I'm back! After like 20 years we're back to eating at this restaurant. I have lots of memories of coming here as a kid when my parents would drag us to eat here after Chinese school on the weekend. It looked different back then, but apparently the owner is still the same! And what's crazy is that she hadn't seen my parents in decades but still recognized them and remembered what my mom's profession was. Just... wow. In any case, I digress. The food is solid and both tasty as well as plentiful. It's not going to earn any Michelin stars, but if you're hankering for that comfort food feeling, it'll hit the spot. Since rediscovering this place, we've been back multiple times and it's quickly becoming part of our regular rotation. And the ladies who work here are pleasant too; in that Chinese auntie kind of way. A little rough around the edges but you know they'll take care of you if you need it. The only things that I wish they'd improve is a little bit better lighting; it's a bit too dark, and some sound mitigation as it can get a bit loud if there's a particularly boisterous group present. But other than that, I'm glad we've become reacquainted. read more

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This is peak 1990s Chinese food and the original types of plate plates and food choices and even service. Reminds me of my childhood. That being said, I wasn't really fond of reliving food taste from childhood. Everything was salted too strong and the wrapping for the dumplings and for the Haw gao were all too thick. nothing felt fresh. They just felt hot. And I would say for a Saturday night the place was not packed at all, but let me tell you what was packed.....the parking lot. Parking is horrible in this place and people are double parked everywhere on Saturday night. OK so now onto the dishes, the beef chow fun, probably the top. The next was the turnip cake which was also very good. The other dim sum plates were not as great as I thought they would be because either the meat was not tenderized or the skin was too thick or the flavor it was just off. The sticky rice needed more flavor and there was no chicken options for the sticky rice. You just had also one big banana leaf for wrap. My kids didn't like the meat when it's too tough and you could tell the meat was pretty tough. Not sure if I'll return there are definitely other places that can provide better. Once again, we are still in a dim sum desert in San Diego. read more

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I was excited to try this restaurant out. The food was absolutely delicious. All of it! We had chow mein, dumplings, orange chicken, soup, and other entrees. I will come back for take out only next time for three reasons. I don't like the smell of second hand smoke while I eat from employees/ family of employees, I don't want to feel rushed when we are trying to enjoy our meal and time out together & if we can't have a bigger table to accommodate all of the food we ordered I might as well enjoy it at home (Yes we asked for a bigger table). I had never had a problem finding a parking here. read more

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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 read more

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Was in San Diego on Mother's Day and looking for some classic Cantonese food that the family wanted for dinner. A few of the other places we found didn't look legit or were already booked solid for the evening. After a little driving around and looking online, we came across Imperial Mandarin. IMO, the typical 3.5-4.0 stars on Yelp for classic Chinese food is the sweet spot. It will be good without being over-the-top fancy. However the name "Mandarin" was misleading as Mandarin food was not what we wanted. Nevertheless we made our way and arrived for an early dinner at 4:30pm. At such an early time, the place was pretty empty with only 3 other groups having dinner and dim sum. We ordered a bunch of dishes such as black/pepper steak, snow pea shoot, pan fried noodles, and a seafood clay pot. The kitchen staff was eating dinner at the same time when we noticed they were eating beef stew with beef tendon. If the staff is eating it, it's probably good so we ordered that too. Every dish came out hot and delicious. The service was attentive such as constantly refilling our teapot with some of the best Jasmin tea we ever had. Feels like we found a hidden gem serving classic Cantonese food. Next time in San Diego, we are sure to come back. read more

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 ! read more

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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! read more

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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! read more

Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

Been here since I was a kid and this place has always been a family go to for Cantonese food. My parents had always ordered dinner from this particular restaurant for Chinese food. Peking pork chops and black bean sauce fish fillet with some white rice is bomb. There is a limited menu for dim sum compared to the bigger dim sum restaurants but they can't beat the price here for dim sum. Love how they don't use food coloring for their cha siu bao and chicken feet. They treat us always so kindly. read more

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. read more

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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. read more

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Came back on mid-afternoon to try their dim sum. Only had 2 people so we couldn't try a big selection but we opted for the signature/typical items to try. Best: Har Gow 蝦餃 - Very plump, good shrimp, good wrapper that didn't break, nice authentic flavor and seasoning inside. My favorite! Solid: Siu Mai 燒賣 - Big pieces and very meaty. Maybe *slightly* more mushroom forward than other dim sum places here but that's common in HK as well. Good: Custard Buns 奶黃包 - Nice sweet bun and delicious eggy custard inside that spills out when you bite/rip it open. Good texture. Slightly smaller than normal. Okay: Barbecue Pork Buns 叉燒包 - These only come in 2 because they are GIGANTIC. Like the biggest I've seen in my life. The bun-to-filling ratio is pretty off... Lots of bun surrounding a normal amount of meat. Bun is good but I thought the barbecue pork was too sweet for my taste. Reasonable prices, good food, and very friendly service! read more

