The food here is so delicious! I often go with my coworker at lunch and every single item we have ordered has been great! My go to is the veggie chow mein and it is a good portion size for the price! I will say it is a little oily but it's chow mein so it was as expected. There aren't a ton of vegetarian option here, but the ones the have are good. We also always get the hot Jasmin tea for the table. There is plenty of parking in the plaza. There is indoor and outdoor seating at the restaurant. This place is good for big and small parties. Noise levels are low. The staff is very quick and efficient at their job, so some times it feels like they are rushing me but I don't take it personally! read more

I had never heard of this spot until our Chinese friend invited us out for dinner on a Friday night -- and I'm so glad we went! They're currently undergoing a major renovation, so the main restaurant area is closed, but they have a temporary dining area open next door. It's super basic in terms of ambiance, but don't let that fool you -- the food totally delivered. What We Ate (or...what I remember ) Our friend took charge of ordering (which I always love -- especially at places I'm unfamiliar with), and we shared several dishes, all served family-style. I forgot to take photos -- and now I can't remember all the names -- but here are a few standouts: * Fried rice -- simple but packed with flavor, not greasy at all * Bok choy stir-fried with mushrooms -- light, fresh, and perfectly cooked. * Walnut shrimp -- sweet, crispy, and creamy, with that classic honey glaze * Spicy fish hot pot -- this was the star! A bubbling bowl of tender white fish in a spicy broth filled with chilies, aromatics, and flavor. Definitely one for spice lovers! If you're a fan of bold, spicy, and authentic flavors -- this place is worth the trip. I genuinely didn't know what to expect, but every dish we tried was flavorful, balanced, and comforting. The current setup is definitely not fancy -- it's more of a "hole-in-the-wall" experience while they renovate -- but if you care more about flavor than decor, you'll be happy here. It's a bit of a drive from where we live, but I'd 100% come back again -- especially to bring my mom, who also loves spicy Chinese food! read more

The mini hot pot (pictured in photo) is the best dish they have here. The second is the tofu. In my opinion, this is a Convoy-tier restaurant. My family comes here fairly often (~once a month). I do wish there were more options sometimes. read more

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If your idea of good Chinese food is Panda Express then you might be disappointed but if you are craving authentic Szechuan cuisine then you will be beyond pleased with the bold flavors of Mr Holy Gao. Each dish was delicious and well executed. The Dan Dan noodles were our favorite and nailed the use of the sichuan pepper. For those unfamiliar with this pepper, expect a tingly numbing effect. What kept my experience from being a 5 star review was the somewhat chaotic service. We were expecting some delays with the busyness but the issue seemed to be more of a lack of communication between staff and organization. Our server was very friendly and apologetic. Our party of 11 had reservations on a busy Friday evening and there were plenty of large tables that accommodate multiple large parties. read more

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Searched for Ma-dasao but come to a link called Mr Holy Gao. The restaurant owner must not want reviews. The rating is more like 2.5 Came here because it is close to work. Owner changed and food went south. My friend's Hainanese chicken rice was too yellow. Was it dyed. Garlic shrimp was too salty. The chef must have a heavy hand on salt. Noodle bowl was ok. When we pay the bill, the waitress won't let go of the handle electronic device. It was so awkward and inconvenient to input tips and personal information for the receipt. Let go! I won't take the device home. Probably won't come here too often. read more

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There's a bug on the inside of the takeout box, covered by the rice. Food flavor was okay though.... read more

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Medium sized Chinese restaurant with Chinese decor in a strip mall opposite Qualcomm campus. Place was almost full on a Monday afternoon. Wait time after ordering was about 10-15 minutes. Food is mostly mild and not very spicy, with a few standout dishes. Sauteed string beans - recommend. Honey walnut shrimp - recommend. Jian Dui (sesame balls) - a type of fried pastry with sweet filling and coated with sesame seeds - recommend. Ma Po Tofu - slightly spicy and paired well with rice. Didn't enjoy the hot and sour soup and other fish and meat items very much. read more

This place was within walking distance of our hotel and we didn't feel like driving. The place was empty but clean, and it was an hour and a half before closing. We were seated and it took the waiter 10 mins to bring us water and menus. This other group of Chinese people (speaking Mandarin) came in and were seated w water and menus QUICKLY. They also ordered and received their food before us even though we were there first. Not only were they served, but the waiter sat w them and was chatting away! I don't care who they were, this is bad business. Not to mention the food was not good at all! Will not be returning!!! read more

