The food was decent, but a Chinese man in a dress shirt who helps seat guests was extremely rude. I told the host I'd like to wait for a booth, and we waited a bit before we were yelled at by him to sit down at a regular table, despite my request. He said in unintelligible English something along the lines of "everyone is waiting, so you must sit now" in an extremely aggressive manner. My boyfriend was super offended and thought we should've walked out because he doesn't believe in supporting businesses with rude service. I was starving and I drove 30 minutes to be there on Christmas Day so we stayed. Once we were seated at a table we didn't even prefer, it took a while before we were attended to. Fortunately a nice tall man who was the manager noticed we hadn't been helped, I explained what we experienced and he ended up giving us the best service for the remainder of our stay. Sadly, as a SD local I cannot recommend this place because the service is somewhat awful and the food is ok. read more

Very good menu with many varied types of beef, chicken, seafood dishes. I recommend it!

After several years of seeing only so so reviews I finally dined in and what a pleasant surprise to the upside. So many vegetarian options, large portions of great food that I had initial thoughts of taking away - bet- too good. read more

Been going to Mandarin house for three decades. Love their food and great service. Sesame chicken and cashew chicken are favorites as well as the lo mein noodles. Hands down my favorite Chinese food restaurant for dine in or takeout. read more

-1 Star for the servers attitude -.5 for the fight we listened to in the kitchen -.5 for the people next to us The food is sooooo yummy. This was my 2nd time here and my husbands 1st. Date night! We had the Vegetable egg rolls- one of the dipping sauces was very spicy. Nothing special about the egg rolls. kung pao chicken- soooo yummy. Not spicy at all. My husband loves spice, I do not but very flavorful! Mongolian beef- sooo tasty, not fatty and great flavor. Only issue it's mostly veggies and a TON of onions and not as much beef as you'd like. I don't like onion, husband does, he even said it was a ridiculous amount of onion. Plain lo mein- again, soooo good. I added mushrooms to it. It still comes with a hint of flavor as opposed to other restaurants who's plain lo mein literally is nothing but what feels like sticky spaghetti. Sooo yummy here! Ok the negatives Our waitress seemed angry the whole time. We had dinner at 510-530 so we were only maybe the second table be used when we arrived. After our appetizer came, apparently one woman slapped another woman on the kitchen as they yelled at each other in there. The 2 men working (ones the manager I believe) walked back there and that's when we assume he tried to calm the situation. One woman exclaimed, "she slapped me!!" While the other woman snapped back, "and it felt good slapping you!" My husband and I were like, wow! And then it was like business as usual. Super odd and strange! Lastly, I know it's not directly on the restaurant but when the people were seated on the booth behind us, they apparently decided to watch a show on max volume on a phone or tablet. These were two adults, no kids mind you. I rarely say things but I told my husband multiple times how rude they were for doing so etc loudly hoping they'd turn it down or off! I hoped a manager or someone would have asked them to not have it so loud or off whole other guests were trying to eat. Ok lastly lastly, it bothered me what as we were nearing the end but still eating the restaurant had filled up the booths. An elderly woman and presumably her daughter came in. They wanted a booth and the gentleman told them we'd be leaving any minute. Found it off putting as we weren't ready and still nibbling in our food. We had only been there under an hour at this point. We hadn't requested the check yet, still had our sodas and clearly still eating. Overall though, we will be back. The food is delicious! Definitely a place to try!! read more

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Had pungent chicken sauce on side and fried pork wontons. Chicken was tender and plentiful. Wontons not so great. Definite do over for Chinese in San Diego. read more

Mandarin House - Mandarin House ambience - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

This spot has become my go to for several classics : 1) orange chicken 2) salt and pepper chicken 3) kung pao chicken ... (secret : they have kp fries' w. Chicken, but off menu request) 4)steamed wontons in chili oil 5) lucky fried rice If you drink : Mai tai Garita is classic They've been around forever and think they should open up another location! read more

Calling all NY people! These are proper New York egg rolls, crab Rangoon, shrimp toast and pork fried rice! I haven't tried anything else yet but it took me back to my NY days. I've yet to find anywhere in La County or here in SD county as good or as close as NY Chinese. So if you know, you know! Go get some! Yummmmmy, trust! read more

Amazing food. Amazing atmosphere. I just want to keep going back. Loved the egg rolls, the shrimp toast and the kung pao chicken.

Oooof such a let down. Was excited for some noodles, was extremely let down. We ordered the Singapore, and also the Upside down noodles. Both were pretty subpar. We won't be back. read more

Best Chinese food in La Jolla!! We love MH. Nelson and his family are great. Very fast delivery too!

