The service was phenomenal for what you can get at a buffet anyway. Workers sat us in a timely manner, and everything was simply on an up! The food was also quite good for the price we have to pay. I'd highly suggest picking the days you go here wisely if you don't want to be crammed near a ton of people though lol! Lots of people, how you know it's good. read more

lol the food was honestly so mediocre. My childhood nostalgia for Mandarin was ruined!! The only quality items were at the teppenyaki grill, otherwise everything was just such poor quality food, even the ice cream was freezer burnt. Great place to protein max tho. read more

See all

Amazing dining experience! Two people, lunch buffet. Upper James, Hamilton, ON. CAD $26, plus a senior's discount of 20%. Great value. Wonderful selections of appetizers, entrees, and desserts, including sushi and sashimi. Great taste. Great service. Hot hand towels before and after the meal is a nice touch. Clean washrooms. Can't beat the Mandarin restaurant for an overall great dining experience. read more

Asian Buffet with many options. I Enjoyed the sushi bar. Many options for desserts and also sea food. Price is reasonable and service was great. read more

See all

Disappointed. This was my first time and the owner was racist and won't let us in we came at 3:00 and he told us there's no more tables come back at 6:30 then we came back at 6:30 and then he kicked us out when we literally had a table hate this place never ever coming back. read more

Came here after a long day of moving and was super hungry. Was seated quick quickly and the hostess gave a quick rundown on the buffet table set up (because we mentioned we had gone to ones back in our home city) and the ppe required for going to the buffet tables. Upon seating a server quickly greeted us and also gave us the rundown of what PPE was required. To enter the buffet tables, mask need to be worn along with having gloves which are provided before exiting our dining room. In addition there are workers who provided gloves to those who forgot as I did occasionally. There is always so much variety here and my favourite is definitely the salad bar as the shrimp and cocktail sauce is to die for. There was also a great selection of hot food from Asian classics to roast beef and lamb. To finish off this meal I had a freshly made waffle from the dessert bar which had a great selection of sweets to add onto the waffle or the ice cream bar right across. Overall although the mandarin can be quite pricey as long as you eat you moneys worth then to me it is pretty worth it! Hope I can come back when everything reopens as it was a great nostalgic experience coming here as it has been awhile since I have gone to a mandarin in my home city. read more

Mandarin Restaurant - The iconic fortune cookie fortunes - Chinese Near Me - Hamilton, Ontario

The first time we had takeout from The Mandarin, from Uber, and it was fantastic. We ordered off the menu and got big portions. Spareribs, fried rice with chicken in it, and lemon chicken. They were all delicious. We have been to The Mandarin, buffet, and never had a disappointing dinner. Everytime we go to the restaurant, and staff are very friendly, and the service is really good. We will return, and if we get take out, from Uber, we are sure it will be just as good as this first experience. read more

Racist. Didnt let us in for some reason. We Came at 3:00 And he told us its too busy and to come at 6:30 because it was busy. We came back at 6:30 and he said theres still too many people. We came back again at 7:30 and he told us "just go home" when we tried to get a table again. read more

Came here on a Friday night at around 8:00pm and it was busy, but we did not have to wait for a table. The waiter was super friendly. Love the decor of this place and is it ever bright and clean! My friend ordered the buffet and I ordered a combo plate with chicken balls, chow mein, and rice. The buffet had tons of options and very fresh, a lot of people were loading their plates with crab. The desserts are a plenty as well. My combo plate was massive and I could only eat half. I really like this place as you get a lot for your money and and it really is the best chinese buffet with the best quality you will find around here. read more

See all

Love it here, never regret going! Food is always great, the server sits you down and you can get started right away, food always tastes great. They have always been amazing at keeping your table clean by taking your plates whenever you left to get more food. Usually everything is fully stocked up. The drinks are amazing! The food has a wide variety, you can almost get anything you want. The ambiance is beautiful. They give you fortune cookies at the end, a nice warm scented cloth to wipe up with. As well as great deserts to finish off with, even a cotton candy machine! Servers are very kind and sweet. It's also a great spot to go for celebration events or even a regular day. No matter what you will not regret it! read more

We ordered a dinner for four and we were not impressed! Delivery took its usual 1 hour. The quality is just not there. They didn't even provide any soy sauce packages!! I don't think we'll be ordering from The Mandarin (Upper James, Hamilton) any time soon. The chicken on promotion if you spend over 50.00 was lukewarm and tasteless!! read more

