Staff are nice but the food is good sometimes and bad sometimes and the other customers don't like me because they want me to change who I am where I was born who I was born to where I was raised my age my background and I am forced to get rid of my South Frederick Elementary past from 1993 to 1996 I am not allowed to be who I am anymore. I also eat alone because everyone hates me I am the party of one ok. read more

I'm being generous with my 3 stars because if you come here and don't realize in advance that a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet in a dirty strip mall is going to be gross, that's your fault not theirs. That said, this place is slightly below par for the genre. The positives are an exceptional selection and they get an A for effort for attempting a lot of exotic seafood and dim sum dishes. On the downside, the food was mostly bland. The star fried chicken dishes of most Chinese buffets - general tsos, orange and sesame chicken - were soggy, undersized and tasteless. The maki was OK if you only know grocery store quality sushi, but eating rolls at a place like this is a great way to lose interest in Japanese cuisine. I didn't try their many seafood selections because I could smell them. Rancid fish odor is common in Asian markets, but if you're used to fresh Maryland-style seafood, it's enough to make you vomit. Overall the best feature is their hibachi grill (some reviews refer to this as Mongolian BBQ). You choose the ingredients and the quantities and they sizzle it up. The food in this section seemed slightly fresher than everything else, but in the end it was still underwhelming. Of course my experience could have also been influenced by the drab out-dated cafeteria like surroundings and the coughing, hacking and sniffling working class families that frequent this place for a cheap night out with the kids. I am sure I will have the flu in a few days. read more

Not bad for a Chinese Buffet. We came here after a hike at Harpers, we had worked up an appetite and were looking to fill our bellies up. It was easy enough to find, located in a shopping center with Dollar Tree and Rugged Warehouse. Tons and tons of food, pretty much something for everyone- with standard Chinese and American fare, hibachi, and sushi rolls. Overload of dessert, literally around every corner. Staff was nice too. read more

Amazing food for a decent price kinda bummed they don't have peeled shrimp anymore, but I can't complain really great food overall for a Chinese buffet! read more

We decided to try this place out for Sunday lunch and it was amazing!! It is a little pricey, but the prices change depending on what day/time you go. This is a REAL buffet...it is going to take at least 1 or 2 more visits to be able to try everything I want! The sushi selection is on point and you can also hit up the hibachi, although I'm not sure if there is an extra fee for it. Dessert selection is quite amazing too!! You won't be disappointed! Reason for 4 instead of 5 is because some of the chicken selections were kind of dry, but definitely worth it! read more

This place is fantastic. I grew up here and ate here pretty regularly and they have definitely expanded their options a lot over the past few years. My favorite is the sushi bar: all you can sushi for $8-10 is simply unreal. And it's also real fish and not just cream cheese and fake crab rolls (though they do still have those if you like). read more

A beloved Frederick institution Efficient like a well oiled Chinese machine, what Chef Lin lacks in quality makes up in abundance and variety: sushi, hibachi, shellfish, seafood, Chinese-American staples and classic American-American garbage, I mean comfort food, plus oodles of desserts. Perhaps due to the volume, and/or to good management, the quality is better that what you'd think. For example you cannot lie with raw fish:to be honest, I ate worst sashimi at much classier establishments. Here you can acquire calories and be comforted by familiar flavours for a very reasonable price.There's nothing like driving back from a backcountry ski trip or a climbing weekend, cold, wet, tired and ravenous, to Chef Lin. I hope some trail angel is driving tru hikers on the AT from Harpers Ferry to this place. read more

We have loved Chef Lin up until today. The food has gone downhill. They allow children to play at the buffet, disregarding their own posted sign asking parents to supervise their children, yuck! read more

This is pretty much your typical Chinese buffet. But I have to say that I like this one better than most. The food looks a little bit fresher. I constantly see the staff changing out the dishes. There aren't so many choices that you don't know what to choose and that is good. I also think that helps them keep things fresh. They have a really nice hibachi grill and the sushi looks good. read more

