If you eat gluten free and miss Chinese food, this is the place you've been looking for! They can make most of their dishes gluten free. They were so knowledgeable and the chef even came out to show us all of the gluten free sauces he uses. We had Kelsey grammar's orange chicken, chicken chow fun, and veggie fried rice and we loved every single one. Highly highly recommend. read more

Got their Raspberry Captain Rum Shrimp and Orange Chicken, and both were delicious! The decor and presentation are amazing--I can't believe you can get such beautiful plating for only around $22-25 per dish. Both the raspberry and orange sauces are tangy and flavorful, which pairs perfectly with the fried shrimp and chicken. I would have preferred the shrimp and chicken to be a little crispier, but overall, everything was still very tasty. The owners/servers were also incredibly nice and friendly. Such a hidden gem for Chinese fusion food! Definitely worth checking out. read more

See all

I have come to this wonderful place since I was a child. Having not lived in socal in so many years and being able to experience it not change makes me so happy!! Absolutely the kindest owners. Walking in, you are greeted like family with so much warmth. They are total gems and the food is equally the same. This is healthy AND delicious! I love that this is not your "average" take out Chinese. It is a fantastic selection of delicious and thoughtfully made cuisine. If you are in the Agoura area and looking for something delicious and unique give this place a try, it is a must. It is not often you get to enjoy food that is made with so much love read more

What a great place! We come to Calabasas often for work and when we get here it's gotta be the lotus! It's a must! Kim and Dan are the best food is prepared perfectly and the taste of every dish is amazing. Always look forward to coming back! If you're looking for a great Chinese cuisine, no need to look any further! read more

See all

Food wasn't good. I'd never order here again. Everything tasted the same as everything else.

Went here for the first time last night for my birthday and couldn't have had a better experience. I've been strictly gluten free for about 15 years and this place was a dream come true. On top of the delicious food, the hospitality is top notch. It felt like we had been welcomed into their home. Will definitely be coming back soon. read more

Extremely Disappointing Experience - Cold Food and Questionable Pricing! I am extremely disappointed with our experience at this restaurant! There were three occupied tables in the restaurant--two with people from the entertainment industry and ours, just my husband and me. We were the last to arrive, yet somehow we were served first, almost immediately after placing our order. My shrimp arrived COLD! Not lukewarm, but COLD! How is that possible if the food is freshly prepared? It certainly made me question whether my meal had been sitting around before it was served. And then came the bill! The menu listed my husband's chicken at $19.99 and my shrimp at $22.99. Yet we were charged $28.99 EACH! With water and a side of rice for my cold shrimp, our bill came to $70.13!!!! How does that make sense? Why advertise one price on the menu and charge another? For $70.13 I certainly expected freshly prepared, hot food and transparent pricing. Neither should be too much to ask. We will NEVER return. The pricing was frustrating, but what I really cannot get over is being served COLD FOOD!!!!!!Absolutely unacceptable! read more

Great food and service. I have very high standards for the quality of food and service I get because of my celiac disease. This place does not disappoint. I always get the Kelsey Grammer orange chicken and have never gotten sick. They said anything on the menu can be done gluten-free. The music in the background creates a nice ambiance. read more

Mandarin Lotus - Kelsey Grammer Orange Chicken, gluten-free - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

If there is ever a Chinese restaurant analog of The Beef/The Bear restaurant from the hit Hulu show, The Bear, this humble mom and pop restaurant can certainly play that role. It is also surprisingly a must-stop pilgrimage for celebrities (just look at their wall of famous visitors!). From Kelsey Grammer (who requested to add his name on his favorite dish here, the Orange Chicken) to Kobe Bryant to Jack Nicholson, the who's who list who has been here is pretty extensive and astounding, especially since this restaurant is way out in Agoura Hills. To call the menu jam-packed is an understatement with 324 food items + 2 desserts, but take a good look at the entries and you can see some of the most exotic and creative dishes made with ingredients that you just don't associate with Chinese cuisine. I am just amazed to find so many dishes that are just not your ordinary dishes. Here a sampling of menu entries that caught my eyes (all can be added with chicken, beef, shrimp, or pork): - Honey Mustard Wine Reduction Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk - Maple Pecan Matcha Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk - Kaffir Lime Leaves Oil Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk - Lavender Honey Blueberry Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk - Raspberry Captain Rum Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk - Tibetan Goji Mango Pistachio Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk I asked Kim (half of the Dan+Kim whose names you see in majority of the reviews here) for her recommendation, and she said "Southwest Sh/Bf/Ch/Pk Argentinian Sauce." Now this dish is not a Southwestern American dish, but it is one of Chef Dan Chang's Signature Creations that started from Southwestern China stir fry chicken and green beans. He then added his secret concoction of spices that would make Colonel Sanders jealous and elevate the dish to a fantastic fine dining culinary flavor and presentation. There are layers of taste here that work together harmoniously but are also distinct. This is not a one-note dish overpowered by a single flavor. There is a lot going on but it all works so well. Unfortunately, I tried to pry a bit more information on what went in into the dish, but Kim was rather coy about the magical spices and herbs formula that makes this dish so delicious. I do prefer the red sauce over the green because it complements the taste more but the green is certainly more unique. Long story short, you have to try the Southwest chicken with Argentinian sauce! For dessert, I had the Red Bean Sesame Ball. Once again, this is a classic staple Chinese dish but with a unique spin that is not just another desert slathered with sugar or some overly sweet syrup. Their red bean sesame ball is delicate, delicious, layered, and not overly sweet. There is a drizzle of chocolate, a sprinkle of concoction sugar, and what Kim calls "sandy almond". Very distinct sets of flavors that works well to complement the red bean sesame ball. The Lychee nuts, cherries, strawberries, and baby melon add a refreshing counterpoint to the sesame ball and adds variety in between eating each of the 6 sesame balls. Lastly, Kim is such a darling as a waitresses and hostess and she completes the experience of dining at Mandarin Lotus! Her stories are entertaining. All in all, you may have to spend a lot of multiple visits when you come here but the giant menu is worth the exploration! read more

