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    Panda Chinese Restaurant

    4.1 (24 reviews)
    InexpensiveChinese, Buffets
    Closed Closed

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    the front of the building
    Jason V.

    As much as I try to steer away from buffets, I only went in here because this was the only restaurant open during the afternoon. See, they must not think that people eat from 2 to 5pm, be it local or non-local. I'm talking about those mom-and-pop places. But I went in here, and the staff was super friendly and the price was reasonable. They do take cards. Food was what I expected; a lot of it was dry, cold, or somewhat hot. That's what I got, and sometimes you get what you paid for. I certainly did! The workers did ask if I wanted anything fresh on the buffet, but I said no. I'm sure it's a favorite for Carlinville locals who want to stuff their face with Chinese food.

    Excellent restaurant. Great food and wonderful friendly service. Always a delightful experience. Shi shi (Thank you). The proper response is Bucotchi which means you're welcome. I'm spelling that phonetically. Angela (not her actual Chinese name, but easier for us Occidentals [Westerners] to pronounce). I heartily recommend this place. If you like it, you're welcome to return. If it's not your cup of tea, that's alright. At least you tried. PS: I walked over there after I wrote this. I usually just get it to go. Angela was working in the kitchen. She's usually the greeter and staff mostly takes care of the kitchen. To coin a phrase, the poor girl was working her butt off. She did come out when it was time to pay and leave. The woman truly does earn her money the old fashioned way. The WORKS for it and hard. I just met the waitress for the first time. I am highly impressed. She's very intelligent and her powers of observation rival those of the legendary Sherlock Holmes. Very good personal philosophy as well. My experiences there have always been good. I can honestly say this last one was the best. I will definitely be back. Besides, I've got to meet Stephanie again. We had a conversation that started when I came in and ended when I left. It was interdispersed with her waiting on customers. She jumped from task A (our conversation) to task B (waiting on the customers) and back to A seamlessly and never missed a beat. Yep. I'll be back. Hope you get a chance to check it out yourself. Thank you for reading this and your patience. If I had more patience, I'd be a Doctor. (Random picture not related to the review. Weather just before we had some tornadoes and Peter Capaldi from his last episode of Doctor Who.)

    a plate of broccoli and cauliflower

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    1 month ago

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    1 year ago

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    11 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Very attentive staff and food is fresh and has a very good taste.Will return soon for another delicious meal!

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    1 year ago

    FYI do not ever eat at the Chinese place Panda in Carlinville the chicken was chewy and the crab Rangoon was fishy. DISGUSTING.

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    1 year ago

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    7 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    4 years ago

    My absolute FAVORITE place (possibly ever)!!! We probably eat here at least once a week. No shame.

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    7 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    7 years ago

    My favorite Chinese food in the county. They're very generous with portion sizes if you order takeout.

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    14 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    10 years ago

    The food is pretty good, classic Chinese food, but you cannot beat the prices. 6 dollar buffet is the way to go!

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    14 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    11 years ago

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    16 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    12 years ago

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    Bamboo Garden

    Bamboo Garden

    4.0(26 reviews)
    19.1 mi
    $

    I just moved to town this June. This place is walking distance from my home. I want it to be good,…read moreI need it to be good. I do not want to have to drive to another town to get, what my wife calls "strip mall Chinese". This initial review is for my lunch time visit on 2 JUL 2025. I got carry out Hunan Pork, and Hot & Sour soup, as a combo,so it came with fried rice and an egg roll. I notice that the most recent reviews (glowing) were from 2023. Things can change, they can change overnight with a change of cook/staff or ownership. Someone local with more insight will eventually be able to fill me in. It is a nice enough place, overall. A bit run down, and a little bit cliche in terms of the decorating. With some light maintenance and a bit of editing on the decor, it could be a charming little spot, in a small Midwestern town. I am trying to be kind, becuase I have been fortunate enough to have travelled the world, and have gone to many different levels of restuarants. I like "simple" americanized Chinese food sometimes, it is something I actually look for when I got o different towns. The good; hot & sour soup was very nice, just tangy enough from the vinegar and just spicy enough from pepper (didn't detect any hot sauce flavors) to be good. There were mushrooms, bamboo, and a bit of tofu. I missed the drizzled egg that I have had in others versions. The could have been better; the Hunan pork was very one note, salt, was tender and good portion in the dish, but that just salt flavoring made it a bit hard to enjoy. The sauce was okay, and the vegetables were well prepared and balanced. The egg roll was an egg roll, if not mass produced, it just wasn't made with real attention, it was a bit hollow. The bad: fried rice, the texture was just plain wrong from anything I have had over many years and came to believe was correctly made. There were no "chunks" of anything, just vaguely browned rice (soy sauce perhaps). I will come back, I will try other things. I will order from the high end of the menu and see if perhaps they simply , for complex reasons I'm sure, decided to mail it in on the weekday lunch combos (places do that). I want Bamboo Garden to be better. I want it to be a reliable place for me to get good "strip mall Chinese."

    Amazing sushi, sweet and attentive server, and great prices! The egg drop soup is super tasty…read more Highly recommend Bamboo Garden!

    Photos
    Bamboo Garden
    Bamboo Garden
    Bamboo Garden

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    Chilispot - Spicy Pork Knuckle

    Chilispot

    4.5(325 reviews)
    48.7 mi
    $$

    ChiliSpot was absolutely fantastic! We started with the wontons, then had the popcorn chicken,…read morechicken stir-fry, and sizzling pepper beef, and honestly everything we ordered was excellent. The food came out fresh, hot, and packed with flavor. The popcorn chicken was crispy and perfectly seasoned, the stir-fry was delicious, and the sizzling pepper beef was easily one of the highlights -- incredibly flavorful and cooked perfectly. The portions were generous, everything tasted fresh, and there wasn't a single disappointing dish on the table. This was our first time trying ChiliSpot and it absolutely lived up to the recommendation. One of those places where you're already looking at the menu deciding what you want to try next time before you've even finished your meal. Fantastic food, great experience, and an easy 5 stars. We'll absolutely be back!

    For two people, this is my go to order:…read more *Deep fried handmade tofu with special sauce (17.95) *Sautéed lamb with cumin (19.95) *Storm fish fillet (19.95) The lamb has enough of the "wetness" and vegetables to eat and mix with the rice. The lamb pieces used to be small but they are huge now! Appreciate the owners taking the feedback. I think they make the tofu in house. They are huge thick soft pieces with enough crispness on the outside. It's a good introduction to how seriously Chinese people take tofu and how in other countries they have a huge variety of tofu, vs the select few we have in the U.S. And I used to be partial to the spicy fried fish at cate zone, but chilispot has upgrade this dish a lot. It's perfectly crispy and hot!!! Even if you don't like fish, it's a great dish and also makes for great leftovers. I know the fried chicken is popular but I find the chicken pieces are too small. Even with two heavy eaters, we still have leftovers for another meal

    Photos
    Chilispot - The dining table with the menu.

    The dining table with the menu.

    Chilispot - Chicken Chefs Special Stir Fried Chicken 1804

    Chicken Chefs Special Stir Fried Chicken 1804

    Chilispot - Whole Fish

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    Whole Fish

    Panda Chinese Restaurant - chinese - Updated September 2026

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