It's a long time classic, a Chinese restaurant with all the basic dishes done well and for very reasonable prices. Dim sum, too. All the Har Gow, turnip cake, buns and chicken feet you could want. Lunch specials are not to be missed. And the ladies who keep this place going deserve special praise for the care and attention they show every guest. This is the Chinese food you remember. Simple, filling, delicious and affordable. read more

The food was absolutely amazing and looked very good and we had gotten sharing portions. The service was amazing, fast, and the server checked on un multiple times. It was also very lively in the restaurant itself and very warm toned. read more

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! read more

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

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 read more

Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - 9266. Whole Peking Duck - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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. read more

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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. read more

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Went to have dinner with a friend. Ordered the chicken fried rice. The chicken was undercooked and rubbery. When I showed the waitress one of the pieces that looked inedible. She said it was just a fatty piece and brought it back to cook. Then she returned to say the chicken was cooked and that was just a fatty piece. Nothing was done to fix the issue and she returned the rice with the fatty piece and undercooked chicken. read more

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... read more

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SOS GORDON RAMSEY!!! RAW CHICKEN. Food had no flavor, horrid smells, lukewarm, service was HORRID. I would tell you to run, but I think you will be doing that to the hospital after getting salmonella. Good luck!! read more

No thrills, and an average dinning experience. We came here with friends, who had been here before. The food was average, except for the whole Duck with buns and the eggplant prawns, both were very good. The dumplings were just average. I can't say anything was bad, was just an average experience. First time trying chicken feet and I'm pretty sure it's a one and done for me lol read more

Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - Chicken feet - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

In the midst of the vast options for wonderful Asian food ln Convoy this unassuming spot ranks as one of the top for our family. It is a place we have reserved for special occasion celebrations or to take out of town guests. While we haven't done very much of the dim sum, we have enjoyed the soup dumplings and the shrimp dumplings very much. Whether for dine in or take out, the portions are generous, the food always fresh and delicious, and the service fast and always friendly. Our favorite dishes are the Almond Chicken, Walnut Shrimp, Kung Pao anything, Pepper Steak, Fried tofu, and Orange Chicken. read more

The food is absolutely amazing and very delicious! The salt and pepper wings are worth the trip alone. We ordered Dim Sum, fried shrimp balls, stuffed eggplant, and Shu Mai. All were very good. I'd definitely eat here again. read more

Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - The restaurant - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

The very Best Chinese food. Tasty, Hot and Fresh. Clean environment clean tables, floors & restrooms. Worth while the 20" ride from Lemon Grove for this restaurant. The servers are well seasoned, polite and clean. Speaks clearly just the best Service. Love the establishment. read more

Our neighbors invited us out to Imperial Mandarin recently. BB and I enjoyed the food and experience. We dined in around 1 PM on a Sunday. The restaurant is located in a plaza with other restaurants on Convoy St., which is notorious for being busy with a lack of sufficient parking availability. Fortunately, we were able to immediately find parking during the time that we went. This restaurant does not have any dim sum carts. You order everything off of a menu that you mark with pencil. Some of the things we ordered off the top of my head: Shrimp har gow, sesame balls, turnip cake, baked bbq pork buns, normal order of beef chow fun, steamed pork buns, eggplant with shrimp, pork shumai. There were probably more but I forgot. All of the items that I had were tasty, and my favorite dim sum item, turnip cake, was prepared very well here. Service was prompt and readily available, with drink refills and other requests (chili oil and hot mustard, both mandatory for us) being attended to in a timely manner. Would definitely return here to partake of the dim sum again. read more

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Came to lunch after work on a weekday afternoon and not a customer eating in the restaurant at the time. I sat at the table of my choice and ordered soy sauce noodles with bean sprouts and green onions. The portion was massive and arrived in a matter of minutes. Then my dim sum order of turnip cake, shu mai and baked pork buns arrived right after. Everything was as I anticipated. The service was friendly and the food tasty and served fast. My water was refilled upon being empty. As I finished my lunch other senior patrons have now occupied a few tables so it took a minute to get my bill. No worries though, I will me back soon for more from my new Chinese takeout and dim sum read more

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Food is good, but expensive. Website sucks, and ordering off their partner sites has different prices. Pickup is a pain because everything is in Chinese. I guess these guys don't want their business to prosper much. Their on-line presence needs work. It is difficult to place an order or choose what you want with so many conflicts. i eat here every now and then. I'd order more often if it were easy. read more

