Chef Lin Buffet

We came across this buffet on a whim and I am glad we did. When we walked in we were greeted with a smile and seated right away. Just a minute after being seated our drink order were taken then brought right out to our table.
The woman that served our table was very nice. She kept our drinks full and removed dirty plates consistently.
As far as Chinese buffets go the food was top notch. They had a decent selection of sushi and I enjoyed trying the different rolls. I tried many other dishes and liked them all! What stood out the most was the wonton soup, mushroom pork, and the chocolate fountain (which I dipped Oreo cookies in and loved.)
This is one of the best Chinese buffets I have had in a long time.

We have been going here for years and have never had a single issue with their food or staff. I’ve even seen them replace full bins of food because people stuck their hand in it (ick). The staff is always walking around to make sure the food is up to snuff which is refreshing for a buffet. Their sushi is wonderful and the chefs are always willing to answer any questions a customer may have about it.

I’ve come here about 4 times in 3 years because it’s the closest place and because the food was generally okay. I was just here yesterday and it will be my last time.
My first visit, their chocolate pudding was fantastic! Every time after that it was very sour… in 3 years with no change, it’s scary.
The only dish that i tried that was fresh yesterday was their beef/​broccoli. Everything else tasted stale.
I think they should be replacing old food anyway even if the bins are full. If it’s old, it’s old. People can get really sick! That’s what happened yesterday.
My husband unfortunately felt the brunt of of their horrible food with diarrhea and vomiting all night from eating here. We won’t be visiting again! I don’t recommend this place to anyone. I almost want to challenge their food sanitation.
They charge $ 11 and $ 2 for drinks per person.

Pretty good for a Chinese Buffet for dinner they got a better sushi selection and raw oysters. The cooked food is the standard Take-​away kind so nothing too special. For the price how can anyone complain, it’s less than a meal with fries and drink.
The trick to the buffet is to see what food they bring out and just eat that specific dish or risk eating something that’s been sitting there for a while. So be sure to stalk the servers when they bring the refills, they tend to put the new tray and then put the leftover from the previous on top so be sure to dig a little for the freshly cooked one.

Absolutely horrible. First off the drinks all tasted like water. The soda was flat, watered down & disgusting. The tea tasted like it had been left out all night, gross. The food was flavorless, cold and overall looked like leftovers from a week ago. Even the grill food was disgusting. Chicken & Shrimp just sitting in their own juices, when it came out it tasted cheap, flavorless and old. Good thing I went here for a family function & did not spend my own money. I will never be back. FYI to buffets… just because your a buffet does not mean your food has to be lazy & cheap. There are plenty of fantastic buffets in the Frederick area & this is NOT one of them.

I went to this place a few years ago, and was not too impressed, but they seem to have improved a great deal. I took my friend with me at lunch one day, and the food was fresh and hot. The place was busy, and they seemed to have plenty of everything. I was impressed with the wings and ribs bar, and all of the other choices. I will go back, and try the hibachi grill the next time.

Food was good BUT I personally saw 2 costumers complain about a soda and the soft serve icecream being sour. Carpet needs to be REPLACED ASAP! CURTAINS look horrible they need to be thrown away TODAY! OK people we don’t want perfect but when the GIANT mirror that runs the lenght of the restaurant is dirt and super smeared come on do I the customer have to tell u this.

Your standard Chinese buffet place. However it is a bit better. Décor was nice. Staff was friendly. Having a sushi bar is a definite plus. Good place. Would definitely go again

The sushi was dry and flavorless, the servers were angry and most of the buffet food was cold. I really think that the local food inspector needs to pay these guys a visit. Fortunately it’s been a week since my visit and I’m still alive.

Me and my family love this place. We used to go frequently for Sunday lunch. We have always had great service. I have a big family, and each of my kids have unique tastes. Chef Lin’s is the one place everyone can agree on, because they have a wide variety to choose from. Planning to go here for dinner tonight. Looking forward to it.

I was looking for a place to take a few family members and friends, where everybody would find something they liked and it would not cost an arm and a leg. Checked a bunch of buffets from Rockville to Frederick, MD, and found that Chef Lin was not so badly rated. A true disapointment: the place is smaller than I thought, the variety of food was just OK but the quality was awful. We ALL left that place thinking we are never coming back. It is definitely not a good buffet, and I don’t know why some people rate it even as a 3-​star restaurant.

Moldy Jello. Yes, there was moldy jello on the dessert buffet. Any other comments I may have had about this place went out the window when I saw that.

