For entrees we had the Kung Pao Three-Way (shrimp, chicken, and beef together) and the orange chicken, and both were phenomenal -- perfectly balanced flavor, generous portions, and we still went home with a ton of leftovers. Service was just as impressive -- fast, attentive, and genuinely friendly from start to finish. Between the authentic flavors, huge portions, and excellent service, this is easily one of the best Chinese restaurant dinner specials in Orange County. Highly recommend for anyone craving Mandarin or Szechuan cuisine near Laguna Niguel -- we'll be back. read more

The best Egg drop soup i have ever had. I always get their beef broccoli and egg drip soup, i absolutely recommend it. The lady who serves is absolutely great, courteous, polite, and pleasant. The food potions are ample and ambiance is pleasing with a live fountain in the center. read more

The Kung Pao I've Been Searching For New Mandarin Garden has an impressively clean, welcoming ambiance, but what really stood out was the service -- the owner was genuinely warm and attentive, which you don't see often anymore. As a former wok chef, I'm not easily impressed, but their food hit me right away. The Kung Pao chicken tasted exactly like the nostalgic flavor I grew up with -- it reminded me of my uncle's cooking. Perfect heat, proper wok aroma, balanced sauce... this is how Kung Pao is supposed to taste. I've been searching for this style for years. I'll absolutely be back. Places like this are rare. read more

The food was great and we were able to get it completely gluten free!! First time I've had gluten free orange chicken in years! read more

New Mandarin Garden - Orange chicken - Chinese Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

Solid Chinese food in Laguna Niguel next to Whole Foods. You can kill two birds with one stone! Servers are friendly and courteous. Always filling up our waters without even asking. Love that! I had the hit garlic shrimp that was very tasty and full of flavor. Not spicy at all. Wife had the sweet and sour shrimp bu she enjoyed my dish more. Hot n sour soup was good as well and the egg roll was perfectly cooked and crunchy. Not soggy like some places. The inside dining area is small with a water fountain in the middle which sounds relaxing when it is on. Great lunch specials for every pallet. Will definitely come back. read more

New Mandarin Garden - Inside seating - Chinese Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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Customer Service was great! The beef and broccoli was great Will be coming back soon! read more

Overall: Decent food, but some items aren't very authentic in my opinion. Food: 9/10. Orange chicken, 8/10, I liked, good flavor but was a little too fried for me. We also had the beef and that was about an 8/10, little salty. Service: Friendly, attentive and overall pretty good. Ambiance: 3/10. The reviews aren't wrong, there's stuff everywhere, honestly I don't know how it's not a health code violation lol, but reminds me of a small hole in the wall city restaurant. read more

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Was really excited to find a local Chinese restaurant with a pretty good amount of Gluten Free options. We ordered the GF Orange chicken, GF Shrimp Curry and it came with white steamed rice. **We did call ahead to ask what they used to make their fried items gluten-free and they confirmed that it was cornstarch based. We were pleasantly surprised with the flavor of the food and crispiness of the orange chicken. The shrimp are well cooked in the onion and other veg in the curry were a great burst of color and flavor! The service was interesting, it had some comical moments (1) it seemed like the original individual who was attending to us maybe he was New as we had to repeat ourselves many times to him and then (2) the waitress who then served us definitely worked with "urgency" - it came off a bit pushy throughout the meal. While some interesting moments though staff was kind and all was well. The restaurant was clean and felt open and the seating was comfortable. read more

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So Great! Food is so fresh and delicious. We have been coming here for over 25 years. Great service, friendly staff and always on time.

Dirty and gross. You walk in and it looks like a storage facility. Garbage, boxes, things piled up. The booths are sticky. The walls are dirty. The food is mediocre at best. Our fortune cookies were served in....drumroll....empty sardine cans! No joke. See picture. Will never return. read more

New Mandarin Garden - Fortune cookies served in sardine cans. Ew. - Chinese Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

I just discovered this Gem through a food blogger that ranted about this local favorite. Located in Laguna Niguel conveniently next to Whole Foods, parking is spacious and plentiful. Interior decor boasts with old school authentic Chinese restaurant vibes. Service was great and I was impressed how the sweet lady memorized our order without hesitation. Food came out in a timely manner and tasted delicious and flavorful! Prices are great and the food portions were very generous. They have lunch specials as well and we will definitely be back! read more

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Ordered the honey walnut shrimp and Sizzling Black Pepper Filet Mignon Cube cubes to go. The walnut shrimp was good, came with three pieces of broccoli. The filet was a bit chewy and fatty and like other yelpers I'm skeptical that it was really filet mignon beef. The veggies with the beef didn't seem that fresh as well. I would not order the beef again. Easy pass. read more

Came here for lunch and had the shrimp with veggies came with soup the shrimp was abundant and the meal came out steaming hot. I would definitely come back as this was very fast and efficient service and all and all great experience. read more

