3.5 stars, but I always round up. The first time I came here was near the end of the evening. We were the only table in the restaurant. The buffet was looking kind of old and picked over at that point! And just as I was ready to be disappointed, the cook came out, and asked if there was anything in particular we'd like, that she could make first for us. I suppose you could argue that this goes against the point of a buffet, which is true. But I'm a huge fan of minimizing food waste. Also, if she had just made the most popular dishes, we probably would have been disappointed, since 3 of us wanted only vegetarian food! And we all really wanted some wontons. Even though we haven't run into that situation again, I've found the service to be attentive and helpful. They are always nice to us. The food isn't perfect, but it also isn't a very expensive buffet. It's the only local Chinese buffet that I've found that I've enjoyed. read more

I had a mixed dish with chicken and vegetables. Not very much chicken, left me disappointed.

Good classic Chinese, fresh food, cozy atmosphere and quick service. This place has been here for decades. First time here, and looking forward to going back again read more

Hopes Restaurant - Tofu with Vegetables - Chinese Near Me - Spring Lake Park, Minnesota

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I ordered takeout delivery Ordered chicken chow mein and wontons The chow mein was very bland really no flavour The wontons were good But will not get food from them again also pricey. read more

Their Chinese food is very good. But just alert you before you go. They no longer have their buffet.

The fried rice was very good and had some of the small shrimp at least. General Tso chicken was also very good. We had the regular (not sub gum) bbq pork chow mein. it didn't have much taste, it lacked bbq pork, and had huge cuts of celery. read more

Hopes Restaurant - House Fried Rice etc. - Chinese Near Me - Spring Lake Park, Minnesota

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Buffet closed (due to low staffing) until further notice. They are available for dine in and take out from their menu. With the buffet, I would usually give it 4 stars. I have been coming here since I was a kid and have been bringing my kids here for years. We have only eaten from the buffet. The food is typical Americanized Chinese food. It is a cozy atmosphere and we like to sit by the fireplace. The buffet was nice because there was a variety of foods to try--something for everyone. It is much smaller, and more affordable, than other Chinese buffets around the north metro. To me, the dishes have been hit or miss, depending on the day and the time of day we came; however, my picky teens always like it, so that says something. The staff have always been friendly and helpful. We came a month ago, but they were closed for remodeling. We have family in town, so we came today for the buffet, at their request, but the buffet was closed due to low staffing. Unfortunately, my family didn't want to order from the menu and hope they liked it. The nice thing about a buffet is that you can try a small sample of an item and, if you don't like it, you can choose something else without extra cost. If you order from the menu and don't like it, you waste food and have to order an additional dish, wait for it while everyone else eats, and have to pay double. Or you just eat it and don't want to return. We like a little bit of several items here, but not an entire dish of one thing, so we won't be back until the buffet is open. On the other hand, a typical Chinese meal has a few items that are shared among the group, so you could all order a different entree and a couple of sides to share. My group was not keen on this idea today, but maybe your group will create your own buffet. The reviews that mentioned food poisoning could actually be due to eating items with their hands without sanitizing after handling the serving utensils and immediately prior to picking up the finger food (donuts, wontons, cones, etc... ) since we naturally have a ton of bacteria on our hands and gather more from everything we touch. Hand washing only decreases the number of bacteria, it doesn't eliminate all of them. (Even antibacterial soap must be scrubbed for 2 mins before rinsing to actually kill the bacteria.) Also, only staphylococcus bacteria can cause food poisoning soon after eating. Other bacteria can take 12-72 hours before causing symptoms, so just because one gets sick soon after eating, doesn't mean that their last meal was the culprit. I used to assume that also, until I studied microbiology. Also, as I can attest to myself, some people's GI tracts are more sensitive to certain foods than others. Sometimes fried Chinese food upsets my stomach but the rest of my party is fine; it doesn't mean it's food poisoning. But, it is important to ensure foods are kept temperature controlled (cold or hot, not lukewarm) and don't sit out too long. You can usually tell by looking at them or testing their temp. If a "hot"item feels room temp, you probably shouldn't eat it. read more

