I love this place. We haven't been in the area is two years and they remembered us. I hope they find a new location!! Wonderful everything.

Its consistently good. Great selection of meat, sauces, veggies, and noodles. You can choose rice as well... Even a great deal on to go boxes. You cant beat the price and the amount of food they give! read more

Small seating capacity. Very small buffet. Long wait for food and drink refills. Panda Express would be a better choice on birth Atherton Street. read more

I love being able to choose what veggies and sauces. It's so so good. I'm so disappointed I heard this site is closing. Maybe you can open in the mall. Lots of open spaces there. With the casinos should be a prime spot. read more

The staff was so friendly and inviting that they alone made my meal a 5 Star! I had never been to a Mongolian Buffet before and the wait staff took the time to show me the ropes and then were attentive to my every need! I don't have any reference to compare it to other similar restaurants but I can say the selection of items for them to freshly stir fry up for was big and my dishes were served to me piping hot and were absolutely delicious! I am already looking forward to coming back the next time I'm in the area! read more

I love this place! Custom made healthy meals for a great price with quick service.and hardworking staff. Great concept! All you can eat salad bar but instead of salad, each person chooses which stir fry ingredients you want to put on your plate + which of the 9 different stir fry sauces. Don't forget to put your numbered stick on your plate so they know where to bring your plate once it's cooked. FYI- protein options include tofu or raw eggs or meats to be cooked with your stir fry. If desired you can pay a little extra for takeout too! read more

A food establishment that closes at 7:30PM, on a Saturday evening, in a college town. Seems as if there's not an adequate appreciation for revenue. Website indicates no open times and also isn't representative of the actual food at the restaurant. I've stopped leaving negative reviews on this site, but had to come back to it out of sheer confusion and frustration. Less than one star deserving. Ambience was that of a defunct Pizza Hut and you park in a Citizens Bank parking lot. read more

The best build your own stir fry in State College. Chen's is worlds better than green bowl; they have fresher ingredients, you can add more than one protein and choose how much of each protein you'd like, it's cheaper, and you don't have other people's food on your plate nearly as much. The sushi in the buffet bar is fine- pretty much what you'd expect from buffet sushi, obviously you aren't going to get gourmet, specialty rolls. I've never had the soup or dessert. Service definitely isn't "top notch," but I like the stir fry enough that I'll bare to deal with it. If you like green bowl, I definitely suggest you stop at Chen's. read more

Really good place for healthy dine-in. You can choose meats/ veggies / seafoods and they will cook it for you. They will return the plate to your table afterwards. As a single who living in State College, this is a great place to get a nutritious food for one meal. Serving / cooking is pretty quick and convenient. The atmosphere there is very friendly and efficient. Most of customers seem like locals who wanna get a quick lunch/dinner. Very easy to visit there alone and get one or two plates of buffet, when I want some veggie-included meals! read more

Food is pretty good if you know what ingredients and sauce (and how much) to add to your plate for them to cook. The main problem during my visit, however, was that they served the hot food on melamine plates. There should be a clear separation of the plates used for uncooked food and those used for cooked food. Melamine might be OK for the uncooked (cold) food, but should not be used for hot food. Hot food should be served on china plates. This would also clearly separate uncooked food from the cooked food, as well. read more

Let me tell you this is by far my new favorite restaurant! Our entire family ate WAY too much food, and we loved everything. You create your own dishes which is so incredibly fun an when my children ate 5 plates I was shocked! We will ABSOLUTELY go back! read more

Chen's Mongolian Buffet - a plate of stir fried vegetables - Mongolian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

I have been to Chen's Mongolian Buffet so many times in the past 11 years that I couldn't possibly count all the trips. I think I may have single-handedly kept them open throughout the pandemic. Ha. In 2016, the attendees of my bridal shower were asked "Name Elaina's favorite restaurant." The correct answer (which many knew) was Chen's Mongolian. Six years later, my husband and I purchased a home little over 15 minutes away and our orders have only become more frequent. If Chen's delivered we'd be in trouble. Chen's is literally the only restaurant about which I have never had a negative thing to say. We recommend this restaurant to people ad nauseam, but I'm gonna keep doing it :-). read more

