Mandarin Gourmet
305 Wood St, Pittsburgh, PA, 15222
Mandarin Gourmet Menu
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Address :
305 Wood St
Pittsburgh, PA, 15222 - Phone (412) 261-6151
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : No
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Glenn H.
Dont get me wrong the food here is fantastic and if you eat in or pick up you cannot go wrong! The delivery is usually decent but if there is an issue with your card, you have to wait longer than they promise to get your food! They dont process cards online so they have to do it in the restaurant. Its a little frustrating esepcially when they promise a specific time.
(3)Kristian C.
Mandarin Gourmet is my favorite Chinese restaurant in all of Pittsburgh, rivaled only by nakama. While you may wait a few moments to get a booth, if you like sushi it is worth the wait, and is the freshest I have ever had! Prices are a little high, but I think the sushi is worth it. Honestly, I have not tried much else on the menu, as I come to this place for one purpose: sushi. I also love that they serve hot tea with your meal for free. Such a lovely touch!!
(4)Crystal E.
Food is decent. Always get the Szechuan String Beans and they are always good. Delivery service, however, is BEYOND TERRIBLE!!!! We ordered over an hour and a half ago today and STILL don't have our food. This is not the first time we have been burned by them (we probably should have learned from the last time). If you are going to offer delivery, YOU NEED TO BE ABLE TO ACTUALLY DELIVER IN A TIMELY MANNER! I thought that their online ordering feature would make this whole issue easier. HA! What a joke. Yes, your ordering is easier, but if they don't check their online orders then they can't actually fill or deliver them! Their customer service also leaves something to be desired. When you call to complain all you get from them is "Oh, on its way" or "Delivery guy left." No customer service, no regard for customer orders, just terrible. Honestly, we probably won't ever order from them again, which is a shame because they really are the only decent Chinese restaurant in town.
(1)Barry R.
Completely average food, prices, and atmosphere. They are fast for a sit down restaurant, which is nice if you're in a hurry. Very standard, nothing particularly bad or good. The Chinese food equivalent of beige.
(3)Danielle Q.
Every time I visit the service is fast and efficient and the food is absolutely delicious. The portion sizes are huge and I always have enough to take home for an extra meal. I get the same thing every time I am at any Chinese restaurant (Chicken & Broccoli with Steamed Rice & White Sauce) and I must say that their White Sauce is one of the most flavorful that I have had in the Pittsburgh area. Great lunch spot!
(4)M H.
Best Chinese food down town. I am only giving this place 3 stars for consistency with my ratings in other towns. If you are in downtown pittsburgh, this is your spot. I like this place better than Chinatown Inn or whatever the other one is called. Go here when looking for a decent Chinese food spot. Not the best in the country but a solid choice.
(3)Kristin P.
You can always count on this place for a good lunch. Nothing too crazy, just your regular Americanized Chinese food. It's a much better option than the PPG food court Chinese food, which is known to make people sick, eek! Great lunch prices. Gets a little busy, so I'd suggest making your way over before noon.
(3)Rachel C.
This place brings me back to my college days at Point Park where the cafeteria food sucked and this was a welcome haven from that. Almost gourmet....shall we say, compared to the slop served up at PPU. I feel like people can legitmately say there's a difference between Tex Mex and authentic Mexican. Is there really an authentic Chinese food? Is General Tso a real person? All these questions...irregardless.... I love this place! I think the shrimp rolls deserve the highest rating with a nice crispy outside and crispy cabbage inside. My go to meal choice of Sweet n' Sour chicken is always fab. I love that they put enough sauce on (which is a lot, so beware if you don't like a lot) that I can mix it up in my oh so healthy white rice...cough cough. And I LOVE that they give you free tea and it's good! I never use sweetener. It's some sort of Jasmine blend and I always enjoy going with people that don't drink a lot because I usually drink it all! And for realz, how do you beat the Lunch Special? A choice of Egg Roll or soup: fried rice, steamed rice or brown rice and tea for $7.50. Bam, full until....2...hours....later....But that's the joy of Chinese. And boy did it taste good going down! Best fortune I ever received was also from here: "Life is better with a cat." Meow!
(4)Sal G.