Wow, hands down best nyc old school "American Chinese food" we have found in San Diego, and we've looked hard. A real treat for transplanted east coast folks, gives me a great cure for any trace of nostalgia. read more

I had the Kung Pao Chicken. It was tasty but the texture was mushy which is definitely not a good thing

My favorite Chinese restaurant in SD. So many others just aren't as good or the food is just hot soggy steamed stuff. Here you really feel like they just made it and it just comes out a little more quality tasting. I like their cocktails too and the service is always good and the servers happy. read more

This place has some pretty good food. Not the best I have ever had but the best in the area. I like the kung pow chicken quite a bit. Their chow mein is also pretty good as is the Mongolian beef. you can order online and have it brought out to your car which is super convenient. read more

This place was so fun! Went with a large group and had excellent service! The sesame shrimp app was so good - I want to learn to make it! The decor is beautiful read more

Best Chinese in SD Get the crispy beef, war wonton, chef shrimp, duck, shrimp and lobster sauce read more

Amazing service and ambience. The wonton soup and orange chicken are the best in town!

Came for lunch with my boyfriend and my mother for an early Christmas lunch on the Saturday the week before Christmas. It was dead empty when we arrive at noon for our reservation. I had to holler around the corner for someone to greet us. We were seated quickly and then everything stalled out. I ordered a glass of wine. My boyfriend's soda and mom's water came immediately. 10 min later, my wine. Appetizers were /okay/ shrimp toast was bland. Crab wontons were giant because they were stuffed with everything but crab. My boyfriend's and mother's entrees arrived... mine came 15+ minutes later. My wine was empty. The server was AWOL. I WAS HUNGRY. My food finally arrived and waiter disappeared again. Then we heard a shouting match in the back of house. Literally folks screaming at each other. We were ready to leave and I had to (again) peek around and holler to get service. Bill is dropped but after 10 min not picked up to run the card. I chase again. And get to-to stuff dumped on the table. Okay. I thought my twice-fried noodles with all the meat were bland. Boyfriend liked his chicken dish BECAUSE it was just meat in sauce with no veg. Mom liked her chicken and veg dish as it was veg-heavy. Exhausting to need to chase for service when there were AT MOST 3 other tables of less than 4. Perhaps the drama in back of house was the issue. Will never be my first choice. read more

It was a block from where we were staying so why not? Went on a busy Sunday evening and felt like I was the guest of honor. The servers here are amazing, and there were plenty of regulars chatting with them in between bites. A place like this just makes you feel welcome, which is harder and harder to find in an environment of fast casual. I had the salt and pepper chicken and asked for it extra spicy. It was extra spicy and lightly breaded, not too heavy. They could have added a few more greens, but no problems. The onions were fresh and not overly cooked. We had a lot of great food in San Diego and this place held its own. Not mind glowinglygood just old fashioned American style Chinese with that "family" atmosphere mostly of a prior time and place. read more

atmosphere was good food was bad - that's all i gotta say. Try it out for yourself but it lowkey made me sick

Food was excellent. Step above your average Chinese place . Went on a Saturday night place was really loud . Other than that highly recommend. May need to make reservations read more

Love mandarin house. They have good food and quick service, & I love the way they decorated the inside. Food is reasonable and great for sharing. A really good place to go to as a group. Will be back! read more

We went here a few times before they shut down pre-covid. Their prices were high and food was below average. They recently reopened. Their prices can still be high depending on the dish, but their quality has improved. I've always loved their egg drop soup with crispy noodles. There are almost no decent Chinese restaurants around La Jolla and PB. This is the best high priced place outside of the Convoy area. We will go again. read more

Excellent food, drinks, and service from Brock. I have been coming here for about 30 years since I moved to La Jolla. The food has improved and is now excellent. Brock was my server and he was great. Fast and attentive service. We had the date night special and it was a great deal. The Volcano drink for 2, soup, 2 entrees for $50. My wife and I totally enjoyed the experience and will certainly return. Thank you, Bob read more

Ordered Kung Pow 3 ingredients and Mongolian beef for pickup tonight. Live local, picked up in 20 minutes and home in 5 minutes. Kung Pow was great but Mongolian beef was Luke warm and clearly not cooked to order. Probably someone else's that had been sitting around for an hour. Disappointed. Need to do better. read more

I was in La Jolla cove walking around seeing the beautiful sunset today. After that I opened up yelp and was craving some Chinese food. So I found this mandarin location within 5 minutes and decided to make the drive. When I walked in wasn't to busy and got seated very fast. We sat for about five minutes and our waiter brought water to the table and took our order. He was very nice and helped give me ideas on what to order. I ordered upside down noodles , salt and pepper wings, beef and broccoli, and last some egg drop soup. Food was average didn't really have to much flavor in the food compared to the one near my house in Chula vista South Bay location. I'll be honest I don think I would come back to this location unless the taste of the food gets better. The reason I give them 3 stars because of their service. read more

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Came here today for the first time. It was outstanding! It was very clean, the service was excellent and the food was delish! We had salt and pepper chicken wings(the best I've ever had), hot and sour soup, egg drop soup, pork wontons and the crispy beef. The beef actually came out crispy which most places is comes soggy. Everything tasted so fresh. Our server, who I assume was the owner, was very pleasant and attentive. Before we even finished our meal my boyfriend and I were already planning our next visit. Everything, including the beer and wine was so reasonably priced. Will be back again and again! 10/10 recommend! read more

