We ordered take out from this place and arrived in a very cramped and small parking lot. The order was ready within 15 minutes. It was around lunch time on Saturday and they weren't very busy. When you walk in, there is a bar with about 6 seats and then inside seating to the right past reception. The decor is modern and Asian inspired theming. We order the honey walnut shrimp, which was much better than we were expecting. The shrimp were large, cooked well, with a light crispy batter and just enough sauce. There was a lot of candied walnut and the broccoli was cooked perfectly. The white rice was decent. Overall for $25, it was slightly pricier than your hole in the wall Chinese restaurant, but we were pleasantly surprised. I would recommend this place. read more

Mandarin House - Honey Walnut Shrimp - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

Old school and low key spot- we go often for our Chinese food fix. The service is always quick and attentive. Big servings and a great places for a shared meal. The salt and pepper tofu and chicken corn soup are my faves. read more

I'm impressed with how wrong that experience just was. I came in because you mailed me a free entrée. I was excited to come in and try you guys out. When I just arrived, the individual working, I guess is the host, the floor manager, the Bartender and the Server. I'm not sure but maybe he's cooking at the same time also. Regardless, he was eating his lunch and wiping his hands on his trousers and then approaching tables for service (except for mine which he didn't approach and I'm like one of two tables there which was bizarre). Anyway, there's usually standards of health and service, that would include the maybe only service person on your floor not eating food having clean hands and hygiene and then providing service to the table. I didn't even want to eat your free food because that's how grossed out I was by your server. I was going to order a lot of other things too. The menu looked great. The restaurant looks great, but I wouldn't touch a dang thing that Server brought to my table if he ever showed up to my table. What a waste of time read more

I got here at 5:30 on a Friday and was able to score a parking in the lot right in front. There were lots of tables available as well but the dining room did fill up by about 6:15pm. I was surprised by the mostly senior citizen crowd. Ordered a variety of apps and entrees and I was pleasantly surprised. My favorites were the kung pao tofu (but it wasn't spicy), beef chow fun, and Sesame Shrimp. The sweet and sour chicken was a little dry and needed more breading so I won't be ordering that again. The food tasted fresh and didn't have the bad oil taste. Food also came out piping hot. The place was clean and had lots of attentive servers. Nice local restaurant that's reasonably priced for the neighborhood. Good size portions too. read more

Mandarin House - Menu - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

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Mandarin House is brighter and newer looking inside than when I first visited back around 2000.  There was a bigger lunch crowd back then. I tried the upside down noodles.  The plate was huge and I took about 20% home for dinner. Delicious char on the noodles.  Shrimp was plump and had a fresh flavor.  Beef was tender and moist with nice flavor.  Chicken was tender but could have used some time in a marinade.  Broccoli and snow peas had a fresh flavor.  Very good dish. Wor won ton soup with lo mein noodles.  Soup base had a light chicken stock base.  Wheat based lo mein noodles had a very light flavor.  My preference is for thin egg noodles like at Minh Ky.  Won tons had the thin wrapper I like but sadly this dish was overcooked and the won ton wrapper was disintegrating.  Char sui was tender and had a delicious 5 star powder based flavor.  Wish there were more pieces.  Pork, chicken, and shrimp were good.  This dish was ok. The guy in charge was very nice and efficient. read more

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Mandarin house was a good spot for a quick casual dinner. We got a lot of different items and all of them came out fresh and hot. The wine was not my favorite but the food was good. Service was very good and fast with such a full resturant. The noddles were my favorite dish we got. read more

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STEPH JUDGEMENT: Charming old school American-Chinese joint. Established in 1977, it said on its marquee, and the exterior certainly looked it. The interior was nicer than what we were expecting, though--there must've been a fairly recent renovation. We ordered: - Cocktails: Lychee martini & Zombie (they were nice and strong; happy hour 4-6pm) - Sze Chuan string beans (fresh beans, zero spice--unexpectedly sweet) - Veg mapo tofu (best veg mapo I've had in a restaurant: some spice, nice mix of diced mushrooms, zucchini and water chestnuts in the sauce) Very nice service: my fortune cookie had no fortune so the server gave me two. Would certainly hit up again should the occasion arise. read more

