Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant

We are a group of six. We were seated immediately. The restaurant was pretty busy as all tables were occupied after we arrived. The service was quick and efficient. We ordered two soups and 3 entries. They were tasty and rich in flavor.

In a neighborhood in the Sunset so quiet you could call it funereal, you find Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant (OMIR). The only Islamic Chinese dive in the whole of Frisco, so said the madame d'. "Everything halal," she proudly informed. "Oh, halal. Very nice" I responded deferentially. "We get a lot of..." she gestured at tables of Arab and Pakistani patrons. I appreciated the remark's quaintness and how it would send the leftoids into hysterics. At these tables everyone used a fork to eat. I would have been offended when the waitress dropped off forks at our table if not for the ubiquity of this Western utensil. I suppose Muslims, despite being Chinese, opt for the fork over the pair of chopsticks. They feature an oversized menu, something common to the era from which the restaurant was founded. You cannot call it a specialty shop. You don't go to OMIR for the best of anything; although everyone can find something on the menu to suite their wishes. It may be superfluous to state, but not every item is good. Again, this speaks to the era of founding. The most recent accolade on the wall is dated 2006 and comes from some website that networks Chinese Restaurants. In those days, a menu of 70-120 dishes was the norm. You can't expand energy and resources that far and expect to find an even spectrum of potency. A hot and sour shrimp and garlic dish that I begged a member of my party not to order ended up predictably stinking up the table. It was putrid. The Mongolian Beef is nice, but you'll forget about it as soon you start your car. The same wallpaper/ muzak quality sums up the cumin lamb. While the food lingers at the level of mediocrity, there is something pleasant about dining at OMIR. Maybe it has something to do with the global village coffee house aura and its 1990s references. The dated dishes and dining room evoke the warmth of shopping malls during Christmas time or after school piano lessons with the neighborhood mom who wears overalls.

First time at this restaurant. Service is fast but fast doesn't always mean properly prepared food.I ordered the 4-piece Fried Lamb Kabab Skewer - the meat was fatty. I stopped trying to eat them after the second skewer, which was all fat. They were also overcooked. Perhaps they were trying to fry the fat out of the meat???!!Complete waste of money in my opinion ($17.95)I asked for a glass of water but was told by the waitress all they had was bottled. I thought, "Well yeah, that's cool, as long as it's cold water and not a pot of hot water!". My bill - they charged ME for the water $1.75. What the heck? Never have I been charged for water at a restaurant. Shame on you Old Mandarin Islamic. BUT, I also ordered the Tomato with Egg Drop Soup. It was delicious!! Well worth the $18.00 price tag. I received a generously large bowl of soup and was able to bring half of it home to enjoy as a second meal! With all that said, I would NOT go back again. Nor would I recommend it. The restaurant is VERY small, and the bathroom can only be entered by walking through the kitchen. If someone is already in the bathroom, which was my case, I was standing in the kitchen. In the way of the staff trying to cook. Nope, just not worth the drive through SF to visit this place.

In general, the food isn't bad. But price and portion doesn't really align. What stands out are the cumin dishes, as I'm often thinking about their Cumin chicken stir-fry. The Diced chicken sauteed with jalapeno chef's special is also very flavorful. Other items haven't really stood out as much.

Based on the reviews, it's hard to determine if Old Mandarin is among the best or the worst restaurants in SF. So I decided to check it out for myself.From the outside, it has a simple vibe and is very up-front about being a Halal restaurant (which I appreciate as a Muslim). Stepping inside, I can admire the variety of decorations and artwork that cover the walls. My party is quickly guided to a table and provided with menus. The waiter wasn't particularly chatty, but he was friendly, professional, & prompt, which is all I look for. He collected our orders and within a few minutes, the food was ready.For entrees, I shared the Cumin Lamb Stir-Fry and the Eggplant in Spicy Garlic Sauce, both of which were recommended in . The lamb was flavorful and satisfying, while the subtle sweetness of the eggplant was beautifully complemented by the sauce. A simple side of white rice was all else that was needed to complete my meal.I will now touch on price, which seems to be a contentious point in many reviews.Firstly, a few have called out the "hidden" fees that materialized on the receipt, like the gratuity. However, the menu was pretty upfront about what they included.. (Now you may have an opinion on the existence of those fees, but that's probably outside the scope of a review..)Secondly, I am stumped as to why the prices are considered higher than expected. I have never considered SF a "cheap" place to eat, and there are far worse offenders that should be called out before Old Mandarin. My guess is that this is more expensive than other Chinese "hole-in-the-wall" restaurants, but I cannot classify this as "merely" hole-in-the-wall due to the quality and the exclusive usage of Halal ingredients. I was pretty satisfied with the portions, and the per-person cost was ~$30, hardly the worst for an occasional dine-in meal.One point I will agree with is that they should offer free water in a glass, instead of assuming "water" == $2 bottled water. I suppose Europeans would be used to this..Overall, I was happy with my meal at Old Mandarin and look forward to future visits. Maybe I will have to revise my review but I hope not.

Food and services was excellent! The food was made fast hot and delicious. We loved everything we ordered minus the dumplings. Definitely recommend the salt and pepper prawns, spicy eggplant stirfry add chicken, beef chow mein and the hot and sour soup.

I saw this place was on some articles and decided to check it out - but I am slightly skeptical of the articles now. The food is mediocre at best. The lamb was decently average. The fried rice and fried buns were almost on the same par. I don't feel the food is anything special than any typical restaurant in SF. But their price asks for more than a typical restaurant. There is definitely a dissonance between the quality of the food and price of the food. The service was decent, we didn't expect much more than taking our orders and serving food.

Tasty food! They have a small space but produce some really tasty food. Wok dishes came out hot and flavorful - and after what seemed like only a minute after we orderedService was friendlyAfter tax and tip, six dishes came out to $140 without drinks, which is pretty high. We had leftovers to take home though.

Old Mandarin has been my go-to for Chinese food since I moved to the outer sunset 5+ years ago. Shuai and his family are so nice and friendly and their food rocks! Pick up is always quick and fresh. Their beef potstickers are so juicy and good. Also check the lamb mu shu, and lamb dumplings!

It's an old school Chinese restaurant, with very strong north Chinese flavors. They have cumin lamb, jiajiang mein and chive pocket, all very goodI'd recommend coming in a group of 6+ to try more dishes