We showed up at this restaurant after being there the last time about 9-10 years ago- due to life style, I knew the food was good back then, and we expected no less now, especially after COVID!(they had time to regroup) in fact 99% of the dishes were prepared deliciously! and guys, there is something for everyone, I mean it! Me and my husband decided last November not to eat meat, Mandarin got it! no meat? no problem :) Service person does not make any recommendation towards the food, something that not many of us likes, unless you ask... manager came to our table and asked about how was our food tasting, she recognized that I took one of their promotional Chines New Years dish, I asked her what was in it? and she explained all the silkiness mouth watering every bite, impressive... very friendly staff, coming around so often that your table have no dirty decoration dishes! Their restaurant view is taking you places that you would like to travel too, that is all I will give away lol... enjoy your food! read more

I never pass up a chance to go to any Mandarin. I've very rarely had a bad experience at these restaurants and I've been going to them for over a decade. The food is always hot, fresh and delicious. The staff are always friendly, fast and courteous. It's a little bit on the pricey side but you get what you pay for when you see table after table stocked full of food. It definitely can get crowded which is why my wife and I intentionally go during off-peak hours; usually either an hour or two before they close or an hour or two before they break everything down to switch over to the dinner buffet. I'm a sucker for the lemon chicken, curry and black pepper steak. If you're a fan of Chinese and you haven't been to a Mandarin yet...get off of your butt. read more

I've been coming here for YEARS with my family! Price: (4/5) The price is great if you actually take advantage of the buffet (don't fill up on salad people). Food: (5/5) The food in itself is extensive, with different selections on the weekends than during the week. They have Canadian-Chinese selections, Canadian-Japanese, Canadian/American, and kids options. Plus salads, soups, and breads. And we haven't gotten to dessert yet! Dessert options include lots of pastries, baked goods, gelatins, froyo, ice cream, fruit, cotton candy... Service: (5/5) We've never had a problem with service. Sometimes they get busy and it takes a while for them to get your drinks or bill to you, but that's to be expected in a restaurant of this size. You're there to fill yourself to bursting with food, not for a fine dining experience. I do love the hot towels they give when you sit down, that's a nice touch. *Special Shoutout*: On Sunday, 9/2, we were there around 2pm in the first room to the right (F, i think). One of the managing partners was on the floor helping his staff! Fantastic work ethic and leading by example management. Courteous and sincere manners, not put out at all. Great job and thank you! Space: (4/5) They recently-ish renovated, and the decor is nice. I like that each room has a unique theme, which makes it easy to identify if you forget what room you're in and peek in. The staff are quick to clean up a table and common areas. With the amount of volume they do, sometimes there's a suspect plate in the stack, so I just grab a different one. NBD. They do a fabulous job on keeping all the food fresh and full in the trays. Other Diners: The only problem here are the other diners. You don't need to be rude and combative. We're all here for the food, and it's always going to be refilled. Calm down. Don't lose your minds. I know it's overwhelming to see all that delicious food, but please; walk, don't run; mind your p's and q's; and be mindful of your surroundings. read more

Good selection of food for the price, however i'd recommend you stay away from the sushi. Staff are friendly and the place is kept clean, which i can appreciate as it is a buffet. read more

Where do I start here. I like the fact that it's a buffet and you don't have to wait for your food. I think the service was a little slow for drinks. Some food sits out to long and I got a small case of food poisoning which is never a great. They do have a large variety of foods which is always nice and on weekends they have crab legs. The Bellini was tasty but I just can't get over the food. My review is strictly based on the results of my food poisoning. read more

Great food selection, friendly staff especially our server Jenny she was efficient and did a wonderful job taking good care of her customers. My family and I enjoyed our time at the restaurant. read more

A must have when visiting grandma in Hamilton, I've had Mandarin several times over the course of several years. What I always appreciate is the consistency of service, quality of food, and of course THE FREE PANDA WITH TAKE OUT ORDERS OF $45 OR MORE! Granted that may be over by the time you're reading this, but know that it was awesome and I love pandas. Moving on... My aunt took the wheel and ordered a big ole Chinese food spread for a pre-Thanksgiving meal. Since I don't eat chicken or beef, here's what I ate: Vegetable Spring Roll: Crisp wrapper, crisp vegetables, and delicious sauce to dip them in. Too many times I dig into a spring roll and find them overly oily or soggy. Not these. It really helps when the filling is as fresh as can be. Plain Soft Noodles: I like my noodles thicker generally, especially when the other ingredients in the dish are big (like snap peas and large slices of onion) but nevertheless the noodles are tasty. Fried Rice: Pretty decent fried rice. Rice was perfectly cooked and not overly salty. Dried Garlic Green Beans: Man oh man do I love green beans. There was a little chili pepper next to this dish but I didn't find it that spicy. Are my California taste buds numb to Canadian levels of spice? Maybe. It's all relevant. These are some garlicky green beans though. Don't kiss any vampires after these! Like I've said before, Chinese food is usually not my thing, but I'll always return to Mandarin for my grandma :) read more

