China King — Restaurant in Arlington

Hi! I know that this place is pretty controversial in terms of quality, BUT LET ME JUST SAY THIS;

China King has been a household staple throughout my family. They have always been extremely kind to us. My parents went here on their first date - before I was even born. Since then it has continued on to become my favorite spot in Tulsa for numerous reasons:

The atmosphere is spectacular. It’s local, family owned, and small. I’ve had the same waitress for 10+ years and she’s amazing! I remember when I was little her teaching me how to wrap the napkins like they do and me helping her with the chores. Very nice people and atmosphere all around.

Food is good. Let’s get real; no restaurant (especially the fast food industry) is spectacularly clean or good for you. But despite that this place has always had good food and no rodents or cleanliness problems. Well kept and has actually been getting some renovations as of late!

Decent prices. It averages about 10-20 bucks which isn’t bad considering it’s an all you can eat buffet. This place has been held strong through the pandemic and inflation, but yet still remains a family favorite only because of the love and community keeping them here.

As just a regular customer I cannot say much, but I do know; for people wanting care, community, and those college/early 2000s/small town vibe this is a perfect spot.

Keep doing what...

Me and my husband were very disappointed in the food quality and it was really a big let down cause I was really excited to get some of their coconut shrimp, which is generally usually very good. Unfortunately this visit alot of the items were not very warm or even hot at all the soup was barely enough left in the large container for a cup. . We ate n left and not 40 minutes later we had bad stomach aches and were in the bathroom. No doubt from the food not being kept on the correct temp. So the next day I called the code enforcement office and let them know my concerns and I realize the hot table could be going out not holding temperatures correctly I worked on food services for 18 plus years. So I know a little bit. I just didn't want anyone else getting sick like we did. So they code enforcement went there when they first opened up and they did have some issues of things Not being at the correct temperature, so if they opened at 11 and things sit there like that till 5 when we came in to visit that day not a wonder we got ill..... I hope they get things fixed cause I really like the restaurant but not on this visit. Code enforcement says they'll keep a watch and check on them until things are corrected. Don't be afraid to speak up on things, that's how we can make...

We came an 1.5 hour before they closed. ( IF time permitted I rather be there 3 hours prior to closing ) Regardless the food was so-so. I didnt see any orange chicken, variety of mushrooms dishes. Egg drop soup was hot and tasty.

The guy who tended the Mongolian grill and Sushi bar did not do a great job with the sushi. I asked if they would put out more Sushi and he said no. The Salmon sushi was very small and flimsy. Overall they had 6 varieties of sushi too choose from. (China Harbor has more selection on sushi)

The Mongolian grill was ok, Had variety of meat, produce and oils and sauces to choose from even few different noodles. My only complaint was chicken didnt look that great. Lots of connective tissue and little meat. I dont like that.

Buffet its-self is a mix but was really lacking. No Orange chicken, along with few signature dishes you normally would find at a buffet.

Service was great, drinks were kept filled. I will say that they took our soy sauce bottles, more then likely to refill, but never returned it...