Moti Mahal

What happens when a new and potentially promising business bets its reputation on questionable, AI-generated social media content? In Irvine, an Indian and Nepalese restaurant named Moti Mahal – also known as Motimahal – is in the process of finding out.

We didn’t know when we visited Moti Mahal in late August 2026 that it had earlier sparked a social media controversy by posting a series of stupid and inflammatory images. In fact, we were genuinely excited that this business – Irvine’s only and possibly first ever Nepalese restaurant – had replaced Apóla Greek Grill in January 2026, also becoming one of a very small number of Indian options in the city, joining Annapoorna and Natraj’s Tandoori. While there should have been much rejoicing over its opening, there was instead mostly silence, which we suspect led to the dumb posts and deservedly negative attention. With a few clicks, Moti Mahal had spawned the area’s biggest social media mess since Wanderlust Creamery cratered its reputation with problematic posts in 2025. Had we known, we would have stayed away.

Unfortunately for all concerned, Moti Mahal’s $21 all-you-can-eat buffet and a la carte dishes were actually good when we visited. This is the only buffet we’ve seen locally with a self-serve, all-you-can-drink (!) mango lassi and masala chai bar, coupled with a collection of perhaps 20 food items that are superficially the same as many other Indian buffets but are quite well-executed here. They include a handful of goat and chicken dishes, quality samosas and pakoras, biryani rather than just basmati rice, multiple vegetarian curries, fresh fruit, achar pickles, gulab jamun and halwa desserts, and your choice of one of three naans, freshly cooked from the kitchen and brought to your table. The only complaint a gourmet might levy: Nepalese items are unavailable on the buffet.

For that reason, we ordered one of the Nepalese dumpling options: a sweet chili sauce sizzling skillet known as chicken sizzler momo ($16). The combination of sauce, temperature, white onions, and eight large, legitimately well-filled chicken dumplings was intoxicating – a Manchurian spin on momo – and the best thing we ordered.