It has been a long time since I have been to a Mongolian Bbq restaurant. It was good food. Good service. I added too much chili oil to my food and the waitress remade my dish for me. Not the cleanest restaurant but overall a good meal. read more

I haven't had Mongolian style BBQ in a while, so this absolutely hit the spot. You can tell they've made some adjustments for covid (eg disposable cutlery, gloves when using the buffet), but in my opinion this did not distract from the experience. The food was delicious, atmosphere was relaxed, and service was good. For those of you who have never been to one of these, you essentially pick the raw ingredients (sauce, veggies, meat, rice/noodles, etc) and they fry it for you and bring it to your table. Fun experience if you've never done it read more

See all

Selecting your own grill ingredients allows you to create your own mea on the buffet--meat or vegetable preferences are your own. One trip through the line is enough for me but extra trips are allowed. Sauce selections are plentiful and flavorful. Ordering menu meals is convenient and the meals are reasonably priced for takeout. read more

Ugh this place is gross. State college is sorely lacking in decent Asian food and this place is yet another establishment I'll never revisit again. Was craving simple Chinese takeout (yes I know this is a "Mongolian" buffet) and saw that they had low mein and general Tso's chicken on the menu. Both were awful.. the GT chicken tasted like it was fried in old oil and the chicken was so sinewy and gross. Takeout is supposed to smell good when you open up the brown paper bag but the food smelled rancid from the get go. The low mein was mushy and they use baby shrimp. This is several Leagues below mall food court Chinese food, and I am baffled that this place manages to stay in business when the food is so bad and service is similarly lacking. Thank the gods for Panda Express. read more

First time here on July 3, 2021. When I go here again, I'll start of with a smaller plate so I can go back and try another "creation". If you've never been to a place like this and are unfamiliar with the protocol, it can be a tad frustrating because no one tells you anything about what you're supposed to do. Yes, yes, yes, I get that it's a buffet. They write some code on a tongue depressor for each person. I thought maybe we were getting an impromptu health check "due to covid" but you're supposed to carry this with you through the line and present it to the cook, all the while not forgetting it at your table or dropping it into the selections as you're walking along. Sure, I guess I could have put it in my pocket, or clenched it between my teeth.. whatever. One thing that does suck "due to covid" is the ambidextrous plastic gloves required when you navigate the buffet. I'll be glad when this is done. 5 stars for the food. 4 stars because of plastic utensils which truly suck for eating this kind of food, and Styrofoam plates which suck no matter what. No thank you; I don't care to use chopsticks. The interior is nice and darkish even at noon time.. always a plus. Could crank the AC a bit but that's just me. I'd go back in a minute, and seriously.. I'll bring my own fork. read more

No gloves Finally that's terrific! They also we're not using paper plates anymore and real silverware is on the table. Such an upgrade thank you. read more

I ate at Chen's while visiting Penn State before the pandemic. It was a cool Fall evening, so I wanted something to warm up my tummy. Chen's was a pleasant surprise! The decor is more modern than other Asian buffets in town and everything looked tidy. The servers were really friendly and kept busy bussing tables and refilling the food trays. I enjoyed the Mongolian grill where you can select your items and they cook it up for you. The other buffet items seemed fresh and tasted good, from the Chinese entrees to the sushi rolls. It was a great value, and I left full and satisfied. read more

Great selection of food. Everything from soup to dessert with noodles, rice, cold seafood appetizers , hot favorites and sushi and spring rolls. Lots of sauces and vegetables to create your special plate. read more

