China Blossom — Restaurant in North Andover

My guy and I are big on buffet style resturants. We've been to quite a few. We do have a favorite Chinese buffet but it's about an hour away. Two days ago , a friend of ours told us about China Blossom. Apparently if you're on Facebook all day long , you cannot miss their new adverts for their Monday Thursday buffet. So , tonight we decided to attend. As soon as we walked through the front doors I knew I'd be disappointed. The limited buffet tables were to my right and the hostess took us a walk away straight ahead. It was a bit uncomfortable to have to walk back and forth past and through patrons waiting to sit down with plates of food...eh. not many options. Totally American -i zed , and what I mean by that is , I'm totally all for "chinese" food , the way they would cook it and eat it themselves. I'm almost positive they don't typical eat pork fried rice and hot and sour soup with pork , rather than just tofu and veggies. So , options. Pork fried rice, eggrolls with pork, no spring rolls. Crab Rangoon, sauteed green beans , salt and pepper shrimp , spareribs , mushrooms with pork , teriyaki chicken skewers , zucchini and carrots , shrimp with lobster sauce. I don't eat that so I can't say for sure if the lobster sauce had pork or tofu,but it looked like tofu. Peel and eat shrimp, hot and cold giant crab legs,cold mussels, egg drop and hot and sour. And then prime rib , which wasn't fantastic looking. The sauced lacked the flavors I consider delicious. I mean soy , duck and hot mustard are staples so yea but the ginger sauce. No. And then the horseradish for the prime rib I was told tasted like mayo. Nope. I wasn't a fan of most of what I ate. I always found something didn't taste right. Although I can only recommend the peel and eat shrimp , green beans and pork fried rice although I prefer vegetable fried. If you are eating prime rib , crab legs and shrimp til your eye balls are floating , 30 a person is a great price. Just not for me. i typcally only eat non fried shrimp , rice , soup and veggies.i don't eat much pork and I do not eat any chicken. I literally had one plate of food and then about 5 shrimp. One last thing the place got real busy quick. Most people sitting near by couldn't be sold on getting the buffet. And , it was freezing in there , to the point that ,after that walk from the buffet table to your dinner table , you legit had about 7 minutes to eat every hot thing on your plate before it got cold. Pity. Go without expectations and you...

When we arrived in the lobby for the buffet, we had to wait 3-5 mins to be seated bc the woman at the counter was preoccupied supplementing takeout orders for ppl who had called for pick up orders, and there were many, of which she seemed dedicated to serving first before walk-in diners. We were seated by an elder Asian man who never smiled, never spoke or introduced himself, he just informed us, "I'll be back for your drinks." he came back 10 minutes later. It was all very clinical and unfriendly as if we were a burden. We walked up to the buffet and each steam table insert seemed to be empty or scant with each respective appetizer: chicken fingers, Peking ravioli etc... no egg rolls, barely warm fried rice and lo mein. I had to locate the attendee and inform her the fried rice insert was empty. We should've walked out while we had the chance, before eating. Regardless, we got our plates of food and ate, nobody wanted seconds. At this point we're done and I'm watching our server as he's accomplishing all his work duties, not paying attention to my waving hand. Finally I put my coat on and had to actually walk up to him to prompt paying for this substandard food and service. He took my card, he came back and handed me the bill, and to my chagrin the bill totaled $120.00 for 3 ppl. I was in total shock. Three people, three Diet Cokes, $40.00 per person, for food leftovers, I could've prepared and cooked better food at home with some extensive prep (I'm a cook). Then at the counter my server is watching me as I'm looking over the gratuity tip boxes, so I write-in a $5.00 tip, when in reality, my server was worth about a $1.00 for his effort and disposition. He brought us beverages that's it, but in his mind, somehow, this warranted a $20.00 tip or higher LOL. He literally SCOFFED ALOUD at me over the tip amount, so much so that my wife and daughter could clearly hear even standing 10 ft. away. You have no idea how angered I was by his privileged attitude and expectation. I had to bite my tongue and walk out. I don't know what happened to this place or when, but it was a terrible, last time experience for us. I knew we should've gone to Karma but I gave it a shot anyway for my adult daughter's birthday. Never again folks. Put a fork in it. Try a $7.50 Chinese buffet at a strip mall, you'll...

A fantastic gathering place for groups celebrating big milestones! What a beautiful and historic venue! China Blossom has a really nice bar area if you just want to get a quick drink and bite to eat, a sit down place to bring the family, and multiple banquet rooms to host large gatherings. A friend of ours was celebrating her graduation party. She needed a place big enough for her family and many friends. China Blossom allowed us to decorate the room, they had AV equipment that enabled her to show a slideshow, and they offered extra lighting to brighten certain areas where we needed extra illumination. Our party mainly opted for the delicious dinner buffet they were serving that evening. The prime rib was the star of the show! It was tender and juicy. I couldn't believe I could cut it with just my fork! They have everything you could want from shrimp, crab legs, chicken and beef dishes to broccoli and green beans. Custom dishes were made for those with food allergies and dietary restrictions. A self-serve ice cream and pastry station was a welcome addition too! Our server Laura had worked there for decades and was so incredibly gracious and welcoming. She recommended the White Mai Tai and Scorpion. The White Mai Tai was one of the best mixed drinks I've had in quite some time. Be careful if you are driving because all the drinks are full strength, taste great and give a powerful kick. It seems like some of the, "regulars" already know about this gem. The staff knew the first names of multiple guests who were dining in, getting take-out, or heading off to the bar. If you dine here enough you will be treated like family! The history of the restaurant dates way back to the 60"s. They have some fun old photos near the entrance that show how the restaurant was before the recent remodel. Our server said the restaurant has been in the same family for many generations so the quality and consistency remain excellent. They kept some aspects of the old restaurant through the ceiling tiles and classic furniture. I would give China Blossom a 5 star rating! When I'm in the area I will definitely be coming back here...