Mandarin Palace — Restaurant in Santa Barbara

We visited this restaurant with a party of 10, including guests from out of town, young children (four of whom are youth track athletes under 12), and a child with a disability. From the start, the service felt disorganized and inattentive. Though we arrived early and the staff kindly set up a table for us, no one communicated when it was ready. We waited unnecessarily until I had to approach the staff myself.

Throughout the meal, service was inconsistent. We had to request water twice—despite having a large table of children—and ordered a pot of tea that also took follow-up. Basic hospitality, like checking in or acknowledging a group of this size, was notably lacking. Two of our guests, both coaches, ended up leaving due to the unwelcoming attitude of the staff, which was especially disappointing considering we chose this place to treat our guests.

The food itself was underwhelming, and while we did pay the bill without issue, we noticed that our kids were not offered fortune cookies—something we saw being given to other tables. When we politely asked, the request was dismissed without explanation.

We understand cultural nuances in service styles, and we came in as respectful, paying customers simply expecting a warm experience. Unfortunately, what we received fell short in both food and hospitality. I hope the restaurant can take this feedback constructively and make improvements, especially in welcoming and accommodating larger,...

The night started out being almost forgotten about, until the ONE server they had got to us. The poor guy was running all over the place, by himself. There was no communication amongst the staff, it seemed. Normally I wouldn't mind waiting a while for food if it's good, but this just wasn't the case. We waited forever for our food, mine got there about 15 minutes before my husband's. It was okay, I had the Moo Shu Chicken. Husband had Sweet and Sour Pork, which was watery, the pork had the texture like it had been refried repeatedly, and the pork was not fresh. It was dry and rubbery. We also had chicken chow mein, some of the chicken was still pink and slimy, the flavoring was bizarre. I had gone back to use the restroom, and in the pathway leading there were bags of trash and cans, and an odor of garbage leading to the view of a disastrous and disgusting looking kitchen. I definitely would not recommend eating here, and we will not be dining here...

Because I had to work through Christmas Eve I was unable to buy all the necessary for Christmas Day Dinner. THEN I was told we were invited to my son's girlfriend's parents for Christmas Dinner. By the time I found out HE MISUNDERSTOOD ALL the grocery stores were closed. I had nothing but side dishes, not even a chicken. We were frustrated and then thought I guess we'll eat out. We were lucky to have an amazing restaurant right down the hill from our home. We were seated within 5 minutes and the food was so great. The service was top notch and when we left the owner opened the door and graciously thanked us for eating with them. WOW. I have never felt so welcomed in a restaurant in my life. THANKS Mandarin Palace for saving our Christmas and making us feel like family! We will definitely be eating at this place more often....