Great food. Freshly cooked. Creative options and combinations. Decent price for good buffet food.

My experience at Chen's was fantastic! I was skeptical on first impressions from outside, to be honest, it looks questionable at most when driving by or on your approach to the door. Once I was inside, I was convinced I'd have a pleasant experience. It looks clean, it feels clean, and the finishes are great. On our short walk to our table we passed by someone prepping some snap peas at another table, which on one hand was nice to see they use fresh snap peas, but on the other hand, I would prefer food prep be done in the kitchen and not the dining room. Chen's is a buffet, so don't expect a menu. Instead take the popsicle stick that was given to you by the hostess with you to the buffet line, grab your plate, and load it up with as many and any combination of vegetables and meat they have. Grab a little sauce cup and fill it with a sauce, or a mixture of a few, and place it in the void between the buffet lines with your plate of meat and veggies and the popsicle stick that identifies it's yours. Wait for the cook to take your plate, or not, grab another plate and get some sushi or fruit to hold you over while you wait at your table for your plate of food. When my food arrived it was too hot to put in my mouth immediately. Haha. But I can tell you that waiting a few minutes for it to cool down a bit is worth it. Everything I had was cooked to perfection. Meats were tender, veggies still had a crunch without still being raw, and the sauce was enough to coat everything without leaving a pool at the bottom of the plate for my food to be saturated in. Still hungry after your first plate? Grab another and do it all over again. Very satisfied with my experience here and would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting some good eats! read more

We come here pretty often- it's one of our go-to's for a quick but healthy meal when we get stuck late at work or dinner doesn't quite cook right. It's pretty simple but really good. There's a buffet of raw foods. These include diverse vegetables such as onions, broccoli, water chestnuts, and shiitake mushrooms. Then there are starches including several types of wheat or rice noodles and rice. Finally, proteins include chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and tofu. Next you select a sauce or get a little creative and mix up a bunch (that's what I always do). Sauces vary from basic soy sauce to curry, Mongolian, and other savory, sweet, and spicy options. Fresh garlic (me: yay!) and ginger (hubby: yay!) are available as well. I usually stick with veggies and mix up the sauces, and everything is always good quality and delicious. Veggies are fresh and crisp; sauces diverse and very good. Drop your plate off at the end of the buffet for cooking. You get a number which you'll need to leave with your food plate so it's delivered to you when it's ready. And while you're waiting, grab some sushi or soup to start. It's rarely been crowded but even when it was, we've never waited long for our food. Service is always fast and friendly. All in all, a fun and (depending on what you select) healthy quick dinner. You can go back up if you want to but you may find that one plate is quite filling! read more

everything is delicious and guaranteed fresh! the best restaurant in state college!! there are so many selections that accommodate every food style! the service is fast and great and there's not much to criticize. a buffet is what you expect and a buffet is what you get! (except everything is fresh :)) read more

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. read more

Chen's was recommended to my family while we were in State College a few days ago. This was our first time having this type of food. I have to say the food was amazing. I look forward to eating there the next time I'm in town. read more

This is definitely my favorite restaurant in town. The owners and all of the employees are sooo nice and the food is delicious. It functions like Green Bowl but is about half the price, and you can use multiple meats at a time without getting charged extra. It's the best!! read more

This is the best buffet I've ever been too! The atmosphere is amazing the staff was exceptional and the cook was superbly talented! I went with my mom and two young children, the waitress was so nice to the kids! Even my messy 11 month old! Everything was clean and just wonderful! We were seated right a way as well! I can't wait to go back and tell everyone to go there! read more

We stopped by for dinner after a doctor's appointment and were pleasantly surprised. Super friendly and helpful staff. Wonderfully flavored sauces. Fantastic choices of veggies, carbs, proteins and sauces. Fast service. The choices of accompaniments are pretty limited a few California style rolls and hot and sour soup (the other choice was almost empty) and a few Chinese buffet style deserts. The highlight is the BBQ. Delicious and healthy fast dinner or lunch option. $8 lunch and $12 for dinner. Seniors 10% off at 65. Go easy on you first run through so you can try a second time through with a different sauce. read more

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! read more

Love the dumplings here and the stir fry is good so long as u choose a good sauce for it; my recommendation the curry or thai sauce. Fairly priced. read more