The employees are really nice. The selection is redundant The atmosphere is dry and the establishment looks very out dated. The food was eh. Nothing to rave about. read more

Was in the Frederick MD area on June 16, 2019 for a Father's Day event and decided to eat at Chef Lin Buffet. The restaurant appeared clean. The staff was very professional and we were seated quickly. This restaurant is crammed with tables. You had to wait your turn to move from buffet to table. Even the waitstaff had difficulty navigating with hands full of used plates. (I should have paid attention to the used plates full of uneaten food before dining). THE FOOD: This is where I was really disappointed. This restaurant raised its prices because of Father's Day. Yet, the only item I could see on the buffet that "might" be considered special were the fried crabs which were prepared poorly. Fried items continue to cook when pulled from the fryer. If this isnt considered in the cooking time.The item becomes mushy and unpalatable. (A real waste of a great food item). 2nd disappointment= Salmon and other fish items prepared in unseasoned water. Results; A lump of fish with no flavor at all. The rest of the food was nothing worth mention. Mostly lacked proper seasoning. 3rd. disappointment = What irritates me even more are no labels for food trays. You have no idea what the dish is or if it contained an item you nay be allergic to. 4th complaint = Unorganized food item areas. This restaurant had desserts in 4 different areas. If looking for garlic bread. Look in one of the 4 dessert areas. The only positive review I can share were the cookies with cream and the peanut brittle. Needless to say...I will not return to this restaurant. I hope my detailed review will help others in their selection of a restaurant that will satisfy your taste buds. * * * If you're ever in Waldorf MD, Go to United Buffet. which includes all you can eat steamed blue crabs. This is where to go when you want to dine in a buffet restaurant done right. After one visit to United Buffet. You will NEVER settle for Chef Lin Buffet. read more

They serve OLD FISH at the sushi station!!!! I mean literally dried out like it's from a few days ago. Need I say more?? Makes me wonder how old the buffet food is. Absolutely disgusting. Scared me into never going back ever again. read more

Fantastic buffet. Vegetables are so fresh, and hot made-to-order hibachi hit the spot! The service also was fantastic. Great atmosphere. Highly recommend this buffet read more

I ate here one evening while in town on a business trip. I am usually skeptical of Chinese buffets because it seems all the food taste the same. I tried this place because it was literally 2 minutes from my hotel. They offer the dinner buffet for 9.99 and 14.99 with crab legs. I opted for the 9.99 which included sushi. Well to be honest, I barely made it past the sushi. No it wasn't the best I ever had, but for the price it was very very good. The guy was cranking our sushi like crazy and was fairly creative with his rolls and everything seem quite fresh. It should be as there were plenty of regulars here. I know I devoured my 10 bucks worth. The rest of the buffet looked okay too. I tried a couple of items, but really filled up on the sushi. Overall, pretty good. I give it a good rating on the sushi alone. read more

For the price, this buffet can't be beat. Lunch time is $9 per person and includes hibachi and sushi along with their buffet! The waitresses are super nice and always greet with a smile and a "good to see you!" Even if they aren't happy to see us, it still sounds like they are. My only thought of improvement would be to update decor, but I have to remind myself it's $9/person LOL! read more

People need to learn how to write reviews on yelp. If your going to compare this restaurants meat to texas de brazil, obviously it will get a lower review. You have to review for what it is, a buffet. I have been eating here for years and every time the food has been great. The staff is really nice. Chef Lin deserves 5 stars. read more

