Mandarin Restaurant – Pickering

I LOVE the Mandarin, and this location is no exception. It was renovated a short time ago and the dining rooms are all decorated so beautifully!
This location is the regular one that I’ve been coming to with my family for years. The service is always extremely courteous and friendly. The selection of food was wonderful and trays refilled quickly. That is important since I have my set items I like to get, they tend to be popular :)
They’ve expanded their sushi offerings and also offered rib eye steak and full turkey dinner items which was a nice surprise. I finished it all off with a fresh stick of cotton candy. Yummy!

Since my first visit, I’ve returned a few more times for relative’s birthday dinners. Each time, the menu seemed to change slightly but last time we were there, the crab legs tasted very bland and watery. I’m not sure what happened since I’d imagine they follow the same cooking methods each time for all their dishes. Quite possibly simple misstep in quality control.
The same night at the sushi counter, they actually served me frozen salmon sashimi and told me to «wait a little bit for it to thaw before eating.» Really?! The salmon pieces were all in different stages of thawing out, some being rock hard and some semi-​malleable. I took the sashimi anyways but had to wait a good 20 min to eat them. Not good.
We had also specifically asked to be seated in the front room where they have oversized fishtanks that my daughter loves. This request was also ignored that night.
The service was a little on the slow side this time but overall experience was still good enough that I would probably have no problem going back for another family dinner.
But I have to take at least one star away for that frozen sashimi, don’t I?

The service was great and he staff is very welcoming! The sushi could have been a lot better, however everything else I can’t complain! They had a wide variety of soups and salads, grilled items, saucy items, fried items, pizza, sushi, and all kinds of desserts! Although the food is not amazing, it is however a good option for people craving different foods.

Great service! We found it really hot where we were sitting, by the windows. They got a fan right away and plugged it in. The manager came over later and apologized. He said the air conditioner in our area just broke and that a repair man had been called. I thought that was handled wonderfully.
Food was good. Lots of choices. Will return.

I am not really a fan of the Mandarin but many of my family and friends are so this is where we go. I do not like to have to line up to get my food. I walk with the aid of a cane. Stay away on weekends as it is busy with families with small children running about. If you are not steady on your feet they might just knock you over. Overall the food is consistently decent. It is a great place for families. The kids can get want they want and there is lot to chose from. For people like me it is best to go for a lunch early in the week when it is less busy so you do not run the risk of being knocked over.

Best Mandarin experience yet. Fantastic food, impeccable service, pricey, but worth it. Highly recommended.

Great Location!
Recently renovated and much more modern looking than it was before.
Overall most Mandarins are for the most part the same but the customer service is better here than most!

Last and final review about this restaurant in Brock Rd, Pickering…
Once again i made a mistake to visit this place because i thought food, service and the whole atmosphere would be different after renovation, but guess what??? Still BS!!! Service is worse than ever… Staff are most focus in setup tables than attend customers that are still there…
Shame on this restaurant… Way better if i buy popeyes at next door, go back home and eat in peace…

I’ve been coming here since I was a kid. My family have become accustomed to flocking here for birthdays, celebrations, family dinners, and to take part in the various festivals they have going on here (ex. chinese new years, dumpling festival, moon festival, crab leg festival).
This typical occasion was for my brother’s birthday + moon festival.
When it’s your birthday they surprise you with a slice of there chocolate cake from the buffet with a candle in it and get the table to start singing happy birthday to you with them while they snap your picture. You can then pick up your picture on the way put out and they give it to you in a magnetic mandarin frame which you can stick on your fridge!
Definitely make reservations when you are coming here or be prepared to wait. Also advise the hostess when making reservations or your waitress if your celebrating a birthday (if you want it acknowledged) but normally they pick up on it.
They really go all out at this location with decorations. It’s always beautifully designed to accentuate whatever festival they have going on or holiday/​season. Upon entry the lobby is decked out with the themed decorations and they have a beautiful koi pond just beyond the front door.
Food wise its always fresh and hot and the quality and variety is pretty good also. They have a sushi station where rolls are being prepared live in front of you, the famous crab legs, a carving station with roast beef, grill station with chicken, beef, sausage, and shrimp, lots of chinese foods/​rice/​noodles, american cuisine including wings, pizza, fries, salad bar, soup station, ice cream bar, and a great variety of desserts!
Service is always top notch here! They clear the tables of empty plates promptly and go around keeping glasses and beverages filled. Our waitress was Sylvia and she is always very cheerful and upbeat and wonderful at what she does! Upon arrival she explains about moon festival and takes our drink orders.
They have a good selection of cocktails/​mocktails here. My favourite Mocktail is the Blueberry Lychee Lemonade — bubbly delicious and fruity! Sylvia takes notice that we are switching from food to dessert and offers to bring tea/​coffee. I always order a pot of there Green Tea — very refreshing and mild perfect and comes out piping hot. Perfect combination to go with my rich desserts, which is my favourite part of the meal. Dessert favs include the nanaimo bars, chocolate mousse cups, chocolate covered strawberries and the ice cream bar equipped with hot fudge and chopped peanuts.
At the end of the meal Sylvia graciously delivers the bill and hands each of us a hot lemon scented towel and thanks us for coming, we all receive a fortune cookie, and since its moon festival we also all get a little take away gift.
Always great service here, hot and fresh quality food. Highlights include the crab legs, sushi bar, chinese foods, fresh grilled meats and good array of desserts and ice cream bar! Also check out the cocktails/​mocktails too! Make sure you make reservations as they get really busy Fri-​Sun Dinner.

An amazing experience all around. Make sure you are hungry when you come here, since it’s all you can eat delicious food. Service is standard Mandarin — you are treated like an honored guest, which is such a great feeling. Plus, since this isn’t Toronto, there is ample free parking!

I go here every year for my birthday as a sort of. tradition. but really, the food is quite «meh» (for lack of a better word?). I’m a vegetarian, so I can’t really comment on the quality of things like the meat, but my parents have complained many times that the meat/​fish here is not that great (not HORRIBLE, just not great). I’m not really complaining since it’s to be expected of a buffet that the food quality is lower, though. I generally go here for the desserts which still aren’t great, however I love pigging out on the variety of different types of cakes every year for my birthday!
I have to say, this place was going to get a 2-​star review if it were not for the service. I have had great service every time I’ve been here, as waiters are usually very nice and quick with taking away dirty plates, refilling water, etc. Often my brother special-​orders shanghai noodles (when they don’t have them out on the buffet), and they make him a whole plate fresh with no extra charge!
Overall, it’s a nice place to come to and pig out at once in a while for a special occasion, but definitely not somewhere I would go often!

I’ve been to this Mandarin a few times. There isn’t a whole lot to say about the service because it is after all a buffet. However, despite being a buffet what service you do get is pretty good. They take your plates from your table at a pretty quick rate. The hostess is usually polite, and they give you a nice after dinner mint.
The ambiance is pretty good, the rooms are sectioned off so there isn’t one giant huge mess of people who are all making noise. The buffet is laid out in multiple tables, and they have some pretty good vegetarian possibilities. Often Chinese buffets don’t have many vegetarian options.
The food is mostly American-​Chinese food, so it leans towards «Sweet and Sour Chicken Balls» as opposed to what you would find in Fujian or Hunan households in China itself. Nonetheless, the food is well cooked, it is mostly warm. The turn over rate is pretty high.
As a warning, this isn’t a cheap buffet, I believe it is like 17.99 to eat there, so make sure you go with an appetite.