I do not understand how this place stays in business. My comment has nothing to do with the location and everything to do with the food and the service. I like to think that I am fairly open about assessing a new place, but the is not a Chinese restaurant. The best thing that I can say about the entire experience is that it didn't taste bad -- there was NO flavor in anything . Wow...really? I can only think of the Allegory of the Cave when reading previous reviews and then to feel sorry if this is one of the best Chinese restaurants in Pittsburgh. Really?!?!? As I was walking here, I saw that their specialty was sichuan/szechuan and hunan styles of cooking. I thought that was awesome since I prefer szechuan style cooking. Don't believe what you read though. The best approximation of the the taste and texture of this food is the cheap Cantonese dishes that I ordered in Hong Kong -- the difference is that I only paid 25 cents for three times as much food. The food we ordered: Pan fried pork dumplings Wonton Egg drop Combo fried rice (yeung chow) Kung Pao chicken Unsweet Tea Coke The service was HORRIBLE. The server only had THREE tables and she was running around like Foghorn Leghorn after Colonel Sanders chopped off his head in Family Guy. What made it worse is that the owner/manager was watching the entire time and not interceding to try and make the experience better. For your benefit, I will list the order of how my order arrived: 1. Fried Rice (entree) - after 15 minutes of waiting 2. Egg Drop Soup and Wonton Soup (appetizer) - 10 minutes after the fried rice 3. Coke and Iced Tea (drinks) - 5 minutes after the soup. 4. Kung Pao Chicken (entree) - 20 minutes after our drinks arrived. 5. Dumplings (appetizer) - a good 10 minutes after the Kung Pao chicken. I am not going to bore you with the poor excuses uttered by the waitress, at least she appeared to be trying in the best way she could. The fact that the manager/owner was just watching the entire situation just pissed me off. I didn't finish eating anything. If you enjoy eating coagulated goop in differing levels of solidity, then this is the place for you. If you don't like Chinese food because it tastes like the food at this place, please try again in a different place -- this is NOT good Chinese food. The most amazing part was the table of 5 Chinese men that were sitting at the table next to me. They were continually asking for items that they were not recieving. Two of the gentlemen actually went to speak to the manager -- IN CHINESE -- and the manager still did nothing. Horrendous. At $20 per person, this is quite overpriced. I shall never return.
(1)Megan H.
I would really give it 2 1/2 stars if I could...but I grade on a curve. This place is fine. It is basic american-chinese food. It is better than buffet-places, but like other reviewers have said - there is better Chinese food available in pittsburgh. (ie. China Palace in Shadyside) They have a good lunch special and the service is pretty fast for a large dining room. The location is great. It is a good lunch spot downtown to sit, have lunch, and be on the go within an hour. You will not impress a date or client with this place...you (or they) could do better. But for a get-out-of -the-office for an hour lunch with friends, this will do just fine. The restrooms are weirdly outside the restaurant in the lobby of the YMCA. Which is fine, just weird.
(3)Kevin P.
Stopped in and grabbed takeout for lunch. Was a bit concerned when I read Yelp reviews AFTER I had placed my order. However for takeout, it wasn't bad. The egg roll was a little bland on flavor, but the sesame sauce was not too sweet (which most places waaaay over do) and I ordered my chicken as all white meat ( nice they give you the option). Portion for lunch was larger than necessary but I would say the price is in line for the quantity an quality of food.
(4)Susan D.
Haven't eaten here in a few years and my review needed a little updating. Okay, that's not why I ate here again recently. I came here with my fellow supervisors because we wanted to have a little luncheon and we were all in the mood for Chinese. It's still a great deal for lunch, even though the prices have gone up a little since my last review. Most lunches are in the $7.50-$7.95 range and include choice of egg roll or soup, plus your choice of rice and hot tea and fortune cookies. Great deal, but can't I have both soup and egg roll with my lunch? Especially since I like both hot-n-sour and egg drop soups. Lunch here is your typical somewhat Americanized Chinese fare, including sweet-n-sour pork, cashew chicken, chow mein, etc. For those of you wanting spicier fare, they've got your usual Hunan beef, General Tso's Chicken, and shrimp Szechuan style. Me, I prefer milder, more basic chow. I went for the shrimp with broccoli. So as far as the lunch menu is concerned, there's nothing here that'll set the world on fire, but Mandarin Gourmet is good for a basic lunch.
(4)Giovanni I.
