Old Mandarin Islamic |
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3132 Vicente, San Francisco, CA 94116
Located in the Sunset district, Old Mandarin is a San Francisco halal tradition. Delivery available. Added on June 5, 1999 and last updated 54 years ago
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The owners of this restaurant are Muslim and have confirmed its halal status.
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Rancho Santa Margarita, CA |
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★★★★☆ Found this place on Google while driving around in San Francisco. It took a while to get to this location as it is in the middle of a residential neighborhood and far from China Town. The food is that we ordered is review below:rn1) We ordered the Chicken corn soup as a starter and although the portion was very generous, I did not like the soup in terms of its texture. I am used to a thicker Chicken corn soup base, made from Cornflour but this was like clear liquid soup that was thin like water. I will give it 4 out of 10.rn2) Beef filled pancakes... now these were really good and tasted amazing with Sriracha sauce as a condiment. I will give it 8 out of 10.rn3) Cumin Chicken Stir Fry - This was quite good and I wouldn\'t mind ordering it again. The flavor is more Indian/Pakistani than Chinese. I will give it 6.5 out of 10.rnrnThe service was slow in the beginning and the girls behind the counter were not very welcoming and did not answer our questions, but the young man who was also the owner\'s son served us and chatted with us for a while and was very helpful. He should be training the rest of the staff on hospitality.rnrnOverall, I would love to go there again and try their other items (minus the Chicken corn soup)rnrnBy the way the place is halal. The guy even showed us the boxes of halal Chicken that he gets from his suppliers that clearly were labeled as halal. Posted on September 10, 2020 |
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★★★★★ [No review submitted] Posted on September 4, 2016 |
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★★★☆☆ My lens in appreciating halal Chinese is the Milpitas (not Fremont!) Darda, and this place disappoints. Food was okay, service was so-so. Small place, but the mirror really makes it look bigger. Nice touch. I spoke with owner who said he started this halal Chinese in the mid-1990s after immigrating to the SF and hearing from an Imam that more halal places were needed. He said he has worked really hard to get the business to where it is. I noticed his shiny Land Rover in front of the restaurant - it looks like the hard work has paid off. I hope they continue to proper insh'Allah. Posted on December 23, 2013 |
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★★★☆☆ It's a small place and when we went it was packed. The food was ok, but the crowd was overwhelming to the staff... Service was below average. Posted on August 29, 2012 |
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★☆☆☆☆ This is by far the worst chinese food my better half and I have ever encountered. I desperately wanted to try out this restaurant after seeing the reviews on both Yelp and Zabihah but as we beckoned closer, I wondered whether I had in fact put the right address in my navigation. What we had envisaged was not the restaurant we had arrived at. Located in a slummy part of town, this old restaurant looked soooo uninviting! Still, we wandered in, my belly aching for some dim sum. Inside, the decor surprised me. It was actually pretty nice! Ok, so I was mistaken...so where's the menu? A few moments later, a waitress appeared with a couple of menu's and some green tea. We decided on ordering the lamb dumplings (at the behest of fellow Yelpers), and decided on the mandarin lamb, and the hot and spicy chicken. OMG! The lamb was disgusting! We were presented with a plate full of FAT! There was no meat in sight! And I wonder, is this the same lamb that some Yelpers have said order more of. I asked the waitress in a polite enough way so as not to offend as to whether this is how the dish is supposed to be since it's all fat, she said yes. I highly doubt whether she even understood my question, and even if she had, she probably wouldn't have agreed that they had served us a plate full of fat instead! In all fairness, the hot and spicy chicken was pretty tasty although a little sweet for some reason. Since the lamb was such a disappointment, we decided on ordering one more dish. So we tried the sesame chicken. This looked amazing on the surface, but hang on a minute....where's the chicken?!!!! We felt cheated...or in my better half's words, he felt as if he'd been mugged! Somewhere in between these fried balls were thin strands of chicken. What a con! The best part of this dish however, was the steamed broccoli!! I would also say though, in their defence, that the spice used on the mandarin lamb was really tasty so perhaps chicken or beef may have been a better option. However, given the hairline strands of chicken used, I don't think we'll bother going back to experiment further. A waste of $50 and a waste of a beautiful sunny day. Sorry OMI, but you need to do better. Posted on June 12, 2010 |
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★★★☆☆ As per halaljelo and ausman, I kinda agree that there is no kinda firm assurance that the restaurant is halal. My bad, I didn't really asked because the waitress are not fluent is English and it was really hard to communicate with her. Nevertheless, we tried the food and it was mediocre. Nothing to shout about. To be honest, don't think I will be going there again. Posted on June 6, 2010 |
