Mandarin Gourmet Cupertino

I was very disappointed with the service. I had requested the waiter for some hot sauce. While he was busy with other tables, I asked the bus boy to give me some hot sauce. the waiter got offended and used 4 letter words saying I dont respect people…
Wow… this is a first.
I am such a regular there, very disappointed and will never step foot there ever.

The service was great, and that’s what the 2 stars were for because the food does not deserve any stars. The food is not authentic Chinese and it’s way overpriced. I got the sizzling beef and scallops and both the beef and the scallops were on the border of being inedible. The beef had been treated with either beef tenderizer or baking soda, which is what is typically done to poor quality beef. If not for the fact that it costs almost $ 20 for the one dish, I would have dumped it and go eat at a different restaurant.

This is our GO TO for takeout, even though they have a LOVELY dining room and wonderful service when you dine-​in.
LOVES: pork fried rice, westlake beef soup, veggie spring rolls, chicken and snow peas.
Every time we call and order they say 10 – 15 minutes, which is already fast. I live one mile away. I always leave right after I call and my food is waiting for me when I walk in the door. Seriously, they are SO fast. And the food quality is a step above most places.

So, my family and I have been eating here for nearly 20 years. I am also a classically trained chef. Those two things make me so amazed that this place has maintained the same fantastic recipes, food quality and stellar service for nearly 2 decades. That’s pretty challenging to pull off in the restaurant business!
So here’s the details of my last visit:
Sizzling rice soup, best I have ever tasted. The broth is light but has great body to it and the chicken and vegetables are so fresh.
Chinese chicken salad, LOVE the dressing and finely chopped peanuts. My one criticism is the thinly sliced chicken was a little dry, but I’m probably the only one who noticed. Still an awesome salad.
Honey walnut prawns were divine, the sauce not being overly sweet but just the right amount of honey.
General Tso’s beef on the sizzling platter (sigh) this is the stuff that inspires poetry… I love it so much I would marry General Tso.
I now live 1,800 miles away from this place but when I come back to town I make sure I visit and I’m so impressed that I have seen the same awesomeness for nearly 20 years.

Just had lunch here. Upgraded my lunch to a total of 18 dollars. Everything was good except the small portion of beef served with it.

Sure it’s more American Chinese than traditional but it is good. Best honey walnut prawns around. Fabulous moo Shi pork. Love their sauteed eggplant in garlic sauce. I’m not a Chinese food fan but this place is good.

Hey I am only 62 and have been to many Chinese restaurants in my short life. moved to Cupertino 3 years ago and must say THIS IS THE BEST CHINESE FOOD I HAVE EVER ATE. There isn’t anything I have ordered that wasn’t absoulety DELICIOUS! ! Not to mention The SERVICE IS FIRST CLASS! WAY to got MANDARIN GOURMET. YOU REALLY ROCK IT! Once you eat here you will never go anywhere else!

I recommend the Peking duck here and crispy garlic eggplant, but everything on their menu is delicious! The service is fast and very efficient. They were quick to take plates to make room for the rest of the course, and we never had to ask to refill water.

Consistently good if not a bit pricey Chinese food for the western palette. I say that because there are plenty of Chinese restaurants in Cupertino now that are really not at all appealing to me… too «authentic» for my tastes, and not very clean. Mandarin Gourmet is great however, with high quality ingredients and really tasty specialties that are sure to please.
The only issue is that the place can be kinda variable… sometimes it is EXCELLENT, some times it is merely good. Not sure why unless they have different kitchen staff on different nights. And their pricing is, to my wallet at least, on the high side. However, for the most part you get what you pay for and I do and will return to this place as it has become the one restaurant I can count on for consistently good food, especially since Hong Fu around the corner took a huge dive in quality.

I recently went to the Peking Duck Restaurant in Palo Alto and then came to Mandarin Gourmet to compare the two restaurants’s peking duck dishes. And there really is a tradeoff between the two. At Mandarin Gourmet, the duck isn’t nearly as flavorful and doesn’t taste as delicious, but there is a lot more of it so it can definitely serve more people. The reason I’ve given this place three stars is because even though the portion sizes are large, I don’t think the food itself was anything spectacular. The food was alright, they had okay flavors, but nothing that made it really stand out.
The server that we had was really good and proactive in refilling our waters, asking if we needed anything, seeing if we were enjoying the food, etc. so it was great to see good service. However, the food quality outweighs service on this occasion and makes Mandarin Gourmet only receive a three star rating from me.

I have been going to Mandarin Gourmet for over ten years now, and I dont think I will ever get tired of it. It’s one of the best combinations of good food taste, great décor, awesome/​quick service, and very reasonably priced. Also, you’ll RARELY have to make reservations because of how big it is!
In terms of food recommendations, I highly suggest starting off with their Hot and Sour soup. For main course, if you’re non vegetarian, I suggest either their General Tsao’s Chicken, or their Sesame Chicken. If you’re vegetarian, their Crispy Eggplant in garlic sauce is a MUST. Also, I would suggest getting their Chowmein instead of just plain rice.
This restaurant is one of the greatest gems of Cupertino and a must!

