China Express

LUNCH REVIEW:
This place pleasantly surprised me when I looked up Chinese food that was close to the East side. Thanks to that Unilocal search I found a $ 5.95 all you can eat lunch buffet that passed my expectations. I have been twice now and everything has been equally as good except the lo mein last time. It’s definitely a hole in the wall and you may be hesitant to enter but, get over it and enter. Of course there is plenty of parking in the private lot.
I love their sign behind the register saying if you are on your phone get out of line. I can’t tell you how many times I witness this and people just tolerate it.
The buffet has crab rangoon, sugar covered doughnut rounds, sweet and sour chicken, two soups (one is egg drop), chicken wings, 4 entrée type dishes, lo mein and white and fried rice. It’s not huge but, it has variety and is cheap so what could you really ask for? I always just places on price versus quality though so, if you judge differently you may not agree with me.
Both of the times that I have been here they were very busy so, grab a table as soon as you see it.

New management, food tastes so different. It really isn’t the same. This would be our go to place with my family and I don’t think we’ll be coming back.

I’m giving this place a 4 star review because although the environment could be a little bit more cleaner you can’t beat $ 6 meals the food is adequate at best great spot for someone trying to get lunch and go right back to work by all means I would not expect anything extravagant.
For the person that said that the steam table at this establishment did not work you stupid in the head I came in an hour after the buffet close and I still saw steam coming off their steam table. Unilocalers like you just need to not Unilocal.
So if it’s a quick/​cheap lunch that you looking for and get back to work this is a place to go.
My ticket time was only 4 minutes and it came out steaming hot.

As others have mentioned, the place is now run by different owners. First time having it since it was bought out and it was still the same, mostly. After having it a second time, it was not worth the $ 25 for two plates and four egg rolls. Shrimp fried rice was really greasy, rice was hard and overcooked, shrimp was burnt. Nasty. Egg rolls needed to be fried a bit longer. The worst food I’ve ever had at this place yet. They even drove up the prices! Have been eating here almost my entire life and sad to say this place is just another Austin «place you used to know and love». People are rude, food is terrible and not worth it anymore. Another good thing gone from East Riverside.

Call the health department they dont have a operating steam table to keep the buffet at any temperature have pepole workers eating at the register and in the kitchen. My friend and i truly wonder if that’s beef or reconstituted animal fat. 5.95 might seam lime a good deal but if you can’t keep it down is just money thrown away

I am sad to say they have switched owners. I ordered my usual chicken lo mein. It was literally spaghetti noodles and chicken. They really used spaghetti noodles!!! And what happened to the cabbage and carrots?! My husband’s combination fried rice was too greasy and lacked shrimp. Another good Chinese place bites the dust.

Solid chinese food. Quick and efficient, tasty, affordable. Would def recommend.

DONT DO IT!!! Easily the worst Chinese food I have ever had. Cheap buffet, but there’s a reason why. Place is dirty and has no atmosphere. My stomach is not very happy with me right now.

«Meh…I’ve experienced better» is true, but it’s also $ 5.95 for lunch which is tough to beat. Admittedly, the food is constantly being cooked up in the kitchen, so it is hot and fresh, but it’s still Not great… I will say, it’s Good. You get what you pay for.
Lunch buffet does not have a large variety/​selection
3 main dishes
white rice
brown rice
eggrolls
chicken wings
wontons
2 kinds of soup (egg drop and hot & sour)
But keep in mind, it’s only $ 5.95. So if you’re looking for a Quick Lunch and on a budget. Give the place a try. It wasn’t bad, it was good, just not great.

They have roaches like you can not believe. They can not get rid of these roaches because they have some many, my husband say that the roaches come out of the wall sockets and are crawling all over the food in the back; its that bad! DONT EAT HERE!!!

Would not eat here ever again! Saw two roaches on the buffet plates. No telling where they went and who’s stomach they went into! Gross!

We come here maybe once a week to get the lunch buffet. Consistent, a little noisy and busy at times (expect at least one screaming child at all times) but the food is always hot and fresh cooked. Best bang for the buck!

Not very good. Not the best cleaned restaurant. It is run of the mill as far as food taste is concerned.

Without a doubt — GREAT food for a GREAT price… my only one hiccup — the seating — if you go during the week at prime lunchtime, you might have to wait for a table… BUT if you do, the food will be HOT, fresh and very TASTY!!!

This place is what dreams are made of. If you dream of cheap, borderline mediocre, food court quality Chinese food in a weird strip mall in an area that used to be super sketch town where you have to pay first and then wait for a table or just go community table style. So, I used to see their big banner advertising a $ 5.99 lunch buffet but never had the courage to check it out. That has all changed now. First thing, the place is tiny. It can probably seat around 50 people or so and most of the tables are 4-​tops with a couple 6 – 8 tops and a couple 2’s. We arrived and there was a line 5 people deep waiting to pay and as soon as we paid, we waited around 5 – 10 minutes just to find somewhere to sit. We ended up sitting community table style at an 8 top with 2 other people. The food choices were kind of interesting. They had 2 soups (Egg Drop and Hot & Sour), cream cheese rangoons, fried spring rolls, S&S chicken, garlic green beans, some kind of spicy chicken in red sauce with LOTS of red pepper flakes (they didn’t have signage), chicken or beef and broccoli and something else. It’s pretty slim pickens but for $ 5.99 or $ 6.99 to-​go, who can complain? Is it life changing? Nope. Is it gross? Depends on what you prefer. Was it a hell of a bargain and not terrible? Yep.