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★☆☆☆☆ I second Ausman's experience. I just called, asked the same question and got hung up on. I called back and they told me it was halal but they didnt know where they get it from and they hung up on me again! I dont know if they're Muslim so be careful, i'm not going there. Somebody should tell them that their attitude over the phone and their lack of disclosure is horrible for their reputation. Posted on December 16, 2009 |
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★☆☆☆☆ Just called them to confirm that they are halal. Lady who answered said that she doesn't know and I requested if someone can confirm it. She hung up. Not willing to try it unless i get some sort of assurance. Posted on October 9, 2009 |
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★★★★☆ Been here a few times, place is small and seating is tight, but the food is great !!! Parking can be a problem, but service and setting are decent. Great place for Zabihah Chinese food. Posted on July 21, 2009 |
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★★★★★ We have been going to this place quite often for the past year and crave their authentic food. Our favorites are the mongolian beef, mongolian tofu (which is very spicy), sauteed string beans, and of course the hot pot with steamed lamb and beef served with their tasty dipping sauce. The hot pot is great if you have a group of 4 since the portions are huge. The place is small and can get crowded, but once you are inside, it's well worth the wait. Posted on September 25, 2007 |
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★★★★☆ The food is delicious and we were told it is halal. There were a mix of hijabs and chinese folks eating there so we figured we would be ok. While the food is great, we didn't appreciate the servers trying to rush us out to make room for the next guests. The place is small so get there before the rush. Posted on August 6, 2007 |
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★☆☆☆☆ well I'm finally convinced this place does not serve halal i asked them to show me the documentations and the guy said he is too busy and call him tomorrow and he said he gets his maet from sacramento ,but dont remember the name of the establishment. my brothers of islam can you believe him or this guy he does not know the name of his supplier or liar Wasalam . Hussein Posted on February 11, 2007 |
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★★★★★ i really hate saying this and have been torn for quite a while as to whether or not to share this info. My husband and i went there and when we took the food home we found a dead cockroach in the food. We're pretty positive it wasn't from our house since we didn't have pest. Allaho A'alum but just in case... Posted on November 15, 2006 |
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NR Ihave enjoyed this restaurant for along time and have recommeded it to my muslime and non-muslim friends. I have enjoyed taking out of town guest. I did want to say that it has been awhile awhile since I ate at this restaurant. Many of the positive comments I totally agree with but in the mist of the positive I must make a negative one. Once I went there and the waiter was picking his nose. I asked him to please wash his hands before serving me. Another time I noticed them letting their children play with the gumballs and they put them back into the gumball machine. This has really bothered me and I felt that I needed to say something. Posted on December 21, 2004 |
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★★★★★ My wife and I went last week and the food was great. My wife mentioned that she had never had chinese food as good as this. I questioned himon the halal/zabiha aspect and he mentioned that he buys his food from this distributer and even showed me the boxes. He also talked about his Muslim heritage in China. The menu does not have any pork items (one of my other checks) and also when a customer asked about alcohol, he mentioned that there isn't any and Muslims don't drink alcohol. Now reading the posts before going, I found this strange. I didn't see any myself so I gave him the benefit. Posted on June 10, 2004 |
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★☆☆☆☆ well i have a big surprise for everyone
i was there recently and had a prime location where i could see the kichen.this chinese family ate at one of the round tables and left.they left quite a bit of food.this waiter who has been there for a long time(the jerk is what i call him) picks up the leftovers and puts it back in the kitchen counter and for sure the meat is served to the next customer.when i pointed that out to the jerk he told me to move to another table from where i could not see the kitchen.needless to say we left.not only that almost all tables had beer bottles on them. Posted on February 22, 2004 |
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★★★★☆ After reading reviews on zabihah, I vsited this place with my family. Alhamdulillah, and what a blessing and surprise to have something like this right in San Francisco. Their food is excellent and I hope they keep it that way. I tried Mandarin beef, Lamb fried rice and the onion pie. My wife and I were glad that we came. The taste of food seemed different from what you get at Fatima or Darda, but it is good all the same. Posted on October 20, 2003 |
