Mandarin Palace in Derry

What was a firm favourite of mine is now no longer. Don't honestly know what is going on here, the food has gone seriously downhill and the price has gone the opposite way. In my last few visits I noticed a change to the taste and quality of the food and tonight was the nail in the coffin. We got a takeaway which was horrendous and to top it off after driving half an hour to collect it to be told it was cash only in the takeaway was very frustrating....its going to be a while before I would even contemplate going back.

What used to be one of the best Chinese restaurants in the North West of the island of Ireland has sadly gone downhill. Dined there on Saturday night, and we were seated promptly - which is unusual, as there is normally a bit of a wait due to the popularity of the spot. Service was fine, but you can tell some of the staff are just waiting for closing time. What really let the place down was the food. Chicken balls that were hard as stones, sauces that were watery rather than gelatinous and a chicken curry that appeared to have been hastily thrown together with pre-cooked chicken and a spoonful of lukewarm sauce thrown over the top. For the price they charged, it was really not worth it. Very disappointing - hopefully they can bring things back on track.

Takeaway. Food was inedible. Chicken was hard. Pork was over cooked. Really poor quality . Had to resort to a cheese platter for dinner!

We ordered a take away over the phone and travelled 15 minutes to get it . When we got there we were told they don’t take card over the phone or in the take away and we would need to go get cash. Very very frustrating, as they should have been said on the phone . The food was fine. Nothing spectacular. I ordered a Thai Green beef curry , and it was fine. There was also an order for Chicken curry with no onions or vegetables, and it came with peas . The chips was under cooked too and for the price I’m sure there is better take aways in Derry.

We had the chicken wings yes nice and for the main Special curry boiled rice and the better half had chicken and black bean sauce. Both very tasty and Alex and Eden looked after us lovely and helpful people. Lovely decor inside as well. I’d recommend

This place has gone downhill. The restaurant was cold, the plates were cold and the prices are a bit steep to be honest. I saw five customers eating with their coats on, we asked twice about the heating and nothing changed. The sauces are now more watery than before, I had satay and my mum king prawn cashew both weak sauces. My dad had the fish and chips, fair enough it is a Chinese restaurant so not expecting a huge deal but he said it was overcooked and tasteless. It is a real shame as used to love the place

The evening and food was a great experience. From we arrived until we left the staff were so welcoming, friendly and helpful. The food and service was excellent.

Has gone massively downhill. 1 in 4 of my takeaway orders have been wrong. Chicken balls in, vegan food. Another time given uncooked noodles, food sometimes cold. Another time gave me wrong order, come back out with another incorrect order. Chicken in the bean sprouts when vegan was stipulated in order. Whatever is going on in the kitchen is atrocious & awfully managed. No care or attention. Really bad messing up so often, never again. Can't be trusted to make the food they advertise.

Family meal. Five adults. One nut allergy. The attention to detail by the manageress who took our order was excellent. She cross checked every item on a special list, carefully and deliberately, to ensure that all the meals were ok for us to have. The food was excellent, tasty and service top class. A most enjoyable meal, and one to repeat again soon. Strongly recommend.

We took.our family x5 to the Mandarin Palace for evening meal and were not disappointed. We went.foe the 2-course 'express menu'- starter and main for £22 / head. Quantity and quality of food was great - everyone very well fed and even left with a 'doggie' bag. Would definitely recommend

Waited almost an hour for our table. When we were finally seated and wanted to place our order the starters we had chosen weren’t available, it would have been nice to be told this before deciding on it. The food that did come out was lovely although quite expensive for what it was. We were then given dessert menus but nobody came to take our dessert order. We left very disappointed and won’t be returning any time soon

ordered a takeaway meal that took 45 mins to come .it was stone cold chips were dried up and look as if they had ben left in a bin for 3 hours.the chicken rice..well was there even chicken in it then they carged me 15 pounds for it i would not have paid 2.50

A super Chinese restaurant and on a busy Saturday the staff work really really hard to keep the clients happy. We had great interaction with our waiter Roisin, she had that charm that reflects the city itself.

Absolutely amazing I'm celiac and felt so confident ordering as I felt so assured and safe.... Food was so delicious

This was our first visit, and won't be rushing back. The food was distinctly average, and certainly not up to restaurant quality. I have had better takeaways locally. Everything seemed to lack flavour, the veg in the dishes were mushy and watery rather than lovely and crisp. When ordering a main dish you had to have chips or rice with it, rather than leaving customers the choice to have other dishes - very odd. I agree with other reviews that the food is overpriced for the quality you get. The surroundings whilst nice and clean didn't really seem in keeping with a Chinese restaurant - same for the dodgy background music with dated pop music crackling. Some traditional Chinese music is much more what you would expect. The one positive from the experience were the staff - everyone we encountered were friendly, helpful and attentive. Shame the rest of the experience didn't match.

