China Buffet — Restaurant in Detroit Lakes

I can’t even begin writing a review, my experience was that BAD. My fiancé, our close friend and I just got done swimming and decided we were hungry. We were too late to dining in at pizza ranch but I sure wish we had. We settled on eating Chinese and the first thing about this place was the aura. It didn’t feel happy or welcoming at all, just sad. I can barely recall any kind of good or over the top service because it didn’t feel like anyone wanted to be there for us or for the restaurant. I peered over at the fridge while we were pre paying and noticed like, a bowl or some weird stuff stashed in it. On the opposite side a table or booth full of junk. From a distance it seemed clean enough but my friend pointed out the floors were pretty dirty. The booth seats were clinging on for dear life, they looked as if a huge cat clawed their way into them. Apart from the environment I figured that the food would’ve shadowed over everything but no, I freaking love Chinese food but this wasn’t it. I have to agree about some of it tasting bland, questionable about how long everything was sitting out, inconsistencies with how everything was cooked, my fiancé ended up spitting out some boiled or broiled chicken, whatever it was because it was super pink in the middle. Not pastel, not healthy looking, magenta. Comparing it to other pieces in the pan was all we needed to know that something wasn’t right. Some were fine and others were not. Now this is where we come back to the service. My fiancé attempted to get ahold of any employee he could but he felt that they were avoiding him until finally the lady that checked us in came over. She inspected the piece of chicken and stood blankly and almost speechless but not in a “shocked” way, it’s as if she didn’t want to do anything about it! However she did get ahold of the chef or who ever was back in the kitchen and this is where it gets even worse. The man tried to justify why it looked the way it was, digging his dirt filled nails into the pink meat, explaining everything he could about it. I honestly didn’t want to see it again but okay. To be honest, I am not a chef but I know what properly cooked chicken looks like, feels like, tastes like, I am a chicken fiend okay lol. We did get our refund for the meal but it took a loooot of convincing. I know this all sounds very harsh but I’m putting this plain and simple. It would’ve been different if it appeared they were concerned or instead of explaining and showcasing the chicken right at the edge of our table, they could’ve said something along the lines of “we’re sorry about this, it doesn’t look appetizing, I understand, we did cook it for this long so you shouldn’t get sick but we will do better in the future” literally ANYTHING else but how they approached us would’ve comforted better or atleast made us feel justified for what we were experiencing. I have no idea how this place hasn’t shut down or have been under new management but something needs to happen with this place. We won’t be visiting ever again and hopefully my love for Chinese food...

I can't give a review of the service, because there isn't any service - by design. It's a buffet, after all. I don't understand the reviewers who slam the lack of service, because there isn't any service to rate! However, since it is a buffet and there is no service to speak of, I strongly believe that they should remove the "tip" line from their customer checks and remove their tip jar.

I recently moved back to the area, so I decided to give this buffet restaurant a chance. The reviews were not very good, but I always like to form my own opinions and not rely on others’. I've been there about four or five times now, and it's been adequate. Yesterday, however, I was pretty disgusted. I tried the sauteed shrimp for the first time. It wasn't deveined.

Now, I realize that with smaller shrimp, and depending on the individual shrimp, it's not that big of a deal. Some shrimp have almost no visible “vein” (it's actually the animal's intestinal tract - the shrimp's poop chute) while others of the same size can have a deep dark “vein” ( i.e. be full of poop). On my plate alone, out of approximately a dozen shrimp, I was able to eat five, and two of those only because I deveined them, with difficulty. I don't like to waste food, but neither do I like eating shrimp poop. To be clear, it's not illegal to serve or unhealthy to eat shrimp that haven't been deveined, but in my mind, it's still eating shrimp poop.

I think the restaurant should increase their prices so that they can afford to increase the quality of their food. Otherwise, it's just going to be more of the same...

China Buffet DL MN. So 1st let me say some reviews were obviously not for this place as they have no drive thru etc! Makes you wonder if the good reviews are accurately portraying this place! We came at 12:30 approximately... so food should have been turning over quickly as for the lunch rush. It should have been hot; it wasn't. It should have been moist; it wasn't. Some items should have been there; they weren't. Fork what Forks! Ice cream MACHINE was broke. Obviously has been broke 4quite a long long time. For the love of God do not get any REG. Ice Cream! I have no explanation 4why I even gave the kids ice cream, other than the whining, go figure! It is the most unsanitary experience. They have the utensils 4getting ice cream in a water container... drains very slowly, has the residue from everybody's hands in it plus they were not ice cream scoops. The ice cream freezer itself is absolutely filthy! the ice cream is kept at such a cold temperature Uneed a jackhammer 2scoop it out of the containers thereby forcing U2 use your hands 2hold the buckets... move the buckets closer 2U etc...& really lean in with your full strength & arm...under the much 2low...HAHA... sanitary Shield... trying 2scoop a scoop of ice cream out, dropping the utensil (I chose the thick blunt-ended pancake type Turner utensil as opposed to the thin aluminum soup ladles) as Uare trying 2do this! Then Uare forced2 put the utensil back in the water container with murky milky residue from prior customers experiences & the slow dripping cold water! Boy do I miss Hunan...