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★★★★★ Old Mandarin really came through when relatives were visiting. I called them while on my way, gave them a big order, and it was ready when I got there! Everyone loved it! Posted on September 27, 2003 |
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★★★★★ I've been to Old Mandarin three times during the last five months, and I must say I've been increasingly impressed following each visit. Most recently, on a Sunday night during Ramadan, I was surprised to find a packed house of ethnic Chinese eaters. Inquiring as to the popularity of this eatery, I was pleased to learn that Old Mandarin is viewed by many ethnic Chinese as the top spot in the Bay Area to enjoy Hui cuisine. Asking a Manadarin speaker to order for us, and overcoming the waiter's initial hesitation to let a Mandarin speaker order for us from the Chinese-language portion of the menu, my group ordered the Boiling Pot. (Perhaps, wisely, they don't want the liabilities associated with Americans accidently spilling the Boiling Pot on themselves.) The Boiling Pot is like Korean BBQ except one dips his or her fresh meats, spinach, tofu, etc., into the boiling pot brought to one's table. On the side, we enjoyed a peanut-soy-sesame sauce and pickled garlic cloves. We also partook of Hui specialities such as the Peking Beef Pie and the Scallion Pancakes. Subhanullah, the experience at Old Mandarin - both the food and the ambience - was exceptional! Posted on December 16, 2002 |
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★★★★☆ I used to go this resturant, than some one told me that they do not serve halal meet. A portion of it is halal, but not all, because most of their customer are non-muslims. I loved that resturant, if some can varify that it is all halal, I would love to go back. Posted on September 24, 2002 |
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★★★☆☆ After eating at other Muslim Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area, I was happy to find one in San Francisco, where I live - thanks to this website. However, I was really disappointed. The food was really mediocre and so was the service. Both the beef and chicken dishes we got were drowning in oil - curbing your appetite after just a few bites. Maybe the cook was having an off-day, but he lost this customer. I'll stick to eating veggies & seafood at other Chinese restaurants in San Francisco instead. Posted on September 8, 2002 |
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★★★★★ Old Mandarin Islamic is really excellent! I'm not a big fan of beef, but their Mongolian beef was amazingly good. Also, the staff was very polite and proper. The place is small but clean. I definitely recommend this restaurant. Posted on May 18, 2002 |
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★★★★★ Been a long time customer!...love to go back again and again. Nice food, nice people, nice price...what more I can ask for? love their Mongolian Beef, Chicken Fried rice, Kung Pao Chicken. You can't get a better halal chinese food than this in Bay Area. Every week I drive 15 miles to get a decent dinner to this place. I love the cashier with warm salam on the phone and then 20 minutes... have to tell them make it 30 minutes, so i can reach there on time. Posted on March 18, 2002 |
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★★★★★ It's always a pleasant site to see a Muslim owned eatery proud of their Islamic heritage and this is no exception! From the large external sign quoting the Qur'an in Arabic to the prominent displays of Islamic calligraphy and friendly salams from the courteous male and female staff, the Old Mandarin Islamic oozes that cozy, at home feeling you usually only find at your mothers dining table. The first thing that hits you here is the presence of authentic looking clientele - always a reassuring site at an Asian restaurant! The menu here is extensive, and the portions generous. The succulent Mongolian beef is definitely not for the faint hearted! It has a spicy kick that'll satisfy even the most demanding south-Asian palate! For variation on the red meat theme, the beef with green onion is another winner! For variety try the three-flavor chow mein or fried rice, always a safe option and here there are no surprises. For great zabiha Chinese in a relaxed, family-friendly environment the Old Mandarin is a choice you will not regret! Posted on May 20, 2001 |
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★★★★★ When Americans want "exotic/ethnic" food, they think "Chinese". When Chinese want "exotic/ethnic" food, they think "Muslim". Old Mandarin is Hue cuisine, Muslims from the region around Peking. Quite different spicing from familiar Chinese. Try the "Mandarin Special Lamb" - finely chopped sauted lamb in a cumin-coriander paste, reminiscent of Turkish "kemen"; or the "beef pie", which is something like a keema nan, but fried instead of baked. It's so great to find halal kuo te (pot-stickers), and shao mai (steamed dumplings)! Very friendly people, this place is a favorite of ours. Interesting Chinese brush calligraphies in Arabic on the walls. Posted on February 28, 2001 |
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★★★★☆ Old Mandarin opened up in mid 1997, with a Chinese style Islamic decor. The chef will come out and say salaams. The food is excellent - especially the Hot and Sour soup, mongolian and hunan beef, kung pao and szechwan chicken, and the shrimp in hot spicy garlic sauce. Posted on June 5, 1999 |
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