Went their for dinner on my first night in state college. They have wide variety of selections to chose from. As the name suggests it's a buffet, where you pick your protein, choose the rice or noodles or both, select vegetables, dressings/sauces and give it to the chef to cook. Being a vegetarian there were not many sauces/dressings to chose from. However, fruits, salads, sushi and a selection of desserts until you wait for your meal is definitely welcoming. And you can eat as much as you want.. it's unlimited too. Although dinner is not too expensive but lunch seems better priced. Reaching their timely would be ideal as they close early. The arrangement of food at the counter need improvement as the current organization leads to contamination of vegetables and sauces. The food is served with polite service and I wouldn't mind visiting them again. read more

Build your own stir fry. This place is fantastic. You have your choice of wonton or egg drop soup, both of which are good. Not Stellar, but above average. The "buffet" consists of about 30 different vegetables, egg, 4 types of noodles, light and dark chicken, beef, pork and shrimp and about a dozen sauces to choose from and you select whatever you want and they fry it up. It's brilliant. You see every ingredient and how fresh it is, you customize the quantity of each ingredient and pick the flavoring. The only person to blame if you have a less than perfect entree every time through the line would be yourself as you can literally get whatever you want and custom tailor the flavors to your liking. The sushi is sub-par, it honestly feels a bit out of place here actually as it's not a Japanese restaurant and they're not great at it. There are a few desserts and some fruit, none of which are noteworthy except the oranges which were fantastic but all the others are OK. Clearly this place shines in the entree portion of the meal and lacks a little in other areas, but that's why you're going, To build your own stir fry, not for wonton soup, basic sushi and random cake. Overall, if you like/love stir fry type dishes, this place is top notch. read more

For a cheaper dining option in State College with a large selection of super fresh vegetables plus meats and soups, then build your own meal, pick your own seasonings and they cook it for you. It's excellent. read more

We've been here for lunch 3 times and it's consistently good. The buffet is all you can eat, build your own Mongolian BBQ with ay least 5 proteins (chicken, beef, pork, shrimp, and tofu), about 12 sauces plus garlic, ginger, and Chile sauce so you can mix and match your own combination, 15ish veggies, and several rice and noodle combinations. They have a regular Chinese takeout menu but I've never had. Buffet also has some fruit, pudding, soups, and a tiny bit of sushi and dessert. Service is friendly and prompt. Prices are very reasonable and there are occasionally coupons in the mail. It's a solid lunch choice for groups who need / want variety. read more

Just went back after not being able to go since 2019. My wife and I come to State College for the Rhemington Ryde Bluegrass festival. Chen's is still awesome. We love this place. If we lived near by, we would ne here at least once a week if not more often. We highly recommend Chen's. read more

Not sure why this restaurant has over 4 stars, we went there after reading all the great reviews. The place is dirty, everything covered in a film of whatever. The food was mediocre at best, sushi was awful, and the beef was horrible. Soups where equally terrible. I gave two stars as the staff were very nice. read more

Some Friends that eat here recommended I give this place a try. To be honest, I did not like it. The soup was terrible, and the meat they had in their selections was partially frozen with a lot of gristle. Loaded with fat. They have a ton of fresh vegetables but their meat choices were not quality food. They charge $13.50 for lunch. Its not worth it. Too bad, there are a lot of nice people that own and work there. However I will not go back. read more

Okayish. Meats are on the tough and cheap side quality wise. A bit cramped kitchen smoke wafts around. Very average experience. Not really a buffet - you build a plate with ingredients and they cook it for you. Lunch is decent value. read more