I have been eating here for 13 years, never had a bad dish whether I have dined in or taken out. I am sad that due to low staff there is not buffet after Covid, but the individual dishes I have had have been FANTASTIC. As far as food poisoning no worries, I have gotten sick several times from the local McDonalds up down the street from Hopes. read more

We ordered sweet and sour chicken and chicken chow mein with wings. Everything was really hard. The celery was raw. They added the hard noodles themselves. The chicken was tough. Won't ever go back. They offered to cook our food longer! That's cross contamination!!!!! read more

I'm not eating here again until the buffet is open. Their buffet food was good, shrimp fried rice good the vegetable lo mein good everything else is not that great. The pepper steak on the buffet is awesome but I ordered it as take-out.... not that good read more

Love this buffet!! The sweet women always remembers us and loves my child, even when we don't bring him she ask where baby? ( he's now 7!! Hehe) The food is good and reasonably priced. Yes the place is outdated but those sometimes make the best places. We have been going here for years. Never ever had a problem. Very friendly staff and good food. They have really go do chicken chow mein. Nice variety of foods. read more

Hopes Restaurant - Trying sushi! - Chinese Near Me - Spring Lake Park, Minnesota

I have been going here for years and always ordered the shrimp fried rice. Today I decided to order something different I ordered the chicken fried rice but it didn't look like chicken so I called the restaurant and was told that it was turkey chicken. I was like what the phone with silent and then she responded is that it. How can you use turkey when I asked for chicken. NEVER EATING HERE AGAIN!!! read more

Good food, good prices for the times. Not sure if they still have their buffet. But that used to be awesome!

We went to Hope's Buffet for dinner last night, I never really eat many items from their buffet but what I did eat was the Pepper Steak. It was absolutely delicious. Their pepper steak is normally better than most but they hit it out of the ball park with the steak being thin but medium rare and extremely tender. It was extremely hot and tasted like it just came off the grill read more

After having dinner here, I spent 24 hours vomiting and having severe diarehea in the bathroom. So, I also looked them up and they have received several warnings from the Food Board for unsafe food. BEWARE! read more

Been going here since I was 7 years old ( 20 years now). When you're tired of the giant chain buffets, this place tops them when you want a home town feel with quality food. Sadly covid has closed the Buffett section like most business. But still worth shelling out a little more for take out if need be. read more

Good food. Glad dine is available. Hopefully buffet will open soon. If you like working with food, contact them for a job.

My family loves coming here to eat at the buffet, the food is fresh and tastes great - the singapore fried noodles, sesame chicken, pepper steak and soups (egg drop and hot and sour) are awesome we think this is the best Chinese restaurant in the area. We have never ever had any problems with staff or the owners children they have always been quiet well behaved and polite to guests. We have also had no problems with other guests who come to eat be it they are skinny or over-weight, if that is what your concerned with then y'all must be pretty shallow!! We frequent Hopes on a regular basis when we get the Chinese food craving and I can't say enough good things about the buffet - the price is right ($6.80 per adult for lunch they even have prices for children based on age) and as many refills on pop as you want, we just stick to water though. There is also salad and sushi on the buffet line for those that like that kind of thing, along with many appetizer type of food to choose from such as onion rings, egg rolls, cream cheese wontons, potstickers, spring rolls. Also on the buffet line you can have a choice of fried or white rice, pepper steak, sesame chicken, orange chicken, beef and broccoli, fresh beans and shrimp, general Taos chicken, chicken and green peppers and chow mien to name but a few. For seafood lovers you had best visit for dinner (a little more expensive at $8.90) but for all you can eat crab legs, shrimp, coconut shrimp/walnut shrimp, and some other dishes what more can you ask for? For you dessert lovers, they have a small but yummy selection - home made mini donuts, ice cream, apple turnover, all kinds of fresh fruits, chocolate eclairs, puddings and jello. The place gets a little busy around lunch time during the week you will find the workers in the area in here for lunch (Drs, EMTs, ambulance drivers, construction crew sometimes etc...) and after church lets out on Sunday the crowd pulls in for lunch. Highly recommended. As an added note: The owner and wait staff are most definatly not rude, they have been nothing but kind understanding and treat my family like family every time we go there to eat - we have NEVER had any problems with the staff and any problems we did have were immediately seen to. The food is not cold, this is what the steam table is for to keep food warm try getting your food from the bottom of the pan or mixing it up slightly before plating it - my family has nothing but good experiences here, and no we have not found any hair in the food. My family frequent this establishment on the weekends and love the place no problems anywhere - the food and soup is excellent as always. The place is never dirty when we visit the staff are constantly cleaning tables and sweeping the dining area floor. The hot and sour soup is SUPPOSED TO BE THICK... when it's thin and watery it has just been brought out and the vegetables are raw which sucks!!! Our other family favorite egg drop soup has always been great no problems with it or it's vegetables. If you decide to visit on a holiday then yes the place will be busy and you will end up waiting for a free table!! Just a heads up this restaurant has been in business for over 20 years so they must be doing something right!!! read more

