Insider Pages Reviews for Mint Leaf Indian Brasserie

5 Stars: DELICIOUS FOOD AND POLITE SERVICE (by monac2294)

monac2294 — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 09:00:00 GMT

I have been to Mint Leaf many times over the past year and have throughly enjoyed the most authentic freshly prepared Indian food south of NY...without a doubt. They use the best ingredients from the imported herbs/spices to the tender spring lamb and it shows in the end result. Try the marinated lamb chops (they just melt in your mouth) or the Chicken Biriyani (an Indian chicken Paella) or some their many vegetarian appetizers which have never been seen in Florida before.

In the beginning their service was bad while they were still new but recently it seems to be getting better and better every time I go. The restaurant is modern and classy and an ideal place to entertain and see some very well healed crowd.

To conclude, excellent food, improving service and lovely pleasant restaurant, what else could one ask for, its a quality product! Congratulations to them as they are opening a second branch in Brickell!!!

1 Stars: average food, inexperienced servers, expensive! (by jnoel06)

jnoel06 — Sun, 14 Jun 2009 09:00:00 GMT

the restaurant is nice, the servers were friendly but inexperienced and makes it harder for people going there for the first time. the food is average nothing out of this world, spicy, and it is expensive for the food that you get. overall i will never go there again.

1 Stars: Worst Indian Restaurant on the PLANET!!! (by treehugger15)

treehugger15 — Sat, 30 May 2009 09:00:00 GMT

I wish we hadn't spent our money at Mint Leaf! For the rude attitude they gave us and the non existent service we could have just gone somewhere else and spend our money! Plus they are so expensive! They charge for papadam and chutney too! It was horrible! I will NEVER go back to mint leaf! >=O

1 Stars: Worst India Restaurant in Miami by far (by mistersmith45)

mistersmith45 — Fri, 22 May 2009 09:00:00 GMT

OMG! Some people on this review board have said that Mint Leaf is good or the best indian restaurant? Are you kidding me!!! They treated us like we were at some fast food joint! The food was delayed and then when it came it was horrible! My glass of Merlot never showed up and my friends beer came after a 15 min wait and his frosted glass was just wet, no frost! They were never around to give us service but once they gave us the bill, they all decided to hawk us down like volchers waiting for us to pay! We hadn't ever gotten up yet before the waiter began to clean our table and take our water glasses away! I will never go back to Mint Leaf! They are HORRIBLE! Dont Wast your Money PLEASE!

1 Stars: Dont Eat Here Bad Service Bad Food Nasty Owner (by MikeSmith)

MikeSmith — Mon, 18 May 2009 09:00:00 GMT

We ate at mint leaf on many occasions and the place seemed like it was a good restaurant from the outside but the service was slow the food was of the lowest quality possible the drinks overpriced the ice tea has no refills which is completely ridiculous considering all restaurants have refills on ice tea, the food is not fresh at all the last time we ate here we took some food to go and the riatha was spoiled and made my wife sick and i asked the waiter to tell management to call me back and they could not even have the curtsy to call back, the place had insects in the bathroom but i didn't say anything to the management because they were too busy trying to seat people and the place was over packed, lack of service because they are completely understaffed, the waiters were like it will be a minute for the food but it was over an hour, the chefs don't seem to have any hygiene because i saw one guy with long hair and no hat on his head which is kind of weird considering everywhere in miami they are required to have a hat so hair does not come in the food, the owner seams like a nice man but to charge for papad chutney and things like that it is ridiculous i personally think that indian palate or house of india is better the service is great the food is fresh and they don't charge for the ridiculous things plus in indian palate there is more privacy if you would like some instead of being packed into a over crowed restaurant and their buffet beats the lunch thalis that mint leaf has for about the same price if you ask me i would rather eat there than some very old food from mint leaf where you might get sick at least it is fresh and worth my money

1 Stars: Never again (by kira05)

kira05 — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 09:00:00 GMT

The food was very average. Ridiculous prices. They charged us for Papad and chutney!! We asked for some cut onions and lime. They said they could not do that and we have to order 'onion salad' which was exactly the same. What Indian restaurant does that? Its like charging the guests for olive oil in an Italian restaurant!!! The service was terrible. My husband ordered a beer. Nothing came for 10 mins. We had to remind them of it and still they took 7 more mins to bring it. Same with the glass of wine I ordered.
I wont go again.

