For a mid scale location the prices are ridiculous! 23 dollars (including tip) for a tiny to go box of lo mein! Stupid expensive, never coming back read more

So we were craving Chinese food and being new to Wausau we decided to try The Mandarin. The reviews looked great so why not, right? It may have been a mistake. I hate posting a negative reviews of a small local business, but we were disappointed. No we aren't looking for discounts free food etc or anything. In fact I hope it was just a bad day for them. We ordered: General Tsos chicken Orange chicken Pot stickers and spring rolls. 45$ is pricey for 2 mains and 2 apps but my husband figured they might be good. Sometimes the food is worth the $. The General Tsos chicken had no flavour really beyond over cooked soy. No spice either. The orange chicken tasted borderline exactly like the General Tsos chicken. Lots of soy. The barest hint of orange and no spice. My spring rolls had an overpowering cooking oil flavour and the pot stickers had no water chestnuts, no ginger, no scallions or garlic. Just ground meat. I am giving the restaurant a maybe on reccomendations because perhaps the chef was off...maybe it was just a bad day. I hope they continue serving their loyal clients but sadly we will take a pass on ordering from here again. It's just too expensive to test drive a 2nd time for us. read more

The food was okay. Nothing wrong, nothing notable. The portions were skimpy and the prices were too high. Beef and Broccoli - $16.50 with 3oz. Of beef in it. Would have been okay if we had any leftovers. 2 apps, 2 entrees, zero leftovers. read more

Excellent service here and the Mongolian beef was among the best I've had. The sizzling shrimp dish with veg my husband had was also good and makes quite the presentation upon arrival. I wish they had lunch menu on Saturday. We had the wontons as an appetizer and while the dough was tender and nicely fried the filling had little flavor and needed some scallions or something. I would not get these again - but we will return! read more

Excellent Chinese food for lunch! I had sweet and sour pork that came with an egg roll and my wife had kung pao chicken which was also delicious! The lunch portions were perfect and everything was hot and fresh! The only minor disappointment was that I was expecting a lunch buffet and this was not available. But the menu was very complete and what we had was excellent! We'll be back! read more

The food was fair at best. Restaurant was too cold & needs updating. Service was good. Crab rangoons had no filling, just at the wonton & a small "smear"of filling. read more

First off the food is amazing probably the best food Id ever had so if you want to support a small business come here

We went on a Tuesday night and sat next to the big windows that look out on the Wisconsin River and downtown Wausau. The place was not crowded and we had a nice chat with the manager while ordering cashew chicken and the sizzling shrimp platter along with glasses of chilled white wine. The food came promptly and was hot with fresh vegetables and a pot of white rice. We both thought the meals were delicious and easily worth the very modest price. The Mandarin may not make the high-end list of Wausau restaurants but if you want a relaxing cozy place to have excellent Chinese cuisine, it's worth a try. Kudos! read more

My mom and dad's favorite place to eat in Wausau. I went with my Dad tonight. We had egg rolls that were so perfectly crispy outside and very tasty. My dad said his egg drop soup was as good as it always is. I had the Wonton soup. The flavor of the broth and the wontons was superb and so delicious. For dinner, my dad had the sweet and sour pork and I had the General Tso Chicken. My dad has come to expect the delicious flavor of the pork and it lived up to his expectations. The General Tso Chicken was cooked to perfection. The breading was light and crispy and the chicken was so tender and flavorful and perfectly cooked. The sauce they served with it perfectly complemented the chicken. The service was top notch from the moment we walked in the door until we left. The waiter was very attentive and friendly to every patron in the restaurant. read more

We come here for a late lunch or dinner whenever in town to ski/snowboard at Granite Peak. Their hot and sour soup is fantastic. They offer great lunch specials and my favorite is the Sautéed Mixed Vegetables. Service is always excellent and parking is available in their private lot. read more

The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - Sautéed Mixed Vegetables lunch special - Chinese Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

