Nice variety of Indian starters and quick food, with good options of main course like Thali and combo bowls. They have good cocktails too! I liked the panner naan pizza, and the death by Tikka masala bowl. The pani poori was also really good! Tacos were not that great. The portion sizes were relatively smaller. The ambience was also a good Indian vibe. Overall a nice place to hang out and have dinner with friends.

Phenomenal vegan options!!! Amazing drinks! Friendly staff! Great for a date or group up to 6!

Amazing place with interesting interiors and interesting menu choices. The drinks are innovative with names that make you wanna try every one of them. Food is also great.. Overall a fun place to hangout with friends or family alike

Food & drink were good. But an extra star for the staff. Very welcoming & polite. We had Keema Pav,Quesadillix & Meat Sweat thali. I was a bit disappointed but they redeemed themselves by their Quesadillix.

Food was great and contemporary. To name a few items that are good - deconstructed samosa, pav bhaji, samosa bun, guac sev puri. One of the big miss was the service in the bar side. Wonder if the bartender went on a break. They took forever to get our drinks and wasn’t done their usual way.

I've recently taken up learning to make cocktails, and I'm always very impressed by the creativity and freshness of the drinks on the menu at Mortar & Pestle. The seasonal cocktails are usually the ones I gravitate towards, and I haven't had anything I didn't like so far. Some of the drinks do require freshly prepared ingredients, and as such they can run out if they get busy (typically Friday night). The pricing is fair for the cocktails, and the happy hour menu is also great if you can make it in time, from 4PM to 6PM.

The best bar in town! Ibsen there twice the staff is very good !one canot feel bour ! Nice people around nd Customer service i love the most!

Nice eatery, I was unaware this was an Indian style bar/restaurant. Had great food and the drinks were quite delicious. The curry sauces were surprisingly mild.

Fun times, delicious food! Vincent is an awesome bartender 🤍

The Happy hour used to be great but now they have only 5 types of drinks for the Happy hour menu which taste just ok! Please bring back all the regular cocktails for the Happy hour!

It took way too long for us to be waited on, over 30 minutes. We almost walked out. When we did finally get our food and drinks, they were really good. The food was very flavorful and filling and the drinks were strong. It gets really crowded though. They need to hire more people.

This restaurant is blended with the same space as curry up so we were able to try some drinks and eat good food at the same time. The drinks were okay, they didn’t have 2 of the drinks I asked for and had to look for alternatives. To people who go to a restaurant wanting to try out a specific dish this might be a buzz kill. The food itself was good, I really liked the naughty naan - the spices and fusion as a pizza was fun. Pani puri had very good taste too expect the puris were really small. The thali while it looks and tastes good doesn’t come with shareable portions. Found the prices to be on the expensive side.

Very nice bar with amazing Indian food. Loved the menu and the creative names of drinks! Drinks and food were amazing! We went during happy hour and the prices were so good! $8 for cocktails and Buy One Get One Free appetizers. The staff were nice and attentive. Only complaint is that it was a slightly hot day and it was really hot inside, the AC didn’t seem to be running. The staff were sweating and complaining about how hot it was. I snuck a peek at the thermostat and it said it was 82 degrees inside which was uncomfortable. We probably would have stayed longer if the AC was on and it wasn’t so hot.

Good food good service really appreciate

Wasn't there long but the service was quick and efficient. The host and bartender were friendly and helpful. Only had time for one drink but the INF Light Smoker was a nice, complex drink

Service is quite slow but overall worth trying.. great food and drink options

Worst ever cocktail bar! They literally mix up spices and alcohol and make these wierd cocktails which taste so bad. We went in a group and ordered a couple of different coxktails, each were pukeworthy! Even after being $$ restaurant everything is self-serving, right from ordering to taking spoons, tissues, glasses and water. Never experienced anything like this in upscale restaurant.

Originally went there for street Indian Food, but keep returning for their unique drink menu. This place is not necessarily inexpensive, but worth it if you're in the mood for quality and something truly original.

Fun location, decent food. I'll pass on the cocktails. Great presentation for food and drinks.

The food was delicious, the cocktails were amazing and our bartender, Cat, was friendly, knowledgeable and recommended the perfect drink for me. This is a great establishment! My business associates and I were very pleased and we will be back the next time we are in San Jose.

Great atmosphere, great location and bartenders right off Zanker, for a weeknight drink and a bite. Parking was good.

