Mandarin Garden

Was good until I found a bone in my rice. Uhhh I don’t know but I’m pretty sure there’s not supposed to be bones in rice. Atleast the fortune cookies were good but the food was mediocre I’d rather eat Panda Express.

I am a mountain resident and have been coming here for about 30 years. I personally don’t care for the food, but my dad loves it here and he likes to chat with Charlie, the manager is really nice.
When I come with my dad we usually come for the lunch special. My Dad likes the deal. Where else on the mountain can you get tea, soup, salad, egg role, and a main dish for $ 6.95?!
I do like the tea and the egg flour soup. The salad is very plain with a vinegar dressing. My dad likes the Broccoli beef with rice. He also likes the duck. I usually get the shrimp and peas. It is ok.
Pay attention to the grade in the window. I have seen it as low as a C, years ago. Agua Fria and Blue Jay have been known to have cockroach issues. My friend works for a local pest control in the village. Just FYI.

The food here is delicious. It is a little far away from us (for now) so I have only ever been here twice. The first time was on my first date with my (now) husband, the second time was on our first wedding anniversary. Both times, the food was fantastic. The portion sizes are huge, be prepared to take home some leftovers.

One thing I do not understand is why this place has received good reviews. IT’S AWFUL!!! These people who come here do not know good Chinese food, coming from someone who has traveled all over and has tried different, not to mention authentic, foods. First of all, the egg rolls were extremely greasy, the wonton soup was terribly bland, and the chicken chow mien was salty. I got worried because they have a B grade and I’m 20 weeks pregnant and was not looking forward to getting food poisoning or something. I had no choice, since we were with friends, so I hardly touched my food. Luckily, no food poisoning, so it must have been given a B grade for something else. I will not be returning here.

I eat at this restaurant at least once a week. I always get either Schewan Chicken or Kung Pow Chicken. It is always hot and fresh and I love the hot mustard and the sweet sauce together on whatever I order. I like the small, cozy atmosphere and quick service. The ice tea is perfect in strength and obviously fresh. I am a fan. I have gotten tired of other restaurants in Crestline but this one I crave. They close at 8:30 so don’t wait until the last minute. They like to close on time.

We had three generations in a large group. I’ve been here before and liked it enough to take my guests from Paris, France. I wasn’t sure if my picky-​eater Parisian family would enjoy the food. They did! In fact, we had so much left over, and they wanted it the next day too.
I’m grateful we have a real Chinese food restaurant nearby. The service was slow, but the experience was lovely. The server was trying her best to keep up with every table full.

Food had a good flavor but for the price that we were paying, the portions were small. The waiter seemed mad every time we told him to bring us something.

I’m so happy this restaurant is here. My go-​to mountain dinner.
I’m really into Chinese food and spend a lot of time in Arcadia and Alhambra and Diamond Bar and Rowland Heights, and my largest misgiving in moving to the mountains is that I miss all my lovely restaurants.
The plates are just decent (maybe just ok) but their pan fried pork dumplings – which, let’s be honest, who gives a shit about anything else when there’s pan fried pork dumplings on the menu – are fantastic. Better than Yang Chows in downtown LA, but maybe not quite as good as Luscious Dumplings.

The service is so much better than the one in Crestline! They were very nice and accommodating. Cindy — maybe you should go to Blue Jay and learn a thing or two about customer service.
We will be back!

The food was way overpriced, they have a «B» rating posted, and the food lacks flavor. I wish I hadn’t eaten here.

My friend and I ate in this time. The food was great, the tea was hot and we had cocktails. There was quite a bit of food and we ended up with a lot of leftovers. We will absolutely go again.

Standard Chinese fare. Kung Pao was excellent. Chow mein (soft noodles) were good. Chicken with Broccoli was just ok (pretty dry). But the Pork Fried Rice tasted like reheated, dried out, two day-​old white rice sprinkled with soy sauce. Maybe it was an off-​day? Either way, it wouldn’t stop me from ordering again in the future.

Outstanding Service!
However, the food was overpriced, frightfully bland, and came in small portions. For good food, definitely go down the hill. Seen the place for years and finally tried it. Sad!

Our favorite is the Hot & Sour Soup, especially when we’re feeling a bit under the weather, or when the weather is a bit down and out, if ya know what I mean!
Always hot and delicious, and everyone there always treats us as a guest and they are happy to serve. Charlie’s great, and may seem a bit gruff at first encounter, but has a warm heart and will always take the time to engage in conversation.
Like so many places that I find exceptional, it’s not always the food that brings me back, but the hospitality.

