Such a gem!!! Spent my friend's birthday here for dinner & they amazingly accommodated for 10 guests walk-in on a saturday night. We were the only ones there and treated like royalty!! Our server was incredibly attentive and personable, and another man (possibly manager?) came out to bring a birthday dessert out! So much laughter & joy here- we had a lovely time read more

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Got the Bar-B-Q Sliced Pork (forgot to take a photo), Chicken Chow Mein Soft Noodles (shown), and a side of white rice for takeout. The food was pretty good and hit the spot, although portion sizes felt a little smaller than I'd expect for the price. That said, I'll be ordering again and maybe even do a sit down next time. read more

Mandarin Garden - Chicken Chow Mein Soft Noodles (with soy sauce added) - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

Looking for that one place that serves Chinese food on the mountain?! This is it! Hit the spot - got chicken chow mein and orange chicken for dinner and it's good! There are NO other Chinese options in the area that I'm aware of? read more

This is my second time stopping at Mandarin Garden while traveling from Los Angeles toward Big Bear, and it's quickly become one of my favorite hidden gems. Both visits were for pickup lunch specials, and each time the staff was welcoming and friendly. The ambience inside was very relaxing, with soft ambient music and dim lighting. The first visit I ordered the chicken and broccoli, which was excellent. This time I tried the Mongolian beef, and it did not disappoint. The meat was incredibly soft and tender both times. I'm originally from NY, so I'm pretty particular about Chinese food, and after living in California for 10 years, this is some of the closest-to-home Chinese food I've found here. The lunch special is a great value and comes with a generous portion of fried rice, an egg roll, a fried/tempura shrimp (which is delicious), plus almond cookies and fortune cookies. Consistently great food, great value, and a really pleasant experience overall. I'll definitely keep coming back every time I'm in the area. read more

Mandarin Garden - Mongolian Beef Lunch Special - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

It was ada friendly aka ramp, it's a cute place very welcome. Came a little after lunch and was treated very well. My questions were answered since it was my first time there. Tea lovely Got the orange chicken lunch special the person I was with got the beef lunch special. Served first with egg flower soup the lunch special came with egg roll and a shrimp. The food tasted very fresh and not greasy. The orange chicken had oranges so you know it's real not dyed. Everything was so delish and the server was very sweet. Also well priced!! Will go back again. read more

Great service and warm atmosphere. We were freezing and came in for lunch and some hot tea. This place hit the spot. We saved Mandarin Garden to our playlist when we come back to Lake Arrowhead. Normally the only Chinese restaurant in a small town isn't anything special but that isn't true in this case. Thank you read more

Mandarin Garden - Sweet and sour shrimp - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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The food was crazy delicious , and service is excellent , the guy who served me give me so recommendations The restaurant ambience can be pretty dark since it doesnt have many lights but overall is a good food ,i would be back read more

Great family locally family owned business. The service is fast , attentive and super friendly. The food is great and fair prices. It's served quick but fresh. Try the combination pan fried noodles! They are amazing!!! A special treat was the hot tea that they serve is delicate but very flavorful! This is now one of our go to spots on the mountain. read more

My wife and I enjoyed yet another 'amazing' meal at Mandarin Garden Restaurant on a beautiful Sunday night in our local mountains. TY Wendy for our great service and friendly visit as always! She, her father Larry, her husband and their entire family staff, ALWAYS prepare us very delicious Asian cuisine. For years now. Tonight was no different folks. For starters, Egg rolls, paper wrapped chicken, and beef skewer appetizers. We love using the 'table top' grill (shown in photo), to put a nice char on the cooked beef. My wife enjoyed her broccoli beef dish. I paired the meal with a bottle of their hot sake as usual. Love it each time. So, anything is delicious here. I wanted something different tonight. A meal with a 'bite!'. Upon my asking, Wendy suggested a wonderfully spicy 9 vegetable chicken main entry. Crisp vegetables and thinly sliced meat cooked in an epic broth sauce. Each meal combo is served with rice for 2. I enjoyed mixing some rice into the remaining sauce. I absolutely love the heat level on this dish. Great Chinese comfort food. I WILL be having this again! Thank you ALL again. Great job! And, see you soon. read more

Picked up to go and overall this place was pretty good. It's one of those mom & pop place that has a ton of characteristics and you can tell the workers there all work hard. It was also Christmas so seeing the old Christmas tree lit up in the dark place brought back some good memories of other Chinese restaurants. The food was good and my kid ate it up! Don't expect too much from this area and you won't be disappointed. read more

The food quality is not great. The flavors are bland and we weren't even sure the chow main had noodles it was more like a soup. We ordered take out so cannot comment on the service or ambiance. read more

Seriously so incredibly delicious. Prices are so reasonable for the amount of food they give you and quality too. I'm very impressed!!!

