Mandarin Asian Bistro

The best Chinese food I’ve had in Lowell. The chicken and eggplant is fantastic! (FYI it’s Chinese eggplant). Really good crab rangoon and sesame noodles! Highly recommended!

You can tell that the owners here take pride in their food and their restaurant. Fives stars until I get a meal that dictates otherwise. Usually hard to do that from one experience, but the quality here was really good, and we left fat and happy.
We had the Peking Ravioli ($ 6.95) pan fried and split the Peking half duck ($ 23.95). They were both some of the best I’ve had, and I have had a lot of Chinese food in my day. The duck was perfect and fresh. Skin was really crispy and the meat was tender not dry. It was served with thinly sliced cucumber, scallion, and warm thin wraps. Top that with a kick ass hoisin sauce and we are talking not your average Thursday lunch!
We sat at the bar (note also: strong Mai Tai’s $ 7.50) so we saw a few really good looking dishes coming out of the kitchen. Basically I left thinking about when the next possible socially acceptable time to get Chinese food would be.

It’s fine. Not great, but decent enough if you know what to order. Dining in is much better, as I feel the quality and attention to detail is much improved. The garlic noodles and spicy chicken are my favorite on the menu. The standard staples are also decent (peiking ravs, fried rice, etc.) Crispy beef is also one of the better dishes.
I would still opt for Green Bamboo for delivery any day, though.

If you want a place with class, ambiance, and awesome food, look no further. When I first went there, I was greeted by the charming owner. I started off with some appetizers, and EVERTHING was cooked to perfection. I than ordered a Mai Thai (not sure of the spelling) which was one of many drinks they have to offer and they too are made perfect. I ordered the sesame shrimp, it was crispy, sauce just the right balance of sweetness, and their garlic ribs… all I can day is wow! Now on to the Sushi, feel free to explore different combinations, you can’t go wrong with any of them. If your looking for cheap and greasy, go to a fast food, but if your looking for an eloquent meal that each dish is distinctly different, look no further since the Asian Bistro is where you should go… my mouth is watering as I write this review.

In general, I would give this restaurant 3.5 stars. First off, buffet is not all day, everyday like Unilocal says. It’s only Monday to Friday 11a-3:30p. They do have happy hour apps, Maki, and dishes from 2−6p. I think this only applies for weekends. Apps start at $ 3. My bf and I got crab Rangoon for $ 4. 6pc spicy salmon roll was also $ 4. Also, be careful when you first come in. The waitress offered tea, and some Asian restaurants do that for free, but in the end she charged each of us $ 1.50. Chicken bento box was okay. The chicken was fried dry but the other stuff that came with it was fine. The service was good, minus the extra tea fee she snuck in, and I liked the sushi and apps. Parking was easy, décor and music are modern. I will go back to eat here but probably only for takeout.

I would not go here for their Chinese section of their menu which was probably my own mistake. Sweet and sour chicken had a sauce that looked like it had gone bad; it was brown and smelled plus tasted super unappealing. Pork fried rice also had no flavoring and the pork itself tasted like it had gone bad. Food came out in 5 minutes which was crazy fast and awesome but really disappointed in my meal.

Pretty much awesome. Got the sesame chicken, cashew chicken, crab rangoons, and white rice. I enjoyed the taste, texture, and I think the portion size was a good amount for the price. While I cannot speak for the crab rangoons (since those were my wife’s) everything else was a enjoyable.
I cannot speak as much about the ambiance in the restaurant since I did takeout (which was well prepared/​packaged just twenty minutes after I ordered), however, when I stopped in for a moment the wait staff were attentive and quickly let me know that they’d be helping me in a moment. In the mean time I noticed the décor was nice and the seating didn’t look bad. There looked like there was some live entertainment when I went (on a Friday night) and the noise level wasn’t too loud.
I am docking one star because the sauce on the sesame chicken was a little scarce but other than that no complaints. I would definitely recommend a fan of american chinese food to give Mandarin Asian Bistro a try.

