China Garden Buffet

Reviews

• Dana L.

  star star star star star_border 21 August 2026

  3.5 stars, rounded up. This is a small Chinese buffet in Charlestown. It's pretty typical. I came here some time ago with a co-worker, after leaving the funeral home down the street. It was a quick and easy meal after a long day at work, and then a very sad evening.
  
  It's pay up front when you walk in, which was different. Sit where you like, and serve yourself, drinks and all. It's small inside and the buffet is small as well. It was clean though, and the buffet was well-stocked and tended to. It was inexpensive.
  
  I used to hate buffets, but have learned to like them purely for the convenience and value. I always want hot and sour soup, crab Rangoon, green beans, and a small amount of some entrée. Maybe a fried Chinese donut too. I can't get that variety in a take-out place without spending too much. So, from time to time, I will go to a Chinese buffet. This one was pretty flavorful, by buffet standards. The hot and sour soup, crab Rangoon, bourbon chicken, and Happy Family were all pretty good. The green beans were disappointing though. Bummer, since that's my favorite thing to get.
  
  If you're comparing apples to apples and comparing this place to another Chinese buffet, then I it give it 3.5 stars. However, I'm not comparing it to a cooked-to-order Chinese restaurant, as most of the buffets tend to be on the bland side. Still, it was good in its price point and proper category. The service was friendly and efficient. The restaurant was clean. No complaints.

• Mariasa M.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 10 August 2026

  We decided to give it another try today. We were paying and the guy at the desk continued to play his game on his phone the entire time. We walked to our table and got our drinks. We then proceeded to the buffet where we were stopped in our tracks by a huge cockroach that was still alive on his back. I told the guy he had a huge bug and he slowly went and got the dust pan and broom and swept it up. We pondered for a second and decided we weren't going to eat there. They did give us our money back and never once apologized. I am not naive enough to think restaurants do not get bugs but this one wasn't a small one that may have just been born. He was the grandaddy! Never again will we try this place!

• Michael M.

  star star star star star_border 7 August 2026

  This Chinese buffet did a lot of things right and I may come back and update to a better score after I've tried it a couple of times.
  
  I was in for a late lunch so I missed any crowd if there ever is a crowd in this sleepy but charming little town.
  
  You pay up front which I don't mind, but it sort of forces a tip or no tip before you've had any service if you don't have cash for the table.
  
  The host ws friendly and talkative but not too much, she was just very nice.
  
  Not to the food!
  Everything is serve-yourself, even the drinks and hard ice cream. Not that thats a bad thing just unusual for chinese food places that often bring you a drink and often have a boring soft-serve machine. This place had several card back ice creams that you scoop and serve yourself.
  
  I did not try the soups as it was hot out but the looked and smelled good. The spring rolls were tasty, the potstickers were good but the egg rolls were rather plain.
  
  I like to taste most items and was not expecting a lot of choices in a small town place like this but I was surprised that had all my favorites and all were done well, there was not a thing I was disappointed in.
  
  If I had a single item I was surprised about it was the Bourbon Chicken. It was good, don't get me wrong, but it was not the same flavor as many other places and they did not grill it so it was missing the grilled taste I like.
  
  Nothing blew me away, it was just simple, good, and satisfying.
  
  I tend to rate places within their respective categories, meaning that we know what we expect a McDonalds to be like and I would rate other fast food in consideration of what they are. I don't compare Ruth Chris to McDonalds. So a high end fancy place may get a good rating and review and a back water place like this Chinese buffet could also get the same score but not that I think they are equal.
  
  With that in mind this was a good place with friendly service and decent food. Nothing fancy but better than I expected with a small town charm and stress free experience. What more can I ask for in a lunch place out in the country? When I want something better than fast food or grow tied of BBQ (there is a great BBQ place in Charlestown, but that's another review). this is a great option.

• Kendra B.

  star star star star star_border 6 August 2026

  The food was okay, but it isn't fresh. Not a restaurant I would recommend to friends.

• Ida L.

  star star star star_border star_border 5 August 2026

  Wish they made their egg rolls from scratch. If this place would deliver, I swear they would make a killing.