Whatever happened to Mandarin Deli??

I just went to Mandarin Deli, probably my favorite restaurant within my office's vicinity, for lunch. Or tried to. When I got there (Little Tokyo location, on 2nd St), it had transformed into LA Tang Dynasty (or some such)!! Now I'm really upset about all the times that I thought about going but feared getting carried away by handmade noodle-and-dumpling mania. Does anyone know if the Chinatown branch, in that minimall that houses Pho 79 and the Chinese emporium, still exists?

Fear not! The Mandarin Deli in Chinatown is absolutely still there and as delicious as ever. FYI, in case you are ever way out in the valley, there is another one on Reseda Blvd in Northridge. All the Mandarin Delis are owned by the same family, so quality is consistent in every one.

Enjoy...

It became a national chain and was moved to the General Topics Board.

Ha! Do they have a self-serve condiment bar now, too? Cheese sauce for scallion pancakes?

Sucky. The location in Chinatown has a much more limited menu and isn't nearly as good. However, the one in Reseda has the same menu selection, if I remember correctly, and is the one I grew up with. Probably a little too far to drive for your lunch break. If you call in an order, you could probably drive back and forth within the hour, though. Is it worth it? Probably, but not on a daily basis.

Um, you do realize there's another Mandarin Deli in Monterey Park, right?

I had no idea. Thank you.

where is the monterey park location? i think i had tried calling to find out their hours last week, and there was no answer.

MANDARIN DELI
728 S ATLANTIC BLVD
91754
MONTEREY PARK

thx!

[angelface]

Hi I'm new but had to respond cause I have inside info. The mandarin noodle house on Garvey in Monterey Park is still run by the same family but the original (and best) cook and his wife are now running their own restaurant (Mandarin Deli) in Temple City. The food is still as good and the decoration, cleanliness and atmosphere WAY superior. The food is no longer as good in Monterey Park. Try beef stewed noodle soup, steamed dumplings, scallion pancakes, mandarin (or orange) chicken is the best I have ever had.

What are the specialties at Mandarin Deli? I'm close to the Chinatown branch but have never been.

[rickiek]

gotta try the veggie potstickers and scallion pancakes there... what a way to start a meal!

Chinatown branch is still around. I think that one is actually the original. Closes ridiculously early, like 7:30.

Yeah, I posted a couple months ago that I found out I had gone on their last day. I think the chinatown location is still there. Haven't tried what has replaced the Little Tokyo branch yet.