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First of all, I can't believe I have never review this before - I have been going for over 10 years, since they first opened. Secondly, I am giving them 5 stars to balance things out. They are probably more like a 4.5, but they don't deserve all the 1-stars at all. They are NOT a fine dining place. They charge less than $10 per person on average, and offer a huge amount of food for the cost. the food is decent quality. The meat and chicken is not gristly, the shrimp are of decent size, and the lo mein / fried rice / soups are as good as you would get anywhere. Their salad bar is excellent, and offers things that you normally don't see - like kimchi and cooked baby octopus. The next section has fried foods, some of which are a bit questionable, like french fries, and "scallops" that are not real scallops, but the chicken is tasty and some of the stuff is really good. They have a LOT of seafood, baby clams or mussels in butter, fresh cooked cold shrimp, fresh fish cooked with veggies. Then they have a section of "Chinese dishes" from General Tso's to Egg Fu Yung. Really, a lot of variety. They also have a Mongolian grill where you can create your own meal, and sushi. They will even make sushi to order, if you ask, I don't eat raw fish, but my family says it's not bad, and the veggie rolls are pretty good. Overall everything is always FRESH there. There is a fair offering for vegetarians too. General Tso's tofu is quite tasty, as are their stir fried green beans. There are mushrooms sauteed in butter and a lot more veggie options. Desert is eh, but they have been adding new things lately. They have the normal buffet stuff - dry cakes, jello, fruit (fresh and canned) and so on. Plus good quality ice cream, and a chocolate fountain. The employees are ALWAYS sweet and nice. Always checking up on you, always removing used dishes and keeping drinks filled. So, it is what it is. A Chinese buffet. It will never be spectacular, but I would so much rather eat here than at a fast food restaurant. And, I do believe it is the BEST Chinese buffet in Frederick. read more

This place offers a great variety of food for a really cheap price! $10 gets you all the sushi you want (A-Ok sushi, it's not Japan but it'll do for being in Frederick), a hibachi grill (included in the price and you pick out your meat and veggies and they grill it up for you), and the buffet of chinese food you find everywhere else at other chinese buffet places. Inside decor is kinda dark and waiters don't speak much English, but are polite when you ask for stuff. Desserts include a Hershey's ice cream bar, fruits, and pieces of cake. read more

Pretty good for a Chinese Buffet for dinner they got a better sushi selection and raw oysters. The cooked food is the standard Take-away kind so nothing too special. For the price how can anyone complain, it's less than a meal with fries and drink. The trick to the buffet is to see what food they bring out and just eat that specific dish or risk eating something that's been sitting there for a while. So be sure to stalk the servers when they bring the refills, they tend to put the new tray and then put the leftover from the previous on top so be sure to dig a little for the freshly cooked one. read more

I usually don't write much review on help, but I have never had such bad experience in a restaurant. My husband and I both threw up twice and had diarrhea right after we leave the restaurant. The people are nice . But some the seafood is is rotten,/not fresh. food is very bland because a guy was walking around adding water to all the dishes. It was dinner time and had few tables only. I tried salmon sushi, it was not fresh , had one bite tasted sour, the skin looked dark orange. Then I had some shrimp and crab, not very fresh . Tasted rotten and smelled rotten . Especially crab. I will never go back again. read more

They used to be better. Need some heavy cleaning and some heavy rearranging. Also need better staff and better servers. Pass!! read more

Wow, how have I not reviewed this place yet? Mea culpa. I love this place. My family loves this place. Easily the best chinese buffet in Frederick, and better than everywhere I've tried in MoCo as well. We go a half dozen times a year. They have a ton of choices. A lot of buffets just go heavy on the seafood and charge a premium, so guys like me who don't like seafood have like two chicken options and those pork ribs to eat. But at Chef Lin's, I have like two dozen different meat options. Honey chicken, kung pao chicken, terriyaki chicken, steak, pork ribs, beef & broccoli, etc. If you're looking for a place with all of your favorite chinese take out choices, this is it. And for the seafood lovers like my family, they still have a ton of choices. That weird octopus stuff, the oysters that look like boogers, sushi/sashimi, crab rangoons, etc. And it's only like 12 bucks or something for dinner. Compare that to the 17-30 that a lot of other places charge. Great value. read more

Just stay away from the place. There is nothing on earth that i do not eat. They are honored to be the first people to make some type of food that i could not eat! read more

