You go for the food! Very reasonable prices. Every dish we ordered was tasty. I'm told a husband and wife own and operate the kitchen and dining room. The server/wife speaks Mandarin and no English, so you'll have to communicate by pointing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Sandy Hui
This is a small local mom & pop restaurant. The food doesn't look fancy but it's very good. We have been going to this restaurant for years. We are so glad that their business survived COVID. My favorite appetizer is a cold dish called mala beef. The meat ball (lion head) is very good. The noodles and house fried rice are yummy too.
Limited English, cash only but the spicy oil noodle and the tan tan mien is LIFE
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Onion Pan Cake
Kris Jin
Love the food here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Lili C.
My husband loves the ZhaJiangMian (black sauce minced meat noodles) and we've come here a couple of times. The owners/staff are really friendly but they only speak Mandarin and assume I do too even though I keep replying with silent nods and English. We also get stared at, I guess because my husband is White. Awkwardness aside, it's a cosy mom-and-pop style restaurant with good food.... if you know already exactly what you want to order.
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I have been eating here on and off for almost 7 years, and the store lives up to its name. Especially my favorite fried eggplant with sauce is as delicious as ever.
Roger Chiu
Awesome food awesome service
Christine H.
We wanted to have a quick lunch at a restaurant with ample parking and decided to try here. The shopping plaza parking lot was more full than expected, even with Elite Restaurant closed but we managed to find a few open spaces. We ordered the Leek and Fish dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, and Tomato and Egg noodles.All of the dishes were really good. The filling in the dumplings was generous, flavorful and moist and their dipping sauce added a nice spicy kick. Their Kung Pao Chicken was pretty spicy cooked with both red peppers and jalapenos but the flavor was perfect especially if eaten with rice. We also really liked their tomato and egg dish. The noodles tasted like fresh made noodles with a nice chew. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of our dishes.Service was pretty quick. Food was good. We will go back to try other dishes.
Joyce J.
We happened upon this restaurant and loved the food! The beef noodle soup was super yummy & the sautéed fish fillet was so good! Love the food. The lunch menu is awesome! $7 and up for single servings until 3pm. Warning: The boss lady doesn't speak much English and demonstrated little patience for English. If you can speak and understand Mandarin, you're good to go. Cash only. No credit cards.
Elaine Y.
Pros- best noodles. Don't know what type of noodles they use in their stir fry dishes, but everyone agrees that it's the best. It's chewy and springy. Holds sauce really well. We usually get the vegetarian or combo chow mein. Potstickers are pretty good. Cons: cash only and prices "fluctuate" and never the same as menu or the previous time.
Our go-to for authentic northern Chinese food because their handmade noodles and flour-based doughy foods (dumplings, pancakes) are supreme.The main proprietress is super sweet and generally remembers you and your order if you become a regular. It's easier if you can speak to her in Chinese, but she tries her best to communicate in English with non-Chinese-speaking patrons. Favorite dishes to order:- Dry spicy beef noodles (hand-pulled or knife cut) - full of numbing spice from Szechwan peppercorns, this bowl of handmade noodles are chewy and flavorful and the beef is perfectly tender; mix well so the sauce doesn't stay only at the bottom of the bowl- Stir-fried noodles (I like getting knife-cut) with your choice of protein (or just veggies if you don't eat meat) - very delicious smoky wok hei, not too salty in flavor, slight crunch from veggies - Twice-cooked pork - luscious pork belly that has been simmered once, sliced thinly, and then cooked again with leeks and cabbage--oily and salty but pairs well with rice and noodles-Beef roll pancake - bubbly fried pancake wrapped around sweet and savory beef, green onions, and cilantro; oily but delicious and I often want to finish one by myself but it's good for sharing
Briana S.
Vegetarian here! 4/5 Stars for some Chinese food that hits the spot!The food:This was our second time at Mandarin Deli, and the food is as I remember it from years back! We ordered the Vegetable Noodles (素菜炒手拉麵) and I asked for them to be dry as opposed to soup-based and selected the hand-pulled noodle version. It seems like you can certainly ask for a soup version (素湯麵) or with the option of knife-cut noodles (刀削麵). The Vegetable Noodles came piping-hot and stir-fried in soy sauce bean sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. I also ordered handmade Vegetable Potstickers (素鍋貼) that came in a serving of eight and was filled with an assortment of vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and tofu. Everything was flavorful and delicious, albeit on the oilier and saltier end of the spectrum. I believe everything I ordered also happened to be vegan, as long as no eggs were used in the dough.Everything else:Mandarin Deli is a classic Monterey Park mom and pop/hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant. The food as as authentic as it can get, but the interior is a bit old-school and an all-cash (no credit card) location. You'll likely need to speak Mandarin in order to order exactly what you want, but the menus do come with both English and Mandarin, so you should be able to get by with pointing at what you'd like. If you're also vegetarian/vegan, make sure to specify you'd like everything vegetarian (素sù) and if you're vegan, verify that that no eggs were used. You can also order a pack of handmade frozen dumplings (50 pieces/pack), buns, and wontons to-go. The restaurant shares the same parking lot as the Dollar Tree, another restaurant, and bubble tea shop, but there was still plenty of parking on Saturday at noon.Keep in mind that prices have risen starting Jan 1, 2023, so add $1.50 to all the items on the menu. Overall, I would certainly stop by Mandarin Deli again when I'm in the area. There's quite a few other vegetarian options on the menu that I haven't tried yet, so I'll definitely be back again!