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Ordered recently for takeout. The food is still delicious but they don't have egg foo young. Still have moo shu. We had the veggie moo shu and it was delicious read more

We went twice while staying in La Jolla. First time dumplings which are large and completely filled with goodness. Staff are wonderful. 2nd time: The flavors and tastes of the Mandarin house brought many childhood memories of Chinese food from the 70's and 80's . Flavors were very Americanized and touches your heart. So we went full traditional with Egg rolls which were not a version of a spring roll, much better. Chicken Chop Suey or Chow Mien on the east coast. Sesame chicken Wonderful and would recommend highly! read more

Worked up an appetite from swim lessons this afternoon and had a hunkering for those addicting Szechuan String Beans. I scooped up my girlfriend and popped in for lunch. We were seated at a booth. Didn't even need to glance at the menu. I just hit repeat on my solid favorites: Crab Rangoon, Mushu Pork and Szechuan String Beans. Our attentive and friendly server Justin, made sure to bring our waters and sauces before food arrived. Major bonuses points for that. He was also kind enough to bring out chopsticks. Crab Rangoons were served within 5 minutes and seemed on the larger side today. Not complaining just observant. Love the dipping sauce that accompanied it. Szechuan String Beans were on point per usual. I can honestly just eat the whole plate of those solo if they weren't so greasy. Mushu Pork was good, I didn't really care for the pancakes to wrap today so I just gobbled it up with steam rice. Surprisingly, we had the whole restaurant to ourselves. Which was nice. My girlfriend pointed out how spacious it is and is considering hosting her mother in-laws birthday here in the future. read more

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Our family has made Christmas Eve dinner at Mandarin House a tradition for 20 years, but this is the last. The staff seemed completely overwhelmed -- from the very unhelpful hostess to the frazzled servers to the weak mai tais to the super bland food. Don't know yet where we'll end up next year for Christmas Eve, but we'll be starting a new tradition somewhere else. read more

Mandarin House - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

Note to self: love the hot & sour soup, pass on the Singapore style curry noodles, and bummed this time the salt & pepper chicken was mostly just crumbs and hard to chew. Last time, the chicken was tender and delicious. read more

Mandarin House - Sad Salt & Pepper Chicken this time - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

Everything was delicious! The orange chicken was great! The service was fast and friendly. The place was crowded. It's expected when you have great Chinese food! Some of my pictures didn't come out the best but here are a few. read more

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I came to the Mandarin house with my family, I placed a reservation through the phone and when we came in and we were immediately seated. The orange beef is amazing. I dream about that. Secondly the fried rice is amazing as well, would definitely come back again with my family or even just by myself. read more

A blast from the past. Love the decor. Service was great, food was very good. There was a charming detail that I will share in photos. They took a stainless steel wok and made it into a sink in the restroom. The faucet is a pot filler. I love the whimsy. Somebody was thinking! read more

Mandarin House - Bathroom sink made from a stainless steel wok - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

The hostess was very nice but the food was not as I remember it. I believe they are cutting corners or have new owners. They gave me rice covered in soy sauce and called it fried rice and charged extra 2.50 for it, was horrible. then my main entree was dry not very much sauce and tasted old; they are recognized for their cashew chicken red sauce but there was very little of it on my dish. Overall they refunded my money which was probably the only way to save face with this dinner disaster but I was very disappointed this used to be a favorite spot of mine but not anymore. read more

I am usually happy with what I order but the other night I ordered the Buddhist delight in garlic sauce vegetarian dish it was just a blob of overcooked veggies in brown sauce nothing appealing to The taste or the eye very disappointed read more

It's been a while since we've last eaten here, but decided to stop by for dinner. We were glad we did because the food was delicious and the service was excellent. Our food came out quickly and everything was fresh. We're already strategizing what to order next time we visit. read more

