We came here for our first time and we loved it! We ordered combo lo mein, spicy cabbage and twice cooked pork. Everything was delicious.

We got crunchy tofu in spicy sauce, curry chicken and honey walnut shrimp. The sauces for all three were great. The staff was great. Wendy and Tina were attentive and friendly. We're just visiting the area but we hope we come back again sometime. read more

Mandarin Garden is a tricky review. If I'm to be honest, I've had some bad meals both in the restaurant and take out. But I've also enjoyed some fine food as well. The secret, without a doubt, is being patient, finding the dishes you like, and sticking to them. It's a worthwhile investment because, let's face it, if you're hankering for Chinese food (and I often am), this is the only place this side of the mountains (other than their lesser-rated "sister" restaurant in Crestline). Anyway, the other day the wife and I had a perfect lunch consisting of lightly fried pork in a traditional Cantonese sweet and sour sauce. And one of my go-to dishes: moo shu chicken. Both were excellent. I won't elaborate on the sub-par food I've ordered here, or the rather depressing, claustrophobic seating area directly to the left as you enter. But the rest of the place has a warmer, classic Chinese vibe that I appreciate. As I do the quirky, golden-voiced daughter who will sing you a song if you're lucky, and her chummy Southern husband who will quite likely sit at your booth as he takes your order. Meanwhile, Pops keeps the place rock steady through thick and thin. And so, for all of the above, I give Mandarin Gardens a special 4 stars. And I hope it stays around for many years to come! read more

We have always gotten great service. Food is good. Always just ordered and picked up which was great. Months in between and they always remembered my love of almond cookies. read more

Very well pleased with the taste of the food and also with how I was treated. I liked the aesthetic of the place and will definitely come back. read more

After an extremely difficult weekend this place was exactly what we needed. We were tired, hungry and had just been so stressed. The food was delicious. The service was amazing. WENDY WENDY WENDY.... Her attitude and caring demeanor made us feel welcome, invited and loved. You might think this is super cheesy for a mom n pop Chinese restaurant but I mean EVERY word. This place is a hidden gem. We will be regulars here FOR SURE! read more

Flavorless typical low quality Chinese American. Salty, cheap quality meat. Staff was friendly and accommodating for pickup order, but the food is just bland. Ordered egg rolls, chow Mein and a few entrees. Meh. We tried. Just won't be back. Sorry. read more

Pros: Decent for quick Chinese in the Lake Arrowhead area. At times the quality is very good. Cons: Can get expensive quickly. read more

Best Chinese take out in the area. Everything was ready in 20 minutes on a Saturday night. Vegetable fried rice, shrimp lo mein, szechuan eggplant, Kung pao chicken were all amazing. The restaurant itself is definitely living in the past with the decor, but boy does it scream family owned traditional style which I personally love. read more

I wanted to give this little gem 5 stars. The service was the best I have experienced in years. It's a family owned and operated business. The sweet girl (owner's daughter) was our waitress, she was super accommodating, very caring and attentive. She had some good recommendations. Her dad, the owner, is the chef. Everything tasted very good. The girl also made a lasting impression with her original song at the end, she sang for us, thanking us for coming. I really recommend this place! read more

Parking was small. Not many workers at the time we went but also wasn't to busy. Place was very authentic. Seems like a hidden gem. The gentleman that helped us was nice. Food was delicious. Very flavorful and felt very authentic. read more

We love this place. The staff are kind, family run, great dishes and willingness to amend those dishes if there are allergies of item concerns. I can't say enough good things. Always puts a smile on our faces every time we visit. read more

a very cozy, wonderful family establishment! the service is wonderful and the owners go above and beyond to make you feel welcome. their almond duck is the best i've ever tried. the food was nice and hot, perfect for a snowy day, and they made sure we had our chains on before we left. will definitely be coming back if we find ourselves in the area again. congratulations to the owners on their baby read more

Mandarin Garden - fried rice and almond duck - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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My mom just moved up here from Orange County. She loves Americanized Chinese food. She's also quite picky. Today after hoofing it in Crestline, we both decided to partake at Mandarine Garden in Blue Jay. I noticed the grading of B, and quickly researched what the violations were for. Good news, they were reinspected on 5-5-22, and must not have gotten their new letter of an A to display yet. Please pay attention to those (sbcounty.gov/doh/ehsportal/FacilityList/food). Don't walk away from a place until you check on their current rating! The servers were personable and attentive. The restaurant itself shows its age, but we never judge food by its décor. We ordered a family meal for two, hot tea, appetizers, soup, rice, & main courses. My mom loves her sweet and sour sauce, and they kept her supplied, no questions asked, no extra charge. They even allowed substitutions in the family meal, which allowed us to try our usual favorites. Sometimes I think it's hard to find places up here that are great, mainly because there is not a lot of competition. We really thought their food was great. My mom loved it all. And for me, that was enough. read more