5 Stars: Best Indian Food in Greater Miami (by boognishloeb)

boognishloeb — Mon, 16 Mar 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Great Indian restaurant....best in town hands down. We were warned by some friends that the service was a bit off and that it took awhile to get our food. My wife and I discovered that is the case due to the fact that all of the items we ordered were prepared and cooked
fresh....nothing was from a warmer. We were willing to sacrifice fast and memorable experiences with the wait staff in order to eat genuine Indian flavors. Go early or make reservations...the place is small and they do not turn tables quickly.

1 Stars: Worst restaurant experience ever!!!!! (by Gillman80)

Gillman80 — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Oh my! Mint Leaf was unique alright... Uniquely Horrible!!

So we thought we would try a different Indian restaurant for a change since we basically live at the House of India, so we decided to try Mint Leaf and WHOA what a Shock! The prices are like $5-10 dollars more expensive here then they are for the same exact dish at house of India! Giving them the benefit of the doubt we tried it anyway and I believe the food was not good at all! It really wasn't worth the time or money to try this restaurant! We were definitely disappointed with the food and quality, and that was after we over looked the rude attitude by the guy who sat us down! So what if we forgot to make a reservation!!! We didn't know we had to have one in order to eat on a Tuesday! Its not like it was a Friday night or anything! So Just because we didn't have a reservation the owner became rude with us and his smile disappeared! Thats so fake! We never had to make a reservation to eat at House of India! And so my Wife and I have decided to NEVER EVER come back to Mint Leaf or any India restaurant other than House of India! We like the friendly faces and good service we get their because they actually remember our names and always treat us right!
ZERO POINTS FOR MINT LEAF! ZEROOOO!

5 Stars: Best Indian Restaurant in South FLorida...BY FAR (by ukathlete)

ukathlete — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:00:00 GMT

This is the best indian food in South Florida by quite a wide margin. The quality of presentation and flavors are unmatched south of New York, and it's the only indian restaurant in South Florida that has a contemporary, 2000s athmosphere/decor. Prices may be higher than the competitors, but you can see and taste why immediately. My only knocks are the service, which can be poor at times (although being in Miami I'm used to it) and the price of so of their rice dishes, which should be complimnetary in my opinion. I don't go to any other indian restaurants in Miami any more...this one is so far ahead it's not worth it. Two thumbs WAY up.

1 Stars: Good food but awful service - we'll never return (by kstb)

kstb — Mon, 23 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

It's not that there aren't good Indian options in South Dade - we love Imlee. But it was great to explore a different Indian restaurant with some unusual dishes that do not regularly appear on other menues. New dishes, new tastes, greater familiarity with the subtleties of the cuisine, all worthy of a positive rating - right? Wrong. The poor service made our dining experience at Mint Leaf so uncomfortable that I guess in the end I must prioritize service over food and return to the comfort of the familiar. We will never patronize this this restaurant again. Disappointment began when we twice ordered bottles off the wine list that weren't available. Yet the waiter brought different bottles both times without pointing out they weren't what we ordered! We caught the "mistake". The third bottle, ordered before appetizers, arrived after our dinner was served. Our dinner arrived with a dish we didn't order and missing one that we did order. We never really did figure out who our waiter was - strange faces approached us once, answered questions and never reappeared. Excuses were made by someone who appeared to be in charge so we thought we caught them on a bad night - only to speak to a friend lwith a similarly disasterous story. As I read other reviews I am now certain that it wasn't the particular night but a problem endemic to the establisthment. In these times real restaurantuers relish the opportunity to serve and to show appreciation to their patrons. I will use my discretionary money wisely to show loyalty to those who seem to care about that relationship. When the closure of this restaurant comes some may blame the recession. The truth is that their customers tried, but it is only they themselves who are too blame. One bit of confusion though - who voted for Mint Leaf as the top Indian restaurant in the city?