Is sad to say it, but I've have better Chinese food in the state of Oklahoma.... Wtf!!!! Being that this town is so close to NY, I guess i keep expecting to get NY style Chinese food every time I visit a local joint. Boy was i wrong!!! The food was vinegary and flavorless. The fried food was cold and stale. I think the heating lamps need to be replaced. The hibachi grill section has a pretty nice variety of items. They had a good assortment of sushi, but all made with cream cheese.. Fail!! Honestly, my favorite item was the sugar cover peanuts, pretty pathetic, oh and the hot oolong tea. Won't be going back again. So I'm back on my quest to find a decent Chinese rest in Frederick, MD. read more

This is the best Chinese buffet in Frederick. The place is clean and the food is well presented. They have a large variety of things to choose from. Like all buffets, the food is on the heavy side so I can't go that often, otherwise I would be in a food coma at work on a daily basis. I try to stick to the sushi and the hibachi grill (both included in the price of the buffet) and avoid the pre-made food. My coworkers do get the other stuff, though, and they seem to enjoy it. They do make a lot of sushi rolls with cream cheese for some reason, which is something I really don't like. But they also have tuna, salmon, and yellow tail nigiri and a very good shrimp tempura roll. The owner greets you on the way in very enthusiastically and thanks you for your business in the same manner on your way out. All the servers are nice though there isn't really too much that's required of them while you're eating. read more

I was going to visit this buffet again, but was so sad to see that they are closed for renovation! Their food is really great and the servers are friendly. I'm Chinese American myself and I found the dishes to be authentic and delicious. Can't wait for them to reopen! read more

We came across this buffet on a whim and I am glad we did. When we walked in we were greeted with a smile and seated right away. Just a minute after being seated our drink order were taken then brought right out to our table. The woman that served our table was very nice. She kept our drinks full and removed dirty plates consistently. As far as Chinese buffets go the food was top notch. They had a decent selection of sushi and I enjoyed trying the different rolls. I tried many other dishes and liked them all! What stood out the most was the wonton soup, mushroom pork, and the chocolate fountain (which I dipped Oreo cookies in and loved.) This is one of the best Chinese buffets I have had in a long time. read more

I love the food here. I drive from Leesburg to go here instead of going to Sterling. They have a huge variety and probably the only place that has so many sushi's! My family loves it! The other day I arrived at 11am. They were not ready. Sushi wasn't made. They were bringing out food still. Their teriyaki chicken was raw. He did start to make sushi's about 12 pmish. The only thing that I will say that is negative is that they have roaches in the bathroom. I have taught myself to not imagine anywhere else they could be because it's so good. But I did stop going here for a while because of it..... then I craved sushi.... read more

I've been going to Chef Lin for years, and they're my favorite Chinese buffet in the area. You get a long of bang for your buck: sushi bar, steak, fried/white rice, and the desserts? I think they're trying to compete with Golden Coral: candies, a chocolate fondue fountain, gummy frogs, both soft-serve and hand-dipped ice cream. Amd fpr the finicky little children? Mozarella sticks, mac & cheese, etc. I'm not kidding when this one little boy, no more than 8 or so, asked his mother at the buffet, "Mozarella sticks? This place is culinary perfection!" I always thought the quality is just about what you'd find in any other restaurant around town. What I like about Chef Lin is the variety. I've been to some buffets where there just isn't much, or you have to pay fifty cents extra for an ice cream bar. They always refill your drink promptly, and the hostess is always cheerful and I swear remembers you. I don't bother going anywhere else. They're easier to get into now that the construction has finished in Prospect Plaza. read more

Very nice selection. Unfortunately, much of it was not heat supported like it should, short of warm once you returned to your seat. Fortunately, neither me or my wife had any indigestion concerns. Still, items were flavorful and typical of most such establishments. Oh, and this was the first time I recall having yellow mustard and not the hotter Chinese variety. read more

