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Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

3.6 (1.1k reviews)
ModerateChinese, Halal, Hot Pot
Closed 11:30 am - 9:00 pm

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OLD MANDARIN ISLAMIC RESTAURANT ATMOSPHERE

What's the vibe?
Moderate noise
Casual
Classy
Good for groups

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Recommended Reviews - Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

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Spicy Beef Stew Noodle Soup
Amy L.

I thought everything that we ordered tasted fresh. My main issues were that there is no free water. You have to buy a plastic bottle of water. Also, rice is not included with dishes. Lastly, I wish there was more meat included in the cumin lamb. Positives: cumin lamb was well seasoned and the lamb tasted really fresh. Maybe that's the beauty of halal meat, which I tried for the first time. We also got the spicy beef noodle soup. The broth could have had more flavor and spice. My favorite was probably the cabbage in spicy vinegar. It was the perfect balance of being healthy, sweet, and salty. I'd come back here!

Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce
Syed M.

Based on the reviews, it's hard to determine if Old Mandarin is among the best or the worst restaurants in SF. So I decided to check it out for myself. From the outside, it has a simple vibe and is very up-front about being a Halal restaurant (which I appreciate as a Muslim). Stepping inside, I can admire the variety of decorations and artwork that cover the walls. My party is quickly guided to a table and provided with menus. The waiter wasn't particularly chatty, but he was friendly, professional, & prompt, which is all I look for. He collected our orders and within a few minutes, the food was ready. For entrees, I shared the Cumin Lamb Stir-Fry and the Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce, both of which were recommended in . The lamb was flavorful and satisfying, while the subtle sweetness of the eggplant was beautifully complemented by the sauce. A simple side of white rice was all else that was needed to complete my meal. I will now touch on price, which seems to be a contentious point in many reviews. Firstly, a few have called out the "hidden" fees that materialized on the receipt, like the gratuity. However, the menu was pretty upfront about what they included.. (Now you may have an opinion on the existence of those fees, but that's probably outside the scope of a review..) Secondly, I am stumped as to why the prices are considered higher than expected. I have never considered SF a "cheap" place to eat, and there are far worse offenders that should be called out before Old Mandarin. My guess is that this is more expensive than other Chinese "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants, but I cannot classify this as "merely" hole-in-the-wall due to the quality and the exclusive usage of Halal ingredients. I was pretty satisfied with the portions, and the per-person cost was ~$30, hardly the worst for an occasional dine-in meal. One point I will agree with is that they should offer free water in a glass, instead of assuming "water" == $2 bottled water. I suppose Europeans would be used to this.. Overall, I was happy with my meal at Old Mandarin and look forward to future visits. Maybe I will have to revise my review but I hope not.

Beef Fried Rice
Erica W K.

I saw this place was on some articles and decided to check it out - but I am slightly skeptical of the articles now. The food is mediocre at best. The lamb was decently average. The fried rice and fried buns were almost on the same par. I don't feel the food is anything special than any typical restaurant in SF. But their price asks for more than a typical restaurant. There is definitely a dissonance between the quality of the food and price of the food. The service was decent, we didn't expect much more than taking our orders and serving food.

Lamb Chow Mein

Pretty alright lamb chow mein. Oily and a little bland. Not ok tofu salad though. The tofu salads are mushed tofu and cilantro, cucumber or shallot. No sauce or oil. Plate of cold, wet, crumbled mush. I don't believe the manager who said it's a real style of tofu salad. Zero star tofu salad. $17 for the chow mein is.. almost fair, but at $13 I feel ripped off on that mush plate.

House Special Stir-Fry Lamb Liver and Kidney Chef's Special
Faisal A.

We are a group of six. We were seated immediately. The restaurant was pretty busy as all tables were occupied after we arrived. The service was quick and efficient. We ordered two soups and 3 entries. They were tasty and rich in flavor.

7/19/24
Mike C.

Why did it take me thirty years to return here? Quite honestly, I'm not really sure. My last memory of coming here was with my parents and brother for a weekend dinner. With my brother and dad being spice sensitive, we passed on most if not all spicy dishes. I do remember, on one visit before, we did try the hot pot and, despite it being spicy, my dad was still able to enjoy the meal. Back to today, I studied the menu photos on Yelp and crafted a menu of several of my go-to's and a couple of their staple items. The first item that I tried was the spring rolls (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=eLJ2D1s2nwE5xDuu96udtQ), which were comped; being fried and still warmer than warm, I shared this with the family when I got home and we enjoyed them, nothing like fresh food. Shortly after, we tried the Beijing beef pancake (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=X6ZvuY7ggTWXbpKp2vE_1w), again almost immediately after I got home since it was warm. Similar to a green onion pancake, the two layered pastry is filled with tender and seasoned ground beef. For my dinner that night, I had the lamb brisket noodle soup (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=kM0p3BUgQFft1zFvXeh4Zw) which was packed very well; I reheated the broth and added the noodles in making this bowl (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=xk3cZn-M-W9BOhc-L-urVw), making about 2/3rds of the portion as I knew that I'd be unable to finish it. This was especially impressive because the lamb had no hint of the usual gameiness and the broth was a five-spice broth that paired well with it. The noodles were the thick kind which made for a hearty meal. The next day, I decided to reheat some of the hot & sour soup (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=emfeEDFGX8cZn0fBYkGzew) to pair with some leftovers for lunch. I poured 2/3rd of the container into a bowl and steamed it. There is no meat in it so definitely a plus if you are vegetarian though there is egg in it. My favorite part of this soup were the ingredients used, the standard wood ears, shredded tofu, and bamboo shoots. The kicker was the gum choi in Cantonese which is golden needle vegetable in English. This fibrous and crunchy vegetable adds an element that I remember in old time versions of this, seldom found in most restaurants these day. A few days later, I steamed a portion of the mapo tofu (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=y_qt_-bHrOhx5KP7zl2bQQ). Heating up some leftover rice, I steamed half of the container for my dinner. Ordered medium spicy when asked, I enjoyed the variety of non-traditional ingredients which includes water chestnuts, straw mushrooms, and baby corn to pair with peas and carrots. I will order this again. The final item that I tried was the cucumber and tofu (https://www.yelp.com/user_local_photos?userid=saJuyv784apZzH--psHZ3Q&select=h0uYkpZYYPMgmnd0BO1Wug), which I gifted to my friend. She was not impressed by the visuals of this so she returned it to me and I ate this as a salad. It has a light sesame oil dressing and clear rice noodles. Big thanks to Shuai, who packed my food thoroughly to prevent leakage, double and even triple bagging when needed. Coming at 4:30 pm, the restaurant was empty. I'm looking forward to exploring the menu for other different items. I'm sure the soup and tofu will likely be on my order next visit.

Eric B.

It's an old school Chinese restaurant, with very strong north Chinese flavors. They have cumin lamb, jiajiang mein and chive pocket, all very good I'd recommend coming in a group of 6+ to try more dishes

Beijing Style Noodles in Fried Dark Bean Paste

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Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant Reviews in Other Languages

Ask the Community - Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

Gluten free options?

I didn't see any specifically listed on the menu when I was there earlier this year. Chinese is difficult because most soy sauce has gluten in it. You should call and ask, but this place was definitely old school.

Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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