I love this spot. We ordered so many Americanized staples (fried rice, chow mein, egg drop soup, orange chicken), but the slow braised pork shoulder and pork belly were superb!!! Amazing, authentic food for our huge family party of 12. read more

If you don't offer take outs don't offer it on your website or DoorDash. I placed the order and waited an hour to get a message the restaurant cancelled the order! read more

Outstanding authentic Chinese cuisine. I would often get lunch here with some coworkers when I used to work nearby and the food is absolutely mouth watering! The service is always quick and extremely friendly! The restaurant is very intimate and makes it feel like you're part of the family. read more

Good variety of classic dishes, good service and nice decor and tables. Better for dinner than lunch. I haven't had to wait for a table so far. The location is great, and definitely the best Chinese food in the area, especially if you don't want to deal with Mira Mesa Blvd. or Convoy traffic. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing food, really, really amazing food. Very busy, even on a Tuesday night. It has a new name which may mean new ownership. Ma-Dasao read more

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Ordered beef chow fun to go, waited for like 30 minutes for it. Everyone that ordered after me got their food already. Come to find they cooked it with the wrong noodle so they gotta redo it... act like its no big deal i should keep waiting. I walked out. Theyre probably still cooking it today. Maybe ill come back and pick it up next decade read more

Horrible customer service I saw this place on the San Diego Eater list of essential Chinese eateries. I ordered the pork shank among several other items and instead received "pork belly with preserved Napa in brown sauce". NOT THE SAME. It was the restaurants error and when I picked it up they said I had to wait 30-40 minutes for pork shank if I wanted it. I couldn't wait and asked if they could take care of the incorrect item which the rude lady refused. So I paid for pork belly since it was for a work lunch and had to go. The pork belly sucked. I don't like to eat that much pig fat which was 50% of the meal. String beans were good, as were the egg rolls, Kung pao chicken and noodle soup that my colleagues ordered. I will never go to this place again as a service professional. read more

Mr Holy Gao - 93. Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

Authentic and had my taste buds dancing. They changed their name of the restaurant however still seemed as though it was operated by same people. The Dan Dan noodles were enough spice for me and I couldn't get enough. We also ordered about 10 other dishes and shared family style. The place easily accommodated for our party of 12. read more

Overall: The food was good, very authentic, and it took 20 minutes for the food to come out. Fish with sour soup: The flavor is strong! But it was the perfect mixture of spicy and sour. I would highly recommend it pouring over and eating over the rice. Spicy Noodle Soup: Again, more spicy than sour. However, it was the perfect Mala spicy-ness Location: Its in a plaza lose to the Qualcomm work place with a lot of the other places to eat. The parking might be limited if it is a busy day. Service: Food came out fast. You know its authentic when you see a lot of Asian people eating there too. The ambiance was nice too, clean and minimally decorated. Price: It's a little pricy for my taste. However, the quality is good. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

I don't get the low average rating for this place. Coming from Vancouver, BC -- which arguably has some of the best, most authentic Chinese food in North America -- this place is pretty impressive. They specialize in authentic, Northern / Szechuan style cuisine. We ordered their Spicy Green Beans ($14.95) and Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles ($13.95), requesting them both without meat (to make them vegan). Our order was ready 20 minutes later for pick-up. Both dishes were pretty sublime. The green beans were amply spicy, cooked perfectly, and nicely saucy, though a little too oily. The dan dan noodles came with a nice authentic preserved mustard greens topping that you stir in -- super tasty, though also a bit on the oily side. Overall, really tasty, authentic, Szechuan cuisine that far exceeded our expectations. Highly recommended if you looking for proper Chinese food in San Diego. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Szechuan Dan Dan Noodles (made vegetarian/vegan by omitting the meat) - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