Jenny C.
This small establishment was an unexpected nice find. We decided to order a few items for a late lunch. The owner/server is super nice.The green onion pancakes were darker than you normally see but it was crunchy and tasty. This dish reminded me of a flattened version of the "Chinese donuts". I like it. The beef roll cakes were decent. The paste inside is usually a little sweet and tangy. This establishes didn't have it and was missing that as a dip, as well.The best item we got was their red oil wontons. I especially enjoyed the savory oil/soy sauce mix. It went perfect with the boiled wontons. I could had eaten a dozen more!I would skip the noodles dishes -- the soup base is off. The broth seems like veggie based flavored with a lot of soy sauce.
Katelyn K.
I've been coming here for a very long time with my family. It's difficult for me to come by myself because I don't speak Mandarin and the employees don't really speak English either. My family and I usually do take out instead of dining in. My favorite is the vegetable fried rice, always hit the spot! They also sell frozen dumplings. I always buy a bag or two to keep some at home. My favorite is leek with pork dumplings. I just love the flavor. No one else does it like them!
Benson K.
Lately I've been trying all sorts of new noodle places near me and in the nearby Los Angeles areas. I saw that this noodle place had really good prices and a large menu. The pictures looked nice, so I came here with my parents for brunch.We were the only people there, which was nice, given that it was a very small restaurant. The heat wasn't turned on, and it was kind of a cold day. But the most important part of the experience was the food.We ended up ordering combination potstickers, zhajiangmian, and house special noodles.The dumplings came with 4 meat potstickers and 4 vegetarian potstickers. The vegetarian potstickers were unlike anything I've had before, and they were quite tasty and fresh. The meat potstickers are fairly standard, but still good.The zhaijiangmian was good, salty without being too salty. My favorite dish, and the reason I gave this restaurant 5 stars, was the house special noodles. The noodles were hand pulled, the soup was warm and not too salty, and the dish also had eggs, mushrooms, pork, and tomatoes. A perfect soup noodle dish for a cold winter day.The restaurant also gave out complimentary hot tea. Overall, food was amazing.
You go for the food! Very reasonable prices. Every dish we ordered was tasty. I'm told a husband and wife own and operate the kitchen and dining room. The server/wife speaks Mandarin and no English, so you'll have to communicate by pointing!
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
This is a small local mom & pop restaurant. The food doesn't look fancy but it's very good. We have been going to this restaurant for years. We are so glad that their business survived COVID. My favorite appetizer is a cold dish called mala beef. The meat ball (lion head) is very good. The noodles and house fried rice are yummy too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Fried Rice, Beef Noodle, 清炒大豆苗
Limited English, cash only but the spicy oil noodle and the tan tan mien is LIFE
Food: 5
Recommended dishes: Green Onion Pan Cake
Love the food here.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
My husband loves the ZhaJiangMian (black sauce minced meat noodles) and we've come here a couple of times. The owners/staff are really friendly but they only speak Mandarin and assume I do too even though I keep replying with silent nods and English. We also get stared at, I guess because my husband is White. Awkwardness aside, it's a cosy mom-and-pop style restaurant with good food.... if you know already exactly what you want to order.
I have been eating here on and off for almost 7 years, and the store lives up to its name. Especially my favorite fried eggplant with sauce is as delicious as ever.
Awesome food awesome service
We wanted to have a quick lunch at a restaurant with ample parking and decided to try here. The shopping plaza parking lot was more full than expected, even with Elite Restaurant closed but we managed to find a few open spaces. We ordered the Leek and Fish dumplings, Kung Pao Chicken, and Tomato and Egg noodles.All of the dishes were really good. The filling in the dumplings was generous, flavorful and moist and their dipping sauce added a nice spicy kick. Their Kung Pao Chicken was pretty spicy cooked with both red peppers and jalapenos but the flavor was perfect especially if eaten with rice. We also really liked their tomato and egg dish. The noodles tasted like fresh made noodles with a nice chew. Sorry I forgot to take pictures of our dishes.Service was pretty quick. Food was good. We will go back to try other dishes.
We happened upon this restaurant and loved the food! The beef noodle soup was super yummy & the sautéed fish fillet was so good! Love the food. The lunch menu is awesome! $7 and up for single servings until 3pm. Warning: The boss lady doesn't speak much English and demonstrated little patience for English. If you can speak and understand Mandarin, you're good to go. Cash only. No credit cards.
Pros- best noodles. Don't know what type of noodles they use in their stir fry dishes, but everyone agrees that it's the best. It's chewy and springy. Holds sauce really well. We usually get the vegetarian or combo chow mein. Potstickers are pretty good. Cons: cash only and prices "fluctuate" and never the same as menu or the previous time.
