Panda Garden Chinese Buffet & BBQ

I go to Panda Garden several times per year, mostly for dinner, but occasionally for lunch. I never have a problem with any of the food, and the servers are always quick with beverage refills and clearing finished plates from the table. Their problem is they are too eager to close up for the night. They advertise that they stop seating for dinner at 9 p.m., with to go orders only available between then and 9:30 p.m. Unfortunately, if you show up after 8:30 p.m., expect a poor experience. The hostess will be off cleaning something and won’t be able to seat you immediately. They’ll be moving tables out of booths and running a vacuum cleaner right next to you. They’ll come tell you they’re fixing to take down the desserts, so get them then if you want them. Then they’ll come by and tell you they’re ready to take away the rest of the food. When you go to the counter to pay, they’ll already be counting out the cash register and have you wait for them to get to a stopping point. If you run a restaurant, and you have listed operating hours, make sure all of your customers get a consistent dining experience during those operating hours. Wait until 9 p.m. to pull the hostess, and wait until 9:30 to start running a vacuum cleaner, moving tables, and start pulling food. Wait until the customers are gone before counting out the register. Some of us don’t get the luxury of a 6 PM dinner hour all of the time, and it would be nice to get the same atmosphere an hour before closing.

Food depends on the time of day you go. Don't expect fresh food just before close and base your rating on that. However, they do not follow the 3 hour rule when it comes to food sometimes. You can taste it for sure. But 8/10 of my times I went the food was good so I gave it 4. Service is always great. Atmosphere is beautiful, with the piano music playing and such. Remember to tip the servers.

We just ate here this weekend. Needless to say we were quite disappointed, to the point that we won’t return. Just a FEW issues were … Food very Luke warm Food tasted left over from lunch Shrimp was “tough” Anything fried tasted as if it was fried in very old oil which leaves one to wonder how long has it been in there and what’s inside of it. There were other issues those were just a few. Disappointing because we loved them when they were on the west side of norman and ate there all of the time. I usually don’t leave negative reviews but when the amount it cost the 2 of us to eat ($40 with a senior discount) I felt others need to at least have an idea and make the decision to go there or not themselves.

This was the worst chinese I have ever had in my life. The taste was nasty, cold, and unedible. Polish sausage was hard, chewed, and cold. The noodles were al dente no sauce. Even the fried shrimp was bad. We went during a lunch rush.

The sweet and sour chicken was way over cooked. The General Tso,s chicken was raw in the center. And not tender at all it was cooked way to fast. First time ordering from this restaurant and will be the last. 95% Of our dinner went into the trash very ashamed of the quality, taste Wasted $26.00

Amazing and delicious food! Great price and the food was good! Our server was so sweet as well as intentive. Go try it if you haven't already!

It’s been a while, but it is the same quality as when I was in school. Brought my daughter who is now at OU. Dinner Buffett menu was hot, fresh and clean.

Walked in for lunch, 2 handicap and disabled Veterans and every empty table was dirty. They walk us all the way to the front to sit then end up moving us to a booth after requesting a table (which harder for us to get in and out of) almost at the door we walked in at!! Even had to ask for silverware to eat. While a lot of choices and variety of options- just all the traditional Food was super bland! Very disappointing especially for a newer restaurant to the area! Prices are very good for the amount you have the opportunity for is also. Not that many choices for dessert but did have soft serve ice cream. Overall was Very Disappointed and we chose to not go back! Language barrier with the host was extreme. Didn’t check on us till we was leaving with ticket.

Ok. So Chinese buffets are seldom very good. The food is average. The jalapeño chicken was pretty good. Spicy beef was pretty good. The curry chicken was bad. Pork rolls and everything else were just blah. Everything was under seasoned. Service was fine. The best I can say is it's a buffet. Eat as much as you want

We're had a large group 18+ that got together after a family event and decided that this was the best place to go and be able to handle a large group. Great selection of food to choose from! My personal favorite was the Mongolian BBQ. Well worth the extra time! The sushi bar was my next favorite. I only went through the line twice and I did not over eat! They were several from out of town so wet may the visit worth while. I'm sure I'm going to put those on my place as to return.

We came in a Saturday night and were sat immediately. They came by to fill our drinks frequently which was great. It seems like they bring out more fresh food around the dinner rush which was nice. They had everything a typical buffet would have and everything was good! They even had Mongolian bbq, sushi and an ice cream machine. Pretty standard buffet with all the options. Good for cheap meal!