1 Stars: I DO NOT RECOMMEND WASTING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIS PLACE! (by kathy305)

kathy305 — Mon, 09 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

We went to Mint Leaf yesterday and honestly, we had a really bad time there! First we called the restaurant twice and no one answered so we just showed up and the manager asked us if we had a reservation. We said no and then he told us that we would have to wait a few minutes for a table to come available even though there was only 2 tables seated at the time! We waited 15 minutes for a table!!! I believe that was extremely rude of him to say and do! At that point I no longer wanted to stay but my boyfriend convinced me that we should just give them a chance so we did! Finally after a long scavenger hunt they "Found" us a table and we were seated! We ordered drinks and appetizers and they came out quickly but our main course took forever to reach our table and on top of it all the food was cold! I called over the server lady and told her that our food was cold and if they could at least heat it up so we could eat it! That old Hispanic lady had the nerve to give me an attitude about it and said she was busy! I was so upset at this point I wanted to throw my plate at her and walk out but i didn't! My boyfriend then called over the manager and told him that things were not going well and that we no longer wanted to stay so they showed us the bill and still charged us for cold food that we never ate! We argued about it but it was like talking to a brick wall so instead of causing more drama we decided to just pay for it! Then he had the nerve to ask why we didn't leave tip!!! TIP? Are you serious!!! I have a tip for them.. GET RID OF THAT Rude obnoxious Hispanic lady that works there!!! They should have been giving us a tip instead for sitting and puttin up with that non-sense that they put us through!
I DO NOT RECOMMEND WASTING YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIS PLACE!

1 Stars: Pretty Bad- food ok but management and wait staff are AWFUL, I would NOT recommend (by johnpeltier85)

johnpeltier85 — Tue, 03 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

I went there with my gf a few weeks ago. It was a pretty bad experience, we won't be going back.

We got there around 7, no reservations, they made us wait about 5 minutes while they tried to decide where to put us. That sounds petty, but the place was COMPLETELY EMPTY! They seated us at one table and then asked us to move a moment later to another table that was the same size (I guess we weren't good enough for it). We ordered drinks and appetizers, which took a while but eventually arrived. The entrees, however, took almost a full hour to get there. By this point the restaurant wasn't even half full. The manager/owner was waltzing around saying high to people and when we brought our wait to his attention he laughed at us joking that "patience is a virtue". Maybe that's true but his attitude really rubbed us the wrong way. He didn't offer to check on it, or even to get us another round of drinks (we were on our 3rd at this point). The food when it finally arrived was decent, tasty, but it wasn't worth the wait or having to deal with the dismissive attitude of the staff. Overall it was quite a negative experience and we won't be returning.

1 Stars: I cant believe I even tried this place! (by Able305)

Able305 — Mon, 02 Feb 2009 09:00:00 GMT

Mint Leaf is the Worst India restaurant i have ever been to! We had to make a reservation and then when we got there they made us wait 25 mins to be seated even tho there were empty tables! Whats the point of the reservation then?

The food was not that great.. more like chunks of meat floating in oil and it is hardly authentic! The service was like that of a fast food restaurant, unpleasant and non-exsistant! And that guy who is the owner was the worst! He had the nerve to ask us to pay promply because he needed our tabel for the next reservation yet when we came he did nothing to rush our seating! Thanx buddy!

For the wallet breaking prices to the mood killing service there is a much better Indian restaurant right down the street called House of India! I recommend going there instead! They actually have good food and the service is alot better than Mint Leaf! I'd rather go to a restaurant thats been around for 34 years rather than one that just came up down the block! This restaurant is not recommended at all! I would of gave them zero stars if i could have but the website requires us to mark atleast one star! so they get only one star!

