El Mandarino — Restaurant in Mexico City

Mandarino is a tiny Chinese eatery that delivers large and generous portions to fill you right up. With seating for about eight people—four at the bar and another four at the only table—it’s an intimate spot. We had a short wait of about 5-10 minutes before being seated at the bar, which offered a front-row view of the cooks in action, skillfully working the woks. The bar chairs were a bit uncomfortable, but it was worth the experience of watching the food being prepared.

The staff and owner were very attentive, and our orders were taken promptly. We chose a vegetable fried rice to share, along with two orders of Hunan chicken and a side of veggie rolls. The fried rice came out quickly and, while fresh, was slightly too salty for my taste and cooled down faster than I would have liked.

The Hunan chicken, on the other hand, stole the show. It was delicious and had the perfect balance of flavors. The portions were generous, and despite thoroughly enjoying the dish, we barely made a dent in it before feeling full. The veggie rolls were also tasty and well-prepared.

Overall, the service and food were great. My only recommendation would be to share entrees, as the portions are quite large. For the price, Mandarino offers excellent value for good Chinese food in the Roma...

The other night I ordered quite a bit of food from them based on my first great experience with them, and I had the WORST asian food I have ever had in Mexico City. I had to sadly throw it in the garbage. The food was old, cold, dried out and terrible. The worst part was finding a dirty soggy napking, in the middle of the chow mein (made with spaghetti pasta), at first my husband thought it was a giant cabbage leaf. Turned us even more off. We both had stomach aches and were sick from the small bites we had. I wanted to complain but i had ordered direct and cannot speak Spanish well enough to complain. It was very sad to see how downhill the food was this night I can never eat there again. I could not even eat a free replacement meal if they offered. Here is a pic of the disgusting napkin or tissue...

El Mandarino is a great restaurant! I've eaten so many meals at this restaurant for almost a year, and every meal was hot, fresh and tasted amazing. My favorite dishes are the Classic Dumplings, the Res in Salsa de Ostiones, and the Arroz al Vapor.

The staff members are super friendly and greet me even if I'm just walking by the restaurant.

The prices are very reasonable for the portions.

I like the small size of the restaurant because it's an intimate environment that simply adds to the character of the place. If you are sitting at the counter it's like sitting at a chef's table.

They even deliver the food if you want - although since it's only a two minute walk from my place I haven't asked them to...