China Garden Buffet

A fairly standard Chinese buffet. The service was good, the décor is decent, the food wasn’t bad. On a weekday afternoon everything seemed pretty fresh. You’re probably not coming here to experience new things; the old faves are done well.

A friend invited me out for lunch and suggested China Garden. I agreed and, like the tenacious Unilocaler that I am, checked the reviews before going. This did not make me optimistic. Still, my curiosity was piqued. I mean, how many restaurants are described as «the best Chinese buffet» and «the worst Chinese buffet» in Columbus in the same set of reviews? (Maybe others have been, I don’t know, can’t say I’ve checked.)
How about the «averagest» one? Does that work for everyone?
Although it’s nothing much to look at from the outside, I was practically expecting a dank, dreary dungeon of a restaurant when I walked in. To my surprise, it was pretty… average. The foyer is actually very nice, with a sparkly rock fountain and some bright-​colored ceiling décor. Inside the restaurant itself, the cafeteria-​like open floor plan and linear rows of tables in the dining area do the place no favors, but there is an attempt at warmth in the wall art and other details, even if some of it looked like it came from Kitschy Restaurants ‘R’ Us.
We had zero problems with the service whatsoever. The woman who helped us was fast, efficient, and attentive. Our drinks came when they were supposed to. Our bill came when it was supposed to.
I had been thinking of ordering off the menu because of some of the reviews, but no menus were forthcoming, so I chanced the buffet. I don’t know if that’s because we were there for lunch or because menus are by request only.
The food was also extraordinarily average, but I’ll offer one suggestion: don’t load your plate up too full. Remember you can always go back if you want more, and it’s not so expensive that anyone should feel like they need to stuff themselves to get their money’s worth. It was more filling than I expected, and I ended up only having one plate, filled to (you guessed it) an average amount. Eating too much because it took time for the fullness to catch up to you and leaving feeling ill is no fun for anyone.
What I had: fried zucchini, fried plantain, mushrooms in oyster sauce, veggie lo mein, some kind of octopus thing, and a few pieces of veggie sushi, all in small amounts. I think the mushrooms and the lo mein were my favorites. The zucchini was bland. I was hoping to try the sauteed string beans and steamed flounder on my second round, but as I said, I was already full by that time.
Bottom line: I did not find it to be a horrible experience, but nor will I feel compelled to choose China Garden over Columbus’s many other options if not prompted by someone else, as I was today. It was a good value, so you can afford to be sane about quantity.

China Garden is really a Hit or Miss kind of place. I’ve eaten in and the Buffet has SO MUCH going on– it’s too much, really. Part of it is cold, part of it is warm, and part is hot. If you get the hot stuff, it’s great! The cold stuff not so much. I’d recommend carry-​out or ordering from the menu as it’ll come at a better temperature for sure.
I’ve had delivery a couple times, too. I’ve also ordered take-​out. Weird thing– when I order delivery, I get my drinks cold, but when I order for to-​go and get it myself, the drinks are hot (they are cans, by the way). With both of these, I did get my food hot and it was good especially the rangoons and eggrolls. It is $ 15 minimum to get delivery. There is no minimum if you’re there and you get take-​out. One thing with the delivery, the guy who delivers is kind of impatient and will open your door if you don’t answer right away and say, «Hello!» or «Delivery.»
The place has really dim lighting. I think they should definitely brighten the place up some as it is really kind of dark for a buffet. All in all, I’d say it’s worth a shot; I’ve heard some people rave about it and some people rant. It really just depends on what you order and how you order it. The buffet wasn’t my favorite part. I always get take-​out now simply because I know it’ll be hot. Every now and then when I don’t feel like going out, I’ll order delivery. They actually do have pretty good time. It hasn’t take them longer than 20 minutes on any order I’ve placed and it’s been hot each time!

The food was okay. It’s a Chinese buffet what do you expect.
However we went there last Saturday because I was too tired from work to cook anything. Sat and order drinks then went to the Buffet
Came back with our plates, no drinks.
Ate our first plate, and then track down a waiter (not our original one) and asked for two waters.
She brought one to the table, which I gave to my husband who wanted something to wash his food down. At this point I got up and was aiming to get my own glass of water. Our server, finally after 20 minutes looked up at me as I stood my the drink fountain and realized «Oh yeah you need your drinks»
There were only a handful of people dinning besides us. The wait staff was more interested in chumming up with the regulars, so we were just ignored. No refills and finally after we finished eating, we waited 5 minutes to get a bill… which we didn’t get. The waiters didn’t have a clue, we could have just walked out and they wouldn’t have noticed us. We went up to the cash register and told them we didn’t get a bill and would like to pay. No concern. I’ve been to this place many times people without many problems, but this pi$$ poor services has driven me away. 18 bucks… and I didn’t even get a damn fortune cookie.

