Mandarin Chef

For what you pay for, the portion sizes are humongous and taste absolutely amazing. I recommend their fried rice if you want a ton of food for cheap. The staff is normally pretty good, just have a little bit of confusion with the servers, but everything got through correctly. Just a great atmosphere, and never terribly busy. If you want some Quick, Cheaper, Good food, come here.

I absolutely love their orange chicken it’s the best I’ve ever had. Lots of flavor and best ingredients.

I give you 5 stars,only because some of these reviews are unfair. Who gives 2 stars because she thinks food was bought outside the establishment. I'm sure she never had chili's before ( dried up ) they come dried up lady, it's for flavor. A 2 star because they were nice? That's a automatic 3 star. Service is an extra and last but not least the food. Your food was bland ? They have a salt shaker on the table I'm sure. I never been to this restaurant but yet again you can't please everyone and bashing or giving low rated scores on a business does send out a message to everyone reading it. She's been wanting to go there ? So I'm assuming she's not from the high desert so she has that nit picking style and unruly rated a business. I'm sure she does not have a business and so easy to drop a negative cause if she did have a business she would have reconsidered her rating. Further more. She walked into thus establishment and everyone was nice. I'm sure they delivered her food on time and not wait for hours like others complained. Nothing wrong with the prices cause that wasn't mentioned. The place is clean I'm assuming because it wasn't mentioned The food was bland, that's all. Pick the salt up and shake it. Can't make everyone happy. Its just not her taste. 5 reasons, 5 🌟. She should have gave them 4 stars. But a 2 star ? Her reviews on her entirety of Google are all bullshi....

Tried it for the first time today and I gotta say it was quite delicious! The food was seasoned very well and all our dishes were consistently tasty. Service was really good and the atmosphere was nice (quiet but comfy). We will definitely be coming back!

This was my first visit here and I was happily surprised! Very nice service and the food was absolutely terrific! I was afraid to go out on mother's day but this place was not crowded. Seems to be more of a take out restaurant but dining in was just delightful! So happy to have found this restaurant!

Wow!! My husband and I are always out trying different restaurants which one's are good or not so good. The Mandarin chef is absolutely one of the best oriental restaurants we have ever tasted. The helpings are very large proportion. Never finish it all before I get too full. Sue runs the cash register and is the son of the cook always ready and there to answer any questions we ask. Father always comes out to check on us to see if our food was good extremely wonderful family. I definitely would recommend Mandarin chef to anybody that wants great oriental food. Thank you Mandarin chef. 😊

First time eating here and will most definitely be back again! The waitress was attentive and very kind and you could tell she really cared about providing the best service to customers. The food was excellent and portions for what you pay were great! Ended up being only $45 for our family of 4 and had left overs to take home.

My wife and I love this place. We've done both dine in and take out. The selection is very large. I always have too many things that I want to try! We never have to wait long for food once we order. And the food always arrives hot. Phoning in takeout orders is easy also. And the food is ready for pickup in 10-15 minutes. Would highly recommend giving this place a try if you like Chinese. One side note: they are closed on Mondays

Do yourself a favor and come eat here! This Chinese food is amazing. The portions are generous and the price is very reasonable. I haven't had orange chicken this delicious and authentic in years. The chow mein is probably the best I've ever had. I will definitely be coming back to this spot. Thank you for the delicious meal!

Service was amazing and friendly, best part was the food! Best Chinese I’ve had up here in the high desert area. Second visit and tried new dishes and definitely was yummy! Highly recommend!

Hard to find nothing but Chinese FAST food instead of a real Chinese food joint so it’s crazy I’ve driven past this place a million times assuming it was fast food, until I noticed online it’s not fast food like Panda Express, 🙄 so I decided to check it out today. Ordered egg foo yung & deluxe fried rice. Rice tasted horrible like old oil was used. Took it back & owner was so nice, remade it & it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Restaurant is very cozy and clean! Thank you so much for making it right. I highly recommend eating here. Egg Foo yung delicious hands down! I’ll BE BACK!!! Yummy. Everything tastes good

We stopped by the evening before Thanksgiving and had a great time with amazing food. Our service was excellent, they are always so fun and kind. We look forward to trying new dishes every time.

Great food and service. This was our first time there and we were very pleased. We even ordered Singapore rice noodles which is not on the menu and they accommodated us and made it. The portions were large, food was fresh and delicious. We ended up going back a week later for the 2nd time because we just wanted to get more yummy Chinese food. This is one of the more authentic Chinese food places we've found in the high desert.