This afternoon, I had a chance to catch a meal at an old regular lunch spot. My fortune today: Balance life with a little sweet & sour. A very fitting fortune and advice I am taking in writing this review. The sour: I have all but given up on Asian Cuisine in Pittsburgh. Compared to other major cities throughout the US we, Pittsburgh, are strongly lacking. That said this is one of the better options for Chinese/Mandarin food in the area. My rating of 4 stars is based on the fact there are no really great options available. In any other major city this place is a 2-3 star restaurant at best. The sweet: While I have had other menu items, today I opted for the General Tso's (White Meat) with brown rice and a Shrimp Egg Roll. First off, I like that they have the option to go with white meat for the dish. The sauce is just a tad too sweet for me but I think it will be suited for others who do not care for spicy heat. I like the option to get brown rice but I recall it was free before and now there is an up charge. I still say go for the brown rice as the Mandarin Inn is tops in getting the consistency right. There are multiple options for an egg roll or spring roll with chicken or shrimp in the egg roll options. The best part of the meal and what keeps me coming back is the spicy mustard. This stuff will bring tears to your eyes in large amounts and will also really clear the sinuses, if needed. I recommend this for anyone not fearing some strong horseradish flavor. All in all, I had a good meal and will continue to return to this establishment when I am downtown and my craving for some Asian cuisine starts to peak again.
(4)Stacy M.
So yeah, the decor is outdated and could be cleaner in the vents like the other reviewer mentioned. But wow, we received mounds of food at dinner! Enough for 2 full dinners each! Both tofu dishes, Sesame tofu (fried) and Ma-po (streamed) textures were just about right. I can't say it was the best I've had but I would go again.
(3)Sisi G.
So the food is pretty good. Good enough that I've dealt with their b.s. about making me wait for 20-30 minutes every time I make an online order for takeout. Their system asks for a pickup time and I usually come 10 minutes AFTER that pickup time. Then I still am forced to wait another 20-30 minutes for them to get the order out. I ordered soup, quite possibly the easiest thing for you to get out the door and you still can't manage to get it together. What if I had ordered some "super complicated" like a stirfry? Would I have had to wait three hours for that? Today was the last straw, I made the order 90 minutes ahead of time. Came to pick it up a little bit after the time stated and still sat there for 20 minutes. I only have a 30 minute lunch, it takes a few minutes to walk to the restaurant and a few back so their continued "just a few more minutes" meant that I was looking at coming back to the office without even two minutes to eat my lunch. So I just left. I am DONE with this place. Be honest that you cannot get orders out on time. All I ordered was soup, something you have already made. ALso, there was only ONE table in the restaurant with customers. Just one 4-top. You cannot tell me that you were slammed, or had other issues. Now I find myself at work without lunch and no time to get any food until about 5 pm when I can leave and go home. Next time I want take-out I'll go someplace with a bit of respect for their customers.
(1)Chip R.
With today being National Chopstick Day, I braved the frigid, 11 degree, February cold for a Chinese lunch at the Mandarin Gourmet. This spacious restaurant was already getting a respectable crowd when I walked in around noon-time. I was quickly seated at a booth and given a menu to look over. The lunch specials seemed very reasonably priced and I looked over my choices hoping to see chicken or beef lo-mien. Discovering that that wasn't an option I decided on the sweat n' sour shrimp with a bowl of hot n' sour soup. A tin pot of hot tea was placed at my table and I thought, "What a nice touch". My hot and sour soup followed shortly behind. The soup was thick with tofu and the broth of the soup had almost a syrupy consistency (in a good way). I was beginning to like this place. It didn't take very long for the main dish to arrive and it came beautifully presented. I was really believing that this place was a new gem that I discovered then I took a bite into one of the sweet n sour shrimp rings and was oh so totally disappointed. Remember that old commercial "Where's the beef"? Well that's almost what went through my mind... "Where's the shrimp?" All you could taste and all you could see was this doughy coating. I decided to dissect one of the rings and I was able to locate the tiniest, shrimpiest of shrimp. Don't believe me? Take a look at the pic I took of it. It's that mess on the napkin. The shrimp is on top and the dough is on the bottom. I looked over at another table and there was a gentleman who got a broccoli and shrimp dish and his shrimp were big and plump and healthy looking compared what I got. I guess since his shrimp wasn't wearing a doughy disguise and were in plain view, the proprietors of the Mandarin Gourmet felt that they couldn't get away with serving the sickliest of shrimp to him. Judging by what I saw on the plates of other patrons and from the crowd that they get, I'm thinking that I just choose the wrong dish today. I'm planning on coming back sometime soon and trying a menu item that doesn't have the opportunity to camouflage itself and perhaps boost my rating of this place. But as for now, it's a definite two star as far as I'm concerned.
