Mandarin Gourmet

Went here for a coworkers goodbye luncheon. Our waiter was rude and the food was nothing special. A bummer for a goodbye luncheon. Won’t be back.

Disgusting, absolutely disgusting. This place is garbage, actually garbage would be better than this place. Way too saucy, chewy, salty, and just plain gross. I can’t believe people eat here. Go to Sunnyvale or Cupertino where the REAL Mandarin/​Chinese food lives. This place is a JOKE. Thanks for making me feel disgusting with your disgusting food. NEVER AGAIN.

This was our third visit to mandarin gourmet in San Jose and the food was amazing.
We ordered Kung pao chicken, spicy eggplant and veg fried rice. Kung pao chicken was the best I had in a while. Fired was above average.
My only complaint is that they take your food away in kitchen to pack it in to go boxes. Most people would like their food to be packed at their table.
Overall mandarin gourmet in San Jose is very good.

Terrible service — apparently only 2 servers showed up tonight, according to one employee. Food delivery was therfore very slow, and cold upon arrival. Food was mediocre — not even buffet quality. Gave Passport card w/​credit card to the manager, who rang up our bill correctly. When the server brought the charge slip back to the table, he snatched it back out of my hands, and rerung it for the FULL amount rather than with Passport discount (that the manager had honored!). Will have to check my credit card now to assure that he did not charge it twice. Server argued with us about the appropriate discount, asked fire the manager and server just walked away and said «no». Left mad and very dissatisfied overall.
Food ordered: hot and sour soup (lukewarm at best), chicken fried rice (ok I guess), general tso chicken (not breaded, fair taste, lukewarm), sweet and sour chicken (breading soft/​not crispy, cold).

The quality and service has deteriorated over the last few years. Read some of the negative reviews and I totally agree with them. This used to be a very good Americanized Chinese food restaurant. That is what I like when eating Chinese. It was pricey compared to some others, but the food was worth going.
The greeters have gotten more and more rude. They seem to be annoyed that we have bothered them because we came to eat at their restaurant. My wife is handicapped and walks with a walker. They wanted to sit us in the very back of the restaurant when there was a table open right as we were walking in. Was it not obvious that she had difficulty walking? When we asked if we could sit at the first table, she humphed and finally gave into the request.
The waiters have always seemed too busy to really care about the clients, but the last few times it has been even worse. They seem fidgety and hurried as they take our order. They bring the dishes and quickly put them down with little interaction. Then if you sit too long and talk, they actually come up and ask you to leave. We eat fast so we are often done before the conversation is over.
The last two times we went I ordered my favorite lemon chicken. The batter was not crisp — doughy and not completely cooked — other food was just mediocre.
It’s time for us to find another Chinese place.

We have gone here for many occasions. The last one was very special. We had about 20 people, with a reservation. We got everyone there on time and the food was good. We spent over $ 400 for our party, with no alcohol service, just food. Towards the end of our party, the waiters came in and yelled at us to get out. They told us the restaurant was closed and we had to leave. (it was lunch time) We understand the restaurant business and throwing us out was probably not the best way to end business with a good customer. We live in a different city, we will probably come here again, but will never pay for another get together. Too much money for poor service.

Love the food here. It’s hard to find decent Chinese food, especially since the place we used to like was closed down due to development on the property.
It gets pretty packed on Friday and Saturday nights after 6pm. The service can be a little slow at those times, but the food came out quickly.
Good place to come with the family or a larger party.

Food is ok – good days, bad days. However, I am shocked at the Horrible Service. The staff is downright rude and the owner (some lady in front) apparently has an incredible feeling of entitlement. No «Thank you» or «come again» or «have a nice day» as you walk out. She’s too busy counting her money I guess.
I refuse to give hard-​earned money to businesses that don’t appreciate it.

