Mandarin Kitchen

The Dim Sum was delicious, but watch out for the noise factor. It seems a bit better in the front room, but we were in back with some very noisy parties with kids.

Came here for dim sum with a friend, yes, crowded and loud, maybe that’s the reason why it took one hour to sit down. After finally got seated, we got our first dish and then for a long time, no staff bring new food for us, they just randomly walked to some table and when we want to order, they walked away… the food itself tastes just ok, some are not fresh, some are over salted some are plain and tasteless. It’s interesting they don’t show price on the order, so be careful about that, you never know what is special and how expensive it could be. Finally, they seems charged over 15% for tips??? Really? For what service? No waiter come to check on us and I only got the water when I first sit down, then no one came to refill the water when it’s empty, worst choice ever, would never come back.

Food was not great. People not very friendly. Only reason place gets a star is because they’re open until midnight.

It’s busy, it’s crowded, and it’s loud. However, it’s one of the only dim sum (Chinese brunch) places I enjoy going to in MN.
You can find people lining out the door before they even open at 9:30 am! It’s definitely worth the wait but to avoid getting hangry, you can either get there very early and hope there’s little to no line OR make a reservation beforehand. They didn’t use to take reservations for dim sum, at least in the past, but I gave it a shot anyways this past weekend. I called the day before and I was on the top of the waitlist the next morning. However, if you have a large party, make sure everyone (or at least a majority of the party) is there on time or they might give away your table!
The food is delicious and fresh! The servers come around with carts and trays of food ranging from small to large plates/​bowls/​tin containers. Each dish is a different price depending on the size. You pick what you want to eat and how much of it and the servers keep a tally of what you order on a sheet. Be careful though because they can add up!
As for their non-​dim sum menu items, these are delicious as well! I’ve only dined in a handful of times but I normally order take out. Some of my favorites are the seafood tofu soup, pea tips, salt & pepper squid, salt & pepper shrimp, and clams with black bean sauce.

This is for dinner menu take-​out only, as I have not enjoyed the dim sum here. I found the quality of the food product very excellent. We had kung pao shrimp, chow fun noodles and some appetizers. Chicken was perfectly cooked and the noodles had a nice bite to them. Kung pao is possibly the best I’ve had in the cities — make sure and ask for it spicy. Anything fried was packaged properly for carry out — with vented containers, sauces, etc. Service was exceptionally prompt and courteous, and prices were in line with other Chinese joints in town. This will be a new regular place for our Chinese cravings!

Took my family and an aunt here for dinner tonight. We ordered crab meat fish maw soup, seafood bird’s nest, fried sole, beef chow fun, lobster, and etc. The disappointment was with the seafood bird’s nest. It was old so they tried to cover it up by over frying the nest (potato shell). I inform them about it so they brought out another old shell. Told them it was the same. They didn’t seem to care because when I told the cashier lady and she just said, «I don’t know,» and when on charging for a bad and old item. This place think they can do whatever because they don’t care about customer service/​satisfaction. We won’t be come back for dinner anymore. We normally come here for dim sum but we can go to Yangtze instead.

Food taste ok, but servers are never friendly, as if I owe him lots of money. Make sure you know the price when you order live seafood from the tank, you might end up paying $ 400 for 1 fish.

I will openly admit, i was terrified when I walked in the front door. I was asked to brunch with some co-​workers and when I arrived I had no clue what I was getting myself into. I left feeling exactly the opposite. I now want to go there every weekend for dim sum! Being that we were a decent sized group, we got to try a lot of neat stuff. Carts circled the tables in a steady stream bringing around chinese delicacies that ranged from scary looking crab balls to sweet coconut tasting buns. There was not one thing I tried that wasn’t tasty! My favorites were the sticky rice, egg rolls and a wonton like wrapper filled with shrimp! The pictures don’t do the food justice. It is REALLY good.
A couple extra tips.
–You pay for each side you try. They keep a tally on a sheet at the table, but it doesn’t show the price (or at least not in english).
–When your teapot is empty, just leave the top open and they sweep by and give you a fresh pot.
–Plan on it being busy, brunch is apparently always busy for them.

