What a wonderful restaurant. I am VERY sad to know I missed my chance to eat there for the last time. I've been eating there for nearly 20 years and I am very sad to know they are retired. Thanks for the years of amazing food!
Sean
10 years ago this place was far better and it has declined significantly. I was served old canned vegetables with my entree. Absolutely disgusting.
Lynnette M.
On Friday, December 31 Mandarin Gourmet closed their doors for good. For 30 years they provided their patrons with delicious dishes and grew to became a SLO institution. They deserve our thanks and best wishes for the future.
Kevin K.
Mandarin Gourmet is the best Chinese food restaurant in SLO and the annual voting results from the New Times proves this out. The people have spoken! We have been going there for the last 8 years and their recipes consistently have outstanding flavor and are almost always cooked perfectly. Dishes with vegetables like string beans are cooked just right, cooked through with just a slight snap so they are not mushy but also not raw. We normally get 4-5 dishes each outing (won tons, sweet & sour pork, General Tao's chicken, combination chow mein, chicken with string beans, pork fried rice) and the sauces are the perfect balance of sweet and savory, with tastes distinctive enough from each other that they don't taste like they are the same dish, with just a different protein. Service is always outstanding - with the wait staff attentive and friendly. The only thing we wish for was that they were open on Thanksgiving and Christmas too! Check it out!
Daniel L.
I first ate here about 30 years ago, not long after they had just opened, and have continued to do so over the years. I've always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. My favorite dish, the Szechuan noodles, was removed from the menu at some point in the past several years which was a big disappointment, so now my go-to is the Mongolian beef which is quite good. Some reviewers have expressed surprise that this place, being a Chinese restaurant, makes pho. It makes sense though when you consider that Eric, the owner and head chef, is from Vietnam (although he is ethnically Chinese), so that dish is something he grew up with. Very nice guy - he has owned the place since a couple of years after it was established. Almost 30 years and still going strong!
Annie M.
I dreamt of their fabulous hot and sour soup all the way from Los Angeles to SLO on this very cold rainy day. It's full of goodness, bamboo shoots, tofu, chicken?, spring onions, mushrooms, and whatever gives the hot it's hot, and lots of sour too! Not overwhelming, just enough of both to bring you warmth and comfort. Paired with some egg rolls, it's a tasty meal! My husband ordered a seafood soup which was chock full of Pieces of shrimp, and other tasty morsels. He was very pleased. It's not a trip to SLO without a visit to our favorite Chinese restaurant!
Melanie M.
Literally spent $80 on orange chicken, chow mein and broccoli beef which was soggy, mushy and old. We even called ahead and asked to make sure the noodles and broccoli would not be mushy. This is the 3rd time ordering really bad Chinese food in SLO :( I don't know if they just think that the population here doesn't know good Chinese food or if they are just lazy and over life. I would def not recommend if you are looking for decent Chinese. Panda Express still takes 1st place for this area sadly.
Dan F.
Definitely not a 1-2 $ price as labeled on Yelp. Food is WAAAY over-salted and otherwise bland. Service was courteous and decent, but food definitely over priced (for a lunch) and SALTY !! Pick up Stix better and cheaper.
Kraig Kinder
Food is absolutely garbage now it went downhill fried rice sucked no vegetables and same with the Kung pow chicken tasteless garbage and no vegetables too expensive for trash food
Kraig K.
Food is over priced garbage and no taste fried rice had no veggies and was mush like it was from the day before got Kung pow chicken I got a plate of peanuts with some gross thick brown gravy asked if there were any veggies or chicken they offered to sell me some
Picked up four different dishes . Really nasty , mush…So disappointed ☹️What a waste of money
Sheila Genova
So delicious, nice atmosphere, good service. Got shrimp veggie dish and was very good. For me, will have sauce on the side if I can.
Tony Park
Worst Chinese food I have ever tasted. Ordered Mongolian beef and Kung pao chicken and they were very salty. Meat were too soggy. Not eatable. I would not recommend to anyone. Food are also very pricey. Not a worth a penny.
Zach W.
Great spot for takeout ! Love getting this on a night of just relaxing and eating some food Chinese takeout. Been going here since I was a kid and has been a great spot and lots to choose from. My go to order is orange chicken, moosho pork, noodles, fried rice and mixed it up.
Mr Rose G.
