Happy China

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TheMayorsCombOver

Joined 3 years ago

Strange place.... This place weirds me out. It isn't a bad Chinese buffet, but it is by no means the best. It seems to get a ton of good press and I just don't see why. First, the place feels like your in a basement. Everything just seems on and outdated...I guess it would be like going into an elderly person's basement that hasn't been touched in years...It is just dark, damp with no sunlight. Second is the lady that stands in front that cashes people out. She is rarely in a good mood and usually seems mad at something. Then as you are standing there, she yells something into a microphone. All the workers then come out and do something to the buffet. The food isn't bad I guess. Nothing is really labeled. There the standard buffet items that everyone knows, but they do have other dishes there that I have really never seen and they aren't labeled. No Chinese buffet has super friendly staff, but the lady in front just seems to be always mad at something...that, in turn, puts me on edge a little. I don't know...Just a creepy place that gets a ton of great press for some reason...

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casualcat

Joined 5 years ago

average. i didn't really see the hype on this place, but the buffet is pretty decent and the service is ok... from my experience anyway, maybe you had better. i definitely got my fill though.

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ktkingster

Joined 5 years ago

fabulous!. Are you all kidding me?? By far the best Chinese buffet in the area. As I say, Happy China makes me happy!! Their crab rangoon and pott-stickers are to die for. Who cares about the atmosphere! It's a buffet for god sakes! I used to go to a great place called China Castle on Olive that shut down many years ago and never thought anything could compare ... wrong. I love how I can pay $10, walk in here, and fill up a to-go box to the brim .. It gives me 2 days of yummy snacks. Well, gotta go, off to Happy China!

Doesn't Recommend

savor3

Joined 5 years ago

Why bother?. Food truly mediocre. You feel as if you are a herd of cattle being shuffled around at a very bad reception. Even with the carry out orders they have given us the wrong order twice. Would definitely not recommend!

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albar

Joined 5 years ago

Very Average. This restaurant can get very crowded and you have to stay in line to get food. Also take a notice of people dipping their hands and sleeves in the food. The selection is quite good, though the food gave me GI problems everytime I ate there.

Doesn't Recommend

signblaster

Joined 6 years ago

unbelievable! THE WORST BUFFET I HAVE EVER BEEN TO!. First off whoever rated this buffet good has obviously not eaten there in quite some time. The food was horribly, dried out, and most likely spoiled. The smell of the place alone should have made us leave before we ever sat down, But since it was after all voted best buffet by RFT readers, I thought we'd give it a chance, a saturday evening at 7 pm, you would think this is their prime time of business. All of the seafood was completely uneatable, And for $12 per person you would have thought that they might know how to cook anything on the menu, every piece of beef and pork was the fattiest, stringiest thing I have ever tasted. Even the sweet and sour chicken was nasty and over cooked. I don't think that I would feed this junk to my dogs! I highly suggest going to any china buffet BUT this one!

Doesn't Recommend

thelaziestfoodcriticever

Joined 6 years ago

Who Gave This Place A Good Review?!. I use these online reviews to find new restaurants pretty often, but I've always been too lazy to actually post a review myself. However, after eating at Happy China tonight I knew I had no choice but to post. Wow. Never have I been so misled or felt so betrayed by what others have said about a restaurant; but that's the case with this place. How there is an average rating of 4 or 5 is beyond me. And best of CitySearch? Are you kidding? Maybe it was different a couple of years ago, like maybe they had somebody in charge of sanitation or bad smell removal.

The guy who greeted us was not friendly, and he seemed kind of unhappy that our presence meant he would have to work. The vinyl tablecloth was not clean. The buffet had a ton of selection, but it smelled bad and had clearly been sitting out for too long. None of the food was labeled in any way. I found a hair in the rice. My girlfriend couldn't finish anything she picked out, and that was before I told her about the hair. In the other, unused, dining room, there were several random heads of lettuce out on a table. I assume they were going to be chopped or used in some way, but they were just piled up on the vinyl - no plate or mat or container. To top it off, the bill for two dinners was $27. Way too pricey for what they offered.

Were there any bright spots? A man that I can only assume was the owner was making the rounds and seemed to know several diners by name. He was friendly, so that was nice. And the Dr. Pepper I ordered was like 40 ounces. Which is kind of good, in a this is why our country has a problem with diabetes sort of way.

After we paid the lady (who was shouting something into a PA mic) and left, we went right next door to 7-11 so we could get candy that would get the Happy China taste out of our mouth.

Overall, the place was gross and even a little depressing. I will never go back and neither should you.

Doesn't Recommend

whartonmba

Joined 6 years ago

Dirty+old place. This place is dirty, I saw flys and mosquitoes all over the buffett counter. This restaurant looks old (back to the 80's) and the grease on the table doesn't make me feel better, either. The food.... is not fresh... It's not worth another visit. Trust me.

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glapinski

Joined 6 years ago

Tons of Food, Servie is Scary!. Ok, the manly lady that barks out orders destroyed the atmosphere for me the instant I walked into the restaurant. However, the food was tasty and there is a good selection. It is a little pricey, the rooms were large. Service is average, most of them either didn't speak English or were pretending that they can't hear us. That is until we had to pay ofcourse.

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thefoodfanatic

Joined 8 years ago

A Hearty Fare!. I tried this famous spot while visiting St. Louis over the weekend and really enjoyed myself! I love to eat and in Los Angeles, where I'm from, I am never fully satisfied with the Chinese fare.(Even in Monterey Park) This was a genuinely hearty, soul-satisfying meal. There were appx 35 different dishes on the buffet, quite impressive. From bbq steak, Chinese meatballs, brussel sprouts, green beans, fried chicken wings, 3 different kinds of rice to glazed bananas; I was truly stuffed and pleased. After a chat with Chef Pa, I learned that he began his craft as an apprentice at the age of 10! This was worth the trip.