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Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
Category: Restaurants Chinese Chinese
3132 Vicente St(between 42nd Ave & 43rd Ave)
San Francisco, CA 94116
(415) 564-3481
- Hours:
Mon, Wed, Fri-Sun 11:30 am - 9:30 pm
Tue, Thu 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Beer & Wine Only
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
403 reviews for Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant
Review Highlights
"you must try the curried lamb and beef pancake."
(in 116 reviews)
"Not to forget their hot pot here is DELICIOUS."
(in 144 reviews)
"Lamb dumplings are yummy as well."
(in 37 reviews)
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403 reviews in English
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Review from phillip w.
San Francisco, CA
2/2/2012
Ive been here a couple times now, and personally I prefer the entrees over the hotpot. Don't get me wrong, the hotpot is very good but just not my cup of tea.
So entree wise -
Braised tendon which was very nice, and with tendon it was quite funny to see how some people couldnt pick it up with their chopsticks.
Sauteed grean beans, fairly easy dish that restaurants should not fudge up on.
Pan fried bao - big, juicy, and flavorful. I've always enjoyed this dish.
Poached Fish in a spicy sauce with cabbage? - this was a very good dish, the spiciness just creeps up on you and next thing you know you are sweating.
Beef Pancakes are usually ordered regularly, look its beef sliced between green onion pancake. delicious.
At Old Mandarin you can get a nice hearty meal for a good price. Service is nice and quick though when it gets busy you might need to ask for your drink again. They are not listed in the top 100 for nothing ya know, so come check it out! -
Review from y c.
San Francisco, CA
1/19/2012
been here couple times, most recently for hot pot...2 people, lamb,beef,fish, veggies, around 60 bucks, kinda expensive but we were full though
if i order a la carte, it would be the fish soup, beef pancake, and lamb ribs (this is off the menu) -
Review from Deanna Y.
San Francisco, CA
1/12/2012
I didn't know Mandarin and Islamic were two words that went together. I had no idea what to expect the first time I ate here, but I was pleasantly surprised with how tasty the food was.
Order the beef pancake. Or the onion pancake. Just do it.
Green beans with fried tofu is delicious. Crisp green beans and perfectly fried tofu. You can tell that the oil is fresh.
Lamb curry, mongolian lamb, and the lamb ribs (my favorite) are all very flavorful and delicious. The meat is tender in all of the dishes.
Dishes are around $9-14. $1 for a bowl of rice.
Didn't have a problem with service. The girl that served us wasn't very talkative though. Food came out fast.
They have a cash only sign, but they do take credit cards now.
The fortune cookies they give you at the end of the meal are kinda weird, but fun fact aside, they have a pretty extensive menu with some unique dishes. Good change of pace from your typical Chinese restaurant. I actually will make the drive out to eat here every once in a while. -
Review from Tom T.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011
My best friend and I are really really serious about our Chinese food. We love all foods, but Chinese holds a particularly special place in our hearts and palettes. This is why it is of such significance when both she and I can without question state that Old Mandarin is the best Chinese food we've ever eaten.
We said things like:
"I've been waiting my whole life for this moment."
"It's like i'm tasting food for the first time."
"If I were contemplating suicide and I ate this food I would recognize that there is still reason to live and hope for the future."
It was THAT good. We ate the mandarin beef, chow mein, a huge order of hot and sour soup and the beef pancake. Each of them was more spectacular than the other, though the melt-in-your-mouth mandarin beef was giving me heart murmurs. After lunch we walked over to the zoo, spent two hours in a food coma squinting at the animals, and then when walking back to our car gave very serious thought to ordering the exact same meal again. -
Review from Anna C.
San Francisco, CA
I'm a huge fan of spicy foods , so when I heard about the famous "Extremely Hot Pepper" dish at the Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant, I knew I had to try it. The dish consists of bits of chicken, eggs, and a WHOLE lot of fresh and dried chili peppers swimming in chili oil. In fact, it was probably 90% chili and 10% chicken and eggs. Was it tasty? Sure. Spicy? HELL YES. And this is coming from someone who eats habaneros and Thai chili's with everything.
"Extremely Hot Peppers" is not really a dish you would eat by itself since the greasiness starts to really get to you after a few bites. I mixed it up with the cumin lamb and the beef pancakes, two other must order dishes here . The "water cooked fish" was also delicious.
I see a lot of people complaining about the bad service, but we didn't really encounter that problem. It was a busy Sunday night, but our tea was always filled promptly, and they were quick to come over every time we raised a hand. This could have been because we had a mandarin speaker with us though.