Mandarin Gardens has improved the look of their restaurant by finally getting rid of the old, stained carpet and replaced it with engineered vinyl flooring. It looks a million times better and I no longer have to worry about what I'm stepping on, haha. Their food is some of the best Chinese food I've ever had. I'm always a fan! read more

Mandarin Garden - Bar and register - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

This is the type of place that I have been missing. And the type of place that is getting rarer and rarer to find. An old-school, family run Chinese restaurant. The atmosphere is dark and intimate with vintage decoration. The food was excellent. I loved the salt and pepper shrimp. The egg flour soup is some of the best I've ever had. It has just the right amount of salt and is spruced up with mushrooms. The service is friendly and personal. The couple have a familiar touch with their customers. read more

Chinese food high on top of a mountain near Lake Arrowhead. What can I say? I was really craving Chinese food while staying at the lake. This place has been around since 85 which is incredible. Inside it's dark and retro as hell. Love it! Locals seem to enjoy it as everyone dining the day I came in was joking around with the sweet owner. The food is ok. What threw me off was the very thick sauce on my beef and broccoli, maybe extra msg? And the egg flower soup was also extremely thick. Flavors were great and their lunch specials are awesome as they come with an abundance of food. My beef was very tender and the slightly crispy broccoli nice and fresh and cooked to perfection. I would most likely come back since I visit Lake Arrowhead several times a year but I'm guessing all their saucy dishes are made on the very thick side. Undecided at this point. 3.5 stars from me once Yelp gets their shit together and allows half stars. read more

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Was in Twin Peaks for a weekend getaway and wanted Chinese delivered, which we got via DoorDash. Everything was fresh, made to order. We got the kung pao chicken, combo fried rice and beef with oyster sauce. Nothing disappointed! If we are ever in the area that is our go to spot for some good Chinese food! read more

Love this place!!! They have the best soup especially when you're sick and need hot and sour!!

Welcoming environment, decision food, exemplary service. Will come again when visiting area! read more

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Parents truly like theirs food. Super Delicious . Service are amazing too. The boss is a wonderful funny lady. We were chatting so happy read more

Mandarin Garden - Free food - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

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Great food. Staff wonderful happy and just a great experience. been coming here for years. Great place to come if you're visiting for more than a couple days. read more

I dont like giving negative reviews, especially in a small town with family businesses. I love our mountain towns and want them to flourish. But this place just really disappointed. I ordered takeout over the july 4th weekend. I'd been warned by a family member not to eat here because they said everything was gross. But its the only chinese food place on the mountain and I had a craving. I tried mixed lo mein, orange chicken with fried rice, and the cream cheese crab wonton things. This is pretty much what I get at any Chinese food place. Unfortunately the orange chicken was soggy and a grayish brown color. I could barely taste any orange at all. It was also very chewy. The noodles had an unpleasant smell that wafted out of the container, like old wet cardboard. When tasted, they also tasted like cardboard. No flavor. Just the weird stale taste. Im really surprised by all the positive reviews. I give 2 stars because the wontons were pretty normal, the fried shrimp was good, and the spring roll was small but pretty standard. I threw away the chicken and noodles...total waste of money. Will not go there again. read more

Best Chinese food ever! Will go back for sure! Staff is very friendly. The ambience reminds me of an old restaurant but very warm

Food is always good. Moo shu pork is my very favorite and the sweet & sour shrimp. I love ordering fried rice with bbq pork. My husband and I eat here a couple times a month. Everything is always hot too. Everyone is great. Maggie, Charlie, Wendy & Derek! read more

I ordered for pick up the orange chicken, teriyaki chicken, fried rice, chow men, white rice and breaded shrimp. Everything was good. The breaded shrimp was the best . The service was great the asian lady was very nice. read more

Great Chinese food on the Mountain. Great little family-owned spot with genuinely tasty, reasonably priced Chinese food. Portions are generous and they offer all the classics. Favorites from the appetizer menu: green onion pancake, crab rangoon, fried wontons and fried spring rolls -- all solid. The couple who runs the place are kind and helpful, and the dining room has sweet family photos on the walls. The interior lighting is a bit dark and dingy and the building feels old, but it adds to the charm rather than detracts from the meal. Highly recommend for a satisfying, budget-friendly meal on the Mountain. read more