Service was terrible guy acted like he didn't want to serve us and they put a gratuity fee when we had a small party even tho we tried to tip food wasn't great either I wouldn't go there again I wish I would've looked at reviews before but yah
What a wonderful restaurant. I am VERY sad to know I missed my chance to eat there for the last time. I've been eating there for nearly 20 years and I am very sad to know they are retired. Thanks for the years of amazing food!
10 years ago this place was far better and it has declined significantly. I was served old canned vegetables with my entree. Absolutely disgusting.
On Friday, December 31 Mandarin Gourmet closed their doors for good. For 30 years they provided their patrons with delicious dishes and grew to became a SLO institution. They deserve our thanks and best wishes for the future.
Mandarin Gourmet is the best Chinese food restaurant in SLO and the annual voting results from the New Times proves this out. The people have spoken! We have been going there for the last 8 years and their recipes consistently have outstanding flavor and are almost always cooked perfectly. Dishes with vegetables like string beans are cooked just right, cooked through with just a slight snap so they are not mushy but also not raw. We normally get 4-5 dishes each outing (won tons, sweet & sour pork, General Tao's chicken, combination chow mein, chicken with string beans, pork fried rice) and the sauces are the perfect balance of sweet and savory, with tastes distinctive enough from each other that they don't taste like they are the same dish, with just a different protein. Service is always outstanding - with the wait staff attentive and friendly. The only thing we wish for was that they were open on Thanksgiving and Christmas too! Check it out!
I first ate here about 30 years ago, not long after they had just opened, and have continued to do so over the years. I've always enjoyed the food and atmosphere. My favorite dish, the Szechuan noodles, was removed from the menu at some point in the past several years which was a big disappointment, so now my go-to is the Mongolian beef which is quite good. Some reviewers have expressed surprise that this place, being a Chinese restaurant, makes pho. It makes sense though when you consider that Eric, the owner and head chef, is from Vietnam (although he is ethnically Chinese), so that dish is something he grew up with. Very nice guy - he has owned the place since a couple of years after it was established. Almost 30 years and still going strong!
I dreamt of their fabulous hot and sour soup all the way from Los Angeles to SLO on this very cold rainy day. It's full of goodness, bamboo shoots, tofu, chicken?, spring onions, mushrooms, and whatever gives the hot it's hot, and lots of sour too! Not overwhelming, just enough of both to bring you warmth and comfort. Paired with some egg rolls, it's a tasty meal! My husband ordered a seafood soup which was chock full of Pieces of shrimp, and other tasty morsels. He was very pleased. It's not a trip to SLO without a visit to our favorite Chinese restaurant!
Literally spent $80 on orange chicken, chow mein and broccoli beef which was soggy, mushy and old. We even called ahead and asked to make sure the noodles and broccoli would not be mushy. This is the 3rd time ordering really bad Chinese food in SLO :( I don't know if they just think that the population here doesn't know good Chinese food or if they are just lazy and over life. I would def not recommend if you are looking for decent Chinese. Panda Express still takes 1st place for this area sadly.
Definitely not a 1-2 $ price as labeled on Yelp. Food is WAAAY over-salted and otherwise bland. Service was courteous and decent, but food definitely over priced (for a lunch) and SALTY !! Pick up Stix better and cheaper.
Food is absolutely garbage now it went downhill fried rice sucked no vegetables and same with the Kung pow chicken tasteless garbage and no vegetables too expensive for trash food
Food is over priced garbage and no taste fried rice had no veggies and was mush like it was from the day before got Kung pow chicken I got a plate of peanuts with some gross thick brown gravy asked if there were any veggies or chicken they offered to sell me some
Restaurantji Recommends
Picked up four different dishes . Really nasty , mush…So disappointed ☹️What a waste of money
So delicious, nice atmosphere, good service. Got shrimp veggie dish and was very good. For me, will have sauce on the side if I can.
Worst Chinese food I have ever tasted. Ordered Mongolian beef and Kung pao chicken and they were very salty. Meat were too soggy. Not eatable. I would not recommend to anyone. Food are also very pricey. Not a worth a penny.
Great spot for takeout ! Love getting this on a night of just relaxing and eating some food Chinese takeout. Been going here since I was a kid and has been a great spot and lots to choose from. My go to order is orange chicken, moosho pork, noodles, fried rice and mixed it up.
Service was terrible guy acted like he didn't want to serve us and they put a gratuity fee when we had a small party even tho we tried to tip food wasn't great either I wouldn't go there again I wish I would've looked at reviews before but yah