After a week of hit and miss meals, it was nice to come to a regulated standardized institution like the Mandarin. You know what you will get and the staff here bring it to the next level in their attention to detail and service. We walked in the moment they turned on the Open sign and had a good 30min with the restaurant to ourselves. Even though we were so early, all the menu items were ready and fresh for our enjoyment. They have the extensive array of food items you would expect, with some special touches like the carving station, butterfish at the sushi table and a frozen yogurt machine. If you are looking for a good meal, don't gamble on the tourist traps and come here instead. read more

The food and service are great but the place needs a good cleaning. The windows, chairs and the floors a visible dirty! You wonder how the kitchen looks like. . . read more

The Mandarin is my all time favourite restaurant. From the atmosphere to the food, it is a great experience for all. The best part of the Mandarin is the wide variety of food choices. The options suit everyone's palates. You will, without a doubt, be able to stack your plate with foods you love. Apart from the food, the service here is amazing. Overall, the Mandarin is a perfect choice if you are looking for an enjoyable, affordable, and family friendly buffet. read more

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Heard this was the biggest buffet in Canada and had to check it out for Christmas dinner! It was indeed huge but really it is the amount of seating that is impressive and the buffet is standard size. There wasn't a ton of selection however everything we tasted was delicious! They upped the price due to it being a holiday so was a bit more than we'd normally want to spend on a buffet but overall we will be back! read more

the restaurant was very clean and I enjoyed everything and other stuff that they help me with read more

Mandarin Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - St. Catharines, Ontario

First time here, just driving through this small town and found this amazing restaurant. We both felt like it was the best Chinese food we have ever eaten! We went here for lunch and the Buffet was closed so we ordered off the small eats menu. We ordered 8 different things everything was wonderful. The service was excellent! If you're ever this way you should definitely come here, it will not disappoint! read more

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We went today for my 25th birthday lunch. Our servers Jill and Lou in section E were fabulous. Very fast paced, friendly and accommodating. The food was good too. I know that sometimes dinner time isn't the greatest at any of the mandarins but lunch seems to be okay! Thanks for a good experience team Zac & Reb read more

Buffets can be a very hit or miss thing, and no matter what location you go to the Mandarin Restaurant is pretty much always a hit. I made my first trip to this location on Sunday and was not at all let down. We came around noon where you get to pay $23.99 (instead of the $29.99 for dinner) and we were happy to do it. Mandarin is currently celebrating there anniversary and the place is decorated for Canada Day as well! The staff was super friendly during our visit and our waitress didn't hate me for knocking over my water within 1 minute of sitting down (I really have no idea how it happened, but I felt terrible). The food selection was as good as it's gonna get for a buffet. I was a big fan of the general Tao's chicken, the chicken wings (I only had one, but it was actually really good), the BLT sushi roll (unique but delicious), poutine, sweet and sour chicken (big and fluffy), Black pepper chicken, pork, and pretty much everything else I tried. I did try a scoop of the chocolate ice cream for dessert and it was also pretty good (especially for buffet ice cream). Overall, the Mandarin Restaurant is the top of the Canadian Buffet food chain. This place has so much variety and so many options that it can be overwhelming. A friendly staff, great decorations, and endless tasty food make this place a definite winner! read more

Mandarin Restaurant - Sample of the Mandarin magic. - Chinese Near Me - St. Catharines, Ontario

Mandarin has made an uncharacteristically colossal blunder in removing crab legs, the signature item of their buffet, and lowering the buffet price by a paltry $3 as a result. Now they are a fairly average, overpriced Chinese buffet. Their "Chinese" food has always been good but not great. I have NEVER ordered from Mandarin for Chinese food, opting instead for a number of small, local restaurants instead. Mandarin was and has always been for the grandeur and variety of their buffet, capped off by the crab legs. If removing crab legs was inevitable, then the reflective price reduction should be far more than $3. So tonight my wife and I paid more or less the same for dinner (saving a whopping $6 + tax combined), and we were missing something significant in our meal. I never thought I would even utter these words after being a frequent and loyal customer of Mandarin right from their early days as a single location at Queen and Kennedy in Brampton and visiting SEVERAL times a month throughout, but... I've just had my LAST visit to Mandarin! read more