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Good, standard fare Chinese. Nothing unusal. I dined here during a meeting of about 60 guests. Plates came out fast and furiously, and were devoured as quickly as they were delivered. There were no leftovers! read more

The Mandarin House staff makes you feel at home from the minute you walk in the door. The ambiance is amazing. Service is always 10/10. And the food makes you smile and dance while you eat it Some of my favorites: Egg Rolla King Pao Chicken Honey Walnut Shrimp Won Ton Soup Orange Chicken Peking Duck Bok Choy Beef Lo Mein read more

Finally tried Mandarin house and I was not disappointed!! It is the most East coast style Chinese food Ive had since Ive been in San Diego. The bbq spare ribs were excellent. They were seasoned just right with a good char on them. The eggrolls were hot and crispy and served with duck sauce and hot mustard. Roast pork lo mein had great noodles with a nice smoky flavor and lots of pork. These came out a little cold- maybe sat waiting too long. Lastly we tried the popular cashew chicken. Super flavorful and lots of cashews. Atmosphere is loud and busy with lots of loud children. Looking forward to trying it for takeout some time soon. read more

Under new ownership this lovely business came back from being closed! I'm glad they made a few updates to the dining room and improved the ambiance. Upon HS graduation our son picked this as his graduation meal! From hearty Wor Wanton soup through a zesty Mongolian Beef to a filling Lo mein, you will not leave hungry. read more

Quality food and authentic taste. Service was attentive and friendly. Old school vibe. Definitely recommend this Chinese restaurant.

Took the family down to La Jolla this weekend. We celebrated my daughter turning 3. We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express La Jolla. Right next to the hotel was Mandarin House. We just walked right over. Seated Immediately and the staff was exceptionally friendly. We sat in the booths. Very comfortable. Had booster seats and high chairs for the kids. We had the Salt & Pepper Wings, Mu Shu Chicken, Mandarin Fried Rice, and Crab Rangoon(not pictured). I would rate everything a 5 except the Mu Shu Chicken. Serve Coke products. I prefer Coke over Pepsi. Overall experience was great. Highly recommend. read more

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I always visit Mandarin house right when the open. For some restaurant experiences this can be a dealbreaker. Not at Mandarin House! Justin, who is always present at opening is consistently efficient, friendly, and overall just fantastic. Food wise, I'm never disappointed. Great and authentic cuisine and good bang for your buck. read more

What can I say? This place is an institution. I went to the Bishop's School for Boys and Girls back in the eighties and still call this place home. If you love American Chinese, this is your place. read more

Mandarin House - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

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I have been eating at Mandarin House for well over 15 years! If you have not eaten here, YOU ARE MISSING OUT on the best Chinese food in San Diego! We have come here for Many special occasions and it's Always a delicious experience! First off, their Crispy Beef dish one of a kind-crispy beef covered in a yummy sweet sauce! Then the Hot & Sour soup is just the right amount of spicy and sour. The Shrimp Toast app is my absolute favorite, and I can't find this anywhere else! Their Kung Pao Chicken is also a favorite, the sauce is so unique and has something in it that makes it one of a kind! They have so many dishes and we have never had a bad one! The service is quick and efficient! The ambiance is festive with the lanterns hanging from the ceiling! GO! read more

Super flavorful and delicious Chinese food! Ordered the orange chicken, Mongolian beef, egg drop soup, wonton soup, and egg rolls. Everything was so good! Service was speedy and super friendly. Highly recommend! read more

My mother and I came in after spending the day at the beach and it was a great meal after a long day. The plates were huge and we ended up taking a lot home, but it was delicious all the same. I loved the dim atmosphere of the place, and the staff were very friendly and accommodating. We would definitely stop by again. read more

I've been going to this restaurant for many, many years, and it's always been consistently good.