Recommend! Nice interior and helpful staff. With a large group, you’re likely seated at a round table with a lazy Susan, where you can pass food items by rotating the circle. Fun times! The Chicken and Sizzle Rice Soup was flavorful. Good sauces on the General’s Chicken and Beef & Brocolli dishes (along with the well cooked meat). The egg in the Chicken Fried Rice needs to be chopped up more… not just one omelet-​style scrambled egg among rice. I think they don’t have green beans either, which should be a must at a Chinese restaurant.

We went to this place for dinner to go when we were in Cupertino.
Love their Kung Pao chicken, not like other places, the Kung Pao chicken here is pretty authentic, not over-​americanized. Other dishes like asparagus and deep fired shrimp are just average.
BTW, They don’t accept Discover card.

This is a very complicated review. I love the fact that this is a pretty and clean place for a beautifully prepared meal. The tables have white cloth tablecloths and are quickly cleared. It’s comfortable and you won’t feel like you’re getting the once over when you walk in.
The food is very tasty but many of the dishes have a thick sweet glaze. Some people just love this. All of the dishes are beautifully seasoned and served. They are tasty and nicely presented. I’ve never been served anything that I find off-​putting. A favorite is the Orange Beef and almost any beef dish. Although, if I may, the chicken salad is so dull.
The service is very refined. No one will start screaming if you ask for something. There is no plate plopping or smirks at mispronunciation. That’s really important if they want people to actually return for another visit. Also, if you are bringing guests, it’s nice to know they will feel welcome and well cared for.
Here’s the part I love: I have two old friends who call Mandarin their favorite restaurant in the world. They’re not kidding! They talk about Mandarin constantly and even though it takes hours of driving and organization, this is it. For this reason, I love Mandarin Gourmet. Thank you for giving two dear friends something wonderful to look forward to.
We will be back soon.

Amazing! This is our new favorite Chinese restaurant. We found them on Unilocal,and made our decision based on the reviews and photos.
Definitely recommend getting the eggplant and the green beans.

Really great Americanized Chinese food. Wonderful service.
Cons: bad sweet and sour soup & no substantial non-​alcoholic drink choices
Would I recommend? Yes.
Am I returning? Yes. And my husband wants to bring his mother here when she visits.

He says that is his favorite Chinese restaurant in the Bay Area, so of course I had to try it with him.
We came in at lunch and enjoyed the Honey Walnut prawns combo which was super good!
I recommend picking their fried rice over steamed rice, as it is like none I’ve had before!
We also tried the garlic sauce chicken and absolutely loved it.
The portions were on the smaller size, but the food and service was great. Looking forward to visiting again!

Wonderful Chinese Restaurant with a lot of Silicon Valley history. Little pricey, but worth going to. Fantastic for groups and families.

The service here is impeccable.
Truthfully speaking, especially for a Chinese place, their service is second to none. Our waitress was exceedingly polite and our food came out fast. The interior décor felt quite upscale, e.g. horse figurines in various motions sat atop each separating wall between the tables. I don’t know if I like that though, since I’m partial towards authentic hole-​in-​the-​wall kind of places… hehe.
Food-​wise, they’ve got a wide range of Americanized Chinese food. I ordered their sesame chicken and it was quite tasty. Although their overly sweet, glazed fried chicken did remind me of a chicken dish I had at PF Chang’s. Makes sense as how these two places have basically the same concept.
Pricing was pretty steep too, given that the portions were on the small side. Not really a place a place that I would frequent.

Mandarin Gourmet is a very American-​ized Chinese restaurant based in Cupertino.
I went to Mandarin Gourmet with two of my coworkers yesterday for lunch. I wanted to see what their lunch specials were like, and to see if it was any good, given its close proximity to my office. We went in and were seated rather promptly. It took forever for the waiter to come by to take our order and to give us water. I had to flag him down to come over. Understandably, it was busy during lunch hour (I think we got there around noon-​1230ish).
I ordered the Tangerine Beef lunch special for $ 10.50. It came with an appetizer Chinese chicken salad, and hot and sour soup. The salad wasn’t too bad, and neither was the soup. The main course (my tangerine beef) came out and it was served with a side cup of fried rice. The tangerine beef was tough to eat — the pieces were really large and chewy. The breading around the beef was a little soggy. As for the rice, the fried rice tasted a little stale, and it definitely wasn’t fresh. I could tell that it was mass cooked and had just been sitting there for all of the lunch customers.
My coworkers ordered the General Tsao chicken, which looked a little bit better than what I ordered, so I might try that next time. As for my dish, I wasn’t impressed at all, and the service wasn’t all that great. For a $ 13-​$ 14 lunch, there are definitely some better options in Cupertino. I should have just stuck to one of my other favorites going down Stevens Creek towards Lawrence Expressway. There are better Chinese restaurants heading in that direction (Little Sheep, etc.). Anyway, will probably end up going to Mandarin Gourmet again with my coworkers for lunch in the future (or maybe during dinner to see if their entrée options are better than the lunch specials), and I may update my review, but I will not be going by choice.