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Always a pleasure to eat here! I am a local and anytime I would like Chinese food, this is the best one in our area and the food is excellent! They always accommodate me and they are super friendly. I have been a customer for over 20 years. The Ambiance is as you would expect any Chinese restaurant to be. And customer service is excellent! read more

The food is fresh and flavorful. I am not a fan of canned bamboo shoots. Unfortunately they use them in everything. I now know to ask "no bamboo shoots please". This will solve everything. Mu next post will probably be AWESOME! read more

This restaurant deserves a higher rating than it currently has. The food was delicious especially the chicken chow mein and the walnut shrimp. The service was enthusiastic and fun. The food was served quickly and was plentiful. The restaurant is low key and traditional. read more

I love this place! The food is always fresh. I love the Chicken Lo Mein and the BBQ pork fried rice. The owners are so kind. To go orders are always fresh and packed correctly. read more

I have traveled all across United States United States for the last 20 years. I absolutely love Chinese food. I have had many experiences were the food was mediocre, sometimes terrible and then in rare occasions fabulous. Conservatively, have eaten at least 500 separate Chinese food establishments. This restaurant is a top 1%. Not only is the food fabulous delicious and well prepared, the service is exemplary. If this family owned business could model and repeat what they do, this family would be rich beyond their wildest dreams. It is obvious they have a system how they do operate. The only bad thing I have to say is that they are not in my neighborhood. Please open up a store in Corinth Texas!! By the way at the end of the restaurant experience they even boxed up your food and sang us a song. It just doesn't get any better than that!! Five stars!!! The orange peel beef was stellar. The scallops were cooked perfectly. read more

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE!!!! This place has terrible service! The hostess was very rude to us! She became impatient when we asked questions about the menu. To make matters worse, she was blowing her nose without sanitizing her hands! Also, the women's bathroom was very dirty (it looked like they had not cleaned the toilet for years). When we finally got the food, it looked like it was a meal for one person, not 3! Save your time and money as there are better places to dine in the area. read more

There are limited parking spaces in front of the restaurant. It is very tight to get in and out of the parking space because it is near a busy highway. Due to its location, it is a WiFi dead zone for T-Mobile users. We had no WiFi on our mobile device :(. Once seated, we were surrounded by red decor - the booths, tablecloth, ... We were greeted by a cheerful, friendly, and bubbly server. She seemed to be very efficient and brought us the tea and ice water immediately. We ordered from the lunch special menu: beef with broccoli and beef with pepper. The lunch special included a small lettuce salad (surprise! with honey as dressing), egg drop soup (bland with traces of egg), and the main dish (beef with broccoli or pepper, an egg roll, one tempura large shrimp, and a scoop of fried rice. The shrimp was fresh and not oily. We liked the egg roll with the thin egg roll skin wrapping vegetables inside. It was crispy and not oily. The fried rice was barely fried with little traces of egg and bland. However, it became tasty when we mixed the rice with the sauce from the beef and broccoli. Although we didn't care for the lettuce salad and the soup, but we enjoyed the main dish - the beef (tender and soft, ample serving) and the broccoli/pepper (cooked right and not raw or soggy). The price of the lunch special including drink, soup, salad, egg roll, one large shrimp, rice, and the main dish, all under $10, is very reasonable. We enjoyed the hospitality of the cheerful server who deserved one star! read more

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I finally came to this restaurant after many years of going up to Lake Arrowhead. I was amazingly surprised especially with the quantity of food that they give you for the price. I wish they had a large piece of chicken with the chicken dishes. The flavors were good the price is reasonable and it's your average every day American Chinese type of food but definitely worth a visit. read more

Mandarin Garden - Full bar. First time here! - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

I love Chinese Food, and I've always loved Mandarin Garden. However, very recently, it's slowly lost a little bit of charm. The past few times I've gone, my order has not been written down, and as a result it has not came out correctly. There has also been a slight taste difference, and as a result, it's just a little on the saltier side. One thing that remains positive is the portion size still remains good, so you get a good value for what was paid for. read more

The Chinese food had no flavor. I don't know how you can mess up Chinese food. It was so bad I wish I had just cooked my dinner.

