Mint

We hadn’t been here in years because the waiters were unpleasant. However, because I had a Groupon, I decided to give it another chance. We ordered the food to-​go. The veggie samosas (a tad old) and their sauces were tasty, as was the nan (a little tough).
Oddly, they added a dollar to the price of each entrée saying that the prices went up — bogus? — a surcharge for using Groupons?
The Chicken Curry was good (boneless dark meat — yum!) but somewhat lacking in seasoning. The Salmon Masala was very tasty (too creamy for my husband). The portions were generous. Nicely packed in carryout containers which did not spill or leak.
Ratings (based on 5 stars being very pleased considering this is NC):
Food: 3.5 to 4 stars
Atmosphere: 4 stars
Service: 3 stars for overcharging
Value: 4 stars

I will let you decide if you want to come or not… They first messed my drink order up claiming that «it’s a cocktail made two different ways» #lie and ended up giving me some kind of lassi when I ordered a drink that should have been like green in color. Next they gave my wife a dish that was bland and tasted like Texas Pete was used as the ingredient for spiciness. We then change her order to a chicken curry and they rush and give her RAW CHICKEN! Your experience might be better than ours but as for my family, we will not be coming back here no matter what Groupon has…

The food was ok. But the service was extremely bad and the servers were ill behaved and rude… Won’t recommend at all

I absolutely love Indian food and Mint is probably my favorite local place to go for dinner when I am craving it (though I am less enthused about the buffet due to its lack of spiciness).
Finally brought my roommate there the other night and we completely gorged ourselves, ordering an appetizer of Aloo Tikki Chana Chat, which was amazing! Chickpeas in three chutney sauces over fried potato pancakes… very flavorful and perfect to scoop up with the crispy papdums we ordered.
She got a lamb dish which was tender and flavorful and I ordered one of my usual favorites, the chicken pasanda. My dish was delicious, however: the recurring issue that I have here is that when I ask for HOT I am almost never given the Indian hot that I am looking for… I have a suspicion that the spiciness level I am given is generally dulled down. This happens only when I sit for dinner and not when I order pick up, and tends to happen at most Indian restaurants, not just Mint so my plan is to work towards being more explicit with my ordering: YES I do mean Indian hot, not just medium hot.
That small complaint aside, our dishes were excellent and filling, but not so filling that we had to skip dessert. She is a huge fan of rasmalai and devoured hers quickly, while I ordered myself gulab jamun (which came out hot and fresh!). Luckily, the portions are quite generous for the price, so we got to take home a slew of leftovers too (score!)
During dinner we had a few drinks, with the Tamarind Tantra being the perfect cocktail accompaniment to the spicy rich flavors of the curry: not too sweet, with the nice tart tamarind keeping in-​tempo with the meal. I DO wish that they had beers on tap and that every time I order the 22oz I am not given two glasses automatically (I like beer and am not interested in sharing, what can I say?) but they do have a nice selection of Indian beers to balance out the palate while you are eating.
Overall, we had a fantastic night and plan to go back soon!
(Side note: we enjoyed the music that was playing that night… current popular Indian music was playing off of one of the employees’ ipad/​phone/​pandora was playing… fun and catchy, we found a few new artists to listen to!)

We’ve eaten at Mint maybe a dozen times or so. Every time has been great. The food is amazing and the service is good. The crab masala is perfection, especially when paired with a vegetarian dish to share between two people. Their Kheer is so tasty! Best Indian food in the triangle IMO.

Good buffet.
I can’t speak for the dinner hour or even lunch ordering, I’ve only eaten the buffet. And it’s good.
I can’t say whether the food is any better or worse than next door (Guru) but they both have solid dishes.
Of note, the chicken tikka and the occasional lamb dishes are hearty and flavorful. The standard tandoori is consistently good and fresh.
Mint has a nice ambiance, a tad more dressy than it’s neighbor. It also costs a dollar more for the buffet.
A solid lunch choice and I’ll be back.
4 stars for the lunch buffet.

If the chefs are on, this is some really prime Indian food. Great flavors and variety. A bit pricey but if you’re willing to invest, then it’s definitely worth it.

Avoid the buffet if you’re vegetarian. There’s much better options in the RTP area which are priced more competitively.

