Have been wanted to try this staple of Carlinville. I love how everything seemed pretty fresh but did not have too big of a selection from the buffet. Decided to do carry out from the buffet and got plenty of food for the price. The highlights were the sweet & sour chicken and the fried rice. Will definitely make it harder to decide what to get when we're in the area. read more

Panda Chinese Restaurant - Pepper chicken, chicken and broccoli, bourbon chicken, orange chicken, chicken and mushrooms, and Lo Mein - Chinese Near Me - Carlinville, Illinois

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Wonderful folks and amazing food, Will take the family there again :) Service was superb the folks there are amazing and friendly. The atmosphere is relaxing and overall great. Going to try to make this a once a month thing :) read more

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

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

This place is a great place for anyone looking for delicious Chinese buffet food or takeout at a fair price. My personal favorite is their dumplings. The service is always friendly and helpful, and at the end of your meal, they have a large selection of ice cream flavors. read more

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. read more

Panda Chinese Restaurant - the front of the building - Chinese Near Me - Carlinville, Illinois

Delicious Chinese food in central Illinois. They use fresh ingredients and and everything is high quality. Wait staff and owners are always friendly. They get quite busy at lunchtime, so the carry out is also a great option. Black pepper chicken, Salt & pepper shrimp, and peanut chicken are some of my favorites. All are Delicious! read more

I like the buffet here, the food is fresh and made with quality ingredients. The people that run it are kind and inviting. It is priced reasonably, there is a larger Chinese buffet in the area but the food here is better. read more

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.) read more

Panda Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Carlinville, Illinois

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I'm kicking myself for not taking a photo so you could see how fresh and delicious everything here looked. First time visiting this local Chineses cuisine restaurant but we will be back. Buffet is smaller than most as is the entire restaurant but it was a great experience from the minute we walked in. Greeted wonderfully and the service was the best we have had from a buffet waitress/restaurant. They kept the buffet stocked with hot and fresh food which was appreciated and the restaurant was clean. Hand gel provided as well. You definitely won't go wrong by giving this place a try! read more

Chinese restaurants HOLD THE SECRET TO THE BEST DANG STEAMED CHICKEN & BROCCOLI... And Panda is no exception, even though it's located in the MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ILLINOIS! With a "traditional" (US) Chinese buffet as well as a "healthy delight" menu, this Chinese restaurant caters to all palettes... I got my scrumptious steamed chicken, that was the most perfect portion size (a large, just for me) and the rest of my dining companions were able to go feast on the ALL YOU CAN EAT buffet... Which also includes ICE CREAM for dessert! Yep, I will certainly eat at Panda more than once every time I come to Carlinville from here on out! read more

Panda Chinese Restaurant - a plate of broccoli and cauliflower - Chinese Near Me - Carlinville, Illinois

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

The Panda is all right with me! I came in here with a small group on a weeknight and was immediately impressed with the friendliness of the staff, who are attentive to your every need. We were served promptly with many smiles, and that's great to see! The buffet looked great- all food looked fresh, tasty, and flavorful just by first glance. I did not get the buffet, although the rest of our party did. They greatly enjoyed it. I ordered off the menu by a recommendation of my server. Although I had no clue what I ordered, I just knew it was going to be good, and it was! Noodles with plenty of vegetables, shrimp, and beef. Would definitely get it again, although it could have used a bit more flavor and spice. It was listed as a "spicy" item, but I didn't think it was that spicy. I would certainly come here again! read more

The people that own panda are so so sweet. The restaurant is always clean and uncluttered. The food is okay for what you'd find in a town like carlinville. It's not the best food ever nor is it the worst food ever. Just eh. read more

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

Perfectly good take-out Chinese food with a small buffet. The food is well-prepared, and done fresh. I could hear vegetables being chopped as soon as my order went into the ktichen. A good selection of dishes, and several vegetarian options too. This is good for the vegetarian traveller, as there isn't much of anything between Springfield and St. Louis. Trust me on this. The wait staff was very hospitable and welcoming, and the place had a nice, family-oriented vibe. If you are in the area, and need something that is not fast food, this place is a good place to stop. read more

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

When I'm in the mood for Chinese food, this is the place I go to. The buffet is very good and the staff is very nice! They also have AYCE Crab Legs on Sundays which are very good! read more

Living in town, this is our go-to place for Chinese food. They are best known for their buffet, and everything is made in small batches so that nothing sits out for too long. The cooks and wait staff do a good job, and are extremely friendly. You can get buffet to go as an option as well, and you're charged by the pound....definitely the way to get the best bang for your buck! read more

Great food and super nice employees! I didn't realize the coconut shrimp was only for the dinner buffet and it's my favorite so they made me my own little personal bowl of it. Such nice people and a great place to eat if you are in the mood for Chinese read more

This place us great buffet with a very good selection especially for being in a small town like Carlinville. When were in the mood for Chinese food this is where we go. read more

We had the buffet which is limited. This is due to not having many wholesale sources of Chinese foods. They're 40 miles south of Springfield, IL and 60 miles north of St. Louis, MO. This is a family operation with the two polite ladies who greet and serve you being sisters. They have connections to the four Chinatowns in the New York City area. Previously they owned a Chinese restaurant in the Chicago area. They wanted to move to a smaller town for the betterment of their children. We believe Carlinville will be a good fit for them and their customers! Our visit was on Feb. 28, 2010, 2:15 PM. read more

They have really good food!! I especially love the all you can eat crab legs on sundays. Their egg drop soup is amazing. I recommend this place to everyone. read more

Stopped in for dinner, started choking on General Tsos, and got stared at like I'm an idiot, no help was offered, instead everyone starts leaving, will never return and will save all that ask the trouble read more