Since coming back after the pandemic closures, you now have to wear plastic gloves to go up and pick out what food you want, and touch everything that everyone else touched with their plastic gloves, which means they are completely useless. There's a sign on the front door telling you to wear a mask, but you don't need to wear one at the table and most people aren't wearing one at all anyhow so why don't you just do away with them. Make them optional at best. The sushi never gets refilled, which is really my favorite part. They will leave a nearly empty tray, just three pieces left, and will let it sit there and sit there, and will not refill it. I was there for an hour and they never brought any more out. Also I called ahead the day before and asked them what time they closed on Sunday, and they said 730. When we got there the sign on the door, closing at 5 o'clock on a sheet of paper written in magic marker. I don't know if they're having staff problems or what. You have to eat everything with these teeny tiny little forks, not a dinner fork, more like a dessert fork, and they are really flimsy. At $13 a person , you would think that they would spring for some decent forks or let us go back to using silverware. Thankfully I know how do use chopsticks. Lastly and this is just a suggestion, the shrubbery out front as seen from Atherton has completely overtaken the front of the building. They should pay someone to bring that down to the ground, most people forget the restaurant is even there and once you drive back-and-forth you really don't even notice it because it's so overgrown. Just an idea. read more

Chen's Mongolian Buffet - The cheapest tiniest forks possible.. My kids both wanted to bring a real fork next time. These are really awful. - Mongolian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

The food is great! The fried rice is just like Hibatchi. But the thing is, the customer service is kind of bad. There was no explanation, no checking up on people, and they don't come to refill drinks. But other than that, it's great. read more

Amazing buffet! My boyfriend and I had a great experience here. Super friendly staff and great food. It is $15 for all you can eat stir fry, desserts, soup, and fruit. Pretty awesome deal to me. Plus, the food is fresh and customizable to whatever you like. I highly recommend! read more

Just ordered delivery and just want to point out that the women I talked to on the phone was extremely polite and easy to work with. I have ordered many deliveries and this was one of the more pleasant orders. I will be ordering from here again. When the food came, it did not take too long. The food itself was not amazing, but it was good. I got chicken lo mein, and I have had better. If you plan on ordering here, I would say go for it because I don't think I ordered a dish that they are known for. I will get something different next time and review again. read more

This place has fantastic food! Come hungry because you'll want to try the different sauces and combinations of meats and vegetables.

I must begin by sharing with you that I am not a huge fan of buffets. On average, I visit a buffet *maybe* once a year. I hate to admit this, but I've probably been to Chen's about five times since last December. Needless to say, I like this place... a LOT! My first visit to Chen's, I was a total noob, so I followed my friend's lead. One must remember to bring the popsicle stick each time when assembling a plate of food. This lets the servers know who the plate belongs to. Right when you walk up to the bar, there is a variety of veggies to select from-- broccoli, mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and jalapeño peppers to name a few. After you plop your fixins onto the plate, there are different meats for you to choose from-- beef, pork, chicken (white and dark meat), shrimp, and sometimes sausage (I believe this is brought out for the evening buffet). I visited Chen's only once during a weekend. To my delight, they bring out bacon and ham for the weekend buffet. So you've got your fixins, you got your protein... now it's time to choose your carb. Chen's offers rice, lo-mein noodles, rice noodles, and wide ho fun noodles. My go-to is the rice noodles because everything else is heavier and fills one up much more quickly. Since rice noodles do shrink significantly when cooked, I add a big mound to my plate on top of the veggies and protein. Lastly, don't forget to choose a sauce! Some options include Kung Pao, Thai Curry, Garlic, and Mongolian. Typically, I like to choose the Kung Pao sauce which has a very slight sweet and tanginess to it. I fill the sauce bowl almost completely (leaving about a centimeter from the top). There have been times when I did not fill the sauce bowl enough leaving my dish a bit on the blander side. Once you bring your plate and sauce to the counter, the chef will cook it up for you. In addition to the grill items, there is soup, sushi, and dessert. Hot and sour soup is a staple at many Chinese restaurants and one of my favorites. Unfortunately, the one time I tried the hot and sour at Chen's, it tasted more like "sweet and sour." Perhaps the sugar got mistaken for the salt or there really is a difference between Mongolian and Chinese HS? I'll have to give it another shot sometime. The employees at Chen's are always so very sweet, and the servers promptly provide drink refills. It would be great if some of the fixins were replenished more diligently as there are times when the veggies are dwindling a bit. Nonetheless, I really enjoy the food at Chen's and always look forward to my visits! read more