The Imperial Duck I had was the best ever. My dining companion did not like his Szechuan Beef and did not eat it. White rice was good and included with entrée. Spring rolls and dumplings were OK. Hot tea in a pot was made with loose tea, not a tea bag. Service was attentive, if not particularly friendly. Typical Chinese service for the non-Chinese. Ambience was austere, almost cafeteria-like. Was not crowded on a Sunday night around 6 pm. Parking is difficult in the large parking lot for this business park with at least 5 Asian restaurants. read more

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Standard for classic style Chinese Chinese in San Diego. Went with a huge group and were sat immediately. I was kind of sad when I saw that the restaurant was basically empty at dinner time. Hoping it's just because it was early. Food was great tonight. We had fried tofu, steamed vegetables, sweet and sour pork chops, and even some black bean fish. Overall a solid 8/10 would definitely recommend to people. read more

Our second lunch in the last two weeks. Friendly service, and all our food has been excellent. Hot and Sour soup tasted fresh and not gluppy. Shrimp in Libster sauce was good too. Would recommend this place. read more

We came here for dim sum one morning back in January to celebrate a family member's birthday. My family member's best friend recommended this place for dim sum. Imperial Mandarin Restaurant is located on Convoy Street in the same plaza as Epic Wings and Things and The Original Pancake House. It was our first time here and for a weekday (Tuesday), there were a fair amount of customers here. While some places have carts that have dim sum items that are already made, at the time we came there were no carts. I'm unsure if they even use carts. I think this restaurant is too small and they don't have the business that Jasmine and Emerald gets for dim sum. We browsed the menu and placed our order. We wanted the baked barbecue pork buns, but they only had the steamed ones left. They had everything else that we wanted on the menu. Our food came out in a timely manner. I was a bit disappointed with the dim sum. It was all okay at best, as much as I wanted to, there was nothing I could rate as good. The rice roll portion of the steamed shrimp rice roll was way too thick (I've never seen it that thick before) and the other food was just blah. Not appetizing, just kind of bland, and sad. Service was good. The lady that took our order was pleasant and friendly. She checked on us a few times. I really wanted to like this place, but it just didn't turn out that way. We may give this place another try. If we do, I will update my review. 3 / 5: Dim Sum 4 / 5: Service 3 / 5: Cleanliness 3.3 / 5: Overall read more

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Service: Was looking for a dim sum place in SD and came across this place. Glad we came bc the food and service was amazing! We came on Saturday a little after 11am when they opened and we got sat right away. Came in with a group of 4 and the servers were all so kind and attentive! 10/10 service, the ladies made our experience 10x better. They made sure we got everything we wanted and always checked up on us. Food: Everything we ordered was very good! My favorites were the shu mai, XLB, shrimp rice noodle roll, walnut shrimp and chicken feet. Best dim sum that I've tried in SD so far. Ambiance: Very calm and inviting environment. Surprisingly not that busy for a Saturday! Would definitely come back read more

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I am not sure why some people rated Imperial Mandarin with less than 5 nor complained about their food. Having tasted the best dim-sum for decades from Northern (where I grew up), Central and Southern California. I tell you this is one of the best tasting dim-sum. The auntie taking the orders is a sweet and patient lady. Everything tasted above average with excellent customer service. My new dim-sum go to. read more

It has some good food and techniques to make their food taste good. Especially the chicken feet which I love. But for the fried tofu, I would prefer a different sause. But the meat balls with the woschesire sause is a must. It's so tender that you think it's raw but it's not because it's been pounded till soft and all the tendon has been picked out. The service is as good as always with servers speaking Mandarin and Cantonese with a little rough English. Everything's fast and efficient. read more

3/25/24 - visit here twice a week. I spent $45 for items to go. No one inside. My first time I can take a photograph with no one inside. See the photo. Then see my dishes. Mostly appetizers to go. I ordered 1 pan fried dumpling, a sizzling rice soup, 2 Shiumai and 1 eggplant with shrimp. read more

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My server was really nice and lots of asians when I went, so that's a plus. I also needed a plug for my computer while I ate and my table had one on the wall yay. The was plentiful for lunch. I hope to return and try their dim sum.menu read more

Good food and service. Portion of lunch special is good. Table was sticky and needs better cleaning. read more

Imperial Mandarin Restaurant - Lunch special - Almond Chicken. Veggie Lomein. - Dim Sum Near Me - San Diego, California

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This restaurant has been here for over 4 decades. The peking duck bone in was amazing. Very reasonably priced. it's a no frills kind of place. I do think that the baskin robins plastic spoon used to serve yourself the hot sauce needs an upgrade. I also had some Dim Sum. it was delicious. read more