Best American Chinese food I've had in years. The orange chicken was very flavorful and made Perfectly. Awesome delivery experience. read more

the food is too greasy the service wasn't that great I wouldn't recommend this place at all go somewhere else to use your money

Visiting Boston this weekend. Got take out for the family here twice. The portions are huge. The takeout boxes were loaded with meat. Our favorites are chicken with garlic sauce and orange beef. My wife likes beef chow fun. High recommended this place. read more

In my quest to find a go-to chinese take out place in the Cambrige area I gave this place a try an ordered delivery via Yelp/Grubhub. I ordered both the beef chow fun and sesame chicken. The food took a bit longer than initially timed but everything arrived hot. The chow fun was great, beef and noodles were nice and tender. The sesame chicken was a bit overcooked in my opinion. I was surprised that for the price the sesame chicken didn't include a side of white rice and just came with some broccoli. I would order again but I'm still haven't found my go-to place. read more

Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

I've had this place at least 3 times over a few months. The food is still tasty and a step up from Panda Express. However, since my order last month, the prices have gone up and portion sizes has decreased. The menu I had was printed from Jan 2023, so that was the prices I thought, but when I ordered for delivery, everything was about 20% more. I called in and order, and when I got the total at the end I did the calculations since it seemed off (previous orders had no problems). I called back and asked them if they increase the prices, but the lady wasn't going to look into it, and she asked if I wanted the order or not. Me being hungry, I did. I ordered 4 dishes, and the price was about $5 off. Knowing that I was being overcharged, I liked the food here and still thought there was still value here. But when I opened the bag, the food containers were different. They were rectangular before, now round, and it was noticeable that the amount of food was less. So paid more, and got less. I asked the delivery driver and showed him my menu, which he stated there was a new menu...and handed me a new menu. It was the same printed menu from Jan 2023. So I have concluded that I was over charged. Anyways.. food is good, its a neighborhood Panda Express. But the value to food portion which attracted me to here, is no longer there. Priced increase 20% from last month, and portion sized decreased. FYI for people out there to double check your bill. I will stop ordering here. read more

I have found it! The Chinese take-out place that will deliver to my house that's actually GOOD. We got the menu in the mail this weekend, and because I'm a sucker for new take-out menus, I needed to order from them that same night (never mind all the leftovers in the fridge from Thanksgiving!). I looked through the menu and realized that it looked exactly like one from New York, which got me all worked up... what? They have fried half chicken?! Yes, please!!! The food was fresh and hot and way tastier than any of the leftovers in the fridge. I was so happy. Still am. I'll give them the fifth star after I've tried more food from them though, so stay tuned. ***EDIT: Ordered from them again last night. Food was still very good, but the woman who answered the phone didn't speak enough English to take down the order or write down the correct address, which delayed our delivery by at least a half-hour (we got our food a little over an hour after we had initially called). It's all good, because the food was still surprisingly hot, but maybe the delivery is hit-or-miss, depending on who takes the call. The first time we called, it was fast and easy, and we got our food in no time at all. Maybe it'll be faster next time? Whatever, it's ultimately all about the food, and that has been consistently good so far... but I'll leave them at 4 stars. read more