Chen's Mongolian Buffet - Hooray for the ham and bacon (weekends only)! - Mongolian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

My mom likes to eat here whenever she visits, it's affordable and quick food with a good amount of options. I really love the curry sauce they have available for stir fries. Never had a problem with cross contamination, I think they leave adequate space on the grill and clean it well between orders read more

Overview: A buffet in which you choose the veggies, protein, carb, and sauces of your choice and it is then cooked fresh for you. Food: I've been here a couple times now and I feel this is a solid place to eat. I like being able to choose exactly what I want in my stir fry and everything has always been cooked very well. The sauce selection is good and I like that you can add spice and garlic. They offer two soups, some sushi, and a small dessert selection as well. The wonton soup is standard and the sushi isn't half bad for being on a buffet. Recommend: The Mongolian Sauce for your stir fry. A nice mixture of salty/sweet. Atmosphere: A decent sized dining room with booths and tables. Has always been clean when I've visited. Service: The service here is quick. I've always been seated promptly, brought my drinks, had refills, and gotten my stir fry back very fast. read more

Chen's Mongolian Buffet - Beef, shrimp; veggie, and rice with the Thai sauce. - Mongolian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

I have been hearing about this place from coworkers for months. Word of mouth. When multiple people talk positive about a place, the cynic in me immediately wants to hate it. So after catching an early movie with my 6 year old, I debated on checking this place out. Earlier in the day, I told a coworker I might check it out. So I felt some pressure to do just that. What I really wanted to do was stop at Babies or one of the Mexican places. So with that in mind, I somewhat reluctantly went to Chen's. Glad I did. Chen's is in the old Backyard Burger building across from Hill's plaza on Atherton. The one negative about this place is the location. It can be confusing how to get back to this place. You have to go through a bank parking lot or a mini gold parking lot to get to it from what I can see. Odd set up. So once we entered the restaurant, we were greeted by a very friendly hostess who not only seated us but also took us to the buffet and told us how the set up worked. This is a Mongolian stir fry set up. You get your plate, you load up on the veggies, meat, and sauce you want. The server gives you a Popsicle stick when you sat down. You put it in the mess you created at the buffet. The cooks then stir fry your food behind the buffet. The server will take it to you when they are done. Then get ready to dig into stir fry deliciousness. Really amazing stuff. I recommend the Thai sauce if you like a little spice. The Mongolian if you like a more sweet taste. They have two soups on the buffet to start you out. There are desserts to finish you out afterward. But the highlight is the stir fry. Friendly service, good food, clean, price is about what you would expect, odd accessibility to the parking lot. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. read more

Chen's Mongolian Buffet - Teriyaki stir fry - Mongolian Near Me - State College, Pennsylvania

See all

Take out service is reliable. Very accommodating for special diet requests like no onions or mushrooms. Honoring Covid precautions. Social distancing sit-in diners. read more

Chen's is a wonderful place to eat. It's actually pretty healthy as well. They have 2 kinds of soup every day, (egg drop, hot an sour, or wonton) over 30 types of veggies, multiple noodle/rice options, meat, poultry and seafood. You have a variety of sauces you can choose ranging from sweet to super spicy. They also have a modest salad and dessert bar, with a small assortment of sushi. It's nice to pick out your food and watch it get cooked. The service is ALWAYS spectacular. I've been going since the first week it's been open and I have never had an empty glass or a used plate sit. The place is kept clean and maintained. The price is very reasonable as well. A prior review made the comment about it not being authentic since he's from LA... Well I've had this type of food up and down the east coast, and it is definitely at the top of my list for a tasty filling meal for a decent price. read more

We went with a large group, they are accommodating but that's about it. The restaurant is very outdated and tiny. You don't get the feeling that everything is clean while sitting there. They do have a wide selection if that's what you're really looking for. read more