At 9:04 the woman seating named Laura brought her phone to show us the time and remind us it was 9:04! That was repulsive! Our server told us to grab food at 9:00! That's made my family and I feel very awkward:( 4 stars for food 1 star for service read more

My husband and I dined at Lings (South Florida Avenue, Lakeland, FL) last night celebrating my great grandsons birth. The last time we were there the food was fantastic, last night however it was horrible. There was not one food item that my husband and I tried that was at proper temperature. Everything was cold, with the exception of the ice cream that came out of the machine in liquid form. The steamed wontons were dry and the edges were so hard even a knife wasn't able to cut them off. The staff wasn't even keeping the trays full so you had many empty or almost empty trays in the food bar. To top everything off I have been sick since last night. I am really disappointed because we liked going there but after last evening we will not be going there again or recommending it to any of our family or friends. Yours truly Elizabeth Pittaluga read more

This place is terrible. At 1:00 pm It was obvious much of the food on the buffet was from the day before - dried out and crumbly. I was dumbfounded at the amount the sauces and ice cream are runny from being heavily watered down. For the $8 I was charged for the lunch buffet I think a value meal at Burger King is better quality and value. It's that bad. read more

This is the best Chinese buffet I've ever eaten. It's always busy, so the food is always fresh. Although lots of people go straight for (and fight over... I have seen it) the crab legs, their wide variety of dishes offers something for everyone. From popular Chinese dishes, like Mongolian Beef and General Tso's chicken, to french fries, prime beef roast, oysters,fruit and salad bar, Hibachi grill.. and my absolute favorite... their very fresh sushi! OMG.. their sushi is so good. If you can actually get a physical reaction to food.. I get it here. My pupils turn black, my mouth starts to water... all over one bite of sushi. They make it fresh all day long, and it looks beautiful. You can wake me up for this sushi any time! Sure, it's a buffet. And sure, people are stuffing themselves like crazy. But for a buffet it has a pretty good atmosphere, it's clean, service is friendly and swift. A winner for me! read more

One of the best buffet's around, it's very clean always freshly stocked with all different types of foods. They are making fresh sushi as you dine. We also have a hibachi area or you could pick the type of meat you want and want to go with it and they cook it for you. A large selection of things to eat. We love it read more

Terrible experience... I'm a vegetarian and I was meeting up with a group of friends at Lings so I decided to bring a small portion of my own food to eat, but they insisted that I stop eating unless I pay for a buffet that I didn't want. The worst part is I've done this before and they didn't have a problem with it, until today.. Never going back nor will I recommend this place to anyone. Rude and terrible customer service! read more

This is one of the best buffets that I have been to in a long time! The food was amazing and the place was clean. We went for dinner and the sushi was worth going for alone.... read more

I am a big sushi lover! But for $16 almost a person, the sushi was old, new rolls werent made the whole hour me and my husband were there! So we had to eat the old left out sushi. Nothing seemed fresh. And our server barely said two words to us the whole time. Terrible service and terrible food. Would not recommend. read more

Horrible staff, food is not consistent! Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's terrible! Not worth the price on check!!

Generally, (having eaten at Lings several times before,) the overall dining experience here is fairly good. Not so this time. Despite having a 3/4 full dining room, the food was being kept "warm" at best. Even a fresh batch of chicken direct from the kitchen was only luke warm. The obvious answer is that all food is being prepared in advance, then held at inappropriate temperatures before being brought out and placed in the steaming hot water heating units. The steam from the hot water gives the impression of steaming hot food. Not so!!! One tiny piece of demolished prime rib that had been hacked of any edible meat was all that appeared in the prime rib tray for the full 45 minutes that we were there. A comment to management was in vain. For $15.99 & extra for soft drinks, there's a lot of other choices in Lakeland. read more

My friend LOVES this place, comes here all the time, brought other friends there and they have always been happy with the service and food, so I was a little nervous reading some of the reviews before I ate there. When I did go, I found the waitress and the hostess to be nice. I enjoyed all the food I tried. I loved the all you can eat sushi. I was disappointed that the hibachi wasn't available for lunch. My only regret was that there was SO much food, So much variety and I didn't get to try everything. I look forward to going again to try all the things I didn't get to try the first time. They keep the place very clean. The staff was always wiping the sections down and replacing the utensils. read more

Underseasoned and lukewarm food. Saturday night seating at roughly 6pm. Full or almost full restaurant. One would think there would be a good turnover of items, brought HOT to the serving trays. Not so. Sushi rice was falling apart, Hot and Sour soup was neither. But, for under 20 bucks, it's decent enough. Unless you want good tasting food. read more