We’ve gone to this buffet three times now. The last time, my honey was sick before we even left the restaurant. The quality of the food keeps declining and though it’s cheap, that’s the only plus. If you’re craving Chinese food, do yourself a favor — drive to Grandview and hit up Nong’s instead. Cause the China Garden Buffet ain’t worth your money or your Maalox.

We had carry out from China Garden Buffet tonight. Some reviews were specific to the buffet and the restaurant wasn’t highly regarded, but we wanted to try it. One reviewer stated that you can’t mess up the food, but, in all honesty, even after a couple drinks, the food still wasn’t very appetizing. We ordered 4 different meals for 4 people to share, they included: Kung Pao Chicken w/​steamed rice, and 3 «dinner value meals» (sweet/​sour chicken, chicken/​broccoli, and sesame chicken). The «value meals» came with rice (fried or steamed) and an egg roll (vegetable or meat).
The Kung Pao Chicken was very bland and had zero spice, which it’s supposed to be a spicy dish without even asking. In addition, there were more nuts and carrots in the dish than there was chicken. Very disappointed!
The sweet/​sour chicken looked like large pieces, but there was very little chicken within the actual breading.
The chicken/​broccoli and sesame chicken were, eh… I’ve had much better elsewhere.
The «fried» rice was very weird and didn’t «look» like typical fried rice (i.e. it usually looks brown and oily) — it looked like yellow rice.
The host was very nice and answered our questions. When we looked in the dining area, there were VERY few people in there — maybe 6 or 7 people total. Although we didn’t have the buffet (thank goodness), we did notice there were 4 different «islands» of food with a variety of foods available.
Overall, we will not be going back to China Garden Buffet and wouldn’t recommend it to anyone — even carryout!

I noticed that most of the bad reviews are from people who utilized the buffet. I never get the buffet here-​I always order carryout and am usually not disappointed. I mean, this is Americanized Chinese food. Kinda hard to really mess it up to the point of being unedible (although its obviously possible). If I get carryout from here, I get either the Kung Pao Shrimp or the Beef with Broccoli, all with steamed rice. The spring rolls are yum, they’re crispier than an egg roll-​I think that a spring roll is a rice paper-​like pastry than the dough used to make an egg roll. I could be wrong though.
So, lesson here: stick to the carryout. I’ve never been disappointed in the carryout.

I like chinese buffets, pay a few bucks and you can go wild on a variety of menu items you enjoy. But when it comes to China Garden Buffet the only thing I was wild about was leaving, if the décor matched the food than this place would be set. But you have a restaurant that has great décor, not so great food. I have ate at many china buffets here in town, and this place ranks so low its ridiculous.
Please if you want a good buffet avoid this one at all cost.

This is probably one of the most uninspiring restaurants that I have been to. The atmosphere inside is quite dull. Unlike most China Buffets, the food is actually edible and will not give you food poisoning (for this it gets an extra star). However, the food is lacking in quality and presentation. Overall, it feels quite cheap.

$ 20 for 2 at dinner. We seated ourselves, and had to wait several minutes for silverware before we could eat. The food was questionable and the the coke was flat. The service was horrendous and the selection extremely poor. If you want a cheap buffet, go somewhere else, far far away.

A Post-​Apocalyptic Lunch
The room: I strolled into China Garden at about 2pm on a snowy Thursday. An extremely surly hostess/​cashier directed me to take my choice of seating. The lone waiter immediately offered a beverage. There were only 4 other parties in the gigantic mess hall-​style dining room. The extreme stillness of the place was creepy. Huge chandelier.
The buffet: Off-​flavors abound. Enormous. Lots and lots of chicken, beef and pork. Vegetables are scarce.
Perhaps this is what a tourist buffet might be like in North Korea. The world outside is crumbling, yet the handful of staff in this place are trying to pretend it’s not. A smattering of uneasy customers agree to the charade. It was a bit of a relief to leave.
Pros: A place to ponder your horrible sci-​fi fantasies. Lunch for $ 5.99 excluding beverage and tax.
Cons: Everything else.
Added bonus: This Chinese restaurant is located next door to a pet store. An easy opportunity to wow your coworkers or family with your sense of humor.