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They have the same owner as Mada Sao, which was a malatang/Shanghai restaurant we used to enjoy on Convoy, but during the pandemic they moved their Mada Sao menu over to combine with Mr Holy Gao in Sorrento Valley. The malatang at Mada Sao was set up so you could go up to a buffet and pick out a set number of skewers of your choice and then they'd cook it for you in a spicy-numbing broth and then bring it back out and serve it with your choice of noodles or rice. Now you have to ask specifically for the Mada Sao menu but it's all in Chinese and you just write down which skewers you want. Its about $25 for 25 skewers, with variety of seafood, meats, and veg to choose from. We opted for a malatang set instead of skewers, which allows you to choose just one type of meat and comes with variety of set veg like cabbage, daikon, lotus roots and mushrooms, as well as rice or noodles of your choice. We went with beef, flat glass noodles, and medium spicy broth, all for about $15. Honestly we coulda just split this because it was a lot of food That broth was magic - slightly spicy with only a touch of the citrusy numbing so it didn't overwhelm our senses or kill our taste buds from tasting anything else the rest of the day We also got the Yu Hsiang pork lunch set which came with rice, hard boiled egg and a spring roll. They have lunch specials from $10-$14 , which is a great deal for the portions they give. They have banquet space, so their menu has plenty of family sized traditional Chinese options too. read more

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Good Mon-Fri lunch menu. Decent Chinese food. Comfortable seating inside. Small parking lot gets packed during lunch time. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Mon-Fri lunch menu as of May 2023 - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

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Great food and service. Owner Ma Da-sao and manager Sophia are great at helping organize parties and private events. The banquet room comfortably seat 30+ people. New dishes and off menu items... all I had to do was ask. Highly recommended! read more

We recently explored this cozy Chinese restaurant, and we are in love with this place We love the atmosphere in this place, the service was excellent The food was delicious There are a lot of choices in the manu , and you can't go wrong any of them My husband fell in love with the honey walnut shrimp and I love shredded pork with Steamd rice also I tried green beans as an appetizer, which was so good Reasonable prices wich is really important We will definitely come back with my family and I would recommend my friends too. read more

Mr. Holy Gao sits next to Hanaya Sushi, Naseem's Bakery, and the Taj Mahal, making it a bit low on my list of places to eat at when driving to this little shopping center. Still, with a hankering for some Fried Rice in mind, I decided to check it out one night while sneaking away from work. The interior itself is plain, kind of bare bones with a mild hint of decor. The staff is fairly non-attentive, causing lines of people waiting for take out to wander aimlessly around tables and the sparse exterior. I called in my order while still at the office, hoping to pick up my rice upon arrival, but ended up joining the wandering mob as it took an additional 15 minutes or so to get my food. When it did, I was impressed at the size of my tray and quickly backtracked to work to chow down. I ordered the House Special Fried Rice, which is a mixture of chicken, pork, beef, and shrimp. Upon cracking open my serving, I first noted that there only seemed to be a solitary shrimp floating in a sea of everything else. Sure, I wasn't expecting to see 20 of the little buggers in there, but only a solitary one felt kind of cheap. The same kind of went for the vegetables, with barely any carrots and peas gracing the dish. As for the rest, there was enough requisite oil, giving a nice coating to the rice, but the flavor was overall lacking. There was no salt from the meat, no caramelization from the frying, no good chew to the rice from being slightly dried out before cooking. It's not often I have to add something to this dish when ordering takeout from anywhere and to have to do so here was disappointing. Still, considering I've only ever had one selection, I can't really say I have a decent overall view of how Mr. Holy Gao actually is. But, with the sole offering so far being a bit of a tossup, it's tough to say I'm motivated to come back and try again. As for now, I'm left with a low 3-Star impression of the place. read more

My Favorite Chinese food place! Love their spicy fishes, honey walnut shrimp, etc. Decent prices at around $12-15 dollars for the big amount of food. They typically give you rice with your sides as well. All their dishes are decent and good. I would come back! read more

My 1st time and if the rest of the menu is as good as the house special fried rice, I can't wait to go back. House special fried rice is filled with beef, chicken and shrimp. Absolutely delicious . They also offer a discount if paying with cash. The portions will have you filled or extra for take home. Definitely can't wait to go back before we leave San Diego. read more

Mr Holy Gao - 151. House Special Fried Rice - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

Chinese food here is pretty good, and a step above our local Chin's. I like their Sichuan dishes most of all. Note that if you get delivery, they don't include regular rice with your order -- it's an add-on. read more

