Don't get me wrong - this three stars is good. Its the best rating I can give a comfort food/Americanized/Chinese takeout restaurant. All the hits are here: Egg rolls, crab Rangoon, fried rice, orange chicken, fortune cookies... it's exactly what you'd expect for when you crave it. read more

Very mediocre and flavorless. Do not recommend. There are many better choices for Chinese food in Seattle, I would choose pretty much any other one! read more

Reliable Americanized Chinese food served by nice people who remember you from visit to visit and really appreciate seeing you. The menu has all of the stables...no, wait, all of the staples, and a good selection of vegetarian entrees. When I say "reliable" above, I mean that the flavors, textures and overall experience are very consistent from visit to visit. This makes it a good place for slaking those Chinese food cravings that just strike unexpectedly...you know, let's say you suddenly can't live another hour without moo shu vegetables and you want them to taste the way they are "supposed to taste" when they are ordered at a North Seattle restaurant. I have no idea if that makes any sense. Kudos to them for knowing how to cook snow peas to the point that they are crisp and emerald green, rather than limp, drab, and utterly defeated. And further kudos for not putting baby corn in everything. Baby corn is horrifying and makes me hide under the bed. I do think their "hot" dishes could be hotter, but hey, it's Ballard, and Scandinavians aren't known for their love of Scoville units. If I'm ordering from here, I'm ordering take-out...it's been a while since I ate in (in fact, it was when they were still Greenwood Mandarin!), but I seem to recall them making a gin and tonic that was strong enough to etch the glass it was served in. read more

Ballard Mandarin - Wise words from a smart cookie. - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

I have to say I am a giant fan of American Chinese food. I don't ever wish to eat authentic Chinese food and certainly not in China. I've seen it on TV and that's close enough. Ballard Mandarin has tasty food and really really nice employees so I keep coming back! I love the Pan fried noodles with tofu and the Green Jade with tofu the most! read more

Before I even tried Ballard Mandarin, I knew it would just be mediocre. No offense, but Mandarin food in Ballard, one of the whitest (Scandinavian) areas of Seattle? But because Ballard is my new home, I had to try it. And try it I did. I went with a take-out order of BBQ pork appetizer, won-ton soup, sesame chicken, and steamed rice. The person who took my order over the phone was friendly and prompt, and the ladies inside of the restaurant were extremely friendly and seemed to know some of the locals who frequent the restaurant. That is always a good sign. The inside was lacking...and it was a bit on the depressing side. But I wasn't staying. Unfortunately, the food is just meh...lacking. The BBQ pork appetizer was on the dry side, although it wasn't fatty, so it gets kudos for that. The won-ton soup was okay, but it just wasn't your traditional won-ton soup. It seemed like an infusion of Seattle root vegetables with won ton broth. Just wasn't my thing. The sesame chicken was really not good, though. Way too fried, breaded, and tough to chew. I love when restaurants do a sesame chicken dish with smaller pieces of chicken with loads of sesame seeds. There were hardly any sesame seeds in this dish, and it was way overcooked. I had tons of leftovers, so at least you are getting a lot of food for what you pay (because it's not that cheap). I hate to say it, but I'd rather get Panda Express in the mall! And that's pretty bad. I'll keep exploring Ballard until I find some decent Chinese. read more

I've lived in the area for a while and wish I had discovered this place sooner! The Mongolian beef and deluxe vegetable dish and the General Tso's chicken all were tasty. Good sized portions as well. They made everything with no MSG upon request. Also, they have Chinese hot mustard upon request, too. The staff were warm and friendly. read more

This place blew my mind! We got the Mongolian beef, orange chicken, and fried rice and it was amazing! Staff were also very friendly and place was clean. I don't know why this place doesn't have 5 stars. Would definitely come here again and read more

Just a great no frills restaurant. The food is good and the prices are right. Would highly recommend people come here who cares about value.