Over the past six years, I have ordered from Mandarin a total of ~30 times. If I had ordered any more, it would have taken me several more years to finish. The take-out boxes are so heavy and full of food that you could build a solid house out of them. My friends and I have said that they are "bricks of food" and we're not kidding... Then the other day, I was in Union Square and lo and behold, the beloved unassuming Mandarin was right there in front of me. I was taken aback at how small and quaint it looked after building it up in my mind to be a huge mecca of food. Still, this (recommended take-out) joint gets four stars and here's why: a) Insanely cheap menu for a lot of food. $5 lunch specials come with hot and sour soup (unadvertised, but it comes!), an entree and pork fried or regular rice. They will take you at least 2 meals to finish unless you are Michael Phelps who does nothing but eat. I would honestly have to pay 2-3x more at any other take-out joint in the area. And don't even get me started on the dinner entrees... b) The food is actually decent. The chicken with cashew nuts is my all-time favorite. The chicken is deep-fried and cared for, the cashews are nice and crunchy and there are tons of vegetables - peppers, celery, bamboo shoots. But everything I've tried is great. c) No MSG. I don't spend the rest of the day/night drinking water and peeing. Nothing I've tried is too salty or greasy - what a relief! d) Special deals. As if you needed any more food, over $20, you'll get some sort of free dish, whether it's 12 crab rangoons, Kung Pao Chicken, etc. There are different tiers the more you spend, but $20 will get you something good! Yes, I am an Asian-American so technically I should be really picky about Chinese food, but I am the exact opposite. I enjoy cheap not-overly-greasy Americanized take-out when I can get my hands on it. Life is great with Mandarin in town! Even though it's lost that mysterious charm to me as being my one solid delivery joint from afar, now I live so close I can go for pick-up. :) read more

It is so unfortunate that the wonton picture is the first thing customers see when they check out this place on Yelp... (Although, can I just ask, what is that picture even telling us? Really?) I stopped by this place because it's right outside the 86 stop and I didn't want to freeze to death in the cold so I got something to go. It's obvious that this is a family owned place and everyone is trying their best for this place. Yes, the pictures on the wall might B outdated but what do u expect when there's just not enough foot traffic to pay for these updates? I ordered their chow fun and their general tsao combo. Their kid, who is prob in her teens and such a darling , took my order. the food was fast and delicious. This was right outside the bus stop so I waited for the bus and got a delicious meal that reasonably priced. read more

Yay! I'm a fan. For the record, I measured 11 inches in the back yard today before the snow even stopped falling and the streets of somerville are so un-drivable it's almost as scary as it is a relief to hear the 91 bus go by my house. To be perfectly honest, I only called Mandarin because East Asia wasn't answering (pus-sssaayyyss!) and was extremely apologetic on the phone because I live ridiculously close to Union Square and would normally NEVER call for delivery. But alas, snow banks have barred me indoors! The man on the phone made me a little nervous when he asked me to repeat the second-to-last 4 digits of my credit card and then abruptly hung up (you could hear another phone ringing in the background) but he got it right, and i got my food like 15 minutes later, still hot. And the thing is, I was kind of surprised, even though the place is LITERALLY a 2 minute drive from my place... It was obvious that the food hadn't sat on the counter waiting to be combined with another delivery order. the wonton soup was standard- it hit the spot: it was just what i wanted/expected. i was impressed by other yelper's reviews of this place, specifically the vegan dishes (veggie sesame chicken, etc). I am not a vegetarian, but after a weekend of sitting around eating pop tarts and grilled cheese sandwiches, craved veggies something awful. so i scanned the menu, found the steamed section, and ordered shrimp with steamed veggies, but not before asking a lot of questions, and it's a good thing i did: 1) does this come with sauce? (no.) 2) but can they add some on the side? (yes. it's a brown sauce, kind of bland, but thicker than i thought and NOT too salty! higher end of mediocre) 3) does this come with rice?? (thank you yelpsters!! it does NOT) the veggies were a little on the undercooked side (but preferable, since the portion was definitely large enough for two meals and re-heating will probably peak steamed-veggie-perfection) the SHRIMP, albeit plentiful (they really didn't skimp! there were 10, if not 12, in this little guy), were slightly slimy and probably OVER nuked- but the 4 stars remain because i expected this. in summation, i would definitely order from this place again-- it's close, they're quick, the price is right and the food is decent enough to make a regular. read more

I waiver on this rating, but when all is said and done I'm jumping feet first into a 4 star review. So kapow! For what it is and what it's trying to be (that is, a take out American Chinese place), Mandarin does quite well. Better than most even. As others have said, the chicken wings are surprisingly good, much to my enjoyment and my gut's chagrin. Take, for instance, the Chicken with black bean sauce. Now, if you look at the menu, that's a pretty plain name. Don't be fooled! They load in a huge variety of excellently cooked veggies as well. While there could be more of the little black beans, there's no lack of sauce overall. The same is true of anything there. No lack of sauce and no lack of veggies. A large portion is likely enough for two if you also get rice (or make it yourself, lazy bones). read more

