DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME HERE, LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE!
First impression: I ordered the Moo Shu Chicken, Chow Mein with rice, and Thai Basil Chicken. Honestly, Panda Express has more flavor. I was completely disappointed, the food tasted like it came from a hospital cafeteria (even so, I think the hospital cafeteria has better food). Absolutely no flavor at all; everything was bland and lifeless. It was honestly disgusting. My only regret is paying for food I couldn’t even enjoy and ending up throwing it away.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Sofia Sarellano
It's in the shopping center, very nice and friendly. Stopped for some food on our way home and it was quick to place the order and about 10-15min of leg stretching time before we had our food and got back in the road.😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Nan Cisney
I never enjoyed a meal in a restaurant less than I did when I had lunch with friends at Mandarin Palace. on 9/26/25. The worst was the attitude and lack of service by the shorter of the several waiters there. He brought me a different dish than the one I ordered. Although the dish was nauseatingly oilier than the Sechuan dish I had ordered, I didn't attempt to complain, but during the entire meal, no one checked on us and it was impossible catch their attention for them to bring the condiments that are supposed to go with the food we order, e.g. mustard for the egg rolls even though there were only about 4 other customers in the restaurant at the time. I will never return to this restaurant because of the extreme unfriendliness. Go Chinese someplace else. There are lotos of good Asian restaurants in Santa Barbara.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Parnell Dunken
Good enough for us to get food from here once a week or more.
Ross Treusdell
The food I ordered was rotten. I got the Mongolian Beef. The onions in it were horrible. I use onions a lot when I cook, so I could tell that the onions were way too old to eat.
The dining room has a slightly unpleasant smell, though when I used the bathroom, I noticed the smell from the kitchen was worse.
I imagine not all of their food is like this, but I wish I had never eaten that meal. I had very bad indigestion for two days afterwards.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
Breana McGowan
We got take out and you could tell they just do not care. They picked up the phone but kept talking to whoever they were talking to for over a minute before speaking to us. The food was bland because the sauces are so watered down. If you Chinese they doesn’t taste like Chinese, you’ll like this place. Only reason that I gave this place 2 stars is because the partitions are decent and I could save it by adding chili sauce at home.
Food: 2
Service: 2
Abel H. Freire
OMG...delish!... fresh and tasty light and not heavy I was full couldn't stop eating lol if I didn't live 2 hours away I'd definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Rebecca Morris
The best chowmein I ever had!
Alea Mcelroy
The main thing I can say is disappointing. The Peking duck was dry and had soggy skin. The beef had an odd sour taste to it and was a poor portion for $17. The tofu was not blanched to remove the package flavour. The rice was not prepared well. It just seemed like if the kitchen could take a shortcut or skip a step in preparation, they would. I’m so disappointed that I paid $70 for three dishes there and am still leaving hungry just because I couldn’t be bothered to finish the food.
Alf V
Used to be a reference for good Chinese food in SB. Not any more. Restrooms and kitchen are filthy, No AC, food is served super-hot to mask the bland and oily flavours. Front desk service is rude. I would not come back.
We visited this restaurant with a party of 10, including guests from out of town, young children (four of whom are youth track athletes under 12), and a child with a disability. From the start, the service felt disorganized and inattentive. Though we arrived early and the staff kindly set up a table for us, no one communicated when it was ready. We waited unnecessarily until I had to approach the staff myself.
Throughout the meal, service was inconsistent. We had to request water twice—despite having a large table of children—and ordered a pot of tea that also took follow-up. Basic hospitality, like checking in or acknowledging a group of this size, was notably lacking. Two of our guests, both coaches, ended up leaving due to the unwelcoming attitude of the staff, which was especially disappointing considering we chose this place to treat our guests.
The food itself was underwhelming, and while we did pay the bill without issue, we noticed that our kids were not offered fortune cookies—something we saw being given to other tables. When we politely asked, the request was dismissed without explanation.
We understand cultural nuances in service styles, and we came in as respectful, paying customers simply expecting a warm experience. Unfortunately, what we received fell short in both food and hospitality. I hope the restaurant can take this feedback constructively and make improvements, especially in welcoming and accommodating larger, diverse families.
Daniel Fenske
Delicious food, great atmosphere, and was busy even at 2 Pm. Will come back again in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Sour Pork
nd. 4-12
Very tasty. The general Tso' s Chicken was perfect ?. The service was fast and always attented to the customers needs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
rosalind yu
Ordered a delivery , the rice is rotten with black dots
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Robin S. Nicolaides
We are new to the area and making our first search for some Chinese food. Ordering online was seamless, but the food was tasteless and unimpressive. We're going to keep searching for another restaurant.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY AND TIME HERE, LOOK SOMEWHERE ELSE!