(2)Shaun E.
Well this review is more about the cleanliness than the food. Don't get me wrong the food isn't that good either but when you're in a pinch and want some greasy Chinese food this place will do. The place is old I get it but when you walk in you can tell the place is hasn't been maintained in a while. They are way understaffed. They have 2 waitresses for the entire lunch rush which doesn't make sense. The waitress I had seemed super stressed out. We had to wait to get seated. The poor old white lady forgot to take our order, then forgot to get our food. When we went to leave there was no one to ring us out. When they bring you hot tea they just took it from the table before you that left. The water sits in prefilled glasses on a cart in the corner of the restaurant. They wiped down a dirty table with a gross and used rag. I'm assuming the general tsos sits in a bin I'm the kitchen that's why it always comes out first. I got the pork lol mein. It was pretty tasty. This ain't no Sesame Inn. Not even the same caliber as Chinatown in. At least it's a little better than that fu lai place. I'm not trying to be harsh, he'll I'm proud to admit to be a Chinese American. But if anyone from the restaurant is reading this, clean your air vents. I looked in when sitting next to the window and could see the years of garbage piled up people stuffed down there years ago. If they stopped being cheap and hired more help I'm sure I would've rated this place a lot higher. You can tell the owner cuts corners everywhere.
(2)Deb S.
I don't typically go to this restaurant because I don't think it's worth the money. I went today because it is close to where I work and I wanted Beef and Broccoli. I ordered a lunch special to go and specifically asked if it would come with the hot tea in the description if I got it to go. I was told yes. The food came out rather quick but without my tea. I asked the gentleman behind the counter and he said if I wanted it I would have to wait a long time for it. I would have been perfectly OK without it, however I asked prior to ordering about it and have paid for it. I think that little things like this add up to poor overall service.
(2)mike s.
I like the lunch specials here especially the soup, you can choose between several noodles and choice of protein and it's a decent filling quick lunch.
(4)DC C.
Road Trip Dinner #2 - Pittsburgh, PA After a day spent going to and visiting Fallingwater, my parents and I decided to stop in Pittsburgh for dinner. They wanted Chinese, and since we were parked nearby, we pretty much stumbled onto this restaurant by default. The restaurant doesn't look too promising at the start. It's a big restaurant by American-Chinese food standards, and most of it was sitting empty. A look through the menu wasn't too promising, either. It revealed a restaurant trying to attract a broad customer base by including many different cuisines. The skeptic in me believes that any restaurant that tries to branch into different cuisines is usually not good at any of them. On the other hand, American-Chinese isn't a great cuisine to begin with, so if The Fujianese owner spoke some halting Mandarin, so we couldn't communicate as much as we'd like to. Luckily, the waitress did speak good enough Mandarin, so we were able to tell her what we wanted. First off, cooked vegetables for my mother (of course). The restaurant had a pleasant treat for us: yu choy (or choy sum), a Cantonese vegetable that's rarely encountered in any American-Chinese restaurant. We got a big plate of the yu choy that was cooked not too greasily and flavored nicely and subtly. We also started our meal off with three bowls of hot and sour soup. My mother remarked that the tofu in the soup was very fresh, which was good news for our next dish. The mapo tofu was fresh, spicy, and very well cooked. We also ordered the pepper steak, and it was not bad. The beef was fresh and cooked well, but the dish wasn't very remarkable otherwise. Overall, the restaurant offered a nice surprise to a few weary travelers looking for some decent Chinese food. **Advice when eating at all American-Chinese restaurants: ask the restaurant to cook your food in less oil/salt.** The restaurant also offers Japanese cuisine (definitely) and Thai cuisine (maybe, I don't remember) on their menu. I didn't try either of them, so I can't comment. Overall, my favorite part of the restaurant was probably the decor. I liked the high ceilings, muted aquamarine color scheme, and the tall windows overlooking the city streets. When I think of a restaurant located around the downtown office buildings of a mid-sized American city, somehow, this restaurant's setting is exactly what I think of. Get yourself a booth next to the windows and relax in the urban setting around you.