The total bill came to about $24 per person including tax and tip for 7 people. It was a good deal considering the amount of food we ordered. -
Review from J L.
San Francisco, CA
1/7/2012
I stumbled upon this place about a year ago. It's amazing. I dream of the lamb dumplings.
The beef pancake is too greasy for me. The other lamb dishes are pretty good. I haven't tried the hot pot yet but it looks tasty. Home style vibe--the owners/wait staff/cooks seems to all hang out at the back table on a weekend afternoon. TV in the back of the restaurant plays crazy chinese shows.
Still trying to discover other dishes that I like as much, but the lamb dumplings keep us coming back again and again. -
Review from kelly t.
San Jose, CA
12/16/2011
There's a reason why this restaurant is America's Top 100 Chinese restaurant. Food is good and spicy. I thought it was a great experience to eat a different ethnic Chinese food than the usual Cantonese, Hunan, or Schezwan food. It was well worth my time and food.
I gave this place 4 stars because one of the spicy dishes had about 95% all peppers, and only 5% meat. It was good, but I don't want to pay for a plateful of peppers with a sprinkle of meat. -
Review from Michelle K.
San Francisco, CA
1/5/2012
This place doesn't look like much on the outside, but turns out to be incredibly good. I especially recommend it for large groups and would suggest ordering a bunch of things to share. Green onion pancakes are delicious! I also LOVE the fried tofu, possibly the best tofu I have ever had. This place is great for vegetarians and vegans as well as meat eaters.
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Review from Joanna R.
11/12/2011
Ah... I wish I had better things to say, but I've really truly honestly experienced much better...
We ordered mongolian beef, chicken chow mein, hot & sour soup, seafood chicken tofu vegetable warm pot. I placed them in the order of... taste-y-ness. But they were all either average or... just not very good.
The dinner began with an alley way entrance through their kitchen to back room like Shalimar in Tenderloin. And if you know Tenderloin, I think you will understand what I'm talking about. You don't ever want to walk through a restuarant's kitchen and nor do restaurant's ever want to allow customers to see what goes on back there. It's no bueno. Customers are able to see everything (if you purposely showcase the meal-making, then it's okay... but this is not the case here). I honestly don't know if someone is an employee or some member of the family/ friends. Interesting atmosphere. The backroom just felt like a room that was a part of a house. Kind of... sketchy. Oh, and we wanted sauce and some random guy gave it to us (huh??....now I don't know if he is a worker, but we thought he was a customer at first).
The food. The mongolian beef was alright. Nothing special about it and same with the chow mein. My mom makes both all the time at her work (yes, she is a chef....able to cook probably anything if she tries) and truthfully without bias, my mom makes it better. The hot & sour soup and the warm pot dish.... are questionable. I don't know what it was supposed to taste like. For them, I mean.
I know I'm bagging on them a lot.. but even with some decent service, I would have easily added another star. But meh. Everything was just... okay. Not good for a starving soul. Maybe we just ordered the wrong stuff? -
Review from Elena L.
San Francisco, CA
12/30/2011
I have to say, don't go if you don't like lamb. Lamb usually tastes too heavy for me, so I ordered beef, but I can still taste the lamb. I guess they use the same pot they cook lamb to make other meat. If you like lamb-flavored beef, then I guess you should go here.
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Review from Sally Z.
San Francisco, CA
1/16/2012
This place is the best!!!! First of all GREAT food, we ordered the hotpot, which was very authentic and the dipping sauce was just as I remembered in China. We ordered the beef pancakes, which were wonderful. The stir-fried lamb was amazing, very tender and flavorful, with just the right amount of spices and spiciness. The clear noodle with shredded chicken and cucumber was wonderful, the owner said it would be a great dish if we liked mustard sauce and she was right. The beef tongue dish was the best I've eaten anywhere, so tender and juicy I couldn't believe it was beef tongue. Very efficiently and prompt service too, the owner was very friendly to us and recommended some truly great dishes. She sat down and chatted with us for a while after learning my friend just got back from China. The waiters were very nice too. Can't say enough good things about this place!
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Review from Yueqi Z.
San Francisco, CA
12/29/2011 1 photo
.The food tasted good but the service was not good .when they served us I felt depressed while I was eating . We did not known there are cash only ,so we thought we didnt have enough tips to gave to them ,the total was $46 some thing and we gave all of our money which was $53 .we told the waitress we didn't know here is cash only ,we might not have enough money ,and we said sorry . She just looked at us didn't say anything .and my Bf said just didn't have enough tips . Suddenly she walked back to the counter without say thank u or any other words ...it s not the only thing to make us felt uncomfortable . This was our first time to eat here ,but may be the last time too .