2/1/2025 My family and I are customers of this restaurant now for many years. Oh we relocated up here 8 years ago from the South Bay Area and had a great difficult time trying to find a restaurant that served good Chinese food until we came here. I just took the time to scroll down through all of the reviews to see what the negative comments were. You can't please everyone but they sure do manage to please most people. 😊👍💞 I think the only thing I would change would be the decor because when you pull up in the parking lot it looks like the place is closed and that is the main reason that we did not go in for a very long time because we thought it was an abandoned building. I think if they brightened up those windows that it would attract people's attention and they would definitely get a lot more business because it's not the food and it's not the staff that make it quiet in there. And all the years I've been going there I've never had bad food or bad service and I have some very picky children that are young adults and have sophisticated pallets and everybody's always been pleased. I would say if you're on the fence about this place to definitely go in and the young man that works there is extremely patient and answers questions so far away ask about the menu and try things that look good because it most likely will be delicious! *Update* Just want everyone to know that as ofJuly2024 this is my favorite Chinese restaurantAnd I come here any chance I can. You just can't beat the value and the food is just wonderful so is the service. I recommend the sweet and sour chicken or pork and I also recommend getting the dinners for two or more with the shareable appetizers which are absolutely wonderful and the soups are amazing as well Bon Appetit everyone!!!!!💞💞💞💞💞 I ate here before covid and loved it. I kept watching and waiting for it to reopen. Finally got back in and wow! So good! We ordered the dinners; broccoli with mushrooms and oyster sauce and sweet and sour chicken. Dinners came with a delicious appetizer tray and soup. We had enough left over for us to take home and have another meal. Don't let the dark blinds fool you. Go inside and enjoy!

House Special pan fried noodle sizzling plate was great, vegetables fresh. The egg rolls and wonton soup are the best!

this place was absolutely AMAZING and has no reason to be as empty as it was. service was amazing and fast and food was great. will be coming back 10/10

This is a great old fashioned family restaurant, the food was delicious, excellent service 100% recommend

The food is really good and they serve it to you really fast, the wait time is very short. The menu is pretty cheap for the amount of food you get so your not hurting your wallet. If I had to not pick one thing it is that they don't have fountain drinks

First time trying this place with my husband and 2 daughters. We ordered 4 dishes and it was more than enough to share with each other. We even took a full box to go. All of the seasoning was on point.. and the portions were on the big side. 25. Teriyaki beef sizzling plate C30. Cumin chicken 98. Fried rice deluxe 101. Bar-b-q pork chow mein

Great food! Staff are attentive & kind.

M Garavito

This is a great old fashioned family restaurant, the food was delicious, excellent service 100% recommend

Peter Reid

The food is really good and they serve it to you really fast, the wait time is very short. The menu is pretty cheap for the amount of food you get so your not hurting your wallet. If I had to not pick one thing it is that they don't have fountain drinks

Tania Roa

First time trying this place with my husband and 2 daughters. We ordered 4 dishes and it was more than enough to share with each other. We even took a full box to go. All of the seasoning was on point.. and the portions were on the big side. 25. Teriyaki beef sizzling plate C30. Cumin chicken 98. Fried rice deluxe 101. Bar-b-q pork chow mein

Lisa A

Great food! Staff are attentive & kind.

Madnificent_Arts

Do yourself a favor and come eat here! This Chinese food is amazing. The portions are generous and the price is very reasonable. I haven't had orange chicken this delicious and authentic in years. The chow mein is probably the best I've ever had. I will definitely be coming back to this spot. Thank you for the delicious meal!

Shannon Spini

We stopped by the evening before Thanksgiving and had a great time with amazing food. Our service was excellent, they are always so fun and kind. We look forward to trying new dishes every time.

Cherry Mari

Service was amazing and friendly, best part was the food! Best Chinese I’ve had up here in the high desert area. Second visit and tried new dishes and definitely was yummy! Highly recommend!

Angela Scandora

Hard to find nothing but Chinese FAST food instead of a real Chinese food joint so it’s crazy I’ve driven past this place a million times assuming it was fast food, until I noticed online it’s not fast food like Panda Express, 🙄 so I decided to check it out today. Ordered egg foo yung & deluxe fried rice. Rice tasted horrible like old oil was used. Took it back & owner was so nice, remade it & it was absolutely DELICIOUS!!! Restaurant is very cozy and clean! Thank you so much for making it right. I highly recommend eating here. Egg Foo yung delicious hands down! I’ll BE BACK!!! Yummy. Everything tastes good

Juli Showkeir

Great food and service. This was our first time there and we were very pleased. We even ordered Singapore rice noodles which is not on the menu and they accommodated us and made it. The portions were large, food was fresh and delicious. We ended up going back a week later for the 2nd time because we just wanted to get more yummy Chinese food. This is one of the more authentic Chinese food places we've found in the high desert.