I went with my Family since there is no many options on Chinese Food on the Mountain , Food was not great , the place and tables look dirty , expensive and very small portions , I will stay away from this place . read more

Don't skip this place!! We've wanted to try this place for forever, and this trip up the mountain we finally did. This place was great. We were served by the kindest woman with the best energy who helped us pick some favorites since it was our first time here. Everything we ordered was 10/10 They even gave us a few chicken wings to try, which was the kindest gesture (and yes, they were delicious) This will be on our list to come to every time we make our way up the mountain. read more

Thank you Derek for your help. You were AWESOME! Your customer service was the BEST we've had at any restaurant. Easygoing, funny, and knowledgeable of the food. Thanks for talking to us. We didn't get to see or ask who was cooking the food but EVERYTHING they cooked was AMAZING. The appetizers and our meals were PERFECT! Soup, Egg rolls with the sweet and sour sauce, beef skewers, chicken, Broccoli& Beef, Sweet& Sour Chicken, the rice, and the green tea! We loved it all. We were surprised the place looked a bit lonely but that made it more comfortable for us feeling like we had the restaurant to ourselves and a few others. Mandarin Gardens will be a necessary stop anytime we're around Arrowhead. Thank you again read more

Mandarin Garden - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

First time dinning in after driving by a couple times and glad I did. Amazing service and tasty food. Came in on a Friday night and got seated immediately (2 ppl) Shortly after we were seated, we were given hot tea and crispy friend noodles. They had so many options it was hard to choose but we opted for Chicken Fried Rice, Mongolian Beef, Orange Chicken & Pork Chow Mein. Chicken Fried Rice - $12.95 Good portion and taste. It tasted more like white rice with scrambled eggs but surprisingly really enjoyed. Mongolian Beef - $16.95 My least favorite item but may just be preference. Included thicker sauce, meat, green onion, bamboo shoots & small amount of chopped almonds. The meat tasted sweeter like it was pork but portion size was good. I'd personally skip this one and try something else next time. Orange Chicken - $16.95 Favorite item of the night. Will definitely come back for this. When it first came out, I was disappointed because I thought it looked way too saucy but it was so good and crunchy! It even has a hint of spice. Would recommend to anyone looking for a delicious safe choice. Pork Chow Mein - $13.95 Solid plate of noodles. I prefer my bean sprouts cooked down a little more but still a great side. Had a mix of bean sprouts, green onion & cabbage. The service made our experience that much pleasant and memorable. From the man that sat us to the woman that dropped off our tea, to our server. They were all friendly and looked happy to have us. We were even serenaded at the end by our lovely waitress. read more

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Finding a traditional Chinese restaurant in the middle of a sleepy mountain town is something of a surprise, but the community of Blue Jay hosts such a little spot, and it's well worth a visit if a craving for Chinese cuisine strikes you when up in the high country. Receiving what was maybe the most enthusiastic greeting I've ever encountered from a host, my wife and I were promptly seated in a quaint back area of this unassuming restaurant along Highway 189. Like many older mountain establishments, the building itself gives one the feeling of dining in a cabin, replete with wood planked walls but adorned with the more traditional artwork and decorations you'd expect for the cuisine being served. Upon taking our seats, I inwardly smiled at seeing the familiar Chinese zodiac placemats that were omnipresent in such restaurants before fast food joints changed the way many folks eat Chinese. Similarly, I felt a huge wave of nostalgia wash over me upon perusing a menu that offered lettered family combinations (entire meal selections with soup, appetizer plates, and entree choices based on total number in party) - totally old-school in a very good way! The food was outstanding. We opted for the Family Dinner D package, which offered honey walnut shrimp and bbq pork egg foo young as our entree choices. Although the included soup was sizzling rice, we requested egg flower in its place; a change our server happily accommodated and even offered additional servings of, if desired - and, on a chilly November afternoon, I took him up on. All the food from soup, through appetizers, to main dishes was fantastic. (And the complimentary fortune and almond cookies were great, too! ;D) We usually eat early due to my wife's issue with acid reflux, but while both of our chosen entrees were generously sauced, neither was overbearing or overly rich. The individual entrees' portion sizes were generous, and I had quite a treat finishing my large order of egg foo young with the remaining rice the next day. There's no question the food is freshly prepared, as my "leftovers" test provided an equally moist and flavorful second meal. Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself because I've failed to mention that the appetizer plate showcased the chef's skill with a variety of favorites including pork spareribs, foil-wrapped chicken, beef skewers, fried shrimp, egg rolls, and sweet-and-sour and spicy mustard dipping sauces. The batter used on the fried shrimp was light and flaky - but not oily, and the sweet-and-sour sauce was thick and full-flavored (so unlike the watered-down stuff one gets so often nowadays). I look forward to trying some sweet and sour dish (pork, chicken, or shrimp) next visit, which - with a similar batter and sauce - must be equally delicious! From my last observation, it's clear that we definitely plan on returning to Mandarin Garden again - and we're hoping to bring friends to share both the faire we have already tried AND to sample more on their menu. Many thanks to our host for a truly enjoyable dining experience! read more

