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This is our favorite place to get dimsum. Prices are reasonable and it's not difficult to find parking. Even if the place is older, we find it clean. The servers are also very nice and helpful too. We have been going here for many, many years. Their regular menu is also very good. This time I was craving for dimsum and still enjoy them!
This is peak 1990s Chinese food and the original types of plate plates and food choices and even service. Reminds me of my childhood. That being said, I wasn't really fond of reliving food taste from childhood. Everything was salted too strong and the wrapping for the dumplings and for the Haw gao were all too thick. nothing felt fresh. They just felt hot. And I would say for a Saturday night the place was not packed at all, but let me tell you what was packed.....the parking lot. Parking is horrible in this place and people are double parked everywhere on Saturday night. OK so now onto the dishes, the beef chow fun, probably the top. The next was the turnip cake which was also very good. The other dim sum plates were not as great as I thought they would be because either the meat was not tenderized or the skin was too thick or the flavor it was just off. The sticky rice needed more flavor and there was no chicken options for the sticky rice. You just had also one big banana leaf for wrap. My kids didn't like the meat when it's too tough and you could tell the meat was pretty tough. Not sure if I'll return there are definitely other places that can provide better. Once again, we are still in a dim sum desert in San Diego.
I was excited to try this restaurant out. The food was absolutely delicious. All of it! We had chow mein, dumplings, orange chicken, soup, and other entrees. I will come back for take out only next time for three reasons. I don't like the smell of second hand smoke while I eat from employees/ family of employees, I don't want to feel rushed when we are trying to enjoy our meal and time out together & if we can't have a bigger table to accommodate all of the food we ordered I might as well enjoy it at home (Yes we asked for a bigger table). I had never had a problem finding a parking here.
I'm back! After like 20 years we're back to eating at this restaurant. I have lots of memories of coming here as a kid when my parents would drag us to eat here after Chinese school on the weekend. It looked different back then, but apparently the owner is still the same! And what's crazy is that she hadn't seen my parents in decades but still recognized them and remembered what my mom's profession was. Just... wow. In any case, I digress. The food is solid and both tasty as well as plentiful. It's not going to earn any Michelin stars, but if you're hankering for that comfort food feeling, it'll hit the spot. Since rediscovering this place, we've been back multiple times and it's quickly becoming part of our regular rotation. And the ladies who work here are pleasant too; in that Chinese auntie kind of way. A little rough around the edges but you know they'll take care of you if you need it. The only things that I wish they'd improve is a little bit better lighting; it's a bit too dark, and some sound mitigation as it can get a bit loud if there's a particularly boisterous group present. But other than that, I'm glad we've become reacquainted.
The setting was very cozy it's definitely a quaint family setting (lazy Susans and huge tables) The service was beyond and phenomenal, these ladies took care of me and my sister in law from beginning to the end while we wrangled 2 under the age of 3 and an 8 year old they also took the time to wrap our food to-go which was nearly impossible by ourselves! I come here for the dim sum usually and it's the best price point in San Diego and for the amount and quality I leave pretty happy everytime..(I used to come here when I was pregnant and worked at Mekong a few restaurants down and it has always hit the spot for me) Anywho some notable dishes : -Chicken feet -gelatinous,soft and tender but if you don't like spitting bones out then skip this - Shrimp rice noodle rolls- Steamed shrimp cooked in rice paper-like rolls served with light soy sauce you can eat alot of these family style, these are always a solid choice in dim sum -Har Cao - Shrimp Dumplings always 10/10 - Sticky rice in Lotus leaf- it's rice and Chinese sausage chicken and mushrooms Steamed in this fragrant leaf and it's huge and enough for 2 people it's like unwrapping a present each time - Shu Mai- meatballs wrapped in wonton wrapper but exposed on the top They always ask if you like tea, it's really personal preference but I always say yes and it adds to the experience You can also head down to Nijiya Market for some dessert and Japanese snacks afterwards:) Round your family up and try this place you wont regret it !