This place is in Sorrento valley and we went here after work to have hot pot, we decided to get the ayce for 18.95 but they charge a few more dollars For broth and a buck for sauces. We had lamb, beef, shrimp, tofu, mushrooms, boy chit and shrimp balls. The only waitress was nice and also gave us rice and noodles and I forgot a fried pancake, gyoza, and egg rolls. The owner was like you are doing it wrong lol cuz we just dumped all the food in there at once. It is very authentic cause everyone eating there was Asia :) the food was ok , but the staff was nice and not priced too high. read more

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Only for dine in, take out packing is very poor. Little pricey but food is really good. Being a vegetarian options are limited but some unique ones.my favorite is the eggplant in ginger sauce and the string beans. Ambience is not that great and service is also avg. Would not recommend take out. read more

Delicious authentic Shanghainese style food. You'll probably be disappointed if you're anticipating cheap greasy generic Chinese food. Nice clean ambiance inside. read more

Honestly I thought the food was really good. Very flavorful, tender Not greasy or oily at all. Beef was unusually tender. I would recommend and I would definitely come back. read more

I like to come here when I'm in the mood for a chinese breakfast. That would consist of a big bowl of hot sweetened soy bean milk and a Chinese donut stick. They have other individual food choices like Taiwanese braised pork with rice which I thought had really good flavoring. Overall, a good spot for Chinese food in the sorrento valley are read more

Unfortunately there's nothing lower than one star to put in here, food was terrible, people we're very confused, food took 2 hours to get to the table, ordered one thing and they brought something totally different than i asked for, communication was very bad as well. read more

The hubs heard about this place due to a coworker's recommendation. Plus it was close to their job. In any case, parking can be challenging when it's busy and that means during lunch time. Don't forget, lunch specials are cash only - there are signs and very reasonable priced. Anyhow, came here after the dinner rush. We got seated right away and our drink order was placed. We couldn't decide what we wanted every time they stopped by our table. By the time we knew what we wanted, they got busy with people ordering take out. But that's okay. Onto the food... We ordered the beef noodle soup, twice cooked pork and Dan Dan noodles. The hubs really loved the beef noodle soup. He said next time he wants to get the spicy version. The meat was tender. The soup was flavorful and the noodles had a good chew to them. He said that he wished there was an option for hand pulled noodles because it would make the soup even better. But he really really enjoyed it. The twice cooked pork looks like it would be spicy but it's not. I loved the black bean flavor with the chili oil. The pork was crispy yet tender. I don't know how to explain it but it was good. The pork was also thinly sliced and there were some parts a little fatty and some that weren't. But it was fine because it went well with the rice. The Dan Dan were just okay. It didn't have that numbing sensation that some dan dan noodles have so I just used a lot of chili oil in it. The noodles were cooked well and not mushy at all. The Bok Choy was steamed well and there were garlic bits. It was still crunchy and we loved it. Overall I would definitely come back here to try other dishes on the menu. read more

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Solid! The tea smoked duck was delicious! I would order again for sure! Green beans were crispy and perfectly seasoned with taiwanese pickles. The one dish that disappointed a little was the rice-noodle soup with pork spare ribs in house broth with bok choy. For the most part it was delicious but the noodles were not what we thought we would be getting. Although they were classic rice noodles, I found them to be a bit too slippery, not chewy, and the lack of flavor sort of 'watered down' the rest of the soup. However, the flavor of the pork rib in the soup was fantastic- very similar to a classic dish of braised pork belly. And huge chunks of ginger helped season the soup which I happily slurped down. The bok choy was nice and fresh too. In the future I would just order a different noodle dish - maybe with egg noodles or the wide flat style rice noodles in a stir-fry. Service was outstanding and parking plentiful! Definitely will be back! I don't have to drive to LA to get my duck fix anymore! read more

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Unprofessional. Called three times before anyone picked up the phone. After I placed the order, the person hung up without asking for my name or info. When I arrived at the restaurant, there was no staff to direct me to my pickup. Had to wait 20 min before someone acknowledged me. The food was terrible. The fish and vegetables were bland, and the eggs were cooked in some kind of thick lard. Had to throw them away after one bite. The chicken with basil had so many splintered bones it was a choking hazard. Not recommended. read more