Just don't risk it. Standing water on the buffet. Never wiped down. The food itself is not good and has degraded over the years badly. I think the people who own it has changed several times. 10 years ago it was a nice friendly place with really good food. I don't know what I am eating half the time now because the chicken doesn't seem like chicken at times. Just grosses me out.

Food was great, order was ready in 10 mins once I called it in. Cashier was very nice.

The Mongolian bbq is our favorite. The guy who run the bbq is the best. He's been there forever and knows how we like our order even though we're not able to go as much. The buffet is hit or miss. Service is always on point.

Food was okay, a little cold, the whole place was like an icebox. Only talked to the guy who sat me down, never saw a server, was never asked if I needed a refill, or anything else, and the place was maybe a 1/4 full, so it wasn't busy. It was a little over $15 bucks, lunch time pricing, definitely not going back.

Panda once was a very good buffet. Definitely no longer. Food was lukewarm, and must have been warmed over. EVERYTHING was over cooked. I believe wait persons at a buffet are nearly always under tipped, but the new policy of adding an automatic 18% gratuity for a party of 6 or more is ludicrous! Definitely won't be back.

If you hate eating out because you have to deal with long waits, poor service and over priced meals, then Panda Garden is the answer. You simply walk in find a table and go to the outstanding buffet choices! Its that easy. Someone will come over and take your drink order. I highly recommend!

The food was mushy and had no flavor. not a very good selection for kids. the service was minimal

Very upsetting and the fact that he is getting hung up on and not helped fix the situation and do better!!

Most entries were overcooked, but they had a large variety of dishes. Overall, it is just edible, but the price is fair for $12.95 for the buffet, and the wait staff does a good job of keeping your drinks full

It used to be my favorite, but the service at the front desk is horrible. So unfriendly, so cold, so unappreciated of my business

Updating my review. The smell of turpentine from the remodel is gone. I still like the variety. I like the sushi roll options. I have upped my review slightly as I have yet to really have anything g that I didn't like so they seem to be a consistent Buffett.

This buffet is my favorite food ever. In oklahoma and of all time. The curry chicken is fantastic, this food literally like saves my life it makes me healthy loose weight and energectic. I always leave happy and its honestly the best food ever. The soup is great love the hot n sour, I also love the kung pow chicken chicken on a stick Jumbo fried shrimp and sushi bar. I used to eat here everyday I moved an hour away. Now i'm getting into the habbit of driving 40 minuntes a day to eat dinner. This restaurant is worth it. I been considering moving back to norman just to eat here again it is that good. BEST COOKS AND FOOD OF ALL TIME. beyond the moon good Shes the love of my life good

This buffet used to be good years ago. We were very disappointed and grossed out. The food tasted freezer burnt, old and soggy. My husband spit most of his food out! We had 6 of us (one was a 5 year old) and they charged us 18% gratuity. Our bill was $96...which I wouldn't mind if the food was good. Will NOT be back.

The food was pretty much completely terrible. We ordered sesame chicken, sweet and sour pork and orange chicken all of which were completely indiscernible from one another - they all resembled little fried balls of dough with different sauces on the side. Additionally the fried dough balls appeared to have been fried days ago and were quite chewy and stale tasting. We ordered chicken chow mein and a mixed vegetable dish - both dishes were swimming in an unappetizing, slimy, grayish sauce - again indistinguishable from each other other than the presence of chicken and soggy 1/2 noodles in the chicken chow mein- And they completely forgot our order of egg rolls The delivery person was quick and efficient and respected our request for a no contact delivery- this was the only positive thing I can say about our Grubhub order

This place is terrible! The bathrooms are horrible smell of urine so bad it made me sick!! Food was under-cooked, Was so excited for the buffet only to be disappointed! Families save you money and go some where else !!!!!

They did not have anything out. Their service was horrible I had to wait 10 minutes to get a refill on my drink. Their food was cold and they started putting stuff up while we were eating. They were also going to make me pay fool price when the food was cold and they were not filling anything. The ambiance was the only good thing in the restaurant. I do not recommend

This place caught my attention weeks ago but I hadn't had the chance or real desire for Chinese food, but tonight was the night. After doing a bunch of shopping and tiring myself out and after hours of not eating I decides that a buffet sounded like a fine choice. Since there weren't any reviews on Yelp I was a bit skeptical but decided with the help of my bf to give it a try. I was not displeased. Friendly service and offering of many drinks, I then hit the buffet (which normally I am a bit freaked out about - Vegas did that to me lol. Something about too much excess in relation to food just puts me off idkw) and I was pleasantly surprised at what choices they had and the set up. Every pan was filled with food, nothing looked stale or dried out (those the shrimp were a bit dry. I think it was the garlic shrimp. I may skip that next time all together) and there were over 30 options at least. I tried almost everything except the BBQ and it was all very tasty. The atmosphere was nice and it wasn't too loud, bathrooms were clean and staff was all friendly. Spent 26.70 with a nice tip. Not too bad for two very hungry people. On a side note: they have a takeout special for about $5 per pound and I may try that next time. I'd recommend.

