Chef Lee's Mandarin House

Best Chinese food ever

I absolutely loved this place. It has beautiful decor, polite servers, and delicious food. I feel like the prices are good for the times we’re in. They have big servings, too. If I visit Monterey again, I would eat here again. I had Mongolian beef and it was so tasty.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I've enjoyed countless dinners at Chef Lee's Mandarin House over the years, and each visit has been consistently excellent. Today's lunch was no exception--it was truly outstanding. I was struck by how the restaurant's elegant architecture is just as beautiful in the daytime as it is striking when illuminated at night. Specializing in Northern Chinese cuisine, Chef Lee's offers an extensive menu filled with lots of flavorful favorites. We began with perfectly prepared Chicken Potstickers served with a savory dipping sauce, followed by the exceptional Walnut Shrimp--crispy, sweet, and perfectly seasoned. The Shrimp Chow Fun, with its wide rice noodles, was absolutely delicious, and the Chicken Fried Rice complemented everything wonderfully. Generous portions offered great value, leaving plenty for me to take home and enjoy later. Service was friendly, efficient, and attentive, and I especially love dining in the spacious, beautifully decorated rooms that create a refined, yet comfortable atmosphere with beautiful Chinese accents. Chef Lee's is always ideal for family meals, friendly get-togethers, or business lunches. When I inquired, I was also reminded that they can easily accommodate groups of 25, 50, or even 100 guests--perfect for birthdays, anniversaries, wedding receptions, celebrations of life, and other gatherings, with a wide selection of tasty appetizers and entrees to suit every palate. It is open from 11 am - 9:30 pm so you can dine anything like I did today with a later lunch. An award-winning restaurant since 1981, annually voted "Best Chinese Restaurant" in Monterey County, Chef Lee's has been the recipient of numerous awards year after year. Conveniently located right off Highway 1 on North Fremont with a large parking lot, it's easy to see why Chef Lee's Mandarin House remains a beloved local favorite including mine. Highly recommended!

A Pleasant Surprise When Dining Solo 🍽️✨
Had such a great experience here! Sometimes you just crave a delicious meal even if you’re dining solo — and that’s exactly what I did. I was pleasantly surprised when they rolled my Mu Shu Pork for me — I think that’s a first! The food was excellent, and the other diners were so friendly, which made the whole experience even better. A wonderful spot to enjoy great food and good vibes, whether you’re with friends or treating yourself. 🥢💛

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 4

Service: 4

Disappointed by the takeout. Three dishes ordered, and no rice offered or supplied. The food was provided in an open box, requiring two hands to carry. This being California, I suppose the kitchen assumed customers were in cars, but I was walking from nearby motel, so--awkward. Too much batter in the two protein dishes.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 3

Service: 3

The best part about our meal was leaving!

Chinese cuisine is my favorite food so I can tell you NEVER EAT HERE! My party of 4 got 4 different meals and 2 appetizers. They were the worst tasting Chinese I have ever had and some of the most expensive. No one in my party ate more then a quarter of our food it was that bad

Please if you care about your taste buds go anywhere else

The service and Atmosphere were amazing but the food was so bad I can’t give anymore than 1 star.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

Garbage

This is an amazing place. The food and service was great. I would recommend eating here.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I read some negative reviews but decided to ask the hotel front desk about the food. She gave it a rave review so we took a chance, and I sure am glad we did!

The food was absolutely delicious! I loved the beef and broccoli, chow mein, orange chicken, Kung pao chicken. All of it, flavorful and delicious.

Atmosphere is really nice, a very authentic feel and the service staff was attentive to our needs.
5 stars!

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

I want to start off by saying the staff is so professional, nice and polite. I was very well impressed with their service. They take care of all your needs, check up on you with great attitudes. The Atmosphere is great, it is very clean and the decorations are so beautiful. The reason I cannot rate it higher is the food. The food is flavorless and very plain. I love Chinese food, but I think I get more flavor from water than their food.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 1

Service: 5

Food was delicious. We had beef and broccoli and the beef was so tender!!! 5stars. Would definitely return!!!!

The restaurant not far from our hotel and my friend wanting to eat Chinese we went there. Barely seated the boy arrives to take our order. We are asking for a little time, which seems normal to me. Obviously for him 5 minutes was enough. We're sending him back once again. Finally we decided to take the menu for 2 except that we wanted sautéed rice instead of white rice... Well no, impossible to change the menu even if we paid extra. We also learn that if we order à la carte it will cost us less than the menu but we have to order the rice separately! For information the menu is indicated as follows: 70$ for 2 people when the reality is that it is 70$ PER person! In short we order à la carte, the dishes will arrive one after the other, fortunately we did not have dessert! Once served we receive the bill! Balance sheet: nasty food, ribs with the taste of old, chicken chewing gum and above all the market a boy without embarrassment ... While at other tables they left the customers the discretion to put the tips they wanted, at our house he stood next to us with his eyes on the machine. No big deal, my friend turned it towards me and I pressed no tips ... With 108$ of nasty food it was enough at paid. You understand, I do not recommend this restaurant ...

Found a ROACH in the Wonton Soup. I brought it to the owners attention, she was unfazed as well as the waiter. The waiter just wiped the spoon off with his apron.

The food was tasteless. Presentation needs work. Pricey for the quality.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Sizzling Rice Soup

Fried rice was ok, not amazing. I miss Jim's

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 5