This is a solid place and tasty but nothing fancy and don't expect anything spectacular either . We had the usual dim sum offerings and yang chow fried rice . All the dim sums were tasty but came out weirdly at very different times spaced out far apart. Highlights were turnip cake and eggplant. Others were just so so. The fried rice was pretty amateur sadly. Had large clunks of white rice that were not broken up and fried all the way through. Service was very warm and friendly otherwise . A decent stop but nothing great
Dim sum was below being mid! But we honestly wasn't expecting much here in SD. Came in with low expectations and didn't leave disappointed. Food was in the saltier side. Kinda disappointed in the fried shrimp balls. It's not hard to make these crispy, but it was soggy and didn't come with sweet and sour sauce. The waitress said that she eats them without the sauce. It's my first time hearing that! Shrimp balls aren't shrimp balls without the sauce. With that being said, service mediocre. Place cleanliness needs a little improvement. Best part is that we found parking!
Food: The food was decent overall, solid for a dim sum spot. One tip is to definitely ask for chili oil. It's not already on the table, but it really adds flavor to the dishes. I really enjoyed the egg yolk bun as a sweet option at the end of our meal. Service: Service was nice and helpful. Staff was attentive and quick to respond to any requests. Ambiance: The restaurant is very spacious, which makes it great for groups. It's a popular spot for parties and family gatherings, so it can get lively. The tea is strong, which I personally loved. Other Notes: It's located in this area, so parking can be a hassle during peak hours.
I was craving some dim sum during the short 3 weeks stay at my parents in San Diego. I looked up several locations and I must say that the latest dim sum trends haven't yet reach the far outskirts of the So Cal epicenter in Los Angeles. Imperial Mandarin Restaurant is your typical run-of-the-mill traditional dim sum place you, with dishes similar to what you would find in yesteryears. The only difference is you won't find carts rolling around and you have to place your order down on paper. To my surprise, the dishes came out almost as quickly as the server picked up my order. It's the next best thing if you like the cart experience to have food come out this fast. Food is decent and definitely fulfilled my dim sum cravings. While there are other places with a wider menu selection, you can tell that this place has its own crowd. One note is that I was attracted to the menu prices posted on Yelp, but after coming here I can see the prices from even 2024 are outdated. I might have gone to another location if I had known, but the pricing is fairly standard in comparison to other dim sum places.
I arrived with a group of 10 people and managed to reserve a table by calling just 30 minutes ahead. The server was fluent in Cantonese and English. The food was decent (not bad, and I would consider going back) and very reasonably priced. The parking situation is quite challenging as it is shared with multiple businesses, and many drivers are aggressive. The Peking Duck was okay, but it was served with disappointing buns that were dry and crumbly. Pros: - Suitable for groups - Affordable - Wide variety of options Cons: - Parking - Average Peking Duck, with disappointing buns
Review update: This place is still, in my opinion, one of the best authentic places in San Diego. Definitely still one of my go-tos when I'm hungry since their food is always so consistently amazing. Tip: if you like salted fish and chicken fried rice, they have it but it's off menu!
This Review is for takeout entrees, not dimsum. Food were average & oily & the items were not as advertised. Pork with Preserved veggie was adequate, fish fillet with black bean sauce not too exciting, pan fried stuffed tofu was disappointing: it was fried, not pan fried, so very greasy. False advertisement. 2nd time we also ordered 3 dishes: egg & shrimp was mehhh, steamed stuffed tofu adequate, pan fried stuff pepper somehow became stuffed eggplant!!!! (See receipt) They didn't even say anything when i was there picking it up.
The place is a typical Chinese restaurant where the service is how well you can get a server their attention. Once you do they deliver. Some of the tables seem really close the dim sum cart had problems moving down aisles. If you can get through that then the food is worth it. Had some dim sum and mu shu beef. The portions are large and the prices are still reasonable considering I was told they recently increased them.
