China Grand Buffet — Restaurant in Garden City

VERDICT: THE stop for a Chinese buffet, bar none.

FOOD: From classics like chow mein to more unique takes like the delectable and crisp peanut butter chicken, this place offers a broad and indulgent range of flavor. To properly review a place with such a wide range, I will give a brief breakdown by ethnicity of food:

Chinese (and Chinese American): The chow mein (as labeled, although technically vegetable lo mein) is the best in the valley. The complexity and notes from the frying to the seasonings build a perfect chew and taste. Likewise, the peanut butter chicken is unique, crisp, and a deeply savory dish perfectly paired to the chow mein. Rounding out the perfect plate would be a three-piece crown of sesame balls (zhīma qiú for proper nomenclature, or often called dán tuí). Do note that anything chicken here pairs well with the chow mein. Pepper chicken is also shown on my perfect plate.

JAPANESE: Sushi is decent. I won't lie or give grace here. It's good for being from a Chinese restaurant. Steamed custard buns are delicious, and the pork bun is delightful. There's a hibachi-type grill I haven't tried yet, as it is newer, and I can't break free from my perfect plate (pictured).

AMERICAN: Pepper chicken is killer. The fries are surprisingly good as well (as they are done in the peanut oil likely responsible for the peanut butter chicken). The desserts would all qualify as American: Jello, pudding, soft serve (as self-serve), regular ice cream (Blue Bunny as self-serve), cookies, cake, and cotton candy. All of these are good, though the soft serve is a classic machine pumping out the older style of heavy cream self-serve we born of the 80s and 90s remember.

SERVICE: Typical table service. While "your waiter" may not make rounds fast enough to keep your beverage filled at all times, there's an army of wait staff quite willing to help. I can easily forgive this as the food stays absurdly fresh due to (1) the number of people always eating here, and (2) the speed at which they can produce more food. If a bin is empty when you go, just peruse for a couple minutes and a refill of mouth-burningly fresh food will be there.

ATMOSPHERE: Classic Chinese restaurant: overly-passionate singers singing post Mao hits, large murals of generically Chinese vistas, and gigantic decor, such as 8 ft vases and...

We went towards the end of dinner rush. It was still pretty busy, but they got us seated right away and drinks brought out. They had quite a variety of different foods (even American food for the picky kids). We thought because they were busy, they would have fresh food, but sadly that was not the case. Many of the choices were either out or tasted old. The chicken (all of the 3 flavors I tried) was cold and tough to chew. I was hesitant to get rice because the scoops were in a container of dirty, sitting water, but I didn't eat much of it because it was old. The curly fries were okay, my kids liked those. We had trouble finding plates our first time through because we didn't know where they were supposed to be and they were out. My daughter found them on the other side under the buffet, which I had a hard time bending down to get because I'm 9 months pregnant. The hard-serve ice cream was a good dessert. My husband said the men's restroom was disgusting. There was a "liquid" and toilet paper all over the floor. He pushed the little button to let them know it needed attention. Aside from the old food, dirty bathrooms, and dusty/cob-webbed ceilings and light fixtures, the biggest problem we observed here was cross contamination. Do NOT eat here if you have a shellfish allergy!!! There was shellfish on the same buffet right next to other foods like the chicken, potatoes, even the sugary donuts... And some of the tongs were being used for multiple foods. Someone with a shellfish allergy could die from eating a piece of chicken here, not knowing it was touched by a piece of shrimp or had the same tongs another person used for the clams. My husband could actually taste the flavor of the mussels on the tso's chicken. So they do come into contact, and there is a risk of cross contamination. Please let your friends and family know so they can be aware. The staff was very friendly, but they really need to work on a few things to keep people from getting sick. I gave them an extra star for being friendly and keeping our waters filled. Ps, I don't normally write bad reviews, but I felt this one was important and needed honest feedback. I hope they resolve these issues so we can try this place again, because I'm sure it'd be a great restaurant with the nice...

Took my family to dinner last night on Christmas, so you would think they would be at the top of their game. WRONG! I expected a wait time, so that was fine. But to be asked 7 times by 3 hostesses how many in my party was annoying. Next, we finally get to a table. It takes 15 minutea to put in a drink order and another 10 minutes to get drinks. Meanwhile the kids are eating and all. Then the husband and I get up and get our food and are horrified by the buffet in front of us. The salad was empty the entire time, the sweet and sour sauce is ice cold, no ranch for anything that would need it. Things like that that just was sad all the way around. Tried to speak with the staff about issues and the people with whom we were trying could not speak English well enough to address our concerns. We were overcharged for one of our children and again the language barrier stood in the way of fixing said issue. The table was only cleared 2 times in the 1 hour that we were there. Recieved only 1 offer of a refil on water or drink of any kind. The crab tasted terrible as well as the clams. The only meat seemed to be chicken. Cooked mostly in sugar of some kind or another. I was embarrassed and highly disappointed to have taken my family to dinner at this establishment. I will not go back and will tell people not to go at all. Very poor service, terrible food and absolutely no customer service from the staff in the least. If I could give less then 1...