See all

This is an example of what is wrong with Americanized Chinese restaurants. But...they do know their clientele. Elderly patrons who do not like flavor in their food. I will admit that I was immediately put off when the waiter would not allow me to pay extra to get pork-fried rice instead of the sticky white rice. I could pay for en entire order of pork friend rice. Why? Well, because they have a bowl of rice to have four people share. It's not about accommodating a customer, apparently; it's about what is convenient and cheap for them. Since I was already upset that he couldn't/wouldn't accommodate my request, this might be jaded. The General Tso's Chicken was the blandest I have ever had from a Restaurant. It did taste similar to the stuff my wife buys frozen from Walmart. Bland, and certainly not worthy of a star to denote "spicy." This was not spicy. Since I know I'm not the target audience, take this with a grain of salt. It you are elderly and do not want food to taste, this is your place. Nobody should fear the food here being spicy. Not a chance. read more

The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - a table full of food - Chinese Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

Best Chinese restaurant in the Wausau area. Authentic Chinese food. Walnut shrimp is great. Good service. Comfortable setting.

We are new to Wausau and tried Mandarin for the 1st time yesterday. Ordered take out Happy Family and Chicken & Shrimp with Cashews, including pot stickers and crab rangoon. We got no soy sauce packets and more duck sauce ever needed. Veggies were soggy. Inedible as they swam in bland brown sauce. Wontons around the CR were overly dry. Pot stickers were gummy with no seasoning on the meat. Two cashews in my chicken and shrimp with cashews. Our bill? $45+ I tossed it all into the trash. read more

OK, let's turn around and go back to Wausau for just a minute. I was visiting friends for a few hours and lunch time snuck up on us. My friends had previously mentioned this Chinese restaurant, saying they have a good lunch buffet, so we get in the car and head over. SERVICE: My friends are "regulars", which explained why the servers knew them by name. Aside from that service seemed to a step above what I would expect. Very friendly, checking back to refill beverages, take dirty plates, replace napkins, etc, a lot more often than I would normally expect! A+ plus for this! A little disclaimer: Having been in a long term relationship someone who's Chinese, we'd always seek out Chinese restaurants with food that's "more authentic" rather than the usual "Americanized" stuff you often find. I've come to prefer "more authentic". That said, on to the FOOD: We came here to hit the A.Y.C.E. buffet ($7.75/person). The variety of items weren't as numerous as some places I've been, but there were still plenty to choose from and enough to make everyone happy. Yes it was "very" Americanized, but still pretty tasty, especially when it was fresh right out of the kitchen. You'll find the usual players in the steam table trays: white rice, fried rice, chow mein type noodles, sweet & sour chicken, spicy eggplant, sautéed string beans, egg rolls, etc, etc, etc. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-mandarin-chinese-restaurant-wausau?select=-txIK8gYoo_wodrJZfL7Hg#dwpalilmg_NILfR3H8LNsg http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-mandarin-chinese-restaurant-wausau?select=-txIK8gYoo_wodrJZfL7Hg#4a6JIpEvAsWzIIgAFmMNyg One thing that was a nice surprise was something they called "Crab Rangoon". This kind of like other cream cheese filled fried wontons I've had, but these were larger and also had crab mixed in! I have to say these were quite tasty, so much so that I had 5 or 6 of them, YUM! I didn't get my own pic so I'm "borrowing" Lee W's pic. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/the-mandarin-chinese-restaurant-wausau?select=-txIK8gYoo_wodrJZfL7Hg#8x55GPeM0KZBaUamWiB5JA OVERALL: Pretty decent though Americanized Chinese food and better than expected service, puts me right at 3.5 - 4 stars! read more

See all

The worst Egg Foo Yong I've ever had. It barely had bean sprouts in it, the pork wasn't cooked in, it was made in a sheet pan cut into squares. I won't be back. read more

We have been Mandarin fans for years. The Fragrant meals are my personal fav. Spouse loves fried rice chicken. With Covid not currently serving the oyster rolls. They're unique and yummy. The food has a depth of flavors not found in many restaurants. We eat at the best of any town. Highly recommend. The egg rolls are good. Sake better than average. Crab Rangoon good. Service in general excellent acknowledging we go early. read more

