A Chinese buffet with tons of choices, including some more basic fair for the less "adventurous" diner (which is fantastic for those of us with picky ten year olds). There is a salad buffet section, entrees, sushi, soups, breads, meats, and desserts GALORE. I would totally go just for the desserts if that was an acceptable eating strategy ;) The mid rating is due to the price. It's pretty hefty to be sure... read more

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Went there recently, found their food, rice, veggies, meatballs cold. Their preparation and heating is poor. Also found roast beef cold, will never go to this location again. Customer beware read more

My favourite restaurant since I was a child! The food is always top quality and delicious. The variety of options for just 35-40 bucks is amazing. Some notable mentions are their virgin piña coladas (I would drink these everyday if I could), their pizza, the Belgian waffles, and the creme brûlée! The actual mains are too extensive to list and honestly all so good. Large selection of seafood, and chicken and beef dishes. I eat halal so I keep to the seafood and vegetarian options, although there isn't much, what I can get still is justified to the price I think :) The decor is gorgeous inside. Literally makes it such a memorable place! Beautiful lanterns, koi ponds, fish tanks, faux foliage, paintings, mobiles, and murals, decorate the place. The staff are super friendly. The service is excellent. They constantly clear away dishes, refill water, and will likely check up on you a few times. You get hot lemony towels at the start and end of your visit and a fortune cookie! read more

We went to mandarin for my birthday, the food is amazing as ever. I think it so nice of them to take a picture of you then put it in a cover with a magnet for your fridge, the only missing is breaded scallops, which they had at kings buffet which is my fave food. The service was fantastic ving was a very good server very friendly. I would recommend the mandarin to anyone. read more

Heard of this chain buffet from my cousin- and being first time Canada visitors, they took us here for dinner tonight. First impression: Wow this place is so cute with its fountain/wishing well entrance. They have a blue sky with clouds type of wallpaper that reminds me of the skies in the buildings of some Vegas casinos, sort of tacky but sort of aesthetically pleasing. You walk down to an abundance of red lanterns (not sure if it's just for the Chinese New Year event coming up or if it's always there) but it was cool. The location has plentiful seating- and can surely accompany bigger groups of 16 or so if needed. Not sure if you need a reservation for bigger groups but it's always nice to call ahead for those type of things anyways. Got seated right away and noticed their aquariums that contained real fish! It was so nice and lively in there and it's even nicer knowing the aquarium is maintained and clean. Mandarin has a good variety of Asian food. Anything ranging from sushi, baked salmon, prime rib, dumplings, dim sum, salads and even French fries and pizza. They had four different soups out today- but none stood out to me. Hot and sour soup was not note worthy, my brother didn't like the wonton and my aunt didn't care for her chicken and corn flower soup. They had two dessert tables out- one which contained a variety of pies and fruit and the other one containing tarts, chocolate dipped marshmallows, sesame crisps and chocolate chip cookies. They also had a frozen yogurt soft serve machine that contained either strawberry, vanilla or both in a swirl. And lastly they had about 8 different tubs of ice cream that you can serve yourself. Flavors include vanilla, cappuccino or even a spicy chocolate firecracker (which I believe is limited edition due to Chinese New Year) Not going to lie- I think it's overpriced for the simplicity of the food. Especially if it's a chain restaurant- but I'm glad I tried it and can add an experience on my list. Service was good and the fact that they kept refilling food even towards closing made me feel like they really want their customers to eat. The hot towels they provide you before and after your meal is a nice touch too! read more

I love the noodles and vegetables and brown rice also with Vegetables and nestea. The staff was super nice.

We stopped here for lunch today. I have never shown up to a buffet when it first opens and I don't think I will ever again. We were seated in the very back of one of the sections and noticed it was freezing. My Kid said he was fine so we stayed at the table they sat us at. But from the time we sat down until we left, 4 other tables complained about how cold it was and asked to be moved. Once they had our drink order we went up to the buffet. Now if you advertise you open at a certain time and you seat people you would think the food would be ready! Over half the stations were empty and the foods that were ready were cold?!? I'm really loosing my love for Chinese buffets.. kids usually love this stuff but even my kids was like sorry Dad I feel bad because for you paying and me not eating much. read more

Mandarin Restaurant - Lobby - Buffets Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

