Mandarette Chinese Cafe

I am celiac, so I am very careful about finding the right restaurant for me and my family. After our wonderful experience at Mandarette Café with their food and service, I have been visiting there quite often. My favorite foods there are Orange Chicken, Salt and Pepper Shrimp, Mongolian Beef and String Bean with Garlic Sauce. And they are all made Gluten Free

This is the best Gluten Free Chinese Restaurant!

Kenneth

Is ALL the food in this establishment gluten-free?

— Yes, the establishment is dedicated gluten-free

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Other Characteristics

• Good for takeout
• Offers online ordering

Friends, this restaurant changed management/owners last year so for anyone who went in 2021 or earlier….DO NOT TRUST IT ANYMORE. Had one of my worst incidents here earlier this year and absolutely zero remorse from management. You’ll notice the oyster sauce is now labeled as having gluten (was told to me to be Gf and was put in the dish even when I asked for it not to be)….so at least they did one thing right after!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— No gluten-free information on the menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much/None

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

BEWARE: Foods here are marked GF, but giant cross contamination issues. GF items are not cooked separately, and GF fried items are in the same “gluten/flour” oil. Wait staff are not reliable about providing information. Be careful if you are sensitive

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Not Much

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

My wife and I used to dine here as well as pick up when we used to live in LA. We’ve never had any issues with any cross contamination in all the times we’ve ordered. It’s possible maybe this is so because we’ve often gone during the lull hours like after lunch and just before peak dinner hours so that we had more of their attention? I eat mostly pescatarian so between my wife and I, there’s plenty to choose from off of their GF/V menu that always come out hot and fresh tasting. Full of flavor! Their mapo tofu is one of the best I’ve ever had and their vegetable dishes are delicious!

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

WARNING: DO NOT EAT HERE IF YOU HAVE CELIAC DISEASE. We ordered from here because of previous reviews on how celiac-safe it was given most things are labelled gluten free. They served us a dish with gluten in it (we asked before ordering and the MANAGER said it was gluten free) and contaminated my partner. HE WILL BE SICK FOR WEEKS NOW. The manager took no remorse and did not understand the severity of this mistake AT ALL. When we asked the SAME manager if the dish was gluten free after we tasted it and something tasted off, he said "well I put the sauce on the side." HE HAS NO IDEA WHAT HE IS DOING. SHAME ON THIS RESTAURANT THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON BEING GLUTEN FREE.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not at all

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Poor

Definitely safe, TONS of options for people with Celiac / GF Intolerance. My celiac boyfriend did not get sick at all (From General Tsao’s Chicken and Mongolian Beef)

Let the server know so they are safe - and so they don’t bring out the soups or egg rolls both which are NOT safe.

Mongolian Beef honestly wasn’t that great but the chicken was AMAZING.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

Just about anything on the menu can be made GF. Had the orange chicken, crispy beef and some noodle dishes. Will be back!

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Good

Love this place. It’s my favorite Chinese restaurant as it is so tasty and has so many safe GF options. They can make almost any dish GF.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Most/All

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Excellent

This used to not be the safest spot but with a little communication with the front of house(Davey)he made sure to keep certain protocols. It was a great time when Davey took care of us celiacs to the point he was hosting monthly gluten free dinner events! The business has since let him go and I’ve been glutened numerous times with the same spiel of everything they make is gluten free normally, maybe I have a different allergy? I used to order here with confidence and now I am ashamed to say they are not safe. With my latest glutening from some crispy soft tofu, my guess is the culprit is in one of the woks being used for gluten free and regular dishes. OR from the ladles/strainers they use when prepping veggies. (I’ve definitely found egg noodle in my broccoli before) As a person with celiac I wanted to trust them with my life but I can no longer in good conscious let people think it’s safe when I have not had a safe encounter with this restaurant in 4 consecutive visits.

Bring back Davey and maybe he can salvage the damage that has been done but for now steer clear if you have celiac.

How confident are you that this establishment takes safety precautions against cross-contact?

— Not very

Is there a gluten-free menu?

— Gluten-free items are marked on the main menu

How much of the menu is available gluten-free?

— Some

How would you rate the taste and quality of the gluten-free food you tried?

— Average

So sick. Are there last night and am still feeling the effects. My butt has been glued to the toilet for two days

Celiac friendly?

No

It is so nice to find a good Chinese place that actually has GF options. The menu has them and their vegan options clearly listed and my server double checked my order to ensure my fried rice with chicken was made gluten free, which I think means they cook it without soy sauce but the rice still has an amazing flavor.

Make no mistake: here is your gluten free sanctuary for Chinese food. Davey is an absolute pleasure to speak with and made me feel like royalty. I have not had breaded Chinese in years. YEARS. This gem will bring all of your favorites back into your life with an extensive selection that makes deciding a difficult task. The inside has a fantastic atmosphere- very relaxed and tasteful. I have been lurking on yelp for a long time to find my gluten (and dairy) free cuisine and this is my first review. Well deserved.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

FOOD POISONING! I went midday around 2 pm and was the only person in there... when i got my chicken it was a bit cold.... moments adter eating i got a stomach pain tha lasted for hours and stuff was pouring out of both ends of me!!! I can't say if it was GF or not based on how sick i was for 2 days it ruined my vacation! Raw garlic helped calm the symptoms...i dont trust this place! I wish i knew better

As much as I appreciate PF Chang's leadership in GF Chinese food I still prefer to not eat at chain restaurants and it's nice to have variety. Enter Mandarette - an LA standard who now has a GF menu (GF symbols listed within menu). Pretty much all the veggie dishes are GF and a good selection of the meats and seafood as well. That said, BEWARE because many of the dishes they list (e.g. Salt&Pepper Chicken, Tofu... Sesame Chix...) are fried in the same fryer as the egg rolls and any other battered dish. I spoke with the manager who thought that the hot oil burned off the gluten (Wrong!). Once I explained that was incorrect he thanked me for the information and said that they should get a small dedicated fryer. I'll check in with them in the future to see if they in fact do. If so, this is a great bet. If not, the non-deep fried options are tasty as well.

Celiac friendly?

Yes

Fantastic fresh Chinese food with many gluten-free options and safe for Celiacs! Chicken is battered with potato flour so I can enjoy their orange chicken, general tso's, etc. Delicious shrimp and veggie dishes. Haven't tried the beef yet but will next time. Very impressed and excited to have found this place!

Celiac friendly?

Yes

I ask for the manager Davey and never get sick bc he makes sure of it. Celiacs should let him know that you are getting cross contaminated and who your waiter was

They have GF symbols indicated on their main menu. I didn't and still don't fully trust it though. Had a pork dish and fried rice, didn't feel 100% after but it was good food!