After visiting Mint for dinner, I left thinking it was very average for Indian food. We had a Groupon ($ 20 for $ 40) so ordered the dinner for two ($ 45): Vegetable Appetizer, Chicken Tikka, Tandoori Shrimp, Chicken or Lamb Masala, Vegetable Korma and Dessert. If I return, I would order one item off the selection in the future. The vegetable appetizer was all fried veggies/​cheeses: one samosa, aloo tikki, a couple vegetable paloras and one cheese pakora. The majority of the plate consisted of fried onions, wouldn’t order this again.
The main course arrived and the vegetable korma stole the show. It was creamy with a perfect balance of flavors. I would recommend this dish and would order it again. Even though they are probably using bagged veggies, the sauce is so good, it makes up for that fact. The tandoori shrimp also came with several pieces of chicken but unfortunately the shrimp were very overcooked. The lamb masala was very flavorful, but to be honest, I make one killer tikka masala at home and could replicate the recipe, so why get it out?! The entrees were served with rice and naan. The dessert was probably the most disappointing, a simple rice pudding topped with slivered almonds and golden raisins. Honestly, it’s better not to serve a dessert then bring out a tiny bowl (for two people) of something that pitiful.
The service was stellar and I loved the atmosphere, it was quiet on a Monday night even with school being back in session. Parking is almost always a pain in Chapel Hill since their are no private lots, but look for street parking in the neighborhood to the right of the restaurant. I don’t think I’d rush back to Mint with all the other great options in the area, but we do have a ton of leftovers! Looks like we’ll be eating Indian food again tonight!

Came here on a Friday around 5:30pm, and there was no wait. I had their vegetable korma, and my fellow feasters had chicken tikka masala, chicken biryani, and the chicken korma. Everyone was satisfied with their meal, with the exception of the person with the biryani. Rice was complimentary for the table, and we ordered garlic naan ($ 4) as well. The naan was tasty, and my veggie korma was done well. However, the prices were a bit steep for the portion size. Entrees were typically between $ 15 – 20, and I had no leftovers. As an additional note, I requested a spice level of «3», which for me was mild. I’d probably go for a «4» next time, but I tend to think the spicier the better! Overall, the food was good, but prices were pretty steep.

I’ve had both the buffet meal and sit-​down meal and I definitely think the buffet was a better variety and had more flavor. Not sure why but that’s just how it was in my opinion.

I am by no means an Indian cuisine expert but in my humble option Mint is notable. Cashing in on a Groupon deal my husband and I dined here on a Friday night and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Cocktails were innovative, reasonably priced, and mixed well. For starters we decided on the Assorted Vegetarian Platter– $ 8, which I noticed several parties around us order as well. An interesting mix of fried tidbits with the Vegetable Samosa being marvelous. In the future I will order these alone and not share them; they were that good. For dinner I went with the standard Chicken Tikka Masala-​$ 17 and my husband the Goat Vindallo– $ 17. They have a 5 level spice scale; mild, medium, med-​hot, hot or Indian hot and we took the advice of our server and went with medium but it wasn’t enough for us. Dinner was delicious but my one gripe would be that entrees here don’t come with Nan and it will run you an extra $ 3 – 4 for a small basket. A little pricey but with my Groupon I left full and happy. I may need to check out their lunch buffet which is severed Mon — Fri 11:30 AM — 2:30 PM and Sat– Sun 12:00 PM — 3:00 PM.

I went to Mint last weekend for Saturday brunch. I would go here every weekend for brunch if my body could afford to feast that much each week on Saturdays! The food was all delicious. I love how it is buffet style for brunch so you can try a bit of everything. If you are a cauliflower hater, I bet you will still like the cauliflower dish featured in the buffet. It is rich with flavor and the cauliflower is so crispy. I actually wanted seconds of this dish which is surprising for me! I love the chicken tikka masala. The sauce is delicious and creamy. It’s a great touch to put over rich and adds a wonderful sauce for the plain rice. Of course everything tastes great dipped in the nan as well. The nan bread was fluffy, just the way I like it. They also had a shrimp and vegetable dish that was my favorite. The shrimp was fried and super crispy. The vegetables added a nice flavor for the dish as well. I had to go back and get seconds.
This is one of the only places I can think of in the area that has bottomless mimosas for brunch. You can even pour them yourself! It’s a great place to go with friends to catch up over the weekend. I highly recommend Mints weekend buffet brunch!