09/06/2026 Fried Noodle with Beef ($16.95): The beef was tender and tasty. Rice Noodle Shrimp Roll ($7.50): Served piping hot with a delicious, light sauce. Turnip Cake ($7.50): Crispy and delicious. Shrimp Shumai ($7.50): A bit dried. Deep-Fried Shrimp Ball ($7.50): Freshly made and straight out of the fryer. Steamed Rice with Assorted Meat ($7.50): My husband really enjoyed this one. Rice ($1.50): Tasted like yesterday's leftover rice heated in a microwave before being delivered to our table. Tea ($1.00 per person): Good, standard tea. Overall, we enjoyed our experience and the food. As for the service, we had to wait a while before the staff noticed that we needed a refill on our teapot. read more
I always come here. Convoy Street, everyone here (the staff) speaks better English than me. Their Lunch specials are never more than $13.95 w/tax. The 4k Giagantic TV screen offers us a walkabout of Beijing, China as U await the arrival of your order, which is quick. This time the beef was a bit on the chewy side; it needed more fire. Less than perfect. Otherwise delicious. Now do U See the customers? When they all are Chinese it means good food. Was that a racist statement? Please let me know so I never say such again. Definitely not my intention; I just wanted to be helpful. Sorry if I inadvertently offended you. Please 4give. read more
3 months ago
I was craving Chinese food so decided to go here for dinner. We got the family dinner for two which came with mongolian beef and cashew chicken and rice, as well as wonton soup, and two pieces each of fried shrimp, and egg rolls and chicken wings as starters. All the appetizers were great except for the chicken wings which were bland and lacked flavor. It was basically chicken that's battered without any seasoning. The mongolian beef was tender and tasty, but the cashew chicken was also bland and had snow peas, mushrooms and water chestnuts which I wasn't used to. Usually cashew chicken at other Chinese restaurants is just chicken and cashews. There's a large TV in the restaurant and they had the World Cup match playing which was a nice surprise. We didn't think we'd be having dinner and watching soccer at a Chinese restaurant lol. This restaurant also serves dim sum all day which we'll have to try another time. This place isn't the best but it's also not bad. I just haven't found a favorite Chinese restaurant in the Convoy area; all of my favorites are in National City! read more
This is our favorite place to get dimsum. Prices are reasonable and it's not difficult to find parking. Even if the place is older, we find it clean. The servers are also very nice and helpful too. We have been going here for many, many years. Their regular menu is also very good. This time I was craving for dimsum and still enjoy them! read more
This is peak 1990s Chinese food and the original types of plate plates and food choices and even service. Reminds me of my childhood. That being said, I wasn't really fond of reliving food taste from childhood. Everything was salted too strong and the wrapping for the dumplings and for the Haw gao were all too thick. nothing felt fresh. They just felt hot. And I would say for a Saturday night the place was not packed at all, but let me tell you what was packed.....the parking lot. Parking is horrible in this place and people are double parked everywhere on Saturday night. OK so now onto the dishes, the beef chow fun, probably the top. The next was the turnip cake which was also very good. The other dim sum plates were not as great as I thought they would be because either the meat was not tenderized or the skin was too thick or the flavor it was just off. The sticky rice needed more flavor and there was no chicken options for the sticky rice. You just had also one big banana leaf for wrap. My kids didn't like the meat when it's too tough and you could tell the meat was pretty tough. Not sure if I'll return there are definitely other places that can provide better. Once again, we are still in a dim sum desert in San Diego. read more
I was excited to try this restaurant out. The food was absolutely delicious. All of it! We had chow mein, dumplings, orange chicken, soup, and other entrees. I will come back for take out only next time for three reasons. I don't like the smell of second hand smoke while I eat from employees/ family of employees, I don't want to feel rushed when we are trying to enjoy our meal and time out together & if we can't have a bigger table to accommodate all of the food we ordered I might as well enjoy it at home (Yes we asked for a bigger table). I had never had a problem finding a parking here. read more
7 months ago