Ordered my food off Door Dash, the lomein was so hot even after being late to pick it up I couldn't eat it right away but the flavors tasted more then your average Chinese food. My new favorite place for the lomein and Potstickers! read more

Dani - I wish I had checked out your review before eating at that godawful place. I got sick too, and was throwing up and had Montezuma's Revenge all night and most of the next day. The wife did a little better with only the trots. She has a cast-iron stomach I reckon. :) Should be called "Hopeless Chinese Restaurant". They dont have a 0 star so giving it 1 star. read more

Hope's is a nice little buffet style Chinese restaurant. Not a huge buffet but the price is right and the food is good. read more

Hopes Restaurant - a car parked in front of the restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Spring Lake Park, Minnesota

I've been here for the lunch buffet a few times since I work in the area. As far as generic chinese buffets go, it's pretty good. The food tastes reasonably fresh and there seems to be a lot of turnover with the dishes which is a good thing. I wasn't worried about anything sitting for too long. It's also super cheap. We did catering from here for a big lunch meeting at work and it was a hit. We wanted something other than the standard sandwiches since we've been having a lot of lunch meetings. People really liked it and they were really helpful with the order. Easy to work with. I wouldn't go there if I didn't work in the area but I would rather eat here than all the fast food places around and there is a huge variety on the buffet so there is something for everyone. read more

3 stars from me. Hopes is a standard Americanized Chinese restaurant on the working class side of town without frills. It's fried food with decent flavor for cheap prices. Egg rolls, spring rolls, sweet and sour chicken, lo mein, wantons (and more)- they have your basics covered. If your looking for ambiance and aesthetics, you probably won't be wowed here; it feels more like fast food than fine dining. If you want to eat on a budget or like inexpensive take out, Hopes is an alright choice. read more

First, they hesitated even serving us because we had a service dog. Then she looked around, seen everyone looking at us so she occluded us in the back AWAY FROM EVERYONE. Her actions are illegal. So we got up and left. Customers are great and stood up for us, employees and business are terrible. The server even said there is nothing wrong with the manager sitting us where she did and telling us we can't have our service dog there!!! Read up on the law before you run a business!!! read more

Their food was really excellent. I mean you had the choice of a regular meal or the buffet. The buffet was a nice treat since I was able to satisfy my hunger. Who knew that at a regular chinese restaurant that they had a really good buffet. I mean the food was not only made fresh, but they also took the time to greet you and made sure you were doing good. Of course I felt like I in a place that was almost like home. read more

Please ignore the previous negative reviews; I've been eating here for nearly ten years and have never had a problem, the family that owns the place is very friendly and helpful; the children that are there are quiet and well behaved. The food is pretty Americanized Chinese, but has good flavor and the quality is the same day in and day out. My favorite thing to order is the wonton soup. The fried rice has great flavor and the little pieces of steak are wonderful. read more