We were not only impressed with the quality and quantity of the food served, but also with the decor, ambiance, friendly and helpful staff. The menu is loaded with many food options. We started with hot & sour and wonton soup. For the main course we had the kung pau chicken. Very large portions and very tasty. The staff was very pleasant and helpful. We made a great choice here.

Great place, amazing food and helpful staff. Ursula always makes our time there special with her warm welcoming personality.

Average portions of expensive Chinese food. Food was OK but nothing special for the price. Service was quick. I wouldn't be in a hurry to rush back

I was excited to take my visiting family here as a treat. The prices are daylight robbery though, be warned. Over 9 pounds for a child's menu item of chicken fried rice! Between 17 and 20 pounds for adult main course. Crazy for what u get. To top it all off my rice came with a shoulder length black hair through it.. waitress was very nice and took it away. I declined replacement. When paying I was charged full price even though my meal was ruined after 4 bites. Will not return. Seems to be going down hill from what was a very nice establishment

This restaurant has the worst-tasting Chinese food we have ever had among all the countries we've visited, no doubt about it. The ambiance is also very outdated. Can you imagine that this small bowl of mishmash is supposed to be Kung Pao Chicken? And it costs £18! The best thing we had from the £89 bill was actually the complimentary prawn crackers. Even if they were trying to deceive foreigners, it shouldn't be like this! This is definitely not authentic Chinese cuisine.

I went a walk along the quay with my godchild, we decided to call into mandarin palace for dinner afterwards. As I was just finished a walk I had a can of coke on me. The waiter proceeded to seat me and my godchild; giving us menus and taking an order for a Fanta for my godchild. We were ready to order and the same waiter approached me and told me I was not allowed to drink my coke after having every opportunity before seating us to say something. His explanation was that I did not buy the coke from him. I told him i was only coming in from a long walk and had the coke with me and was preparing to buy two 2 course meals from this restaurant and had already bought a Fanta. I would have been spending near £50; possibly more for dessert. I decided to leave the restaurant before ordering food as I felt completely humiliated that this waiter did this in-front of a room filled with people after again; having every opportunity before seating us to mention his concerns. Poor poor customer service to refuse custom of £50+ from customers over a can of coke so it’s quite literally Mandarin palaces loss. I won’t be back and I will share my experience with anyone I know as this was so humiliating and uncalled for. I feel completely embarrassed and if this waiter weighed the situation up, he would have been making more money had he not been so poorly trained in customer care. Appalling Experience.

Really over priced food that was at best mediocre. Kids meals were over £8 and it literally consisted of 3 fish fingers and about 8 chips. The chicken in the satay was spongy. It is a really hot day but the restaurant had no air conditioning so everyone was sitting eating either fanning themselves or wiping their foreheads with a Napkin. Have had nicer Chinese take aways for under half the price.

What a bustling lively restaurant! There were 2 birthday’s in the restaurant and the staff made a fuss of both of them. The food was delicious and plentiful. The staff were pleasant and attentive.

Lovely Chinese restaurant food amazing. Proper curry’s lovely staff and very comfortable seating. Handy parking too. Go once and you will definitely come back

I have visited the Mandarin Palace Restaurant many times and I have always been quite happy with the food and the service. However, very recently I ordered a take-away meal, and called in to pick it up. There was another customer waiting in the premises and two staff behind the glazed partition, one girl seemed to be taking an order on the phone, the other was busily typing away on her smartphone. This girl had reddish coloured hair and -let's just say - full looking lips. After about 20 seconds she looked up at me and nodded saying "Now..." which was her way of inviting me to place my order. I told her my name and that I had already placed my order on the phone, and she looked at her desk and said that it hadn't come out yet, and she asked for payment, I think it was about £14. Not "£14 please" and when she was giving me my change from £20, no "Thank you" either. Not the best manners, but we can live with that. When the order came out a few minutes later, she called my name and I approached the open hatch where she was standing. She plonked the bag on the counter and swiftly turned away, again no pleasantries or acknowledgement. I was very disappointed with this rude behaviour, and I have to say, it did annoy me. When I got home just 2 or 3 minutes later I unpacked the food and sat down to eat it. The rice was stodgy, I t certainly wasn't freshly fried, it had been cooked some time beforehand and kept warm in a heated rice cooker or such like. The chicken wasn't great either, and the Black bean sauce was watery and unappetizing. All in all. a poor 2 out of 10 for getting the order right I suppose. Would I ever go back to Mandarin Palace take-away? Not a chance. Thankfully, we are spoiled for choice in Derry, and at least most other take away food businesses have the good manners to a t least appreciate your custom. Some of these staff seem to think they're doing us a favour, that we can't get this anywhere else!