See all

We love this place! Amazing food and able to accommodate dietary requests. The owners are so kind and every dish is amazing!

Once again, this place serves the best Chinese food in the LA/Ventura county border. The owner is very helpful when ordering if you have allergies and the service is fast considering she does it by herself. For some reason, people don't realize this is a small restaurant and clearly does most of its business with takeout. So for the negative reviews about all the boxes, the reason they're stacked in the front is so the order can be placed in one of the boxes (think Costco) so your food doesn't get tossed around in your DoorDash. Not AI or a fake review so enjoy the food. read more

See all

This was my first visit. There were about 6 bites of chicken in the kung pao, which wasn't spicy as requested. The steamed rice was dry and chalky. Will continue to search for a good restaurant. read more

First timer to the Lotus. I had the most amazing GF pecan honey prawn. Wow. I went on a limb and let Kim choose our dinner and it was delicious and worth it. She provided a delicious five garlic stir fried rice to go with it and a large coconut water. The dinner was topped off with an amazing pork chop. One of a kind. The ambiance was perfect. It was calm and quaint, romantic. The best part is almost everything is GF Thank you Dan and Kim for the great food and amazing hospitality. read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

Stoped by on our road trip home today and will definitely be back next time! I wish I would have taken photos but it was so delicious we dove right in and cleared our plates. We had ordered the regular orange chicken, garlic fried rice, vegetable low mein, chicken steamed dumplings and vegetable egg rolls. All were delicious but notable mention to the garlic fried rice which had an amazing garlic taste and the orange chicken which was perfectly crunchy. if you want more chicken to breading ratio i would recommend the kelsey orange chicken. Service was great, we were checked on and ask if there as anything else we needed as well they were super helpful with recommendations. The ambience was a nice they have roughly 6-8 tables inside which was plenty since they seem to do a decent amount of to go orders. If you are considering eating here i highly suggest you do! read more

The server was so sweet and accommodating. She gave us many compliments and was very welcoming. However, the meal itself left a lot to be desired. The bill was close to $200 for 4 people. The portions for each dish only filled up half of the plate, which was enough to feed half of a person. The food itself was overly sweetened or too bland. For example, the Mongolian beef was very sugary while the Lo mein looked gray and tasted like cardboard. If you have to use the bathroom while dining in, you're out of luck. The restaurant has no public restroom. On top of the disappointing meal, you can only purchase bottled water if you're thirsty. No free water. Overall, the meal was lackluster. read more

The best Chinese food ever. Hands down Ms Kim gives amazing service and as you are eating you see all the pictures of celebrities that have eaten there. My wife and I have been to many places and this is literally homemade chinese food from scratch. They make the noodles fresh to order and it makes a huge difference. read more

Food is amazing. Gluten free options were so good. Love this place. If you're gluten free or seed oil free you need to try it. The chicken fried rice, GF orange chicken, GF chow fun, and they gave us some other recommendations that were good. read more

Me and my mom are GF and they have the best GF chow fun and orange chicken! Everything there is amazing and they can do seed oil free. Owners are so nice. Love this place. read more

The cutest mom and pop restaurant with very kind staff and a lovely ambiance. If you don't know what to get, the waitress will definitely help you find some amazing recommendations. We got Mapo tofu with truffle oil (on the right) and some crispy New York strip steak. It was delicious! Go check it out! read more

Mandarin Lotus - We got Mapo tofu with truffle oil (on the right) and some crispy New York strip steak. - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

Genuinely incredible, the food is amazing and they're so great about dietary restrictions! They said they've been here for 20 yrs, everyone working here was incredibly nice and it made the night so fun and memorizable chatting with the owners. The sweetest people ever :') planning on driving an hour again for this place read more

The food is delicious and the owners could not be kinder! Every dish we had was flavorful and great. Highly recommend!

