Great Mandarin Restaurant

I was visiting family in the Boston area when they brought me to Great Mandarin for dinner. I have to say that this was the BEST American-​style Chinese food that I’ve had in a long time and I am seriously bummed that it is located so far from where I live.
The General Tso’s Tofu, Scallion Pancakes, and the Crab Rangoons were exceptional and Kung Pow Chicken was so savory/​amazing that I asked our hosts if we could eat there the next day of our visit.
Next time we are in Boston, we will definitely be back to Great Mandarin to gorge.

For a quick and simple Chinese buffet, Great Mandarin is a good bet. There isn’t a ton of selection, but it’s still good in a pinch.
I definitely recommend getting there a bit early around when the dinner buffet starts.
I will definitely be stopping by here in the future for a fast and decent Chinese meal.

If you want a cheap, Chinese buffet for lunch, this is a pretty darn good place for it. Unlike the big Chinese buffets, this place doesn’t have a large number of items, but they do a good job on the stuff they serve. The wait staff is attentive. It’s never too crowded that you can’t get any food or too empty that the food sits their forever.
I’ve been here for dinner as well. They serve the standard American Chinese stuff. Nothing fancy, but nothing to complain about.

The food is terrible here. I’m beginning to think there isn’t any good Chinese food in Massachusetts.
I ordered a takeout order of General Tso’s chicken. When I got home with my chicken I was shocked to find that what they gave me was boneless buffalo chicken wings. The chicken was battered and fried like the normal Sesame or General Tso’s recipe calls for, but the sauce was buffalo sauce. The taste was buffalo, the color was buffalo orange.
The dishes do not come with rice, which they do not tell you when you order. If you are used to Chinese food coming with rice, prepare to be surprised.

The service was good, restaurant was clean. Beyond that, it’s hard to find anything else to speak positively of.
Had the lunch buffet, which was very small. I think you can live with the size if the food is good, but this was among the most tasteless Chinese food buffets I’ve ever eaten. Somehow, even the duck sauce was bland, with no sweetness at all.
The wonton soup was like water, even adding soy sauce didn’t help. It’s almost like everything was watered down, but that’s just an opinion.
The fried foods were the majority of the buffet, and again just bland. The food was basically hot and they replenished when out, but no taste whatsoever.
Disappointing.

So few choices in the buffet. That it shouldn’t be called a buffet. No desert included as well. It was not an enjoyable experience. First and last time to go to this place.

My mother was asked where she would like to go out for her birthday. She wanted Chinese buffet food and she got it. Maybe my culinary experiences have been limited but if there is one word that comes to my mind when I think about Chinese buffets that’s cheap. And yes, Great Mandarin was cheap at $ 8.95 a person. And that’s about the only good thing I have to say about it.
In terms of the selection of items, it was fine though less than the average Chinese buffet I have been to. Fortunately none of us were vegetarians but if we were, we would be in a hard spot. Something which was surprising was that there were absolutely no desserts. It is hard for me to think of the time that I have been to a buffet (Indian /​Chinese/​American) where not even a single dessert was on the menu.
The taste of the items was very average. Perhaps the only thing that I remember in a somewhat favorable light were the crab rangoons. In what I think is the best commentary on the authenticity and quality of the food, we did not see a single person who appeared Chinese among the guests. It was a bunch of elderly Indians but mostly Caucasians who were lapping up what was being offered. Service was fine in that our waters were refilled quite promptly. We also found the wait staff replenishing the dishes that were running low quite regularly.
All in all, my mother wanted (cheap?) Chinese buffet food and she got it here — nothing much to complain about other than maybe the lack of desserts. And if she (or any of us) were to want cheap Chinese buffet food, we wouldn’t be completely averse to the idea of hitting this place again.

