Canton Inn Restaurant — Restaurant in Evansville

OMG I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place. This is one of the BEST chinese/cantonese restraunts in Evansville. I have always enjoyed my dining experience at The Canton Inn.

Just a note on the lunch buffet that I recently enjoyed....my sister and I arrived for lunch around 1:30 pm. Our server informed us that the buffet was still available, however, it ended at 2pm therefore it would NOT be replenished at that late hour. We were allowed to view it prior to deciding to order the buffet. The food was still hot, tasted deliciously fresh and still had a full selection. Our server then brought us Carry-Out boxes to fill up right before they took down the lunch buffet.

That is very generous on their part as normal buffets do NOT allow you to dine in and take your ledtovers with you. This carry-out deal is only for when they are breaking down the buffet and they want to ensure their late diners are getting everything they want off the buffet before it is removed.

My Grandmother and my 3 Great-Aunts made it a weekly ritual to meet here for lunch. They were referred to by the staff, teasingly of course, as the Old Ladies.

All 4 have since past over the years. After each of their Memorial Services, my entire family went directly to the Canton Inn to eat and to honor the loss of our loved one in a tradition they would have enjoyed. This came about by invitation from the Owner of The Canton Inn. He generously provided accomadations for our large gathering and invited us all to take part in the elaborate buffet the put out daily.

All of us compensated the owner for his generosity-- not expecting him to foot the bill for. 30 or 40 of us. When my Grandmother passed, we of course followed tradition. There was only the one last Old Lady remaining at that time. We ate, visited, reminisced and then took up money to cover our bill.

We gave the Owner the money we had collected to pay for this. Evidently, we collect quite a lot of money. The owner returned to the gathering to give the extra money to my Aunt, the Last of The Old Ladies. A very generous and kind gesture, one the Owner did not have to do. We collected money for Him. He felt it was too much and presented it to my Aunt.

So, long story short -- or not. Excellent fresh, delicious food. Excellent prices. Superior wait staff. And the most kind, respectful, personable and generous Owner.

I would be pleased with good food and decent service. The Canton Inn is above and beyond your typical restaraunt. I would give 10 stars if I could.

A side note for the owner: Thank you for taking such good care of my family, The Old Ladies. Your kindness and interest was reciprocated by all 4 of them, as well as by the huge family you so generously hosted with each of their...

Sad to say... I just decided to never return, after enjoying this restaurant for over 10 years. I feel sorry for the past owner, which cared so much. Faced to see what he made go down after making a choice to sell. First, I get this often it's sad but I realize. I'm pregnant so I came in dressed in more relaxed attire. My Fiancee dresses down with me, both boys fresh out of karate. I feel I was just judged as "trying to get a free meal" when I didn't even ask to place a complaint, was asked why we left so early. I responded "it wasn't as normal, I order 10+ egg rolls in drive weekly,, buffet just doesn't taste as well. Maybe they were taken out a bit sooner, or something, not sure." I didn't ask for a refund or a free future meal but new owner treats me as I did. Responded "it's the same person prepared same way" then LAUGHS! I could understand if I had 3 plates finished on table, rather I had 3 plates still full where I merely sampled & did not like. It bothered me most, I didn't want to put in a complaint, but waitress took it upon herself to understand, we weren't satisfied so she tried to let them know, they acted like we have no clue & lie for fun. I Have always felt cook to order flavor differs from buffet. I don't expect AS GOOD off buffet. This is why I also go to Shing Lee a loy & order here to go. Just decided to sit down at a restaurant tonight. However, the items I like, just didn't taste the same. After this, I WILL NOT RETURN. I didn't want a free meal. I didn't want to complain either. But I was put there to. I just wanted to enjoy food. They missed the bar. Then they missed the bar to LISTEN that the changes made, were not enhancements. I wouldn't have accepted a replacement. But oh well. New owners don't care, I...

I decided to stop by the Canton Inn to take some carry-out home for lunch.

I was greeted by the owner and given a small carry-out container. I was told that the smaller container is given out at lunch. This disappointed me since I do not live close to the Canton and would have been willing to pay the dinner price if it was available.

My favorites here are the egg rolls, sweet sour sauce, (not the packets), Crab Rangoon, corn puffs, salty chicken, and fried rice. There was no room in my container for all of these, but I did get 2 egg rolls, 3 Rangoon's, cheese puffs, and salty chicken.

Their soups are good, also, but I was not given a container for soup.

I did get 2 fortune cookies when I paid, but only one of them had a fortune in it. I hope that doesn't mean anything.

I would like to suggest that they offer 2 sizes for carry out and let the customer decide how much they want to pay. Soup would have been good.

Just a thought. I...