First impression: I ordered the Moo Shu Chicken, Chow Mein with rice, and Thai Basil Chicken. Honestly, Panda Express has more flavor. I was completely disappointed, the food tasted like it came from a hospital cafeteria (even so, I think the hospital cafeteria has better food). Absolutely no flavor at all; everything was bland and lifeless. It was honestly disgusting. My only regret is paying for food I couldn’t even enjoy and ending up throwing it away.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
It's in the shopping center, very nice and friendly. Stopped for some food on our way home and it was quick to place the order and about 10-15min of leg stretching time before we had our food and got back in the road.😊
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I never enjoyed a meal in a restaurant less than I did when I had lunch with friends at Mandarin Palace. on 9/26/25. The worst was the attitude and lack of service by the shorter of the several waiters there. He brought me a different dish than the one I ordered. Although the dish was nauseatingly oilier than the Sechuan dish I had ordered, I didn't attempt to complain, but during the entire meal, no one checked on us and it was impossible catch their attention for them to bring the condiments that are supposed to go with the food we order, e.g. mustard for the egg rolls even though there were only about 4 other customers in the restaurant at the time. I will never return to this restaurant because of the extreme unfriendliness. Go Chinese someplace else. There are lotos of good Asian restaurants in Santa Barbara.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Good enough for us to get food from here once a week or more.
The food I ordered was rotten. I got the Mongolian Beef. The onions in it were horrible. I use onions a lot when I cook, so I could tell that the onions were way too old to eat.
The dining room has a slightly unpleasant smell, though when I used the bathroom, I noticed the smell from the kitchen was worse.
I imagine not all of their food is like this, but I wish I had never eaten that meal. I had very bad indigestion for two days afterwards.
Atmosphere: 2
Food: 1
Service: 3
We got take out and you could tell they just do not care. They picked up the phone but kept talking to whoever they were talking to for over a minute before speaking to us. The food was bland because the sauces are so watered down. If you Chinese they doesn’t taste like Chinese, you’ll like this place. Only reason that I gave this place 2 stars is because the partitions are decent and I could save it by adding chili sauce at home.
Food: 2
Service: 2
OMG...delish!... fresh and tasty light and not heavy I was full couldn't stop eating lol if I didn't live 2 hours away I'd definitely come back!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
The best chowmein I ever had!
The main thing I can say is disappointing. The Peking duck was dry and had soggy skin. The beef had an odd sour taste to it and was a poor portion for $17. The tofu was not blanched to remove the package flavour. The rice was not prepared well. It just seemed like if the kitchen could take a shortcut or skip a step in preparation, they would. I’m so disappointed that I paid $70 for three dishes there and am still leaving hungry just because I couldn’t be bothered to finish the food.
Used to be a reference for good Chinese food in SB. Not any more. Restrooms and kitchen are filthy, No AC, food is served super-hot to mask the bland and oily flavours. Front desk service is rude. I would not come back.
Restaurantji Recommends
We visited this restaurant with a party of 10, including guests from out of town, young children (four of whom are youth track athletes under 12), and a child with a disability. From the start, the service felt disorganized and inattentive. Though we arrived early and the staff kindly set up a table for us, no one communicated when it was ready. We waited unnecessarily until I had to approach the staff myself.
Throughout the meal, service was inconsistent. We had to request water twice—despite having a large table of children—and ordered a pot of tea that also took follow-up. Basic hospitality, like checking in or acknowledging a group of this size, was notably lacking. Two of our guests, both coaches, ended up leaving due to the unwelcoming attitude of the staff, which was especially disappointing considering we chose this place to treat our guests.
The food itself was underwhelming, and while we did pay the bill without issue, we noticed that our kids were not offered fortune cookies—something we saw being given to other tables. When we politely asked, the request was dismissed without explanation.
We understand cultural nuances in service styles, and we came in as respectful, paying customers simply expecting a warm experience. Unfortunately, what we received fell short in both food and hospitality. I hope the restaurant can take this feedback constructively and make improvements, especially in welcoming and accommodating larger, diverse families.
Delicious food, great atmosphere, and was busy even at 2 Pm. Will come back again in the future.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Sweet and Sour Pork
Very tasty. The general Tso' s Chicken was perfect ?.
The service was fast and always attented to the customers needs.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Ordered a delivery , the rice is rotten with black dots
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
We are new to the area and making our first search for some Chinese food. Ordering online was seamless, but the food was tasteless and unimpressive. We're going to keep searching for another restaurant.
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