I'd rate this buffet a 0, but that wouldn't be fair at all because I would rate 99% of buffets a ZERO. Most buffets are ALL about quantity not quality... A lot of subpar food, nothing super delicious or worth going back for. I'm not a fan of buffets for many reasons... But Chinese buffets are the worst. I don't enjoy super Americanized Asian cuisine. Fried chicken, French fries, chicken nuggets and banana pudding at a Chinese restaurant, just go to McDonald's. Sooo... With all that being said, I have this place a 2 Bc I didn't die or get sick or anything. The service was excellent... All the servers were extremely nice and courteous! I definitely appreciate great service and just genuinely nice people. :). I will say that Chef Lin's does have a HUGE variety! A pretty decent salad bar (which looked untouched and unappetizing), a sushi bar ( I'm a sushi snob so it didn't impress me at all), fried foods section, seafood section, soups, traditional Chinese foods and desserts. If you're all about quantity and want to go crazy and stuff your face... This place would be perfect! I had some fried rice- bland bland bland,noodles- smelled like bad fish :(, -sesame chicken-hard and tasteless, string beans- bland and undercooked, beef broccoli- blah.... I guess there's no real need to go further. The ONE and ONLY thing I did enjoy...... Drumroll pleeeease..... Was the soft serve!!! They had sugar cones which were nice and fresh, vanilla,chocolate and twist. I had a vanilla cone and it was delicious!!! Tasted just like McDonald's!!! Hahaha :) I did think the prices in comparison to the food quality were a bit high. Like $15.00 for lunch. Or maybe I just think it's high Bc I didn't enjoy anything.... Except the vanilla cone, it was a $15.00 cone... Not worth it. If you're someone that's looking for quality authentic Chinese food, this will be a huge disappointment. But I guess most people going to buffets are well aware of that. read more

Chef Lin Buffet - My view from the truck. - Chinese Near Me - Frederick, Maryland

MICE! Went out for lunch and only 20 minutes into our meal, spotted two tiny mice running back and forth between the booths and tables. Our appetite was ruined, of course, and we promptly left. We notified the hostess of the presence of the little friends in the restaurant to which she seemed unphased. Food was luke warm, restaurant could use a deep clean and there were several children in the back (employees' children, I assume) who kept going up to pick out gummy worms with their bare hands. Needless to say, we will not be returning. read more

They have a huge variety of seafood. But I did see a roach in the bathroom. I love their variety in Sushi. But the roach just gets me. I overlook the roach just because they have such good food. But that damn roach.... And once my card would pass, they didn't try to do debit. I had the money. They were nasty about payment. read more

I am not usually a fan of buffets. The only reason I decided to go is that I read some of the sushi reviews on here. I must say it was great! REALLY $10.00!? The price is great and the sushi was good. I am not sure about the Chinese as I filled up on the sushi. However, I could not believe they had good quality raw oysters and fresh Maryland crab on the buffet. The staff were great and very attentive, but not overly so. I would recommend for sure. read more

Great food. Very Cheap and quiet. There no real greeting but overall a really great place. I would come back again.

Good food, good value, good price Great selection overall Very nice service Highlight food items were the grilled steak, chicken-n-broccoli, sushi, and the Chinese donuts. The bathrooms both need more regular attention. read more

This restaurant is really good in terms of chinese buffets, decently priced and nothing made me want to cry. I especially loved the chocolate truffle puffs here, they were oustanding shout out to chef lin read more

Yes, the buffet is operating at Chef Lin. Before Covid-19 I would visit Chef Lin every few weeks. When restaurants started opening up I assumed the only option would be takeout food. I dropped in recently to get a menu and to my surprise I was told the buffet was open. How can they do this and still be safe you ask? Paper plates and cups and disposable plastic utensils are now the norm as is social distancing. When you select your food you are provided a disposable plastic glove to hold the serving spoons. The downside is the food selection is about 40% of normal. read more

It's a Chinese buffet so the sushi will be either terrible or do. Been to many many buffets(Chinese) there food as a Buffet is way Above Average. The staff makes sure the food is as buffet fresh and replenished as needed. The atmosphere does need help but again it's a Chinese smorgasbord and hits the spot..best buffet fried rice I've tasted( NOT restaurant ordered) read more

Huge place inside with a great selection of food. General buffet items are OK. Standouts are the hibachi grill and the sushi. Great value for $10 too. read more