(3)Linda W.
While walking down Wood Street last week, I almost came to a screeching halt. The sign in the window of Mandarin Gourmet almost flashed GLUTEN FREE GLUTEN FREE GLUTEN FREE at me like some sort of wanton (wonton?) Asian temptress. Gluten free Chinese outside of my regular relationship with PF???? Be still my heart. When I got back to the office, I immediately corralled a couple of coworkers to get REAL Chinese with me the next day. Oh boy, it wouldn't be the Americanized version old PF dishes up, it would be authentic! I could hardly wait, the anticipation killed me. Oh PF, you'd never know (and I sure wouldn't tell you) I was thinking of straying from our steady relationship for another GF Chinese meal. So the next day we giddily (okay, full disclosure - I was the only giddy one) headed into the somewhat dingy and dated space - I wasn't there for stylish decor, I could get that at PF's. Besides...it added to the excitement of living on the edge. Bring on the new stuff! For starters, of the 3 typical soups, hot and sour, wonton and egg drop, only the egg drop was GF. One taste and I I was beginning to regret my errant ways. The soup was eerily bright yellow, tasted like dishwater and had an grease slick on top that rivaled the gulf oil spill. No chicken on earth has ever been a color that could have produced such a hue. (shiverrrrrrr) Did I make a mistake in straying? Should I have remained faithful to my trusted PF? Still, the Kung Pao chicken tickled my fancy of forbidden delights - I looked forward to those familiar hot & spicy flavors from someone new and different. Soon, there it was right in front of me - a HUGE pile of rice creating a wall to corral a flood of crunchy peanut topped veggies and chicken. I'd ordered it "spicy, please" envisioning hot and steamy fun to come. Nope...hot it wasn't. I had to ask for something to kick up the heat. There was a fair amount of chicken amidst mostly celery and a few pieces of carrot - maybe some onion, but it wasn't really distinguishable, although one giant bottom of a green pepper was hidden at the bottom of the plate. The best part of lunch was the crunchy peanuts perched atop the dish. Needless to say, I was disappointed. I know I have only myself to blame. In my excitement, I forgot how hard it is to find really good Chinese food, how before the GF issue the only 2 places I really liked were The Great Wall in Ross and Sesame Inn. Lesson learned. ANY gf Chinese food is not the same as GOOD and reliable gf Chinese food. Hey PF! I didn't really cheat on you, it wasn't the real thing...it was just a silly momentary fling. Will you take me back? You know I can't live without you....or your lovely lettuce wraps!
(2)Lucretiz C.
Chinese food...really you've turned your back on me!!! This restaurant is really nothing special. Nothing to walk all the way down Wood street from Grant street for. Really, hardly any care goes into the preparation of their dishes. This is how I'm feeling towards a lot of Chinese food establishments anymore. It's greasy , soggy limp veggies served on rock hard dried out rice. The Mandarin Gourmet wow what a laugh, not worth my time , energy or money. Hell I don't even have a better place I could suggest you go to Downtown for Chinese...what a shame. There is nothing Mandarin or Gourmet about this restaurant, the name is a total farce.
(2)Andrew V.
If you want real Chinese food then you probably should go to China. I've eaten what we Americans consider to be "Chinese food" all across the country and it all pretty much has the same general flare to it. It's usually fried, comes with a side of duck sauce and gives you a stomach ache afterwords. Mandarin Gourmet technically is no different then any other Americanized version of Chinese food however the service really sets it apart. I have been going here since college and never had bad service or bad food. The staff always is very friendly and sadly they recognize me when I come in. The prices are comparable to any other sit down Chinese establishment. The best time to go is lunch. No matter how full the building is you will be out in 30 minutes and that's if you take your time. No matter what I've ordered I get my meal in minutes. It's kind of unbelievable. All things considered I have no reason eat Chinese anywhere else downtown. While most Chinese food is pretty much the same this place really stands out.
(4)Kay E.
I had food from here delivered to my office last week, and I thought it was very good food that came fast. I had the bento box with excellent shrimp teriyaki, white rice, miso, shumai (dumplings), and a California roll. It was a cute little Japanese lunch from a Chinese place? Anyway, I recommend.
