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    Imperial Mandarin Restaurant

    3.4 (561 reviews)
    Closed 11:00 am - 9:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Imperial Mandarin Restaurant Photos

    Business Info

    IMPERIAL MANDARIN RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Imperial Mandarin Restaurant

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    Dave L.

    This is a solid place and tasty but nothing fancy and don't expect anything spectacular either . We had the usual dim sum offerings and yang chow fried rice . All the dim sums were tasty but came out weirdly at very different times spaced out far apart. Highlights were turnip cake and eggplant. Others were just so so. The fried rice was pretty amateur sadly. Had large clunks of white rice that were not broken up and fried all the way through. Service was very warm and friendly otherwise . A decent stop but nothing great

    Shrimp rice rolls
    Judy O.

    The setting was very cozy it's definitely a quaint family setting (lazy Susans and huge tables) The service was beyond and phenomenal, these ladies took care of me and my sister in law from beginning to the end while we wrangled 2 under the age of 3 and an 8 year old they also took the time to wrap our food to-go which was nearly impossible by ourselves! I come here for the dim sum usually and it's the best price point in San Diego and for the amount and quality I leave pretty happy everytime..(I used to come here when I was pregnant and worked at Mekong a few restaurants down and it has always hit the spot for me) Anywho some notable dishes : -Chicken feet -gelatinous,soft and tender but if you don't like spitting bones out then skip this - Shrimp rice noodle rolls- Steamed shrimp cooked in rice paper-like rolls served with light soy sauce you can eat alot of these family style, these are always a solid choice in dim sum -Har Cao - Shrimp Dumplings always 10/10 - Sticky rice in Lotus leaf- it's rice and Chinese sausage chicken and mushrooms Steamed in this fragrant leaf and it's huge and enough for 2 people it's like unwrapping a present each time - Shu Mai- meatballs wrapped in wonton wrapper but exposed on the top They always ask if you like tea, it's really personal preference but I always say yes and it adds to the experience You can also head down to Nijiya Market for some dessert and Japanese snacks afterwards:) Round your family up and try this place you wont regret it !

    12-24-21 Shui My 2x ($5ea), Stuffed Eggplant with Shrimp ($5.95) and Beef Meat Ball ($4.75)
    Sue D.

    04-25-2025 Har Gow, Rice Noodle Shrimp Roll, Stuffed Eggplant w Shrimp and Shrimp Shuimai $7.25 each. Everything came out piping hot (see pics) delicious! I enjoyed every bite. Turnip Cake $6.20, crispy on the outside flavorful and soft on the inside. As for Fried Noodle w Seafood, this dish never disappoints me. The food today deserved 5 star rating!

    Fiona N.

    Dim sum was below being mid! But we honestly wasn't expecting much here in SD. Came in with low expectations and didn't leave disappointed. Food was in the saltier side. Kinda disappointed in the fried shrimp balls. It's not hard to make these crispy, but it was soggy and didn't come with sweet and sour sauce. The waitress said that she eats them without the sauce. It's my first time hearing that! Shrimp balls aren't shrimp balls without the sauce. With that being said, service mediocre. Place cleanliness needs a little improvement. Best part is that we found parking!

    shrimp
    Trinh T.

    Food: The food was decent overall, solid for a dim sum spot. One tip is to definitely ask for chili oil. It's not already on the table, but it really adds flavor to the dishes. I really enjoyed the egg yolk bun as a sweet option at the end of our meal. Service: Service was nice and helpful. Staff was attentive and quick to respond to any requests. Ambiance: The restaurant is very spacious, which makes it great for groups. It's a popular spot for parties and family gatherings, so it can get lively. The tea is strong, which I personally loved. Other Notes: It's located in this area, so parking can be a hassle during peak hours.

    Warren T.