Very good food and great service. Helen Leon and Alice are the nicest people you can meet and great servers. Thank you for making my family and I feel comfortable in your establishment. read more

Went here for my birthday but sadly did not get a free lunch because I was not with 4 people:( We arrived half hour before closing time so kinda had to stuff our mouths lol. The food was great but quite expensive. The dinner was $38 in the evening per person so we just resorted to having the lunch buffet! The sushi was not satisfactory cause I've had better at other locations. Everything else was quite good. For desert I relished a couple of cream brulees and they were very yummy. Giving it a 4 star or two reasons.1) the price 2) the condition of the washrooms. read more

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My Last Visit, sadly! Why is it that so many restaurants find creative ways to fail miserably. After coming to Mandarin for many years, they consistently took away a good item every visit. On my last visit they did away with the crab legs, which were becoming smaller and smaller and the buffet was often devoid of them. I would list all of the items now a distant memory but what would be the gain. The bottom line, way overpriced typical Chinese buffet. So Sad! read more

We normally visit the Niagara Falls location but I went shopping in St. Catharines so I decided to go to this location. Many of the food dishes had run out of food ... despite hardly any customers in the restaurant. The food was disgusting... hard and cold. We decided not to complain but I will NEVER return to this location EVER. If you are driving distance to Niagara Falls I recommend going to that location. read more

food was pretty good. helen and daisy served us, very kind and always kept our table clean

Excellent food and staff. Best Chinese in Niagara. Highly recommend! Paul was wonderful. Food didn't need extra flavor by means of soy sauce. It was perfect on its own. read more

At first the dinner price may seem a bit high, but really, for the elegance of the dining experience, the friendly service, the freshness of the food, the creative salad bar area, nice variety of dishes and the very sophisticated dessert menu -- this a restaurant of exceptional value. read more

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We dined here for dinner on July 3. This was the best dinner we had in our three recent stays in Niagara on the Lake. (This included all of the "best" fancy restaurants we could find on Yelp.) It is a fabulous buffet (especially good if you're on a low-carb diet!) that offered prime rib, salmon, peel-and-eat shrimp and all of the other splendid dishes you can find at a Chinese buffet. The servers were very friendly and punctual and the two partner/owners came over to make sure we had found everything we were looking for. We will definitely be back when we're in town. read more

We were head back home after a weekend at Niagara Falls and we found this Gem. We had a group of 10. The food was great and the service was amazing. I would definitely recommend this place. read more

Typical Mandarin with extensive high quality buffet and excellent service. This is great convenient location 5 minutes off QEW so nice break in drive to US or the Falls. Seafood sauce for shrimp and Vanilla sauce for bread pudding were both very runny. The Salmon was a bit under cooked for my taste but otherwise was excellent. read more

food was good, great service from Jenny, rachelle, and Leon!

I love Mandarin Buffet restuarants in Ontario, and go once or twice a month. Each location does things their own way so, although the dishes are similar, the taste and quality can vary from restaurant to restaurant. In all cases, the quality is reasonably good. But overall, the St. Catherines Mandarin is a little better than some of the others I have been to. This restuarant also appears to be one of the best kept secrets in St. Catherines, because it has never been busy during the 4 or 5 times that we have been to that particular location. I know this is usually a sign that a restaurant isn't very good, but in this case, I think people just don't know what they're missing. But St. Catherines has always been a little odd when it comes to brick & morter establishments. Despite the size of the city, I've seen perfectly decent locations of shopping centers go under due to lack of patronage from the locals. Anyway, all the more for us! The crab legs are the best out of all Mandarin locations I have been to (6). As are the chocolate chip cookies (I know - it's just a cookie - but I always like to have one). The roast beef was not great during our last visit, but that is ALWAYS hit or miss at ANY location. This location uses less garlic than some other locations (which, for me, is a good thing). The staff here are more social on a broader scale. I know... they are friendly at ALL locations. But that usually doesn't apply to the busy bee staff who stock the buffet tables. But not at this location. Here, EVERYBODY is friendly. read more

Attended my nieces birthday. Staff went above and beyond to make their day special. Food was good. Lots of choices.