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We came here on a Tuesday for lunch. This restaurant is in a busy shopping center a little ways down from a Whole Foods. Parking can be difficult. Upon entry we were told to sit where we liked. Our server took our drink order. Our order was taken soon after. Our server was helpful but a bit abrupt. The restaurant was very clean. The dining area in the front was rather smallish. A fountain with an elephant figure on top was the focal point of the dining area. An odd display of hot mustards for sale greeted us as we came into the main dining area. There was more seating in the back but this was cluttered with paper goods and such. Our food came out relatively quick. We ordered two lunch specials. The first was house chow mein with rice, an egg roll and egg drop soup. The second was almond chicken with rice, an egg roll and egg drop soup. We were given complimentary crispy wontons with spicy mustard and sweet and sour sauces as appetizers. The chow mein was okay. Nothing special. The egg rolls were good. The egg drop soup was good. I am not a fan of this type of soup but it tasted as it should. The cashew chicken was good and had a generous amount of cashews. I am not sure what type of rice this was but I would have preferred the run of the mill white rice. When our check came, it was accompanied by two pre-packed fortune cookies in a repurposed wild planet tin. Music was playing a little loudly. It was kind of soul/jazz. It was pleasant but did not fit the atmosphere of the restaurant. This an okay restaurant but I would not go off the beaten track to eat here. read more

Amazing energy from the staff, really great prices - the value for the family style dinners is unbeatable and you'll have leftovers. The ambience is causal but we usually just do take out. The prep time is super quick so you can order on your phone, drive over and it'll be ready. Very big fan! read more

I've been gluten free for about 10 years and missed orange chicken so much! I saw a post on TikTok and realized this restaurant was right down the street from me! Ordered on grubhub and IT WAS SO GOOD!!! I called ahead and the lady assured me it was gluten free! It was also a very generous portion. I had enough left over but ended up eating it cold at midnight! LOL read more

I am a bit conflicted. The food was great. But I had ordered some Peking duck.... And I thought it came with some food as it was $30. It also said 1/2 a duck. Well. If the duck was half the size of a half a chicken.... Then it would make sense. The food tasted great but the serving sizes for the duck and walnut shrimp were a bit tiny. However the pork veggie rolls were huge and we got the large size of the egg drop soup.... All were delicious. I also tried those spice items in the display there and those are amazingly delicious! Bravo. Service is great. Staff are great and the ambiance is great. I really don't do much dinning in anymore and get everything to go. The food is great and I cannot say enough. Yummy!! read more

I smelled something horrible when I opened the bags. Smelled like something NOT chicken! Thankfully I tried something else first. I had a bite of veggie egg roles and it was good. The shrimp fried rice was good. The chicken and string beans was terrible. The Kung pow chicken was just NASTY! Yuck! Don't do it. Doesn't taste anything like kung pow chicken. I have no idea what it was, but definitely the nastiest shit I have ever tasted in my life. I spit it out and gargled with mouthwash to try and kill the germs, Or whatever it was! Tossed everything in trash. If one or two things that bad... everything is risky. Thanks to this place, I never plan on eating Chinese Food ever again! read more

I wasn't feeling well and my server spoke softly and helped me pick some soothing soup and guide me through the menu. Thank you! The fish pond in the center is truly an amazing add to the space! I love fish they balance and environment very well! My server I believe was ran? And Roger? I wasn't feeling weep and feel terrible as I may have their names wrong. But it was a Thursday Night at 8:15pm shift. read more

New Mandarin Garden - These fish are gasping because I said something crazy - Chinese Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

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I heard great things about this and thought I'd check it out. The staff was not the most friendly, felt like we were bothering them. They were very social to the table behind me, but was short and quick to us. Not sure what that was about. The food was alright too. It tasted like a step up from Panda, but not authentic Chinese food at all. The service was mediocre too. I tried to flag someone down for chopsticks ,and finally after waiting, I went up and got my own. The food did not seem that fresh either. Overall , this is about on -par with the chinese place in Marina Hills, Laguna Niguel, not the best, and most likely will wait years to come back if I do at all. read more

I've lived down the street from here for years but have never been here. I was pleasantly surprised to find that it had both a beautiful and tranquil ambience as well as great service. It has been over 15 years since someone's taken the extra time to box my to-go food, but our server Jack did just that. He also brought our baby boy extra cookies after some fell onto the floor. This is real service. The food tasted fresh and it didn't seem to be the type of place that leaves food sitting out for long which was nice. Most importantly, Jack would be the main reason we go back. He made the entire experience pleasant. read more

Service & food here isn't that great. Not very authentic Asian food. Catered more for non Asian people. Manager/owner here is not very friendly & comes off very rough. read more

Great option for Chinese food. Tastes delicious. Service and food takes a very long time though. So don't come if you're in a rush. They get a ton of to go traffic so the people sitting and dining in have to wait and wait and wait. If you need an extra spoon or napkins, you might as well forget it since the server does not come by very often being that she's so busy. They should hire extra staff since they have a good clientele basis. read more

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Food was outstanding! Service was good! Ambience poor Cheap paper napkins at table for dining Paper menu Lack of communication with waitstaff Mixed our chicken curry leftovers with our son's vegetarian tofu dish,not acceptable! read more

