside, I was debating on coming in or not.
But as soon I came in, a nice Indian Auntie (in a sari, my mom said "oh really, i dont believe you!") asked me to sit down and I ordered Eggplant dish. Honestly, the decor is very surprising (, service looked great (a party of 15 was inside here, and looked comfy)
She asked "how spicy" - and I wasnt going to back down as a real deal indian person. (I was born on Artesia blvd, in lil india yo!) And it was obviously really hot, but still tasty! Not too greasy, and take out size was huge!
I will come again!
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I was really impressed by this place. I was looking on Yelp for a place to eat near the coliseum and Manas was near the top of the list. Although it's not in the greatest neighborhood, once inside I felt at home.
The decor is simple but classy and they have Bollywood movies going on a big flat screen TV in the back -- that always adds to the ambiance. Service was ridiculously efficient. We ordered our food and five minutes later two people simultaneously laid down five or six plates in front of us. We had the vegetable samosas, which were excellent, the chicken tika masala (CTM for short) and a lamb curry that I forget the name of.
We asked for everything to be spicy and it sure was. I had to order a second mango lassi just to get through it all. That's the way I like it! Definitely check this place out if you're in the area, you won't be disappointed.
Mana's is not a dissapointer! They are true to their word as they are to their spicy-ness. They aren't the type of place that lies and says, its hot and it comes out and its barely mild. =D
I used to go here quite often since I was always in the area, and now I'm lucky if I can convince someone to make the trek with me and grab me some scrumptious indian food. The servers here are really friendly and always are paying attention to your every needs. I've never had to correct an order here or clarify something.
This place never dissapoints!
I love me some spicy.
Why I give them 4 stars? They make spicy, spicy! I've been to plenty of restaurants where I order spicy or extra spicy and I end up having to ask for hot sauce. This place delivered well.
I loved the buuuuuurrrrrn. ouch!
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Weekend lunch buffet: $9.95 includes a drink (soda or mango lassi) and your choice of regular or garlic naan. The naan is almost buttery and has the optimum balance of crispiness and chewiness.
The buffet features more than ten choices, which were very tasty. The mint chutney is delicious. Manas people are nice and it was not too crowded.
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The chicken vindaloo is wonderful and creamy; and they have the best vegetarian samosas, ever. I love Manas because it's super close and always good. Everything you order here comes available in mild, medium, or spicy. But be weary; the spicy is for spice lovers only, and if you are sensitive, you should stick with mild. Even the medium can pack some intense heat.
Dine in, or order-take out. If you live close enough, they even deliver.
Next door, owned by the same people, is a little Indian grocery store with some awesomely delicious stuff (some things pre-made) for sale. Get the mango juice (which is really thick) and mix it half and half with water, and viola: Yummy Indian drink to accompany your dinner (you can order this bottle directly from the restaurant too. Beware, it's fairly big, maybe a liter, but take the rest home...it's a yummy Indian mango drink).
!!!One important thing to remember about Manas is that they are closed everyday from 2:30pm to 5pm. Which sucks for people like me who always seem to crave their delectable vindaloo during their damn siesta!
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Their food was spicy good, I smiled when I tasted their 3 chutneys, which I heaped upon the split open samosas. The malai kofta, very good, especially the sauce. The naan searing hot, my fingers did a dance as I tore it apart. The gentleman beside me ordered a cauliflower dish, which was delicious too.
I am sensitive to my environment, & the temperature of this restaurant was chilly, a draft present throughout the meal. Therefore I won't be back again. I imagine they have a tandoor oven in the back that keeps the staff heated up, maybe that's why they have the a/c on so strong here?
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Good food, great price, friendly and inviting.
One of the better Indian restaurants I've been to in L.A. proper. The food was excellent and the portions were huge. It's a short drive from downtown, which makes it a nice change of pace lunch. I didn't see anything "creative" about the cuisine, however. I've only been once, so this rating is tentative, but it really was this good.
Update: went again, and was mostly pleased, but the fish pakora was really terrible.
I love Manas because its local and yummy. Also because there aren't too many vegetarian options around usc unless i want to get a bean and cheese burrito... again!
Manas is pretty affordable... a plate will run you just under 8 dollars. I usually take out, but just the other night i had a delightful dinner at the actual restaurant with some friends.
The place could get a little more creative with its decor (specially considering the price of the plates. seriously now, just put up some paintings or something). But the lighting is very warm and welcoming. ...and i sure did love starring at the tv with the indian music channel playing!!!
The service could have been just a tad more attentive ( it think we were waiting on some rice). But the food was delicious and they are always very nice. We even busted out some of our own pens and color pencils and wrote on the white paper covering the table- even though they don't technically do that here! But they didn't seem to mind one bit. Nope, they were all smiles in fact- and so were we because it was delicious!
The vegetable samosa and the Pav Bhaji are great appetizers at pretty damn affordable prices. Love to share them with friends! and ask for extra rice at no extra price.. take it home later! :)
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I often tell people about this place, just because there are so few Indian restaurants in this neighborhood.
My friends love their lunch buffet, and I've been there a couple of times already. The food is unsophisticated and the music videos they play do not help boost my appetite.
I don't mind coming back again, but I'll probably try something other than the buffet next time. Paying $9.5 for that seems to be a bit too much for me.
This is very close to being the best Indian food in the city. It never disappoints, lunch buffet or dinner. The staff is attentive, the prices reasonable, the decor inviting, but most important the food is always tasty. I love Indian and here they always have some spice that is unfamiliar and surprising.
Both times I've been here, it was completely empty when my friends and I walked in, which seems like a bad sign, but turned out not to be. And both times, by the time we left, there were at least two other groups of folks eating. Maybe we just beat the crowd both times?
When I came for dinner, we got tandoori chicken, which was pretty good. When I came for lunch, we got the buffet (that was the only option), and the tandoori chicken was, again, pretty good. My favorite all-around Indian dish, palak paneer, was great, but maybe you can't go too wrong with that. We also got garlic naan and mango lassi with the meal, but for some reason, we were only charged for the buffet lunch, yay!
There's a sign out front that says "Best Indian Food in the World" or something. Okay maybe it just says "California" or "Los Angeles." But in any case, it's probably the best Indian food in South LA.
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Shockingly clean and quietly stylish place for an otherwise dilapidated neighborhood. Solid vegetarian lunch specials, and I even tried, and enjoyed the egg curry. It wasn't busting flavor nuts in my mouth, but it was eminently edible local Indian fare.
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I really liked this place! Although the ambiance is simple--it's a clean and cute place--the food was really good. I would consider this one of those restaurants that you can always count on for a good experience...you know, the kind where you want good food, but want to come as you are. Thumbs up!
lunch buffet.
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