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Surprisingly good buffet--the interior is very large too so can support big parties. I have to say, the sky painted ceiling with the butterflies is a little bit cheesy but I also loved it. :p They have a variety of food to choose from so you will definitely find something for you here. If you are a dessert person, you will not be disappointed because they have two rows of dessert from apple tarts to cheesecakes to mango pudding and a lot of ice cream. We went during the holiday season so they also had red velvet frozen yogurt but it wasn't that great. Also, don't forget about their cotton candy machine!!! Overall, the food was good so definitely go on an empty stomach! read more

Mandarin Restaurant - Buffets Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

Ordered over $100 worth of takeout and found a worm/maggot in the food. Absolutely disgusted. Will never eat from here again. Will be filing a complaint with public health. Mandarin is clearly cutting corners when it comes to food safety. Unacceptable! read more

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The first one was really nice but the second is not as nice to be in a car with you I just wanted you know

Honestly my first and last time going to any Mandarin. We've ordered food from them before for work events and the food was so bad. I was hoping for something a tiny bit better at the restaurant but honestly only like a tad bit more fresh. We reserved a room for 50 guests for a work event and they only prepared enough for 20-30. Throughout the dinner we kept having to ask them for more tables and chairs. The presentation of the dishes itself was unappetizing. I picked out a few things to try. The noodles were cold, oily, soft, and tasteless. The chicken was like chicken jerky - dry and tough. The dessert selection was quite impressive compared to everything else though. From crême brulées to dipped strawberries to cottan candy. I basically had dessert for dinner. read more

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The food is disgusting, the tables are disgusting, the chairs are disgusting. The fish looked like they haven't been fed in months. The only thing I enjoyed were the packaged bread stick. Also so expensive for such trash. The service the fine. read more

I placed an order on Nov 16th for the following items: 1 Spicy Beef, 1 Lemon Chicken, 1 Singapore Noodles, and 2 orders of spring rolls. We were told the order would be 1 hr to 1 hr 15 minutes for delivery, we are located 6 minutes from the Kitchener location. The order arrived 1 hour and 22 minutes later, and was Luke warm at best. The beef was disgusting, covered in a slimy, gelatous sauce. We received 2 miniscule portions of plum sauce, maybe a teaspoon each, certainly not enough for 4 spring rolls. Overall, this was the worst take out meal ever. This review content was sent to the Mandarin head office through their website, their lack of response says it all. read more

Mandarin Restaurant is a chain of all-you-can-eat Chinese-Canadian buffet restaurants. A little more upscale than King's Buffet, its closest competitor in the area, it's also priced accordingly. My wife loves it here and if it were less expensive I would come here more often. What I like best about Mandarin is the service. Even simple acts like ordering a bottle of wine with your meal is elevated with a sample pouring and a little flair, unusual for a buffet restaurant. Also, the service is consistent, whether it's busy or quiet I have always received prompt and courteous attention, and I think it makes all the difference. The buffet is large and there are items to please everyone, from pizza to sushi, prime rib to sweet and sour pork, soup to dessert. This makes it good for large groups as well. Frankly I don't come here for authentic Asian food, but I would argue that that's not the point of coming to Mandarin, those looking for that type of cooking would be better served elsewhere. read more

I went back again for their buffet for a second time with my co-worker yesterday. The food was good. There was WAY too much food and not enough space in my stomach for all of it! Some of my favorites from their buffet? - Torpedo Shrimp? It's like the tempura shrimp! Straight and long with some panko crusted crumbs. I'm not sure what they do with this, but it was DELICIOUS!!! They must put some sort of sweet sauce IN the torpedo shrimp. When you eat this with the cocktail sauce - YUM!!! - Spicy Chicken. Their "spicy chicken" isn't really spicy. It's more soy-saucey! I don't even recall it having a kick, and people, even though I'm asian, i don't do hot/spicy all that much! Some of the chicken was too saucy, but the sauce is good, so I can't complain too much. I think it was only like that towards the bottom. With a fresh batch, probably not a problem. - Ice Cream. Don't miss the ice cream which is alongside the wall. They have tons of ice creams. It's not 'Chinese' ice cream. It's just standard american/canadian/whatever ice cream. Okay, the couple of dishes I noted above were among my favorites. I'll update with any more, if I go back and learn. However, there are MANY options, so you should find something you'll like! read more

