This is a fancy, uppity version of a Chinese/Sushi place where they cut your duck up for you and roll it into burritos at your table. I'm pretty impressed but at the same time, I think the duck would have tasted better with crispy skin, fat and all on a plate. The decor is really nice and the restaurant is pretty big with several different rooms for functions and events. We were seated at a pretty large table so they put things on the lazy susan for us to share a bit easier. The mandarin noodles were interesting but good. Their appetizer plate for two fed more like 6 people, and their duck was good, but definitely not peking duck with the crispy skin and fat. Great place for chinese food with a bit more ambiance. read more

Seems as they have a new Chef who enjoys 'Overcooking' the food. Ribs were like leather with hardly any meat. The fried Rice and 'pancake' meal was dry and overcooked and some areas you had to 'chew' !... I'll try one more time...and if no improvement............Good Bye......... Frank Pignone' Stoneham, Mass. read more

Had a business lunch here yesterday and the place was packed! Buffett was fresh with many nice meat, seafood, and veg options. Everything we had was good and flavorful, and the service was attentive, with waters filled and plates quickly cleared. I did not try the sushi rolls as they were not labeled so I was not sure what It was. One note, the parking lot is very small with narrow and awkward angles. Drivers beware. read more

I just picked up a $75 takeout order and the alleged manager at the Mandarin Reading told me that I would have to pay for an extra duck sauce beyond one. Now if you are familiar with Mandarin Reading, they did have a full lunch buffet, before the pandemic, that was one of the best on the North Shore. It had unlimited food and sauces! When I pointed this out to the alleged manager, he stated that the to-go containers are very expensive. Are you serious, a plastic container is the reason to charge me for extra duck sauce. Look both the food and service at Mandarin Reading is good, but beware of extra charges and the alleged manager who is clueless. I will not be back. read more

Sabrina and Anna I was having an engagement party at home for about 18-20 people. I went in to order food to pick up later that evening. After placing the order for much more than I had planned on spending, Robert sat down with me and planned a whole new menu that fell below what I had planned on spending! And we had plenty of food and even enough for seconds later that night! The food was ready at the scheduled time. It was hot and the food was delicious! Thanks so much to Robert and The Mandarin Restaurant!! read more

First of all, they need to remove Buffet from their key words on the website so when people search for buffets near them, it does not show up. Next, the food is priced quite a bit higher than any other sushi place I have been to. 27.00 for a standard 3 roll combo with no soup or salad is unacceptable.should be 18 to 22 dollars at best. 3 thimblefulls of seaweed salad with a stack of julienned cucumber under it to make it look like more seaweed than it is for 8 dollars is criminal. The seaweed salad was mostly tasteless as well, literally 4 small bites, and it was gone. Maki rolls were flavorful, but lots of fillers were used in the rolls and not so much fish. Overall, Way overpriced for what you get. Only go here if you have $$$ to spare. Sapporo was the only reasonably priced item I got. The bartender was artificially friendly as well. Was sincere with regulars but short with others. I probably would not come back to this place. This is a perfect reason to try to go to smaller mom & pop type places where they value you as a customer and do not try to make huge margins on their menu. read more

Mandarin Reading - BILL. $.56.00 with tip. . WTF. - Chinese Near Me - Reading, Massachusetts

Mandarin Reading is in the middle of nowhere, right off the highway across from R.E.I. but the "hike" (ugh, I know) is not worth it. The decor in this restaurant is nice, there's a koi pond right next to the entrance to make it feel like you're crossing a mini-bridge into a different world. I will have to admit I didn't order anything off the menu and the experience might have been my mistake -- I had the buffet. Most of the food was pretty average to what you expect for a buffet. There is value to be found depending how hungry you are and what you are craving in the moment. The chicken skewers were great, hands-down the best thing they had to offer. I am a big fan of sushi and what disappointed me the most is the very limited variety of sushi available. The fact that the sushi chef wasn't visible was also troublesome. There are other buffets where you could watch a sushi chef working on the next platter and that gives you more confidence that the offerings are fresh -- not here. The service was friendly and quick, my old plate was gone and water glass refilled after every trip up to the buffet line. I might give it another chance, but I wouldn't pitch a tent for this Asian buffet any time soon. read more

Mandarin Reading - Koi pond at the entrance to Mandarin Reading - Chinese Near Me - Reading, Massachusetts