Great place! Food and drink was delicious and staff were very kind and helpful. I would highly recommend.

The food is fantastic. Very busy restaurant. Loads of choice. Staff ate friendly and helpful and location is very central. Highly recommend

Had been meaning to call in for years as we visit Derry regularly, but never got round to it. Finally, myself and the wife went in for a meal and can't recommend it highly enough. The food was prompt and delicious, the staff were friendly and very helpful. Next time we're in Derry we'll definitely call in again!👌

Tuesday the 27th of December 2022. It was my kids 10th birthday and he asked to go here. So I was in derry anyway and rang at 4:30 to book a table . The woman on the phone said it was no problem and to come straight in and we were in the restaurant within 15 mins. 2 adults and 3 kids. We order 1 starter a round of drinks, food for the kids and 2 main courses . All was gong well and we were enjoying the food and the atmosphere in the restaurant. Then this happens The waiter asked did we want dessert and I said yes and told him it was my oldest boys birthday. He lifted our plates and headed back to the kitchen. He then return and whispered in my ear that a piece of cake was coming out for my son and he was very sorry but would you mind leaving as soon as it come out as we need the table. This was at approximately 5:20.. not even in the place an hour at this stage. I said to myself I'm saying nothing and just going to leave and il never be back. So the waiter landed with a takeaway tub for the cake and off we went. £78 for that treatment, Obviously didnt leave a tip. I wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.

Desastre sin más tapujos. Fuimos en familia a cenar en Nochebuena con mucha ilusión y mi pareja (vegetariana) solicitó Thai...

In late November 2022, my girlfriend and I stayed in Derry. We had not been back to the Mandarin Palace in several years due to Covid. We were excited to go back and found it as wonderful as years past. The food, service and drinks...

Just to recommend this lovely restaurant with a great range of dishes on offer. A lovely ambience and very friendly and helpful staff. Really good food. A lovely lunch and we will be back!

Arrived for our table of 4 and seated at a nice table at the window. 1st thing we noticed was how cold it was. We ordered a mix of starters so we could all share together. 3 came, 2 didn't. We asked for extra side...

Decent enough Chinese restaurant. 2 courses for £21 on their express menu was good value. Cocktails are overpriced for the standard and the beer selection is awful though. Need to get some decent craft beers in.

Travelled over 25 miles to go here, left disappointed, hungry and angry. Food was freezing, curry even grew skin by the time it got to the table. No service during meal. We attempted to order dessert, got the menus but nobody came back near us....

As part of my Hen celebrations my daughter organised dinner in Mandarin Palace. It's actually 10 years since Ive dined there. It was Wednesday night and the restaurant was buzzing with party groups and diners. The place is very smart and nicely furnished and we...

Good choice of menu staff efficient especially Emmett gave us first class service missed the owner doing his impersonation of Elvis

Works get-together all the way from omagh . Food was good but costly . Service was absolutely shocking . The 3 different people that took our order and brought it to us , couldn't even smile , We were told at the end of the...

Had been to this little gem a few days ago and I would not have chosen this one but sometimes reviews are just not that believable as we had amazing food in relaxed luxurious surrounding with cheerful staff who are very friendly and attentive and...

I ordered a delivery and when it was delivered everything was cold. I will not order a delivery from this place again.

Great meal. Lovely food, great portions and friendly staff. Fairly priced. Appear to be following Covid policy.

We enjoyed a lovely anniversary meal at the Mandarin Palace. Extensive menu to chose from. Food was very nice. Staff were very friendly and efficient. Ambience was very good.

Ate here during a short break in the city. Highly recommend this restaurant. Beautiful views over the river. Staff were so friendly and helpful. Tables well spaced out so felt Covid safe. Even room for us to have a pram beside the table. Food was...

I had a Thai Green Curry, my wife and daughter had a beef and chicken curry respectively. As always the best of food. Love to go here whenever in Derry. Pure class recommend 100%

Adhering to COVID restrictions. Seated quickly on a busy Wednesday evening. Staff were very friendly and chatty whilst also efficient. Lovely relaxed atmosphere in a clean establishment that faces onto a view of the river.

Went here with family there were 6 of us service was friendly and efficient waited a little longer for a few mains on the table they sent out two people’s mains then the remaining four which I would have liked them all out together but...