I have no idea what this place looks like, because I've only ever ordered delivery. It's funny that I've seen the same couple delivery guys for about 7 years as I've moved between different college dorms and finally to an apartment. We never speak, but I bet they are my friends. The bad part first: there's a mysterious delivery charge of $2 on every order in addition to tip, so it's cheaper per dish if you make large orders. Better make friends to eat with you, because not all of the food keeps its texture coming out of the microwave the next day. Other than that, I have to say that this is easily my favorite place to order from - in any cuisine. That's mainly because of the reliable delivery time (30 minutes), the heaping portions (each dish counts for two meals), and the delicious General Tso's chicken. This is how it's done: the spicy sauce, the chunk size, and the fried breading. I've eaten a lot of Gau/Tso in my time, and these guys take the cake. If that's not your thing, you can still get good dumplings, pad thai, boneless spare ribs, scallion pancakes, and crab rangoons. Basically, all you need for a late-night meal for a college dorm study group. The memory of those halcyon days faintly flickers in an unseen corner of my mind just listing some of those dishes. Anyway, the food is good enough that I still crave it about once a month after all these years. When I eventually go Howard Hughes on you all, this restaurant's delivery guys will be the only people I open my door for. read more

I love the General Tso's vegetarian chicken (or the similar Sesame vegetarian chicken), the vegetable fried rice, and the scallion pancakes. My housemates and I used to get those dishes delivered all the time when we lived within delivery range. It's cheap and cheery chinese food but it always hits the spot. The portions are generous, the sauces good, and it's one of the few restaurants that serves vegetarian meat in the Boston area. So yeah, four stars for what it is. Americanized and vegetarian-friendly Chinese food that will be delivered to your door while it's still hot! read more

I adore Mandarin. When my roommates and I want Chinese delivery, it's our go-to, and one of the only delivery restaurants I've felt consistently loyal to. I swear to you the delivery is often less than 15 minutes, and the food is always hot and fresh. As a semi-vegetarian, I also appreciate that they have a whole host of solid faux-chicken dishes using some type of TVP. The vegetarian General Tso's? Freaking delicious. I only wish it was available in a combo plate. I also have a legit love affair with their egg rolls (not vegetarian but insanely delicious)...boy do those hit the spot. read more

Horrible Customer Service. They should be ashamed for the way they treat their customers.

I read several nice reviews about the place so I decided to take my date to Mandarin. The reviews are kind of split, but i attributed that to individual preference. After having been there, I think the diverse reviews could be due to people ordering out versus ordering in. You can eat in or order out. I strongly recommend neither for the following reasons: 1. We were charged twice for our drinks. It was stupid on my part. We got two cokes with our order of two drinks and two entrees. We didn't get a reciept. When we asked, 10 minutes later, for our drinks the person behind the counter told us that we hadn't paid for them. Bad mental arithmetic and some backwards sense of justice took an additional $3 out of my wallet. 2. My date's General Gao's chicken was undercooked; it was pink on the inside. General raw chicken. 3. My food was fine, but not great. 4. I went to the bathroom. Pretty disgusting and no paper towels. Do employees wash their hands? Don't know. The place is not terribly clean. 5. There is graffiti on the walls of the restaurant. Could be charming, but not in this case. We won't be going back to Mandarin or ordering from them. read more

Yes! I've finally found my go to To Go place. I've been ordering from a bunch of Chinese restaurants around the Cambridge/Somerville area, and this one takes the cake for my guilty Chinese take out pleasure. The general's chicken and lo mein were on point. The chicken was fried perfectly and sauced well. My vegetable lo mein was very hearty and vegetably. mmhmm However, I would criticize the amount of broccoli given with the chicken; there were only two pieces! I will definitely be a regular :) read more