I love this spot. Menu has a good variety; it's hard not to find something you'd want. The decor is classy. I love the ambience that the water and koi pond add. And the owner came by my table to introduce himself and walk me through the menu :) I've eaten here twice, once for lunch and again for dinner. The food is always served hot and you can tell it's cooked fresh. Delicious balance of flavors. And reasonably priced!! Especially the lunch special--$13 for an entree, soup, egg roll, and healthy serving of fried rice. Cant beat it. read more

Placed a take out order here and decided to try the Mongolian beef, honey walnut shrimp, eggplant, and the mapo tofu. Mongolian beef was very tender and flavorful. Honey walnut shrimp wasn't the best I've had, it was really runny and wet and not very crisp. I really enjoyed the eggplant and the mapo tofu was really good too. Steamed rice came with all the entrees and so did fortune cookies. Overall flavor of the food is there and not bad for a local Chinese spot! read more

New Mandarin Garden - Ma Po Bean Curd, Mongolian Beef, Honey Walnut Shrimp, Szechuan Eggplant - Chinese Near Me - Laguna Niguel, California

- service is very friendly - but slow . There was only four tables occupied, but service was still slow - chefs however work fast. Appetizers and main entrees were ready quickly - they start with fried noodles with a sweet and sour and a honey horseradish dip - a nice was to start the meal - appetizers: Potstickers were flavorful - be aware that they contain ginger Cream cheese won ton - better with sweet and sour sauce Entrees: Cashew chicken - the best of the bunch BBQ pork with snow peas. The opposite of the cashew chicken. Personally, I would avoid. Two of our group liked it. Mongolian beef- it was fine Honey Walnut Shrimp - 4 out of five Almond cookies and fortune cookies to end. Almond cookie was good. Fortune cookie was a bit stale Nice family restaurant. Food was fine. read more

Their food is always so good! Lunch deals are great‼ The service is good, too. I like their Mongolian Beef. Soup is included in the lunch. read more

I have been going here for years and it holds a special place in my heart. Gluten free orange chicken, honey walnut shrimp, and a side of rice! Straight read more

The food and the service for this establishment is wonderful and the staff is welcoming and honest. I placed a phone order after I was informed of the up charge for using their website or third party applications to order from their menu. I did notice the difference and started calling in my orders, honestly I don't know why I have to be charged extra for using a website to order and the door dash website also missing the pork egg rolls that I enjoy ordering all the time. I have tried every item on their menu and am never disappointed. The egg drop soup is a great addition to any feast. Their chow mein and fried rice are filling plus if you have a large family you can order a catering portion to avoid spending too much especially in our current economy. Enjoy this delicious restaurant and make sure to grab a menu when you visit them and have a full list of what they have to offer because I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the delicious pork egg rolls. read more

Came on Christmas Day 2025. Food not what we expected. Understand many restaurants were closed. We had a large party and staff was anxious to go home. read more

We've tried every Chinese take-out in Orange County trying to find the best one, and nothing beats New Mandarin Garden. Best flavor, not overly greasy, great portions, excellent service. Get the cheese rangoons! My husband also loves their hot & sour soup. read more

Great atmosphere, quick service, and delicious food with a lot of safe gluten free options for someone with a gluten allergy!

This place is always good! Successful establishment! The best Beef and Broccoli and House Special Chicken. The staff is very hospitable! Always delicious and a treat!! read more

Always fresh and delicious and reasonably priced. We're lucky to have them close by. We've been customers since they opened at this location by Whole Foods market in Laguna Niguel. read more

Authentic and high quality. Service was excellent. Our fav dish was the Cantonese stir fried noodles. Can't wait to come back!

Very good Chinese food experience was amazing. Food was fresh and world class food We had house roce , and b ef broccoli read more

I have never eaten at the restaurant,but have taken out at least a dozen times. Food is not exotic , but everything we've ordered is good quality and has excellent flavor. Soups are good, noodles are great. and owners are onsite... read more

Yummy classic Chinese food. Good price, friendly service and they deliver! Shout out for the Peking duck and sweet and sour pork.

First experience here for Takeaway and it was exactly how I hoped. Great parking, and love the pond and fish in the dining area, good vibes inside the dine-in section. Owner dealing with takeaway customer ahead of me, was somewhat annoyed with her because she ordered online and selected the wrong type of dish and was basically making a change at pickup time. Having lived in NYC, I'm with the owner on this, customers have a responsibility to understand what they are ordering, or to call the restaurant to ask a question, instead of handling it at pickup. Some people might describe the owner as "rude", however they would be wrong. She is clearly passionate about her business and has expectations for her customers, as well as they do for her food. Elder Millennials and Gen X could refer to the Seinfeld Episode the "Soup Nutzy" as a good proxy for her manner. I genuinely mean this in a good way, because the food backs it up. I would say the food is more East Coast American Chinese in style in flavor which I've missed since moving here, and really hit it out of the park for us. Also, the food was packed in a cut-up cardboard box as I always had in NYC. Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. This place keeps on winning. We will be back, and I always hope to see fireworks when picking up to-go orders again. read more