Quite average food. Not a lot of seating, the people were rude, and the beef and brocoli, shrimp fried rice, egg rolls and egg drop soup are nothing to write home about. The leftovers the next day are even worse. Only redeeming qualities is that there’s lots of parking and the food is cheap.

I used Unilocal to lead me to the best Chinese buffet in Austin while my wife and I are in town for work. I have this weird quirk about trying buffets in towns that are new to me (don’t judge — it’s my thing.) I wasn’t phased by the fact that it’s a dive because that’s where you can find some of the best food. I was torn about this place because it was kind of a let down but there were some high points. The spring rolls were just bad. I was brave and tried the fried fish but I was soon afraid that the one bite that I took was playing Russian Roulette with food poisoning. I wouldn’t say that the Gen. Tso’s Chicken was necessarily bad, but the sauce tasted like it was jarred and the overall consistency was kinda mealy. The only way that I can describe the fried rice is that it tasted like an old person’s house — like it was cooked with a hint of moth balls.
With that said, the lo mein was ON POINT as well as the egg drop and hot and sour soups. The Kung Pao chicken was yummy too! I got a small plate with bites of the above mentioned items to see what I was dealing with then I went back and got an actual plate of lo mein and Kung Pao chicken with soup.
The bottom line is that I would think that, with as much of a food destination that Austin is, I find it hard to believe that is the best that the town has to offer as far as Chinese buffets go (don’t hate on my buffet love!), but if I am jonesin’ for some yummy lo mein and Kung Pao chicken and my pockets are crying, this is the place!

Not the greatest environment or a big selection of foods but for sure the best tasting chinese buffet in Austin by far. Please let me know if you know of another buffet that taste better. I miss Chop Sticks on Airport and Lamar.

This place is the very definition of «hole in the wall.» The restaurant leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to décor, cleanness, and atmosphere. But this place also isn’t the type of restaurant to go and get the best chinese food of your life.
I got the General Tso’s chicken. Others have posted that the sauce was too spicy, but I found it to be enjoyable. I also eat way too much spicy food, so it is entirely possible that this is just me being used to that level of heat. The sauce was a nice consistency, the chicken was a little dry, but overall a decent dish.
I also ordered egg rolls and fried dumplings. The egg rolls were standard fare and it is entirely possible that they were pre-​made or frozen. I won’t order them again personally.
The dumplings were solid. Nice consistency for the casing and the filling was flavorful and not overly salty. The sauce they came with was also tasty. Will DEFINITELY order them again.
Overall, I would say it was average. Is this a place I will take out of town guests for dinner? No. Is this a place that I will order when watching Netflix in bed after a rough day at work? Absolutely. Simple food, nothing to write home about. But the price is nice and cheap, especially given the expensive nature of Chinese food in the south parts of Austin.

This place is definitely gives you the bang for the buck.
After reading some existing reviews, I had expected the place to be super crowded during lunch hours (we showed up at 12:30pm on a Monday), and we were right. We stood at the door for about 2 – 3 minutes before a table opened up. The entire place is packed. There was a long buffet line, about 10 people or so, at all times. That’s not really a big deal for us, since they kept on bringing out fresh food every few minutes.
All the food was fresh and the fried items were crispy. I’m actually glad we went during rush hour so we can be sure none of the food has been sitting out for a long time.
I want to be reasonable and give the place 4 stars because $ 5.50 is definitely a great price for an all-​you-​can-​eat buffet with fresh food. But it’s shy of 5 stars because it’s exactly that — buffet food.
There’s not a great amount of variety, but that’s okay, because I would rather have freshness over quantity. Besides, all the traditional things I’d hit at a Chinese buffet are here:
Egg Rolls (w/​the crispy skins), Chicken Wings, Chinese Donuts, Crab Rangoons
Sweet and Sour Chicken
Hot and Sour Soup, Egg Drop Soup
Fried Fish Fillets (which seems to be the only non-​hit)
White Rice, Plain Fried Rice, Lo Mein
Chicken and Broccoli, Kung Pao Chicken
General Tso’s Chicken (the biggest hit)
Green Beans in White Sauce
You walk in and prepay at the register in the back, they’ll give you your drinks at the counter. If you order soda they’ll give it to you in a can or bottle. You’ll need to go back up to the counter if you want refills. The owners are very nice. I saw them walk around talking to the customers, and chatting up with what seemed like regulars. A lot of the customers there had kids, and a couple of ladies showed up with strollers. It’s good to know that the place, though small, is cozy and family friendly.
Most Chinese places that have lunch specials are priced higher than this place, and I had twice as much food. Takeout buffets are available for $ 6.50. Still a very reasonable price if you’re not a big eater. This is definitely going to be the place I’d come back to whenever I’m craving a buffet.