Im shocked at the negative reviews... i mean their meals are mostly under 10 dollars and i think it is worth every dollar considering the price. Sounds like everyone expected too much out of what they paid. Their mandarin beef and bbq fried rice was great. Dont have bad thing to say about them, they were flavorful. I was surprised how cheap the food was compared to the quality. read more

This is still my favorite Chinese food spot personally. If you like good Americanize Chinese food then this is the spot. Great selection and great service read more

The Sichuan beef here is the best I've ever had. Portion sizes are very large and the staff is always friendly

I got the lunch, prawns Kung pao and fried rice with 2 egg rolls . Egg rolls are ok, the rice has no flavor needed salt badly! And I picked out the shrimp of the dish. There's just no good Chinese places around anymore. read more

Food was amazing!!! I would recommend the Mongolian beef, fried rice and mapo tofu! Service was amazing! Felt like a "homey" and cozy service. Would highly recommend read more

This place is my favorite. The little bar area they added is awesome, and the Karoke never disappoints. The food is pretty solid and priced fairly. Always a pretty fun neighborhood crowd hanging out too. read more

This place is awesome. I have drove past this place a bunch of times, not giving it a chance. On the suggestion of karaoke night stopped in. The food is better than I would have imagined. Kung pao tofu and veggie deluxe w/ prawn were good enough to get 2 weeks in a row. Also karaoke is in a comfy room, less pressure than other places, the KJ there too notch! read more

The service is excellent and i've never been disappointed with the food. However, I wouldn't qualify this as the best Chinese food Seattle has to offer. If you're looking for a fast food restaurant that's relatively affordable, this is a great local spot. read more

Being open on Christmas Day, my husband and I were surprised that this place was open. For being really busy this place delivers great service as well as good food. I've passed by this restaurant a handful of times and always wondered about going in, but never did until this day. If you order the hot and sour soup, it's ginormous. I would say it's meant for a group of 4 people or more. Parking is easy and this establishment can accommodate big groups without making you feel claustrophobic. If you're ever in Ballard and want good Chinese food, check this place out. read more

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Once upon a night, me and homie were trynna get some Uber eats but we couldn't decide bc money. Uber eats sometimes gives you $12 off or whatever it is and you go into the app and place ur order then you realize you can pick it up for the same price. Anyway, we couldn't decide for like an hour bc moneyyyyyyy. I don't remember whY but we ended up going with Ballard mandarin, expecting it to be a gag. Waited hella long for our order but that general Tsos hit. Wouldn't order the kung pao again, but I'm def trynna order next time I get those $12 off. FIRE read more

Food great! I recommend this place. Egg foo young and house chow main I enjoyed! Service was nice and friendly!

THIS PLACE IS BEYOND DISGUSTING. I had high hopes as we had just moved to the area and wanted to try new places... dirty pickup area boxes everywhere... the person who assisted my husband acted like it was an inconvenience to even have him. When he got the food home all it took was opening the containers specifically the Noodles... to smell nothing but urine. The strongest I have ever smelt and considering I'm a nurse with 15 yrs experience that's saying something. There is no doubt in my mind that someone there urinated in our food. In a time where restaurants are closing and needing business this whole experience shocked me. read more

Food was superrr tasty. We got the house fried rice and sesame chicken. The lady who served us was working alone and she was very very kind and friendly. She even gave us some complimentary soup with the leftovers that she wrapped up for us. Great service! read more

Had this food delivered yesterday, was hoping it would finally be a classic Chinese restaurant that is actually good. It is!!! The portions were generous, the food was just how I wanted it and I will definitely order again. read more

We takeout ordered from here and it was delicious! Our favorite were Orange Flavored Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Pork Chow Main and Honey Walnut Prawns (practically dessert!). I'm so happy we can add this place to our takeout rotation! read more

We really appreciate having this no fuss, tasty, affordable spot nearby our house. You are served tea on arrival and have a huge variety of dishes to chose from including great vegetarian options with awesome tofu dishes. I recommend eating in versus taking out-because it is better fresh-but no matter what, I recommend stopping by for a solid, weeknight dinner with a good family environment! Also! The wonton soup is our favorite- get a large size, even if it's just 1 or 2 of you! read more

I love this little gem. If you want good Chinese food, definitely try this place. My favorite part is the little lady (I'm not sure if she's the owner) who takes your order. She's fricken hilarious and makes recommendations on her own food (she's pretty honest about what she likes best). My faves are the fried rice (she suggests adding bacon), honey walnut shrimp, hot and spicy beef with veggies and sweet and sour pork. I love that their honey walnut shrimp doesn't have a huge mayo taste and it's perfectly crunchy. read more

The chicken chow mein is just bland. The chicken was basically white. No seasoning, no color, nothing. Definitely disappointing.