    I was craving some dim sum during the short 3 weeks stay at my parents in San Diego. I looked up several locations and I must say that the latest dim sum trends haven't yet reach the far outskirts of the So Cal epicenter in Los Angeles. Imperial Mandarin Restaurant is your typical run-of-the-mill traditional dim sum place you, with dishes similar to what you would find in yesteryears. The only difference is you won't find carts rolling around and you have to place your order down on paper. To my surprise, the dishes came out almost as quickly as the server picked up my order. It's the next best thing if you like the cart experience to have food come out this fast. Food is decent and definitely fulfilled my dim sum cravings. While there are other places with a wider menu selection, you can tell that this place has its own crowd. One note is that I was attracted to the menu prices posted on Yelp, but after coming here I can see the prices from even 2024 are outdated. I might have gone to another location if I had known, but the pricing is fairly standard in comparison to other dim sum places.

    Shrimp rice noodle roll
    Steven C.

    Review update: This place is still, in my opinion, one of the best authentic places in San Diego. Definitely still one of my go-tos when I'm hungry since their food is always so consistently amazing. Tip: if you like salted fish and chicken fried rice, they have it but it's off menu!

    9266. Whole Peking Duck
    Katherine T.

    I arrived with a group of 10 people and managed to reserve a table by calling just 30 minutes ahead. The server was fluent in Cantonese and English. The food was decent (not bad, and I would consider going back) and very reasonably priced. The parking situation is quite challenging as it is shared with multiple businesses, and many drivers are aggressive. The Peking Duck was okay, but it was served with disappointing buns that were dry and crumbly. Pros: - Suitable for groups - Affordable - Wide variety of options Cons: - Parking - Average Peking Duck, with disappointing buns

    Bill
    Peter L.

    This Review is for takeout entrees, not dimsum. Food were average & oily & the items were not as advertised. Pork with Preserved veggie was adequate, fish fillet with black bean sauce not too exciting, pan fried stuffed tofu was disappointing: it was fried, not pan fried, so very greasy. False advertisement. 2nd time we also ordered 3 dishes: egg & shrimp was mehhh, steamed stuffed tofu adequate, pan fried stuff pepper somehow became stuffed eggplant!!!! (See receipt) They didn't even say anything when i was there picking it up.

    Mu shu beef
    Deb W.

    The place is a typical Chinese restaurant where the service is how well you can get a server their attention. Once you do they deliver. Some of the tables seem really close the dim sum cart had problems moving down aisles. If you can get through that then the food is worth it. Had some dim sum and mu shu beef. The portions are large and the prices are still reasonable considering I was told they recently increased them.

    Crispy but they also added dried brined shrimp in it, which was too overwhelming
    Joann T.

    One of the worst dim sum I've had. For a party of two, it cost $60 for disappointingly bland and poorly cooked food that took a while to come out (I'm no chef but I could make this better). Came in at 11ish on a Monday, it was pretty empty. Here's what we had: - rice paper beef & shrimp: this is usually my favorite dim sum dish, but they messed it up horribly here. The rice paper was way too thick (all flour), and the meat inside had no flavor whatsoever. They also skimped on the sweet soy sauce that would have helped made it less bland. - scallop har gow: they filled it with shrimp, not scallops, but still charged the premium price - sui mai: tasted like a tendon meatball covered in egg wrap - steamed black bean pork ribs: fatty and a bit tasteless - chicken feet: this was probably the only decent dish, taste wise. Coloring was a bit off though - fried meat dumpling (unsure of the English name): usually my husband's go to, but they mixed those fried brined shrimp in it which made it too pungent - egg tarts: sadly, too sweet Maybe people come for the non-dim sum dishes? Either way, we will not be back. Lastly: the cups were stained and we saw big bags of raw ground meat sitting by the front window at room temp, so I'm praying we don't get food poisoning later...

    Chicken feet

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    My fave spot when Im in National City for a Good lunch special !!! Lemon Pepper wings Smack !!! Very reasonable

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    Page 1 of 15

    Ask the Community - Imperial Mandarin Restaurant

    Do they serve dim sum all day?

    Yes, we serve dim sum all day.

    Hi, I come from Hong Kong and will come to San Diego in mid-Nov this year. We will go fishing at the time, so we would like to know whether your restaurant can help us to cook fish if we catch some? If yes, may we know the price for cooking fee? Thx!