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I've been here for take out Sushi a bunch of times, and it is always AWESOME, Snow Mountain Maki, Red Lion Maki, Philadelphia Roll, Try the Naruto a very refreshing alternative to conventional sushi wrapped in paper thin cucumber so light and very refreshing. This is not your aveage Chinese Buffett, loaded with half rate food, this place has great food, Beef with Leeks GREAT, General Gau Chicken, Tuna sashimi, the list goes on, and on. They are fully staffed with very attentive people that are reading to fill your water, and take your plate as you are walking up for the next round. read more

Mandarin Reading - Lomein, Beef w/leeks, Crab Rangoon Gen. Gau's Chicken - Chinese Near Me - Reading, Massachusetts

Exceptional sushi here! Not only is the sushi and sashimi fresh, the presentation is beautiful as well. In addition to sushi, we got an appetizer platter that included huge chicken wings, a generous portion of perfectly cooked boneless spare ribs among other things. Service here is always fantastic and tonight was no exception. Very highly recommend this restaurant. read more

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I have been coming here for years. Even before they redesigned the restaurant. They have a good quality of food and variety. I love the sushi bar here. An enjoyable place to eat in or order out. The prices are reasonable too. read more

No reason to go here anymore. They stopped doing there weekend lunch buffet. The food was so fresh and unlike any other Asian buffets. They need to bring it back so that I can finally dine with them again. read more

Go to spot for local Chinese food. The food and service are excellent. I also love how they put all the little decorations in the cocktails. Had dinner there last night and they had a special menu out in preparation for the Chinese New Year. Restaurant itself is very clean. Parking can be tight at times. read more

Mandarin Reading - Mai Tai - Chinese Near Me - Reading, Massachusetts

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Food is just terribly bland and whatever. My partner said the sushi was fine but there's a place right down the street with better tasting and cheaper sushi. A shame, I grew up by this place and it used to be great now it's overpriced and pretty terrible. read more

Robert Lee, the manager is absolutely amazing! I planned my baby boy's baptism at Mandarin's in Reading. He was patient and took his time to explain the entire menu with us. He is a terrific business man and was completely honest with us about the prices and what we should order. Not once did he try to make extra money off us. I really appreciate him and I will recommend this restaurant and his managerial experience to anyone. read more

I thought that this place was very cool. We ordered takeout and when we came to the restaurant to pick it up, I almost wished that we had eaten there instead! It's a really nicely designed new building with an unusual koi fountain in the foyer. For our meal we got General Gau's Chicken, Crispy Pad Thai, Crab Rangoon and Chicken Fingers. Everything was deliciously prepared, although General Gau's was not as spicy as I would have liked, and I think that there could have been more veggies. There were hardly any except for a few pieces of broccoli. The only real bone I'd have to pick with the meal would be the pad thai: there could have been more meat in it; overall it was kind of a skimpy portion. Also, the noodles that they used were almost like ramen noodles, which I don't like. I prefer the wider rice noodles. The sauce was yummy though! Aside from that, the rangoon and chicken fingers were perfect and the other flavors in the entrees were quality. And it's affordable! I'll be returning here soon. read more

Always VERY high quality food and service. I've eaten at the restaurant and ordered take out numerous times, and the food is always delicious. If you eat in, you'll notice the restaurant is also extremely clean and well managed, and the space is quite nice. This is a great place for sushi, Chinese food, sake, or an evening out. Their menu is also very diverse with a multitude of offerings, and they always have tons of parking available. Great local spot for Chinese food! read more

This place is going downhill fast, walked in on 11/21 for lunch greeted at the door by a pair of cold ass hosted, i said one please the first think that they said the buffet is $14.95 and no refill I asked can i see what you have for selection, i took a quick walk and notice a small cheap ass selection and no sushi i said no thank you i will pass , then the guy hosted said see you next time!! They will be no next time. This place was great but now it's bad from every aspect. read more

We have ordered takeout from this place before but this was our first time dining in person, and unfortunately probably our last. I ordered the shrimp with lobster sauce. I thought it was what it said, but I was very wrong. When the food came I took one bite and immediately recognized the taste of meat. I asked my husband who still eats meat to confirm this. He said yes absolutely there is meat in there. I have been a pescatarian for almost a decade now and this was a huge shock and was deeply upsetting to me. We called the waitress over and I expressed that there was no way to tell on the menu that this dish had pork in it as it was in the seafood section and just said "Shrimp with Lobster sauce" and no further description. She laughed at me and said, "everybody knows that". I was so offended by her response; I found it very dismissive and rude. She did get me something else to eat, which I appreciated, but we never able to speak to a manager and she never apologized, just thought it was funny and went on with her shift. Many people do not eat pork for dietary or religious reasons and this should be disclosed in some fashion on your menu. And I shouldn't have to say this but no one should ever be made to feel shame for not knowing all of the ingredients of something when you do not list any ingredients on your menu. Just the titles of dishes and nothing else. This situation was poorly managed and I would suggest you talk to your staff about it and also put some sort of indicator on your menu as to what meals contain meat and which do not as soon as possible. read more

