Mandarin Restaurant — Restaurant in Toronto

3.5/5

I've come here a lot throughout the years and this is my preferred location for Mandarin. I am basing my review on my most recent experience as well as a trend I've noticed.

I came here for my birthday on May 20 and had a wonderful time. The food was good and they had a lot of veggie options which was appreciated. The atmosphere is always eye catching and tranquil with each room beautifully designed with its own theme. The staff was friendly and approachable.

The restaurant was rather quiet for most of the time we were there, only starting to really pick up around 6:30pm-7ish. With that being said, we were there for about an hour and a half while the restaurant was quiet and a few plates accumulated at our table while our server was dusting. Our server only recognized the issue because someone made a comment at the table a little loudly. Our server then proceeded to rush over (without sanitizing their hands) to clear the table.

In addition to this, some of the food bins were empty or very near empty. I believe The fried noodles as well as the broccoli were both looking a bit barren on the same trip (again, while the restaurant is very quiet) These were only the things I was looking for. When it was time for dessert I had a similar issue with the whip cream being completely empty. I managed to track down the person working at desserts and she was very kind and refilled the bowl.

The above issues are things I'd expect when a restaurant is busy, not when its as quiet as it was. I've always known Mandarin to have exceptional and above and beyond service, but I've been noticing this above-and-beyond mentality seems to apply when the restaurant is brimming with customers. If its quiet, I've noticed service slips through the cracks.

There's nothing wrong with a server keeping busy with other tasks when the restaurant's quiet, however, when it affects their primary job, that's the issue. I still thoroughly enjoy this location and I do prefer the off hours as I feel it enhances the atmosphere. But I don't think it's unreasonable to expect quality service when a...

were at this location in etobicoke with 5 people for lunch about 3 weeks ago on a Saturday. Where i would like to point out. The prices are more on the weekends at all manderins. At 145pm we were told we had to leave because they needed the room for a large party. They made everyone in that room leave weither they were finished or not. I was in the middle of having my soup. Desert was supposed to be after. However i could not do so as they asked us to leave. We were a little surprised and upset but we left thinking maybe it was a one time situation. How ever we went there today with our entire family again on a Saturday and had the same thing happen. Now if this etobicoke mandarin is changing their hours for weekend diners they should make that clear on their website. We saw families come in and when told by the server they had to leave in an hour they all left not even sitting down. The workers at the front don't tell you when you come in. They wait till you are about to be seated. And then they tell you your time will be cut short. Which is really sneaky and disgusting. And not the time frame that is advertised on their website. Everyone knows who dine there lunch is an open buffet from 1130 to 3pm. But this location is not giving people the time they are paying for. That is false advertising. Hopefully they change it back. Or at least be honest on the hours your letting people eat at your location on your website on the weekends. Instead of wasting people's money and time. Over all we felt cheated twice now. We will not be going back to this location. We rather eat at a restaurant thats honest with...

This is, hands-down, the nicest buffet I've been to, both in terms of food and of service. Sadly, I couldn't sample every dish - there were far too many, but every dish I did try was fresh and delicious. The turnover for food was rapid, so no food was left coagulating under a heat lamp. The seafood was plump, moist, and sweet. Everything was well-seasoned, never overly salty. Even the ample desserts looked fresh and professionally made (as opposed to the insipid factory-made sweets I usually find at buffet dessert counters). The crème caramel and butter tarts were especially yummy. My kids loved the ice cream bar, which had about a dozen flavors and toppings to boot, not to mention the finale of freshly made cotton candy they received on the way out (in addition to fortune cookies and after-dinner mints!).

Our wait staff were Melissa and Adrian, and they were both very attentive and kind. Used plates were whisked away and fresh napkins appeared frequently. The manager, Stella He, also came to greet us. It's clear that they have a strong commitment to excellent customer service.

There were several people celebrating birthdays at Mandarin the night we visited, and it's easy to see why people choose to celebrate here. From the cheerful, bright decor to the lush presentation of delicious food to the attentive and friendly staff, Mandarin is a place for making happy memories and...