Eat on the fully enclosed porch where you have good views of the Wausau skyline and Wisconsin River. The lunch buffet is relatively small, but food turns over fast, and remains hot on the buffet line. Staff were attentive to refill my beverage, and bring out hot items to replenish the buffet. A solid place for a lunch buffet. read more

The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - Good selection on the lunch buffet. - Chinese Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

See all

Went to the Mandarin Restaurant on Friday the 12th. Got there around 12:15 P.M. When I walked in I was surprised to see the place nearly deserted. Only about 4 or 5 customers there. There must have been at least 25 tables there but only 4 or 5 occupied. Mind you this is in Wausau, a city of 39,000 people. They have a good location on the river near Eastbay and other local shops. Also supposed to see it nearly deserted on a Friday during the lunch hours, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. This should have been my first warning sign. Our party was seated at a clean table, so one point for them on that. Service was reasonable considering everyone decided to go to the buffet instead of ordering off the menu. That might have been a mistake. The buffet was small compared to other restaurants I have been to, about only 15 dishes, including rice. On the buffet I didn't see a lot of choice in what to get. No beef at all, no General Tso chicken, No sweet and sour chicken. All popular items you want on a buffet. I made my selection, I choose a white rice bed with sweet and sour pork, and some vegetables also. I also decided to try their Crab Rangoons and their egg rolls. After getting everything back to the table and beginning to eat I noticed that everything was hardly warm, almost near cold. The vegetables lacked flavor and the sweet and sour pork was not sweet or sour at all. The rice was ok for being almost cold. The egg rolls were small and the outer wrap on them was brittle and crumbled. The crab rangoon's were very tough on the outside and the filling was more cream than anything else. What little crab that was in there tasted like imitation crab meat. Obviously both the egg rolls and crab ragoons were not made fresh and were probably frozen in bulk and deep fried to cook them. I decided to pass on any deserts, but what they had there looked like store bought cookies and cake. They also had Jello cubes. About the only thing that they did make right was my glass of ice water. Given the number of customers in the restaurant they should have been more on top of the freshness and temperature of their buffet dishes. Given the state of the buffet I do not believe that ordering off the menu would have been of any higher quality. I have been to many buffets before and this one was the worst. It is no wonder that their dining room was deserted on a Friday during the lunch rush. Clearly word has gotten out about the quality of their food. So if you like bland tasteless lukewarm food, then this is the place for you. By the way, I stopped by a different Chinese restaurant I frequent and while there was no one in the dining room there either, they had take out orders backed up and customers walking in steadily. So much so that it was all the chef could do to keep up with the orders and he had to tell people there would be a 30, 45, or up to a hour wait for their food. But no one complained, no one went somewhere else. They have some of the best food and customers are willing to put up with the wait cause it's worth it. Mandarin Restaurant please seek help in turning things around. I recommend perhaps a visit from Gordon Ramsey!!! read more

I was in the area and looking for a Chinese restaurant that delivers and came across this one. When I called, the woman I spoke with was very friendly. She told me the food would be at the hotel in 30 minutes, which it was. I always order egg drop soup, I wasn't sure if it would be tasty for how light it looked but it actually wasn't bad. I like the green onion thrown in to the soup. I then dove into my pot stickers which were good but the pork tasted a bit too ground up, maybe not fresh...they were still good but definitely not the best I've ever had. My entree was the chicken and broccoli and I found it to be excellent. Chicken was tasty and so was the sauce. I will definitely be ordering from here again if I'm back in the area. read more

See all

July 2021 I met a friend for dinner who said this was her favorite restaurant. It is now one of my favorite restaurants. The food was delicious, the portions were generous and the service was great. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone! read more

Flavorless chicken fried rice. Old oil tasting sesame chicken. Will not return. Would not recommend.

