Number One China Buffet

So it’s not the best or most authentic Chinese you’ll ever have, but this is Carmel. It’s also dependable and dirt cheap.
I prefer the takeout to the buffet.

This is not an elite restaurant but the place is packed on every lunch and dinner time. Price is very trainable and food is extremely fresh. I have gone to this place many times in the past and was never

Second visit. First time I thought «average food, average prices» — this could be a go to, quick, when you’re hungry place!
Second visit I noticed they have a habit of taking hot food items and setting them at the end of the counter — off any heat or heat lamp — health code anyone? All of the food was overly greasy, either very hot or very cold, and bland! My dining partner was the same both times and agreed the second visit was not enticing and a step down from visit #1.
Sigh. I’ll now keep looking for that solid establishment that I had hoped this was.

Listen up, this is a good buffet — a buffet — Chinese Buffet. Those words can mean a lot of things to people.
Pros: Broccoli and green beans are good and always on the menu. Get your veggies people, thin noodles — mai fun, and chicken broccoli. They always have FRESH fruit. I go there to eat a decent meal and they deliver.
Cons: It’s a buffet. The food can sit for a while and get old and the variety over time is not the best.
Food 3.5÷5
Value ⁵⁄₅
Service ³⁄₅
Atmosphere ²⁄₅

Good lunch price. Not a huge selection, mostly chicken dishes (pepper, coconut, sweet and sour, peanut, and more) but well made. I am not a huge egg roll fan, but I decided to give theirs a try and really enjoyed their pork egg roll.

Limited buffet but for the price it doesn’t get much better. I always get the to-​go lunch which is pay for the pound. Never had a meal over $ 4. Quality is what you would expect from a buffet.
My only wish would be that there was a little bit larger selection, but I know I’ll be back!

Not many food selections. Typical Chinese buffet with fewer selections, less quality food, higher prices, and not really clean. Some of the chairs are ripped apart and have sticky seats. I like to sit on the booths but they were so dirty I sat somewhere else.
There is a reason why this place makes you pay first. I wouldn’t have paid for the food.

I’ve been here before; food’s okay especially when you have an MSG craving. But this last visit surprised me. Greasy food and dirty surroundings put us off this place forever. The restaurant was empty on a Saturday night, and no one bothered to replenish the empty pans. This place has gone to the dogs.

Been here three times. First was just okay… Okay enough to return when we really wanted Chinese buffet. Second time was good… Fresh, hot food. The third time was not good at all. We will not go back.

I’ve got no problem with this spot other than the lack of selections. Maybe it’s because I haven’t been to an all-​you-​can-​eat Chinese buffet in a long time but I remember there being a lot more stations full of all sorts of food.
This buffet had many appetizing food options that are hot and constantly refilling the trays. The restaurant is nothing special on the inside but the service is friendly. Can’t beat the price and the peanut chicken… to die for! I’ll be back whenever I have that Chinese craving.

I don’t normally expect much from a china buffet, but I do have my standards.
1) somewhat fresh food
2) good selection
3) salad /​fruit bar
4) desert /​pudding /​ice cream
When I googled china buffet, Number One came up as one of my better options. I was mistaken.
1) The food was somewhat fresh. There was a salmon sitting, for what looked like hours and hours, drenched in butter and oil. Most of the other fried options needed a good stirring to give the appearance of being fresh.
2) for a buffet with good reviews, the section was a bit small. They had general tsos and 3 other varieties of fried chicken, but that was about it. The taste was what you would expect from a buffet. Hard to mess up the normal items. I read one review which raved about sushi. (buffets usually arent a great place to go for sushi besides The Journey). There was no sushi
3) the salad and fruit selection was very small, although they had fresh pineapple and strawberries that made the trip and price somewhat worth it.
4) the desert was the most disappointing part. The soft serve was sub par, no cones available. No pudding :/​.
My total cost with tip (yes I still tip at these places) was $ 10.00. I don’t often frequent buffets, but when I do, I will not be returning to this one.

For $ 5.49 daily lunch buffet (11 AM — 3:30 PM), it was ok. They had some of the usual food as most Chinese buffets. Lots of soup — I personally like the egg drop; this place has wonton strips for it. Chicken teriyaki on a stick. Rolls. Grapes. Oranges. Ice cream machine. Something a little different — some type of Chinese greens.

For the price, which is like 5 bucks, you get a lot to eat and it’s decent. It seems to be coming out fresh pretty often and there are some good selections at the buffet. The atmosphere is a little creepy. Go for lunch if you want to pig out and pay almost nothing.