My wife and I moved to lakeland not so long ago and had family come in for the week and decided we would go get Chinese food , went to lings and saw it was a wait and figured it must be good ! I agree the food was decent but the dragon lady running this place was missing her whip and chains !! Very unfriendly and charged full price because my niece didn't look 10 , and changed the kids age to 9 years after we showed a student id that she was in fact 10 years old ! We didn't eat the crab legs because we thought they were extra and ended up getting charged any way ! So if your looking for good Chinese food with attitude then I suggest giving them the same respect ! read more

Since we are new in town, we were on a quest to find a tasty Chinese restaurant. I believe in the old saying, "If the food is good, the line is long." The parking lot at Ling's is always very full! Given my theory, we tried Ling's on a Monday night. Ling's offers a VERY wide variety of food - from sweet and sour chicken to french fries, from Honeydew Melon to Sushi - it's an over eater's paradise. The food itself was ok. Some dishes were far better than others, but there's certainly something for even the pickiest of eaters on the food lines. I thought the employees did a great job of keeping the food stations neat and clean; however, it seemed that they were not very quick to replace food when it had run out. The building and the entry way to Ling's is very inviting. The service brought no complaints. If you don't have very high expectations or are hungrier than you've ever been before, I would recommend Ling's. read more

This is the best Chinese buffet I have ever been to. Is it perfect? No. But what you get for the price is absolutely worth it. There is a sushi line and the sushi is fresh, rotated out frequently, and absolutely passable for buffet sushi. Most of the stir-frys are great. There is a huge selection, and there is even American food like pizza and fried chicken which I never eat because I am there for the Chinese food. On the weekend they have more seafood dishes and even frog legs. They have a hibachi as well which no one ever seems to eat from, but my point is, the food is great, priced fairly, the service decent, and you can't beat it for all that. I'm not sure what all these reviews are complaining about, but it seems like they are expecting Michelin stars. I've been here multiple times and the quality is consistent, the booths are cozy, and I love it when I ready to pig out. That's what an all-you-can-eat place is for. read more

The food is good but the prices are way to high. I quit going here because of their high prices, last time I went 4 people getting buffet, with drinks cost was up near $100. If you want Chinese food, have it delivered. A year later I went back this Ling's still very expense. 2 people, buffet, ice tea = $41 read more

Very disappointed. My friends and I have always looked forward to our trips to Ling's. It is quite a long drive for us so we are only able to go a few times a year. Many of the people I dine with are seasonal residents and Ling's is always a favorite restaurant to visit for a good meal and pleasant conversation. This last visit makes me wonder if we will ever want to make the long trip again. The food was not an issue - it was the service. We sat and visited for quite some time to catch up with old friends. We were not overeating and the restaurant had plenty of available seating yet our waitress repeatedly came to our table to ask "are you ladies all set?" It was quite apparent that she wanted us to leave. It left me wondering if the waitstaff is instructed to keep people moving along. I felt it was extremely rude and I was very insulted - particularly when upon leaving we saw our waitress and another member of the wait staff chuckling among themselves. certainly left a bad taste in my mouth! read more

OK, I'm not a Huge buffet person, but we came here with a group of people and children so buffet was the most appropriate. I have to say typically buffets are all the same (to me) except those nice one in Las Vegas, then you get what you pay for, but at Ling's I was surprisingly happy with the selection. It is not only just Chinese food, but they have a decent amount of sushi some Korean and American as well. They have a seafood section which serves oysters, crab legs, shrimp and some other items. I love oysters so I was happy that the oysters here didn't make me sick! I think there are two locations, and I can't remember which location this one was, but it was clean, big and busy. read more

Everything was great until a cockaroach came walking across the top booth we were sitting at.

I enjoy this place for lunch. I do like the variety of foods, although I'm not a fan of seafood and there is plenty of it.

My first and last time..my friend took me for dinner. Food was cold, rude staff, lots of screaming children and was way overpriced.. Definitely not worth it. read more

The best sushi and crab leg spread around! We drove from Riverview on a Friday night just to experience the utter bliss that this Buffet gives my wife and I. The options alone make this a place to dine at, but the quality of sushi it top notch! I am a fan of all sushi and I don't think there is a place in Tampa that compares to this that I have been to yet! It it was closer to where I lived I would be here every weekend getting my helpings of fresh fish and delicious crab legs! read more

Went there while visiting family. Walked in to find a small walkway over a koi pond. My little cousin loved seeing the fish swimming around. We sat down in a nice area with not much people really bothering us and I went up to get food and I didn't know where to start. Since I have never tried sushi before, I piled my plate with one of each from the sushi bar. All of them were really good then I had a salad with some shrimp and oysters and that was delicious. The desserts were good as well. A really excellent place but it's the usual buffet thing. Too bad I don't live anywhere near this place. read more

Food is good. Staff is a hit or miss. Love the all you can eat sushi aspect and the ice cream machine is a nice touch.

I am not fan of buffets, but this buffet I will go to. Prices are good and the selection of food they offer.