I absolutely love this place. Kim and Dan, the owners, are amazing and you can really feel how much care they put into everything. The service is always warm and welcoming, and the food is consistently delicious. My personal favorite is the honey lavender lemon chicken. It is such a unique dish and the flavors are incredible. Perfect balance of sweet, citrus, and savory. I crave it all the time. Everything here feels thoughtfully made and the atmosphere is always great. You can tell this is a restaurant run by people who genuinely care about their food and their customers. Highly recommend if you are in the area. This spot is a gem. read more

First time here and my expectations were exceeded through the roof! The owners are extremely friendly, loving, and visibly passionate about what they do. They went above and beyond and took customer service to another level. Don't even get me started on the food. It was incredible. It was flavorful, the presentation was wonderful. 100/10 we're definitely coming back! read more

Mandarin Lotus - Orange Chicken, Hot and sour soup, Shrimp fried rice, and Argentinian Beef - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

Delicious organically sourced ingredients, incredibly creative dishes, wow, an absolute culinary delight.

A foodie's paradise! (Especially foodie vegetarians). Light, complex, and fresh flavors with artistic presentation--thin sliced, bite-sized horseradish maple glazed crispy beef with flawless green beans? Black velvet Belgian chocolate shrimp with applewood smoked bacon confit?!! The menu says "sesame ball" and what arrives are half a dozen perfectly textured red bean paste sesame balls, with a dab of almond-caramel sauce melting over the top of each, fresh fruit, and a gorgeous citrus sorbet to sip from a frozen liqueur glass The vegetarian menu could be its own restaurant with extensive and expertly made options including crispy tofu with peanut sauce; lemon grass turmeric tofu; French basil Taiwanese monk duck; Asian pesto tofu with garlic noodles; blueberry lavender agave tofu.... This is Michelin dining (high quality ingredients in traditional as well as innovative cuisine expertly prepared and presented artfully by a kind and unpretentious server in a humble and sweet shop. read more

See all

The food is phenomenal and the owner is super kind. I am a huge fan of the Kelsey Grammer orange chicken! My boyfriend ordered the Hawaiian Coconut (something like that) shrimp that was also delicious. They weren't skimpy with the shrimp either. The sauces are extremely flavorful, without being overly salty. I usually feel super gross after eating Chinese food, but I don't feel that here. The ambiance isn't anything fancy, but it's very homey and cozy. I felt quite relaxed! The food is on the pricier side, but it is worth it. read more

The Chinese restaurant doesn't even have a Chinese menu. The owner is a Chinese woman who can't speak Chinese, and her English isn't very good either - you have no idea what dish she's talking about when you order. The food is pretty standard, but it's not cheap. They don't serve free water everything is canned drink that you have to pay for. The four of us ordered a plate of fried shrimp, a plate of string beans, a plate of stir-fried noodles with herbs, and a pork chop，One order of dumplings, two bottles of mineral water, and a can of Coke. The final bill came to $206, and I didn't pay much attention at the time. When I got home and checked the receipt, I realized how expensive it was. Turns out the bill already included 30% tip, bringing the total to $206. The owner was very friendly to us, but looking back, I feel like I got ripped off。The pictures I attached are just to show the authenticity of this, and they only represent my own opinion - there's no other meaning to them, and it's also possible that everyone's experience will be different. read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

See all

100000000/10 on all aspects. Food was amazing. Service was incredibly sweet Ambiance was awesome. The menu is huge, including a whole tofu section and an incredible selection of vegan options. Incredible selection of quality tea, food came fast and HOT! I could hear them cooking in the back. Not to mention I had the best wonton soup I've had in a really long time. The owner is very hospitable. My boyfriend and I devoured almost all of the food we got, and we got a lot of stuff. We were so hungry and it totally hit the spot!! Dare I say, mandarin lotus is the best in LA! read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

Best Chinese Food in LA hands down. Authentic experience, eat there or order to go. Very healthy options and a wide range of general options to select from. All great ingredients, home cooked feel. Please treat yourself to this wonderful little Chinese Food spot. This has become a regular for my family and I. read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

Absolutely delicious! I haven't been able to eat Chinese food out since being diagnosed with celiac disease 5 years ago. I was so excited to see Mandarin Lotus made some of my favorite Chinese dishes 100% gluten free. Plus, the owners are so warm and friendly. Highly recommend! read more