Good place for different kinda food... not many options but what ever is served, is good..recommend to try..

This is an amazing bar in an unlekly location that seems to work well. Good beers on tap. Really good craft cocktails.

I drove up here for get together on a friend's birthday. The drinks are expensive and good looking, but quantity wise it seemed very deceiving. The food wasn't very likable either except the veg thali. Most of the sitting arrangements in the bar area isn't good for big group(5-6 people).

Nice cocktails and creative presentation

Nice vibe, Great Azul Margarita 👌🏻

Slower service and the QR based ordering does not work. The cocktails were pedestrian to day the least.

We originally planned on going to The Table next-door and then saw this place and loved the vibe immediately. Small, cozy, modern, new, and luckily got two seats at the bar. Ended up hanging out most of the night. Great conversations with the bartender and basically tried every food and drink item he recommended. Then ended up meeting the owners afterwards. It was just a really cool night. Definitely recommend.

Came in to get some food and drinks. Food and drinks are good. But the bartender was pretty rude. This location attached to apartments in San Jose, not a trendy bar in a metro area. Bartender needs to chill and relax a bit.

Mimi was great! Cocktails were great food was great. Food was out fast and cocktails were as well. We came in late and food was out in under 10 mins! And the place was busy

Excellent vibe. Lots of good Indian foods in the form of western takes. Personally I really enjoyed the thalis. Also a great selection of Indian inspired cocktails and drinks.

Super beautiful and creative drinks. Everyone was so friendly and the food looked great! I'll have to order some next time!

Best mint julep ever! And a lot of Indian spirits and cocktails. Happy hour daily 4-6. That's a great deal. Half off snacks with drinks.

My wife and I were up here for the weekend to attend the Niners vs Bucs NFL game. We wanted to blow off some steam after the Bucs lost and I was searching for a place which served craft cocktails. Lo and behold I found this hidden gem. We came in and sat at the bar. Our bartender VINCENT was OUTSTANDING. He was personable, charismatic and above all made some amazing drinks. Unfortunately there was one drawback, we witnessed the assistant manager as a horrible people person and people manager. I’m in customer service and I DO NOT condone his behavior with his staff or his energy with the customers.

Extremely slow service. We were a group of 20 on a Wednesday evening, it took more than an hour for us to get one drink reach. Those who ordered a second drink had to wait another 30 minutes or so, The food was following though. We got a regular supply of food, which was mostly Indian street food style. The food was good but not excellent. Ambience is totally subjective. The place is filled with graffiti and wall art that people from various parts of India can easily relate to. Cozy, noisy and Indian street side Cafe style.

Service kinda sucks!

Decent drinks, the choices are funny and hace a twist of their own creativity but if you have more than 10 persons it will be difficult to accommodate them inside. That is only negative point.

Place feels innovative as is the great ambience. Service was good. Will be back again. Cheers!

I've been here a couple of times now. They have interesting cocktails - the nimbu pani puri was pretty great - although they are on the pricier side. The chilli chicken/gobi on the happy hour menu are also good, although the portions are fairly small. I've only had one beer (forget what it was called), it came in a tiny glass, which was an unpleasant surprise considering the cost.

Bartenders really care about the quality of their cocktails.

Very well organised and accessible spot. They serve large portions and for affordable prices. We enjoyed the food very much and the waiters were very amiable and explanatory. I recommend this place.

This place is forbidding customers from wearing a mask, against health regulations. Who knows wether they don't follow health regulations in the kitchen either.

two thumbs up for this place. prices were appropriate. i can see why they have so many great reviews.

Great whiskey and bourbon selection connected to Curry Up restaurant. Great combo.

The cocktails in their menu are amazing. I haven't been disappointed by one yet. I'm not one to stray away from the menu when it comes to cocktails, but I've seen other people talk to the bartenders to get something off-menu and they seem pretty knowledgeable. They other great thing about this place is that you can also get food from Curry Up Now a great Indian street food restaurant. They even do a joint happy hour together.

The signature Mortar and Pestle cocktail is pretty much straight bourbon with lots of ice and some citrus peels -- only get this if you really like bourbon! Junkyard Heart is like a really refreshing Moscow mule! Shares a location with Curry Up Now.