I'm back! After like 20 years we're back to eating at this restaurant. I have lots of memories of coming here as a kid when my parents would drag us to eat here after Chinese school on the weekend. It looked different back then, but apparently the owner is still the same! And what's crazy is that she hadn't seen my parents in decades but still recognized them and remembered what my mom's profession was. Just... wow. In any case, I digress. The food is solid and both tasty as well as plentiful. It's not going to earn any Michelin stars, but if you're hankering for that comfort food feeling, it'll hit the spot. Since rediscovering this place, we've been back multiple times and it's quickly becoming part of our regular rotation. And the ladies who work here are pleasant too; in that Chinese auntie kind of way. A little rough around the edges but you know they'll take care of you if you need it. The only things that I wish they'd improve is a little bit better lighting; it's a bit too dark, and some sound mitigation as it can get a bit loud if there's a particularly boisterous group present. But other than that, I'm glad we've become reacquainted. read more
The setting was very cozy it's definitely a quaint family setting (lazy Susans and huge tables) The service was beyond and phenomenal, these ladies took care of me and my sister in law from beginning to the end while we wrangled 2 under the age of 3 and an 8 year old they also took the time to wrap our food to-go which was nearly impossible by ourselves! I come here for the dim sum usually and it's the best price point in San Diego and for the amount and quality I leave pretty happy everytime..(I used to come here when I was pregnant and worked at Mekong a few restaurants down and it has always hit the spot for me) Anywho some notable dishes : -Chicken feet -gelatinous,soft and tender but if you don't like spitting bones out then skip this - Shrimp rice noodle rolls- Steamed shrimp cooked in rice paper-like rolls served with light soy sauce you can eat alot of these family style, these are always a solid choice in dim sum -Har Cao - Shrimp Dumplings always 10/10 - Sticky rice in Lotus leaf- it's rice and Chinese sausage chicken and mushrooms Steamed in this fragrant leaf and it's huge and enough for 2 people it's like unwrapping a present each time - Shu Mai- meatballs wrapped in wonton wrapper but exposed on the top They always ask if you like tea, it's really personal preference but I always say yes and it adds to the experience You can also head down to Nijiya Market for some dessert and Japanese snacks afterwards:) Round your family up and try this place you wont regret it ! read more
22 days ago
This is a solid place and tasty but nothing fancy and don't expect anything spectacular either . We had the usual dim sum offerings and yang chow fried rice . All the dim sums were tasty but came out weirdly at very different times spaced out far apart. Highlights were turnip cake and eggplant. Others were just so so. The fried rice was pretty amateur sadly. Had large clunks of white rice that were not broken up and fried all the way through. Service was very warm and friendly otherwise . A decent stop but nothing great read more
Dim sum was below being mid! But we honestly wasn't expecting much here in SD. Came in with low expectations and didn't leave disappointed. Food was in the saltier side. Kinda disappointed in the fried shrimp balls. It's not hard to make these crispy, but it was soggy and didn't come with sweet and sour sauce. The waitress said that she eats them without the sauce. It's my first time hearing that! Shrimp balls aren't shrimp balls without the sauce. With that being said, service mediocre. Place cleanliness needs a little improvement. Best part is that we found parking! read more
Food: The food was decent overall, solid for a dim sum spot. One tip is to definitely ask for chili oil. It's not already on the table, but it really adds flavor to the dishes. I really enjoyed the egg yolk bun as a sweet option at the end of our meal. Service: Service was nice and helpful. Staff was attentive and quick to respond to any requests. Ambiance: The restaurant is very spacious, which makes it great for groups. It's a popular spot for parties and family gatherings, so it can get lively. The tea is strong, which I personally loved. Other Notes: It's located in this area, so parking can be a hassle during peak hours. read more
6 months ago
1 month ago
3 months ago
I was craving some dim sum during the short 3 weeks stay at my parents in San Diego. I looked up several locations and I must say that the latest dim sum trends haven't yet reach the far outskirts of the So Cal epicenter in Los Angeles. Imperial Mandarin Restaurant is your typical run-of-the-mill traditional dim sum place you, with dishes similar to what you would find in yesteryears. The only difference is you won't find carts rolling around and you have to place your order down on paper. To my surprise, the dishes came out almost as quickly as the server picked up my order. It's the next best thing if you like the cart experience to have food come out this fast. Food is decent and definitely fulfilled my dim sum cravings. While there are other places with a wider menu selection, you can tell that this place has its own crowd. One note is that I was attracted to the menu prices posted on Yelp, but after coming here I can see the prices from even 2024 are outdated. I might have gone to another location if I had known, but the pricing is fairly standard in comparison to other dim sum places. read more