My first time visiting an Indian restaurant, so I went in with open-​mindedness and honestly, no expectations. The ambience is versatile meaning that it’s quiet and sophisticated enough to go on dates, but also casual enough to have lunch/​dinner gatherings with friends like I did. We all decided to have the lunch buffet that they provided and I can honestly say that I stuffed myself with a lot more food than I should have. I couldn’t resist trying all the new spices/​flavors that Indian cuisines had to offer on their styles of chicken. My personal favorite was the coconut chicken and the tamadoori chicken. The naan bread was sweet and savory as well, alongside the spinach and vegetables dish. Unfortunately, I can’t remember the exact names of the entrees they had put out, but I enjoyed most of the cuisines they had to offer.
Again, I’m not the type to try out a restaurant out of the blue. But for about $ 12 per person for a buffet with varieties of foods from fragrant cheese and goat meat to deliciously marinated chicken and flavorful rice, I thoroughly enjoyed Mint and look forward to coming back again. If you’re looking for a nice Indian restaurant, I recommend this place.

Pro:
–Generous portions
–Reasonable price
Con:
–Chicken was on the dry side
–Did not have enough variety in spices, thus making the dish bland

The restaurant itself is modern and clean, but the food was okay. I was expecting some more flavor and spice in their food, but everything tasted about the same. They were very overstaffed for a weekday lunch as a lot of the waiters were just standing around and filling water cups and socializing. Not that it’s bad because they were really nice, but it felt awkward when they would watch me drink my water and constantly fill my cup after a couple sips lol We liked how there was a lunch buffet, but I don’t know if I would go back.

My boyfriend and I have been meaning to try their buffet lunch since we’re not super familiar with Indian food. We heard that would be a good way to know what we’d like or not.
The atmosphere is very nice — much more elegant than we expected — but quiet pleasant. The buffet has a wide array of choices: naan, rice, salads, chicken dishes, and lamb. The naan was delicious! Very soft and with a hint of garlic. The lamb was the best meat I tried, though they were all very good. We are definitely planning on coming back!

Holy smokes! I’ve been back for brunch, and it’s made me re-​visit my stance on Indian food! I’ve been somewhat turned off of Indian food by so many of the heavy, creamy, and fried buffets in the RTP area, and have never left an Indian food buffet without needing a 2 hour nap. This place has turned that around!
I love that the brunch buffet is so fresh and varied! It’s not the run of the mill (for the area) heavy and oily stuff, there’s fresh options and few fried options. I love the okra, eggplant, and cauliflower dishes! Also, unlimited mango lassi and make-​your-​own mimosas on the weekend! All the things I said in my previous review about super cool atmosphere, classy and trendy interior, but without any of the service issues, because you serve yourself!
I recommend if you have to pick an Indian restaurant, make Mint top your list!

It’s a beautiful Saturday and/​or Sunday morning. The sun is shining. The birds are tweeting. And it’s time to start your day with an unlimited-​Mimosa brunch.
Well, time to take a stroll down W. Franklin and stop in at Mint– one of the best brunch buffets in town for only $ 11 (and with a 10% student discount).
To start, the unlimited Mimosas are the bomb. They literally just put a pitcher of OJ and champagne up on the bar and you pour yourself. As much as you want. Of anything. Anything you want. Hopefully you understand what I’m getting at. I mean, you’re not drinking organic OJ and a $ 50 of champagne, but it starts the day our right.
The buffet is really great! I’m a fan of Indian food and Mint does a great job. They have most of the basic dishes like naan and Chicken Tikka Masala. They also have various yogurts, fruits, and chickpea dishes. haha.
I would definitely recommend stopping in once or twice a weekend. It’s great!

Popped in for lunch when our first choice didn’t pan out — glad we did. I’m not the biggest fan of buffets of Indian cuisine because it almost always lack spiciness and complexity — most are just bland. But the food here was very nicely done, and there were a number of sauces, riata, and even their house hot sauce to liven things up even more.
The buffet was $ 9, and most ever thing was very good, especially The Lamb Curry, The Tandoori Chicken (the most moist & tender I’ve eaten & the veggies with it were very nice), & the Chicken Tikka Masala. The Naan and Riata were ok, but nothing special there,. The Biryani and the Tomato Rice were nice, as was the Chef’s ixed Vegetables.
Overall, we enjoyed this buffet very much, and the pricing seems about right. Only compliant was the loud, dreadful music that never stopped. Service was good, if a little remote.