The General Gau Chicken was overly sweet and no vegetables...hoping they would have put some broccoli int there or something. Also the waitress was not friendly and didn't have people skills. I'm not asking for pampering..but hello, how are you, should be expected. read more

The sushi bar is a must and during certain hours an all you can eat buffet will make you see just how much you can eat. The waitstaff was generally amiable and it helps if you know Cantonese and/or Mandarin. Worth a try. read more

I went Sunday evening and was not disappointed. We didn't realize it was buffet night. Went in to order a cocktail (the Zombie is so good and strong) and something simple like fried rice. The waitress asked if we wanted wonton soup and then we realized there were no menus. She finally clued us in to the buffet. And wow, it was an awesome buffet. Probably the best buffet of any kind that I've ever been to. Fresh seafood like scallops, various types of shrimp, squid, tons of sushi plus your regular Chinese food trappings. Great quality. The crab rangoon was so good. I wanted to sneak down and shove several into my purse! Some of the fried items were just okay and we made the mistake of grabbing a lot of traditional fare on our first go round. Next time up, we knew to go for the rangoon and seafood. They even had crab legs. The desserts were also amazing. Ginger ice cream, blueberry ice cream, cakes, puddings. Fantastic. I recommend checking it out if you're craving a really good buffet! read more

We have been going to the Mandarin Reading dinner buffet for years, however after the last 2 visits we will not be going back. The food was tasteless and cold. It was very disappointing especially after we realized that the price has gone up to $23.50/pp - even for our 2 kids, who are 10 & 11 years old... who only eat white rice, teriyaki chicken & boneless spareribs- which was empty the entire time we were there. We are in search of a new Chinese food restaurant. read more

I went there on a Sunday for the buffet with 3 of my friends and felt very uncomfortable... they rushed us out the door made comments about how much we where all eating.. we still had our plates on the table and the waiter opened up wetnaps as if we where all done eating... unless you like to be watched at a buffet I would not recommend going... read more

I love the Mandarin. I drive 20 minutes out of my way to go there for sushi/chinese. They have the freshest food around, bar non. Order the super spider maki or green dragon maki, you won't be dissapointed! read more

I usually come here with family on the rare occasions we feel like eating out, and most often for the lunch buffet. Once, my extended family and I came here for the dinner buffet, to celebrate my cousin's and my graduation. It didn't seem any different than the lunch, so I didn't understand the higher prices, but I expected it anyways. Ultimately, it's a Chinese buffet, so it's hard to expect a whole lot but I always really like the food personally. The sushi they have is great, and I adore their green tea ice cream. Each of the items is really good, and I'm always making several trips, haha. (The one time my parents did order a dish off the regular menu, it just seemed exactly like what they were serving in the buffet, but then again the dishes were pretty typical anyways.) Their dessert selection is pretty limited, it's just jelly and ice cream, with a few standard cakes that I don't care for. The waiters are rather attentive, the dishes are taken away promptly and water is refilled without asking. Maybe it's because I'm from Boston, but I'm always impressed with how clean and modern it is with the decor. The bathrooms are always very clean, even when they're packed. I've never had a problem with Reading, and it just seems like a very well-rounded place. I don't think their food makes me mad with desire, but for the amazing price and ambience (even the other customers always seem nice--must be a byproduct of being in the suburbs), I adore this place. read more

We like this place as a treat. It is a bit pricey to make it a regular place for dinner, but when we are looking to sit and have a few drinks this is where we go. Service is usually great, food is always good and we have never had to wait to be seated. Sometimes when we go, the hostess lets our 6 year old son feed the Koi fish their dinner. That always makes him smile!!! read more

The food is good here, but the service is terrible! I order out from now on if I want to have the food here. We went to eat on Christmas Eve last year. We couldn't find our waitress for 20 minutes. Yes, it was busy, but the waitress did show up finally in the middle of our meal and wouldn't leave until we circled which tip on the bill we were going to give her. I couldn't believe it. We continued eating and noticed that she stood 3 feet away watching for us to circle the tip amount. We were very uncomfortable. Terrible service more than once. Never will I go there to sit and eat again. read more

This is one of the best Chinese restaurants around! I love the General Gaus chicken. Great Sushi too. They also have a cool koi pond right under your feet when you walk in the front door! read more

This was my top go-to Chinese takeout option as a kid. It is a great atmosphere inside and very pleasant service. Very very efficient. I'd ding the place for it's awkwardly shaped/small parking lot, but the place is too good it just deflects the damage. Yeah, that's right. You need what this place has to offer if given the chance. read more

Review is for lunch buffet. Good quality Chinese weekday lunch buffet. Food hot, good selection of American Chinese items and authentic Chinese cuisine. Sushi selection not bad for ayce buffet. Mostly rolls, California, shrimp tempura with occasional raw nigiri of salmon tuna. read more

Decidly solid, always. American style Chinese menu with Japanese dishes and sushi too. Not the best but the best nearby.

