Rong Tan’s Bistro & Lounge

Stopped in for lunch today. Server was so ridiculously, hilariously rude. We got up and left and so did others. Won’t be coming back.

I have been here several occasions at different times of the day. The Buffett is my favorite (if you’re hungry enough to get your money’s worth) but the food on the menu is decent too (decent compared to Peking on Beechmont but not as good as PF Changs). I can say I always come for the food and atmosphere. Yes, atmosphere. Whenever my boyfriend and I come here, there’s maybe two families dining in their huge dining room so it’s nice and personal and you’re far enough from the bar (which is closed in to begin with basically) that obnoxious drunks aren’t an issue. I recommend their black tea on a cold day, it always hits the spot. Oh and the waitresses are nice enough too… just don’t expect them to treat you like special snowflakes.

This place I horrible! Ate here once never again. The hot mustard sauce tasted like paint.

My mom and I visited Rong Tans two weeks ago on a Friday night during what would normally be a peak dinner rush. The dining room had maybe 5 full tables the rest were dirty. The server was obviously stressed and ended up clearing us a table after we waited for 5+ minutes and we were the only ones waiting. She didn’t bring a menu at first, but then I asked for one just to see what would be a better value the buffet or an entrée. Before looking at the buffet, mom and I told the server wed get the buffet. She said if anything is out they would fill it up. They were out of nearly everything. Mom alerted the server who said they were working on it. They filled only a few items. We got a plate and waited 20 minutes for additional items to be added… no such luck. She brought the check. We went to the counter to pay, and without looking at us the server said so how was it? Mom said not so great there wasn’t anything on the buffet and it’s a Friday. She responded «that’s why I gave you menus» and rolled her eyes. Mom stated that is not the proper response and an apology would be nice especially because they said they would refill it. She said «it’s been a rough day» needless to say service alone would turn me away for life, but the food was stale and definitely not worth full price.

Not a fan! My husband and I had dinner here tonight, and it was not our favorite. My meal was luke warm, and my husband had a difficult time getting the waitress back to the table for a drink refill. The food actually didn’t taste bad, but the atmosphere ruined it. We probably won’t go back.

This place is not a place were respectable people should go. I met a friend there one evening, our conversation started out with him telling me «take a cab even if you dont drink». I was told that night more dui’s are issued in that general Area than anywhere in the entire state, sure enough cops all over the dang place when i left at midnight (sober) Get to the bar and 5 minutes later some jerk manager is manhandling some guy for nothing. He got thrown out. Place just gave me a bad vibe.

BEST CHINESE FOOD I’ve ever had in my area, I have gone here for a long time now and it is truly some of the nicest people i know. They’ve been here at this location for more than 26 years now and their food shows why. they advertise a buffet on wens. fri. and sat. but where their food really shines is their dine in off the menu. Most people fail to realize that this is actually a small family business that has toughed it out for 26 years of hardship. the Chefs prep and make each dish by hand everyday (yes even preping and rolling their own eggrolls) down to each homemade sauce that is delicately made. If you happen to be one of those people who are eating the buffet at 830−9pm when their about to close, then you need to realize that the buffet is a DINNER BUFFET 530 – 830 pm not a Chinese taco bell for your fourth meal. I really stand behind this family and I love their dine in food,
if I can give some helpful advice about this place first, if you are apprehensive about chinese food and have trouble ordering off the menu, (which is why most people are afraid to stray away from the buffet) ASK FOR HELP ORDERING!!! there is no shame in asking the people that work there for advice in ordering food and they can give a better idea of what you’ll like or what they have personal favorites in, the chinese boy that usually works there on weekends is especially helpful since it’s his family that owns the resteraunt. I hope this helps guys

We decided to try this place out, since being local to where we live. However, our experience was not a good one. The quality of the food was pretty poor. The chicken was grossly lacking taste and the entire meal was disappointing compared to many other Asian eateries we have tried. The restaurant inside looked quite nice and decently decorated.
In the future, if we are looking for some Asian food we will be looking elsewhere.

I was not impressed with my food here. I can’t fully rate the service because I got take out, but I can tell you that our food was packed very sloppy with sauce making a sticky mess on the outside of our take out boxes. The taste of the food was sub par, with a strange aftertaste. It was not very fresh and the chicken was poor qaulity. I do not plan on going back.

Best Chinese on Eastside period. Unique atmosphere that combines a bar and restaurant. They have a new shuffle board table, too. A nice change from all of the corporate chains.

