Top China Buffet

It is one of the cheaper buffets. But you get what you pay for. There is not as much selection. No sushi. No fish. And no chicken that’s not fried.

The food is average for a Chinese buffet, but a good value for your money. No sushi on the buffet. Every surface, however, needs a good scrub and the furniture is in dire need of reupolstering.

Been doing take-​out from this place at least once a month for decades now. I typically choose among the fried rice, teriyaki beef or chicken, sweet/​sour chicken, chinese vegetables, egg rolls, egg foo yung, lo mein — the quantity, quality and cost are all very good and it’s prepared consistently each time I order. It’s a bit of a drive for us but it’s worth it. They never make mistakes on our order and the customer service is super efficient and cordial. Some places I’ve tried it can be too salty, too greasy or skimpy (like egg roll contents) — this place I can count on consistency of flavors and quantity and enjoying a very good meal. I have occasionally tried other places that were closer but have been disappointed with their flavor/​greasiness/​quantity/​cost so I always go back to Top China — my go-​to place when I want (Americanised) Chinese food.

Could have more of a selection, would like to see some real authentic chinese recipes other than the typical Westernized American style foods. But great staff, location, and food. Not to mention, best drink prices ANYWHERE!

This is usually a decent location for lunch but today the rice was bland. The sesame chicken was overcooked. No tea refill from the waitress.

Still FRESH and a SUPER VALUE ! As good or better at much less the price. Pound for pound, better than Happy China and Columbia King. If you are in harbison, st andrews, irmo… don’t miss it !!

Have gone here with family (not my choice) a few times. Not good food at all even by buffet standards. Floors are reallllly dirty as in I don’t think they own a vacuum. All the steak and chicken on the buffet tastes like something other than steak or chicken. I would honestly not want to eat here even if it was free.

I have been going off and on for the last two years. I have not yet been disappointed.
At standard lunch time (11 – 2), there are simply too many people to allow the food to sit in in a pool of grease as another Unilocaler had pointed out.
Not all types will appeal to everyone, however, there is enough variety to please just about anyone.
The tea is good, not like at other places where one can tell they are drinking tap water.
So far, the taste here is the best for a Chinese buffet. I have been to bigger buffets and even smaller. I have yet to be disappointed with Top China Buffet.

The food was ok but FAR from the BEST!

I have to disagree with these other five star ratings. This place offers quantity over quality. It’s a huge spread, but none of it tastes good! The General Tso’s chicken was a soggy, spongy mush. The eggroll was soaking in a pool of its own grease. All the meat on the buffet, especially the chicken, was of low quality. Most dishes were bland and tasteless. The lettuce for the salad was brown. Not a single item on the buffet was up to par. Avoid this place.
As a side note, Unilocal users in Irmo need to post more reviews so that results are more dependable. I was irked that I wasted my time on this place based on its five star rating (from only three reviewers). In fairness, the five star reviews were posted about a year ago. Maybe this place was better «back in the day.»

As Chinese buffets south of DC go, Top China was definitely one of the better ones. The food is very typical of Americanized Chinese food: general tsao’s, beef and broccoli, pepper chicken, etc. However they do feature some quality dishes like fried shrimp, shrimp cocktail, oysters, shumai, and crab legs. The food was fresh, warm, and quite well made. What puts the buffet well above others of its kind is the astonishing price. While buffets in bigger cities get away with charging $ 10 – 20 for dinner, Top China charges only $ 5 for lunch and $ 7 for dinner! This was an incredible find for an impoverished college student.

I.Y.I.T (In Unilocal I Trust)… I’ll be the first to admit that I am weary of Chinese buffets. It just seems like a cop out. Plus, it’s hard to think that there would be much quality control in bulk preparation of rice, noodles, egg rolls, and various stirfrys. And on top of that, how do you choose a Chinese buffet spot from the dozens of them scattered throughout the city?
Well, thanks to Unilocal,we now have a way to separate the wheat from the chaff, the keepers from the throwbacks, etc. And thank heavens for that… because a bad Chinese buffet can really be a terrible experience, but on the flip side a good Chinese buffet is positively heaven sent. The latter is the case for Top China Buffet.
Boiled pork dumplings, egg drop soup, egg foo young, fried rice, crab rangoon, egg rolls, General Tso’s chicken, just about anything you’d order from your favorite Chinese take-​out spot is available here and you’ll be happy to know it is of the same quality if not better. Those of you who are experienced Chinese food vets know that it can be greasy at times, but here, though there is plenty of dishes that have the propensity to be greasy, nothing really is. Delving beneath the sneeze guard yields fresh, hot food items every time. The very capable waitstaff constantly monitors the buffet line to know what to bring out next and I hardly had to wait a minute before my glass of sweet tea was refilled.
So, as hard as it is for me to give a buffet spot 5 stars, I’m doing it with Top China Buffet. I’m not one to rock the Unilocal boat you know.

I’ve been going here for a while now and the food is superb and fresh. For the money, it’s one of the best in Columbia, SC.