First time at the restaurant. We were greeted by two women at reception. One who appeared to be the manager was abrupt and grumpy. The other smiled and was nice. I have never seen waiters rush constantly at such a fast pace before. They also weren’t friendly. Usually at Chinese restaurants the waitresses will smile greet you and take your order, explaining if you have any questions. Our waiter grabbed our ticket off the table, took our order and scurried off, with no hello, welcome or nothing.
The first time I try a new Chinese restaurant I almost always order the same thing to gauge it with other ones I’ve been too. So tonight we ordered Sweet and Sour Pork, Beef with Mushrooms, which came in a brown sauce, Pork Fried Rice, Eggs Rolls which were vegetarian, and Fried Bean Curd with Vegetables. We were given tea.
Before I give my review of the foods, I’ll mention that I tend to like bland foods, I can’t eat spicy. I like lightly seasoned where the chef has the talent to make a dish taste wonderful without heavy spices. That said, if I think a food is too bland, that means it must be really, really bland, even for me.
Ratings:
Eggrolls: Very bland and the Sweet and Sour sauce, was thin and not very sweet.
Tea: Nice and hot, but weak, very little flavor
Sweet and Sour Pork: Zero points. Worst I’ve eaten. Bland and the dough on the outside tasted undone, sort of floury.
Beef with Mushrooms: Meat was tender and tasty. Sauce was very salty, but I’ve noticed that the brown sauce in most Chinese restaurants is the same way.
Pork Fried Rice: Bland, but good for sopping up the brown sauce. Nothing too objectionable about the rice.
Fried Bean Curd with Vegetables: By the time I got to this, I was full from eating the rice and Beef so I only sampled this. The vegetables were nicely cooked, not overdone. The Bean Curd, looked good, but eating it, well, the texture was very mushy and unpleasant, but that could have just been because I couldn’t eat any more, so I will see how I feel about the left-​overs and edit this when I try again.
Suffice it to say, I don’t intend on going back to the place or recommending it. We know of three other Chinese restaurants where the food is better and the service is much more friendly.

Ive eaten here many times and normally the food is okay and the service is all right. Today I got the most disgusting pieces of chicken in two dishes that I ordered, chicken in curry sauce and chow mein with chicken. Every piece I bit into had hard gristle in it. After a few pieces, I told the waiter. The waiter took my plate away and gave me the bill. I went to the manager and she told me the chef tried it and it’s fine and it just comes that way. She then told me that maybe I just didn’t like it. You’re damn right I don’t like hard unchewable pieces in my chicken! DO NOT EVER EAT HERE! They lost a customer for life.

Immagine walking into a restaurant & being greeted by someone saying «what do you want» w/​a sour face. This was my experience last night when I went to Mandarin Gourmet for take out. I proceeded to say «take out please» & woman w/​white shirt & black pants asks grumpily «want menu» as if I were bothering her. I said «yes», then she hands it over as if I asked her to get something so out of her way. I was so taken aback that I was seething while waiting for my take out. At that point I was committed because I paid for the food. I was so upset by the time I left.
Now for the food– Panda Express is better because of the consistency. I ordered crispy eggplant with hot garlic sauce– the batter was so thick, yet the inside was raw and hard. I was also disappointed because the eggplant was very soggy. This was good in the past so I wanted to get it again. In the past it was properly cooked inside.
Also ordered Szechuan Pork & it swam in sauce w/​a lot of vegetables. I could have sworn I ordered a pork dish. Also picked up the chicken salad. That was the best out of the three dishes. Fried wontons, iceberg lettuce & strips of boiled chicken. Look at some of the pictures by other reviewers for reference on the too much sauce comment. Overall a very disappointing experience. This review is based on other times too where my family and I have gone in and have been treated w/​poor service, but this was the worst so I was compelled to share this with you all.
I recommend Lee’s House Chinese take out. If you stay on the 85 you would exit Cottle & turn right. It’s in that plaza a couple of streets down. Better tasting options in the area where you won’t be treated so poorly.

Eat here at least twice a month but they lost my business forever now. Making a face over giving hot sauce especially when I’m ready to pay for it.

