Nearly five decades into serving the people of Bountiful, Utah, Mandarin Restaurant remains one of the most beloved family-owned dining institutions in the entire state.
Founded in 1977 and still going strong under the hands-on care of the Skedros family, this award-winning Chinese restaurant has built a loyal following across generations — and one visit to its 200-seat dining room makes it immediately clear why. 🥢
How Mandarin Restaurant Won Bountiful’s Hearts
The restaurant was founded by Greg Skedros, a passionate restaurateur whose Louisiana Creole background influenced his embrace of bold, layered flavors in the kitchen.
The Skedros family — Greg, his wife, and their five children — were always part of the operation, making every guest feel like they were eating in someone’s home rather than a commercial dining room.
Today, the restaurant is owned and operated by Greg’s daughter Angel and her husband Paul, who have carried the family’s hands-on approach into the next generation with the same warmth and meticulous attention to craft. 🏡
Over 100 dishes prepared by wok-trained chefs rotate through a menu built on locally sourced seasonal produce in summer and fall — a farm-fresh commitment that set the Mandarin apart from competitors long before farm-to-table became a dining trend.
Word spread through Davis County and beyond that this was a Chinese restaurant operating at a level the region had never quite seen, and loyal customers began lining up for tables at 5 p.m. daily — a ritual that has continued for decades.
The secret, repeat visitors will tell you, is the consistency. A dish you loved in 1995 tastes exactly as good today.
That kind of reliability is extraordinarily rare, and it’s why the Mandarin has become the benchmark for award-winning Chinese food in Utah — the place every other restaurant in the state is quietly measured against.
From first-time visitors to multi-generational regulars celebrating birthdays in the same booth year after year, the Mandarin doesn’t just feed people — it anchors memories. 🌟
Food Highlights
With over 100 dishes on the menu, the Mandarin’s kitchen covers an extraordinary range — but these are the dishes locals can’t stop ordering:
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Honey Walnut Shrimp: Plump jumbo shrimp bathed in a honey glaze, served with candied walnuts on a bed of shredded lettuce and garnished with sesame seeds. 🍤
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Char Shu: Slow-cooked Chinese barbecue pork, sliced and topped with sesame seeds, served with house red sauce and hot Chinese mustard. 🥢
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Pot Stickers: Six pan-fried dumplings filled with pork and spices, served with a soy-vinegar-ginger dipping sauce. 🥟
- Imperial Noodles: Wok-fried chicken and shrimp with fresh mushrooms, napa cabbage, broccoli, bell peppers, carrots, water chestnuts, and sugar snap peas in a light garlic sauce over thin mein egg noodles. 🍜
- Malaysian Fried Rice: Ham, pine nuts, corn, egg, raisins, bell peppers, sugar snap peas, carrots, and bean sprouts wok-fried with a touch of yellow curry. 🍚
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Mongolian Beef: Tender beef slices tossed with sugar snap peas, onions, carrots, and bamboo shoots in a rich garlic-soy-oyster sauce, served atop crispy rice noodles. 🥩
- Beef with Broccoli: Tender sliced beef and fresh broccoli florets wok-tossed in a rich garlic-oyster sauce, served with steamed rice.
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Peking Duck: A whole duck prepared and dried for two full days before slow-roasting in a Chinese barbecue oven, then deboned and served with a crispy skin, Mandarin pancakes, scallions, and duck sauce. Reserved by booking only. 🦆
Atmosphere
The Mandarin’s 200-seat dining room has the warm, unhurried energy of a restaurant that has nothing left to prove — and everything to give.
Tables fill quickly every evening, with multi-generational families celebrating milestones alongside first-timers who’ve driven from Salt Lake City on a recommendation they couldn’t ignore.
The wok-trained kitchen hums with purpose behind the scenes, while the front-of-house staff delivers the kind of attentive, personal service that only a family-run operation sustains across five decades.
Bottom Line
The Mandarin is Utah dining at its most timeless. Nearly 50 years of family ownership, over 100 scratch-made dishes, wok-trained chefs, locally sourced seasonal produce, and house-made ice cream that ends every meal on a high note.
This is the benchmark for Chinese food in the Mountain West — a destination worth every mile of the drive.
Address:
348 900 North, Bountiful, UT 84010
📞 (801) 298-2406
🕔 Open Tue–Thu 5:30 PM–9:00 PM | Fri–Sat 5:00 PM–9:30 PM (closed Sun–Mon)