My bf and I ordered Peking dumplings, teriyaki-​steak, moo shu beef, pork lo main and cokes. Let’s start out by saying wow our waitress was not the most friendly person !
The food came out (I swear in 4 mins. Flat) and was not followed by the drinks. I have never got Chinese food that fast ever !!
Ok the Pekings were very small and the moo shu pancakes were alittle steal and the moo shu beef was loaded with cabbage, but (WERE’S the beef) and the lo main was not that taste and made with a thick noodle and the teriyaki was just ok, but last but not least WERE’S the drinks. Again waitress was cold and almost to the point if rude, she kind of put the food down on the table as if she was aggravated!
We didn’t bother to ask for drinks, due to her attitude all ready sucked, why make it worse. The water was cold and tasty tho :) ,
Bf was still eating and someone asked to clear, we said we were not done. So we paid for that later, due to it took awhile to get cleared and get the bill later.
There are a ton of Chinese places out there, do yourself a favor and pass this one by, it is just so so ! It’s a shame because the owner Terry is a nice man, but he wasn’t there that night.

My wife and I wanted two things, Chinese food and a buffet. We found both here. The food was about average, better than most buffets.
However, the service was charming and welcoming. The entire restaurant had a, «Small town everyone knows everyone,» feeling.
In summary, I’d come back and order from the menu the next time I’m in the area, though I would get the buffet again.

If you like doughy dumplings, overly battered fried chicken in corn syrup sauce, under-​cooked beef, rude and careless service, in a totally boring atmosphere, then you will love Great Mandarin. Just got back from a Saturday night dinner there, where the restaurant was nearly empty — not a good sign; we should’ve just left — and experienced all the above. I hate to say this, since it is a «neighborhood restaurant,» but I think this is one you should just avoid.
If you’re looking for good Chinese, Korean, Japanese food in Woburn, try Three Country Bistro instead — but you’ll probably need to do take out since it has only 4 or 5 tables.

With a party of 6, we went here on a Friday night. The place was not busy, which concerned me. We ordered the pu-​pu platter, and there was plenty for all of us.
The wine prices are $ 3.50 a glass! To my surprise, the house wine wasn’t bad at all. We ordered 5 entrees. They were all very good, especially the salt and pepper shrimp. Not greasy and very crispy. We were all stuffed.
The total bill was $ 83, including drinks. I can’t remember paying that little for a party of 6.

Had the general gau. It was good. Not the greatest, but not the worst. Although It could have been spicier, it did have a lot of flavor. This place is a tad expensive for what you get. Also they only have once size apps which is annoying. I’ve only had take out, I have not eaten in — buffet or otherwise.

Had a little trouble finding the place. It’s on the 2^nd floor and last on the right in a small outdoor mall. Went there for lunch and got seated right away. Went for the AYCE lunch. The buffet isn’t that big but it they have enough variety to make most people happy.
The food is hit and miss. Some stuff I love and other I only wanted to take one bite. I tried the Gen Gau’s (pretty good flavor and not too spicy), Pam fried ravioli (not ur average peeking ravioli but still very good), egg foo young (not as flavorful as I would have like especially for a dish that usually has a ton of calories). crab rangoon (delicious). pork fried rice (bland), pork in pepper sauce (good), and a vegetable roll (average).
One weird things was when I got my coke, even w/​ice in it, it was still almost room temperature. I’m surprised their soda machine doesn’t cool the soda before dispensing. The refill I got was better but not by much. Also they don’t like you to use your plate twice. As I went up to refill my plate they asked nicely for me to use a clean dish from the pile at the buffet. I was surprised that they wanted me to dirty more plates.
You can’t beat the price of $ 7.75 AYCE lunch buffet but also realize that they don’t do free refills of drinks. But soda is only $ 1.25 a piece. For the money it’s a great value but don’t expect exceptional food with everything you get here. And while they do have a non buffet option, it just doesn’t seem worth it.
I give it 4 stars not for the food quality, but for the overall value of what you get