Came here for my mom’s birthday on a Sunday morning. –9 temp weather There was a long line outside already at 10am. By the time I parked and walked out, the line was moving quickly. Service was ok, not super duper friendly. Dim sum is better than others I have in the TC. Pretty pricey. Loud and busy place.

I’ll have to preface this review to say Mandarin Kitchen isn’t the best dim sum I’ve had — but it’s definitely the among the best in Minneapolis. If you’re coming in on a Sunday morning, expect a minimum 30 minute wait. They do offer to let you share tables for smaller party sizes so ask for that if applicable.
My primary metric for dim sum quality are their egg tarts and on this front Mandarin Kitchen really nails it. Perhaps we were lucky as the batch we received were molten hot and impeccably flaky (in the best sense of that word). Seeing how busy they are though, I would hazard to guess that this is a consistent quality across the normal dim sum hours.
Selection of dishes were expansive. Our party got beef and shrimp cheong fun, siu mai, char siu bao, har gaw, chicken feet, wu gok, and clams. All were of reasonably high quality and and well proportioned. My only complaint would be their price — quite high for dim sum. But… I’m okay with that in the context of being in Minnesota.
Service was reasonable — our tea pot was frequently refilled and all the carts swarm you upon seating. It really is the American dream — nowhere else can you get such instant gratification. They do ignore you after a while and you’re sitting around looking for one more dish.

Rating this for Sunday Dim Sum.
It’s hard for me to rate the quality of the dim sum here because frankly my palate and taste for dim sum is not that refined but I think this place is delicious and a pretty unique experience for Minnesota. I also feel that the fact that it is full every Sunday with 98% Chinese people is a good sign.
First of all, dim sum at MK is PACKED. I’ve been a few times now and every time there has been a line of people waiting at the door for the place to open. If you don’t get there right away, expect to wait for a bit. Nothing too crazy, but a wait nontheless
You can chow down here like nobody’s business. Duck, dumplings, pork, squid, shrimp… pick your poison. Be careful though, as many small dishes can really rack up your bill. That said, if you’re hungover and looking for filling, heavy, savory food, this could be your paradise.
I’m giving it 5 stars because I think the food is delicious and the experience is fairly unique in the TC. Worth the trip to Bloomington!

Holy cow this place was delicious. Came here with my Chinese family of 7 and we were sat at a table with a lazy susan. Service was great, although I mostly attribute that to my cousin being really good friends with the server. We went all out in the menu and needless to say, all the food was great. Check out the photos.

Dim Sum review only:
So clear disclaimer, I used to have dim sum nearly every single weekend back home in the Bay Area, so a little biased in that regard. We came here to try out some dim sum in the Twin Cities, and also because I was feeling a little nostalgic for home. The food and service were fine. Nothing extreme in both regards, neither on the good end or the bad end. I ordered all my usual favorites, and the first thing I noticed was how much meat (and lack of vegetables) is in all the fillings. There was an abundance of bacon/​pork belly in everything, which is fine, but is definitely not authentically Chinese. Must be a Midwestern thing?

We came here for the dim sum, because it was my understanding that this is the best place to go in the southern ‘burbs for the delicious food-​coma-​inducing fest that is dim sum. And if there’s anywhere else that can beat this joint, do let me know!
The wait is looooong because this place is busy as all get out. For two we waited about 30 minutes, and the place is packed, packed, packed. If you have personal space issues, you probably shouldn’t go here for the dim sum.
The dim sum, however, was delicious. Delivered in carts with seemingly endless choices to stuff into my face, just as I hoped and dreamed. Pretty much everything we had was good, though I can’t speak for the oysters because gross.
It’s a bit pricey, but since I didn’t have to eat until the next day I’m not really gonna complain. I’ll definitely be back with anyone that hasn’t had the dim sum experience!

I have been waiting three years to get Dim Sum at Mandarin Kitchen. Mostly because the boo mentioned its existence ages ago and never told me its location or name. To be honest, it was worth the wait.
We showed up about 45 minutes before it opened a couple Sundays ago. We left to get coffee and came back to a 40-​person deep line with 5 minutes to go before the doors opened. We were seated in the back room and immediately got tea.
This was my first Dim Sum adventure so I got the pacing all kinds of wrong. We ordered shrimp dumplings, pork dumplings, and bao in the first 10 minutes of sitting down. They were delicious. Full of flavor and the exteriors were steamed to gooey, soft perfection. We also got these cute little sesame balls that were deep fried with sticky rice paste and mochi in the middle. What?! I loved it. We also got some tasty noodles before calling it a day within an hour.
Tips: Show up early. Bring at least 4 folks if you want to try a few things. None of the dishes are priced so expect to spend like $ 40. Pace yourself. Enjoy.