2 stars cuz there was actually food there, and that's about it. I thought after not coming here for over a year we'd give it another go - on Mother's Day. Oh boy, what a decision. Not only was it busy, the staff were as bitter as the lemon in my room temperature water. It was nearly impossible to form a line to discover what they were offering on the tables. I swear people become animals at buffets. So I decided to just get one plate, eat 1/4 of it and continue to dessert since the dinner options were so old and .... weird... and ..... old. So the waiter saw me eating desert and decided to tell me to "take a break?" Words exactly "wow, dessert already? Take a break" ........ up your nose with a rubber hose. How's that, mind your manners and your business my friend and we will get along that much better - Cheers. read more

Great buffett and service is good. Pros: - large variety of food dishes to choose from: western to Asian food including soups to salads, vegan to meat dishes. -true buffet. You serve yourself- no waiting to be served -wait staff are polite and work hard to serve you -hot towels for hands, before and after you eat -clean and warm environment to eat and dine Cons: -expensive especially on Friday, Sat and Sun. -outside parking and inside tables fill up quick so plan ahead before going. On holidays, I advise to make reservations before going as wait times vary. read more

As mandarin restaurants go it's not bad . I would say my #3 of the 6 I have tried. Markham is #1 and Newmarket a very close second. The kitchener location had a few things on the menu that were new a chicken and pasta dish that tasted more like cream of chicken soup rather than Alfredo. The lo mein was really oily and the chicken wings dried out. It was early for dinner only 445 and as it got busier the food slowly improved. I am wondering if they were reserving lunch dishes left over as dinner. The service was really good and the staff were friendly. We will go back for sure but look for a later dinner time . read more

I am a type 2 Diabetic and my wife is on low carb diet. You would think the buffet would be nightmare but no All the options have the calories listed and there are so many choices that we can go to Love the shrimp, salmon, melon, soup options and large salad bar. Deviled eggs are fair. As treat love the bread pudding in moderation. Lunch price especially for seniors is very reasonable. Service is very attentive and responsive read more

Consistent like the other Mandarins, good if expensive chain. Here the staff seemed to go the extra mile to explain the current specials (Canada Day based foods). Lots of delicious ice cream choices and sushi as well as the regular fare. read more

Mandarin Restaurant - Buffets Near Me - Kitchener, Ontario

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DO NOT GO HERE!!! Old dried up food - terrible management. I went to the Mandarin in Kitchener/Cambridge on Saturday July 14th. I hadn't been in a few months, as the prices seemed to keep rising, and it became just a little out of reach for regular visits. I thought it was about time again. We were running a bit late, but we got there at 9:24pm - I checked before we left and the closing time was 10:30pm. I asked when I got there if the buffet was OK until 10:30 or if it was shutting down. They said, 'no. it is open right until 10:30'. We didn't even sit down when we were shown our table, and we went straight to the buffet - as this time, there were still at least a couple dozen people in the restaurant, many still at the buffet. On the first trip, I noticed many things were set out for didn't seem fresh, but I started with some soup. It was old and sitting for many hours. On my second trip, I found out that you no longer have crab legs on the weekends - very disappointing. We got some lamb and some prime rib, and additional items from that area station - all the meat was very dry, and all the sides were tough and dry. We both commented and went to the buffet side instead of the serving side. As I *tried* to put the pepper steak on the plate, it was one solid piece in the buffet tray. Most other dishes were in a similar state. Note that it was around 9:45pm by now. We both took what looked the freshest, but none of the hot food seemed right, and all meats were 'done' - very dry and/or tough with the sauce evaporated away. Absolutely terrible. At the end of our meal, the waiter, who was good, asked if everything ok, I mentioned the problems. The manager came over asked about the issues, and said he would make anything fresh. Now almost 10:30pm - it was too late. We had to go around 10:30 at the very latest... I have been to the Mandarin DOZENS of times - in London, Oakville, Kitchener, and other locations. At worst, before that day I had one time where the service was somewhat below par. Otherwise, never a problem with the food or anything else. When I got the bill, the manager gave a 'senior' discount on ONE dinner. Gee, thanks for $3 discount on a terrible $85 meal. Gee - thanks! What an insult. If 9:24pm is too late for people to come in and enjoy a meal when they close at 10:30, I suggest that they shut down at 9:23pm. The food was terrible from the time we got there, until the time we left. I contacted HQ - Daniel, the district manager got back to me two weeks later. He said that he spoke to the owner, and since I got a discount (that $3), there was nothing else he could do. Another insult. I was very disappointed by the quality of food on what may be my LAST visit to the Mandarin. Thanks for the dozens of good visits, but it only takes ONE terrible visit to ruin the brand. read more