Great Mongolian Buffet. One of my family of four's favorite places to eat! There is a wide variety of choices so even my finicky young boys can find a combination they like. The entire staff, from the receptionist to the man on the grill, are extremely nice. We absolutely love this place! read more

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 read more

Fantastic place and to think I just discovered it! 4 stars because out of all the sauces vegetarians only get 3 to choose. The vegetable section is very good and I enjoyed both the trips to the grill. They made us avocado sushi which was very good. Vegetarians should have no trouble here. But please do tell them you do not eat meat or seafood. The service is very friendly and fast. Great place. Will be back. read more

The restaurant is decorated traditional Chinese and quite classic with very nice atmosphere. The waiters are very polite and friendly. The service is really good and makes you feel comfortable. The ingredients are all fresh and real. It'll be better if there were more kinds of things to choose. While the food tastes good too. The price is also fair. It's a very pleasant dinner experience and we definitely will come again. read more

Great Mongolian restaurant. Was disappointed that they didn't have peanuts as an option.

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 read more

Quick service. All you can eat dinner buffet at a great price and nice selection to choose from.

Amazing food that was topped with amazing service, it was our first visit and our server was very nice and helpful.

Visits: Twice, for dinner. Food: There really needs to be more of these. In fact, why aren't there more? I see them mostly around the DC area as a part of a larger buffet, but the selection at Chen's is much larger, and it really lets the style shine. It's a very simple concept - you choose the ingredients, they stir-fry it on a grill for you. (Not sure why this style of food called Mongolian - my family is from northern China, and I know Mongolian - mostly grilled, spit-roasted, or stewed meat and dumplings. This isn't the slightest bit like it and I suspect it's quite southern what with the sweet sauces, but that's really neither here nor there.) Don't let the non-Mongolian nature detract from this, though - it's really quite delicious, and as someone who cooks stir-fry frequently at home, it's pretty similar to what I make. This makes it comfort food away from home, which I really appreciate. Having free control over things lets you keep it nice and healthy, compared with most places, and you know you'll have it freshly cooked. I'm used to Asian restaurants from Baltimore, Boston, and DC; I can say it's as good as any place I've been. Atmosphere: A standard Chinese restaurant atmosphere, though I can't recall if there was music, which is a plus for me. Nothing to complain about. Service: Prompt! I was frankly surprised at how quickly the grill guy(s?) worked. The waitstaff was plenty fast, too. Cost/Benefit: Pretty darned good for their pretty low prices. We stopped by the first time on the way to Pittsburgh out of random choice; we specifically planned to go there on the way back. It was that worthwhile. read more

Very good food. Ingredients are fresh on the buffet. Staff is nice and friendly. Bathrooms are clean. Restaurant is clean and has a nice relaxing atmosphere. Just don't forget your popsicle stick. read more

From the outside this place does not impress. It seems almost abandoned. Once inside however that immediately changes. It is one of those old Mom and Pop type of place. When we arrived there was an older lady sitting at a table cutting mushrooms. I worked at a place in CA that this place reminded me of. If the food was as good here as it was there we were in for a treat. The people were warm and friendly. Greeting us immediately and seating us. They then explained the popsicle sticks they gave us. It was out table and seat number. We were told to take them with us and chose the items we wanted and then put the stick on our plates. Simple enough. The selection was very nice and looked fresh. There was a nice selection of vegetables. Then on to the rice noodle selection and egg. Next was all of the meats. Again a very nice selection. Then you pick up your sauce bowl, they warn you not to put your sauce in the plate, and you have 9 different sauces to chose from or you can mix them. You then put your plate sauced choice and popsicle stick on the counter and they will take it and cook it while you go back to your seat to await the outcome of your choices. I will warn you it arrives piping hot and delicious. They have a choice of soups and desserts to help start and finish your meal. We tried several different combinations and I just have to say they were all amazing! Hot, fresh, and delicious. I am definitely returning to try everything I didn't get to try this time around. So like they say don't judge a book by its cover. Open the door and enjoy the amazing flavors inside. read more

My new favorite in this price range (around $10/person). It's a lot like Green Bowl, without the chore of going downtown. Lots of ingredients (though, as someone else pointed out, they change unpredictably). Highly recommended. read more