Chantelle Cummings

2/1/2025 My family and I are customers of this restaurant now for many years. Oh we relocated up here 8 years ago from the South Bay Area and had a great difficult time trying to find a restaurant that served good Chinese food until we came here. I just took the time to scroll down through all of the reviews to see what the negative comments were. You can't please everyone but they sure do manage to please most people. 😊👍💞 I think the only thing I would change would be the decor because when you pull up in the parking lot it looks like the place is closed and that is the main reason that we did not go in for a very long time because we thought it was an abandoned building. I think if they brightened up those windows that it would attract people's attention and they would definitely get a lot more business because it's not the food and it's not the staff that make it quiet in there. And all the years I've been going there I've never had bad food or bad service and I have some very picky children that are young adults and have sophisticated pallets and everybody's always been pleased. I would say if you're on the fence about this place to definitely go in and the young man that works there is extremely patient and answers questions so far away ask about the menu and try things that look good because it most likely will be delicious! *Update* Just want everyone to know that as ofJuly2024 this is my favorite Chinese restaurantAnd I come here any chance I can. You just can't beat the value and the food is just wonderful so is the service. I recommend the sweet and sour chicken or pork and I also recommend getting the dinners for two or more with the shareable appetizers which are absolutely wonderful and the soups are amazing as well Bon Appetit everyone!!!!!💞💞💞💞💞 I ate here before covid and loved it. I kept watching and waiting for it to reopen. Finally got back in and wow! So good! We ordered the dinners; broccoli with mushrooms and oyster sauce and sweet and sour chicken. Dinners came with a delicious appetizer tray and soup. We had enough left over for us to take home and have another meal. Don't let the dark blinds fool you. Go inside and enjoy!

Monica Reyes

House Special pan fried noodle sizzling plate was great, vegetables fresh. The egg rolls and wonton soup are the best!

M

this place was absolutely AMAZING and has no reason to be as empty as it was. service was amazing and fast and food was great. will be coming back 10/10

I came into the restaurant and the place looked nice not only that the staff was super friendly. It was my first ever time in there and they recommended me to the barbecue pork chow mein. That was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had absolutely delicious. I knew it was gonna be good Because when I got into my car, it smelled amazing. 1000 Percent will be coming back and recommending to friends and family

The best Chinese food I’ve had in a while. Each plate had its own distinctive flavor to it. 10 out of 10. I highly recommend this place!!!

Really good food everything is good I always go for the wor wonton soup

Carlos Sanchez

Really good food everything is good I always go for the wor wonton soup

Victoria S

The best Chinese food I’ve had in a while. Each plate had its own distinctive flavor to it. 10 out of 10. I highly recommend this place!!!

Dominic Kunath

I came into the restaurant and the place looked nice not only that the staff was super friendly. It was my first ever time in there and they recommended me to the barbecue pork chow mein. That was one of the best dishes I’ve ever had absolutely delicious. I knew it was gonna be good Because when I got into my car, it smelled amazing. 1000 Percent will be coming back and recommending to friends and family

Mikey

I went with my mom, her wife, and her mom when they came to visit. We came around 7pm, so there was barely anybody there, which is what i prefer anyway. Mom got some kind of lamb, step mom got dumplings, I got beef fried rice, and grandma just got tea. The menu was extensive, with a LOT of options, and the server was very kind and able to make accommodations for stepmom. The food was fantastic, and got there pretty fast. The tea was great, and they left the teapot there for you to serve your own tea in a tiny teacup. The portions were so good we had to take leftovers home! Overall great experience, will be visiting again very soon.

I came in for the lunch special which has quite a good variety to choose from, prices were decent and the portions of the entréé, sides, and the soup were satisfying. The food was fresh and flavor was good enough for me to come back again. Would definitely recommend for a quick lunch. Server was also nice as were the workers there. Thanks Mandarin Chef.

I got the Moo shu pork (like Chinese burritos) which were pretty good. Will return to try some more dishes

Very tasty and authentic flavors! Nice and helpful staff were very attentive to our needs. The Lunch specials are a great bargain for the amount and quality of the food. Plenty of room in the dining room so waiting doesn't seem to be an issue!

Have been several times now and the food has been very good each time, flavorful and fresh. I don't know why it's not busier than it is, especially at lunch when plate specials are available at prices that beat the nearby fast-food options (and with vastly better quality). The menu has variety to suit every taste, and service is prompt and courteous.