We were away in Derry for a few days, so Wanted to try local eateries! Found this restaurant online and decided to try it.. It was mediocre, food was as expected nothing mind blowing, just ok! Price was reasonable based on food & drink purchased!...

I've been here before when I visited Derry City and it was delicious and it didn't disappoint this time either. The chicken chow mein i just love it, fried rice and sweet and sour chicken my partner had was so tasty too and we had...

Had our family meal here tonight so glad to get out after lockdown staff was amazing everything was brilliant and fast our server was Rachel she was lovely cant wait to go back

awful chinese was not cooked properly crops was cold and left me feeling sick. won't be ordering again

I ordered a delivery. The order came quickly but what was inside was a big disappointment. One bag had the prawns cooked in a huge ball of under-cooked dough . The outside was brown but the inside was gooey. Also included was a container of...

Over priced is an understatement for incredibly average chinese food. Average doesn't mean bad, average is good in this sense, however there is absolutely no justification for the cost of eating in. Just get any other chinese, (or this one if its any cheaper) get...

the food here is so nice, we came as a trip away for the day and had dinner here and the service was brilliant and could not fault the food, the waitress who served us was lovely but I can't remember her name. We really...

We visited the restaurant twice, once on a Friday evening and then on the following Morning during our holiday in this amazing city. The food was amazing and the attentive and professional service from our Waitress Diana and Emmet who was front of house was...

Recommended to us by a local bartender, we gave this a try. There are some things that I cannot fault. The way we were looked after, despite not having booked. We were found a table very quickly and looked after by two trainees Teigan and...

The food is lovely and worth the money I would definitely be back thank you ursula is very nice. 💯.

Had a lunch here on Sunday 16th August with my partner, service, staff, food was excellent. All staff were wearing masks and the place is very safe and spotless. The staff are cleaning non stop and the place was busy enough for a sunday afternoon....

Had a lovely time here with 3 year old. Very friendly staff and delicious food. Really nice atmosphere too

Lovely spot. Nice atmosphere and attentive staff. Food was lovely and tasty. Had a chicken curry and chicken salt and chilly. The whole experience was excellent. Some of the extra positives are as follows. 1 sterling is equivalent to 1 euro 50% off your meal...

Myself and my partner were this restaurant on Friday night, what a lovely experience the food was some the nicest Chinese that i have had in a very long time, i had the Angel hair king prawns, outstanding my partner had the dumping s also...

Return visit to eat here before the Halloween parade. Staff were great at dealing with a larger party. They had time for the children. We enjoyed the entertainment and the cake for our daughter's birthday was a lovely touch. Great choice of dishes, great portions...

Food was lovely. Starters were amazing - chicken satay skewers and angel hair chicken. No room for dessert!!!

Went there saturday night quite busy but we got a seat nearly straight away spring rolls for four absolutely delicious we also had a pint each I had green curry with rice my wife sweet had sweet and sour chicken my daughter also had the...

Eat here very often with my wife and family food is always consistent with the same great taste always served pretty quick even when its busy great value lots of times its euro for pound On Sunday Elvis sometimes makes an appearance Which is great...

Order a couple of vegetarian mains and they were both very tasty. Portion sizes were good too. Very fast service by professional and friendly staff.

This place is well decorated and very busy, we waited quite a while to be seated although we had made reservations. Good food, large portions, desserts aren't the greatest but service was excellent. We were just expecting dinner, but, towards the end of our meal,...

We made a substantial order by phone and only had to wait 15 minutes for the food to arrive. Tasty selection of food for 5 people and a good selection of choice. Well done guys. Will definitely return.

Had dinner with a group of family and friends on Sunday past. The usual friendly welcome greeted us as we entered. Food was up to its usual good standard, no complaints from any of us.. Our waiter was good however when asked a few questions...

Super tasty food and generous portions. We were recommended to call here when in Derry and it didn't disappoint. We did get a large selection of dishes including salted chilli, honey chilli, chow mein and rice dishes. My only gripe would be the smaller than...

You know the old saying, if it looks like a duck, walks like a duck ...... You cannot fault the decor, the service etc but when it came to the main event I.e. the food, it was disappointing. The soup was thin and watery, the...

Well, after the parade and before going to the pubs we had dinner in Mandarin Palace. It was a very funny eve. The drinks and the food were Ok but the atmosphere was by far the best!.

We had a beautiful meal here on monday the 23rd of sept our waitress was Donna she was so pleasant and our visit very pleasant we had a waiter aswell didnt catch his name tho he had great fun with my daughter saying as she...

