Panda Garden Buffet

Panda garden is a once-​great buffet in its death-​throes. Food is super greasy, items like mongolian pork are more onion than pork, and the sushi is not to be trusted.

Very disappointed! We have been coming to Panda for years, but the food we had last night was completely substandard. We went there two weeks ago at 6:30 and the food was good. We went there last night at 8:30 and most of the dishes were either empty or old. After I complained that most of the dishes were empty, they came and filled a few of them. The never replaced any of the four fish dishes. The Carving Station had a big slab of fat sitting on it we’re a roast beef had been, but they never came and put another one out. If you go early, I think you’ll be ok. If these people are going to serve half of the food, then they should charge half of the $ 12.

Best affordable Chinese buffet in central Arkansas. Not as expensive as Tokyo House and still has sushi and pot roast! Their lo mein is great and their sushi is super fresh too. I’ve never tried their desserts but they look good. I drink unsweet tea and they never mess up my drink order so far. Will be always coming back here when craving Chinese cuisine.

Ever left a Chinese buffet after paying 9 – 10 bucks for lunch but did even go back for more because the food is just «blah»? Go to Panda Garden, its a few dollars pricier than the average Chinese buffet (and not the most excellent service, but honestly Chinese buffet restaraunt service means drinks and the check).
That being said, as far as the food goes this is the largest selection, best quality and consistency you will find anywhere. They keep the food coming and I haven’t had anything I didn’t like. They have a lot of seafood options unlike some buffets, good salad buffet, and many soups. This is also the only buffet I would ever eat the sushi, there is always someone standing and making them fresh, the area is kept cold and clean. If you really want Chinese buffet and don’t want to waste your time and $, pick Panda Garden.

Mediocre food at best. It’s not inedible but similar to what you can buy in the frozen food department at Kroger and heat up yourself.

The food is decent but an event on our last visit caused us to think about ever going back.
We ordered our drinks and went to the bar to get our food. We get back to our table, I took a drink of my Unsweetened Iced Tea only to discover they had given me Super Sweet Iced Tea. Not a real problem, it happens, it just turns my stomach when I drink to much sugar. I let the Waitress know she had given me the wrong Tea and she replaced it. The Waitress comes by, gets my glass to refill it and when I take a drink, surprise surprise, it is Sweet Tea AGAIN. I step up to the counter to let them know about the mess up, and am rudely informed that they will get me another glass. The Tea that came to my table had a bad Lemon slice in it but was unsweetened at least.
When it came time to pay the ticket I asked that since they had given me the wrong Tea, twice, that I would like it removed from the ticket. You would have thought I had asked for the entire meal for free. The Waitress tried to blame it on me, saying I had ordered Sweet Tea and showed the ticket. I informed them that in 48 years I had never once ordered a Sweet Tea since it made me sick to drink it, so why would I after 48 years decide that I wanted to all the sudden order a Sweet Tea. After way to much arguing, they removed the Tea.
I am not one that believes the customer is always right, but let us get real here. You do not argue with a customer over a Tea when it is real obvious that your person had made a mistake. I often get served a Sweet Tea by mistake, it is no big deal. I never ask for something free, but messing up twice, then trying to blame me, no freaking way.

Love it lots of choices from we went there a year ago and we dine in today we went there and had it Togo this is one of top in Arkansas. And I’m from Cali we have a lot out there the food is good and they even have plum wine and the price is right

I’m not one to go to buffets often, yet Panda Garden hit the spot after the Razorback football game in Little Rock a few months back. I hadn’t eaten much all day, so I wasn’t too picky about my selections. On the plus side, it allowed me to try quite a few varying dishes.
I enjoyed the beef and broccoli dish, the black pepper chicken, and plenty of the sides — one of my favorites was a sweet sesame seed ball.
They also have a very spacious floor plan. A good option for groups.

Really good Chinese buffet. Lots of choices, including a bunch of seafood at a reasonable price. Sushi available, as well as lots of soups and a ton of desserts. I like going here when we have a lot of people in the party because the selection is so broad. My favorites? the mussels (in any form) peel-​and-​eat shrimp (never overcooked), and the spicy dishes, which have heat but not flame. Going there this evening for my birthday dinner.

??? What’s up with these negative reviews?
We don’t go to buffets & rarely eat chinese (husband loves it, I hate it), but I gave in & we went a few days ago.
It was by far the best Chinese/​asian buffet I’ve been to. EVER. They have FRESH sushi & even seaweed salad. It’s not just sitting on the buffet – there’s a sushi chef standing behind a counter constantly making new rolls & nigiri.
They’ve got some of the best crab ragoon in the city & all the Chinese essentials, in addition to prime rib & even good macaroni & cheese (not the nasty Sysco/​Ben E. Keith junk). I mention that merely bc I think items like mac&cheese on a buffet tell you a lot about a restaurant in general – either they care about what they’re making or they’re opening up a can & putting it under a heat lamp.
Anyway, I went for mostly «gnarly» stuff – fried & grease coated everything, while my husband choose slightly more healthy options. We both loved the garlic green beans, the chicken wings, sesame chicken. The only thing we tried which we didn’t care much for was the prime rib, spring roll & the sweet & sour chicken which were not warm (& not a fan or the sweet & sour sauce). No room for desert, but they had some great looking watermelon.
There’s really not much about this place not to like, especially if you’re on a budget. $ 10 each includes drinks.
I actually upped my review from 4 stars to 5 bc I felt there were only a couple of reviews & they were all so negative. I really didn’t think it was fair.

The quality went downhill so badly I had to edit this post … :(

Good for a buffet, but extremely overpriced. Definitely not worth $ 13 a person. Service was nothing to write, well, the next door neighbors about, even.

I tried this place after someone recommend me to go there to get some great chinese food. I was so disappointed! The service was so terrible that I had to chase another waiter down to get refills on our drinks the whole time we were there. Not only was the service awful, but the food was not good at all. The fried rice and sesame chicken was cold and didn’t have no taste to it. I know this is a buffet but at least serve the food hot. For $ 10 I expect the food and service quality to be at least decent. I will not go back to this place and would not recommend it to others. I would suggest Fulin for better service and food.

A family favorite due to its wonderful sushi and sashimi bar which features eel and cold seaweed salad. Personally, I go for the availability of fish and shrimp prepared several ways.
Seating is at large 4-​person tables in either a main dining area or two side rooms. The main room is so large that we seldom have anyone next to us when dining.
The buffet is collocated in a nearby room with a sushi bar in the back, steam tables in the middle, and cold bars (desert, seafood, fruit) around the remaining walls. Entering the buffet through the left door, you’ll find four pots of soup on your immediate right and a large rice cooker with plain steamed white rice. The first steam table holds fried foods like catfish, chicken, wontons, and tempura pork. The second steam table usually has a baked farm raised salmon and several chicken, beef and shrimp stir fry’s. The third steam table has more stir frys and the few «vegetable» dishes. The fourth steam table includes hot seafoods and other hot American sides.
As Thomas C. noted, the staff are wonderful and you can practice/​learn a bit of Chinese by asking. «Xie Xie» (shay-​shay) is «thank you» and will get you a smile of surprise most visits. Chopsticks (Kuàizi) are located on the sushi bar.

Another great buffet place to pig out!!! Try everything… Scan for the best second visit. Too many items to choose from. If u are a fussy queen, hit this place! If this place don’t satisfy u, u got a serious problems.