Used to go all the time for the lunch buffet. So my buddy and I went today for the first time in a while today and guess what? No lunch buffet. Still. Asked the waitress, she said they're not doing it any more. The food we had was good, but really overpriced for what it was. Without the buffet this place is just another Chinese restaurant like the many I have to drive by to get there. I'll just say at one of the places closer to home where the food about as good, much closer and much cheaper. read more

We enquired about their food in detail before placing order and they assured us that it's exactly as we want, but food came out exactly different. When we complained about the food and they didn't care about it and just said that's how we make it. They absolutely didn't try to fix it. Will not try this place even again. read more

Just ordered sushi and a few appetizers and it is all fresh and delicious. Scallion pancakes were perfect. Delivery was super fast as well. Great dinner overall! read more

This review is for a private event, that was held back in January. We worked with the managers at Mandarin a few months prior to our party, and they were always responsive and seemed to be very accommodating. We opted to do the buffet option for our guests, which we thought was reasonable as we loved their food. The day of our event was rushed as one can imagine, and things went really well. The servers were very attentive and pleasant. What really turned me off about Mandarin, was 2 things. One being that the server offered every single one of our guests "bottled water"..I know this because I asked my guests afterwords. No "tap" water was offered. So when it came time to pay our bill, we received over $100 charge in "bottled water"...thanks for asking if we wanted to offer this to our guests, instead of shadily tacking it onto our bill to rack it up. The second thing that turned me off was the fact that we had clearly mentioned to the manager and servers we were going to pick up the "beer and wine tab only" and guests were free to order hard liquor at their expense. However, the same happened at the end of the night and hard liquor was tacked onto our bill for another hundred dollars. What upsets me the most, is the fact that the managers knew we were on a budget, which is why we opted to do the buffet option. Why be shady and sneaky and add $100 worth of WATER to our tab as well as hard liquor? For this reason, I am no longer a patron of Mandarin and don't have any plans to go back. read more

The location is great. Right off the Wakefield rotary so its easy access from nearly any direction. The lunch buffet is always fresh and filled, but the flavors are mediocre at best, with grease the predominant ingredient. The pan fried dumplings are excellent paired quite well with the delicate ginger sauce they use. HOWEVER the chicken fingers are overcooked in an overheated oil. WAY too crunchy and oily. The other menu items are acceptable if not unique. The dining room is clean and pleasant. Its spacious and airy, but somehow the seating still feels intimate. The staff are medium level attentive. Good at the beginning, but forgetful at the end of the meal. I have yet to eat there when I didn't have to flag down someone to pay the bill. If you want to eat and head off to a movie (for example) this could be a pain in the butt. However, if you want a leisurely meal, it's pretty good. read more

My co-worker recommended this place as they used to come here for lunch before I joined the company. I decided to give it a try and went there for their Saturday lunch buffet ($16). I was surprised to see that the selections were very limited. The waiter asked me if I wanted any soup but I opted to skip that. They do offer a few sushi but just by looking at it, quality isn't good. The only thing I did like was their har gao dimsum and siu mai. The rest was either just okay or not good. I think the buffet was pricey for what they offer. read more

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Reviewing for the buffet only. The food quality is above average as is the selection with the exception of sushi. I don't expect a plethora of specialty house rolls for a buffet, but if it's being advertised I expect more than a few vegetarian rolls and a California roll option. $16 for a lunch buffet is also very expensive. read more

Went to Mandarin for first time since pandemic. We were big fans of their lunch buffet, going once a month. The buffet still isn't back. For lunch they had a decent variety of Chinese and Japanese. However, the prices were quite high particularly for lunch despite considering inflation. The taste was good but the portions didn't match the price. I really hope the buffet comes back soon otherwise we will seek elsewhere for a Chinese lunch. read more

Food has always been fresh at mandarin. It's clean. Servers are nice and attentive. Super cool fish when you walk in. I love the openness and decor. Oh and it's my favorite Chinese buffet. Go, go, go! We are also planning a surprise party there, and talking to the managers we learned they will be very flexible around whatever works for us! read more

My husband and I seen that they do all you can eat buffet online but when I called they only do it during lunch which is hard for working people that don't work around the area so we finally had the chance to go in the quality isn't that good and not that many options but our waitress was very nice and was ready whenever we needed ending I'm not sure if I would go back because the food read more