    Of course! Will you be bringing your fish from Hong Kong as well? You may cook your fish anytime, either in my kitchen at home, or at the Imperial.

    Do they serve dim sum on weekdays?

    Yes they serve Dim Sum but not on carts. You order from the menu. I think they only do carts on weekends. Food still taste good

    Is this a good choice for a rehearsal dinner? In terms of ambience, size, food quality, and price?

    Yes to all

    View All 7 Questions

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    Emerald Chinese Cuisine - Har gow

    Emerald Chinese Cuisine

    2.9(1.4k reviews)
    0.3 mi
    $$

    Back after few years, Ownership changed hands several times. Dimsum is still hit or miss. Ambiance…read morefar superior to Jasmine & has private rooms for occasions Good: beef & cilantro rice roll Ok: baked snow mountain bbq bun (warm but no hot), spare ribs, siumai & hai gou were dry Bad: beancurd roll tasted awful,

    I haven't been back since pre-Covid. There are so many other dim sum that Emerald would not be my…read morefirst choice. It's been around since my parent's generation and we had a family luncheon that they picked this place. We arrived at 11am on a Friday and quickly placed our order. It's no longer push cart and you order from the menu. I was on my hour lunch break and it took 30 minutes to get the food. I guess it's a good thing that food is made fresh but if you're on a time crunch, don't dine here. Service was non existent. They were short staff and if you wanted something, good luck on waiving them down because they don't come to check on you. We ended up ordering more food and waited. Turns out, it was never placed. Make sure they print out a slip as proof so you know your order was placed. As far as price, it ranges from $6.68 to $11.88. Average was $9.68 like the siu mai. That's $2.50 each! Price increase and quality went down. The har gow skin was thick, the siu mai was bland. Chicken feet was decent. It has free parking. Inside was bright and they have a private room.

    Photos
    Emerald Chinese Cuisine
    Emerald Chinese Cuisine - Char siu boa

    Char siu boa

    Emerald Chinese Cuisine

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    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Pork & chive dumplings

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe

    4.4(590 reviews)
    9.9 mi
    $$

    Been wanting to come here for a while and SO glad we finally did! First, the staff here are super…read morefriendly and attentive. Ordering is done via an ipad at the table but they're available for any menu questions and quick with water refills. Food is SO GOOD. You can really tell the dumpling wrappers (for dumplings, xiao long bao, and wontons) are handmade. They're more springy and al dente and beautifully wrapped. We ordered a ton of food and everything was really tasty I didn't react fast enough with photos. Xiao long bao are a MUST - and you gotta enjoy it with the vinegar and ginger! The cucumber salad is WAY better than ding tai fung's in both taste, texture, and portion! Chili oil wontons were big and deliciously fragrant, not spicy. Pan fried pork buns were crispy on the bottom with a soft and pillowy bread and juicy meat filling. We also got the combination fried rice which was beautifully golden eggy and full of meat & shrimp. The green beans were flavorful and not overly oily. Fried chicken wings were one of my favorites! Last but not least we also ordered the chonqing spicy chicken - not too spicy, full of numbing peppercorn goodness, fried lightly and very criispy. The restaurant is well decorated and clean, very spacious and good for groups. There's a cute gazebo table right at the front too. Plenty of parking in the plaza lot. . A great place for authentic Chinese food. Will definitely be returning!

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe attempts to appeal to both Western and Asian palettes and succeeds with…read morewell prepared dishes like orange chicken and xiao long bao. Service is also unusually friendly for a Chinese restaurant (IYKYK). I look forward to coming back to try more of the menu!

