Mandarin House

The only reason it gets 2 stars is because of the white table cloths. Otherwise the food is over cooked, over sauced and bland. Won’t go back.

Having moved to Carmel recently, I have been on the search for a decent go-​to Chinese restaurant. For those seeking authentic dishes, make sure to ask for the Chinese menu. We had mussels with black bean sauce, braised tofu, dou miao (a Chinese vegetable), the duck appetizer, and sweet and sour soup. Here is the breakdown of our dishes:
1) Mussels: Portions were disappointingly small for the price but nonetheless, they were cooked well and one can never go wrong with black bean sauce. I’d get them again.
2) Braised tofu: Delish! The flavor and texture of the tofu was what I had expected it to be, and they toss in a few other handfuls of Chinese veggies, which were appreciated.
3) Dou Miao: This Chinese vegetable had a lot of garlic goodness and came in a decent amount. A definite repeat.
4) Duck: It was drowning in sauce, so I would ask to go easy on it next time. It was a bit pricy but you’re going to find that anywhere with duck. With that in mind, it’s worth a try for those specifically craving it. Otherwise, you may want to pass on this.
5) Sweet and sour soup: Spiced well and not excessively oily. Most taste buds should find this pleasing.
The restaurant was extremely clean and had a more formal and peaceful ambiance than I had anticipated. The service was better than most typical Chinese sit-​down restaurants (though perhaps it may have been due to a slow night), and overall, it was reasonably priced. I plan to return and next time, I might try the peking duck!

So disappointing! We took the family and had high hope as many neighbors were recommending Mandarin House as the go to place in Carmel. I ordered dim sum and general sao’s chicken, my wife got the Mongolian shrimp and the kids had the sweat and sour chicken. Best I can say was meh. The lack of spice in my dish really was a bummer, more ginger than heat. The shrimp was OK at best. The kids were fine with the sweet and sour chicken. The dim sum was not worth ordering. I was really hoping for this to be a place to get dim sum in the Indy area… it was not.

This is a great lunch spot ! I am glad to have found this little jewel. Their lunch specials are tasty and priced right. The portions are just right for lunch and the soup and crab rangoons are yummy. Friendly service and sparkling clean environment seem to be the norm here, always a major plus. Try the beef and broccoli or sesame chicken, always consistent and tasty.

Let me start by say if you come here and order from there regular menu then you’re doing it all wrong. Ask for the Chinese menu. There form of cooking is Cantonese style, and it’s very good and very close to being authentic. It’s clean inside and the service is good. The price is very reasonable and a lot of Asians eat there. That’s always a good sign.

Sunday’s at Mandarin House in #Carmel off Rangeline are simply the best since they feature their buffet. The only day of the week you will find all these combinations available to sample. Try unique and traditional Asian cuisine and discover your new favorite. The is a great way to experience what you are missing from other Chinese buffet’s around town. Recommended. Very authentic.

Mandarin house is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in the area. They have your typical American-​Chinese dishes like crab ragoons, sweet and sour chicken etc but they also have authentic dishes. The Sunday brunch (really really popular so make sure to arrive early around 11am) is especially filling with lots of selections from veggies to meats and dough or fried products.
Very calming décor and a nice waiting staff :)

I’ve never been there except for Sunday brunch. So I am gonna talk about that.
The settings are good. Couple round tables, chinese style. Also some tables that can sit four people.
The brunch buffet is 12 plus tax and there are A LOT of food selections. There are American chinese dishes like broccoli beef or Hot and Sour soup. But the majority are REAL Chinese food. Don’t expect a variety of Dim Sum here. There are probably 6. The chinese food is southern chinese style, so it’s a little on the sweet side.

While out & about we were wanting something for dinner better than fast food but without a horrifically long wait. We opted for the Mandarin House. The food & the interior compliment each other as both are superior to many other restaurants in the area.
We started off with an order of pot stickers. There are 6 in an order & they were cooked quite well… not over or underdone. The meals came with the soup of the day which was Egg Drop soup. The soup was nice & hot, served with crunchy fried noodles on the side. This was the first time I’d had Egg Drop soup with a small amount of onion & peas. I’m not a fan of onions but the soup was actually very good. My husband ordered Kong Pao Shrimp & I had the General Tso’s Chicken. We decided to add a dish of Yui Shan Broccoli as a side & are quite happy we did! Everything came out nice & hot with a large dish of white rice. Though each person orders a meal you are given enough clean plates so that the meals can be shared family style. The portions were large enough that we had enough to take home to two VERY hungry teenage boys! The General Tso Chicken was not overly breaded, the sauce was spiced well & the pieces were nicely size. Delicious! The Kong Pao Shrimp was just as good, nice jumbo shrimp that was cooked just right. We’d never heard of Yui Shan but that preparation was well matched to the broccoli.
We were seated quickly. Our waitress was friendly & service was quick. I don’t think our water glasses were ever empty. We felt neither rushed nor neglected.
The décor is definitely above par compared to most other Chinese restaurants: mostly soft blue walls (the one along the back is a smokey brown color) with simple, tasteful artwork, dark wooden floors & a pretty white pillar with stone. There were no booths that we noticed, simply nice tables with table clothes (under glass) & comfortable padded chairs without any rips or tears. There is also a large well-​kept fish tank with several kinds of fish.