LOVE the food! It's got such an amazing selection of food and deserts are UNREAL. It can be kind of costly though, especially for students. So try to go on less busy nights. They have a salad bar and several main course bars, along with many selections of deserts (including lots of ice cream!) It's great for big groups, call ahead to request a room. They have tonnes of space for people. It's fun for kids - the front lobby has a pond with fish and there are tanks throughout the restaurant that also have cool fish to look at. The food is always so good I never want to leave. Go hungry because this buffet delivers on every level! read more

Very good place to eat and hangout with family or friends. There is a good variety of food there and it's all delicious (not gourmet but very tasty). The man who welcomed us into the restaurant was very nice and friendly, so were the staff. Very pricey for adults but mostly worth it since you're able to eat as much as you want. read more

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I order alacarte and what a disaster. I should've gone buffet. Here's my experience. 1) Ordered soup - it arrived after the main course. 2) Ordered chicken chowmein it came without noodles.. can u believe that? Manager said it is canadian chowmein. 3) Manager argued with me saying it was chowmein. 4) Do not order the beef curry recommended by the order taker. 5) Rice cold and dry. 6) Waiter was not trained and didn't know the menu. 7) Servers fingers were dipping in the soup bowls while placing bowls on table. 8) What a horrible experience. read more

Take this chain restaurant for what it is. Clean, attentive staff, complete meal from soup and salad through to desserts including a variety of ice cream flavors. Authentic Chinese food, not really. But surely you can find something right for you. A pretty consistent chain of this type of food is certainly worth a try. Note: no wokery, though they do have a few grilled items and a carving station. read more

We are a regular here, about twice a month. The food will not disappoint you. They have great specials for the Chinese new year. Moon pie! I have a fussy kid and he always finds something to eat even if its fries or pizza. My personal favorites are the torpedo shrimps, chicken Alfredo, caviar sushi. I don't even know where to begin on the 3 dessert buffet tables!!! One thing I don't like is when the wait staff refills your glass and leans the tip right on the edge of your glass. (Ocd) and some people pick at the serving trays with their hands but that's not the restaurant 's fault. Maybe they should get servers to serve like the station with the roast beef... Loyal customer. read more

Not there slightly before 4:30 p.m. we're seated almost immediately. My wife and I both ordered just water is the beverage. And both went with the all-you-can-eat buffet. My wife started off with a salad bar and I joined her. The salad bar is absolutely outstanding so many items to choose from and everything so fresh and tasty. I then moved on to the wonton soup with dumpling with lots and lots of green onion in it. The soup was hot very tasty outstanding. We then both moved on to the hot Buffet literally hundreds of items to choose from. My wife for the shrimp. I went in Heather prime rib of beef which is possibly the most tender succulent tasty prime rib of beef I've had anywhere in Kitchener Waterloo. I have the roasted potatoes mixed vegetables and tried a little bit of the Chinese food. We were both very impressed the food was hot it had good flavour and taste have a service was outstanding. I would highly recommend this place for somebody with fussy appetites if you can't find something here to eat and enjoy and there's definitely something wrong with you because it goes beyond just Chinese food you can get prime rib of beef Pizza you name it they have every type of food in this establishment you do not even need to eat Chinese food to enjoy a meal here the salad bar is outstanding the soup bar is outstanding the deserts are out of this world and dozens upon dozens to choose from. So if you do not mind spending $35 a person for an all-you-can-eat experience this is definitely the place to go. read more

Very good restaurant, place was clean! Amazing server Joe. Very polite and took care of us well. Managers are very kind and caring! Had an amazing experience. read more

We ate at the Mandarin while up from Ottawa visiting my daughter who attends OVC. All I can say is wow, what a great meal - or should I say meals - I ate way too much. I'm usually not a fan of buffets, but these folks have changed my opinion. This massive buffet had everything, and it was fresh and well prepared. The place is so busy, with such a high turnover, there is no chance of anything sitting untouched for any length of time. They had crab on the night we were there, and if nothing else, we ate out money's worth in that alone. There was so much to choose from, I barely scratched the surface. Oh, and the service was exceptional - fast and extremely friendly. We'll be back for sure next time we're in Guelph, which is only about ten minutes away from Kitchener. read more