An update of my review is necessary. Eddie and Julie Chen continue to look to add variety and interest to their menu. They have kept prices down. New specials include Szechuan won-tons, Tropical Shrimp, spicy deep fried tofu and Sole Filet with a number of sauces. The tropical shrimp is a very nice summer dish that includes fresh fruit with the shrimp (lightly battered and deep fried) in a mildly sweet sauce. The spicy deep fried tofu has become one of my favorites. Check out their new web site: wausaumandarin.com which includes a coupon good until the end of July. As the web site notes most of their entrees are between $7 and $12. read more

I've learned to stay away from most Chinese food places since they're either too salty, use sauce, or MSG. I'd say the food here was pretty good, the owners are a bit older so their food must taste a bit better. In any case, the place is pretty dark, even though they have white walls and green trim. There are not a lot of wait staff here, so you'll either get the mother, daughter, or the grandmother waiting on your order. Although the grandmother is a sweet heart. The dishes were appropriately priced and the service sizes were appropriate. Although, I did get food poisoning from an under-cooked scallop and a huge migration since they have MSG in their dishes, I'd say the place is great if you aren't sensitive to MSG. read more

Our waiter stood out from the crowd with top notch service. He was great with our two children, which is sometimes difficult to find in a restaurant. The interior could use an update, but the food and service was great! We'll definitely be back again! read more

See all

This is a review for the lunch buffet, I can't really comment on the menu food, but I have to say that they were VERY busy on a weekday around lunch hour for the buffet; seems like a popular place in town. The buffet is pretty small, just one short line. My favorite part about it was the soup options. They had egg drop soup and 1 other type (possibly wonton or hot and sour?). I liked being able to start my meal with a little cup of hot egg drop! However, the meal kind of went downhill from there... The buffet, although fresh, lacked solid dishes. There was only 2 chicken dishes and the rest were pork. I have a feeling that this is because pork is cheaper although I can't say for sure. I'm not a huge fan of pork, so I was a little disappointed that there wasn't more chicken or seafood etc. options available. Also, the chicken dish I did get (hot and spicy chicken) was not hot or spicy. It was kind of bland actually and the chicken wasn't the greatest. Overall my experience wasn't really the greatest, I won't be coming back for the lunch buffet, that's for sure. read more

Nice little place sitting along the river with good views. Ordered the jumbo shrimp which were tasty with their garlic breading but was served a bowl of ketchup for dipping sauce. They sat on a small bed of cabbage. Not quite what was described in the menu. When I inquired about cocktail sauce he said the ketchup keeps longer and they don't have cocktail sauce. When I moved the bowl of ketchup away from the plate I discovered a curly hair that appear to come from a nether region of the body. The waiter barely apologized and took my plate away and supposedly made me another plate. So while my friend ate their dinner I waited on a another plate to be made. Wasn't looking for a free dinner because a pubic hair was on my plate but thought they might offer a drink or a dessert. Nothing was offered other than the initial half apology when they took the plate back. read more

Best Chinese food in Wausau by far. My wife always get these deep fired jumbo shrimp in a sweet & spicy sauce which she loves. I try something new every time we go and have never been disappointed. Prices are very reasonable. Service is very friendly and efficient. Ask for a seat by the window so you can look at the river. read more

I think this was the quickest that I ever got my food while not at a buffet. The staff is definitely attentive. The view of the river is also a perk. The food was pretty good and the portions were quite large, I got a second meal out of my leftovers. Will be back to try more menu options and hopefully sit by the water. read more

For many years I drove by this place telling myself I should stop.I finally decided to take my wife for her birthday. I'm glad I did. Service and food were excellent! I forsee myself becoming a regular. read more

Finally broke down and got takeout during the pandemic. This was truly an excellent choice. Chose the dinner special (B) for three people. Food was great and portions we're great. read more

Food and service is fantastic! Egg Drop Soup and Sesame Chicken will not disappoint!

