China Wok Buffet — Restaurant in Athens

China Wok: The Olympus of Buffets

Let’s get one thing straight: no one should eat at a buffet. Buffets are a bad idea—an open invitation to gluttony and regret. Should I start my meal with eight chicken-on-a-sticks, six crab rangoons, a heap of chicken wings, and a few pieces of sushi as my “first plate”? Absolutely not. My body practically screams, “For the love of God, stop! Why would you do this to yourself again?!”

But here’s the thing: we don’t stop. We can’t stop. My family and I are absolutely enslaved to the glory of China Wok. This place is our precious. Our shimmering guilty pleasure. Yes, we has to have it. Our precious…..

Here’s the turn: their food is shockingly good. I’ve seen the staff snapping fresh green beans to prep for the bar—an actual glimpse behind the scenes of buffet sorcery. When I was a kid, there was a rumor that someone saw a live chicken struggling to escape “the back.” Farm-to-table? More like backroom-to-bar, and I mean that as a compliment. This place redefines the concept of freshness. They are constantly thinking outside the box.

Athens is a culinary wasteland, let’s just admit it. The town’s dining scene is like hit television program The Big Bang Theory: predictable, uninspired, and full of annoying characters. But China Wok? This buffet absolutely crushes 95% of the restaurants in town. (Angela’s is 5%) You could march into the average Athens eatery, pay $25 for absolute garbage, and be thrilled if they don’t accidentally serve you dishwater as soup. Meanwhile, China Wok gives you wings, crab cheese casserole , crayfish, frog legs, stuffed mushrooms, egg drop soup and then throws in some ice cream, just to flex. The perfect collection of tastes capturing the true essence of the concept we call flavor.

And the service? The waitresses at China Wok are the Michael Jordans of their craft—unstoppable, untouchable, and forever hustling. Applebee’s and co, on the other hand, feel like they are staffed by someone who accidentally wandered in off the street, half-aware they’re even supposed to be working, being trained by a poor old man that tragically lost a leg to diabetes. It’s no contest.

China Wok isn’t just a buffet; it’s an institution. It’s putting the entire Athens dining scene on notice. If you run a restaurant here and can’t handle it like the pros, do us all a favor: shut your doors and take notes. There’s a new king in town, and it’s wielding a pair of tongs over a steaming tray of General Tso’s telling you...

I ordered rice-noodles with veggies, no meat, because I am vegan, I asked for it to be cooked in soy sauce, I asked for mushrooms and carrots specifically... the lady did not speak plainly to wear I could understand her and apparently she did not understand me. She brought out a plate with veggies and a plate with dry, white rice. The veggies did not even have mushrooms. I told her that is was not what I wanted. So after my husband helped me explain to her what I wanted, and I showed her a picture off of the internet, then she brought me rice noodles with a little green veggies of some sort, but hardly no carrot, and there was not one mushroom, plus it did not get cooked in soy sauce. The worst part was that it was oily and it had EGG IN IT! I do not eat any animal products. This whole visit was disappointing. THEN THEY MADE US PAY FOR BOTH DISHES, EVEN THOUGH I STILL DID NOT GET WHAT I WANTED AND THE FIRST ONE WAS NOT WHAT I ORDERED! My husband and I were both upset and I was so frustrated that I went to the bathroom and cried before we left. I don't think I will ever come back. It was a...

This place has been here before the year 2005 which is when I start going there. But I noticed that it started to go down hill right after the pandemic of 2019. Today was the last, I understand everyone has bad days or even bad service. But today; it was just as the lunch people were leaving. So I took the buffet knowing they're going to restock it as they get a moment. First as I was getting a plate, they gave My sit away. So I needed to get new drinks and I had to move to another area. Item's tasted old and dry enough I seen it come out of the kitchen and the desert tasted freezer burnt. I did try other items just to see. As I was going to get My last bite of food they dropped off the check then asked if I wanted a drink to go. Which sounds nice but the fact that My glass had been empty and on the end of the table. Long enough for Me to be on the second plate of items. Prices have gone up and what you get or even have options to see has gone down. This was on a Friday lunch time, hate to think I was going there for a date... They have a lot of new...