2 Stars: Pretentious. Over-priced. The worst service I think I've ever had. Ever. (by Sashea)

Sashea — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 09:00:00 GMT

The positive: decent food, clean space.
The negative: service, price and atmosphere.
The scenario: My boyfriend and I arrive in five minutes past our reserved seating time. The clientele was well-dressed and the restaurant was clean. The first impression, therefore, was not bad. But this soon changed as soon as we walk in, finding no one to greet us at the door. So we step into the restaurant and the owner almost pushes us back towards the front, fretting over the reservations in order to make sure we made one. Seeing that we had, his attitude changes and he promises that he will seat us shortly, as our table is "just finishing." We are then ushered towards the bar in an uncomfortable pushy and overbearing fashion as he encourages us to order drinks and appetizers. We are practically ignored by the bartenders. Forty minutes AFTER we walk into the restaurant WITH a reservation, we are seated. Again, we are practically ignored by our server, who needed to be reminded of the naan and soon thereafter of a mango lasi I order. An hour and a half after we arrive at the restaurant, we get the food. We only ordered one side of rice, thinking it would be enough for the both of us. We were dissapointed to see maybe a cup-full of rice on a tiny white bowl. The portions were small but very tasty, although nothing I haven't had before. I ordered the Lamb Rogan Josh and he ordered the Lamb Gosht Hariyali. Both were good, although I didn't find my dish to be very spicy. We ask for the check and two to-go boxes. The "upgrades" on the check made our meal go up significantly in price. As we paid and discussed an appropriate gratuity, the waiter loomed over us like a hawk waiting to grab his money. He came back to our table THREE TIMES in the span of FIVE MINUTES. We decided to split the tip between the server and the (far more pleasant) girl who was refilling our drinks.

1 Stars: Mediocre Food, Bad Management (by kershasp)

kershasp — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 09:00:00 GMT

We went with a couple of friends there one Saturday evening. After being there an hour, the manager sent the waiter to our table asking "if you could please hurry up, because we have people waiting." Some nerve, although he didn't come to ask us himself. If they had prompt service, we would have long gone. No one sits there and looks at the food.

The food was nothing to write home about, and tasted like warmed over frozen Indian dishes available in Indian grocery stores.

Go where the Indians go - to Broward, or at least to the House of India which has recently improved somewhat.

1 Stars: avoid ALways (by rafik)

rafik — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 09:00:00 GMT

Avoid always"I went to mint leaf with a few friends some of them girls ,,i must tell you keep your hands off the ladies in the restaurant being the owner you are supposed to be an example not a fool .....His attitude is like he is from another planet because he opened a restaurant the everyone likes and nobody can beat his food .....He has management problems shouting and cursing at his employees and for what i have heard he does not even tip the employee cause me being bilingual over heard the servers ......The food is average and i am sure the other restaurant opening in coconut grove is gonna take it over if they can provide better service. Service is not bad only food takes a long time to come i dont think its the server fault at that.

1 Stars: Horrible service, greasy food! (by cathy456)

cathy456 — Fri, 13 Jun 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I can't believe the attitude of people there. Manager was even worse. I hate people with such hude egos and attitude problem - they should not be in service industry. I read good reviews about Mint Leaf and considering the fact that owner is from London - I thought it will be a nice place to try for Indian food. All the dishes are overpriced and over oily. Breads were still ok. Service was horrible. I was literally shouting at my Indian friend for suggesting this place. Don't waste your time and money in trying this place. I won't go even if they send me a free dinner invitation. My Indian friend didn't like Mint Leaf either, we like Houston's instead. Try something else please.

2 Stars: What happened? (by tribecatex)

tribecatex — Sun, 25 May 2008 09:00:00 GMT

I visited Mint Leaf with my husband back in May and we had an incredible experience. The food was amazing and the staff attentive. Since then I have returned twice with friends and have been extremely disappointed with the service and the quality of food. During our last visit with friends, the server forgot half our food and what was brought out was sub-par with the exception of the Lemon Rice. Our main entrees were overly spicy and greasy. I was embarrassed that I had recommended this place to my friends and was horrified when the manager came to our table and basically told us that we needed to leave because they had people waiting for tables. He mentioned that we were late for our reservation ? not true. We spent half our meal waiting on staff to bring out stuff they had forgotten. Think we?ll be checking out some other options for Indian fare.