1 Star - Terrible Experience We came here based on the 4.3 rating but had a really bad experience. They don't offer regular water--only bottled. When we asked to make our food spicy, the waitress (Kim) said there'd be an extra charge. We ordered Mongolian Beef and Kung Pao Chicken--both had barely any meat and were loaded with onions. It felt like we were just eating onions and rice. I asked for hot sauce, and after I used some, Kim rudely told me I took too much and took the bottle away. There was no service, no courtesy, and the attitude was awful. After reading more reviews at home, we noticed others also mentioned fake-looking positive reviews. Definitely not going back. read more

See all

Located in a nondescript shopping center of Agoura Hills, CA (Hwy 101 & Kanan Rd), is a Chinese restaurant: Mandarin Lotus. They've been here since 1988! The food was delightful, the owners were welcoming, and we are already looking forward to our next visit! Dinner hours only. First visit? This is what our party of two tried and we didn't leave a morsel behind: -Mango Tango Rolls -Kelsey Grammer's Orange Chicken -Vegetable Fried Rice -Red Bean Sesame Balls (dessert) The plating of each dish was thoughtful and lovely. The combination of fresh ingredients, sweet & savory flavors, and non-greasy entrees, piqued our tastebuds and had our appetites yearning to try more. For our next visit, we have our eyes set on ordering a tofu dish, wonton soup, and the spicy tequila shrimp. I would consider this a gourmet Chinese fusion restaurant which should appeal to a diverse set of tastebuds. The menu is pretty extensive, which also includes a full page of vegan options and unique spice combinations we are not familiar with, but open to try. The average price per entree is ~$25. Customer service was wonderful! Thank you to the most welcoming host and owner, Kim, and to Chef Chang, for the delightful dinner! read more

See all

Best chinese food ever! The lady Kim was so kind and sweet and welcoming! I really enjoyed my meal and my time there! Highly recommend !!!

I don't know who eats at this restaurant--maybe people who have no idea what real Chinese food is. We stopped here on the way home from the airport since it was the only place open, and I ordered a wonton soup to go. It was hands down the worst wonton soup I've had in my 61 years. They stuffed a couple of dry scallop strips in a wonton and called it a day--it tasted terrible. And for $20 a bowl! I wouldn't mind paying that if it were good, but this was the worst of the worst. Glad I don't live in that town, because people there are really missing out on what proper Chinese food tastes like. This is just one of those restaurants that I won't step in again. Fancy and expensive food never means they are good. I am truly amazed as to how many stars they have received. Some people really have no idea about Chinese food. Sad! read more

See all

I wish I could give this place 10 stars. This is hands down the best Chinese restaurant, ever! From the delicious and savory hot and sour soup to the Kelsey Grammer orange chicken, and honey walnut shrimp, the Argentinian beef, and noodles with shrimp and braised string beans. Every dish was top tier, top quality and super tasty. The owners are super friendly and welcoming and give the best recommendations on the menu. Lovely charm and ambiance as well. We loved everything about this place and can't wait to come back again. Very highly recommend! read more

Lovely owners, they put their heart and soul into their business. Great Orange chicken! read more

This is one of my favorite restaurants! Kim and Dan are two of the kindest, most welcoming people you'll ever meet, and the food is consistently amazing. Whether you dine in or grab it to go, you can't go wrong. Every dish is fresh, flavorful, and beautifully prepared. The food is truly impeccable. I highly recommend this wonderful place! read more

Hands down the best gluten free Chinese food I've ever had!! They are so friendly and accommodating of gluten allergies. We got the orange chicken, beef chow fun and green beans. It was all delicious, we can't wait to come back!! read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

See all

I haven't had Chinese food in 2 years since finding out I had a gluten allergy and had to go gluten free. I found Mandarin Lotus on the find me gluten free app and this place did not disappoint. The owner recommended Belgium chocolate chicken and my first thought was no way, however, I decided to try it and it was DELICIOUS! The owner is very friendly, knowledgeable about gluten free and there are many options to choose from. I will be back and highly recommend this place!! read more

Mandarin Lotus - Chinese Near Me - Agoura Hills, California

I've been living in Agoura Hills for over 30 years, and how did I miss this place!? I recently read about it, & came to order for the first time. It was small but neatly set up for dine in as well as take out. There are plenty of choices to order from: pork, beef, chicken, fish, and shrimp for meat lovers; veggies menu for vegans & veggies enthusiasts; and gluten free menu if that's what one preferred. All items can be found in a 11 point fonts, single line spacing, 2 columns, 4 pages menu. Prices may be on the medium to high side, but the quality food it brought out makes it worth spending every penny on them. Chef Zhang fuses the east and west food together to give the lucky food enthusiasts living in the LA and Ventura areas to have a taste of his creation. Bon appetite... read more

See all