Ordered a team dinner from here while a group of us were working late, and can’t say I was over the moon about it, but they have some good options.
First off — the wontons. The wonton soup was great, and even better was the hot chili oil wonton appetizer. The wontons just have a great texture and are huge.
The main course was a little more disappointing. The honey chicken was very dry, although the lemony after-​taste was quite pleasing. All in all, a good quick bite for a relatively good price.

Compared to their Sunday lunch buffet, their dinner is so bad. We ordered from the Chinese menu. Unfortunately all three dishes were below the bar. And the portions were so small for the prices. We were both so disappointed that we vowed to never go back for their dinner ever again. I really miss CA!

I’m always skeptical about having a meal of Chinese food in the middle of the work day. Not that I don’t do it. I’m just skeptical of it. Just because it makes that pull for a mid-​afternoon nap so much stronger. Years ago when a few colleagues suggested it for lunch, I was skeptical. Giving in to their peer pressure was the best decision ever. I fell in love with Mandarin House that day and have found even more reasons for the love since.
Let’s start with the soup. Hot and Sour or Egg Drop. You can’t go wrong with either. The Hot and Sour has that spicy pull that has your spoon picking up speed as you crane your neck closer to the bowl. Tiny drops of soup start popping up on the table and you sit back, startled at your momentary loss of composure. The Egg Drop has that comforting warmth that creeps into your soul, glazes your eyes, and has you staring off into space with a sappy look on your face. And that’s just the start of the meal.
I try to stay adventurous for the main course, straying from my favorites to try something new on occasion. While I’ve enjoyed many good meals, my favorite remains Pork Lo Mein. It’s the noodles. Extra thin egg (?) noodles that allow for a better vegetable/​noodle ration with each forkful. I can never finish and always end up with a cold noodle breakfast the next day. It’s just… those noodles. I’m terribly addicted to those noodles.
Last, but not least, their lunch specials come with a couple crab rangoon. I absolutely love this. Because what is better than cream cheese AND crab? Frying it, of course. I just love this place.

Great food. Great service. Staff was very friendly, gave good advice on what to get and fast.

Cloyingly sweet sauces. Soggy chicken wings. Lukewarm entrees. Indifferent service. Stale fortune cookies. Shocked by the positive reviews. Sticking with nearby Sichuan from now on.

I have eaten in a number of Chinese restaurants around the country. I was excited to try a «real» Chinese restaurant in Indiana especially after seeing the four star review on Unilocal.We started with some pot stickers and spring rolls. Then, we ordered Orange Chicken and Mongolian beef. Unfortunately the only thing that wasn’t absolutely horrible was the spring rolls.
We definitely won’t be back.

This is not your usual $ 9.99 pseudo-​Chinese buffet. This is the real deal. Have an open mind and order something that doesn’t have the words «General» or «sweet and sour» in it and you will not be disappointed. Remember that traditional Asian dining is always family-​style. Order at least 1 entrée per person in your party and use the Lazy Susan.

This is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants. They do a great job of getting you in and out during the lunch hour. Food is fast and really well made. I love getting their pot stickers as an appetizer. Their lunches are great. The chicken dishes actually taste like chicken instead of deep fried something or other. The beef is always well cut and well seasoned. You don’t get much fat on any of the meat. My favorite part is all the lunch combos come with crab rangoon, and they do a great crab rangoon.

We went to Mandarin House on a group work lunch outing and I was very pleased with my experience here. It’s your usual Chinese food, with a bit more class. The atmosphere is calm, not chaotic like a Chinese buffet. The tables are really interesting as they have a middle section that spins, which I’m assuming is if people want to share food items. The wait staff was kind and helpful.
I split an order of pot stickers with a coworker as an appetizer and they were quite delicious. They were mushy in just the right way, not overdone or underdone. For my soup selection, I picked the hot and sour soup and I was very impressed with it. It tasted like most other hot and sour soups, but that’s what we all like, right? I ordered sweet and sour chicken for my main course and it came out on a plate bigger than my head. The portion was healthy, but not overwhelming. I had a great amount of fried rice, chicken, sweet and sour sauce, as well as a few crag ragoons, and an egg roll, if I’m remembering correctly. I was very happy when leaving, but not so happy that I had to go back to work with a stomach full of MSG-​blasted Chinese food.

This review is for the Sunday brunch buffet, which is only $ 11! Like any good buffet, we came, we ate, and we were conquered before we could try everything.
The buffet has a combination of traditional dim sum dishes, authentic non-​Dim Sum dishes, and some Americanized Chinese food. The food on the back tables seems to be the most authentic, and I think I would come back just for the sticky rice and thin slices of duck! Most dishes are Guangdong style, so they aren’t spicy. The place was full of Chinese people, so you know at least the Carmel Chinese community endorses it. Each table also receive complementary tea, and I can sit and drink tea all day!
However, I think this place shines out for sheer quantity, not necessarily quality. I left stuffed, but I could only remember a couple of items that I really enjoyed. I don’t know if the buffet contains the same items each Sunday, but I felt that a lot of the offering were a bit mediocre.

Nice ambiance, table cloth (under glass top), full service sit-​in restaurant.
They have a Chinese Menu with more traditional entrees. As for taste, it is probably not fair to compare it to restaurants in larger metropolitan areas with large Asian population, but it is good enough to draw local Chinese population to the restaurant on a regular basis. The Sunday Buffet is not bad, again for this area.
Personal favorites: Beef Chow Fun, Beef Noodle Soup.