It's our go to for Chinese takeout! It's near home and super convenient. They never disappoint, the food is always good. It's a higher quality food than your average Chinese restaurant. If you are eating in the restaurant is nice too. There is plenty of seating and we have never had to wait. The bar area is nice too. Only downside is the tiny parking lot! read more

This restaurant has a really nice bar with multiple awesome bartenders. Sashimi are fresh. Thumb up !

Came here with 6 girlfriends for afterwork dinner. Each had one drink, finished while waiting for our 3 poo poo platters and 3 entrees, then had the manager come over to scan all of our ID's AFTER we had finished our drink. Came back and handed us our ID's all excited that they had all scanned (we're all 25...) Ordered a second glass of wine while waiting for our appetizers around 9 o'clock and was told they were closing...so of course it was uncomfortable when our food arrived and we continued to be rushed along. It's fine if you're uncomfortable serving alcohol to people who are seemingly under the age of 40, but not all of us are 17 with fake ID's. If you were going to treat us as such, then please don't let us order $197 worth of food only to be rushed away from our table 5 minutes after our food arrives. Very disappointed as longtime nearby employees. Will not be returning to pay to be treated with such condescending, uncomfortable service. Please take more pride in your business. read more

This place is beautiful and I was shocked at how they greeted us when we entered. It had a very nice atmosphere and was very up to date. They had a chinese buffet and also a sushi bar. The sushi was amazing. The menu is divided by Chinese and Japanese and all of it is good. It's a bit on the high side of Chinese but it is definitely worth it. read more

I'm not a huge buffet fan because I prefer quality over quantity but I really like this place's lunch buffet. Everything just tastes really fresh. Probably sounds silly, but something as simple as a chicken finger (I'll eat maybe two on a visit, they're not that good for you) when it's done right can be quite good. I load up on the sushi which exceeds what you'll normally see at a buffet. You'll see tuna and albacore nigiri as well as cooked salmon rolls, shrimp tempura rolls, and of course CA rolls. If the dining room is not very full, the sushi takes a while to get restocked of the best pieces which is understandable since you can't expect them to waste a bunch of rolls, but the best time to come is when it's busy. Staff is friendly and the restaurant has been recently renovated. Check it out. read more

This place is great. The reason why I go here a lot for Chinese food is because of how consistently good it is. I've never had a bad experience here, the waitstaff is helpful, and the buffet always has plenty of different dishes that I'm never bored with the options. Three of their best meals are Salt-and-Pepper Shrimp, Chicken in Garlic Sauce, and Happy Family. The building itself is fairly new, the staff is always nice, and the food is always good. read more

Hands down, the best Chines Food Restaurant in the North Shore. Decoration is fabulous, the air is clean, brightly lit and the decoration is appropriate. The food is always good freshly made. The service is great. Buffet days are the pinnacle of satisfaction: all the pans carry food that was just prepared and not "since morning." Homemade green tea is addictive. read more

All I can say is this was a great way to spend an afternoon! We were pleasantly surprised to learn that they were celebrating the approaching Chinese New Year with a Lion Dancing performance which was a lot of fun! It was my father-in-law's birthday and luckily we were able to get a great table near the sushi bar, there were 8 of us and it was quite busy. We had excellent service, Wyandy was our server and she was extremely friendly, we will request her next time. The food was excellent, our kids loved it and the drinks are fantastic! I highly recommend this restaurant. read more

We came here instead up our usual place tulip in stoneham and will say we were very disappointed in the buffet there is 1/4 of the options and quality was not as good. We are not in a rush to come back read more

Horrible service today. Staff are very rude and unprofessional and have zero people skills. Left without ordering anything.

I live close by so find myself at the Madarin quite often. The food is great- sushi always tastes fresh- they have a large menu and offer a variety of favorites. Good atmosphere, fast and friendly service. I have actually never had the buffet but have heard good things about it. Overall great place for Asian food. read more

I went today with my brother and mom, both of whom think the food is great. At 2:30 on a Saturday there were only two other tables with people in the dining room so I expected rather prompt and attentive service if for nothing else the single waitress would have nothing else to keep her busy. After ordering our food and being brought our drinks quickly the restaurant seemed to be running smoothly. When the waitress brought what was ordered, I received a level of disservice I have never experienced before at any restaurant, even at places will generally horrendous service. After the usual 15-25 minute wait for our food (during which time the waitress never came by the table to check on us and refill drinks) she came out with two entrees on her platter, giving my brother and mom their meals. For me, she had nothing. She told me the restaurant did not have the ingredients to make my order and asked if I would like a menu. I have two major gripes with this: 1. The most obvious one, why would she not bring me a menu automatically? She knew she was not bringing me the food I had previously ordered, I was sitting at a table in a restaurant with people who were eating, and for some reason it did not click in her head that I would more than likely still want food after ordering it, expecting it, and waiting a half hour for it? Was I supposed to say "No, that's okay, I'll just continue to sit here in your restaurant and stare at my empty plate until my family finishes eating." 2. My main issue is that she waited until the food for everyone else at my table was ready to bring out before informing me that my food was not coming. I felt ridiculous looking through the menu while my family started in on their food, and I assumed (I think reasonably) that there would be some sort of rush put on my order. Foreseeing issues, I asked for my new order to be made for take out. I figured my family would be mostly done with their food by the time mine came, so I would have just enough time to open up the usual Chinese take out containers and try a couple bites while my mom paid the bill. My food did not come until my family was done eating and the waitress came to clean up. My order was not rushed in any way, the waitress never once came to check up on our table or refill our drinks the entire time we were there, and I sat at a restaurant for an hour without eating while the people I came with ate. I actually considered taking what little tip my mom decided to leave out of spite for how badly I was treated but figured it was better to leave the restaurant immediately before I started loudly showing my disapproval to the staff and customers. read more

love this place been here over 10x i love my usual. my sons favorite restaurant. great food and service for a good price