This modest looking restaurant is the best Chinese food in Ballard. I like their veggie fried rice, stuffed full of veggie goodness and enough to serve two! They also have a really good selection of tofu dishes. Drop by and let the friendly, hard working staff take care of you. Xiexie, Ballard Mandarin! P.S. nearly forgot, they have good fortune cookies! read more

Beef with broccoli was delivered as chicken, and flavorless chicken at that. Seriously. It was just boiled chicken. And boiled rice. At least the broccoli was cooked properly. The general tsao chicken was fine. One star for food, an extra for delivering during covid. But still. read more

Yuk! Threw out the egg drop soup (smelled like urine) and not impressed with the steamed vegetables with prawns, although the sauce served on the side was yummy. Other than that, pretty bland, but that's what I get for ordering the "healthy" dish. Wish I had read reviews before trying because the BBQ fried rice someone wrote about sounds good; should have tried that. read more

The food tasted good but I'm really confused as to why there was a completely unwrapped fortune cookie just sitting in my takeout bag on top of the items I ordered. Seems unsanitary during a pandemic, or really anytime. read more

Super accommodating for our covid thanksgiving. Nothing was skimped on & we had a great meal, thank you!

I've been ordering take out from them for years and I have always been satisfied with their customer service, portion size and flavor. A couple of times when I went to pick up my food they were really busy and very apologetic about the delay for which they compensate by giving me some rolls, soda or extra serving of an entree. I love coming here for some tasty Chinese even though I don't live in the neighborhood anymore. Is that good. read more

Some of the worst Chinese food I've ever had. "Hot and sour soup" was neither hot nor sour, made with canned corn. General Tso's chicken was flavorless and overcooked. Very disappointed. read more

This restaurant is a blast from the past, in a good way. The food, menu, decor, and service is reminiscent of old school Chinese restaurants in predominantly Caucasian neighborhoods--where everything is catered or made amenable to western tastes. As an asian-american who grew up in a non-diverse area of Jersey, this restaurant kind of feels like home :). The food is fine (moo shu pork will always taste like moo shu pork) as long as you know that this is a Chinese diner, but what earns this spot 4 stars is the services. The one server, a lovely Chinese lady, is hilarious, warm, efficient, blunt, and so so generous. She packed us extra rice, fortune cookies, and treated us like her kids. Also, the price of the set dinner meals are excellent considering the large portions. For $35, we got a hearty dinner for 2 plus 50% leftover for a 2nd meal. I would totally go back! read more

This was not the best Chinese food I've had in Seattle, not even close. Egg drop soup was very bland and the honey walnut prawns were verrrry heavy on the mayonnaise, light on the honey. I couldn't even finish it. I am so disappointed with Ballard Mandarin. This is just sad :( read more

Ballard Mandarin - Yummy, Mayo Honey Walnut Prawns - Chinese Near Me - Seattle, Washington

Loved the Inn Bin and most dishes are still very similar. Mongolian Beef, Orange Beef, Shrimp Fried Rice, and Shrimp Chow Mein are the usual, but everything has been solid. The Egg Rolls use to be better, but still aren't bad. We normally just do pick up, but everyone working seems to always be in a good mood. Great people, making very good food, for a fair price, almost feels like 1995 again. read more

This place was just awesome! We ordered Chicken Fried Rice, Egg rolls, Mongolion Chicken and Chicken Sizzler and not a single item went wrong. It was cooked to perfection and tasted heavenly. Also, since she realised we would like spicy food she made sure no sweet sauce was in there without us mentioning it. So I would say perfect customer service and perfect experience overall. read more

Missed items in our delivery order. Crab Rangoons were stale, not crunchy. Orange Chicken was meh. Won't be ordering from here again.

Ordered here last night. Spent out 40$ for with the citron dinners. I orders the honey walnut shrimp. It was the most fishy, soggy, food I have ever had. Pretty disappointed! Also ordered general t chicken was okay, still very soggy and not spicy at all. Also for 15$ a person, you would think a combo would come with ham friend rice? No it is just normal white rice, which was dry and cold. Used to love the food here! I hope they can make some changes and have higher quality food read more

I just ordered a hefty order of food from this place from Uber eats. We're talking 90$ worth for two people just so we had a bunch of leftovers. What I really was craving was wonton soup. Oh boy. Biggest disappointment. The soup had zero salt, which is saying something considering most Chinese food is super salty. It tasted like hot water with a hint of snow peas. So strange. The rest of the food echoed this sentiment. No flavor, small portions. I do not recommend these guys under any circumstance. read more