The Mandarin - Ghirardelli Square - San Francisco

San Francisco, California, United States

The Mandarin was a Chinese Restaurant and not a tiki establishment, but it was extremely influential and deserves some recognition for the part it played in the development of American Chinese restaurants and tiki restaurants going forward.

The Mandarin Restaurant was founded in 1968 by Chinese food doyenne Cecelia Sun Yun Chiang. What Julia Child did for French cooking in the United States, Cecilia Chiang did for Chinese cuisine in America. Trader Vic (Bergeron) became a sort of mentor to Cecilia Chiang, especially when she moved to Ghirardelli Square where he had Senor Pico. Trader Vic brought columnist Herb Caen to The Mandarin, Caen wrote about it, and off it went. (Note: This writer was handling public relations for Trader Vic’s at that time.)

The interior of the Mandarin Restaurant also looked very similar to many tiki establishments with its large screens of Chinese temple tiles and wall sections comprised of thatch, lauhala, rattan, and bamboo. See photos below.

And, The Mandarin also served cocktails in their own signature mugs, much as her mentor, Trader Vic, did in his own restaurants.

In the heyday of the Mandarin’s success, Cecilia presided over an elegant restaurant that achieved a national reputation. Visitors from all over the country came to seek authentic and fine Chinese dining. She held cooking classes that saw students the likes of Julia Child, James Beard, Alice Waters, Marion Cunningham, Jeremiah Tower and Danny Kaye come through.

Her cooking undoubtedly influenced Trader Vic's appreciation of Chinese food going forward with his Trader Vic's restaurants and set a high bar for tiki restaurants wanting to incorporate high quality Chinese food.

After 23 years, Chiang sold her interest in the business in 1991.

This Ghirardelli Square stalwart closed its doors in 2006.

However, the family legacy lives on...Chiang's son, Philip, is a co-founder of the restaurant chain P.F. Chang's. He also ran a sister version of the Mandarin in Beverly Hills (1975-2001).