Mandarin Reading is my favorite restaurant to go to. My experiences have always been great. The food is delicious, and the customer service is the best I've experienced. Each time I eat there (with exception to very busy nights) the manager/owner (not exactly sure) makes and effort to come by each and every table and get feedback from his guests. On top of the feedback, he will suggest other dishes you might like, and on occasion sends a free dish. This is how my family and I have discovered some of the items that are not on the menu, that are simply amazing. While my knowledge of the menu is limited since I usually only order sushi, I am always blown away by the taste. If you go to visit this restaurant, I would highly highly recommend the "Blossom Tuna Maki". It's not on any of the regular menu's and is different from all the rest of the maki served there. It consists of a shredded tuna inside saturated from their special sauce, wrapped in more tuna. I would say that I eat a lot of sushi, and this is the best that I've had. The only downside is that the dish is rather expensive at $22 for 8 pieces. Overall a great and tasty experience every time. read more

Judging from the other reviews I read, we must have hit an off night. We were greeted enthusiastically by five smiling faces at the front desk, seated immediately (it wasn't that busy) and then waited 15 minutes for a server. The decor is beautiful and the food was good but the waitress was just not very attentive. The final straw was paying $9.50 for an exotic mai tai that tasted like fruit juice with some fizz. I'm sad to say we won't be rushing back based on this visit. read more

We really enjoy the sushi here. We love all their different rolls and special creations. If there is something you like that is not necessarily on the menu, they are also open to accommodating special sushi requests. The owner is fantastic, as are the staff. We are so excited to have found a place close to home that offers sushi comparable to some of the best places in Boston. read more

Fair is the best way to describe it. The food just didn't seem that fresh and wasn't very hot. Sorry I wanted to like it, I guess I should give it another try based on all these reviews. read more

This is the cleanest Chinese buffet I've been to! A little pricy for what it is but still great!

Tried this place based on strong Yelp reviews. We went at 6:30 on a Saturday night not knowing how full it would be. The tiny parking lot was absolutely packed and the extremely large and extremely empty lot across the street had signs threatening patrons of Mandarin's with towing their vehicles, so be creative with your parking solutions. The restaurant itself was large and we had no problem getting a table. There is a bar area and a sushi bar in addition to the regular seating areas. I am always skeptical of Chinese/Japanese hybrid restaurants, but they pulled it off quite well. There is a large variety of both foods and a pretty good drink list. We decided to try food off both menus and we're not disappointed. The sushi fish was quite fresh. The Chinese food was flavorful, but the "spicy" dishes weren't all that spicy. Service was brisk yet efficient--you may have to ask one than once for water, chopsticks, or soy sauce. Price was reasonable considering the quality. The decor could be updated a bit. Definitely worth going back. read more

Mandarin Reading is pretty good. I like their Moo Shi and the Singapore Noodles. My SO likes the peking duck as well. The sushi is ok - I like to just go with a tuna or spicy tuna roll though. I have never eaten there, only take out, but its always ready on time and they are always very nice. read more

Perfect for takeout or dine-in, this is the best Chinese food in the area.

Ordered take out house fried rice and a few others apps. The rice wasn't good, hardly any meats and veggies mixed into steamed, not fried rice. There was no oil/grease at all in the box, so it become very dry and not satisfying like fried rice should be. I really hope this place isn't going down hill, they were my favorite. read more

It has a really good buffet, but Bamboo and Manderin Danvers are better in my opinion, also owned by these guys. I feel like if you don't like their "awesome!!!" sushi it's not really worth it. read more

Great restaurant. Great food. Great staff. Highly recommend Mandarin. It's our favorite

I was there last night and I ordered wings, sushi, duck dishes and pan fried noodle. I asked to add broccoli on one of my dishes and when it come out, I can't believe they only added 2-3 small tiny pieces of broccoli in there.(Really,,, broccoli really that expensive?!).... And the entrees dishes were salty... Mm... I might not go back again... read more

Always enjoyed their food. Most of the time it has been take out. Food is always hot and ready when I arrived. My only complaint is there limited menu on New Years. But I completely understand. Over all one of my favorites.... read more

We did takeout, not the buffet. Got the Pu Pu platter for two, the portions were very small, the fried rice had peas in it, and the fried shrimp was a Tempura shrimp. It seems like this is trying to be an upscale chines place, which is fine, but not our style. read more