Mandarin House — Restaurant in Opelika

I cannot believe I have only just now sat down to review Mandarin House. This will be long

I first ate here ~ 2017. I had just moved to Auburn. I didn't know anyone previously but was making new friends. School and career looked to be shaping up well. The only thing missing was a good place to eat Chinese Cuisine, specifically Mongolian Beef (I know it's a heavily Americanized dish but it's my favorite).

Mandarin House has changed my life and I am more proud to have eaten here than I am to have graduated. Their Mongolian beef is simply the best I have had. I've been to San Francisco. I've been to New York. I've Been to Mammoth cave. Nowhere from the east to the west coast can beat this restaurant's Mongolian beef. My time in auburn after 6 years is drawing to a close, and I am not exaggerating by saying that losing the ability to regularly dine here has made me consider forsaking my job and family so that I can prevent moving away. I am not joking when I think a quarterly trip to Auburn will be warranted just to pop in here.

It has also been amazing to watch the restaurant grow as an entity. They have recently expanded and updated their menu and have table top Korean grills installed. I had never seen it more crowded than when I last ate here a few weeks ago. People were smiling, they were happy, they were STUFFED. The staff has retained several veterans that I remember working here years ago, and they are as nice now as they were then.

I have never been a patron of a restaurant like this before. Auburn and Opelika have a lot of options when it comes to eating, some great, some trying to make people THINK they're great (Looking at you, Stacks). But when it comes down to it, there is only one choice that will consistently satisfy you, and that is Mandarin House (unless it's a Monday, they are...

Update! We have eaten here a few times since my original review and it has continued to be fantastic! Best Korean food in all of Auburn area. Henry is a great waiter!

Me and my wife had dinner here tonight and we were pleasantly surprised!

We had never been to Mandarin House before tonight, but we saw that they recently added Korean food to the menu and we had to try it. We were hesitant at first because of past reviews, but then I read they are under new management so we gave them a chance and I am glad we did!

Miss Stella was gracious and wonderful. She went above and beyond and even made me some fresh Oi Kimchi when I told her it was my favorite!

We ordered the Beef Brisket and Porkbelly for 2, which came with many banchans/side dishes. Everything we had was delicious and the portions were generous. We left as happy as could be and will definitely be going back for the Korean Food!

My understanding is that they do both Korean and Chinese food, but we have only tried the Korean so far.

If you want the best Korean food in Auburn/Opelika or want to try something new and have an authentic K-BBQ experience,...

We have been going here for many many years. My husbands family has been eating here since he was little. The previous owner Allen knew every single one of my kids names and our every time waiter Henry knew our order by heart. The kids always ordered plain lomain which they called “Allen’s Noodles.” This is our Christmas Eve restaurant but decided this past Christmas Eve we were done with it. The service was horrible. And when we left we watched the Korean lady take napkins she “thought” we did not use and laid them back in the napkin puke. 🤮 We decided to give it a try a few more times. As long as the food is ordered and cooked fresh off the menu it is decent. The buffet is terrible. On the weekends we are used to being able to eat off the menu even if they had the buffet open. Not with the new owners. The food on the buffet taste like it’s been reused for days. The service is horrible. And honestly we will not be back. Bring Allen back! The new owners have ran this place in the ground 😭 There’s not another Chinese place that compares to when...