China King Buffet — Restaurant in Bear Creek Township

Their food was average for a Chinese buffet … nothing out of the ordinary, however the price was considerably higher than the half dozen comparable Chinese buffets I usually frequent.

The Sunday evening price was $18.99 plus $3.19 for a refillable cup of coffee (or soft drink), and they didn’t offer a senior discount! I’m used to paying $11.99 to $13.99 for comparable fare, and about half that price for a beverage.

For the price, I was disappointed they didn’t offer a weekend dinner highlight, like jumbo butterflied fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, or something comparable.

They did have a bland tasting shrimp with a few vegetables in a clear, lackluster sauce. The shrimp were small, maybe 41-50 (per pound) size (not much bigger than salad shrimp). A few of the shrimp were old and rubbery, having been mixed in with a fresher cooked batch.

They also had salt and pepper shrimp that were the same small size, in a flavorless (where was the salt or pepper?) soft, doughy batter/breading that had been on the steam table too long. I tasted one but couldn’t eat any more.

They did have the same small shrimp, breaded and fried … basically popcorn shrimp that didn’t taste bad, but weren’t overly satisfying.

They had the typical Chinese buffet fare, like General Tso’s chicken, Mongolian beef, chicken and broccoli, etc., hot and sour or wonton soup, crab Rangoon (sans crab or krab), egg rolls (standard and Vietnamese style), pot stickers, and my favorite green beans.

They had lots of other dishes to choose from including a baked (steamed) fish and a fried fish that were both light and satisfying (with cocktail and/or tartar sauce for your choosing)

There also was a very good selection of side items, including salad fare, one type of sushi, fruits, cookies, and desserts.

The food was fairly fresh although you could tell certain items had been on the steam table too long, even though I dined at a decent time (6 pm).

Like most buffets, they would benefit from making smaller batches and replenishing them more frequently, not letting items sit too long on the steam table. Again, I was disappointed based on their price point.

While waiting to check out I was a bit taken aback overhearing another customer placing a take-out order. The prices were equally steep and they wanted $4 extra to upgrade the standard side of steamed rice to a generic fried rice, which the customer declined.

The restaurant was clean, and the wait staff were quick, courteous and attentive. If the price was about $5 less I would probably dine there again. In my opinion, not bad but not...

Pretty mixed bag here. Some things, like the stems of our broccoli, were solid. Other things, like the ends of our broccoli, kind of fell apart.

My wife and I went out with some friends, and for the most part, we had no complaints about the food. Like most buffets, you'll find stuff you like, and probably also stuff you won't. It was decent Chinese food that I would come back to, especially since there aren't many other good places around. My friend said the Shrimp was great (I don't do seafood). That being said, this would be a 4-star review if it wasn't for our weird experience.

We had one waitress who seated us and got our drink orders. So far, so normal. I'm a bit of a slow eater, but I was only halfway through my first plate, and my friends were just starting plate 2, when the bill came. Another waitress started also showing up, rapidly taking plates; and a few times, tried to take them before people who had simply got up to use the bathroom came back to their plates, and we had to stop her. This got a bit weird, especially since the original waitress was still tending to our drinks and plates as normal. It got weirder when we tried to pay the bill.

Our original waitress brought the bill. I put my card down to pay, and we put down a tip. The other waitress showed up, and said, "Oh, is that for me?" and reached for the tip. I said, "No, we're still figuring the tip out," because I wanted to make sure it went our actual waitress. She took the card and charged it, and then walked back to the table, and hovered over me while I filled out the receipt. The awkward was so thick you could cut it with a knife. She literally watched me the whole time. I even waited a while to see if she would wander away, but she didn't. So after a few minutes, I finally filled the receipt and put $0 in the tip line because it was going to be in cash. She then said something, presumably unkind, in Chinese before grabbing the receipt and walking away.

Once the original waitress came back, we handed her the tip, and left. Thanks, China King, for decent food, and the most awkward tipping experience...

They are by far one of my favorite oriental restaurants in the northern Michigan area. The food varies from lunch to dinner but is always good and the variety is very wide. I can count on one hand the amount of bad experiences I've had here and I wouldn't even need all the fingers on that hand. The only times the food hasn't been up to their normal quality is when it gets close to their closing time. The staff is very friendly and right on top of all your needs. I think there has only been a couple of times that our dirty plates have set there for more than a minute after we were done with them. You can tell they put time in their dishes and the food is all made from scratch but if its not I would be very surprised. They not only have popular oriental dishes but they also have several items for your friends that don't care for the oriental food experience. In other words there's something there for everyone. Overall the food is good, the prices are fair and the staff is kind, courteous and on top of your needs. My family and I have been going there since they opened and will be going there for many years to come. Keep up...