Mandarin Palace
3955 State St, Santa Barbara
(805) 683-2158
Recent Reviews
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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!
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.
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.
As a Chinese, I'm sad to call this chinese
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Restaurantji Recommends
Not authentic, cold and dark atmosphere, terribly slow service you will wait over 20 mins for food, servers have no idea of customer service, 20 people in the kitchen standing around not doing anything and it smells bad. Never have orders ready and are alcoholics no wonder this place sucks
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Mongolian beef and Shrimp with Lobster sauce. My son enjoyed the food. Large menu. Great selection
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 4
Service: 5
Best in Santa
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food has been consistently good with average Service. All the usuals are present. Cashew chicken is superb. Vegetables very fresh. Room could be updated though, stuck in the 90s.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 4
Always had good experience during lunch. But going to dinner was just a disappointment. Went during a Easter Sunday (today), sat us down fairly quickly and put our order in within 5 min. About 3 other groups and 1 big group of 12 got sat down. Everyone that came after including the big group got their food before my friends and I (3 total). Waiting an hour just to get our food which we ended up taking to go after waiting so long. Bill and clean up came instant while we put our food into our to go container.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
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