Oriental Pavilion — Restaurant in Asheville

Oriental Pavilion in Westgate Plaza, Asheville: Maybe the worst restaurant in Asheville, nothing respectable about what they pass off as Chinese food. Nothing traditional here. My online order and what I got for $55: Pork Fried Rice – tasteless greasy browned rice and dry over cooked chunks of tough roast pork BBQ Ribs – overcooked, tough, swimming in some kind of clear, sticky, sweet goo. Roast Pork with Green Beans – greasy overcooked green beans with pieces of tasteless pork, not roast pork and nothing crisp about either the beans or the pork as is traditional, really disgusting Beef Lo Mein – greasy tasteless noodles with some thin pieces of beef Egg Roll – they don’t make the traditional roast pork egg rolls, so I got chicken, about the size of a large tootsie roll, tasteless and dry with no cabbage inside as is traditional Wonton Soup – the only acceptable item in my order Used to be a restaurant with 20+ booths, no longer in use, looks like a warehouse inside, no food served on site, only takeout and delivery. One young white rough woman at pickup desk who was more interested in answering the phone than taking my payment and giving me my bag of food. One other young white woman brought my order from the kitchen in the far back of the restaurant. No one else, and no Chinese or Asian people to be seen. Ended up waiting while the woman at the desk finished one call and then took four more while I waited to pay for my order. Don’t waste your money, find a nice small Chinese family owned and operated restaurant for the best. There used be more than one in Asheville. Sad and conspicuous in their absence, we really need some again, please. Saturday May...

I had been doing some peer counseling next door, when my colleague told me to check out this restaurant. I mentioned that I was craving good, authentic Asian cuisine, and so far, had not found it in AVL. Two weeks later I thought I would give it a try. The dining room is nicely appointed with a fountain and wishing well in the entry. Unfortunately, I discovered that the dining room has been closed since 2019 because they can't find enough help. That is the reason for my 4 star review. I found the gal taking orders to be friendly and informative. Now, let's get to the good stuff. 👍 Even though they only offer takeout and delivery, they have an extensive and mouth-watering menu. I ordered a small (1 pint) hot and sour soup and the Happy Family with fried rice to take home for lunch. Each of these is a full meal in itself. The soup, a thick, gluteny gravy, was made with lemon grass and filled with mushrooms and all the good stuff Chinese hot and sour soup is supposed to have. It was perfect! The Happy Family was exactly as I expected it as well-full of beef, chicken and seafood, vegetables cooked just right, which is hard to do with broccoli, and a nice gravy. By the time I got it home I was so hungry I neglected to take pictures, but you can see their extensive menu online. They do a brisk business and are a local favorite, so order early if your lunch hour is restricted. The only truly authentic Chinese restaurant I have found in AVL. I will definitely be back, and will revisit my review after sampling a half dozen other dishes. Maybe I will remember to take...

Ordered online at 7:20pm on Saturday, order confirmed, and delivery to be at 8:18pm.

8:30, no food. No problem, just a few minutes late.

8:45pm, still no food. I remember last time I did a carry out someone who worked there saying that the online ordering systems delivery times were wrong, no big deal, I can wait.

9:30pm...text saying that my order has been cancelled due to the restaurant being closed, when the website clearly states that you close at 10:30pm. But regardless, I placed my order two hours ago , so it shouldn't matter whether or not you're closed now, you weren't when I placed my order...two hours ago.

But, none of this would have been a problem, if anyone had bothered to answer the phone on any of the dozen occasions that I tried to call to figure out where my food was. At least then I could have made other arrangements.

So I understand being busy, and I understand computer systems that don't do exactly what you want. But I can't abide just poor customer service. Any person on your staff calling me and saying "hey, we know you placed your order two hours ago but we had to cancel it because of (insert any plausible explanation here)" would have led me to continue doing business with you in the future. But since all I get is no food and an automated dear John text, I'll do my business elsewhere. Thanks for many years of wonderful food, and I hope you guys can get your system straight in the...