2 years ago
I arrived with a group of 10 people and managed to reserve a table by calling just 30 minutes ahead. The server was fluent in Cantonese and English. The food was decent (not bad, and I would consider going back) and very reasonably priced. The parking situation is quite challenging as it is shared with multiple businesses, and many drivers are aggressive. The Peking Duck was okay, but it was served with disappointing buns that were dry and crumbly. Pros: - Suitable for groups - Affordable - Wide variety of options Cons: - Parking - Average Peking Duck, with disappointing buns read more
9 months ago
Review update: This place is still, in my opinion, one of the best authentic places in San Diego. Definitely still one of my go-tos when I'm hungry since their food is always so consistently amazing. Tip: if you like salted fish and chicken fried rice, they have it but it's off menu! read more
This Review is for takeout entrees, not dimsum. Food were average & oily & the items were not as advertised. Pork with Preserved veggie was adequate, fish fillet with black bean sauce not too exciting, pan fried stuffed tofu was disappointing: it was fried, not pan fried, so very greasy. False advertisement. 2nd time we also ordered 3 dishes: egg & shrimp was mehhh, steamed stuffed tofu adequate, pan fried stuff pepper somehow became stuffed eggplant!!!! (See receipt) They didn't even say anything when i was there picking it up. read more
The place is a typical Chinese restaurant where the service is how well you can get a server their attention. Once you do they deliver. Some of the tables seem really close the dim sum cart had problems moving down aisles. If you can get through that then the food is worth it. Had some dim sum and mu shu beef. The portions are large and the prices are still reasonable considering I was told they recently increased them. read more
5 months ago
One of the worst dim sum I've had. For a party of two, it cost $60 for disappointingly bland and poorly cooked food that took a while to come out (I'm no chef but I could make this better). Came in at 11ish on a Monday, it was pretty empty. Here's what we had: - rice paper beef & shrimp: this is usually my favorite dim sum dish, but they messed it up horribly here. The rice paper was way too thick (all flour), and the meat inside had no flavor whatsoever. They also skimped on the sweet soy sauce that would have helped made it less bland. - scallop har gow: they filled it with shrimp, not scallops, but still charged the premium price - sui mai: tasted like a tendon meatball covered in egg wrap - steamed black bean pork ribs: fatty and a bit tasteless - chicken feet: this was probably the only decent dish, taste wise. Coloring was a bit off though - fried meat dumpling (unsure of the English name): usually my husband's go to, but they mixed those fried brined shrimp in it which made it too pungent - egg tarts: sadly, too sweet Maybe people come for the non-dim sum dishes? Either way, we will not be back. Lastly: the cups were stained and we saw big bags of raw ground meat sitting by the front window at room temp, so I'm praying we don't get food poisoning later... read more
11 months ago
No thrills, and an average dinning experience. We came here with friends, who had been here before. The food was average, except for the whole Duck with buns and the eggplant prawns, both were very good. The dumplings were just average. I can't say anything was bad, was just an average experience. First time trying chicken feet and I'm pretty sure it's a one and done for me lol read more
1 year ago
11 months ago
DO NOT GO HERE -- YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!!! The sauces are absolutely vile and the chicken was practically still clucking -- half of it was raw! The service? A complete joke. The clueless, illiterate waiters were nowhere to be found, and we had to wave our arms like lunatics just to get a simple drink refill. The only halfway decent thing was the ambiance, but even that couldn't save this disaster of a place. read more
The food is absolutely amazing and very delicious! The salt and pepper wings are worth the trip alone. We ordered Dim Sum, fried shrimp balls, stuffed eggplant, and Shu Mai. All were very good. I'd definitely eat here again. read more
7 months ago
6 months ago
6 months ago
1 year ago
