Apparently the folks who live and work in West Duluth love Asian food. That’s because the new China King Buffet which opened last week at 215 N. Central Ave., is packing them in at lunchtime.
The restaurant’s seating capacity is 130 people, and I hear they’re drawing about 300 people during weekday lunchtime when the buffet costs $6.95 (dinner and weekend buffet is $9.50).
The restaurant replaces the Grand Panda Restaurant which closed at the site a few months ago. It’s under new family ownership, the Chen family, who remodeled the space before opening.
The buffet-style restaurant has 80 or more buffet items, including hot and cold tables. It’s a mix of Cantonese, Sechwan and Japanese food. And if you love sushi, you can get it there.
So far, customer favorites include seasame chicken, cocoanut shrimp and hot and spicy chicken. But for those who must have American, they also have pizza, appie pie and other American desserts.
The China King is open 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. daily. They offer takeout (624-2422), and delivery may be available later.
The new owners have run restaurants before, in Baltimore and Fairmont, Minn.
Would just like to know something. Why do so many oriental returants move/come to the United States yes I enjoy this food very much but when you can’t understand some of the forein people it’s just not fair…….. You should have to know English it’s very hard to be looked at when sitting at a table trying to eat….. I hope your resturant is not like this. There are so many different resturants like yours in Duluth Mn. the other resturant was there about five years just like other ones in Duluth then they move or forced to leave because there to dirty,,,, bathrooms MUST BE KEPT CLEAN….. if I visit your resturant sure we will it just better not be dirty especially the bathroom, and employees should speak ENGLISH
Certainly, ALL restaurants should be kept clean, not just certain types. And if Asian immigrants or their descendants start up Asian restaurants and succeed, it’s because many Americans love Asian food. I know I do.
Geez, Randy, you ought to be able to speak and write English better than that.
You should at least use proper grammar and spelling when you speak out against someone for not using the English language properly. I disagree with you when you say there are many restaurants like this one in the Duluth area. I am yet to find a Chinese style buffet that is outstanding and not just mediocre. I have lived here for 3 years, and have always wished there was a better buffet with Asian inspired dishes.
These new owners seem to be doing a great job. Food is very good and the remodel a sucess. A word of advise to the new owners is the former business as well as the Kenwood Buffet failed because of cutting corners, ie: heat in the building and subbing poorer quality food as business started to slow. Customer need to be comfortable! I dont’ care how good the food is if I have to eat with a jacket on you will loose your customer base. I’m glad this business re-opened and I wish them much success.
The young female who worked there was very rude. Couldn’t speak English well but what English she could speak was far from polite. She told me that my 1 yr old son was wasting food so she had to charge me for him. Seriously? A one year old child isn’t going to eat everything on his plate and we like to put new stuff on his plate to let him try it out. (And quite honestly, if you as a business are going to be worried about people wasting food, Don’t open or work at a buffet in America. I too work at one and I know just how wasteful people can be. My son’s plate wasn’t even full!) Way to make us feel extremely unwelcome!
Eventually I got it taken care of where I didn’t have to pay for him and then she refunded me the cost before tax. I’m not complaining that the cost of a one year old is too much or that I didn’t get the tax back. I’m just saying they don’t have the stuff together there and the customer service is awful and we will not be back because of it.
Many dishes are way too sweet and the pop is flat (and yes, we had between five of us more than one flavor of pop). The ice cream machine is still broken and just sitting in the back corner of the restaurant.
I have had Asian food in America, both coasts, and in between, and in Asia. I love the food here. It ranks with the best!!