Very good food , with large portions, and a good drinks menu. All the usual favourites if you like oriental restaurants. The one bizarre thing that happened was the oriental owner came in, dressed in full Elvis outfit and began to sing? at full volume...

Went here last Monday at around 7:30pm. Have to say I wasn’t impressed. Our starters had arrived at our table before our drinks had come. A bar tender spotted this when we were about half way through our starters and got them for us. At...

Non prezzi economici, forse sopra la media anche per il posto. Buono ma non indimenticabile, la qualità degli ingredienti non...

Il locale è accogliente I piatti buoni e i prezzi contenuti.Nonostante abbia avvisato subito di essere celiaco e richiesto piatti...

Fuí con mi pareja y aunque al final nos salió un poco caro, estaba muy bueno y platos abundantes. Muy...

Locale ampio e ben organizzato , cibo buono, porzioni abbondanti è dire poco sono enormi il sevizio è rapido ed...

Big menu with lots of options and food was excellent. Portions for dinner are large. Restaurant is clean and spacious. The only issue was service - we waited 30 minutes between starter and main course before complaining - apparently we were forgotten, despite the fact...

Beautiful restaurant right on the water with delicious food & drinks. Staff is very friendly......& so much fun when Elvis makes an appearances!

got a takeaway, beef chop suey, was more like a vegetable one with some bits of beef thrown in, about 3 beensprouts and very dry. Batter on the king prawn balls was soggy and greasy. Will not be ordering from there again.

So my family and I were staying at the City Hotel Derry and the hotel staff recommended the Mandarin Palace. Their recommendation was greatly appreciated as we had a very good meal. We were seated quickly and the service was very good. I ordered the...

Really enjoyed family meal here. Food good and portions big. Good value when paying in euro. Would come back.

If you are used to good fresh light Thai food do not come here. The Thai red curry is thick and stodgy and bears no resemblance to Thai red curry ! The Chinese offerings are quantity over quality . Far too much rice . The...

We ate at the Mandarin Palace before when we visited Derry. The food once again was excellent value for money with big portions too. Ursula was friendly and very pleasant. The service was good and staff were attentive. We’ll definitely be back again.

Birthday dinner, very enjoyable, good choice of menu. Staff very attentive and polite.Elvis arrived part way through dinner to sing happy birthday to another client, much to my suprise. I gather this is a regular occurrence from the proprietor. Have to admit I have heard...

Went with a group of friends for a meal. The restaurant was very busy and yet the service was excellent. The actual food was ok but nothing special

Visited this restaurant again , and once again we absolutely loved it , food was beautiful, the service was excellent and very reasonably priced . We will definitely be back .

My partner and I visited the Mandarin Palace today. We had 2 courses each and 3 ciders between us. We also had 2 extra sides with our main course. Well... When we went to the till we were told it was £65. We could not...

It was like eating a secondary school example of what a Chinese meal should look and taste like! School dinner!

I found my meal satisfactory but most of my friends loved it. I found it very noisy and busy. The bar appeared very short staffed.

Best Chineese restauarant I have ever been eaten in. New interrior with great atmosphere. Excellent food from very large menu served by very friendly and effeciant staff.

We walked by this restaurant on the Tuesday evening and could not believe how busy it was. Decided to give it a try on the Wednesday and they had no difficulty in accommodating 5 of us despite being really busy Food from the fixed evening...

A family group of 16 ate here for my sons first communion celebration.. All went smoothly, our waitress was great, everyone enjoyed the food and there was a good buzz about the restaurant..

We booked a table thankfully as for a Sat night it was very busy. The food was great. No complaints. Even though it was very busy there was plenty of staff and there was no long waits. The staff were attentive and friendly. Was a...

We always eat at Mandarin Palace when visiting Derry as it is so delicious! We’ve been a few times now and haven’t been let down yet. This time we ordered off the Express Menu which is 2 courses for £15. I was worried that this...

We were on a family visit to the city. Our welcome was great, service was next to none and the food was excellent. It was a surprise visit for a birthday and how the staff put on a show with the dessert that my daughter...

Beautiful restaurant with friendly attentive staff and delicious food.We ordered two courses for £15 off their Express menu, great value.Served promptly and every bite delicious especially the sweet and sour chicken fried rice.

Me and my partner got a take away from here on Friday night to the hotel the food was nice I would try here again when we are next down staying

If you want all your dishes to taste like peking and pay a fortune you’ll love this place. Also on a saturday ‘Elvia’ comes and shouts down the microphone- so eat before 8 to avoid this. Elvis could only come on in a bar area...