The food is average quality. The atmosphere is okay. I've never seen a Chinese restaurant charge you for white rice. It normally comes with the main entree. This was not extra rice. We were charged for each cup of white rice. We were also charged for the to-go container. I won't be back. That just seems like a way to upcharge your already competitive entree pricing. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California

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Came here for dinner with some coworkers upon their insistence that the food here was really good. Still quite baffled to this day what they ordered that was so good because I certainly did not experience it here. Located inside an outdoor strip mall, Holy Gao is actually quite spacious inside with plenty of seating available. When we arrived around 6pm, there were only a few other tables being occupied and we were able to be seated right away. I opted to play it safe and order the Beef Chow Fun as my main course as I figured it would be a pretty standard dish. What came out however was a very oily dish that lacked the flavor factor of well made chow fun. And the beef, rather than being soft and flavor packed, was a bit tough and chewy. Definitely not the most memorable chow fun I've had in my life. As an appetizer, I ordered the salt and pepper pork ribs, which is a close contender to my favorite dish at Chinese restaurants, the salt & pepper lamb chops. For salt and pepper pork ribs to be good, the batter has to be light and fried to a perfect crispness, and the ribs should be fresh so as to fall right off the bones. What I received instead was a lackluster dish that was dry, and unappetizing. While we shared the dishes family style, basically noone touched this dish, including myself because it was not very good. I do have to give Holy Gao +1 stars however for their service. The waitresses were very attentive and kind. And made sure we had everything we needed. read more

I don't understand why this restaurant has less than 5 stars!?!? Authentic Szechuan dishes perhaps scares some Yelpers who have previously not been introduced to menu items outside of Panda Express. Overwhelming menu with so many options can be intimidating at first. I'm impressed San Diego has a restaurant offering their selection of authentic dishes! Not for the faint of heart, this place rocks! Come here to expand your pallet; fair value, clean, and wide menu selection. Ambiance and finesse is lacking; come here to enjoy Szechuan food! read more

Came here for lunch. Walking in I had high hopes as the place looked crowded. We were asked if we could share a table with other customers. So the 3 of us sat in this huge round table. We ordered hot tea and asked if they could bring sugar. We reminded them about the sugar each time a server would come to our table and to the end of the meal after requesting at least 3 times the sugar never came. :( We also noticed the people who came after and joined us at our table got their meals before us. Our meals came in long separate time intervals. We ordered off the lunch menu so was told we would have to pay in cash. Apparently if you order from the regular menu, as long as someone orders a lunch special then payment is now to be paid in cash. Example if you order appetizers only from the regular menu, you can pay with Credit card but because we were also ordering off the lunch menu we were no longer allowed to pay in CC but had to pay in cash. Their front door clearly shows Credit cards are accepted so is this Even Legal?!? Stating certain items to be paid in cash only. I guess the restaurant owner can decide how they want different items to be paid. Makes me question this business practice though. We would have ordered more food on the menu but now was limited as we did not have much cash on hand and thought we could pay with credit card since it shows that on their front door. The food was just ok. It was served in a divided wooden plate that was a bit weird for me. Felt like eating off a child's plate and not appealing in my opinion. read more

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Actually a 3.5, I shall update to 4 if they impress during my next visit. This place is our local go-to Chinese cuisine from our work. This is very good Szechuan cuisine place, but not only limited to Szechuan, this place has has more to offer. On a previous visit, we had ordered the Beef with Black Pepper, it was nice and Spicy, one of us trying the Shrimp in Dry Pot , the much spicier of all. Steamed rice on bowl is $.50 but they give plenty. The problem I see with this place is the Menu. A lengthy menu offers additional choices but at the same time very confusing, It takes lot of time to chose your time. All the items we ordered were delicious other than Glass Noodles with Pork, I found only fat pieces of pork, no actual good meat. Make sure you get some extra chilie paste, it works wonder with sticky rice. Working around whole spices, we enjoyed it all very much. Super fast service, could be little more gentle and nicer. Couple of suggestions: 1. Make your menu more simpler and organize it. 2. Service with a smile :) Good is great, service is super fast, quantity is lot. Great location too for Qualcomm people. See you soon. read more

Mr Holy Gao - Sweet and Sour Shrimp - Szechuan Near Me - San Diego, California