WORST EVER!!!!!! NOT an honest restaurant. We ordered food for $50 and was charged $72. They charged $7 for cup of tea!! If you have extra money that you have no where to spend, please do come!!!!! Come waste your money here. WORST waiter EVER!! I asked him: so the tea is $7? He said with confidence - YES. And when I was walking out, I heard them talking to each other saying the tea should've been $2. Can you believe this???? This is my first review, and a bad one. They deserve every word of it. $5 is nothing, but lying to clients and name the price whatever they want, everyone should know what to expect if visiting here. read more

I've eaten here a few times and the food was very good. Good appetizers and main dishes I've tried a few

I'm from S. Florida (35yrs there) & I have 10yrs in Wausau; having said that, maybe ppl here do not know what good chinese food is? I say that because the reviews for Mandarin are too good for the food that I ate! The FOOD WAS HORRIBLE! As a matter of fact, most of the chinese eatery's are terrible in Wausau. My advice: drive to CHANG GARDEN in Weston if you want decent chinese. Save yourself!! read more

The Mandarin is a pretty "Old School" Chinese restaraunt that has been around forever and used to be in Menard's Plaza before they tore it down. The Mandarin and Peking were actually the first Chinese restaraunts in Wausau after Billy Moy. They are now located in the Eastbay Plaza. I used to go here for dine-in and takeout for years back when it was still in Menard's Plaza. The food was always consistantly good and the service decent, but nothing to rave about. They have all your standard dishes you'd expect to see on a chinese menu and I liked the fact that they specialize in "Mandarin" style chinese cooking, hence to name. I have always prefered Mandarine and Hunan styles of chinese cooking over the Cantonese style cooking that the Peking does, Cantonese food tends to be a bit too sweet for me. The service was always decent and friendly which is important to me. Once the Chang Garden opened I eventually stopped coming to the Mandarin to eat altogether. The fact they also have an extensive sushi menu and their not a buffet is what initially got me over to try Chang Garden, but once I tried the Chinese I was hooked. I would still order from the Mandarin every once in a while just for a change from Chang Garden's food, but once they moved to the Eastbay Plaza I noticed their food took a bit of a nosedive in terms of taste and quality. I ordered to-go a few times from their new location and it just didn't taste the same. I remember the last thing I ordered was a beef with veggies dish and a fried rice, the sauce tasted burnt and the fried rice was so oily it leaked through the carton and bag onto my car seat. I kind of wondered if maybe they had changed cooks? It's been so many years since they opened that it wouldn't surprise me if they changed cooks. All I know is that the food definately didn't taste as good as it used to. Honestly, I have no doubt that the Mandarin will be open for many years to come. They probably have a big following of "regulars" because of being opened for so long, and I do appreciate the many good meals I did have there in the past. But for me, one too many recent bad experiences has made me give up on them all together.. read more

I've frequented the Mandarin for years (back when it was in the Menard's Plaza and well as the current location). At one point I did make a switch to Chang Garden, but have been disappointed on a regular basis in Chang's food (no flavor) and have returned to the Mandarin where their consistently good food is appreciated. Service is always excellent and the prices are fair. read more

Being new to the area, and always on the lookout for great Chinese food, we tried Mandarin. Have been back several times now. The food is always delicious and plentiful! Their pot stickers are worth the 15 minute wait. I've lived in five different states, and Mandarin's are - by far- the very best. We've tried several dishes, and each one is just as good as the next. The staff is very friendly and efficient. We've tried other Chinese restaurants in the area. This is by far, the best. And they have such a nice view of the river and downtown, too! read more

We ordered Dinner for two and was more than enough food for two with spring rolls, soup, shrimp vegetables and sesame chicken! It was so delicious and we will definitely come back again! read more

The Mandarin Chinese Restaurant - Dinner for Two - B - Chinese Near Me - Wausau, Wisconsin

See all

I must update already! We ordered a ton of food to go last night - hoping it would last a few meals, don't think it will, ha! - and everything was petty darn spectacular. The mushu pork was awesome - loved that the pork was cut more chunky rather than strips! The Mandarin noodles were incredible, seriously, so good! The Hunan tofu, while a touch too salty was also awesomely delicious. Some of the best Chinese food I've had in a REALLY long time. Prior to living in Dallas - the land of bad Chinese food - I lived minutes from Chicago's Chinatown and this place rivals some of the best places there. Our experience was THAT good last night - and for carryout! The only mild miss was the potstickers. I'm SO picky about potstickers so take that into consideration. These just missed the mark a bit for me and their dipping sauce was underwhelming. read more

This is the best buffet in Wausau. Very clean restaurant and food is cooked in smaller portions so it is always fresh.