China Garden Buffet, you did not «wow» me. I felt no sense of urgency to run out after our time together and sing your praises from the rooftops. You didn’t provide me with anything special that I couldn’t fine elsewhere.
At 8:00pm on a Saturday night, with 2 hours left before closing, I expected China Garden Buffet to be packed with satisfied diners. The dining room felt depressingly bare with a handful of groups huddled sporadically in booths.
What should have been the «wow» factor, a Mongolian Barbecue style staging and cooking area, was sadly underwhelming. Confused, I stuck to the more traditional buffet line. All the usual suspects were lined up, Beef Pepper Steak, General Tso’s, Sweet & Sour, Lo Mein and even pizza slices were present. Various soups, shrimp dishes and a few vegetarian dishes were available. I was taken aback, thinking we had come in during closing. Many stations were less than half full, except for the Mac & Cheese colored «fried rice».
Nothing was inedible. The green bean dish was probably my favorite, and I was really disappointed in the General Tso’s which sported a sign that warned «Hot». Lies. All lies.
While my fellow dining companions went for ice cream, I contemplated a dish of fresh fruit for dessert. I was turned away by the sight of trays filled with canned fruit in heavy syrup. Ice cream saved the day.
$ 8.95 for dinner buys you all-​you-​can-​eat mediocre Chinese food, an annoyed waiter who can do nothing but «sigh» as he takes away your plates, and a glass of water that never gets refilled.

Before I begin, in the interest of full disclosure, I admit the following — I am a HUGE fan of the Graceland Shopping Center. I’m there a lot more often than I want to admit to, mostly because my girlfriend lives in Clintonville. But that’s beside the point — if you think that this review is a little too good to be true, then please take it with a grain of salt — I just happen to be a big fan of a lot of the stores there. Its my one stop shop for… well, everything!
Okay, now that my gushing is over, back to my secret Chinese spot. Everyone in Columbus has a secret Chinese spot, right? Right. Everyone except for me, that is. Sure, I have my secret Chinese spot back in my hometown of Santa Maria, California… but that’s only because I grew up there. I knew the people there. I lived there my entire life, and knew all the ins and outs of the town.
Sometimes, it takes getting the natives involved in order to find some of these secret and well kept places. And that’s how I found the China Garden Buffet.
Yes, you guessed it – my girlfriend, and guide to greater Columbus, showed me the greatness that was the China Garden Buffet. We weren’t there for the buffet… though don’t get me wrong, we’re not opposed to a good buffet date (All you can eat? Total value!). No, we were just passing through for a movie night in, complete with Chinese food.
And what Chinese food it was! I wasn’t sure what I wanted to order, so she took the initative to order for me. She decided that I should have the General Tso’s Beef, combining two of my favorite things: spicy foods, and beef. She ordered the sweet and sour chicken, which is also a good favorite of mine.
It took about 20 minutes for our order to be complete… so after we paid, we decided to walk around some of the other shops in Graceland. What we did in those 20 minutes will be reserved for another Unilocal.
As 20 minutes had past (and not a minute more), we were able to collect our food, packaged in foil tins. While it wasn’t the paper pagoda that I’ve come to love… it was still quite cute. I was a fan, to say the least.
We drove home, quick to unwrap our new treasures and put in a favorite movie. The food was still hot, even after the drive from Clintonville to the Short North. The presentation was as best as it could be after a drive in a paper bag. But the best part had to be the taste. The rice was moist and very fluffy, and complimented the crisp, steamed taste of the vegetables. The beef had a nice glaze over it, that provided a gentile bite that couldn’t be beat. It has been my experience in previous situations that when you glaze the beef, it can be a little chewy. I didn’t experience that with this beef — it retained a lot of its flavor, and was an excellent treat, to say the least.
What’s more, the Sweet and Sour Chicken turned out to be quite a surprise as well. The exterior wasn’t overdone, but wasn’t gooey and underdone, either. And the sauce was excellently done — not too much, but enough to cover the chicken completely, and even some left over for the rice.
What it makes up in food, it lacks in ambiance and the traditional things I enjoy about going out for Chinese. The place looks like, and really is, your run-​of-​the-​mill Chinese Buffet… just with some really good food. The little things that I miss include the tea you get with your meal, and the koi pond that the higher-​up places can offer.
That all being said, if you’re going for the food, you can’t go wrong! China Garden Buffet gets some of the highest marks I can think of for the great tasting food there! Plus… because we went at the end of the year, they were even kind enough to give us a 2009 wall scroll calendar. How can you beat that?

Easily the best Chinese buffet in Columbus. Also probably the cheapest to include a Mongolian barbecue and sushi (only vegetarian sushi, however). Most of the food is pretty good, but every now and there’s something on the line that’s disappointing. Of course, it being a buffet, getting one or two weak items isn’t a problem; you just abandon that plate and go get something else. It also has a very large and attractively decorated seating area.