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Review from Saliha B.
Mountain View, CA
11/4/2011 1 Check-in Here
Super small hole in the wall with pretty amazing halal Chinese food. At first the five of us who went were seated in some cramped corner but then the hostess seated us in another part of the restaurant for overflow seating wherein you had to walk through the kitchen to get there. Kind of weird, but hey the kitchen smells helped awaken my taste buds and prepare me for the deliciousness I was about to embark upon.
I don't even remember what we ordered as we shared a couple of dishes. But everything was cooked and seasoned well. Pricing was reasonable. The location was kind of off the beaten path near the SF zoo but had easy parking, which is hard to find in the city so can't complain there. It was right off the highway driving up from South Bay so pretty easy to get to. Will definitely be back when I'm in the mood for some halal chinese. -
Review from Kirk K.
San Francisco, CA
12/12/2011
Food is alright, service was good to us. Waitress lady is kind of pushy.
Get lamb, don't bother with other meats. Dumplings were okay, pancakes were alright, hot pot is mediocre.
It can get busy, they have more seating in the backrooms.
Don't bother with their dessert, sucks. -
Review from Susan W.
San Diego, CA
11/7/2011
Again, another tasty place in SF that makes me lament the lack of equally tasty food in SD. We had the following dishes, all of which were tasty:
Onion pancake
Beef noodle soup
Cumin lamb (requested to make it spicy)
Spicy green beans (requested the hard tofu)
Tofu with cilantro (I'm not sure what this dish was called but it was amazing...I love cilantro and this was the perfect blend of cilantro and some other savory flavor, maybe sesame oil?)
Everything was really tasty. Bring money, they only take cash! -
Review from robbie l.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011
Was really looking forward to eating here. The food and flavors lacked intensity. Lots of lamb dishes which I was excited about. Lamb ribs were tender but the flavors were not strong. Perhaps my expectations and perceptions of what this food was going to taste like were wrong. I will have to go back to give it another shot.
Service is awful. Don't expect any!! -
Review from Mo M.
San Francisco, CA
11/5/2011
My favorite Chinese restaurant in San Francisco. 5 stars for the food, 2 for the service ... but it is worth it. Just bring cash, a good attitude and patience!
Try the
* Onion Pancake
* Beef w/Spring Onions
* Szechuan Chicken
* Spicy Green Beans with Tofu (ask them to substitute "hard tofu" for the "fried tofu")
Skip the pot stickers. -
Review from Damon Z.
11/14/2011
Though the name sounds puzzling, Mandarin Islamic, it is simply a place to get dee-lish-iss Chinese food, while observing Islamic dietary laws, such as the exclusion of pork products. I was fortunate enough to try it with a group of people, allowing us to order a number of dishes, and enjoy it family style.
The first dish to arrive was a curried lamb, which had a pleasantly smoky aroma of cumin. When I took my first bite, it totally melted in my mouth. I can honestly say that I've never had lamb so tender in my life. Next came the salt and pepper tofu, fresh out of the frying pan. They were crisp on the outside, steaming hot and fluffy on the inside, and gave me a greater appreciation for the common salt and pepper. Green beans with tofu followed. The green beans retained crispness, were spicy, and the tofu, which accompanied the green beans, had a nice firm bite. Somewhere in the mix were lamb dumplings, and three different types of pancakes. The lamb dumplings were not as flavorful as the curried lamb, but the meat was just as tender, and were great with a little drizzle of soy sauce. The pancakes were as expected, layered dough with onions or meat inside, but the vegetable pie was so stuffed with goodies (scallions, dried shrimp, noodles, egg) that it could be a meal in itself. We ended with a spicy whole fish, that was de-boned, and was served in a large soup-like bowl. I don't recall what the fish dish was called, but we poured it on rice, in rice bowls, and it provided the perfect ending, totally satiating my tummy!
While eating, our hot tea pot was frequently refilled, and we experienced good service overall. Definitely on my to-go-back-to list!!! -
Review from Christine K.
San Francisco, CA
8/23/2011
LAMB, VEGETARIAN, FISH...
You've got it all here and they're all delicious!
I have always been a fan of Chinese Islamic food and this one is my new go to in the city. We had a party of 8 on a Friday night. Even though Yelp said they didn't take reservations, my sister gave them a call and was able to reserve a table for us at 6:30pm.
LOVED:
- vegetarian chive pancake
- fish soup with pickled vegetables (sour deliciousness!)
- lamb with green onion
- spicy eggplant
- fried tofu with green beans- YUM!