Ok, I have to set the story straight here a little bit. I feel like the other reviewers were basing their reviews on things that weren’t reasonable. I know everyone has different expectations for a restaurant when they go in, but you can’t judge a burger joint by their fajitas, get me? Yes, it has turned into a popular night time spot filled with questionable characters… but would you go into a Chinese restaurant at midnight on a Saturday and expect to eat a quiet dinner? No, that’s why they don’t serve food past 9, and that’s why you don’t judge a restaurant by it’s bar scene. I will say that I had a poor experience going a little too closing time and experienced a buffet with food that left a little to be desired. However, upon mentioning it to the waitress, she offered to bring out fresh pans of our favorites, or allow us to order off the menu. Since I knew we were likely their last customers for the night, I didn’t want food to go to waste, so we opted to order from the menu, and she threw in some free egg rolls for the trouble.
If you judge the restaurant by its FOOD ALONE, I doubt you would have any bad reviews on here. Their food is excellent, and I have never once been upset with the quality. The meat tastes like meat, and has the texture of the meat it’s supposed to have, not make you wonder if you’re eating something questionable. The food is full of rich flavors and spices. For food alone, it’s probably one of my favorite Chinese places in the city. The big plus for me, is that they deliver to my home. That way I don’t have to dodge weirdos at the bar, or worry about how close to the dinner rush I get there. It’s always made fresh and delivered hot. Love it!

Some things have changed since the last time I ate at Rong Tans. So much that this IS sadly the last time I eat at Rong Tans. If that makes sense.
The buffet with the crab legs is 19.95(!), 8.95 without. I haven’t been in about a year, but they were so consistently good every other time I figured it was worth it. It was not. They no longer keep the crab legs at the buffet, they bring a pan of them to your table. So you can’t pick and choose any longer — I don’t care for claws, so I avoid them– and you have to eat it all before they bring you more. It’s a good thing they don’t check the empty shell plate, I just cracked the claws and tossed them on there. The last legs you eat will be cold, because they aren’t kept on a hot plate. Oh, yeah, and they were fishy, dark, rubbery and WAY over salted. They’ve gone from having the best snow crab legs I’ve ever had to the worst by far, and for way more money than they used to charge.
The waiter didn’t seem to get anything I asked for. I had had just one bowl of soup, sat a while waiting for the crab to come, he comes over and I asked, «where’s our crab?» — so he tries to give me the check! It was like that all night, and the confusion was always over the word «crab». Weird. He was working hard, but we sat a long time just waiting for food — at a buffet mind you– and had to ask for everything.
The other items on the buffet were sub-​par, and often ½ of the food trays were empty. The normally delicious crab rangoons were rubbery and bland.
The rest room was out of towels and the floor was so sticky it sounded and felt like I was wearing suction cups on my feet as I walked across it. GROSS!
When the cashier asked how it was, I answered, «you used to do a lot better.» She replied, «Oh, he’s new», looking back at our waiter. I informed her that it wasn’t just that, the crab legs were horrible. And she replied that everyone was saying that and she thought they looked too dark and blamed their supplier! Not my problem– why did they let us pay $ 20.00 for crap when they knew it was crap? They should have not served crab that night or at least warned us. No «so sorry», no coupon to come back and try again, nothing. That’s just Wrong (Tans).

I’ve never been here for the food, just to make that perfectly clear.
I have been here on a Saturday night for the live bands and the full bar. The place was packed! Live music, $ 2.75 beers (I’ve seen them more expensive elsewhere), and good times with great friends. Can’t beat that. My ears will be ringing for days.
To be perfectly honest, this is probably the shortest Unilocal!review that I’ve ever written!

Went there recently for their lunch buffet. The restaurant was empty and the food on the buffet was sparse and cold. We used to go their for their dinner buffet with crab legs. At $ 12.99 it was pricey but if you wanted just crab legs it was a deal. Many people would just get plates of it. They were often slow refilling.
They have a back room (bar) that must keep the place in business. I’m surprised it has lasted this long.

This was one of the worst Chinese restaurants I have ever eaten at. We went on a weeknight, and the restaurant was completely dead. This should have been a sign. They advertise a buffet (I know, buffets are not traditionally the hallmarks of great cuisine, but they’re a good way to make everyone in the car stop whining) but when we went inside, it wasn’t being offered.
They’re apparently known for their bar, and there was a little action going on over there — ten or so people, but we sat by ourselves in the restaurant. I ordered a noodle dish that was served in a brown sauce that would have been bland if it hadn’t tasted like salt. Service was not great, food was awful and the whole experience was just a tad creepy. I definitely won’t be going back.

First off, this is 100% a Chinese restaurant.
We chose to come here for two reasons.
1. They were open on Easter Sunday Night.
2. We were sick of doing dishes from having people in our house for 3 days. (Love you family!!)
Most of the reviews I’ve read on other sites say that this is a great bar location in Anderson. It was obviously the case since we went in here on Easter Sunday night and there were probably 30+ people in their small bar area and they have a decent sized outside bar space. They seemed to have a full bar but to be honest we headed straight into the restaurant (we were hungry!). They were playing bar music the whole time, which was entertaining, but definitely a first for me in a Chinese restaurant!
They give you the option to order off of the menu or to hit their buffet. The restaurant was basically empty at the time (but it was 730p on easter, so go figure) but is capable of seating a crowd. We ordered pan fried pot stickers which were fantastic, some of the best I’ve ever had. The buffet had a good selection of choices (part of the 3 stars was it had been sitting a while, but what do you expect when you go to a buffet at off-​peak times). Even having sat a while the food was pretty decent, and the things they brought out fresh as we sat there were very good.
If you live in the area, it’s worth a visit to see for yourself.
Oh and their message board out front said «We have Derivery» CLASSIC!