This is the only Chinese restaurant in town. I eat here twice a week. I rarely eat off the buffet and Always create my own plate for the Mongolian bbq. It's Awesome and alone is well worth the price for me. Also they keep it clean and do good on keeping drinks refilled.

Has Panda Garden changed owners? I go there once or twice a month, and the last time (03/08/2023), there were no longer any Asian servers, and the food made me sick. If this is the case, I will really miss this place.

Our grandson wanted Panda Garden for his birthday. We prefer Mr. Hui, but were willing to try Panda Garden for him. Meh. We ordered Imperial Beef, Broccoli with Oyster sauce, egg rolls, and crab wontons. Our grandson ordered sesame chicken, and our son ordered a vegetarian dish. I don't recall what our grandson's friend ordered. 1. They messed up our order, so we got Broccoli Beef instead of just broccoli with oyster sauce. As a result, it could not be shared with our vegetarian son as we had planned. 2. The egg rolls are very tough, with thick wrappers. The sweet sauce accompanying it was plentiful (there was enough for at least a dozen egg rolls!) but gag-me sweet. 3. The crab wonton was also tough. Again, there was far too much sauce for the wontons, and it was so sweet even the 13-year-olds complained! 4. We could not tell any difference at all between the sauce for the Imperial Beef (which did NOT have any cashews sprinkled on it as the menu states) and the Broccoli Beef. Both were completely blah. The only positive thing we can say is that the vegetables were not overcooked. It's probably needless to say we will not be buying Chinese food from Panda Garden again. Unless you want very blah food, this is not a good place for Chinese Food. Mr. Hui is FAR better!

As I live in Norman this is the only Chinese type buffet since the Asian buffet closed this is the only Chinese buffet in Noman, they have raised their prices to 15 bucks lunch or dinner and compared to the hibachi Supreme buffet in OKC this one is mediocre

Pains me to write this but Panda Garden has gone downhill. Usually, a buffet is mediocre at best and Panda Garden was consistently mediocre - better than others here but nothing like made it order authentic cuisine. It was palatable and acceptable but my last few visits have been piss poor. The service is consistent - quick to seat you, quick to take your order, always there to clean your table and refill your drinks. The food was subpar - it felt like they were cleaning out their inventory and putting out some super stale and inedible food this last time. It was hard to swallow and definitely not worthy of a second trip. Buffets exist to give you the most bang for your buck - the food is always mediocre but you're not going to a buffet for fine dining. It just has to be edible and it has been barely edible this last trip. I hope they revamp their take on buffet and maybe reignite some passion in the kitchen to get the food up to par or just cut their losses and call it quits.

Was quick, fresh, tasted good. Delivery driver polite and actually looked at my address instead of trying to delivering my order to my neighbors house.

I don't expect much when I walk into a buffet, but when I went to panda garden I was pretty disappointed in the quality of the food. I've been to plenty of Chinese buffets in my life but this one ranks low. Chicken as hard as ever and noodles super bland. But at least the staff is friendly and quick. Never had an empty cup. The best thing panda garden has going for it is the price, $10! For a buffet!!!! Would've given it a 1 star if it costed more though hehehe

Honestly.... I'm a honest person. Never ugly. Never fussy. When I was setted I asked for water. 3 times they brought a new cup of of something different... each time there was something new in it.... this one was my last straw.... a bug. A damn bug... so.......then when i brought it to front to ask for a manager. I was told there was none and that should not of happened... I asked please tell me.... which time? So my advice enter at your own risk.... Remember if theres a problem..... There's no one there to fix it... or apologize for it... or better yet reassure you or I, the clients we even matter to serve clean untainted food or water... with no bugs... health dept here I come

Always a great lunch! I drive from the city to get my fix! The jalapeno chicken has always been my favorite.

One of the best Chinese buffets I have ever had. Best chicken on a stick of all time. 10/10 DaWizard Approved

It is my favorite Chinese buffet, fresh food and no dried out chicken or anything like other buffets, really is good!