MEH:
- Beef pancake was alright. I found it to be too oily and lacking flavor.
- Tofu dish with egg. It looks like a giant dish of beautiful, fresh tofu... but when I dug in, I found it to taste more like a tofu ommelette.
Definitely worth the trek to the outer sunset! If you're not sure what to get, I found the waitress to be very helpful in making recommendations.
Cash only and easy to park! -
Review from Mai R.
San Francisco, CA
9/16/2011
My typical order:
-Hot and sour soup
-Beef pancake
-Extremely hot pepper dish
-Mandarin Lamb
I always hope to have leftovers to take to work, but it never happens! I'm thinking it's a good thing ;) -
Review from Barbara M.
San Francisco, CA
1/15/2012
Great place, great food! The beef pancake is to die for, we also had hot and sour soup and loved it. Beef in Mongolian beef dish was not the best quality meet, but prepared in a delicious way. They were really busy when we got there, and still got our food really fast, and were very nice. I think it will become our go-to Chinese place in the neighborhood.
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Review from Johnson X.
Millbrae, CA
10/26/2011
I wish I can give them 0 star if I can. The food is OK. But the old lady who may be the owner is just too greedy! They don't have any ice for the water and they don't have enough labor to give enough service. The attitude that old lady expressed is just to ask you to order more and more food to add up the bill.
Another issue is that they don' t even have dishwasher! I asked the lady and she said "the machine can not wash to clean."
They looks clean on the surface, but pretty dirty in the system and in the owner's mind.
The big brand in China, Haidilao, will be open soon in San Francisco. This dinner we had at this restaurant was actually with Haidilao's owner. But the experience we had was giving them more confidence and courage to open a better place for hot pot in San Francisco.
This old Islamic restaurant is not considered a brand which can compare with someone. They are just a family place that trying to make some cash for their retirement. Cash only here.
But don't go there. -
Review from Dolores L.
San Francisco, CA
8/5/2011
I hate lamb...
BUT any place that's got me ordering almost all my dishes with lamb deserves 5 stars in my book.
The lamb chop stewed in the clay pot is delicious. The meat falls right off the bones. The sauce it is stewed is similar to curry and uber flavorful. Unfortunately, I don't know what it's called on the menu because I just say 'lamb chop' in Chinese. Sorry, I know that's utterly useless if you can't speak Chinese. :T
Lamb dumplings. Tastes very fresh, pretty sure they are made to order.
Beef pancake. Crispy savory pancake with meat in the middle. Mmm...
Bean curd noodles with lamb. Reminiscent of beef chow fun, but tastes a lot healthier and with lamb. Yum.
Fun fact (to me): I was told that this place has authentic cuisine from Beijing, but the style and method of cooking is influenced by Islamic cuisine. -
Review from Steve S.
San Francisco, CA
11/30/2011
The food is fantastic. The pancakes (onion, beef, or vegetable) are a must-order, as is the mongolian lamb perfumed with cumin. The shredded (al dente) potatoes with chilies are also great -- smoky and spicy, with a splash of vinegar -- if you can stand the heat. This is a restaurant like no other in the country, albeit also a humble little neighborhood joint.
The one flaw? The service is almost bizarrely inattentive, as if the wait staff thinks it's fine to barely notice what the customers are doing. Last night we ate there with some out of town friends and drove halfway across the city to get there. The food was fabulous, as usual, but at one point I conducted a little experiment of looking directly at the waiter, as he watched the big-screen TV on the wall with the other staffers, to see how long it would take for him to notice me trying to catch his eye. It took 15 minutes of staring at him directly to get his attention, and we were one of two tables in the place.
My advice, as a former waiter myself: With this level of food, and these raves on Yelp, WAKE UP, GUYS, COME ON!
Other than that, however, it's a wonderful place to eat some highly unusual and spirited food. -
Review from Chloe B.
San Francisco, CA
6/5/2011
Old Mandarin Islamic is one of the best Chinese restaurants in San Francisco. They serve very traditional dishes and hot pot.
The lamb slices that come with hot pot is the bomb, you can't get such quality lamb anywhere else in the Bay Area, not even at Little Sheep Mongolian Hot Pot! The sesame dipping sauce is the best of the best.
Beef Pancake! How can I not order it every time I dine here? The beef pancake is heavenly - juicy, soft, rich and appetizing. There are two layers of ground beef unlike the other places which give you only one layer of ground beef.
Stir fried pork kidneys is one of my favorite plates. You can't find the stir-fried pork kidneys on the menu, but ask for it and they will serve this amazing dish to you. The stir-fried pork kidneys are a bit spicy, but once your take your first bite, you will never stop eating this yummy dish. It tastes just as good as the one in China.