Been coming here for years! Owners and staff are very friendly. Always welcoming. Whether it’s take out or dine in, always great food. Always busy. Wonton soup is excellent. Sushi is amazing. My little girl always asks for eel and he will make it for her and bring it out. (she’s a regular around here) ha! I love their salt pepper shrimp. Green beans, seafood bake. The list goes on. Defiantly wear your stretchy pants !!! Prepare to be super thirsty in about an hour! Could be a bit cleaner. It’s Not dirty but not a 5 in that department.

Wow, how have I not reviewed this place yet? Mea culpa. I love this place. My family loves this place.
Easily the best chinese buffet in Frederick, and better than everywhere I’ve tried in MoCo as well. We go a half dozen times a year.
They have a ton of choices. A lot of buffets just go heavy on the seafood and charge a premium, so guys like me who don’t like seafood have like two chicken options and those pork ribs to eat. But at Chef Lin’s, I have like two dozen different meat options. Honey chicken, kung pao chicken, terriyaki chicken, steak, pork ribs, beef & broccoli, etc.
If you’re looking for a place with all of your favorite chinese take out choices, this is it.
And for the seafood lovers like my family, they still have a ton of choices. That weird octopus stuff, the oysters that look like boogers, sushi/​sashimi, crab rangoons, etc.
And it’s only like 12 bucks or something for dinner. Compare that to the 17 – 30 that a lot of other places charge.
Great value.

The perfect place for the Frederick palate, a lot of ordinary food to fill up on, why have a little great food when you can have a s – t load of cheap food, perfect for Frederick,

We love Chef Lin! On this visit however, they didn’t have their Alaskan crab legs:(sushi is good-​I wish they labeled their rolls though because I didn’t know what was in some of them so I didn’t risk the chance of raw fish! Dessert is great too! And hibachi!

We got the chance to eat here while visiting our daughter. I will have to say that for a buffet they have to be one of the best we have experienced. I’ve never seen such a wonderful array of choices at any buffet and they were fresh, and delicious. The fried rice was so flavorful and terrific! The staff was friendly, kept up with drink refills and clearing the table. Main dishes, side dishes, salads, desserts. If you leave hungry then it’s your own fault. They have a choice for everyone and every like. The only thing I might improve is more room around the buffet table where the food sit. This place seems very popular and when it gets busy you are bumping into everyone and not a lot of room for customers and staff to walk around. Overall though a great and pleasant experience, will return when in the area.

We went here for a late lunch on Sunday; it was pretty crowded, and there were hardly any forks to go around. The waitresses were frazzled, but they helped us as best they could.
Most of the food was cold, and the drinks given to us were warm, either without any ice, or with so little ice that it didn’t make much of a difference.
That being said, there was a HUGE selection, the price was pretty good, and what was hot/​warm (or if you could overlook the fact that it was cold) tasted really, really good. My husband was a HUGE fan.
If the food was hot and the drinks were cold, I’d give it 4.5 to 5 stars!

First of all, I can’t believe I have never review this before — I have been going for over 10 years, since they first opened. Secondly, I am giving them 5 stars to balance things out. They are probably more like a 4.5, but they don’t deserve all the 1-​stars at all.
They are NOT a fine dining place. They charge less than $ 10 per person on average, and offer a huge amount of food for the cost. the food is decent quality. The meat and chicken is not gristly, the shrimp are of decent size, and the lo mein /​fried rice /​soups are as good as you would get anywhere.
Their salad bar is excellent, and offers things that you normally don’t see — like kimchi and cooked baby octopus. The next section has fried foods, some of which are a bit questionable, like french fries, and «scallops» that are not real scallops, but the chicken is tasty and some of the stuff is really good. They have a LOT of seafood, baby clams or mussels in butter, fresh cooked cold shrimp, fresh fish cooked with veggies. Then they have a section of «Chinese dishes» from General Tso’s to Egg Fu Yung. Really, a lot of variety.
They also have a Mongolian grill where you can create your own meal, and sushi. They will even make sushi to order, if you ask, I don’t eat raw fish, but my family says it’s not bad, and the veggie rolls are pretty good. Overall everything is always FRESH there.
There is a fair offering for vegetarians too. General Tso’s tofu is quite tasty, as are their stir fried green beans. There are mushrooms sauteed in butter and a lot more veggie options.
Desert is eh, but they have been adding new things lately. They have the normal buffet stuff — dry cakes, jello, fruit (fresh and canned) and so on. Plus good quality ice cream, and a chocolate fountain.
The employees are ALWAYS sweet and nice. Always checking up on you, always removing used dishes and keeping drinks filled.
So, it is what it is. A Chinese buffet. It will never be spectacular, but I would so much rather eat here than at a fast food restaurant. And, I do believe it is the BEST Chinese buffet in Frederick.

Are they even open anymore?
The last time I ate here was over 2 years ago, and when I recently passed by there was tons of construction going on out front.