I have to say, I love this restaurant. Everything I've tried here is tasty. Everytime I've been here, too. This place makes me like sushi, although I stick to the vegetable and chicken kinds. What can I say? I'm not too big on fish and I am not hardcore enough to try it. -smirk- My other favourites are the Salad Bar, Croissants, Sweet and Sour Chicken, Roast Beef, Seafood Nicoise (when they have it), the aforementioned sushi, brownies, cheesecake, chocolate dipped strawberries and their rice pudding. Soooo tasty. What I love is how it always tastes exactly the same. -heart- I don't like suprises. Service itself though, is a bit hit-or-miss. Sometimes you can't get rid of the serviers and sometimes they take forever to bring you a simple glass of water. And don't ever ask for a glass of water with no lemon. Not.Happening. :P PROS -srsly awesome food selection -food always tastes the same -reasonable price considering what's being served -clean -nice decor -lots of different pries to win, and promos CONS -speed of service is inconsistent read more

In my old age, health restrictions have forced me to watch my sweet tooth (with an eye tooth?), so I do not eat meals at Mandarin as often as I used to visit. Nevertheless, when I do treat myself, you really cannot do better than the overall value and sterling service provided at Mandarin. Even though it is not my favorite Chinese restaurant (another has dishes that are prepared exactly as I want), Mandarin is my favorite in terms of buffet and overall choices. First timers need to know the ins-and-outs of eating at a buffet. The more expensive food like the hand carved roast beef is at the end, while the lesser expensive items like pastas and pizzas, are near the beginning. So survey the offerings, then go and get your plate. I always seem to end up with a dog's breakfast which might be, for example, General Tso's chicken, cole slaw, pasta with red sauce, a slice of roast beef, some pizza, etc. The desserts are quite excellent and the selection absolutely vast. And for the juvenile humor crowd, you are not forgotten. You can laugh at the Canadian term for chicken nuggets: "chicken balls". I don't think it is funny, but I am sure many get amusement at this nomenclature. Oh slang and limited intellect, where would the world be without thee? BUT, where Mandarin wipes the floor with competitors is service. If I were wealthy and arrogant enough to employ servants, anyone with waitstaff experience here would be offered employment immediately. The staff is friendly yet not imposing, polite, efficient, competent, and seem genuinely happy. To be treated like this is very enjoyable, and I make sure I show my gratitude in a large tip. If you want to save a little bit, go on a weekday before the official dinner time that begins in the late afternoon. Essentially, you get the same selection of food (minus maybe crab legs or other relatively expensive seafood, but it is about 30% less the cost.) You can use the savings to reward your new friend on the wait staff. read more

Had a great experience. I found out that I have a gluten sensitivity earlier this year and eating out is a pain. When I said I had a sensitivity to gluten and asked for a menu so I could get things ready made for me one of the managers actually came by and suggested I still do the buffet. He proceeded to walk me through the entire buffet and tell me what was and wasn't safe and what might be on the fence and I should avoid and then brought me steamed vegetables and half of a salmon without Teriyaki sauce to supplement the definitely safe foods. Personal tour through a huge buffet? Wow. He erred on the side of caution more than I do too. read more

The restaurant was clean and bright. Friendly atmosphere,friendly staff.lots of good food, reasonable prices. They exceptional even with children. Will recommend and go back read more

Excellent Chinese buffet in the Mandarin tradition. All food was fresh, nicely displayed - the serving trays/tables were very clean and the selection was great. Our wait staff was very friendly and attentive, checking on us frequently during the meal. Prices have gone up, but it is still good value. read more