Lamb ribs is also one of my favorite dishes. I order lamb dishes at every restaurant that has lamb. The lamb ribs here are tender and succulent. The meat comes right off the bone.
Stir-fried pickled Chinese cabbage with vermicelli is one of my hometown dishes in Northern China. You rarely find authentic pickled Chinese cabbage in the Bay Area, but you can get it here! This dish is only good for people who like pickled Chinese cabbage, though, because it seems like not that many people like it. Hell, be adventurous and give it a try, you never know!
Mongolian Beef! Yes, I ordered it and loved it. I seldom order Mongolian Beef at Chinese restaurants. The reason I ordered this flavorful dish is because when I saw the waitress bring it out from the kitchen to someone else's table, it looked extremely delicious. I asked the waitress what that dish was, and it turned out to be Mongolian Beef. I gave it a try, and it didn't disappoint.
Pickled garlic is a side order that's a MUST for me - again this item tastes the same as the ones in China do.
If you are a lamb lover and lover of spicy food, this is the place to be! Highly recommended! -
Review from Louise L.
San Francisco, CA
7/24/2011
An unexpected gem. We went vegetarian and were very impressed. Each dish (Mongolian tofu, vegetarian pie, and cold Peking noodles) have distinct flavors and were well prepared. The tofu was beautifully fried: I wish I could get my tofu this crispy! The noodles came with a sesame sauce which made them taste light. And the vegetable pie was an interesting, structural concoction. They must fry it in a tall, round pan. Think of it as a large, vegetable friend dumpling with chive, clear noodle, egg, and dried shrimp (ah, yes, that's a vegetable). And I have a soft spot for any restaurant that has a pot of chili oil at every table.
Everything tasted fresh and well made. I am definitely returning. -
Review from Melanie K.
Oakland, CA
7/28/2011
We were craving shabu shabu, and instead of our usual jaunts, someone said "Hey, how about hot pot at Old Mandarin Islamic!" Having just read an article in the chronicle about a man eating at every Chinese restaurant in San Francisco, I recalled him liking this place quite a bit.
The restaurant (CASH ONLY!) is a dingy little storefront near the end of Vicente. the inside is nothing much to look at. The toilet was clogged and there is a window outside the bathroom from where I heard various voices... Ah well.
The food was delicious. The spicy hot pot was spicy (yay) and tasty. we ordered beef, lamb, tofu, some type of spinach and noodles. Each accoutrement was tasty. The beef turned an odd greyish color from the cooking, but tasted great.
We also got an order of chicken with flour dumpling type things. Loved that dish! Didn't understand it, but loved it. I brought the leftovers to work.
Good eats, good price, great place to connect over a communal bowl of soupy goodness. -
Review from claire de lune avec debussy j.
San Francisco, CA
6/20/2011
Tasty. Fast.
D and I have been here two times and have ordered different things each time we've gone. The dishes have not disappointed at all.
(I'm publishing this now as I noticed I had a draft saved but really - what more is there to know? Good food is good.) -
Review from Chris Y.
San Francisco, CA
11/19/2011 1 Check-in Here
Unbelievable food here. If you're american like me, 5 years ago, I would have hated this place. My idea of chinese food used to consist of panda express and fortune cookies (which aren't even chinese). Since I've moved here and my wife has expanded my horizons (food wise), I can see past the horrible service. She told me it is actually part of the culture. lol The worse the service the better the food. (Not always of course) That only applies to most Chinese restaurants that are located in densely Asian populated areas. Anyway. The lamb is good. Hot pot is the way to go. The beef pancake is my favorite with the peanut sauce to dip in. (it's not what you think people. Have an open mind lol)
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Review from Amy N.
San Francisco, CA
4/24/2011
Honestly, we were a little thrown off by the name of this place... Old Mandarin Islamic?... What is Mandarin Islamic food?... Turns out, it's just really good Chinese food.
We had the beef and veggie pancakes (SO delish!!) and egg rolls (standard) to start. Other highlights included the Mandarin lamb (super flavorful) and Mongolian beef (total crowd pleaser). We also had the broccoli shrimp, veggie chow mein and kung pao chicken. All were above average.
PLUS, they let us bring in our own wine and only charged $10 for the entire table of 7 to drink. So, the group dinner was really affordable.
Our entire group was really pleased and I'll definitely go back next time we're in the neighborhood. -
Review from Andrew M.
4/26/2011
Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant provided one of the spiciest and most intense meals I have ever had, and it was thoroughly enjoyable!