They have large portions meant to be eaten family style of good Chinese food. Much better than the Panda and the all to common knockoffs in the region... Best to order by number to avoid misunderstandings. I will be going back again

Well, they were nicccce...the woman at the register was very very kind and had a wonderful big smile. But that’s really all. We have been talking about visiting for a couple months. Finally made a visit. The food wasn’t horrible. It was just very very “safe”.

Scott Pinkham

They have large portions meant to be eaten family style of good Chinese food. Much better than the Panda and the all to common knockoffs in the region... Best to order by number to avoid misunderstandings. I will be going back again

This is the best Chinese that we have found...however, due to the fact that they will not open for dining in we won't eat here until they do. Our favorite dishes just don't taste the same by the time we get home 35 minutes from the restaurant. It is one of the only restaurants that refuse to open inside. Please consider opening for Indoor dining so that we can enjoy your delicious food again. So many customers agree with us.

Years ago their food grade was an A. Food tasted great. Went there another time, months later, and their food grade was a C-They were out of country at this time. Wanted some take out tonight, husband went to go check out their food grade and there is a B posted. Hesitant to eat there again as I didn’t look up why their food grade is all over the place.

Nichol Salmeron

Years ago their food grade was an A. Food tasted great. Went there another time, months later, and their food grade was a C-They were out of country at this time. Wanted some take out tonight, husband went to go check out their food grade and there is a B posted. Hesitant to eat there again as I didn’t look up why their food grade is all over the place.

We order a to go meal and my egg foo young was burnt, yes burnt! Our fried rice had nothing in it but a couple of peas. I’ve been here before and the food was good but this time it was horrible. Maybe a new cook? Or maybe they need a new cook. Very disappointing I have to say.

The food is amazing. The service impeccable. The music enjoyable. The atmosphere authentic. Well, that was 3 years ago. Since covid, the food has declined drastically. First, all the fillers of water chestnuts and bamboo shoots is rediculous. Then the orange chicken started coming with this little black flecks. Yuck!!!!

First time trying this place out $28 for 2 items pictured. It had a odd old oil smell to it. Loved the chicken chunks but the flavor didn't care for it.

Josie

First time trying this place out $28 for 2 items pictured. It had a odd old oil smell to it. Loved the chicken chunks but the flavor didn't care for it.

My shrimp egg foo young, was horrible, it was like eating mushy mini wheat...the orange chicken and Mongolian beef was just ok. The special fried rice was not special at all. Dinner was $65 and not worth $5. Don't waste your time or money!

Kathy Purcell

My shrimp egg foo young, was horrible, it was like eating mushy mini wheat...the orange chicken and Mongolian beef was just ok. The special fried rice was not special at all. Dinner was $65 and not worth $5. Don't waste your time or money!

We were very disappointed during our last visit and will not be returning after years of having enjoyed coming to eat here. We took my mother for her birthday this past weekend after they finally reopened. When we arrived we let the hostess know we had 8 people in our party. She let the waiter know and he became very upset and began to complain and argue with the hostess. He then angrily threw two tables together (he was literally shoving the chairs together) while complaining the whole time to the hostess (we didn't understand the language he was speaking, but it felt very uncomfortable). The hostess proceeded to seat us, but he continued to give attitude and argue with the hostess. When he took our order he did so obviously annoyed. When we asked questions he would say he didn't know what we meant or acted confused. He has been here since we started going in 2017 and this is the first time he ever acted so rudely or questioned what we ordered. His behavior was inexcusable and ruined my mother's birthday dinner. We will not be returning, which is which is shame because we truly felt this was the best Chinese food in the high desert. We obviously came when he was having a bad day, but if he he had a problem serving us or was short staffed, he should have told us instead of behaving the way he did. Very dissapointing.

“Hey, I’m hosting a party and need two large entrees.” She brings out two 9”x13” inch pans. Lemon chicken? Sure. I get home, open it up and it’s four, thin sliced, fried chicken cutlets, on this extremely generous bed of shredded cabbage. That’s it. $47. Fool me once, I guess. Don’t even get me started on the beef and broccoli that was actually just uncooked broccoli slathered in beef broth.

Nope. We went there last night. My wife, child, and I are feeling nauseated. The food was greasy. The soup; also greasy, looks like it's been boiling all day. It looks like they tried hard to cook a great dinner, but there was something wrong with almost every dish. They were very kind and friendly, but we came for the food and NOPE.

The guy cooking and seemingly in Charge was yelling at the lady who worked there.

SO SAD, HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! I've been eating here for 6 plus years support through covid and hard times! I asked about why only 3 shrimp In $16 chop suey deluxe.... She said.... I DON'T CARE!