Mandarin Chef

Hidden away on the Ave this haven of hand shaven noodles and hand made dumplings offers a comforting presence to the students at UW. more

We just moved to Seattle and particularly enjoy Chinese food. Not talking about American-Chinese here, we want to eat what the cook eats (assuming the cook is Asian). more

Love that the food is always as good as the last time. Love that the same couple have been running it for years! Love that they always remember you even if it's been awhile since your last visit. Love the dumplings! Pros: the dumplings Cons: the parking on the Ave more

Today was my first visit here, for lunch. It's basically a husband and wife operation in a storefront with no ambiance at all. The kind of place you go looking mainly for a good deal. Instead of ordering one of the lunch combos, which looked very reasonable, we ordered off the main part of the menu. Happy Family and General Tsao's Chicken, with a half order of bbq pork as appetizer . The pork was kind of tough, and there couldn't have been more than maybe 10 or 12 rather small pieces for the $3.50 price. I think I'd skip that next time, for what it was worth in quality. . Pros: Good Food Cons: Expensive for what you get more

After reading reviews here, my family patronized this restaurant and were not disappointed. The service was excellent, the food was DELICIOUS, and the meal was surprisingly inexpensive. The dumplings and homemade chow mein noodles were particularly memorable. We all agreed that the chow mein was better than Judy Fu's. Give this place a try! Pros: Delicious food, pleasant service, convenient location Cons: atmosphere (OK, just very ordinary) more

Mandarin Chef is a great restaurant..and the staff is even better! I always got excellent service. Their food isn't too shabby either. I especially like their general tso's and their tofu curry is delicious. I was surprised at how cheap their food was for the big portions you get. Recommend! Pros: Great chinese food, nice people, cheap more

If you want great Chinese food that is cheap yet better than the gross concotions of some of the Ave's other restaurants, come here! My childhood favorite at my old favorite Chinese restaurant was sizzling rice soup... and imagine my pure joy when I learned that Mandarin Chef makes FANTASTIC sizzling rice soup. Every dish I have tried has been flavorful, and I like that they offer brown rice as an option. Service is always quick and the lady is so sweet! You just want to hug her :) Pros: Food, fast service, affordable Cons: Atmosphere (it's pretty basic) more

This restaurant has a little seceret and it's called ""The Chefs Specialities"". Order from that section and you won't be sad. Better yet, ask Lang (the woman who will most likey take your order) for a recommendation. She won't dissapoint you and neither will her husband/chef. To appease the usual American customer they also have dishes like the ubiquitous sweet and sour chicken and for what it is, it's not bad. But don't waste your time on these, stick to the handmade noodles and specials of the day. You can eat for two days on what they bring you. Best place for a delicious dinner in a relaxed (although not romantic) setting before or after going to a movie in the U-district. And the dumplings...even meat-lovers should try the veggie dumplings. I recommend stirring a little chili paste into the dumpling sauce, they can provide this for you. They also have brown rice for the health concious or for those who want to justify the spicey crispy eggplant. more

Mandarin Chef has a huge menu, low prices, and the server was very accomodating. This is a great restaurant when you want a liesurely lunch of flavorful food. If you live in the University District and are sick of China First and New China Express, definitely head a few blocks up the Ave to Mandarin Chef. Try the green onion pancake, house noodles, or homemade dumplings. Reminiscent of Judy Fu's in the Maple Leaf district, but less expensive. Pros: Authentic Chinese, Good service, Great food Cons: Spartan decor more

this isn't the place for a romantic night out, but the homemade dumplings and noodles were quite tasty. we also ordered the tea duck -- a nice flavorful, smokey taste. excellent food overall, and the prices are very reasonable. fairly large portions. when it gets busy, service seems to bog down a bit. but we were overall very happy with our experience. more

Good and cheap hole-in-the-wall that reminds me of the hidden gems in the NYC's Chinatown. Chinese food in Seattle never seems authentic to me, but this was nonetheless tasty. more

This little spot on the north end of University Way isnt especially eye-catching, but some of the food is absolutely delicious. Hot & sour soup, boiled pork dumplings (jiao zhi) w/ a nicely balanced sauce, and the elusive special of green beans sauteed in house sauce are must-haves. The Szechwan eggplant is also oh-so-tasty in its sweet-sour-spicy sauce, but the eggplant is deep-fried, so I personally cant justify eating this dish very often. A lot of the dishes are pretty salty, too. Avoid this by sticking to dumpling/noodle-soup dishes, which are their specialties anyway. Ive always had the same host/server, and shes nice in her own semi-crotchety-older-Chinese-woman kind of way. She warms up a lot if youre a repeat customer, usually remembering my name and even the dishes I like. =) Entrees can be pricey here, but I usually get away with $25 (w/ tax & tip) for two people. Pros: Dumplings, Parking across the St, Quick service Cons: Salty food, Somewhat expensive more

My husband and I along with our two kids always look forward to eating at the Mandarin Chef. We get take-out at least once a week! The kids love the dumplings, homemade noodles and potstickers. Our favorite is the crispy eggplant. Delicious, quality food at a great value and attentive, friendly service. Solid consistency we don't find in other places. Pros: Excellent food, Friendly service, Great value more

This restaurant is one of the best chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at. The Mongolian beef was excellent, the service was quick, and the check was very reasonable. A++! more

If your looking for some authentic home style Chinese cusine try Mandarin Chef. I found Mandarin Chef to be a wonderful discovery. Here are some things that I like about Mandarin Chef 1.They have a great menu 2.The food is excellent 3.The prices are reasonable. 4.And the staff is very friendly. Pros: Great food, Great Service, Warm Atmosphere Cons: short on space, hard to find parking more

My friends and I love this place. We go in and order a few dishes and just eat buffet style. You get huge portions and so far I haven't tried anything that wasn't absolutely delicious. more

I wonder how long it's going to take me to eat my way through the impressive menu? Well, I'd better get busy. Life is short, and this food is wonderful! We had the crispy long beans in black bean sauce with beef--the special of the day. Boy, is was good. The curry tofu and chicken with cranberries were both good, too. Everyone else has mentioned the dumplings. They lived up to the recommendation. Pros: fast friendly service, inexpensive Cons: generic dining room more