Restaurantji Recommends
Our go-to for authentic northern Chinese food because their handmade noodles and flour-based doughy foods (dumplings, pancakes) are supreme.The main proprietress is super sweet and generally remembers you and your order if you become a regular. It's easier if you can speak to her in Chinese, but she tries her best to communicate in English with non-Chinese-speaking patrons. Favorite dishes to order:- Dry spicy beef noodles (hand-pulled or knife cut) - full of numbing spice from Szechwan peppercorns, this bowl of handmade noodles are chewy and flavorful and the beef is perfectly tender; mix well so the sauce doesn't stay only at the bottom of the bowl- Stir-fried noodles (I like getting knife-cut) with your choice of protein (or just veggies if you don't eat meat) - very delicious smoky wok hei, not too salty in flavor, slight crunch from veggies - Twice-cooked pork - luscious pork belly that has been simmered once, sliced thinly, and then cooked again with leeks and cabbage--oily and salty but pairs well with rice and noodles-Beef roll pancake - bubbly fried pancake wrapped around sweet and savory beef, green onions, and cilantro; oily but delicious and I often want to finish one by myself but it's good for sharing
Vegetarian here! 4/5 Stars for some Chinese food that hits the spot!The food:This was our second time at Mandarin Deli, and the food is as I remember it from years back! We ordered the Vegetable Noodles (素菜炒手拉麵) and I asked for them to be dry as opposed to soup-based and selected the hand-pulled noodle version. It seems like you can certainly ask for a soup version (素湯麵) or with the option of knife-cut noodles (刀削麵). The Vegetable Noodles came piping-hot and stir-fried in soy sauce bean sprouts, cabbage, and carrots. I also ordered handmade Vegetable Potstickers (素鍋貼) that came in a serving of eight and was filled with an assortment of vegetables, shiitake mushrooms, and tofu. Everything was flavorful and delicious, albeit on the oilier and saltier end of the spectrum. I believe everything I ordered also happened to be vegan, as long as no eggs were used in the dough.Everything else:Mandarin Deli is a classic Monterey Park mom and pop/hole-in-the-wall type of restaurant. The food as as authentic as it can get, but the interior is a bit old-school and an all-cash (no credit card) location. You'll likely need to speak Mandarin in order to order exactly what you want, but the menus do come with both English and Mandarin, so you should be able to get by with pointing at what you'd like. If you're also vegetarian/vegan, make sure to specify you'd like everything vegetarian (素sù) and if you're vegan, verify that that no eggs were used. You can also order a pack of handmade frozen dumplings (50 pieces/pack), buns, and wontons to-go. The restaurant shares the same parking lot as the Dollar Tree, another restaurant, and bubble tea shop, but there was still plenty of parking on Saturday at noon.Keep in mind that prices have risen starting Jan 1, 2023, so add $1.50 to all the items on the menu. Overall, I would certainly stop by Mandarin Deli again when I'm in the area. There's quite a few other vegetarian options on the menu that I haven't tried yet, so I'll definitely be back again!
This small establishment was an unexpected nice find. We decided to order a few items for a late lunch. The owner/server is super nice.The green onion pancakes were darker than you normally see but it was crunchy and tasty. This dish reminded me of a flattened version of the "Chinese donuts". I like it. The beef roll cakes were decent. The paste inside is usually a little sweet and tangy. This establishes didn't have it and was missing that as a dip, as well.The best item we got was their red oil wontons. I especially enjoyed the savory oil/soy sauce mix. It went perfect with the boiled wontons. I could had eaten a dozen more!I would skip the noodles dishes -- the soup base is off. The broth seems like veggie based flavored with a lot of soy sauce.
I've been coming here for a very long time with my family. It's difficult for me to come by myself because I don't speak Mandarin and the employees don't really speak English either. My family and I usually do take out instead of dining in. My favorite is the vegetable fried rice, always hit the spot! They also sell frozen dumplings. I always buy a bag or two to keep some at home. My favorite is leek with pork dumplings. I just love the flavor. No one else does it like them!
Lately I've been trying all sorts of new noodle places near me and in the nearby Los Angeles areas. I saw that this noodle place had really good prices and a large menu. The pictures looked nice, so I came here with my parents for brunch.We were the only people there, which was nice, given that it was a very small restaurant. The heat wasn't turned on, and it was kind of a cold day. But the most important part of the experience was the food.We ended up ordering combination potstickers, zhajiangmian, and house special noodles.The dumplings came with 4 meat potstickers and 4 vegetarian potstickers. The vegetarian potstickers were unlike anything I've had before, and they were quite tasty and fresh. The meat potstickers are fairly standard, but still good.The zhaijiangmian was good, salty without being too salty. My favorite dish, and the reason I gave this restaurant 5 stars, was the house special noodles. The noodles were hand pulled, the soup was warm and not too salty, and the dish also had eggs, mushrooms, pork, and tomatoes. A perfect soup noodle dish for a cold winter day.The restaurant also gave out complimentary hot tea. Overall, food was amazing.