Just got take out from Mandarin this evening and I was definitely pleased with my order. Disclaimer: My 4 stars is on the scale of chinese takeout in Boston: I concer with Jocelyn C. that finding a place like this ridiculously close to my home has me in chinese takeout heaven. The food wasn't chinatown quality - but definitely delicious! I got the garlic beef dinner combo plates and kept my expectations low as at most take out chinese around that would get me some oily beef with some excuse for fried rice and a mystery egg roll. not so with mandarin! I opened the box to find beef with *gasp* vegetables! broccoli, baby corn, peppers, onions... good lord I could get used to this. The fried rice was great too - definitely freshly made and even containing some healthy looking peas. The egg roll was nothing to special, but gave a satisfying crunch and was far from the worst I've had. As noted by Bryanne R. not fortune cookie :( At any rate, I've got leftovers safely in the fridge, and I will keep you posted as to my further adventures in take out/delivery with Mandarin... read more

So, back into Cambridgetown in town for a week for the holidays, bf and i are fresh off the plane and have both got the sniffles and the coughles and hunger pangs for hot tea and chinese food-- Ghuangzhou (which is the frequently-ordered chinese food go-to near bf's place) has no driver tonight, what to do? I hit up yelp for chinese food + cambridge and settle on Mandarin Chinese after far too much research and contemplation. Ordered the vegetable soup, mixed vegetable, szechuan bean curd, scallion pancakes, and a custom spicy veggie mei fun dish... all was good and simple and just what we needed, although the szechuan bean curd tasted a bit blander than what I'm used to, as if the sauce had been watered down. Plusses: -VERY quick delivery (got our order in like 20 minutes, and I'm estimating it was about a 5 min drive for them) -veggies were extremely fresh and crispy and delicious -the veg soup was the ultimate super plain "feel better" soup, w/broth and tiny bits of fresh vegetables, i added a bit of hot sauce for the extra throat-clearing power and it was perfect -they made a spicy veggie mei fun dish for us that wasn't even on the menu, per our request...keep in mind this was our first time ordering here...awesome. Because I am sick, and thusly sick-food biased right now, I thought everything was perfect and delicious just as it was (on the slightly blandish, or "simple" side), I'm not sure if all of those dishes are normally supposed to be that way or would hit the spot for me on a non-sicky day, but I would happily volunteer to figure this all out by ordering from them again. read more

Boooooooo... I just ordered Mandarin from campus food. General Gao's chicken with egg roll and veggie fried rice, fine. They changed it from pork to veggie fine. Scallion pancakes, good. Veggie lo mein, bad. Chicken is not veggie lo mein. I am currently waiting for my new lo mein that will hopefully be veggie instead chicken. It was only $22 including tip and delivery but I currently have nothing to eat but scallion pancakes. I'll up them a star if my lo mein appears within 30 minutes but from the extremely low level of recognition on my address, I'm not so sure... Update - Alright, so they got it to me in exactly 30 minutes which is awesome. I will up them two stars for owning their mistakes. I would have been fine with plain lo mein but I am vegetarian so its difficult to accept chicken lo mein. It's pretty yum though!! read more

I love Mandarin for their consistently yummy take-out and delivery. Plus, the guy at the counter knows both my voice and my face and never fails to say "Oh, I know you!! Long time no see!!" every time I call or walk in. Upscale cuisine, this is not, but if you're hungry for some sesame chicken and a pu-pu platter, you can't beat it. read more

Delivery was supposed to come in an hour, and they came in less than half and hour Ordered Chicken and Broccoli lunch special, which came with chicken and broccoli, DELICIOUS fried rice, and some sweet and sour soup, for less than $6. As a real Chinese person I can tell you the fried rice is great! Not too greasy, and I think they even used brown rice. Perfect price and a great meal. Will definitely order again read more

This is what is inside a won ton (see pic), beef was unappealing, chicken was unappetizing once you cut it open Just bad, what else can I say read more

Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - Inside a won ton - Chinese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Two words: Freezer burn. I'm sick, I'm getting a cold, and all I wanted was some wonton soup (good) and some general Sao's (bad). The soup was good, typical wonton soup fare, and make my tummy feel good (that's why it's getting two stars) but then I dove into the general's chicken and I noticed a peculiar but strangely familiar flavor. . .that's right, freezer burn. EW Totally killed the entire meal for me. I mean, we've all seen freezer burned food before, it's not like we don't know what it is. . so someone grabbed this stuff, said "ta hell with it" cooked it up and charged me for it. Gee, thanks mandarin. read more

Is it a shame that I can make an entire day of going to Starbucks in Davis Square, heading out to Target and then ending up here? Methinks it is. I love their sweet and sour chicken. They do have this annoying $10 minimum purchase for credit card usage, but throw in some pop and that'll usually put you over. I always tell myself that I'm gonna wit until I get back home to dig in, and one day I'm going to stop kidding myself - I usually start scarfing it down as soon as I get it. read more

I'm a vegetarian that had NEVER had any of the classics. Kung Pao Chicken. Sesame Chicken. General Sao's Chicken. Until, I went to Mandarin. My god, until I went here, I would eat Chinese food, but was never excited about it. Now, whenever it's my turn in our household to get dinner, or when asked "what do you want for delivery?" 9 out of 10 times I'll say "Mandarin!" The other time I think about Mandarin first, but feel bad that I always suggest it. I'm also not a fan of spicy, they are very nice about not making mine too spicy. Just so this isn't entirely a veggie only post, I asked the boyfriend, who is a happy carnivore: "It's fine. Nothing special, but tasty." My rating, definitely 5 stars. For the meat-a-tarians, it may be different. OH- and be put off by the sketchtastic storefront. The guys are really nice behind the counter, and they specialize in delivery/pick up. No need to be uber fancy! read more

This review is for the fried chicken. My good friend with narrow arteries said this place had the best fried chicken in Boston. It was actually recommended to him by his co-worker (also a fried chicken connoisseur) who said it was THE BEST. I didn't believe his ass so I trekked down here with my other friend, who also happens to own a grimy Chinese restaurant, and we ordered a half chicken with the PFR (pork fried rice). We didn't care for the PFR, were all about the fried chicken. Yeah, so anyway my friend wasn't kidding...that shit really was good. It was some of the best fried chicken I ever had. Definitely number 1 on my fried chicken playlist. On the outside, yeah this is a grimy neighborhood Chinese takeout joint, but they serve some good ass fried chicken!!! read more

I have just recently moved to the Cambridge/Somerville area, and I've been hunting for a good chinese restaurant. So far I've had some pretty bad experiences, but I was pleasantly surprised by Mandarin Chinese. We have ordered the steamed potstickers, the sesame chicken, the black bean chicken, the crab rangoon and the mongolian beef (super spicy, but good) and have enjoyed everything. I would note that you have to order rice seperately, since it's not included, but I have found that at a lot of Chinese restaurants in the area. The only hang up we've had is that they forgot to include our Mongolian beef, but when we called to inform them, they sent it to us immediately and it was here within 15 minutes of placing the call. We had to pay for it, but they were nice about it. Even so, I'd say that their food is good enough for me to put up with a few mistakes. I'll definitely be ordering from them again. read more

Very tasty delivery. Fast too. Was a little disappointed not to have fortune cookies. PS extra duck sauce is always a plus read more

Great tip with the online ordering (yeah, sure, I go to Harvard.) - and the delivery time was faster than what was quoted. Every Americanized Chinese delivery is primarily judged by the scallion pancakes, and these were...fine. Nothing crazy, nothing terrible. Which generally applied to all the food we got. The chicken chow mein was kind of cabbage, beansprout and quasi-chicken sludge (no noodles to be found) but the beef lo mein was great, and not too greasy. The veggie pad thai was more citrusy than peanutty, which we decided wasn't a bad thing, unfortunately though, the vegetables were few. But you really get pad thai for the noodles anyway, right? I'll give it another shot. Maybe they'll get an extra star... read more