Big time cheaters. BE CAREFUL WHILE PAYING WITH CREDIT CARD. went there on 12/31/2014 for buffet for lunch. got sat down and started the buffet . the food was mediocre and there was only one veggie and one chicken dish. No veggie sushi for the sushi part of the buffet either. ate half satisfied and disappointed. Then came the bill 24.99. A normal lunch buffet which is normally i think around 12 bucks or so was 24.99. complained to manager and he said it was NY special buffet. What special i ask and he said well we have a lobster dish today. So one lobster dish made the price go up 100%. not to mention the server never came back with out soup or water Decided not to pay the tip and left the rest with the payment of 24.99 on CC. Got my statement today and looking at the statement the charges are 28.99. They took upon themselves to add the 4 dollar tip on my CC. Call my credit card company tomm and also call the them as well as Better business bureau. never seen such a fraud with my rest. bill before. Def not going there again. Will have to get proper authorities involved too. Wonder how many times they have done this. read more

If I can rate this restaurant with zero star, I'll definitely do it. No questions about it. This restaurant doesn't even deserve a star. My friends and I went there last two weeks for dinner. Waiter came back to report tips weren't high enough. What ??? Party of 4, no signage about how much tips are required for party of 4. Plus each of my friends including myself already left $5 for the total of $20. And the bill was only a $100.00 20% tips still not high enough ? Gotta be kidding ! Won't be back. read more

I'm Asian so that may sway your opinion of this review. I wasn't impressed w/Mandarin Reading. I wanted to be, after walking into their restaurant to pick up my phone-in order. They have a swanky bar area and their hostesses are very attentive. The parking lot was full (for a Wed) and they had a full shelf of take-out orders. By that alone, your expectations are raised just a bit. But when I took my food home, I was disappointed. It was mediocre Chinese food. The Singapore Noodles lacked the curry flavor that they are known for and my broccoli was swimming some greasy sauce. To top it off, I found a hair in my take-out container. So continues my quest for decent Chinese food in the suburban north shore... read more

This is our Chinese restaurant now. We live in Peabody but we have no problem driving to n North Reading to go eat or pick up take out because we like the food. Our to go entrees are, the ying yang spicy beef (yes, it is spicy and the beef is so tender), the shumai, the white tuna with onion sauce appetizer, the chicken wings, the crispy pad thai, crab rangoon, fried brown rice with beef and Beijing ravioli. I am not a fan of the beef teriyaki skewers appetizer because sometimes they are tender and sometimes not so much. The teriyaki chicken skewers are good though. read more

SUSHI, SUSHI! Though I have never physically been to this restaurant, I've had company lunches catered by Mandarin. The sushi from Mandarin is absolutely delicious and fresh. I like the Spicy Tuna, Red Sox, Crazy, and Unagi maki the best. The rolls are made in a generous size and are always made very fresh with great flavors. Their edamame is great for a snack as well. I've ordered the Singapore Curry noodles with vegetables several times and they are delicious. I'm not sure how expensive Mandarin is since the bill is always picked up by drug reps groveling for our business...definitely a perk! But on a catering point of view, this place is top notch and never disappoints. My company is full of ravenous appetites who order insane amounts of food, and they never mix up or forget an order..from simple chicken with cashew nuts to 10,000 different maki orders! mmmmm. read more

This is your average Chinese buffet place. If you need a quick fix to satisfy your desire for Chinese, this is the place to go. Don't expect anything extremely fancy in the buffet; there are only two smaller buffet tables - one is for the entrees (noodles, rice, meat, crab Rangoon, etc.) and the other for sushi and fruit/dessert. One note about the sushi - not that great at all. Hardly any rolls containing sashimi, most of them were just vegetable rolls with sugary sauces on top. Again, this is the kind of sushi to expect at a place like this. I only went there for the buffet lunch, but I did notice a seemingly legit sushi bar in another corner of the restaurant - I would assume that the sushi quality is much higher at that bar. read more