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I loved this restaurant until they made me order online. It to9k forever to find the entree I wanted to order. In fact I had to scroll through twice. I used to order quicky and easily. T took 10 minutes. Wont be ordering here again l read more

Parking can be at a premium, depending on the time of day. Inside is cozy and inviting. Music playing for ambiance. The lady who greeted, seated, and waited on us was very pleasant. She is upbeat, happy, and laughs in abundance. We ordered the sweet and sour pork lunch special, an assorted appetizer for two, sizzling rice soup and honey walnut shrimp. Let's break it down below. Sizzling rice soup is very good. The appetizer had a few good and bad. Fried shrimp amazing. Veggie egg rolls very oily. Teriyaki skewer good. Pork ribs great flavor, great amount of meat but it was very chewy. Paper wrapped chicken bland. Sweet and sour pork was AMAZING! perfect crunchy savory bites. Egg fried rice wasn't so great. It tasted like white rice with egg. Honey, walnut shrimp was a miss. Too much Mayo, walnuts mushy. This was discounted 1/2 off. We didn't eat much of it, nor did we take it to go. A few people here, so it took a bit to get Bill and cash out. Only 1 person working floor. Upon paying the bill, our waitress sang us a couples song. It was very cute and sweet of her. Would be back again. read more

Mandarin Garden - Lobby - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

I have been in the business for over 35 years. We purchased our home in Lake Arrowhead and tried the food. It was good we dined in. Our second experience was not very good and do not have the need to share the details. But we ordered take out today and my wife was so happy when the person that answered the phone was so bubbly and full of energy. We pulled up they were busy and food was ready. The owner had a huge smile on his face and I come to find out his daughter Cindy was the bubbly person on the phone. Now to the good part. Food was Amazing everything was prepped to perfection. Thank you read more

We picked this place for pickup. We were spending two days at Lake Arrowhead at an Airbnb and we had a hankering for Chinese. My wife and I were at Lake Arrowhead 36 years ago for our honeymoon, and we think we ate here then. We had sweet and pork lunch special, mongolian beef lunch special and a spicy chicken lunch special. The food was good and the portions are generous. Not gourmet, but it really hit the spot and is quite reasonably priced. read more

We've been here several times and it's usually Ok. Not many choices for Chinese in this area. This last visit just gave me a negative experience and not sure if I'll be returning again. The non Asian, male server wasn't exactly the most customer service oriented person. I felt he talked down to us. Maybe because some of us were Asian? He also actually crouched down while taking our order. Strange... The whole vibe just felt uncomfortable. read more

You gotta have one of Charlie's Mojitos. They're the best! I was a local resident for 16 years and since I've moved down the hill, I bring my family back as if I'm coming home. read more

Super chill service and the food was great. The environment was also really homey and comforting read more

Mandarin Garden - Wonton soup - Chinese Near Me - Blue Jay, California

We've been eating at, and taking out, food for about 15 years. Eating restaurant food is expensive. We chose our meal-of-the-month at MG. The to-go meal's only main course was inedible. The ONLY flavor was vinegar. And I don't mean "OH geez, I added too much vinegar, I'll have to balance it out". I mean "Damn it! Someone left all the caps, outside and inside caps, off the vinegar!! Oh well, it's to-go so chances are it won't be returned"... It's been hit and miss for months, but this meal was completely inedible. Beware read more

Awesome food and great people. Don't pass this up!! New floor looks great! Have fun and enjoy

Woooooah ! We came here for a large group of people. Not only the food is scrumptious but also the service. ! Thanks for an amazing service and singing to us. ! I love the sizzling scallop and beef !! read more