    Photos
    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Inside

    Inside

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Black Pepper Beef Fried Udon

    Black Pepper Beef Fried Udon

    Ju Feng Yuan Dumpling Cafe - Pan Fried Pork Buns

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    Pan Fried Pork Buns

    Eastern Dynasty - French Style steak

    Eastern Dynasty

    4.3(563 reviews)
    0.8 miKearny Mesa
    $$

    Another wonderful eating experience. Clean restaurant, friendly server, great food almost perfect…read moreexcept for the noisy table of customers sitting across from us. The food was awesome flavorful, plentiful enough to share and to take home for later. 2026(12)

    With the sudden change in weather, all I wanted this evening was a warm bowl of soup and a couple…read morepieces of succulent Chinese BBQ. After some search on Yelp, we decided to try Eastern Dinasty on Convoy Street. Upon arrival, we knew the restaurant was legit when we saw shiny and beautifully roasted ducks dangling in a display box. Inside, it had a casual décor, with seating for 60 guests. The courteous waitress guided us to our table and brought the menu and water right away. For this visit, we ordered the following dishes: West Lake Minced Beef Soup: The portion was large enough for 6 people. The lightly starched broth was nicely seasoned with hint of white pepper. In the soup, there were bits of minced beef, chopped green onion, and stirred egg whites. The simplistic soup was warm, velvety, and pleasantly flavored. 3 Item BBQ Combo (House Special Chicken, Roasted Duck, and Pork Belly): The house special chicken was nicely steamed, lightly seasoned, and with beautiful gelatinous skin. The roasted duck pieces were plump, with crispy skin and succulent meat. The pork belly had crispy thick skin, and tender meat with nice rendered fat without being overly greasy. Walnut Shrimp: The portion was quite generous for the price. The lightly battered shrimps had a nice firm texture and were covered with mayonnaise and sprinkled with sweetened and crispy walnuts. What a beautiful blend of taste and aroma. Left the restaurant heart-warmed and extremely satisfied. Highly recommended.

    Photos
    Eastern Dynasty - Interior

    Interior

    Eastern Dynasty - Chicken Wing

    Chicken Wing

    Eastern Dynasty - Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable

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    Pork Belly with Preserved Vegetable

    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen - 10. Biang-Biang Spicy Hand Ripped Noodles

    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen

    4.2(2.3k reviews)
    0.3 miKearny Mesa
    $$

    Good music. Good food. The Biangbiang noodles here are unmatched in San Diego. If anyone finds…read morebiangbiang noodles better than here, lmk. My mouth tasted like garlic for a whole day but honestly worth it. You order through a QR code here which makes it pretty easy.

    An incredible gem or an absolute flop -- depends heavily on what you decide to order. Luckily, I…read morearrived with a group of 7 so we all had the opportunity to find out the easy way. Beef noodle soup - excellent flavor overall, including a strong broth and a nice, soft texture to the noodles. Out of the countless Chinese restaurants I've visited for beef noodle soup, this makes its way into the top three. 5/5 Lamb skewers - wayyyyy too dry. This is certainly not their specialty, and asking for extra cumin to sprinkle on the lamb did not redeem the firmness. I struggled to slide the meat off the skewer and ended up just eating it while still on the stick. 1.5/5 Fish fillet - so good. Easy to eat texture-wise. Caution -- a bit saltier than it looks. The bell peppers in particular were seasoned spectacularly. 4.5/5 Dry fried green beans - a delicious option for vegetables to add to the table. Most people will enjoy this one in my opinion. A bit more crunch than I expected, which is not a bad thing. 4/5 Double cooked pork - I've never seen it cooked this way, and am not a fan. I'm used to a more oily version of this dish. It contained a bunch of dried and crunchy... yams? Potatoes? Overall, the dish was mainly crunch with no flavor, and contained a relatively small amount of pork. 1/5

    Photos
    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen - Inside

    Inside

    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen - 93. Lamb Skewers

    93. Lamb Skewers

    Shan Xi Magic Kitchen - 79. Ma Po Tofu

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    79. Ma Po Tofu

    Dumpling Inn - XLB

    Dumpling Inn

    3.9(3.5k reviews)
    0.7 miKearny Mesa
    $$

    My friend was craving some vegetarian dumplings and wanted to try this place out. I have been here…read morebefore but that was over 10 years ago. We ordered the vegetable dumplings, egg drop soup and honey walnut shrimp. The service is quick and we got our food in no time. The honey walnut shrimps were great! Shrimps were big and they didn't use too much batter. The dumplings didn't hit and the dumpling skins were tough to chew through and thick. It was hard to eat those and finish it. My friend really enjoyed her egg drop soup! That was her favorite thing. I did feel like they were trying to rush us out of there and clean the table. Even though there wasn't a line out the door or anything. I would give this place 3.5.