First off, the restaurant was very accommodating to our reservation (which they do take, contrary to what the business info states), that kept changing party members and time.
A word of warning: Although the server's recommendations were delicious, they were the priciest items that we ordered, so be aware of this.
Extremely Hot Peppers: This was the spiciest dish I have ever eaten at a restaurant. I broke into a sweat seconds after eating just a bit of the dish. However, I was drawn back to it throughout the night, and topped many of the other food items with these peppers. Apparently, chicken and egg were mixed in among the peppers, but I didn't notice through the spice.
Braised Lamb Ribs: The ribs were my favorite dish. The meat literally fell off the bone in its tenderness, and the rich sauce continually bathed the ribs in its flavor. Those wary of lamb meat's notorious game-y taste should have no reason to worry.
Kung Pao Chicken: Ordinary and uninspiring dish in comparison with the bold flavors presented by the other dishes.
Peking Beef Pancake: Crispy and layered with flavor, but did not become special until topped with the Extremely Hot Peppers.
Vegetable Pie: Similar to the Beef Pancake in terms of the crispy skin, but the vegetable insides were more fitting as a garnish to another dish rather than the star of its own pie.
Steamed Fish: This fish was great tasting once extricated from the oil broth that it was steamed in. Sure, the broth provided the flavor, but had I left any more on the fish, surely my sweat would have turned to oil.
String Beans & Tofu: The beans were crunchy and glistening from the oil, which meant they were perfect. The tofu, on the other hand, was fried like In & Out's well-done fries. The tofu was extra crispy and had an unexpected texture.
I would come back, and with a party big enough to have several dishes. -
Review from beverly l.
San Francisco, CA
10/10/2011
Great hotpot, lamb dumplings, and beef pancakes. Prices and service are reasonable too.
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Review from Sara P.
San Francisco, CA
3/19/2011
Totally legit. I can't believe it took me this long to try it! It's comparable to the food I ate in Hohhot with a few Beijing specialities thrown in.
We were seated within 10 minutes of walking in at 8 on a Friday night however, the restaurant is tiny so it's probably best to call ahead. Our order was:
-Extremely hot peppers: they are not joking...even if you think you like spicy, think twice before ordering
-Beef pancake: LOVE. not too greasy.
-Mongolian lamb: slightly spicy, laced with cumin
Overall, a great meal. I'll be back!!!Listed in: SF Lovin'
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Review from Jules S.
San Francisco, CA
3/30/2011
Place is small, but food is authentic and fresh, fairly quick service, can wear anything there and be comfy.
Loved the tofu and green beans, shrimp was delish, again, everything fresh. -
Review from Aaron L.
San Mateo, CA
6/20/2011 1 Check-in Here
Delicious and spicy stir fry lamb dishes and I could taste the dumplings.
I like it HOT!!! -
Review from Minnie P.
San Francisco, CA
5/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
I really thought I would miss pork a lot more than I did.
This place was recommended to me by a group of cooks after a thoroughly heated debate. My verdict? The food was super yummy! Beef pancake was like a deconstructed dumpling; extremely hot peppers were awesome as a condiment; and the bf liked the lamb ribs A LOT.
My only complaint: the prices were a little steep for the ambiance/quality. Parking is convenient, though. -
Review from Arnold T.
Islamic...what's Islamic food taste like?
At first, I thought this restaurant was some wild fusion place. It's not really a fusion place, rather a restaurant with a concentration on Northern Chinese cuisine. After my first visit here, I have formally branded Old Mandarin Islamic restaurant, one of my favorite non-Cantonese style Chinese restaurants.
RECOMMENDATION: If you don't continue to read any of this review; read the next two sentences. If you don't like lamb or spicy foods, don't come here. If you do, come here because their menu has a lot of that and boy do they do it well!
Went for dinner about a week and a half ago and we were sat in their extra room they have which I will good-naturedly call the "VIP room". It's basically an adjacent room they have left of the restaurant that has a few extra tables when they get ultra busy. From the look of it, this VIP room is also plays a part of their partial storage area.
With numerous mouth-watering hot pots going all over the restaurant, it was hard for me not to choose hot pot as my direction for dinner. I went the route of choosing from their vast array of items they have on their menu. We ordered a bunch of stuff, but I'll just discuss a couple notables.
The Peking beef pancake and the West Lake lamb dumplings were our starters. This beef pancake is no ordinary pancake. With a crispy skin outside, and consisting of "New York flank steak" filling (that's what the server said at least), this left me wanting another order when it was done. I could of easily been satisfied with just the pancake, but then the dumplings came. The dumplings had delectable lamb meat filling and light broth in each dumpling bite. The skin was nicely proportioned with the meat and again, I thought I couldn't be impressed more.
