Mandarin Kitchen — Restaurant in Torrance

Summary: A hidden gem. Great prices ($9-11 per well sized entree), great quality, very quick service. Only one table, so take the food to go. Order online and get a $5 off coupon your first time buying. Lots of parking on nearest side street. Delicious, hole-in-the-wall, Chinese goodness!

A friend of mine that was born and raised in Torrance recommended Mandarin Kitchen as a great Chinese food restaurant in the area. Despite having known about the establishment for quite some time, it was only recently that my wife and actually tried it. We ordered on the road en route and 10 minutes later we were walking in to find our food already boxed, bagged, and ready to go. We took the food home since there was nowhere to sit inside and we observed that the takeout containers were made of pretty high quality plastic that kept everything really toasty until we were settled in. Here is what we got.

Garlic Shrimp - Nice sized shrimp in a brown garlic sauce with onions, bell peppers, and other vegetables. A pretty large helping of shrimp, too. Delicious.

Beef and Broccoli - A classic. Lots of tender slices of beef and broccoli in a savory sauce. Very tasty.

Vegetable Chow Mein/Pan Fried Noodles - Tiny pan fried egg noodles with veggies and a brown sauce. Lots of noodles and well prepared vegetables. Well executed.

Crab and Cream Cheese Wontons - Surprisingly pretty sweet flavored, even without the sweet and sour sauce. I didn't enjoy these as much because I prefer the filling to be more savory than sweet, and these were definitely non-standard in that regard, but my wife really enjoyed them.

The meal came with two small containers of white rice, and the total was $31 with tax and tip after the discount we got from ordering online. We had enough food for two full meals for each of us. A great place. Highly...

I use to order from here often until I got food poisoning from undercooked shrimp. That was over a year ago. As my current Asian restaurant was unable to deliver, I thought I'd take a non-shrimp chance with them. Both I and my roommate noticed the food was no where as good as it use to be (minus the shrimp incident) and the portions appeared to be smaller. My guess is a different cook and/or management. As of 4/4/2023, I have ordered approximately 4 more times from them (not the shrimp - once bitten, twice shy). The food that I have ordered seems to be greatly improved! Taste like I remember - excellent! 🤗

As of 12/1/2024 the food is only good SOMETIMES - VERY INCONSISTENT. The LAST meal I ordered (Eggplant Szechuan) was altogether tasteless. I even ordered it extra spicy but it was bland. I had to add tomatoes paste, soy sauce, garlic and cayenne pepper to make it resemble the dish I had previously ordered from there.

It wasn't that it was just not spicy enough, it was as if they forgot the sauce all together and just left it dripping in oil.

MY BEST ADVICE IS, YOU HAVE A 50/50 CHANCE OF GETTING SOMETHING ENJOYABLE. THOSE ARE NOT GOOD ENOUGH...

I love this place for Chinese Food!! Torrance, CA is so fortunate to have this location for over the last 26+ years. The same owner, which is family owned and operated. I appreciate Mandarin Kitchen because the prices are so affordable and the food is consistent, delicious and authentic. I thank this hard working family for being still opened throughout 26+ year's., it is greatly appreciated by the community. This Chinese restaurant is primarily setup for takeout. If you call ahead your order will be ready shortly upon arrival. There is always a crowd waiting but it is short and worth the wait. This food is ONO (delicious). Congratulations to this establishment for great food and excellent packaging to go orders! Best Chinese food in town, hands down not to mention the portions are more...