Chen’s Mongolian Buffet

Great place that often gets overlooked due to its location. There are lots of options (veggies, meats, and carbs) that you can mix and match to make your own stir fry. I highly recommend making smaller bowls so you can try all the sauces. The only complaint I could have is the desert area is lacking compared to other buffets in the area. Considering the freshness of the food, friendliness of the staff, and price my sweet tooth will need to take a back seat. I will be coming back to this place again, soon!

If you’re looking to try out some great Asian stir-​fried food in State College, this place might be the spot.
You walk in, get seated and then grab a plate and add in any combination of meats, vegetables, and rice/​noodles along with a side of the 6 – 9 sauces they have. With the tab given to you, you leave it on the plate and you leave your uncooked entrée on the counter. The chefs will do the rest and the servers will bring over your food once it’s done.
For your wait they have some light food on the side. Sushi and soup. The sushi is loaded with rice so you shouldn’t eat too much of it. The soup is pretty good and always hot.
The entrees are up to the customer to decide and judge, but they definitely cook the entrée thoroughly and meats always juicy.
My overall experience here was enjoyable. You can add as much of whatever meats you want and definitely make your money’s worth.

Love this place. Fast friendly and delicious food. Wish there was a place like this closer to home.

It’s an ok buffet I was kinda hoping to see more varieties but it was lacking. I hope they would add a teppanyaki area for teppanyaki lovers like me

We really enjoyed our lunch here today. Fresh food, very clean, and a highly attentive, friendly staff. Will be back!

Overview:
A buffet in which you choose the veggies, protein, carb, and sauces of your choice and it is then cooked fresh for you.
Food:
I’ve been here a couple times now and I feel this is a solid place to eat. I like being able to choose exactly what I want in my stir fry and everything has always been cooked very well. The sauce selection is good and I like that you can add spice and garlic. They offer two soups, some sushi, and a small dessert selection as well. The wonton soup is standard and the sushi isn’t half bad for being on a buffet.
Recommend:
The Mongolian Sauce for your stir fry. A nice mixture of salty/​sweet.
Atmosphere:
A decent sized dining room with booths and tables. Has always been clean when I’ve visited.
Service: The service here is quick. I’ve always been seated promptly, brought my drinks, had refills, and gotten my stir fry back very fast.

Fresh, hot healthy food. Very good quality and taste. Staff is friendly and helpful. Very clean. Sushi and soup included in all you can eat. Some desserts available. Excellent we will be going back

Can’t believe it took me this long to try this place!
Great food for a great price. Better than green bowl. Rice is free and dumplings are only $ 1 for three. Highly recommend.

I came here when this place first opened. I still remember it today.
For those who are new to Mongolian BBQ, it is a buffet filled with raw ingredients. There are lots of vegetables, your choices of meats and proteins, noodles, rice, and different sauces. After you fill up your plate with what you want, you hand it to the cook at the grill and they will cook your plate. It’s pretty cool. There’s lots of options. You might want noodles with broccoli, peas, carrots, chicken and a sweet sauce the first time and then go back up for rice with onions, zucchini, tofu, shrimp, beef and spicy sauce… and then keep going back up. You get to choose what you want on the plate. From raw to grilled, with your choice of sauce drizzled on top. Good quality and good price for all-​you-​can-​eat. Don’t make too much for your first plate and get full too early. There’s lots of choices and it’s fun to try it out with a different sauce each time.

Fresh choices! Spicy sauce is spicy! Great service! We finally found a really good Mongolian grill in PA! We will be back. The trip up from Bedford is so worth it!

Chen’s is a wonderful place to eat. It’s actually pretty healthy as well. They have 2 kinds of soup every day, (egg drop, hot an sour, or wonton) over 30 types of veggies, multiple noodle/​rice options, meat, poultry and seafood. You have a variety of sauces you can choose ranging from sweet to super spicy. They also have a modest salad and dessert bar, with a small assortment of sushi.
It’s nice to pick out your food and watch it get cooked. The service is ALWAYS spectacular. I’ve been going since the first week it’s been open and I have never had an empty glass or a used plate sit. The place is kept clean and maintained. The price is very reasonable as well.
A prior review made the comment about it not being authentic since he’s from LA… Well I’ve had this type of food up and down the east coast, and it is definitely at the top of my list for a tasty filling meal for a decent price.

