Mandarin House — Restaurant in South Bend

I had went here once before on a fluke. The little old man running the place had forgotten to ask me what type of fried rice I wanted so not only did he give me the standard but he also gave me a whole serving of chicken fried rice. It was the best fried rice I ever ate in my life. All of the food was good quality and price was great.

Fast forward a few months to last night. I got my usual nothing complicated and something that's constantly ordered by everyone. The young man at the desk said it would be about 20 min.

57 min later I leave. Got home 5 minutes literally after that and mind you my van was warm because I had been sitting in it for almost an hour waiting on my food...... And my food was room temperature at best.

I'll give this restaurant one more chance and I'll try it again....IF I don't have to see that self-entitled spoiled little brat running the desk again because if I see him I will turn right out and around and walk away. He was disrespectful, refused to make eye contact, and was absolutely thankless for the business I was giving his employer.

Most shameful disrespectful little ingrate I ever seen.

If it had been just a bad food night every kitchen has a bad night once in a while, if it just been him being disrespectful everyone hires an idiot once in a while..... HOWEVER this was both and when my meal for myself by myself cost me almost $30 not including my tip I deserve to have hot fresh food and friendly polite...

I am really upset to be changing my 5 star review down to a 1 star review. I have been going to mandarin house since I was a child. The staff has always been nice and friendly, and the place very nice and clean. I am a frequent customer and absolutely love this place, so leaving this review breaks my heart. This past Saturday we order 3 apps and 2 courses, one being orange chicken and the other being chicken fried rice. Our apps were fine but when we opened the bag to get our food out, a huge dead cockroach came out attached to one of the small white food containers. It freaked me out so it fell to the floor and that's what you see in the pictures below. I called to ask for a refund and they told me they would give me a free orange chicken next time I came in.....and that is it. I was extremely disappointed hearing that THIS was the solution. My boyfriend had decided to open up and look at his chicken fried rice and when he poured it out he saw on his plate one long really dark hair and a smaller dark hair in his rice. By this time they had already closed and we were already extremely disappointed that we were only able to eat the apps. (We shouldn't have even eaten those to be honest....) After an entire lifetime of dedicated service, I will not be returning back. I am SO sad as this was my favorite Chinese restaurant...

Mandarin House offers a decent dining experience, but there are a few things worth noting before you visit. The food is okay overall, though the menu leans heavily on Brussels sprouts. The egg rolls were extremely greasy, and the eggplant came out a bit too al dente for my taste, which took away from the flavor and texture I was hoping for. The lo mein was ok, the chicken tasted good but that was it.

Getting into the parking lot can be frustrating it's not very well lit, and you’ll want to be cautious as some guests leaving the restaurant tend to stroll slowly or stop to chat right in the middle of the lot.

Another important detail: they tack on nearly a 10% fee for credit card payments compared to the cash price, so make sure to review your bill before paying.

Customer service needs improvement. The younger staff members were polite, but it was clear they weren't thrilled to be there, and the overall service felt a bit disengaged.

If you're nearby and craving Chinese food, it may work in a pinch just bring cash and manage...