We called for reservations for our Christmas dinner about 2 weeks before Christmas. We got there about 10 minutes early to total confusion about 75 people standing at the door waiting to be seated.We were told it would be about a 45 minute wait we were not impressed so we left. We went to the Magnolia Chinese restaurant and had a quite dinner that was very nice for less than half the cost. It'll be a long time before we go to the Mandarin We were NOT happy. We have been here a few times I think the one in Niagara Falls is much better and worth the 20 minute drive. read more

food was bomb back in 09 and still is 10 years later genuinely recommend going here with family or friends

Who cares if the food at Mandarin isn't authentic Chinese? It's delicious. I find that you get what you pay for with this chain. I haven't been to this location a lot, but it always has great food and even better service. read more

They didn't have any shrimp and when we asked if they had anymore coming they told us no, the women looked at me like I had 3 eyes and didn't even offer compensation. I know it's a stretch but you can't offer a buffet and not advise people about missing major items on the menu like shrimp, especially when you're paying $25 per person. read more

I have been to Mandarin several times, and at this point I feel no reason to return, having given it a fair shake. Quite a few of their dishes are fried, or battered and fried, I don't find the prices competitive, and the vegetarian options are limited. There are much better buffets. read more

Buffet is amazing..... The food is fresh and so hot.... They seem to bring out fresh food constantly so it is not sitting so long under the heat lamps!!! That is just the beginning..... The service is top notch!!!! Clearing plates, checking to make sure everything is ok.... And if there is something you don't like they ask if there was anything wrong with the food..... They want to make sure that everything is up to you expectations. The manager comes around and checks to make sure you are happy and if there is any concerns to make sure you let her know.... Everyone is smiling and friendly .... Even the cook staff will ask to make sure everything is up to your expectations!!!! I would recommend this location to anyone that is in the Niagara area looking for a place with amazing door and even more amazing service..... 5 stars all the way! read more

The food is good here, that says a lot coming from me, I'm one of the pickiest eater know to man kind. But this place was one of the better Chinese restaurants. They are fast at serving you & food was fresh. I will be back read more

We are resort owners north of Kingston, and really enjoy eating out especially since we live in a rural area with few restaurants. We are currently enjoying a mini vacation in the Niagra-On-the-Lake area and went for dinner at the Mandarin St Catherines last night. All I can say is WOW, the food was amazing, not that we didn't expect that as we have been to other locations however, this one was really the best we have ever been to. ALL and I mean ALL of the food was phenominal. I did not leave anything on my plates each time I selected something I ate every bite. Both myself and my husband usually can't be bothered doing this reviews but we just had to after this experience. The buffet has over 120 menu items and the Prime Rib was to die for. The first thing I look for when I go into a restaurant is how clean it is, and I was not dissappointed. The washrooms were spotless, there were 2 ladies freshing up the ladies room when I went in and it really didn't look like it needed any attention. Also the aroma in the buffet was not overpowering with the cooking oils that some buffets have from so much food preparation. I just can't say enough about this Mandarin and all owners, partners or corporations that are involved can learn from this particular location. Great job and we hope you continue to offer the high quality food, serivce and cleanliness. The welcome we received from all who we met from the minute we walked in the door until exiting was above and beyond. Thank you to our special server Lee who was attentive but not bothersome during our wonderful meal. Kimberly and William Powis, Sunset Country Campground Inc. Bob'sLake, Ontario read more

I love the food and having the many, many choices to choose from. Plus the staff is nice and helpful too. I also like how clean the bathroom is and how they keep the areas clean of spills. I can't wait to go back again. read more

Been there numerous times. I find it is very greasy for a buffet. China Emerald buffet is a lot better

i am on a pension and was looking forward to a special meal, i paid 40 with tip for the worst chinese food i have had in my life and that is 57 years, it was nothing less than disgusting read more

Nothing special compared to other Chinese buffets. I am not going to up sell or down sell this place but if you like sushi it is a roll of the dice rather then a flip of a coin and would suggest going elsewhere read more

very poor quality food. every item was bland/tasteless. all desserts tasted like cornstarch pudding. UGH! servers were friendly. lots of parking. read more