$ 7.75 AYCE lunch buffet
Venue is pretty clean and modern, but not necessarily «authentic». No matter.
The buffet is relatively small, as are most in Massachusetts apparently. There were 6 entrée options: general tso’s chicken, chicken and broccoli, pork and broccoli, salt and pepper shrimp, and 2 vegetarian mains. Appetizers included egg foo young, sweet and sour chicken, egg rolls, wings, dumplings, scallion pancakes, vegetarian dumplings. Soup comes with the buffet, but the waiter/​waitress will get it for you from the kitchen. You can choose between wonton, hot and sour, and egg drop.
Overall, the food tasted pretty good. There was nothing outstanding, though. Almost everything had a little bit of a spicy kick to it, which may turn away those with poor tolerance.
Service was standard for me. However, there were some regulars who were dining, and they were frequently observed conversing with the staff. I’m talking about geriatric ladies talking to middle aged Chinese men. The hostess was actually Caucasian, and she picked up the tab for 2 regulars. Another couple half-​jokingly expressed displeasure in the lack of bbq ribs in the day’s buffet, and one of the staff came back 10 minutes later with a plate just for them.
The main problem with the buffet is the lack of dessert. No Chinese donuts, no ice cream, no fruit. Just a fortune cookie with the bill.
In summary, this is a decent buffet. One cannot complain for $ 7.75, but I don’t see a reason to go out of one’s way to come here.
(^_​-​) Venue
(^_​-​) Taste
(^_​^) Service
(T_​T) No dessert
(^_​^) Bang for buck
Glad I came. Might be back in the future.

Hands down best Chinese food north of Boston. The egg rolls are the best I have ever had. Food always is fresh and the make a pretty awesome scorpion bowl! We host a lot of small family gatherings there and the pricing is always reasonable. They do offer a buffet too but I can’t vouch for he details! The owners are very sweet and the restaurant is always very clean, bathrooms included!

This is our new go-​to chinese restaurant! We’ve been looking for a place with good mai tais and finally found it. :) Their mai tais are truly some of the best around. Their food is good too and the buffet has all sorts of options– we’ve been a couple times now and are continually impressed and happy with the restaurant. :)

After a 6-​year long search for good chinese food in MA, I have stumbled upon perfection.
The dinner buffet looked amazing as I walked past to my table and for $ 11 I couldn’t pass it up. So glad I didn’t. The food was delicious. Everything was cooked to perfection and their pork fried rice even had legit char siu pork in it. Yum. I could rave all day about all the things I devoured from that buffet, but take my word for it. If you’re craving Chinese, this is the place to go.

Our go-​to place for Chinese take-​out in Woburn.

For the record, I’m only reviewing the lunch buffet. I did not order from the regular menu.
Now, onto the lunch buffet. After surveying the seemingly large assortment of appetizers which comprised literally half of the buffet, I was left scratching my head about exactly what part of this cross section of food represented anything «Mandarin.»
From my perspective, this restaurant should be named «Sit Down Chop Suey» (yes, the sign should even be in that hokey chop suey font), because the lunch buffet consisted of purely American (white people) favorites. The appetizers are exclusively deep fried and I thought I was going to have a coronary after eating them. The selection consisted of: chicken fingers, crab rangoons (clearly not Chinese
), deep fried chicken wings, scallion pancakes, and tempura vegetables.
The remaining few dishes (it’s a really small buffet) were entrees doused in brown sauce and overloaded with corn starch for thickening. They were classic American Chinese favorites: beef and broccoli, kung pao chicken, fried rice… Everything was very salty, very greasy, and in some cases, looked dried out by the heat lamps (although the chicken fingers were glistening because they were water-​logged with oil).
We were the only Asian people there in a sea of white people. I got the feeling they were looking at us and thinking «Wow, Chinese people eat here, the food must be really good!» I walked out of Great Mandarin with my head hung low because I knew I brought shame upon my people. My soul wanted to disavow this food, flip a table or something, but instead … I sadly just stuffed down another rangoon…

Whenever I crave Chinese food, I make the 15 – 20 minute drive from Cambridge to Great Mandarin in Woburn to get my fix. They have some of the tastiest Chinese food in the area.
The restaurant has stellar Chinese-​American favorites, including crab rangoons (somehow not super heavy) and general gau’s chicken (crispy and not overly salty). Venturing beyond the standard fare has yielded new favorites, such as salt and pepper shrimp, Szechuan string beans, and Yu Hsiang eggplant. Their buffet is a great value and offers a good sampling of many of my favorites, as well as new dishes to try. Their Mai Tai’s are also not to be missed.
The food is clearly fresh and made with care. The staff is friendly and welcoming. The prices are reasonable (even factoring in gas). I love this place and cannot recommend it highly enough.