Oh what a unique place with creative drinks, and the glassware was a nice touch. Would love to try more of the curry foods from the food menu. Our server was very attentive, came to us the second we sat down and was just on it the whole night! All around great experience.

Great food & drinks

Great place for craft cocktails.

The bar/restaurant mainly serves Indian food that is quite flavorful but a bit too spicy to our taste. Also bread and rice took too big portion of the dishes we ordered. Its cocktail menu is 4 times longer than the food menu, so if you like cocktails...enjoy. Unfortunately we don't drink cocktail much and it only has two red wines on the list. Inside is very loud due to the open design of the space and smells too much like a smokey kitchen. Outside sitting has metal chairs without cushions that are very uncomfortable to sit for long. Waiters are very friendly though.

This is an interesting venue with it's almost "seamless" joining of bar with Curry Up Now Restaurant. My old fashioned was nice and strong and I really appreciated that! The food we got was too spicy (chicken wings and something else) and didn't even look appetizing enough to eat. Drinks are good here and I would rate them 4 for that, 2 for the food and somewhat odd layout of the restaurant conjoined with the bar. For the owner: thanks for your thoughtful response to my review on 07/22/19! I want to qualify for everyone that I did come in very late on a Fri night 10pm (07/19), not exactly peak time to expect anything decent to eat! That said, my spice tolerance is very high (I do like very spicy food) and even I couldn't take it. My friend Sanju is from India and he was there with me, with a much lower tolerance in general, and I corroborated his opinion obviously. I'm very grateful to have this venue so close in the South Bay. I've been here once before and just had drinks with my wife and I remember them being excellent then when we went! (Also late at night). First time having food.

What a fun hidden bar! Delicious balanced cocktails, beautiful space, great service and menu. Really enjoyed our visit, and with taking the time to track it down.

5 minutes away from my place, this is my go to bar. With a wide range of spirits and Indianized (not a word) cocktails, good food and great ambiance, it's a nice place to spend time and relax.

Great wings. Slow serice.

Parking is a huge issue! Even folks who work there park 1 mile away apparently. Went there since restaurant had good reviews and maybe they are - I won't know since I never found parking (after 20 minutes of going around and in garage) and probably won't ever go back. Seems oriented to residents living in the area since they got all the parking and 100s of empty spots but visitors and retail parking is like 20 total (not counting the parallel parking on street)

The food is excellent and the drinks are amazing, including the cocktails...and you get Old Monk supreme there ☺️??

Great cocktails and snacks, a tad expensive.

I seriously considered moving into the apartments here just to be closer to this place. It's truly one of a kind! The bar has an extensive menu of specialty cocktails, all with an Indian twist. I tried the Land of Milk and Honey (like a slightly sour, bubbly, alcoholic Lassi - good for cutting the heat of your food) and a Holi Bhang (colorful, coconutty and delicious - no bhang used). You can order from the full menu while sitting in the bar area. The food is modern takes on Indian classics, such as the Quesadillix, which was more like a stuffed paratha, served with green chutney, raita, and achar. Everyone in my party tried different drinks and foods, and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. I will absolutely return to try more. Of note: They do offer a kids menu. There are a variety of vegetarian, vegan and gluten-free options if needed, and they are marked on the menu.

Arrived at five, it wasn't busy. The staff was very welcoming and observant. Prices that are reasonable.

there was quick, helpful, and friendly service. i see why this place has so many good reviews.

Really amazing drinks and food, but even at happy hour the prices are the same as downtown without the location.

Bar staff is way too busy most of the time. It’s not their fault as I guess the management is trying to keep cost down. Be prepared to deal with annoyed or sometimes straight up angry staff.

Had a friend come into town and asked me to take him here again. The bill was fair I would say. Ambience reminds me of Colorado Springs area.

The staff was very kind and attentive. The place has a good feel to it.

Highlights of the visit were the Indianized cocktails they serve. Very creatively done and the drinks are delicious!!! They have a good collection of IPAs too.

Food just ok

1 star for very nice outdoor patio. But . . . The service was awful - i think we got lost during shift change on a Thursday afternoon. Food was poor. Even the friend who recommended it noted it was differed considerably from a few months ago.

Curry Up Now's attached bar offers a pleasant experience with its Indian-twist drinks, making it a good spot for quick snacks and a few drinks. The ambience falls somewhere in between, not bad but not exceptional. Overall, a decent choice for a casual outing. Food definitely could be better.