Very dirty inside! Should have been my first clue and left...but I didn't. Waited a while for a seat. Had ice water to drink which was probably the best item I tried. I thought they have to at least get some soup and cheese wontons right? Wrong! Soup had old veggies in it and the hot and sour soup looked like a thick gravy or sauce. The cheese wonton tasted like the oil was rancid that it was fried in and the cream cheese had turned. Did not want to stay for anything else. Unfortunately they charged us full price for a cup of soup and ice water. But to tell you the truth I would have paid anything to get out of there as fast as I could! Yuck. Will not return... read more

I have been to too many Chinese buffets, we have kids. I have never rated them as they aren't really restaurants. This one needs a rating... So I can help you avoid it!!! Run, the other way.... A bad night at Taco Bell will be better. Smallest number of options, strange concoctions, no flavor. Not clean, sticky handles, water stained ceiling. The server was a sweetheart, but she poured water from a very old plastic pitcher and didn't remove my straw. The business end of my straw touched the spout of the pitcher, so everyone will be drinking my germs... read more

One of the oldest Chinese buffets I've been to and still a favorite of mine. I remember being brought here when I was younger. They don't have as big of a selection as they used to, but the quality is a step above the rest. read more

Went here for lunch with colleagues. After reading the reviews online, I was horrified, however, my colleagues insisted so I thought what the heck. In short, the food was fresh and good, service was outstanding, and price is pretty cheap (around $8 for lunch buffet and pop). Only thing that's a negative is probably that the restaurant could be a little cleaner, it's not bad, but there's space for improvement. Will definitely come back for lunch. read more

A nice buffet with a good variety of food. Quick service and very friendly. A good place for a reasonably priced Chinese meal. Although it's not the most trendy spot around, it was clean and quiet. read more

Wow, what can I say about Hope's? They have, bar none, absolutely the very best sesame chicken that I have ever tasted anywhere and I have been to a lot of local Chinese restaurants. PLEASE try the sesame chicken sometime. Wow. That is something you don't want to miss. I now stop at Hope's many nights on my way home from work. I also enjoy their chicken fried rice. They do a very nice job with that. I haven't tried their chicken chow mein yet. I don't believe anyone can beat David Fong's for that. read more

I haven't been there in about 3 years. Boy have things changed. I was so disappointed, I left after 1 small plate from the buffet. The food was either cold, had no flavor or tasted like it had been in the freezer for a long time before cooking. We were not sure if we wanted buffet or order off the menu. So we sat at our booth over 15 minutes before someone came and told us we could go to the buffet. We asked for menu's, reviewed them and decided to get buffet. I told them about our experience when paying, they did apologize. That will not cut it as I will not go back. read more

Good Food, Good Service. I found this place, just passing through town. Pretty crowded. The buffet was continuously being refreshed. The food was tasty. The waitress (is it called a waitress in a buffet?, i always wondered) was very pleasant. Kept the water glasses full, and cleaned the plates away as soon as it was finished. I went for lunch by myself, and brought a few friends back for dinner on Friday night. Pretty crowded, but still all was fresh, tasty and plentiful. And again the server was very pleasant. Funny thing, i read a few reviews after i was there, and i am convinced they are talking about a different restaurant. (Especially the guy that complained about $46 for 4 people and a baby.) I think for an all you can eat, buffet dinner, that was very under priced!! His mother in law would be happy here!! read more

Food is good, staff are friendly and on top of things. Very nice little place and very affordable. My daughter asks to come here over most other places. read more

I ordered the Mongolian beef, not good. It only had a few slices of steak in it and the rest was filled with cabbage, onions , celery and a carrot. No spice or seasoning. Could have made it at home better myself. Very disappointed. Would not go back again. read more

seems like they changed their general tso chicken, used to be awesome now gooey outside, honestly threw mine away.. cheese won ton good, they must have switched cooks, good people and staff, used to also have pea pods in fried rice but not anymore i used to love them what happened!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! read more

Not much of a variety of foods, I paid $15 just for the buffer.. Not coming here again