China Palace Restaurant — Restaurant in Ypsilanti Charter Township

This is a review for the buffet. I have never ordered a la carte here so I don't know about that.

Firstly, those reviewers who complain that there is "raw food everywhere" are simply ignorant. That table is MEANT to have raw food, so that the chef can cook it to order! Secondly, those who complain about the smell, this could be two things: the running water in fountains in the front lobby, or the restaurant itself. It may be the case that the fountains need fresher water - I don't know. The restaurant itself, though, does NOT smell bad - unless you are completely unused to Chinese food!

I am a regular visitor of Chinese buffets. I have been to a number out East, and two out West (Mountain time zone). When you make the comparison, this is an outstanding buffet in every way. Firstly, the building is astounding. It is kitschy, but so what? It's exactly the kind of place that a Chinese family would choose for a wedding feast. And how many such buffets are there in the U.S.? Secondly, the service is outstanding. It is at a level unseen in any other business, including the other Chinese buffets I have frequented. Thirdly, it has one of the widest Chinese alcoholic beverages menus I have seen in this country. Fourthly, this buffet carries dishes that most other Chinese buffets don't, and I'm talking particularly about the cold dishes table. So in that way it is a very authentic Chinese buffet, because having cold side dishes at a meal is very Chinese. Fifth, the dishes are well-cooked. I think a very good test of authenticity of a Chinese restaurant is the hot and sour soup. This buffet passes the test with flying colours. Sixth, there is an actual sushi chef who does the Japanese table. Seventh, they have sashimi, not just sushi. Eighth, they have oysters every day, not just on Fridays and Saturdays; and I've never got sick from them. Ninth, it is right next door to the best Asian grocery store in town, which, again, offers excellent customer service (which seems to be a lost tradition among non-ethnic stores - of all types). Their English might be lacking, but this is not a problem. Tenth, Chinese families regularly come to this buffet. That is the BEST sign of all. And I'm not talking about the younger American generation. I'm talking about whole extended families (i.e. grandparents plus nuclear family), at least half of whose members don't speak a word of English. Why would they visit this buffet if it's not authentic?

I see no reason whatsoever to give this buffet anything less than 5 stars. And if you read my other reviews, I usually give stores 1 star! This place (and the grocery store next door) is so good, that it's the ONLY thing I will miss about this bloody liberals-from-hell town when I...

It's so difficult to find a good Chinese Buffet around here. This one is better than many, but still leaves something to be desired.

The place has recently undergone new management, which i believe made it a step up from what it was the last time i was out here (years ago). I came on a sunday with my mom, who would put the seafood options to the test while i covered most of the staples. MOST of the staples like sweet & sour chicken, Pepper Steak, egg roll, crab rangoon, and lo mein were bog standard affair, nothing too brightly flavored or spicy. Everything else on the dinner side was warm, fresh and often replenished though, which is a great sign and deserves two stars just for passing these two tests. There were more things available than i wanted to sample. They also offer mongolian style stir fry but i didn't try it this time.

The bummers though, were several. Starting with the General Tso's chicken, which had a funky sweet taste that didn't jive with what i was expecting, almost like they had poured orange chicken flavor onto sweet & sour chicken sauce and called it general tso's. The Plum Duck sauce that is usually very thick and with a signature plum+heat flavor was not to be found, only a vaguely citrusy flavor that was a sad pass after one bite. Likewise the desserts on offer weren't replenished during our nearly two hour visit we noticed, hoping to get some Almond cookies for dessert. The table next to us had a plate full of them, so i cannot say that they weren't served that day... they just didn't bring more out. No points deducted for this one, but if you go here on a hot day there is definitely a room you'll want to sit in, and it won't be the main room as the cooling seems to not be good enough to keep temperature controlled in the largest room of the place, which is next to the buffet room. Also quite peculiar were large industrial fans blowing throughout the bathrooms and the buffet room, i'm not sure if there are leaking problems or if this is just to try to combat the hotspots in the place.

The website for this restaurant mentions dim sum service, but on the day we came this was not true. We didn't inquire as to why, but they did have the carts for it so I presume they still do it, maybe moreso during the week?

So there you have it. I plan to head back here the next time i want to have a handful of different chinese entrees, and i'll even try the general tso's again, but i'll be hesitating and i won't be coming on a hot day. Worth your time and a decent value but not a place to get THE BEST chinese food. It might be the best chinese buffet in a 10 mile...

The outside of the restaurant looked ordinary but once you enter the restaurant, the stone carving meeting you was awesome. Reminds of a Suzhou garden. It gave me good vibes for a Chinese restaurant (especially in Ypsilanti, Michigan - a city that I did not know existed until I went there for dinner on a one night stay in Ann Harbor.) to have something like that carving. It gave you a sense that it makes it "authentic" Chinese food. No one would spend that kind of money to purchase that carving unless they have a good knowledge of Chinese history and culture. The little figures on the carving depicts ancient village life.

Once I entered the restaurant, it was full of chatter with customers eating pile high plates of crawfish and other shelled seafood items. Service was excellent and polite. Tables were cleared with finished dishes and tea refilled without asking. Food was temperature hot and fresh. Buffet food trays were constantly being replenished.

The Sushi bar had a great variety of sushi - at least ten varieties. The area the chefs worked in was clean; all wore gloves; ingredients were either fresh or fresh frozen (you can see the chefs take items out of the refrigerator when needed so no sushi would sit that long on a plate) and will custom a sushi for you (I don't eat onions nor seafood but like the other ingredients in it). The variety of sushi was unbelievable for a buffet. I never seen anything like that. In SF, it would be a restaurant of its own.

There were so many choices of what to eat. I did not know where to start. I started with a few pieces of dim sum. That was good - just like any good restaurant in SF or in Hong Kong - well stuffed with ingredients and right amount of seasoning. Then I figured the other entrees must be good. I walked around the entire buffet and the selections looked tempting, each with its own aroma. Each entrée I tried was flavorful, well balanced with seasoning, temperature hot and delicious. Also, there was a huge dessert bar that would delight anyone - from American to Chinese desserts

Unfortunately, I could not take food pictures because it was so crowed. I definitely suggest that "this" is restaurant to go for delicious Chinese food. Also, it was the largest buffet I ever went to - even for Chinese food. I don't think any other buffets can top this one - each dish with its own aroma and looked appealing, especially one that will not...