    This definitely seems like the go-to spot for dumplings in San Diego! I stopped by on a Friday…read morenight and the place was absolutely packed. The decor is honestly one of the highlights, it's got this cool, atmospheric mashup of Hong Kong street food vibes and an old-school Shanghai saloon. The bar area was super lively, full of people grabbing drinks and Chinese food, which gave the whole place a great energy. As for the food, we mostly came for the Xiao Long Bao (soup dumplings), but they were unfortunately a bit of a letdown. The meat filling wasn't very flavorful and the texture felt pretty rubbery. On the bright side, the Fried Rice was solid and hit the spot. We also tried the Kung Pao Chicken, but it felt more like the "old-school Chinatown" style I remember as a kid as it's very heavy on the sweet fried bean paste and a bit too sugary for my taste, rather than being authentic Chinese. The service was impressively swift; even with the crowd, our dishes came out fast. However, parking was a total headache, and honestly, the total cost felt a bit steep just for a casual meal. Great for the vibe and a quick drink, but the dumplings might not be the main event here.

    Photos
    Dumpling Inn - 2-2026 6-aTV's

    2-2026 6-aTV's

    Dumpling Inn - Fried rice with shrimp

    Fried rice with shrimp

    Dumpling Inn - Xiao Long Bao

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    Xiao Long Bao

    Dumplings N More - Dinner!

    Dumplings N More

    4.1(817 reviews)
    4.6 miHillcrest
    $$

    I ordered Dumplings N More for takeout again last night. I was craving your basic Chinese American…read morestyle takeout, but felt disappointed by the options when we have so many better restaurants in the Hillcrest area... like Dumplings N More. We got the scallion pancake, pork and chive dumplings, lamb and chive dumplings, Dan Dan noodles, and golden dumplings for dessert. Everything was really good! I remembered being a little disappointed with the soup dumplings last time so I am really glad I changed up my order. I just love their Dan Dan noodles. It's definitely my go to dish from here. The flavor is perfect and they make great leftovers too. I love that they package the noodles separately when you order it for take out so it's fresh when you assemble it at home. Both dumplings we tried were really good. The reason I went from four to five stars when updating my review. Omg the LAMB ones are some of the best I've had in San Diego. Easily. Unfortunately the pork were a little less flavorful, but I think that's just because the lamb outshined them and I would have liked the pork ones more if I had eaten them first. The lamb were just too good, definitely the star of the dumplings I've tried from here. They both had a good bit of juice in them too, not all dried out like other restaurants dumplings I've had. Really good stuff! Scallion pancake, can't go wrong. They have a good one here. Cooked well. No complaints. The golden dumplings with condensed milk reminded me of a bag of "Chinese donuts" that I've gotten from Americanized Chinese restaurants in the past. Really good, best when eaten hot and fresh. The condensed milk was new and very appreciated. I liked them a lot. Kind of reminded me of beignets so I kind of want to add some powdered sugar next time I get them for take out. I'm really happy we ordered from here and look forward to our next visit or take out order!

    Came here for an early dinner with a friend, and I was happy we did. Our waitress was really sweet-…read moreeveryone was.. The service here is really great. The ambiance is.. well, nothing fancy, but comfortable. Basic, but clean. We had a booth, so it was comfy. Highly recommend the green tea matcha with boba, half sweet. The beef with broccoli was yummy- I like that they didn't overcook the broccoli. Could've been a bit more beef though. We loved the shrimp and pork dumplings. Don't recommend the sampler dumplings plate as much. I like that they have small/large options for the dumplings so you can sample different ones.

    Photos
    Dumplings N More - Interior entry and only indoor dining

    Interior entry and only indoor dining

    Dumplings N More - Veggie dumplings

    Veggie dumplings

    Dumplings N More

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    Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - dimsum - Updated May 2026

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