Mandarin Grill — Restaurant in Tucson

Been a customer for several years! Food is good! Unfortunately, $9.25-$10.50+ is the cost for a standard sized box of whatever you want (beef broc., fried chicken rice, lo mein, etc) and you really don't get the Big Bang for your buck. Lunch specials are amazing if you dine in or get lunch take out. But the MAIN reason why I wanted to write a review though, is for the Drivers and to address Mandarin Grill's Stupid, silly, lame, wack, BS, and horrible greedy little $3 "delivery charge" WHICH DOESN'T go to their delivery drivers! The $3 delivery charge, does NOT go to the Drivers! So, I called and asked about it. According to the lady that answered the phone, the $3 charge pays for bags, boxes, and "napkins and stuff." This is HORRIBLE! I've owned and operated a small business for a couple years now and know how cheap/low cost/affordable bags, boxes, and "napkins and stuff" REALLY COST from wholesalers right here in our good old US of A! Heck, $80 can get you 500 17"x8" paper bags. $40 can get you 1000 thank you bags. $50 can get you 1000 chinese boxes. Let's be real! Their Chinese food is marked up approx. 3000-8000% lol Bags, Boxes, and Napkins and stuff should be "charged to the game." It's the cost of business! Let's pretend that their food isn't marked up so high for profit. You mean to tell me that they have to charge every customer who places a delivery order $3 each and every single time to pay for their supplies? One month worth would cover the whole year! lol But what irks me MOST, is the fact that this takes away from the driver's chance to earn more tips! I always tip $8 or more. ALWAYS! Mainly because I know other customers can be jerks and not tip at all sometimes. That's horrible! Not only that, but I'm sure 9 out of 10 customers that order delivery, have no idea that the $3 delivery charge actually doesn't go to the drivers. So, they won't bother to reach for another 3 bucks to fork out. The owners are making it hard for the drivers to earn more! How is that ok!? There's making money and then there's being greedy! If this is how they business, I pray they at least pay the drivers $12/hr. Most of the people delivering for Mandarin Grill are in school or working part time because they obviously NEED the money. Get rid of the $3 fatty maker or give it to the drivers Manhandlin NoChill. Whoops, I mean...

Great for take out! These guys are super fast in making the food & delivering it quickly and hot (we're only 2 miles away). I know apartments are a PIA to deliver to, but they get the gate code & find my apt just fine. Favorites: Honey Walnut Shrimp, Lemon Chicken, Vegetable Deluxe, Vegetarian Delight, Broccoli with Oyster Sauce, Braised Tofu and Moo Shu Vegetable. We've been ordering for about 8 years. A few times we have eaten in or ordered there for take-out. They've definitely embraced the use of delivery apps now (their prices have also gone up over 8 years, which I suppose happens everywhere). For vegetarians I give this place a double thumbs up when I'm ready to eat a lot of vegetables, feel full, but then feel good again later. Please be a good tipper whenever you order. I like that Mandarin Grill is a small business with consistently good food and service. I want them to stay in business!

If you don't mind calling them instead of using an app, then you can help them save a little $ from having to pay any hidden app fees. (I don't like to make phone calls, so I am glad I can order via apps now).

GENERAL FEEDBACK FOR DELIVERY APP USERS: If you use an app, I recommend including the lowest tip amount possible (in the app) and then give your driver a good cash tip ($5-10 for an order for 1-3 people). I recommend a cash tip so you know that the drivers don't get their tips skimmed from the app and they end up keeping the tip that you intend for them! The drivers make so little $ and most of them try really hard to find you quickly. The tip is for their time, their gas and for you to sit in your home, watch TV, be lazy and keep a clean kitchen all for them to bring...

A sleepy little Chinese restaurant. Nothing wrong with this place, but nothing really right about it either. The food is simply boring, ideally suited for elderly white folks from the midwest. My girlfriend’s Cashew Chicken was drowning in a salty brown sauce that appeared to have plenty of corn starch to thicken it, plenty of salt to preserve it. I believe I ordered the Mongolian Shrimp, it was fine, nothing to write home about. The hot and sour soup was uncharacteristically dark and unctuous.

The interior is clean enough. The large tile flooring looked spotless and relatively new (since at least 2019, judging by older photos). The walls are minimally decorated. The exterior is looking a bit shabby and poorly maintained. Those high-voltage cables have been dangling from the roof on both sides since at least 2019… whoever did that installation obviously takes no pride in their work. Is that even to code? Looks like a nasty accident waiting to happen.

The publicity photos shown in Google Maps present dishes that look pretty amazing, beautifully composed and photoshopped by a professional, especially the DoorDash photos. Reality is best represented by the other photos various customers have posted here.

They’re a local business, presumably family run, so I’d really love to give them a glowing 5-star review, but they would have to step things up a bit, as this meal was pretty mediocre… one can get fresher tasting food at a Panda Express. On the other hand, lunch special prices are very reasonable and the fortune cookie...