Mandarin Restaurant — Restaurant in Hamilton

I've been to this Mandarin location 3 times now and each experience was great!

I've been meaning to write this review for awhile. Every time we have dined here, we are always so happy with every aspect of the experience. The service is always friendly and attentive (Kelvin has served us twice and he's been amazing - as has every other server we've encountered). You can tell everyone puts pride into their work and actually cares about offering a great experience.

The management is obviously very good. The last time we were in, the manager Daniel came to our table to check in and spent some time just chatting and making us feel welcome. One thing that felt so great about our conversation with Daniel (aside from his super positive energy) was how excited and happy he was about the new dishes they were promoting at the time. Daniel was actually the second person to rave about the new menu options at the time (the other was a female server. I unfortunately don't remember her name). Hearing the staff express such positivity toward the food gives a great sense of confidence in the kitchen.

The food itself is always fresh, hot, and doesn't seem like it's ever been sitting out too long. The freshness of the food at the Barton St location has probably been the key factor (with the service being a very close second) in choosing to go back here over other locations.

The atmosphere is overall, wonderful. Everything is clean and the restaurant is being tended to at all times. Instead of aquariums with real fish they've got big TVs showing underwater scenes (animals and reefs etc.) which feels like a nice progression of decor. The only reason I gave 4 stars for the "Atmosphere" is because of other guests who have been a little oblivious or perhaps rude/pushy. The patronage of rude or oblivious people really isn't something I can blame the restaurant for, nor is it something that has greatly impacted my experiences - it's a reality one has to expect when dining at a buffet or interacting with the general public in any capacity - but I'm mentioning for the sake of being thorough.

Overall, Barton St Mandarin has been the best Chinese Buffet dining experience I have had. They've obviously worked hard to create a great reputation for themselves and they are most certainly succeeding at upholding that reputation.

I'm looking forward to many more great experiences at this Mandarin location....

My girlfriend got food poisoning at this location at the end of 2023. We went out for dinner here after just moving to Hamilton, and she got so sick here that was she was throwing up in her mouth on the way to the washroom, feel free to check camera footage for proof! Still have the e-mail conversation as proof as well. I wasn’t going to leave a review, but seeing as I’ve been waiting for a response from the regional manager since December of 2023 I figured I would leave this here to let the friendly people of Hamilton know about their unethical and unhygienic practices. It was 100% from this location as she didn’t eat anything at all prior in the day and had no prior medical conditions.

The regional manager asked me to provide specific details relating to her doctors visit - which a heads up for all Canadians you are not required to share any personal information related to doctors visits to anyone who is not a doctor.

After replying back with as much information as I felt comfortable replying with, still haven’t heard anything back and the matter wasn’t looked into at all. I was polite and articulate in all of my interactions with Mandarin staff even after the fact. I don’t / never wanted any form of compensation / free food I just want to prevent other people from getting a foodborne illness. If I saved even one person from getting a foodborne illness then this post was worth my time. For the past 1.5 years my girlfriend and myself haven’t visited any Mandarin location since, and we forsure won’t visit again. We have told all our friends & family to never visit this location, and will...

This Mandarin experience exceeded every other Mandarin I’ve been to.

If you read my reviews you’ll know that i consider the Mandarin to be the gold standard by which all buffets are measured. Plus their food is top notch, consistently at the right temperatures and flavour. A1 experience each and every time. They easily get 5 stars from me.

However, today I had the pleasure of experiencing the Barton Street location. I think it’s been open about a year, I don’t know.

It seemed slightly smaller than some other locations and I went during a busy time (day before Mother’s Day) so it was certainly full.

To the food: what can I say. Excellent. Piles and piles of seafood options. A garlic grilled mussel that I never had before is my new favourite. So many shrimp options. Cold and hot. Beef ribs - get them while you can. So good and melt in your mouth. Soups. Salads. Desserts. All A1.

To the staff: incredible. This is where this location exceeded the others. Our section has three or four attendants. Glasses stayed full. New napkins. Soy sauce. Salt and pepper. Sugar packages. All brought promptly when requested. It was the best experience.

I’ve been to quite a few locations all over Hamilton, Burlington, Brampton, Mississauga etc. this was hands down the best experience.

I look forward to returning.

Hints: Try the sugar bread dessert. Dip it in extra sugar. The best cake is the lemon lime. Go to where they cut the roast beef and keep your eyes out for the leftover ribs. Try the garlic grilled mussels. Hidden up with all the cold mixed salads you’ll find excellent sliced...