The Sushi is mediocre, but it gets you through when you are craving inexpensive sushi. The Chinese food was surprisingly good. At least the few dishes I had, butter shrimp, spring rolls. Usually not a fan of the buffet, but Ling's was pretty good. Good for the weekday lunch $9.99. Too pricey for weekend dinner $17.99. read more

This place is my favorite chinese buffet place...ever...and I hit many to see what they are like! They are very accomodating in every way...I dont go there on Friday or Saturday dinner hours or Sunday immediately after church because I dont like the crowds panting over the food...but what I find is consistency...always find the things I enjoy without disappointment...if you like privacy they will seat you accordingly...and Georgia is a great server there...she has been there for a few years..always checking on you and clearing dirty dishes...I have never been big on the crab legs so I do not miss their removal from the dinner offerings...but I do enjoy the price drop to 14.95 for dinner...I go for the prime rib au jus alone!!!!! read more

Great selection of Asian and pan-Asian dishes; with a buffet, it's easy to try new things. The dessert bar is definitely my favorite thing! The service is good and the atmosphere is nice. However, the obnoxious family seated to the right of my family really took away from the experience; I wish one of the waiters had done a little more about them, but I can't fault them too much for that. The food is the main point, and it didn't disappoint! read more

I have been to this buffet a couple of times. The buffet selection of Mandarin chinese selections is above average for a Chinese buffet. They have a great Hibachi Grill where you can select your raw ingredients and sauce and a fresh dish is made by a chef right in front of your eyes! My friends enjoy the crab legs and sushi selections. Desert bar is ice cream and a few pastries. I could see this becoming a regular stop on visits to Florida! read more

I typically steer clear of buffet restaurants, but decided to try Ling's Buffet. Was pleasantly surprised by the quality and the selection that Ling's offers. Even during a busy late afternoon rush, the restaurant layout was easy to navigate without feeling as if one was in a cattle line. The food was fair to good with many options available that should satisfy just about anyone. Not sure if I'll go back or not but at least my visit was a pleasant experience. read more

Good selection of dishes. If you have a big appetite the food at ling's restaurant is plentiful, specious, lots of servers and it's clean

My wife is big on the Chinese buffets, so this is more her feelings of the place than mine. She definitely enjoyed the food there and loved the large selection. I was happy to see the stir fry counter in the back where I could pick my ingredients and they could cook it up for me! We will definitely be going back, my wife already wants to - I just need to get in the mood for Chinese food. But I know if we ever have a big party who wants some Chinese we will bring them here! read more

This is a good busy buffet with a wide variety of choices. I am able to find more than one dish for my vegan diet and my daughter and husband seem to find a lot of food to eat too. Only downside is that the hibachi isn't always open. When it is open its really good. Nice choice of standard Chinese-American sauces to adorn your plate. Overall, generally good service and good food (for a buffet). read more

Ling's has excellent food for the price. And don't get fooled by the name. They offer a great selection of Asian AND American dishes. The sushi style dishes are on par with the other local "sushi bars" at a fraction of the cost. They keep the place clean and the food is eaten so quickly that it is always fresh. If you normally stay away from buffets, you'll change your mind after you visit Ling's. read more

I love Chinese food and Ling's is the best! They have so much to offer...sushi, hibachi grill, and rows of food and desserts! I must do!!!

They have the BEST sushi. They have some great things on the buffet too if you go during the peak hours but I pretty much go just for the all you can eat sushi. read more

I had not been back in 8 years and decided to give it a try. I was very surprised. They had ample help, the floor was spotless, all hot food was hot. They had 20 types of sushi --a stellar variety. The serving tables are far enuf away from each other so that there's not a lot of "bumping". Every food option is nicely labeled so you don't have to guess. Good variety of spicy and more bland options as well as American food options. Nice hot n sour soup (vegetarian). I wasn't impressed with the spring rolls, the cream puff, some soggy sushi but there is so much choice available, one could learn what to avoid. $10.15 per person (with water) is not a bad price. I couldn't get over how some could overload their plates--it was an interesting place to people watch. I'm not much of a buffet fan but this place really has worked at their reputation for good food. read more

Excellent, fresh and plentiful well-prepared food. Nice environment, low ambient noise level, a very family-friendly dining experience.

I was the first of many customers to arrive for lunch. The food was very tasty and service was good. Surprisingly several of the hot buffet items were at best only warm. The French fries, fried rice and soup broth were cold. read more

I've eaten chicken from NY to LA and Seattle to Miami and this was a first. You can boil chicken breasts for an hour and they fall apart when shredded. You can grill it, fry it or slow cook it and it's the same. Until you eat here that is. Somehow they have mastered the technique required to make chicken breasts 'tough'. I just don't get it unless they're trying to pay us back for pissing off North Korea. Maybe they should send Kim their recipes. But, you know how to make chicken tough? Cook it and let it sit in hot water or sauce for a few days. Save your Yen!!!! read more