I went here once and that was enough. They say try something more than once before you review it........NAH!!!! I ordered egg fu yung that was salty as hell and super greasy, rice that had a million uncooked peas in it, and the most horrifying chicken fingers I have ever eaten...well besides the ones at Nan Ling on Mass Ave. I thinks not. Could not pay me to eat here again. read more

I ordered through Grubhub pick up. It was a small takeout place, but service was very friendly and welcoming :) The sesame chicken over roast pork fried rice lunch special was HUGE with a lot more chicken than I was expecting, and for only $6.40. Also got the orange beef. They packed everything securely, preventing spillages. Also got a free soup! read more

Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - sesame chicken over pork fried rice lunch special, lots of chicken, only $6.40! - Chinese Near Me - Somerville, Massachusetts

Not sure about the meat dishes here but the veggie ones make this place a decent Americanized Chinese food joint. Especially given that every other Chinese place outside of Chinatown and Brookline is absolutely, utterly horrible. I highly suggest the tofu in garlic sauce lunch combo with white rice. It is actually a tofu broccoli in sweet garlic sauce kind of dish. and it comes with a hot and sour soup and rice all for $5.25. Can't get a better vegetarian deal than that around here, folks. I also sometimes get a small veggie fried rice and small hot and sour soup, which comes out to $5. No MSG, tasty. read more

I had a craving for Chinese veggies on Christmas night 2009. The reviews for Red House in Union Square were corroborated by my son, so the only choice was Mandarin House. It was a good choice. Although I only rate it a 3 out of 5, it is a good, solid Chinese take-out restaurant. I had garlic eggplant and moo shu shrimp, which were good. There are 3 tables there. I sat at one as I waited for my order. There was a guy munching on chicken wings at the next table. I asked him how the wings were, and he didn't answer. I asked him again in Spanish, and he gave me a thumbs up. He was from Guatemala and worked at the local bakery on the night shift. He had no family here. I asked him to join me, and he did, and we had a nice dinner. I did break down and get some fried chicken wings, and they were OK. It is a friendly place and the staff is accommodating, as I returned several times with requests for napkins and utensils. I recommend it and would go back again without reservation. read more

THE BEST CHICKEN WINGS EVER! Fresh, hot, and delicious. Def the best chinese food in the area. Puts red house to shame. Reasonably priced, huge portions, and fast delivery. I usually just get the apps platter, or just order the awesome wings. If you get a combo plate, you'll have dinner, and then lunch for the next day. If you are ordering apps, try the chicken wings, they remind me of another great fried chicken place Coast Cafe on river st in cambridge. read more

This place is much better than Dragon Star hands down! Chicken wings and crab ragoons are boom boom.

I dislike writing negative reviews, but we were really disappointed by the take out we ordered from this place. We ordered hot and sour soup, crab Rangoon, orange chicken, and Szechuan beef. The soup was alright, but the crab Rangoon had a very strong onion flavor and almost no crab flavor at all. The orange chicken did not taste very orangey and was pretty tough. The beef had ok texture, but was pretty flavorless, when we had been expecting hot and spicy. I didn't even want to finish my plate of food. I will give them a star for quick service and decent prices and portions. However, I won't be ordering from here again with other options for Chinese takeout near Union Square. read more

THIS PLACE IS THE TRUTH... plain && simple... the ppl are friendly && straight to the point... ... plus delivery is usually on time... 2 words... "EAT HERE". read more

My go to Friday night comfort food! Always so good and so fast on delivery. Never have I had a problem with the food or service. The delivery people are also very nice. read more

The only Chinese place I know that has vegetarian chicken!! My go to for take out in Union Square

This place has gotten me through the awful post-partying grease cravings that I have. Even though, strangely enough, the food is not sopping in grease. The fried rice is fresh and the lo mein is really yummy. read more