My friend brought me to this place because hes been going to this place for his whole life and boy do I have to say this place is absoulutely amazing! Beef melts in your mouth, amazing shrimp, and omfg the best thing in my life I have ever eaten is their lemon chicken. Absolutely AMAZING!!! not joking best food of my life and im not normally a fan of Chinese food. I recomend everyone comes here to eat. Family oriented restraunt. GET TO THIS RESTAURANT NOW! LIKE NOWWWW!!!

If you really want Chinese food in the mountains and you can’t wait go there. Not very good, more like fast food Chinese. Everything is salty, fried and not very fresh.

When I hear «Chinese food» I usually think generic and meh. But, not with Mandarin Garden!
MG has fantastic food! I have never eaten here and not been pleased. Take out or sit down. I also like the fact they are in an area off the beaten path, Agua Fria — far enough away from the Blue Jay shopping centers.
How much fun was it driving through the snow on 189 to just get Chinese food and a VHS from Home Video 4? Throw back!
The owner was always my favorite part. Very welcoming and remembers pretty much everyone who stops in.

If you’re up in the Big Bear /​Lake Arrowhead area and craving Chinese food, Mandarin Garden is the place to go. I think it may be the only place serving Chinese food on the mountain. We’ve been up there regularly during the winter as we try to hit the snow at least once a year. Food is good, hot and not too expensive. Staff are always friendly, especially the owner (Charlie). Can’t go wrong with this place. It’s small, a bit rustic, but delish!
Kids like the egg drop soup. My wife and I (and more recently my son) order hot and sour. The eggplant and bean curd (tofu) is a great veggie dish that we typically order as well. My youngest is the tofu lover so we also order mapo tofu.
All in all, you just can’t go wrong with this place. Every time we visit, it’s alway busy with locals and tourists alike. So hit ‘em up if you feel the need for Chinese food after the snow!
Keep on Unilocal’n!

I know your dining choices are very limited while staying in Lake Arrowhead but that isn’t a reason to serve not so fresh food. I have eaten here before, many years ago. We had a group of friends that needed a variety of food options, and since Chinese offers meat, veggies and tofu this seemed like the perfect place to recommend.
Service was friendly, a little slow but it was a busy holiday weekend. I picked the crispy duck and beef curry while the other friends sampled the tofu feast and spicy beef. The curry beef was pretty much sliced beef, onions, a carrot slice and then a thick corn starch filled curry glaze. Not very good. The duck was almost inedible. Seemed like it was boiled, placed int he fridge for a few weeks and then we were the lucky table to be served not so fresh duck. they dropped it in the fryer and then straight to our plate. There was nothing crispy about it, actually the duck was grey. Blech!
Our friends seemed to like their dinner choices, so maybe we just picked the wrong thing?
Next time we will stick with dominos.

I *HAVE* to give this place five stars. Is it fine dining? No. Is the food so mind-​blowing that it’ll knock your socks off? Probably not. BUT… it’s one of the only Asian restaurants on the mountain and the joint so damn endearing that you can’t help but fall in love with it! I’m a big supporter of the mom & pop dives, and this restaurant definitely falls into that category!
Walking into Mandarin Garden is like walking through a time warp. The décor is definitely outdated (mismatched curtains, tablecloths, and booths)…but that’s honestly what I liked about it! In a little town where time seems to stand still, Mandarin Garden fits right in! I felt like I was dining on a movie set from the 1980s. It’s your stereotypical Chinese joint, right down to the design on the plates.
I ordered the beef with pea pods (aka snow peas) and the Schezwan bean curd (tofu). Both of the dishes were very good. The beef dish was very savory and I loved the sauce. The waiter seemed happy that I ordered the bean curd (perhaps people don’t usually go for the tofu?). It was also yummy. The sauce had a spice in it that wasn’t easily identifiable, but it gave it a rich and complex flavor. It paired well with rice because it was so saucy.
All in all, the waitstaff are friendly and the owner is present and attentive as he walks around checking on tables. I’d definitely recommend this restaurant if you’re searching for a quick, cheap Chinese fix while you’re away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It’ll get the job done and leave you with the warm fuzzies.