"Our waitress, Mi, was juggling multiple tasks, taking phone orders, serving tables, and assisting in the kitchen all on her own. She mentioned that the owner couldn't afford to hire any additional help, which left her feeling overwhelmed. As a result, the service was quite slow. Mi began taking our orders, and after one person from our table shared her choice, she said she’d be back in a moment to attend to another table that needed water. Approximately three minutes later, she returned to finish taking our other three meal orders. I’ve never experienced a waitress stopping mid-order to assist another table, which highlighted the need for more staff to provide efficient service.
Although their menu mentions beer and wine, we were informed that they weren’t serving any alcoholic beverages at the moment—only soft drinks and unsweetened iced tea. We also noticed that the menu prices had increased, but instead of providing updated menus, they had covered the old printed prices with handwritten stickers on the laminated versions.
We had heard that Mandarin Garden offers the best Chinese food in Sebastian, yet we all found our meals to be rather average, lacking any standout qualities compared to other Chinese restaurants we’ve visited. The soups were just okay—the egg drop soup was a bit thicker than what we usually enjoy. The appetizers were slightly greasy, and the main entrees were a bit salty. The fried rice was decent, though.
We concluded our meal with fortune cookies, hoping for a satisfying crunch, but instead received soft, stale cookies that were quite disappointing. Unfortunately, unless improvements are made to the interior, more staff is hired, and the temperature issue is addressed, we probably won’t return. It was simply too warm, which made our dining experience uncomfortable."