Mandarin House - Salt & Pepper Wings - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

I love this place !!! Best cashew chicken in San Diego hands down ! Beautiful decor and great service !!! I also had the Mu shu chicken and it was very tasty !! The taste of the dishes have remained consistent after all the years in business !! Highly recommend this place ! read more

Delicious food and good service! Would really recommend the orange chicken or general tso chicken, lo mein, and Buddha's delight? (It was vegetable dish with 10 veggies and a delicious brown sauce! read more

Mandarin House - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

All aspects food service ambiance five stars and good value and just wish closer to me so I could go more often

This is an easy 5 star review for me to write . We love it here for a lovely family dinner . One of my favorite parts about the Mandarin house is that they have a full bar . I've never been to another Chinese food restaurant that has a full bar . The drinks are delicious too . They have a lot of specialty drinks to choose from or you can just get your usual well drinks . You can sit in a lovely booth or table and there is a big room in the back you can throw a party in . At night they dim the lights , so it's pretty sexy . Now let's talk about the food. My kids think they make the best egg drop soup on the planet . I really love their orange chicken , it has great flavor and cooked to perfection. Another of our favorite are the chef's shrimp , my kids love the po po platter , they like heating up the skewers . Their fried rice is the best ! read more

Honestly the host could have been friendlier, but our server was one of the nicest and attentive waiters I have ever had. Our food was excellent, I can not complain. They served us at a rapid time and didn't even have to ask for drink refills, our server was on it. I am bummed that I can't recall his name to give hime a shout out. I strongly recommend the salt and pepper chicken wings they were so tasteful. We also had Lo Mein, Mongolian Pork, Orange Chicken, and Broccoli Beef. Everything surpassed my expectations. Thank you Mandarin house for the excellent service. read more

I've been ordering Kung Pao chicken from Mandarin house for over 30 years. I used to frequent the 5th ave location, then started going to La Jolla when 5th Ave location closed years ago. I am sorry to see that they have recently cut the portion size of the Kung Pao chicken entree significantly. I noticed it months ago but hoped it was some sort of error. I've ordered for pick up and eaten in restaurant several times over the past few months and had the same experience each time. The portion size is is 1/2 maybe 2/3 what it used to be but the price is not reduced. I would prefer to pay more and get a full size serving. This is very disappointing. Frankly it makes me want stop ordering it altogether. But that's the dish I've been ordering for 30+ years and the reason I come to Mandarin House. It may be time to start a search for good Kung Pao elsewhere. read more

Ok, so this is some what nostalgic, but it's clearly Americanized Chinese food. It's a style of food I sorta got used to growing up in the 80's. With that said, I've always found this type of Chinese food good in its own right. For those who have no idea what I'm talking about, just imagine restaurant style Panda Express food. With that said, I feel like these types of restaurants do certain dishes right, and one of those is their hot and sour soup. Dunno why, but I love theirs, and it's not that pricy. Thumbs up dishes: - Hot and sour soup - Salt and Pepper Fried Fish Thumbs down: - Orange chicken (it's more authentic in that it's made with orange peel and stuff, but it comes off too tangy and soggy) Just ok: - Green beans are ok - fried rice is fine. I wish they sorta caught up and added more Chinese dishes. Fresh Chinese vegetables (snow pea leaves? Water chrysanthemum?) should be staples now... this isn't the 80's anymore... we got ranch 99 and stuff now. La Jolla could really use that stuff. With that said, there's pretty much no other Chinese game in La Jolla so the rating sorta reflects that. read more

Still as great as always. Mongolian beef is always amazing the combo lo mien is always on point. Great meal!

First came here with family as a lad soon after they opened in 1977. Been a regular for the past dozen years, the almost two years after the fire before reopening was an eternity! Dined in for New Years Eve in 2017, other than that I am a takeout client. Nelson always greets me with a "Hello, John!" whenever I come to fetch my order. The smoked chicken with seaweed is addictive, and their Cashew Chicken is the best. I get the duck occasionally, which is also excellent. read more

First of all when I walked in to the restaurant there is a strong moldy smell. I could not get that out of my nose the entire dinner. I thought it was just me but all the people in my party smelled it too. My guess is that when they "remodeled" they did not address a mold problem. The remodel was very disappointing too. Didnt look much different except for the floor. same old furniture..Not sure what they did. Anyway.. the food was just ok, not great as I had remembered. Definitely not going back and hopefully the health department will make them fix the mold problem... read more

It is always a pleasure to eat at Mandarin House. The restaurant is nicely decorated. The food is excellent. Traditional Chinese food that we grew up with. Portions are generous and our party loved the food. We always have left overs to take home - something Mom looks forward to. Excellent service as well. read more

So good! Beautiful inside, friendly service, and fresh, delicious food. I've driven past this place for years; I'm just sad I didn't try it sooner! I had the cashew chicken and already have a list of the things I want to try next. I love that they use grass fed beef for their beef dishes!! read more

Mandarin House - Cashew Chicken - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

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