This mandarin has great staff and good service. If you are going for authentic Chinese food , don't come here. But if your looking for an awesome dessert experience...this is the place to go! read more

I was here last night and there was a Chinese New Year theme going on last night and they had special items at the buffet (but this location often does). I like this Mandarin and so far they haven't let me down (3rd time at this location) and every single time I came, it was a good experience and good food and Fresh (unlike some other locations). This is my second favorite location for Mandarin so far but the Brampton location is always my go to. I'll be back at this location :) read more

Called to make a rezo for Mother's Day said not needed I showed up and said we only taking rezos tried to talk to the owner at the stand got the the brush off read more

Really good chineese buffet place. They buffet is huge and has alot of different dishes. Mostly the standard chineese buffet style food but some canadian dishes as well. Good service. A little more expensive then other buffets read more

I have eaten any many Asian buffets and most of them in the US and all of them for under $10. Naturally I was shocked when I found out a restaurant like Madarin served bland, mediocre and overpriced food at best. I generally don't write reviews unless a restaurant has done very well or is revolting for the price. The plates were not clean as the dishwasher probably only cleans the top side of the plate. The second plate I picked up had salmon skin on the bottom of the plate and the third plate had desert residue. That was just ridiculous. I can't imagine what quality of food the patrons who flock this restaurant are used to but I highly recommend they drive south of the border and try some Chinese. I saw a lot of people eat crab legs so I suppose that's one reason to visit this place. The chicken dishes did not have a kick, same with the beef. The best items in my opinion was stuff at the salad bar, egg foo young (omelette), and macaroon. The fried tiger shrimp felt it was raw inside or easily breakable as raw shrimp is even though the outside was cooked perfectly. The bread pudding tasted like a cinnamon bun, the creme brulee was quite something else, fruits were not fresh. The pineapple and melon were a tad sour. For the same price, i HIGHLY recommend trying the classier spoon & fork thai and japanese, which is a few towns overs, next to another mandarin chinese establishment. Nothing I had there wasn't delicious. Folk who claim this to be an upscale restaurant must be mad. If you can't figure out a better restaurant, fasting for an evening or day is a much better for your non-existent soul and body. read more

Service was good. The food was not great much prefer London ON Mandarin. Greasy overall

Great place! I find it a little dark in here, personally, but that doesn't matter because the food is so good! I can never resist Mandarin's Chicken Fried Rice!! My family and I pass this place every summer on our way to the cottage, and we always stop for a meal. read more

My father in law visited and treated us to lunch here. The server (Lee) and the water boy (Dracon) were both very nice and funny. They have many choices but it can be overwhelming. I liked everything I tried except the Kung pow chicken. If you normally like Kung pow chicken I would recommend the spicy chicken instead. It was yummy and the spice was just right. read more

Good food, kids love the cotton candy. Joey, a managing partner, always makes the rounds to see how things are. Love the creme brûlée!!

On February 21 my wife and I ordered for pick up from Mardarin Kitchener. I specifically and repeatedly stated the entire order was to be mushroom free as I can't eat mushrooms. Literally every dish came with mushrooms. I'm also 20 mins away from Mardarin, so I just didn't eat and my guests ate the food as everyone was hungry. When I called to tell them about their mistake the manager Phil told me he would give me a credit for $30, half of the cost of my order or they could remake it. I agreed to the credit. I wanted to return all the food, but my guests were hungry and the drive is 40 minutes return. I called today to order and the manager did not put a $30 credit on my account as promised. Instead there was only a $10 credit, which I never would have agreed to. To top it off, the manager Raymond Ng was rude, dismissive and hung up the phone on me today. I will not be going to the Mandarin again because of this and I can't order take-out for fear they'll tamper with my food. The lesson I learned is don't believe what they tell you about credit. read more

Oh boy where do I start. This was a great experience, great service, great food and a good price. Food and sushi tasted fresh and not like a typical buffet. As leaving they all said thank you and it was nothing short of a great experience. Great for families too! read more