Our neighbors invited us out to Imperial Mandarin recently. BB and I enjoyed the food and experience. We dined in around 1 PM on a Sunday. The restaurant is located in a plaza with other restaurants on Convoy St., which is notorious for being busy with a lack of sufficient parking availability. Fortunately, we were able to immediately find parking during the time that we went. This restaurant does not have any dim sum carts. You order everything off of a menu that you mark with pencil. Some of the things we ordered off the top of my head: Shrimp har gow, sesame balls, turnip cake, baked bbq pork buns, normal order of beef chow fun, steamed pork buns, eggplant with shrimp, pork shumai. There were probably more but I forgot. All of the items that I had were tasty, and my favorite dim sum item, turnip cake, was prepared very well here. Service was prompt and readily available, with drink refills and other requests (chili oil and hot mustard, both mandatory for us) being attended to in a timely manner. Would definitely return here to partake of the dim sum again. read more
7 months ago
Came to lunch after work on a weekday afternoon and not a customer eating in the restaurant at the time. I sat at the table of my choice and ordered soy sauce noodles with bean sprouts and green onions. The portion was massive and arrived in a matter of minutes. Then my dim sum order of turnip cake, shu mai and baked pork buns arrived right after. Everything was as I anticipated. The service was friendly and the food tasty and served fast. My water was refilled upon being empty. As I finished my lunch other senior patrons have now occupied a few tables so it took a minute to get my bill. No worries though, I will me back soon for more from my new Chinese takeout and dim sum read more
3 years ago
The Imperial Duck I had was the best ever. My dining companion did not like his Szechuan Beef and did not eat it. White rice was good and included with entrée. Spring rolls and dumplings were OK. Hot tea in a pot was made with loose tea, not a tea bag. Service was attentive, if not particularly friendly. Typical Chinese service for the non-Chinese. Ambience was austere, almost cafeteria-like. Was not crowded on a Sunday night around 6 pm. Parking is difficult in the large parking lot for this business park with at least 5 Asian restaurants. read more
11 months ago
4 years ago
We came here for dim sum one morning back in January to celebrate a family member's birthday. My family member's best friend recommended this place for dim sum. Imperial Mandarin Restaurant is located on Convoy Street in the same plaza as Epic Wings and Things and The Original Pancake House. It was our first time here and for a weekday (Tuesday), there were a fair amount of customers here. While some places have carts that have dim sum items that are already made, at the time we came there were no carts. I'm unsure if they even use carts. I think this restaurant is too small and they don't have the business that Jasmine and Emerald gets for dim sum. We browsed the menu and placed our order. We wanted the baked barbecue pork buns, but they only had the steamed ones left. They had everything else that we wanted on the menu. Our food came out in a timely manner. I was a bit disappointed with the dim sum. It was all okay at best, as much as I wanted to, there was nothing I could rate as good. The rice roll portion of the steamed shrimp rice roll was way too thick (I've never seen it that thick before) and the other food was just blah. Not appetizing, just kind of bland, and sad. Service was good. The lady that took our order was pleasant and friendly. She checked on us a few times. I really wanted to like this place, but it just didn't turn out that way. We may give this place another try. If we do, I will update my review. 3 / 5: Dim Sum 4 / 5: Service 3 / 5: Cleanliness 3.3 / 5: Overall read more
1 year ago
1 year ago
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More info about Imperial Mandarin Restaurant
3904 Convoy St
Ste 102
San Diego, CA 92111
Kearny Mesa
Directions
(858) 292-1222
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http://www.imperial-mandarin.com
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Ask the Community - Imperial Mandarin Restaurant
Hi, I come from Hong Kong and will come to San Diego in mid-Nov this year. We will go fishing at the time, so we would like to know whether your restaurant can help us to cook fish if we catch some? If yes, may we know the price for cooking fee? Thx!
Of course! Will you be bringing your fish from Hong Kong as well? You may cook your fish anytime, either in my kitchen at home, or at the Imperial.
Do they serve dim sum on weekdays?
Yes they serve Dim Sum but not on carts. You order from the menu. I think they only do carts on weekends. Food still taste good
Is this a good choice for a rehearsal dinner? In terms of ambience, size, food quality, and price?
Yes to all
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