Imperial Mandarin

I haven't been here in a minute, and I was reminded about what a hidden gem this is! They offer fresh, made daily dim sum at a fair price. The portions are generous as well. The service is friendly and fast. The decor is understated, but the food is the star. I understand that some of the dim sum offerings are only available on the weekends. They offer lunch specials as well. I love this spot!

My family has been going to Imperial Mandarin since the 80s! We love the food and atmosphere and we have celebrated so many major family events here! I have to recommend the Sizzling Rice Soup as it’s a classic.

Food: 4/5 Service and Setting: 3/5 Value: 3/5 Imperial Mandarin has been a staple in my household in our rotation for Chinese dinners, almost always exclusively take-out. The interior is definitely dated and quite frankly dirty, but that’s part of the charm of eating at a cultural landmark. Service is quick and a bit snippy, but for those of you with speaking anxiety, the workers here speak great English at the front. Like most Chinese restaurants, they can customize basically anything for you and usually will not upcharge. Though I have eaten a lot of their food throughout the years, I recently only get a few items. In general, their food is solid but not mind-blowing, especially their dim sum. I will be sure to update this review as I try more and more dishes from my past. Stuffed Eggplant with Shrimp: 4.25/5 One of my favorite dim sum items can be purchased as an entree at a slight discount and a small side of rice. Sometimes they give you some stuffed bell peppers, sometimes they don’t. I love this dish so much and they make it in a way that tastes “homemade” for a lack of better terms. There is this striking inconsistency not only in-between visits, but also in the same plate of food. Some eggplant is mushy, some firm, some sweet, some sour. The eggplant or bell pepper is usually quite bland and the majority of seasoning is inside the minced shrimp filling. The texture is similar to a siu mai but a bit meatier. These parcels are deep fried and then tossed in a light soy sauce. The deep savoriness of the shrimp with the richness and smooth eggplant create a wonderful dish that is hard to recreate at home but manifests the same feelings as an honest dish. Rich, savory, umami, but not overly so embodies the tenants of Cantonese cuisine and warrants a try!

Imperial Mandarin is the best Dim-Sum in the San Diego area. They are not currently using carts but the service is very fast and helpful. A picture menu for us old white guys would be a nice addition. Prices are reasonable and food very fresh.

Wasn’t that early in the morning, almost noon. Only one old lady staff, eating her first meal in the back while serving food to two or three tables with takeouts. I wouldn’t say excellent service but overall some great and somewhat authentic food, Personally love and tried a lot of authentic Cantonese food/dim sum/HK style cafe in Vancouver & Richmond(CAN), Hong Kong. Although quite oily, the shrimp toast was great! Apparently not a lot of places still have it! The steamed bbq pork bun(chasiubao) is...strangely oversized, and the biggest I’ve ever seen in my past experiences with dim sum. The pork is kinda old and hard to chew, also still got a little smell to it, not happy with that. Beef meat ball was good. As well as the steamed rice noodle roll with shrimp, a little bit thick and should be on the thinner side.