They have lost our business. It used to be good but the quality is awful now. We even made sure to go at 6pm to ensure the food was fresh, however it wasnt. The food honestly was just gross. When we got ready to pay I let the cashier know our disappointment. She stated that if we are unhappy with one of the selections they will remake it for you. They would have had to remake multiple items not to mention that's not what you expect when eating at a buffet. She offered no discount or apology for the terrible experience. We unfortunately will not be returning.

I love the bacon rice noodles, shrimp, sushi, and everything else. My favorite place to eat. I always get a go box so I can eat it off and on all day. It usually costs between 9 and 11 dollars to get all the things I love. In fact, I am going there today.

I love this place food is great, but recently they have hosts that are rude. what made me have it with this place was I went in with my baby on her car seat and I asked for a booth so I can sit her next to me. host said there was no booths. She sat me at a table and didn't even offer a booster chair for my car seat. I had to put her on a regular chair, where she barely fit. I was scared she would fall. Next too where I was sitting there where three booths open. no one sitting there. I asked the waiters and she said it was up to the host. Next thing you know I see her sitting a two couples at those booths. I was so mad because I wanted to booth so I had the security that my baby was not going to fall or someone would tip her over. I asked and she only said sorry. So I don't understand why she denied me a booth.

Not bad at all. I would definitely eat here again. You can totally pay for a Togo box and get ALL SUSHI. Thats a pound of food for like 5.00!

What can I say about the Panda Garden that has not already been said? Consistently fresh tasty food, good Sushi, and solid service. This visit we had a big group and they welcomed us to a table in the second room, and made sure we had everything that we needed. Food was good as usual. Overall very good experience.

I'm not much of a Chinese food fan. For a buffet style place it's good enough to go now and again

however despite their screwups they are fantastic.. to bad i now live an hour away..

I like the crab salad they put out. Server nice. There was some confusion about the bill and they settled it w great understanding.

The food was okay. It wasnt excwptional or anything, but it did taste good, however, it gave me an upset stomach afterwards, and I didnt eat very much. I did love the quietness and serenity about the place though. It was lovely.

This is my first time here and didn't know what I was getting myself into, but I was very impressed. The food tasted fresh and everything I had wasn't dull in the least bit. The service was wonderful, I never had to wait for my drink to be refilled or wait for a dish to be refilled. I will definitely be back, the food and service was superb.

Spent $30 to feed 3 people. The food was old. Nothing seemed fresh. The noodles looked greasy. The bread was stale. It was not worth $30 and I even got a water. The only thing fresh on the whole buffet were the sliced oranges. Not happy. It'll be a while before I come back.

Friendly greeting. Near home. Traditional Chinese food. All features of this Norman restaurant. It's local connection greets you at the door with a window full of OU sports posters (gymnastics, softball, etc).

I was seriously disappointed. Every single thing at the buffet was cold. Now I don't expect everything to be straight outta the kitchen, I'm realistic and it is a buffet after all. But it wasn't even warm!!! The best thing I consumed all night, was the Dr Pepper. Will not be coming back here. Please save your money.

If you from Chicago and at NCED and use to the way they make Chinese food you will hate this place. I ordered a egg foo young and before I did I asked do they make it with a brown gravy they said yes, when I received the food because I had to use grub hub, the gravy that goes for the egg foo young tasted like soy sauce, it ruined my whole meal. Good thing I ordered egg rolls which were greasy as heck but edible or I would have wasted 26 dollars because I only took a few bites of the egg foo young and threw it in the garbage.

This is where I grew up going for Chinese food and it never fails to have everything I want! The noodles are perfect, the egg drop soup is delicious, and the rice is spot on every time!! I will go back soon!

This place is so AMAZING! They always have fresh food, always warm, get seated right away, even have to go orders you can make. This is my favorite Chinese place above all the rest! The staff is on top of everything and the food choices are incredible. Keep up the great work guys!

Best Mongolian BBQ in Norman. Food is always full of flavor and service is almost too good. Their egg drop soup is the bomb.com as well. Great place to bring my boys and their friends to keep from eating me out of house and home.

My family and I went to panda garden today for the first time and was very satisfied with the service and food! The Mongolian grill was so so good. My husband said he loved the buffet (sushi was ok) and my son(2years old) had rice, green beans, and smoked sausages and ate everything. He is such a picky eater but seemed to love it, even wanted seconds of the green beans. We will definitely be going back.