(4)Shane D.
Well the sushi is great! I get sushi from Mandarin about 3 times a week. It is by far the best sushi in the city. As for the food? Yeah there are better places in CHINA. I can only imagine what these people say about "TYPICAL" Chinese places because this is GREAT compared to other Chinese restaurants.
(5)Danielle D.
Every now and then I get a hankering for Chinese food for lunch, and order takeout from here. I used to have to call, but now you can order (and pay) through their website. However, after having order via the website today (with pick up time selected as "ASAP"), I will call in the future. I ordered pork with garlic sauce, white rice and egg drop soup. Normally when I order takeout (via telephone), it is ready by the time I get there to pick it up (just a few minute walk from my office). Today, however, I arrived to pick it up. And waited. After the cashier asked my name/order, I saw him furiously scribble something down on an order pad then walk back to "check" on my order. I don't think they checked their web order, and my order had been sitting there without going back to the kitchen. 25 minutes after the timestamp on my order confirmation email, the food was ready. That's an enternity for Chinese take-out. The food is good, fresh and a nice portion size. But I ordered take out because I didn't want to wait and sit down somewhere
(3)Jason H.
Great for a quick lunch downtown. Service used to be slow, but as of late, service has been extremely fast. We were seated, ordered our food and served in less than 15 minutes. The quality is good for the price. Certainly not cheap, but not pricey either. I think it was about $9 for wonton soup and general tsos chicken. Food was hot, fast and portions were large. Not a place to treat a client, but a great coworker lunch spot.
(4)Jack B.
As a devoted fan of this restaurant, I was very surprised to see it get some low marks. I can't speak to the authenticity of the food here, since I have never been to China, but I can say that this is by far my favorite Chinese restaurant in Pittsburgh. That's compared to Tong Garden in Brookline, Ka Mei in Squirrel Hill, Tasty in Shadyside, Yen's in East Liberty, Sichuan House in Scott Twp and East Wind in Green Tree, to name a few. And I definitely prefer Mandarin Gourmet over PF Chang's. Granted, I have never tried a meat dish here. I always get the tofu because it is exquisite. Crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, it is very substantial and a welcome treat to vegetarians and omnivores alike. The staff is very personable as well. I called on a Sunday when they were closed for a private party and the manager took my order anyway. At lunch, the place is always hoppin'. It is Tuesday at noon right now and the place is packed. Lots of white collars and ties, but I often see students, too. Maybe it's just personal preference, but I can't get enough of this place.
(5)Sal W.
My office gets takeout at this place all the time because it is close. When I won't even eat something that is free, you know its gotta be bad. Yuck. Eat at Chinatown Inn instead.
(1)Maher H.
I've eaten here a couple times and can't say that I'm impressed much. It's standard American Chinese fare, pretty heavily over-sauced and not particularly unique in its flavors. I was pleasantly surprised when I went there for lunch today and the service was very fast despite the large lunch crowd. Perhaps that's because I ordered the ol' standby General Tso's chicken, which they probably have pre-prepared in large quantities. Still, I've had better Chinese in Pittsburgh so I can't give this place high marks.
(2)Andrew S.
I will be kind and give them four stars. Good chinese, and very busy at lunch. Good place for Chinese in downtown PGH.
(4)Scott D.
I think gourmet may be stretching it a bit, but Mandarin Gourmet does manage to rise above the mediocre haze of "fast food" Chinese places in the downtown area. If I could, I'd probably give it 3.5 stars. With large lunch specials and an inviting space for patrons who prefer to stay and eat, the MG balances their somewhat greasy and oversauced standard chicken, pork, and beef dishes with hospitality, fast service, and never providing a truly bad meal. As a regular who eats there once a week or so, the management and staff recognize me - such personal attention at a downtown restaurant! What's more, if you tire of their run-of-the-mill General Tso's or Sesame Chicken, try their soup noodle dishes for a refreshing change. Lunch specials come with soup or an egg roll and your choice of rice. I always get steamed rice simply because the amount of sauce included with the dish will usually permeate the rice anyway. If you eat there, the rice will come in a separate bowl, as opposed to the one-piece tupperware you receive if you choose to grab take-out instead. Their portions, as I mentioned, are large; the MG is one place that won't leave you wondering how soon you'll get to eat dinner.
(4)