I really love this place! The food is so good that I would actually never consider another Chinese restaurant in the La Jolla area. The staff wait on you and provide everything you need to enjoy your dining experience.. David is a really awesome guy! read more

Love Mandarin House, get the crab rangoon. DO IT! I miss them being in Bankers Hill. read more

Service was absolutely horrible but the food was good! Our second waiter was pretty great, the people at the front desk aren't so great. If you would like to change seats even if the restaurant is empty and they say you can, it takes them forever to actually move you. It also takes a while for you to get a waiter to take your order or bring you water. Absolutely loved the food and the quality is great! I loved the Orange Chicken, Sesame chicken, and Mongolian beef. I unfortunately couldn't get the Lemon Chicken but it looked amazing! read more

Mandarin House - Orange Chicken Sesame Chicken Mongolian Beef - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

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I love the decor, nostalgia, and old school menu. If they turned down the lighting a little bit and played up the lanterns, it would be even more magical! The food is very average American palette Chinese food. I had the YZ fried rice which was underwhelming until I got home and added some pizazz to the leftovers. My friends' veggie lettuce wraps and vegetable lo mein were unremarkable. On a positive note, the portions were huge and more than enough to share and have leftovers. Our main waiter was friendly and attentive. The other servers we dealt with were a mixture of confused and surly, but it didn't bother me that much. Would I come back here? Not right away. Maybe in another 10 years if they're still around. read more

We've been going to Chens in La Jolla for the last year. Thought we would give our old fave a try. We're so disappointed in our to go order. We ordered Mu Shu Pork which is supposed to come with four pancakes which basically holds the whole meal together we're missing. We order the Crab Ragoon which had very little filling. Just a total disappointment. If you haven't been to Chens in La Jolla it is amazing and they get their orders right. read more

We LOVE Mandarin house and have truly never been disappointed on our visits. The decor is lovely, the service is quick and the food is delicious. They have tofu and other vegetarian options such as veggie egg rolls. Although we did not try one of the fancy drinks, I can see how this would be a fun place to go for a celebration. Super kid friendly, we saw many kids during our meal there! Love that they have "plain noodles" a kid favorite for sure!! We will definitely be back. : ) read more

Mandarin House - Inside of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

What a wonderful and nostalgic place! I happened to drive my Mandarin House and saw the retro signage and "world famous" notation so I had to try it. We came back that night and had dinner there. This place is loud and there's a lot happening here. Mandarin House has a lot of history and nostalgia. The man at the front told us he's been there over 46 years! Wow! He was nice and professional and has great pride in his restaurant. There's cute paper lantern lights all over the ceiling and a row of old school high backed booths along the front window side. When we walked in we saw an award sign behind the front counter that said "Voted best place to celebrate a birthday". While there, we saw at least 2 birthday parties going on. They certainly live up to their award! The food is wonderful. Among us, we had an appetizer of Salt & Pepper fried chicken wings, and for dinner we had Walnut Shrimp, Orange Chicken, and Crispy Beef, white rice and fried rice. All were very tasty and we had ample portions and enough for leftovers. I will return here one day when back in the area. I think it's a gem for the La Jolla neighborhood. read more

Mandarin House - Our receipt - Chinese Near Me - La Jolla, California

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It is quite the experience to even have dinner here. The service is a bit punchy as they go for volume here. Get you in, get you out. We saw a table of three sat, fed, and check paid in under 30 minutes. Food was fair enough. We're glad to have experienced it and appreciated them being open on Christmas. read more

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Excellent Chinese dishes with which I have been familiar for decades. Excellent pleasant service.

Busy restaurant. Lively and loud. The first Chinese restaurant I've ever been to that has a full bar. There were gigantic cocktails served in cauldrons of fire!! The service was fine. Food took longer than what I'm used to at Chinese restaurants. Probably because there were tons of people. We ordered: Veggie egg rolls - tasty. Arrived very hot. Salt & Pepper Tofu - good Buddha's Delight - 10 kinds of vegetables. It was good. Mushu Pork - okay Crispy Beef - loved this! Overall, everything was decent. read more

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