I came here in person w/​a party of 18, and it was great! The owner came to greet me in person, and they handled the reservation better than expected. They made sure everyone was accounted for. The only negative thing I can say was that I ordered first, and I didn’t receive my plate until 30 – 40 later; everyone else received their food well before me lol. They even had a live acoustic singer (he sang VERY well). Very romantic! The food was amazing. Best restaurant in Lowell I’ve been to; better than Cobblestones (don’t see what’s so great about that place; too overpriced). I even bought a cake, and the owner cut it up into slices and served 6 plates at a time; he held all the plates on his arm. Great skill lol!

very very very disappointing.
delivery came in 1.5 hour, both dish gets ice cold.
no fork no chopsticks.
$ 45 order for one tempurara and a box of shrimp chowing like rubber,
the delivery guy ran away like a ghost, I chase down stairs (in a hotel) in 1 minute but left already.

We have ordered from this place one other time & it was good but… last time the owner told us it would be better for her if we ordered directly through her website so she gets all the money. So… I try, three times, to place the order & all three times, the web page closes out after I hit the place order button.
I’m nice enough to call & let her know and at this point was not going to place the order. She then talks me into still placing the order promising to have it out to me in 20 to 30 minutes.
About 40 minutes later, the driver, who barely speaks a DROP of english, calls me & tells me to open the door, he’s here. Ok, so I open the door… and wait, and wait… and wait.
I call him back & again, can’t understand his response. So I wait some more.
Finally I call the owner back. Ohhhhh he went to the wrong address… alrighty then, glad we stood at the door & let all my heat out because he was «here» with no call back. And PLEASE by all means, don’t offer me a credit or anything for all my aggravation.
So, now, let me get to the food. NASTY. Period. The chicken fingers were so overdone, I couldn’t even bite through them. Three of us had chicken fingers, so that’s ¹⁄₃ of all the 3 meals we could not eat. The crab rangoon were good but that was seriously the only thing. The Peking ravioli were dry & over cooked. The spareribs were sitting in a tub of grease.
My son is now lying in bed with a severe stomach ache & I can’t even call them back for a refund because I’m just THAT DISGUSTED.
Never again! That app I just downloaded for her restaurant is going in the trash with all this food.
You want my business… learn how to be a business owner then.
There are SO MANY Chinese & Japanese restaurants in the area… for your own mental & physical well being, I strongly urge you to look elsewhere!

I can honestly say it’s the best Chinese food in a 20 mile radius, great friendly staff, cheap happy hours deals and food is to die for. I go here every Sunday with my buddies and it’s great!

I’ve ordered for pick up and I’ve never been let down.
I sat at the Bar with my date this evening. Drinks were perfect! Service and atmosphere was great. I would recommend this restaurant if you like tasty and quality Chinese food.

I went here today for the first time and the sushi was really good! They had a good deal — 10 dollars for two rolls, miso soup and a salad. I got spicy salmon and eel+avocado which was all enjoyable. They also had happy hour deals starting at 2 for really food prices, like 4 dollars for a spicy tuna roll, some were even 3.50.
We got our food pretty quickly and the man helping us was nice and accommodating. Recommended.

I don’t know how many good things I can say about this place. Our first experience with them was through takeout, we have ordered several times since and never been disappointed. Food light and fresh not like some other Asian style places.
Our first dine in was a couple weekends ago and it was superb on every level. Late Sunday afternoon, we were quickly ushered in and we sat at the bar (group of 4). The bartender was so friendly from the get go, and suggested this amazing Sushi not on the menu called «Iron Tuna». WOW. It was like a flavor explosion. Ask for it. I had Wonton Soup and Scallion Pancakes, both were wonderful. Best Wonton Soup I have ever had and best scallion pancakes. (for the record they are just as good ordered as takeout :) My hubs ordered the house lo mein and said it was great.
As a drink I ordered a glass of Plum Wine, superb, fresh, sweet and so delicious.
We then shared the deep fried ice cream dessert and that was the best one I have had yet. Super good!
I love this place and I am so glad they are close by in our very own DTL :) Downtown Lowell is the place to be!

We’re regulars here, living just around the block. We haven’t had a bad meal yet. And the service is so pleasant! Excellent pad Thai. Great creative sushi. And yummy fresh made Chinese.
The Ginger Maki is a must. Happy Hour 2 for 1 sushi and lunch buffet are good times to try. And the Cashew chicken is a favorite in our household. Enjoy.