I went to this restaurant during lunch and it was amazingly cheap for how good the food tasted. It was around $ 5 to eat endless Chinese food during the lunch hours and the food was all very delicious. They have your normal Chinese eats, such as stuffed mushrooms, sweet and sour chicken, honey and peanut chicken, crab ragoon, hot and sour and egg drop soups, and so forth. The service was decent and the food seemed to always be fresh. As far as service goes, there was no much interaction with employees past paying for your meal and getting our drink cup, which happened during the same time. You basically put your dirty plates in a tub by a door that I assume leads back to the kitchen or dish room. This limits your interaction with the service, so leaving tips might not seem needed, but that is completely up to you. I went with a huge group of people during work and the restaurant was able to accommodate us all while still serving others that were there without conflict. It is located in a nice area in Carmel near many other stores, so if you would want to go there for lunch while out shopping, it is very convenient.

Good food at a good price. Most of the time it’s iffy to eat at a buffet during off peak hours but Number One China Buffet had fresh food.

For the price that you pay, the food is delicious.
Every time I visit, the food is always coming fresh out of the kitchen. The trays are consistently being changed so you know the food hasn’t been sitting long and is sticking to the bottom.
I always have a pleasant experience.

I would probably say it rates a 2.5, but I just can’t go 3 stars. The food isn’t terrible, but it also isn’t that super. I think the appetizer type food is better than the main dishes. They also usually have very fresh good fruit.
The teriyaki chicken skewers are pretty good. Generally, the pot stickers are good. They actually have nice crisp vegetable spring rolls. They used to have killer meatballs in some sort of delicious sauce, but I haven’t seen those for a long time. That bums me out, because that was my favorite thing there. The General Tso’s chicken is ok, but most of the other entrée dishes I have tried just aren’t all that great. As I look back over the list of what is good, I notice they do fried really well.
The price is really good (and there are often coupons), and it is fast since it is a buffet and that is why I return.

I’m not sure the food rates a solid 3 star rating, but the overall experience probably does.
It’s not great. But, some of the dishes are pretty darn good. The price is right, and it seems like they’re constantly cleaning, which is a good think in a buffet style restaurant!
My favorites are the Coconut Chicken and the Peanut Chicken, they seem to be a cut above similar dishes at other Chinese Buffets. The rest of the food? It’s hot, fresh, and filling, if a bit bland.
It’s one of those places I stop when I’m hungry and don’t want to spend a lot of money, but still get a good meal. However, I wouldn’t plan a special occasion here.

I usually come here about once a week for lunch. It’s not great, but it’s also not terrible. It’s very cheap with plenty of food to stuff your face with. It’s typical Chinese buffet fare.

This place may be hard to find on the web or in the phone book as it’s variously listed as «Number One China Buffet», «Number One China Buffett» (double «t»), «#1 China Buffet», and «No. 1 China Buffet».
I decided to be a little generous here with a 3-​star rating. I gave them three stars, not so much for the quality of food, as for the good price.
It’s both a buffet (for lunch and dinner) and an order-​off-​the-​menu place. Eat in or take out.
Eat-​in buffet price:
$ 4.99 lunch, plus .99 drink, plus tax. (11 am to 3:30pm)
$ 5.99 dinner, plus .99 drink, plus tax. (5pm to 9pm)
Take-​out buffet price:
$ 4.79 per box for lunch.
$ 5.79 per box for dinner.
(does not include soup)
The buffet was not as extensive as I normally like, but given the price, it’s still a good deal. The main thing missing for me was lettuce on the salad bar.
At about 4:30pm, the food was fresh from the kitchen, and not left over from lunch. The quality was better than the dirt-​cheap/​fill-​up-​cheap places, but just didn’t stand out. It was «meh…, acceptable.»
The dessert/​fruit section was not much either: jello, dried out orange sections, flavor-​less mini eclairs, cantelope chunks. They didn’t even have bananas in red sauce.
Cleanliness and ambience were good, a tad better than «acceptable.»
I would not go out of my way to eat here, and if I were in the area, and wanted _​good_​Chinese food, I’d go elsewhere. But if I were in this area, and in a hurry, and price were a factor, this is acceptable. But I would not treat guests here.
The food isn’t bad, but it’s just not good enough to recommend. So, this place is mainly for the budget conscious.
If I’m not getting this confused with another place, I really liked the coconut shrimp.
Suggestion for New Diners: coconut shrimp.