This place is epic. Picture a huge Chinese / everything buffet, and you're picturing the Mandarin. They've got most Asian food staples and more. Noodles, soups, sushi, even pizza and roasts - you'll find it all here. I'm actually glad that I don't live closer, because I really would not be able to control myself. Four plates later, I was full of tasty, good quality food. read more

I'm pretty impressed with this location mainly because of the fantastic service from the extremely friendly staff here. I always come here for lunch with a large group and seated right away even though they're a ton of people here; we never had to wait in line. Water glasses are constantly refilled and plates are taken away when done immediately. I can't say much about the dinner buffet here but the lunch buffet has an extensive soup and salad bar, prime rib counter, sushi section, grilled meats and vegetables, and a variety of other hot anglicised Chinese foods. They also have a nice dessert selection and ice cream sundae bar. I like the lightly flavored salads, shrimps, wonton soup, pizza, BBQ pork and more. Some of the sushi here is actually pretty good. For dessert the waffles with whipped cream, strawberry sauce and ice-cream is my favorite! They have a ton of fresh fruit available too for those who want to stay away from the sweets. The quality of the food is okay to good, nothing outstanding though. The place is generally full but never too crowded, and it can get a bit noisy in here at times. They have their own free parking outside in the lot. Weekday lunch price- $11.99 (noon-3pm) Weekend dinner price -$23.99 specialties include: crab legs, prime ribs etc. Dinner starts at 5pm. Seniors (65+) 20% off buffet Children 5-12 are 50% off regular adult buffet price. Take-out and delivery are also available. Also, they only take cash or visa, not debit. read more

I've been to this solid buffet many times and will never hesitate to make a return trip. As far as buffets go, you can't get any better. Lunch is a reasonably priced $18 ( as of July 16 2015) taxes in. All your Chinese food staples plus roast beef, mashed potatoes, sushi, pizza, onion rings and on and on. A really impressive dessert spread too. The food is by no means top chef quality but it's a tasty and filling and varied buffet. The restaurant is absolutely beautiful and the service is always above and beyond. read more

Standard cheap Chinese food that's probably been sitting too long but you take your Mum there because she's insistent that it's "really nice". It's barely above the quality of mall Chinese food in my opinion. ‍ read more

I give this place 4 stars, but also partially because it is a buffet. I am not a big fan of buffets, because it's been my experience the quality of food is much, much lower. This buffet, however, is not your average buffet. The quality is very good overall, and for a buffet it is exceptional. There is a huge variety of food here. The place must have a staff of 50 people at any given time. There's really something for everyone. The soup is delicious even, and the calamari is very good. Even the pizza here is good, and that's definitely saying something given it's a Chinese buffet. I avoid buffets whenever possible, but this is actually one I look forward to going to. I highly recommend it. read more

It was ok, just ok. Less than what I expected. No lobsters which is quite annoying. Enough crab legs, I ate a lot. Chocolate fountain is nice and the sashimi are good. A little bit overpriced to me ( around 35 pp include tax) expensive and crowed read more

This Restaurant is "A-OK" It's like any other Mandarins you'll run into across Ontario: - Lots of selection; - Not the highest quality of food; - Average impersonal service; - And, large, loud crowded rooms. The buffet is great for big eaters - but not really ideal for children b/c you'll pay $25.00+ for the buffet so you're going to want to get 3-4 plates to get your money out of it. For average all-you-can-eat food from chinese to american style (they also serve SUSHI now, which seems to be spreading like wildfire), food come here enjoy it - and feel sick afterwards b/c you tried to eat your monies worth! read more

If you're old, senile, and like American food then the Mandarin is the place for you. The food at the Mandarin tastes like it it's factory made and heated in the microwave (because it probably is). Don't even attempt to eat the sushi, it's disgusting. It's a shame that the restaurant labels itself as Chinese, as the food is a disgrace to the culture. The only buffet item worth getting is the crab. Their dessert bar is the same; each item could be bought at a grocery store frozen section. They do have lots of fresh fruit, though. You'll usually be waiting in a huge line for your food behind slow people. This can get frustrating. Theres people absolutely everywhere and it's hard to even walk around. It's so packed that you're lucky you'll get a chair that won't be touching the party behind you. Needless to say, the staff is friendly and the service is lightning fast. read more