My favorite entrees that we ordered were the egg-surfaced lamb and stirred potato with chili. The egg-surfaced lamb came on this enormous plate and it was shaped like an omelet. Stuffed inside was a mixture of lamb cooked in some sauce with various ingredients including some ginger (ginger is disgusting to me, but it was still appetizing!) to neutralize the gaminess of the lamb meat. On top was coated with this special brown sauce I'm still figuring out. Oh so good! The other, potato with chili was a simple dish. It was thin strands of potato and cooked with some spicy sauce. Basic, yet very tasty, and it's very underrated. The potato with chili is definitely a good complementary dish to all the meat.
OK, I know I was just going to mention a few of the entrees, but I basically mentioned most of the stuff we ordered. This place is no joke; it's really good. The service was very nice, but slow at times. Understandably, it was very busy and they had to jump from the main restaurant to their VIP room. They take cash only which I wish they'd change. As far as my future visits, I have already thought of what I will order next. (Again, no joke) That Beijing styled hot pot will definitely be on the list of things to try, and that unforgettable beef pancake will always be on future orders as well. -
Review from Sally M.
Updated - 1/7/2011 1 photo
Last night I felt the need to hit the beach and go somewhere off the beaten path. Naturally the fact that it was freezing cold presented a slight problem to the beach idea, but we still headed to the Outer Sunset, and instead of getting out of the car, we just watched the waves for a bit, listened to the tide with the windows peeped, and stayed warm from the seat warmers. And I still filled my need for viewing the ocean's panoramic vast expanse.
Before this little intermission, we had dinner at Old Mandarin Islamic, one of my favorites. Instead of doing the traditional hot pot, we looked for authentic menu options to sample. Obviously the "Sauteed Lamb with Water" stood out to us - because what did it mean "with water"? It almost seemed like saying "cooked with heat," so of course we had to inquire. Apparently this menat it was cooked without any oil, but our waitress tried to point us towards the Mandarin Lamb instead, saying our first choice was a bit "game-y". We were having none of this, as we weren't going to be dissuaded form the authentic courses just b/c we weren't Chinese ourselves (or even Asian for that matter), so we decided that just b/c we were encouraged to not try this dish, this meant this dish was the one to get. And right we were! It was *AMAZINGLY* delicious.
For the second option we went to Yelp to look up tips, and I saw the "Sour Green Sliced Fish in Warm Pot" as highly recommended. Of course I was terrified by the name itself, while my dining companion was intrigued to no end. Given I'd just gone on and on during the car ride over about how I needed more "weird" in my life and how I wanted to move away from mainstream society and into a more creative existence, it was only fitting that I put my money where my mouth is and try this dish. ;) Again, we were both pleasantly surprised, and it was yummy. (But word to the wise, eat it before it cools down - once luke warm, not so hawt.)
Lastly we ordered a little Hot & Sour soup - to ensure we were good and warm - and it was meh. Not amazing, not bad. Just kinda solid soup. It was our least favorite of the three.
p.s. see photo :)1 Previous Review: Show all »
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12/20/2009
It was a very cold weekend in SF a few weeks back, so even though I'd gone to Hot Pot the night… Read more »
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Review from Anna S.
New York, NY
2/25/2011
In China I would not give this restaurant 5 stars, but in America, I wish I could give it 6 stars! This is the most authentic Sichuan hotpot I have been able to find in 10 years of extensive searching. The broth is nowhere near as insanely spicy as it should be, but it definitely has that Sichuan peppercorn flavor. Just as importantly, they have THE hotpot dipping sauce that is so hard to find: a blend of fermented bean curd and sesame paste that combines so magically with the Sichuan peppercorn flavor. As far as hotpot items, they have all the staples, and everything is fresh. If I lived in SF I would be coming here twice a week...as it is, I cannot come to SF without stopping by!
As far as the rest of the menu goes, I haven't tried it, but people seem to like it. Even when there is other food on the table, I just can't tear my attention away from the hotpot!Listed in: Getting Real with NYC Hotpot
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Review from Cherylynn N.
San Francisco, CA
11/30/2010
Pepto Bismol is OFFICIALLY my new BFF!!!
Trust me, after eating at the Old Mandarin Islamic Restaurant, the sexy pink bottle will be your BFF/Cuddle Buddy for the night too!