My first encounter with mandarin bistro was through a takeout order. I ordered a bowl of noodles and an eggplant dish. The noodle was possibly the worst noodle I have ever had; ate1/​3 and throw out the rest. Just imagine a bowl of soggy noodles with a few thin chicken strips and absolutely nothing else. It was a disgrace to Chinese food. The eggplant dish, on the other hand, was a delight aside from it being soaked in oil lol. The delivery time was not the most speedy; it took more than 1 hour from the time I placed my order to the moment I received my food. When I saw the delivery person l, it was a middle aged lady so i tipped her more than I usually would as I instantly felt bad that she was still doing this type of job at that age.
The second encounter makes me want to bring the rating to one star. They refused the deliver on the grounds that my location was too far away from the store. I was told that delivery lady claimed my location was 15 miles away when Unilocal clearly indicates it’s 6 miles away, then and now. Then, they arbitrarily made up a under 5 miles delivery rule. At that point I wasn’t going to order from them again, despite them being the closest Chinese restaurant.

I am new to eating sushi and don’t like fish. I walked in and told the waitress that today is my first time eating sushi and don’t like the fishy taste. She was very helpful and made a few recommendations. I had the Sexy Hot Maki which was VERY good and she made an off the menu sushi with yellow tale and salmon also very good.

We arrived at noon on a Sunday for the all you can eat lunch buffet and we were the only ones there. «Where’s the buffet station?» I thought to myself. Apparently, the «all you can eat buffet» is ordered a la carte from the menu and is made to order. On the bright side, everything is fresh but it was not what I was expecting.
The buffet menu was very limited only a SMALL fraction of what other similar restaurants like Nana’s 7 and Foody Goody offer for their made to order buffets.
For apps, we went with Peking ravioli, chicken teriyaki and crab rangoons. We asked for small portions in fear that we wouldn’t finish it all.
My husbnd went with hot and sour soup and I went with the wonton soup. My soup was very bland.
There was a VERY LIMITED selection of maki rolls to choose from. I was so disappointed that there was no Unagi (eel), spicy tuna or Philadelphia roll. The server suggested that I get the Salmon roll and add cream cheese for a 50 cent up charge, so that is what I did. The plate wasn’t garnished or presented well. I definitely had the «You get what you pay for» feeling.
For entrees, we went with the vegetable lo mein and general gau chicken. The lo mein was greasy but the chicken was tasty.
Dessert is included in the lunch buffet price so we opted for fried tempura banana and ice cream. I thought it was weird that they served coffee ice cream in lieu of something more Asian like green tea, coconut or red bean.
The buffet was just OK and I think $ 9.99 is a good price but you can definitely get a better deal at the real lunch buffet at Feng Shui in Chelmford for only a couple bucks more.
For food pics, visit

We’ve been there twice now and both experiences have been excellent! The first visit we wanted to stay close during one of the storms. My Peking duck was excellent and my husband who is on a hunt for the best general tsaos was very impressed and actually said it was the best in lowell. Mai Tais had a great kick and were modestly priced. The staff was extremely friendly and attentive. They offer free parking in the garage on the same street so there really isn’t a reason not to visit. Our second visit on Valentine’s Day was just as good! Delivery has also come fast fresh and still hot! My new go to for Chinese… can’t wait to try the sushi

We were pleasantly surprised by the Mandarin Asian Bistro — the staff is very friendly, the owners come out to meet you and the food was better than we expected. Centro had raised the bar pretty high, so to be honest we went in almost expecting to be disappointed, but in spite of that ended up having a good experience.
We’ve been here twice so far and have tried both Chinese dishes and sushi, and the only thing we didn’t end up loving were the Chef’s special crispy ribs, which turned out to be breaded and deep fried which we didn’t realize from the menu description. My husband gave the sushi two thumbs up and noted that the fish was cut well. I loved the hot and sour soup and chicken with veggies and we both enjoyed the Peking duck we had on our first visit. They also serve Sapporo and Tsingtao and we opted for those instead of the mixed drinks.