The food and server attention is very nice. However, I literally watched 4 teenage boys brazenly sticking the ice cream sprinkles spoons in their mouths, and then back in the sprinkles!? I was jaw dropped when not one staff member approached them, or took the containers away. There were food servers watching them who did nothing? I couldn't take it anymore as my Grandson's were surely going to have ice cream. I was the one who finally approached the boys, and told them how disgusting their behaviour was. It totally spoiled my appetite and I had to inform my daughter NOT to have the ice cream or sprinkles and why. Did I inform Management? No. Staff members clearly witnessed what I did, and carried on like nothing happened. read more

Who doesn't love the Mandarin?! I have nothing bad to say about the dine in experience. The staff are always attentive & kind. I can only recall one time visiting another location (in Toronto) where I left disappointed. I keep returning because I know this establishment has a lot to offer. Ive thrown a few parties here & theres something for everyone. I gave it four stars because of the take out experience. The take out food is completely different than the buffet food; it was disappointing & I've opted to not go this route again for Chinese Take out. For those who haven't been to this establishment; I recommend you give the buffet options a try! read more

If you want tons of food, much of it pretty good, and you want to be niced-until-you-can't-stand-it - this is the place. Too friendly by far. read more

This is the first time we've been to the Mandarin in over 10 years what can I say it was amazing it was so much I wanted to try but couldn't because I was so full you have to try to see if you'd have been for a while it is amazing read more

Over the years , this has been a really good place to go. Chinese food is quite different all around the world but for the North American pallet , this is pretty good. Here are the pluses. Big food selection, clean and pleasant inside , polite staff , tasty food , easy parking , and very good value. Well worth the visit. read more

I was drafting a technical report while having my lunch there. The waitress thought I was writing a complaint about her. Very narrow-mind... read more

Pricey. They serve a good variety of food. The atmosphere is excellent. However, they keep increasing their prices. Now, you pay nearly $30/person (tax included) on a Friday night or weekend. I won't be going there anytime soon. read more

As Chinese buffets go, this place is hard to beat. The buffet is huge, with Chinese, Japanese, and Western fare. The salad and dessert bars have much to offer. The service is fast & friendly. Someone is always coming by to fill your water glass, clear your dishes, or make sure you have a clean napkin. There are several Chinese buffets in Brantford, but when given the chance, we come here. Some of the other reviews say this place is too friendly. I disagree. I have been to places where the waitress comes by every five minutes to ask you how you are doing, followed by the manager. As for impersonal service, I also disagree. This is a buffet, after all. While the staff is busy, when approached they can be engaged in conversation. One thing worth noting, when they have there lobster & shrimp buffet--if you don't eat these things, this is not the time to go since the buffet costs more. It is pricier than other Chinese buffets, but the selection is excellent, and the staff take good care of you. read more

Excellent quality buffet styl restaurant for basically North Americanized chinese food. Bit pricey, but worth it for quality. Very busy place at times, and you have to push through the ignorant white trash that frequents these places. read more

Clean and has lots of parking. We loved that all the dishes tasted different, been to too many buffets where everything tasted the same. Charming atmosphere. Kinda pricey, but we were full and happy, so it was worth the price. read more

Dinner with a few med school buddies and our tutor a few days back. I have been to a couple different mandarins and this was no different. Good salad selection! There were 4 soups!!...decided to go with the wonton soup, good decision. Sushi counter was stacked with a dozen different options. were being prepared fresh. The main food was also good. My favourites were: chow mein, Singapore noodles, peking pork, some fish dish and lemon chicken. Barbeque side ribs were disappointing (dry), as was the fried rice. They had a softie ice cream machine!...was pretty cool read more

I don't know why anyone would say friendly service is a bad thing. I love to see smiling faces, versus the sourpuss faces many restaurant staff have. Great food here, especially the seafood. Love this Mandarin, although I find that sometimes parking is an issue, especially in the evenings. My wife and I have had to circle the lot a couple times for parking - just FYI. read more

Very clean and friendly service. Don't think twice about going to this location on the mountain you will be impressed. Food always fresh and staff super friendly. read more

Very nice, clean, and organized buffet! It has a lot of selection and all of the food is delicious!! The immense dessert section is my favourite part and they have everything from bread pudding to creme caramel! The buffet is also extremely clean, which is nice. The service is very friendly, you are constantly getting new glasses of water which is a plus and the plates are taken away quickly. Last but not least if you tell your server that it is your birthday, you'll be in for a special surprise!!! Great buffet!!! read more