Hapjeong Indian restaurant with free naan and a shisha menu: Mandala

Today I want to introduce an Indian restaurant I found while out in Hongdae with a friend 🤤💞

Where is Mandala Indian Lounge and how do you find the entrance?

Mandala Indian Lounge is an Indian restaurant on the 3rd floor of a building at 26 Dokmak-ro 3-gil, Mapo-gu, Seoul. There's a steel staircase on the side of the building — just head up that way!

Inside Mandala Indian Lounge: atmosphere and seating

Inside there were plenty of tables ranging from 2-seaters to 6-seaters, plus a bar table! Maybe it was the lighting, but it felt cozy and comfortable for a meal. They had what looked like Indian ads playing on the TV, which added to the exotic atmosphere 🕌✨

I'm originally from Busan, and apparently there's a branch in Gwangalli too! The name is a bit different though..! Since I enjoyed today's meal at Mandala Indian Lounge in Hapjeong so much, I think I'll check out the Gwangalli Bollywood Restaurant next time I'm back home.

Mandala Indian Lounge menu and prices

Set menus at Mandala Indian Lounge

• Couple set ₩41,000 — half tandoori chicken + 2 samosas + 1 curry + 2 of plain naan/rice + 2 of plain lassi/cola
• 3-person set ₩62,000 — half tandoori chicken + green vegetable salad + 1 curry + 3 of plain naan/rice + 3 of plain lassi/cola
• Family set ₩89,000 — half tandoori chicken + 2 samosas + 1 salad + 2 curries + 4 of naan/rice + 4 of lassi/cola

Weekday lunch set, 12,000 won (weekdays 11AM-4PM)

• Butter chicken + plain naan + rice
• Chicken tikka masala + plain naan + rice
• Chickpea masala + plain naan + rice
• Chickpea masala + plain naan + rice

Since it was just me and my boyfriend, we went with the couple set and chose: half tandoori chicken + 2 samosas + lamb spinach curry + 1 plain naan + 1 rice + 1 plain lassi + 1 cola 🤤🤤

Chicken curry

• Butter chicken ₩13,000
• Chicken tikka masala ₩13,000
• Chicken spinach ₩13,000
• Chicken karahi ₩14,000

Lamb curry

• Lamb masala ₩15,000
• Lamb spinach ₩15,000
• Lamb keema ₩15,000
• Lamb karahi ₩16,000

Prawn curry

• Prawn makhani ₩15,000
• Prawn masala ₩15,000
• Prawn spinach ₩15,000
• Prawn karahi ₩16,000

Paneer curry

• Paneer makhani ₩14,000
• Paneer masala ₩14,000
• Paneer spinach ₩14,000
• Paneer karahi ₩15,000

Vegetable curry

• Mixed vegetable ₩12,000
• Potato cauliflower ₩12,000
• Mushroom masala ₩13,000

Lentil and bean curry

• Chickpea masala ₩12,000
• Lentil fry ₩12,000
• Dal makhani ₩13,000

Biryani

• Vegetable biryani ₩16,000
• Chicken biryani ₩18,000
• Lamb biryani ₩20,000
• Prawn biryani ₩20,000

Clay-oven naan and rice

• Plain naan ₩3,000
• Butter/garlic/honey naan ₩3,500
• Butter garlic naan ₩4,000
• Lachha paratha ₩5,000
• Cheese naan ₩6,000
• Potato naan ₩5,000
• Basmati rice ₩4,000
• Turmeric rice ₩3,000
• Steamed rice ₩2,000

Tandoor dishes

• Tandoori chicken Half ₩12,000 / Full ₩22,000
• Chicken tikka ₩16,000
• Garlic tikka ₩16,000
• Lamb barbecue ₩18,000

Appetizers

• Samosas (2pc) ₩6,000
• Onion fritters ₩10,000
• Fried potato ₩8,000
• Honey chili potato ₩12,000
• Chicken drumsticks ₩12,000
• Indian fried chicken ₩14,000
• Cauliflower wings ₩12,000
• Cheese nachos ₩10,000