10a and there’s a line outside, even with the Minnesota State Fair in town.
Popped in line and was seated as a table of 9 in no time flat. Duck was delicious, and plenty of dishes and choices, much like last time. Quality is on-​par with that of the Flushing dimsum, though the choices are a touch more limited. Still, a great place in the middle of an unexpected location in the Midwest.

This is a great place to grab some dim sum! there’s usually already people waiting for the restaurant to open on weekends so if you’re a larger party, try and get here early! If you’re a party of 2, there’s usually not too long of a wait. Parking lot is tiny so be prepared to stalk someone coming out of Mandarin Kitchen to get their parking spot! Just kidding, parking lot is small but the few times i’ve been here, i’ve always managed to snag a spot without too much hassle. Since there’s so many people eating here, you know the food is fresh since it doesn’t sit in the cart all day like Pagoda’s dim sum. Also, some may say the atmosphere is chaotic but it makes me feel right at home! it’s not a dim sum restaurant unless there’s tons of people, and tables are crammed super close together!

The very best dim sum in the twin cities. They are great selection and even serve congee! The only downside is the long line, anytime after 10am youre waiting minimum 30min for a table, but it’s totally worth it since you don’t have wait for you food to be made.
Brunch for two only costs use $ 32 bucks and we tried a lot! Definitely will return.

I’ve been going to Mandarin for years for dim sum, and when I’ve got a craving for good Chinese. Unfortunately, food quality seems to have gone downhill, while prices have crept up. This is the still the best place for dim sum, but that’s because there aren’t a lot of options in the twin cities. It’s the best of the worst.
On a Sunday morning, get there well before they open at 10am or you’ll be waiting in line for a while. Once opened they’ll usher you to tables quickly and the carts start to come to the tables.
On the last couple of occasions I found that some carts just go to the same tables and I don’t get the options on them which is usually what I want! It’s annoying. Instead, the same guy with sweet pastry buns keep coming back to my table.
I end up liking 2 – 3 items, but stuck getting stuff I’m not particularly excited about due to dying from hunger waiting on carts. So if you get lucky and see these carts then the good stuff to try are beef tripe, BBQ pork buns, siu mai, cheong fan (rolled rice noodles), zhaliang (fried noodle-​wrapped crullers), ngao yuk kau (meatballs), and pai gwut (steamed ribs). There are plenty of other dishes, but not all are done right.
I’d avoid lunch and dinner here, really high prices for basic Chinese food now. Also, don’t expect super friendly service. I’ve become immune to it here so it doesn’t bother me as much. They don’t greet you warmly or thank you for your business, they rush you in, don’t always refill water, snatch your bill out of your hand and send you on your way.

You know you’re in for something amazing when there are several dozen people huddling outside in the depths of a Minnesota winter waiting for a table. I went for dim sum last weekend with my dad and my 13-​month-​old daughter and was lucky to have him wait in line for us while we stayed in the car. We managed to time it right so there was not much of a wait – there were actually several large tables open but we didn’t want to take up a big table with just the three of us.
As soon as I got the call that our table was ready, I walked in and the smells Mandarin Kitchen brought tears of joy to my eyes. I had heard of this place for years, but never made it down 35W to give it a try. It had been at least eight years since I last went to dim sum and I was ready to eat everything that came by on those magical carts. They had all the classics and each little steaming basket was full of amazing little dumplings that truly «touched my heart.» I was in heaven. The price was reasonable, although I definitely over-​ordered. It definitely helps to have a large group to balance out the cost.
This review would ordinarily convey five stars, but I have a major bone to pick with this establishment for its lack of a baby changing table in the men’s room. This is clearly a family restaurant. I understand that most of the families had at least one female, but it is 2015 and no man should have to stalk the ladies room for it to clear out just so he can change his child’s diaper. Fix that and the fifth star is yours.