Was excited to try this place. Unfortunately I was extremely disappointed by the quality of food. The garlic chicken and the Mongolian beef specialty were essentially tasteless besides the peppers. Moreover, the meats were dry and tough. It tasted like poorly cooked fajitas...the only thing that had good flavor was the hot and sour soup. I Would never recommend this restaurant to anyone. I do not understand how the review ratings are so high. read more

I went here for lunch and the buffet was only $8.75. That is an amazing deal you're getting for the quality and amount of food you are receiving. First, you load up your plate from a giant selection of vegetables, noodles, and meats and then you give it to the hibachi cook and he delivers to your table for you. The restaurant is clean and well taken care of. In addition to the hibachi, there is soup and dessert as well. The staff is also very nice. This restaurant is outstanding. read more

This place is amazing. This is a Mongolian BBQ buffet. So you load up your plate with veggies, then noodles or rice, then meat, select your sauce and you have your meal. It is unlimited, so you can have as many plates as you want. The price is very affordable and kids under 3 eat for free. It is also vegetarian-friendly. I would highly recommend this establishment. read more

I had eaten here once before and had a good experience. I wanted to avoid greenbowl because the students had just returned from break. Staff was extremely friendly. They explained how their process worked. 8.25 for lunch wasn't too bad. I will be back. read more

The only bad thing about Chen's is that I don't have enough room in my stomach to try everything! The food is fresh, and always tastes great. I'm not sure what they do differently, but Chen's is way better than Green Bowl. read more

My favorite place to eat in state college... Fresh veggies... Great sauce choices... And the price reflects the quality...

Wow, stumbled on this gem. So much fun creating your own dish and then having it cooked by the pros. Not what I expected but pleasantly surprised. Unleash the chef within you and don't be bashful! Also pretty good Sushi. read more

My mother and I decided to go to Chen's around 1:45 pm so we can avoid the rush. At that time few patrons were in the restaurant. The waitress lead us to our table, have us our tongue depressors, asked us what we would like to drink. My mother and I went to the buffet area, loaded our plates with veggies and meats. Mom was in front of me so the cooks immediately took her plate to cook. I laid mine down expecting the cooks to take it soon. I returned to my table, my mother got her meal within 5 minutes after placing her plate on the counter. As for me, I kept waiting and waiting. After 20 minutes of waiting my mother noticed that ny plate was still sitting on the counter. The time I was waiting I watched the waitresses standing around talking. Our waitress was sitting alone at one table doing absolutely nothing. I had observed the cooks walking around the grill doing things but not cooking. The waitresses walked by our table many times but never once stopped to see if I got my meal, or ask us if we needed anything, etc. After waiting nearly 25 minutes I saw one if the cooks come and take my plate. The only reason he did that was the fact that a party of 4 had come in minutes early and they were all at the buffet filling their plates. By the time my food came my mother had just finished her meal. The food is very good but the service was a joke!!!! There is absolutely no excuse for that kind of laziness. They all need to be retrained. They don't have the skills to properly be wait staff. Because of the poor service, I will not be returning. The service at The College Buffet is excellent and the food is great as well. If I crave Asian food, then I'll go to the College Buffet. read more

im surprised that this place got the reviews that it did. ive had multiple mongolian bbqs and have to say this place is not very comparable to what you can get elsewhere outside state college. (from the LA area). everything here is pretty standard, besides the overall lack of quality, which you can taste btw when you get the finished product. read more

Good freshly cooked food with only the items you like; unlike a normal buffet whereby the pre-cooked food sits under a heat lamp for ? period of time. Raw food is on the buffet line for you to chose what you want cooked up. You fill your plate with Chinese vegetables, meat, shrimp, etc, then pick a sauce that you want them to cook your food with (put sauce in a bowl) Once you have everything together, put your wood table marker with your plate and return to your table (unless you want to watch them cooking your food) Within approximately 5 minutes the waitress brings your steaming hot plate of food to your table. Very tasty & filling for a quite reasonable price. Two plates, of food, and I was stuffed. The cooking process fills the air with wonderful smells that must permeate your clothing because once I got home, my pup smelled my clothing for half an hour. Great change of pace; I recommend giving this place a try. Only downfall was my regular soda (even refill) tasted like diet soda and fortune cookie seemed quite stale. read more