I LOVE spicy foods and as sad as it may sound, nothing gets me more excited than strolling through the condiments aisle at my local Asian supermarket and eyeing bottles of Sriracha, Tuong Ot Toi, Ka-Me Hot Mustard and Ichimi Togarashi. So you can imagine my excitement when I heard about the Extremely Hot Peppers dish, "La Si Ni" ("Spiciness will kill you") in an episode of Chef vs. City which Chef Aaron Sanchez who's thing is chilis even struggled to finish the dish. Although the dish won't "kill" you, it may however, cause some damage to your other organs. :X
On Sun, 11/28/10, my friends and I arrived at OMIR at 5:45 PM and were promptly seated. Reservations are accepted for parties of 5 or more. There's a sign that says "Cash Only" but they DO take CC's.
MENU:
OMIR serves Northern Chinese Cuisine meaning you will find dishes w/ Szechuan and Shanghai influences. It's also Halal restaurant, so you won't find pork on the menu. However, they do serve alcohol which I find a bit odd.
The menu is quite extensive w/ apps, soups, dumplings, shabu, clay pots, noodles, beef, chicken, lamb, seafood, tofu and veggie dishes.
FOOD:
*SHABU:
We did a half/half soup base w/ regular and spicy broth ($3/pp).
We opted for the lamb and beef slices ($6.95 ea) which were fresh and well-marbled, so the meat didn't really need any sauces. The meat slices are thin and I like my meat medium rare to medium, so 8-10 secs in the soup base was sufficient. We also ordered enoki mushrooms, tofu and rice noodles ($3.95 ea) which were all fresh.
I see that some Yelpers have compared OMIR to Little Sheep in San Mateo. While the concept is similar, the soup bases are different. Little Sheep uses a lot of different chinese medicinal herbs and spices while the spicy soup base at OMIR for example is mainly seasoned w/ chili peppers. So needless to say, the soup base at OMIR is just "spicy" as opposed to being aromatic and flavorful like Little Sheep's.
*PEKING BEEF PANCAKE ($8.50): YUMMY! The beef pancake was like a triple layer of thin naan stuffed w/ a beef patty and then panfried. Although browned and bubbly, the exterior of the pancake lacked a crispy crunch. However, for some reason I didn't mind it since the moist and flavorful beef made up for it. MUST TRY w/ the Extremely Hot Peppers dish!
*EXTREMELY HOT PEPPERS AKA "LA SI NI" ($10.95): HOLY SH*T, it's HOOOOOOT, BUT SO GOOOOOOD! It's a dish made with about 80-85% chili peppers from every color of the rainbow (well, not really) with its Capsaicin, small chunks of chicken and egg droplets.
A lot of spicy dishes tend to be all heat and no flavor, however the "La Si Ni" had both; it was organ burning, yet had a garlicky, savory and slightly sweet component to it. I picked out most of the capsaicin seeds, yet as I ate the first bite, I instantly felt my mouth burn, and then a rush of heat hit my face, followed by sweat that started to form on my forehead. It literally turned my body into a natural burning furnace!
Unless you're Adam Richman (Man vs. Food), do NOT attempt to eat this dish alone otherwise you'll learn the hard way like I did. The "La Si Ni" is however, a PERFECT CONDIMENT to white rice, noodles, beef pancakes and tofu. It will give a punch of flavor not to mention a KO in the heat department.
SERVICE:
Plain and simple, the service BLOWS here! The entire staff is rude and inattentive. While we were eating, I found the manager always staring at us. I know it's an "Asian" thing, but there's nothing more awkward then someone staring while you're trying to enjoy your meal. When she passed by our table, she took the liberty of dumping our tofu in the hotpot WITHOUT our consent and "lecturing" us on how to cook the beef. Geez lady, we may be ABC and may not know how to solve a quadratic equation, but we can put two and two together that the meat/veggies go in the broth!
I had to ask 3x for water and when the trying to ask for the bill the waitress in her early 20s clearly saw me wave at her while she turned around and looked away. Then, as we were trying to pay for the bill, she proceeded to look at our bill/cash/cc several times, look away and text on her phone.
AMBIANCE:
OMIR is the typical simple, no frills Chinese restaurant. It's relatively clean; no sticky tables or wobbly chairs and can accommodate 30-35 people.
OMIR is really lacking in the service and etiquette department, however, as with many Asian restaurants you go there for the food and food ONLY (hence the generous 4 stars). And since I LOVE spicy foods, I will definitely be back to try the Spicy Fish in Claypot and will brave the "La Si Ni" again. But next time, I will prep my tummy w/ Tums followed by a post-treatment of Pepto b/c those after effects were NO JOKE!Listed in: HELLA CHINESEY!, SHABUUUU TIMEEEE *SWISH SWISH*