Ordered in the restaurant for take out, the hostess/server woman was extremely friendly and helpful. Food was pretty good and I plan on going back to dine in. Ambiance seemed a little outdated but it had soft relaxing lighting. read more

Stopped by a couple weeks ago and not as great as previous experiences unfortunately. Was kind of bummed. The food was either saltier or less flavorful this time around. Might give it another try again sometime in the future. read more

Food is awesome! Service is friendly. The owner was nice and funny. The ambiance is okay.

Delicious authentic Chinese food in the mountains. Love their tea. Try the walnut shrimp!

The best Chinese food in arrowhead, I drove through a blizzard to be here and made it 3 mins before closing and they still served me the best tasting fried shrimp I've ever had. Don't do what I did but definitely try this place it's liiiiiit after the slopes! read more

Is the food 10/10? No. However, it is great for mountain Chinese (GREAT bang for your buck) and the owners are some of the nicest people around. Would absolutely recommend for your next Chinese takeout. read more

In the past, I have enjoyed sitting inside this cute spot with family or friends, but due to Covid it is take out or delivery only. A few days ago was my first time coming for a while, and I was so pleased with everything, we will definitely eat here more often! Upon walking in, I was greeted by Wendy, the Hostess/Server/Bartender. I give her all three titles because she literally did everything in the front. I ordered food with her and sat down while I waited. She was so genuinely sweet and cheerful, and immediately made me happy! As I was waiting, I asked Wendy if I was allowed to have a drink while I waited. She popped up and said "Of course girl!" And made me my favorite simple drink-- a vodka cranberry! Haha When the food came out, I was relieved it was given to me in a cardboard box! The mountain curvy roads can be unpleasant to drive with food in the car, but with the box, I had no worries about that :) The owner came out and gave me a warm smile and an honest thank you for my business. So thoughtful! When I got home, a few miles away, we put everything on plates and sat down to eat. Oh my goodness SO GOOD!! The Honey Walnut Shrimp was AMAZING!! My fav by far! The Egg Drop Soup was well balanced and tasty, And the Beef Lo Mein was also just awesome! Great noodles! Tender and well seasoned beef! Speaking of- My husband always got the Beef Skewers because in the past it comes with a flame to cook them on, but even just taking them home pre-made for us was still a delight! I'm so happy that small businesses like this one are doing what they can through this rough time. Support local, it's worth it! read more

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I am a mountain resident and have been coming here for about 30 years. I personally don't care for the food, but my dad loves it here and he likes to chat with Charlie, the manager is really nice. When I come with my dad we usually come for the lunch special. My Dad likes the deal. Where else on the mountain can you get tea, soup, salad, egg role , and a main dish for $6.95?! I do like the tea and the egg flour soup. The salad is very plain with a vinegar dressing . My dad likes the Broccoli beef with rice. He also likes the duck. I usually get the shrimp and peas. It is ok. Pay attention to the grade in the window. I have seen it as low as a C, years ago. Agua Fria and Blue Jay have been known to have cockroach issues. My friend works for a local pest control in the village. Just FYI. read more

Mandarin Garden - Some dinner specials - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

I love this place so much. The staff is so nice and welcoming. The food is delicious and I love the ambience. It's family style food and we usually order a bunch of dishes and share. Everything I've had here is great. I will definitely be going back and bringing friends and family with me. read more

The food was super delicious and authentic and the service was amazing. We even got a little surprise dish for free. Great place for authentic chinese food up here! read more

Mandarin Garden - Sweet and sour shrimp, Szechuan shredded pork, fish fillet - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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I have gotten the food from Mandarin Gardens in Crestline for 24 years. They were very accommodating to my Diabetes. I was able to enjoy it. When it closed down I got the food from this restaurant in Twin Peaks. They were not accommodating at all. Sorry does not make the cut when you have a health condition and you asked for specific items not to be added. At $70 to $90 dollar bill, I would imagine they would just leave out or add a specific item. No longer have Chinese option up on the mountain for me. read more

love mandarin garden, the owners are so sweet and accommodating. the foods always great and everything is always lovely.

I've gotten my birthday dinner from here 2 years in row. I look forward to celebrating again this year.

This restaurant has been on the mountain for decades. The food is very good, especially the hot and sour soup

Such great owners & longstanding restaurant in town. Yummy dishes. They stay open later than most restaurants around too!

We stop by here on our way back from Lake Arrowhead to LA and Wawooo! So glad we did! First, Larry (who I guess he is the owner) was so welcoming and nice. The place was cute and cozy! It was cold Snowy day, we ordered the chicken corn soup and egg rolls both was amazingly delicious with no after taste. We had salt and pepper shrimp, it was crispy and tender and orange peal chicken also was so good. Defenetly go there if yo read more