Really good Mongolian BBQ. All you can eat which is fun. I’d like the idea if trying a few different sauces but I always overload my plate. They also have sushi and vanilla pudding at the end of the line.

In case you’ve never done a Mongolian BBQ before, you go down a buffet line with a plate and fill it with all the raw ingredients of your choosing; vegetables, meats, pasta, rice, sauces, etc. Then they take your plate, cook it, and deliver it to your table. This creates a unique dining experience as your meal will be as good as you make it. That being said, my 5-​star rating is based upon the variety of options, the quality of their ingredients, the upkeep of the location, and how it compares to other Mongolian BBQ places I’ve been to.
I’ve been here a few times before and it’s quickly becoming a tradition of mine to come here as I leave town on Sundays whenever I come visit PSU. The thing that got me here in the first place, and I think it’s important, is the fact that I’ve never seen it packed. While every other restaurant has extremely long waits on Sundays as people leave town, I get sat here immediately every time.
The staff is friendly and appropriately attentive. I’ve never had a conversation with any of them and they don’t necessarily go out of their way to be super friendly, but I always feel welcomed and appreciated as a patron. As I write this review, my drink has been refilled numerous times.
The place itself has always been very clean every time I’ve been here. Spills on the line are common since it’s the customers who are serving themselves, but they always get cleaned up right away. Chairs and booths are in great shape; as are the tables. The bathroom has also always been properly cleaned; this is a huge plus in my book.
The ingredients on the buffet line are top notch compared to other places I’ve been to and the selection is great. I’m very impressed by the variety of meats you get to choose from. Most places just have chicken, pork, and beef to choose from. Chen’s expands on that by also offering BACON (!!!), sausage, squid, and others that may not always be available. The vegetable selection is above average; they have everything you’d expect plus a few welcomed surprises. They also have over 10 sauces to create your own unique flavor.
Aside from the buffet line, they also offer soups, basic sushi rolls, desserts, and a couple of other things I usually skip over. But it’s great that they offer it.
The price is very fair. Sunday afternoons, I pay roughly $ 13 per person (no drink). For an all-​you-​can-​eat experience of this caliber, I’m very happy with that price.
This is definitely one of my favorite places in town and a true hidden gem as most people don’t know it’s here. If you’re looking for a good meal, but don’t want to wait a lifetime just to be seated, definitely come to Chen’s!

Yup, pretty great for stir fry. Actually this is my favorite stir fry here in state college vs. the other options in the area.
I recommend.

I have been hearing about this place from coworkers for months. Word of mouth. When multiple people talk positive about a place, the cynic in me immediately wants to hate it.
So after catching an early movie with my 6 year old, I debated on checking this place out. Earlier in the day, I told a coworker I might check it out. So I felt some pressure to do just that.
What I really wanted to do was stop at Babies or one of the Mexican places. So with that in mind, I somewhat reluctantly went to Chen’s. Glad I did.
Chen’s is in the old Backyard Burger building across from Hill’s plaza on Atherton. The one negative about this place is the location. It can be confusing how to get back to this place. You have to go through a bank parking lot or a mini gold parking lot to get to it from what I can see. Odd set up.
So once we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a very friendly hostess who not only seated us but also took us to the buffet and told us how the set up worked.
This is a Mongolian stir fry set up. You get your plate, you load up on the veggies, meat, and sauce you want. The server gives you a Popsicle stick when you sat down. You put it in the mess you created at the buffet.
The cooks then stir fry your food behind the buffet. The server will take it to you when they are done.
Then get ready to dig into stir fry deliciousness. Really amazing stuff.
I recommend the Thai sauce if you like a little spice. The Mongolian if you like a more sweet taste.
They have two soups on the buffet to start you out. There are desserts to finish you out afterward. But the highlight is the stir fry.
Friendly service, good food, clean, price is about what you would expect, odd accessibility to the parking lot. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

This is a great little restaurant with a novel idea. You choose your vegetables, meats, seasonings and sauses, from a wide selection, and place them on your plate. They grill it and deliver it to your table –steaming hot and delicious. This is healthy food at a good price — $ 8.75 for lunch. Give it a try if you are in the State College area.
Carlton

I had never been to a Mongolian BBQ before! It was a ton of fun! You go through the line, pick your noodles/​rice, veggies, and meat, and they put it on a big griddle and fry it for you. It was fun to watch, and just as fun to eat. You can also go back as many times as you please!
I definitely want to go again!