I've been coming to the Mandarin for years since it opened, my first visit being back in 2000-01. Over the years I've recieved tasty and wonderdul sushi and other delicious asian dishes. I'm a purveyor of sushi and this place is just the bees knees compared to many other places I've been. Which is why I'm sorry to have to give them three stars instead of five based on the events leading up to this review. About a month ago I brought my best friend here after breaking up with her boyfriend for lunch on a Sunday. I thought it would be a nice change for her because we always drive by this restaurant, but she never got to experience the food. We were seated in a cramped manner by their front window in the sushi bar, and the seats were wooden and a little uncomfortable. But who cares after you're half-way through a strong mai-tai? I let that slide because honestly, I was starving for sushi and well, we're in the sushi bar right? The food was awesome as predicted - I ordered the Dragon Roll loaded will eel, avocado and roe, spicy California Maki, Teka Maki, you name it. My best friend ordered the house rice and egg drop soup and loved it. She thanked me for such a nice time. HOWEVER, after coming home she gave the remaining rice to my fiance and in the middle of eating he bit down and almost broke his teeth on a piece of metal in the fucking rice. You can imagine our surprize. You see, he works in a kitchen also. Food prep, dishwashing, assisting the cooks, etc. Turns out after inspecting the metal, it appeared to be a bolt from a cooking pot. A bolt. I mean, how can someone truly overlook an object that large? Sure it can happen, sure everyone can say "well it's not like they did it on purpose..." Yeah well screw you. I was about to divide the rice and give the other half to my 5 year old who likes rice as well. And what then? So I call to inform the manager of our findings and naturally he proceeds to adamently push free this and discounted that for our next visit. I'm sure this happens frequently, but I'm not that kind of person. I go somewhere knowing full well that I'm down with parting over $100 on a meal not including drinks....so really keep the discount. I explained to him that I only wanted to make sure they knew and that it wouldn't happen again. So I let it slide and went back for take out last week, SUSHI ONLY! I'm sure I'll change my review at some point to more stars, I really wish this hadn't happened, because I know they're better than this. read more

The best local buffet style chinese food. However, if you're looking for greasy overflowing combination places head down to China Villa in Wakefield on Main Street. Mandarin Reading tends to be a huge attraction for the local companies, be warned if you show up after noon on a Friday or Thursday you may have over a half hour wait for a table. During the summer you can site outside in their little pavalion area, which is for the most part protected from the sun and elements. If you like cheap basic sushi, you'll find plenty of it on their buffet as well! read more

I've been eating at the Mandarin for years and am a little surprised it took me so long to rate! I've only been here for the buffet. This is my favorite Chinese buffet hands down. The restaurant is very nice and clean, and the food is just delicious. There are many colorful dishes, and numerous entree selections to choose from. I hear that it's a bit pricey for the regular diner menu, but I can attest that the buffet is well worth the price for the type and quality of food you are getting. read more

Go for the lunch buffet. They always have a nice assortment, including the usual Chinese buffet stuff (egg rolls, lo mein, spare ribs, etc.), PLUS assorted sushi and small garden salads with ginger dressing. My strategy is to have sushi and salad for the first plate and then go for the other stuff on the second round. The restaurant is very clean and the service is usually very good . The place can get very busy, but even when the parking lot is full, there are usually still tables available, so don't be afraid to park on a side street and walk over. This makes for good turn-over for the buffet items, so everything is hot and fresh. read more

First off, I grew up in Asia, and this place should not get the ratings its getting. Maybe its because I went in at the wrong time, which was a Sunday afternoon where they were only serving buffet.. and I know I shouldn't judge a restaurant based on their buffet, but the quality of then buffet was horrendous. They start you off with either hot and sour soup or egg drop soup, I picked the hit and sour and I ended up getting this gooey reddish pink soup that resembles and tastes nothing like hot and sour soup, it was bland as hell. So moving on to the buffet, fried everything were acceptable, but don't get the fried chicken fingers, they tasted fake. The vegetarian lo mien was the worst, a dish that is so hard to go wrong with, but they achieved the worse. It seemed like it was sitting out for a while where the noodles are soggy and tasteless. The rice of the sushi rolls were very sticky, it literally was sticking on the plate and made my sushi roll unravel.. Maybe it was because of the ultra hot plates they were providing by the station. I tried out every dish there was at the buffet and nothing was right. There were probably 14 trays of below-average dishes presented. It was a total rip off of $15. Please don't be fooled into thinking this is an authentic Chinese /Japanese restaurant. I can't believe how many people gave this place good reviews!? Yikes. read more

This is my new go to spot. I don't live close to it but to me it's worth the drive. I don't know where else you can get good healthy Chinese food and healthy stuff, along with really great sushi, all in one place. This place is just really nicely laid out, feels like it is going to be pricey when you walk in but it's not! Their sushi menu has a ton of options and you don't have to order an entire 18-20 roll, you can order smaller amounts and not be overstuffed. Having a truckload left over is a problem I often run into with sushi; I just don't want a ton of it and to be forced to outspend my appetite and this place finds a great middle ground. As a side note, try the sweet potato sushi! It's amazing! Not a combo I'd ever think to be good, but man it's pretty damn awesome. Their servers are attentive and helpful. But mainly their menu just has everything to please multiple people with a hankering for different types of Asian food. read more