My mom and I continued our tradition of going here for dinner while she was visiting me. This is our favorite Chinese restaurant and never disappoints. We did have a newer waiter who at first was a bit brisk but he ended up being all right in the end.
We started with the three flavor sizzling rice soup. The soup always has lots of good veggies and seafood in it. Lots if shrimp and lobster pieces. We took some of it home and the waiter had some broth added to the to-​go container so we had more broth with all the veggies.
For entrees, we had the honey walnut shrimp, sesame beef and Mandarin chow mein. All of the entrees were tasty as usually. Leftovers were great too. The shrimp is always my favorite. The sauce is really good. Not heavy like some places.
So we will definitely be back. Its our favorite.

Absolutely my favorite Chinese Restaurant. I love there lunch specials. I have been coming here for years, and have yet to find another that would surpass Mandarin Gourmet. I would highly recommend this place. Service is great too, fast and always friendly.

My boyfriend and I were looking for an Asian restaurant, last night, after work so we decided to give this place a try. (Mainly because of how close it is to our place, lol.) The restaurant was not only spacious, but also very clean. We got greeted and seated the moment we walked in, and shortly after, our server brought us drinks. He was pretty nice, and the food was pretty good.
If it’s as good as I put it out to be though, why not five stars? Well… It tells you something if you’re at an Asian restaurant, and the customers are primarily Caucasian. Honestly, I didn’t even see any Other ethnicity in there! (My boyfriend saw an Indian family somewhere behind my shoulder.) It was just odd.
But I’m very much willing to come back!

My boyfriend and I are huge fans of this restaurant. The food is always tasty and well made. The restaurant is spacious with lots of seating room for huge parties or just for couples like my boyfriend and I. The meal portions are generous. My favorite entrée here and recommendation is the Honey Walnut Chicken… yummy!!!
Pros:
–it has been rewarded best restaurant by many magazines and newspapers
–consistently great tasting food in generous portions
–huge spacious restaurant– great for large groups of people
–restaurant has coupons in the local Entertainment Coupon Book
Cons:
–Can be hard to get service
–this place can use some cleaning– I saw gum on one of the triangular chairs in the front part of the place, there are a few cobwebs and dust

I’ve been here so many times now with my boyfriend and his entire family. We enjoy the sizzling rice soup, mushu pork, eggplant (any dish), Mongolian beef, and shrimp! Oh man does this place know how to whip up a feast! It’s quality Chinese food for a great price. Definitely go if your in the area– or make a trip here! It’s super big and the service is timely. Great restaurant!

Recommendations: honey walnut prawns, pan fried noodles and the hot and sour soup (although, this visit the soup was overly peppered — if that’s even a word).
Breakdown of my recommendations:
–Honey walnut prawns, whole in size and huge. The sauce is a light and sweet honey glaze with walnuts that are crunchy. Served on cut lettuce with a cucumber garnish.
–Pan fried noodles, comes presented on two different platters because the meat and vegetables are combined onto the noodles which makes a nice little performance by the waiter for the diner. However, delicious! The sauce from the meat and veggies slowly soaks into the noodles, keeping some of the noodles crunchy.
–Hot and sour soup, loaded with egg whites (I believe) and tofu. The spicy hits first then the sour and I love when the sour hits the back of the jaw making your mouth water even more, that’s when I know it’s good.
Everything else is mediocre, Americanized Chinese food. The service is very friendly and fast. They do offer reservations for large groups as well as take-​out. I don’t mind going here, but I love authentic and to me this isn’t at all authentic.

My kind of Chinese food.
Must haves: Sesame Chicken. Salt n Pepper Shrimp. Szechuan Beef. Steamed Rice. TSINGTAO

This is where you go when you want fancy Panda Express. So there’s that.
Lunch specials are great – $ 8 for salad, soup, and main dish with rice. Worth it. But I usually do takeout, it’s a Christmas Eve tradition of ours. We usually get Fried Rice, Chow Mein, Tangerine Beef (my favorite), General Tso’s Chicken or Kung Pao Chicken, and a Seafood Dish… because variety is the spice of life, right? The portions are great (leftovers are a must), the prices reasonable, and sauce a bit much at times. You may be able to ask for light sauce, if that’s your thing, as some of the sauces can be a touch too sweet. IMO.
4 stars… tho a bit closer to 3.5.