Golden Pagoda — Restaurant in Bellville

This has been my family’s go-to restaurant since I was a kid. Birthday meal? Golden Pagoda. Someone graduated? Golden Pagoda. Had a bad day or really just cannot stand the thought of cooking? Golden Pagoda. It’s been a staple all my life. We were excited and nervous for the renovation because we want the best for this restaurant and its people.

We are, in the end, disappointed by it. The food is still SO good. I do not think the quality has gone down. But the variety of food has diminished so much. Worst of all the ambiance has suffered a lot. I’ve gone on dates here, had important conversations, and celebrated life-changing moments, and a big BIG part of what makes those memories so strong was what this restaurant used to look like. The gorgeous red lacquered chairs, glass screens across the split level that were full of cranes and carp and other icons of Chinese art, the sets of beautiful china that we ate on every time. Even the detergent they used for the red cloth napkins they got rid of ages ago is burned into my brain. All of that is gone now.

Some things still remain. The Buddha statue and the giant carved mural of a qilin is still there. But the split level is gone, so are the glass dividers and the red laquered chairs. The buffet looks out of place with its stark white modernity. You eat out of plate white bowls and plates.

I still recommend you go here, the food is wonderful, and the price is fair. The staff continues to be friendly and they deserve our business. I’ll continue to go here, but for the sake of my own memories, I think I’ll stick to take out for...

I used to drive over 50 miles just to eat here. I was driving through and yesterday morning and made a mental note to stop that evening. I was thinking I work hard and should treat myself to a nice meal. I was very disappointed. To be honest I've made Chinese food at home bett3r than what I got from this place. I purchased 2 specials one wkth fried rice one with white rice, house special lo men noodles, 10 wings, crab puffs I paid just over 50 bucks. When I opened the bags and boxes the specials and the lo men had no visual appeal, the noodles were over cooked and if was too sweet. It tasted like someone accidentally dropped the bottle of The wings were over cooked and very hard and dry. The soups that came with the meals were primarily bland. I mixed them added spicy pepper sauce and was able to force it down. The fried rice in the special taste ok but in comparison the white rice was better. The crab puffs were golden brown and delicious. Thae hunan beef was good. However If I lived closer I would have taken the food back because of the overall quality for the price was far below what I had gotten in the past. I was very disappointed. The people that took my order were fantastic. Too bad I went for the food and not...

I have read some "ok" reviews from this small town restaurant, We had the buffet. Not alot to choose from for the dinner price of $16.50 each, but we were passing through so we decided to stop. HUGE mistake. After eating a few bites, we both noticed that the taste was off. After further inspection, the meats on the buffet (chicken on the stick, general tso chicken, jalapeno chicken, sweet & sour chicken, and the beef and broccoli, were not cooked thoroughly. The chicken was partially raw and had that "chewy" type texture. The beef had an uncooked gray color to it. The bacon was partially cooked on the bacon wrapped shrimp, Needless to say, my spouse and I both have wound up with severe diarrhea due to food poisoning from the undercooked meat from this place. If you are so inclined to visit this place, I highly encourage you to inspect the food before consuming. The service is below average also. You have to flag a server down for napkins, soy sauce, and a drink refill and when you do finally get their attention, they are so rude. Never again will we spend our money at such a place. Also, this place "remodeled" some months back. Basically, it was like putting...