Salads

• Vegetable salad ₩10,000
• Chicken tikka salad ₩12,000
• Prawn salad ₩14,000
• Prawn salad ₩14,000

Soft drinks and beers

• Plain lassi ₩4,000
• Mango/strawberry/blueberry lassi ₩5,000
• Shake (vanilla/mango) ₩6,000
• Chai tea ₩4,000
• Cola/Fanta/Sprite ₩3,000
• Kingfisher Indian beer ₩8,000
• Indica IPA ₩10,000
• Imported beer ₩7,000
• Domestic beer/soju ₩6,000

Cocktails

• Long Island ₩10,000
• Mojito ₩10,000
• Negroni ₩10,000
• Black Russian ₩10,000
• White Russian ₩10,000
• Whiskey highball ₩10,000
• Soju cocktail ₩10,000
• Kahlúa milk ₩10,000
• Tequila sunrise ₩10,000
• Gin tonic ₩8,000
• Vodka tonic ₩8,000
• Screwdriver ₩8,000
• Cuba Libre ₩8,000
• Somaek ₩8,000

Wine

• Spanish red wine ₩45,000 / ₩10,000
• Spanish red wine ₩45,000 / ₩10,000
• Indian red wine ₩45,000 / ₩10,000
• Indian sparkling wine ₩45,000 / ₩12,000

Shisha at an Indian restaurant: 30,000 won

The most unusual menu item at Mandala Indian Lounge! 👀 It's an Indian restaurant with shisha available too 🫢🫢‼️ Flavors included apple, mint, kiwi mint, and mixed berry, priced at ₩30,000.

※ Ordering shisha requires one cocktail/beer per person

Free naan for a receipt review: order the garlic naan

One great thing about Mandala Indian Lounge: you get a free naan for a receipt review 🌟🌟🤩 You get 3 total, which is plenty for two people. We thought we'd only get one, so we ordered a plain naan separately and got a garlic naan free through the review event (garlic naan recommended!! Personally I thought garlic was tastier than plain, haha).

If you're ordering curry à la carte instead of a set menu, ordering rice plus a free naan from the review event seems like a great way to enjoy a variety of curries!

Plain lassi at 4,000 won: the surprise winner

I tried lassi for the first time that day and... what even is this??? Seriously, it's a treasure ㅜㅠㅜ💗💗💗 It has a slight yogurt taste but it's refreshingly sweet 🍧☁️ Totally my style. It was so good I almost drank it all before the food even arrived;;;) I held back three sips out of conscience to have with the main food ^^

How was the half tandoori chicken?

The tandoori chicken came out first!

It comes with a green sauce, ketchup, carrot slaw, and pickles. (I couldn't quite place what the green sauce was.. not exactly basil, a bit sour and mild? I genuinely couldn't tell what flavor it was.) The tandoori chicken tasted exactly like Goobne Chicken's spicy crispy chicken coated in curry powder! (Just really, really good 🙏)

Lamb spinach curry with garlic naan

While we were tearing into the chicken, the curry and naan arrived 😋

The garlic naan was seriously delicious,,✨🫦🍪 you've gotta dip naan in curry,,,🤤 The spinach curry was smooth and had a mild, clean taste. (Tasty, but not intense.) My boyfriend and I both like spicy, salty, strongly spiced, intense flavors, so next time we'll probably go for a spicier curry!!

Were the samosas worth it?

I tried samosas for the first time that day too — they looked like triangle dumplings, almost like an Indian-style fried mandu (personal impression). To describe the taste: exactly like mashed potatoes mixed with curry powder and green peas. Light and tasty. But compared to what I expected, the flavor was a bit plain.. ^^ I don't think I'd order it separately next time, haha.

Final verdict on Mandala Indian Lounge in Hapjeong

Overall rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The interior was clean and tidy. If you're on a date in Hapjeong or Hongdae and thinking "I don't want the usual pasta or Korean food, I want something different today!" — I recommend this place ❕ If you're looking for a menu that's not common in Hapjeong or Hongdae, give it a visit :)