Happy China is an institution in Saint Louis. Before you read my review, you have to understand where I come from. I grew up in St. Louis, and Happy China was our go-to buffet from ~1990 until I left for university in 2001. I ate there at least twice a month on average since I was 8 years old. I brought my first dinner date to Happy China. both me and my sister celebrated our Bar/Bat Mitzvahs there with out of town family and friends. Chef Pa once came to my table and taught me how to make potsticker sauce. There was rarely a Christmas our family couldn't be found enjoying the delicious food. And they knew me - I was "diet coke, no ice", my drink order. It was adorable. After leaving for university I found fewer and fewer reasons to go "home" to Saint Louis, but the highest ranking of them was to revisit the Chinese buffet that started a lifetime love of Chinese food for me. They have a super solid rendition of Crab Rangoon, General Tso's Chicken, Orange chicken, Broccoli Beef, Fried rice, Chow Mein, and pretty much every other Americanized Chinese dish you might expect, but there are two dishes that deserve special attention. The first dish that makes me crave Happy China from across the country is the potstickers. Their potstickers are truly unique. The texture and flavor of filling is unlike any other potstickers, sorta like a very moist meatball in a thicker-than-average wrapper. They have a perfect char on the bottom, I think they maybe use minced scallions in the bottom of the plan to accentuate the crust or something like that. It is magic. The far and away winning dish, however, is the special house beef. I have eaten Chinese food in Seattle, San Francisco, and all over the US, authentic places in China towns and little known hole-in-the wall joints as well, but I have never encountered anything like this dish. The texture of the beef is *incredible* - I presume they do some extreme velveting process - and the sauce is sweet and peppery but not too spicy, and has notes of ginger, garlic, and scallions. I apply special house beef to my plate like paint - first a base coat, then my potstickers and general's chicken, then a second coat of special house beef to let that tasty sauce infuse everything with the flavor and aroma of Asian cooking at its best. When a once-every-20-years-or-so eclipse comes along and gives me an excuse to be in STL, I'm not going to pass it up, so I was able to go to Happy China last week, for the first time in ~8 years or so. I learned that Chef Pa and his wife took a much deserved retirement and the restaurant was under new management, but with the same recipes. I was a little worried from some of the recent Yelp reviews I saw, but also optimistic and hopeful. I can report that one thing has definitely changed at Happy China. I am no longer "Diet Coke, no ice", I am now "Diet Pepsi, no ice". Other than that, I can confidently say that any divergence from the old recipes were temporary adjustments. Things are nearly identical to what I remember. The potstickers were just what I expected, the Crab Rangoon was still perfectly gooey in the center and crispy on the sides, and most importantly, that special house beef was just what I needed. The service was friendly and attentive, they kept my drink full, and when I cleaned out the special house beef they already had another tray on the way to replace it so I could get seconds. I also felt like the price of the buffet was a very good value - I live on the west coast now so maybe my sense for cost of living is out of whack, but the buffet price seemed reasonable and the cost of a take out container seemed even more reasonable (had to take some back for my wife!) As an aspiring chef who can make a pretty mean Broccoli Beef, I would probably pay $1000 for the recipe for that special house beef, and I would sign an NDA if needed. (Attention Owners of Happy China - this is NOT a joke. Please email me - cmyers at cmyers dot org). If I'm honest with myself, there was one other difference I noticed at Happy China - I was there on a Sunday night for dinner and there were only a few other tables filled. I know restaurants in general do a lot more to-go business these days and I can't imagine how that must have impacted buffets (buffets are rarer on the west coast, it is more of a Midwest-Americanized-Chinese thing). If you live in Saint Louis and you aren't making a regular pilgrimage to Happy China, you are missing out. Please sustain this institution for the next generation and the next one after that. read more

The food was not good to me at all. Everything was off except the sushi. The buffet is about $30 for 2 with no drinks. The service was good for a buffet and it was quite with decent soft music playing. But that was as good as it gets for me. I would skip this buffet all together, you are better off somewhere else. read more

Upon our arrival, we were greeted by a very nice waitress, who sat us and took our drink order. The restaurant is a little dated. It could be a lot of improvement. There was a lot of food to choose from. The food it self was simply ok at best. read more

The food was not fresh tonight when doing takeout. The food from delivery is usually good but tonight the food was not fresh at all. It did not taste good at all. The service was great. The staff are friendly. The ambiance was fine. Did take out only. read more

First time here in over 3 years and seems like nothing has changed upon entering , however i noticed it's not as busy as it once was and also it could use an update on the interior. The food was good especially my favorite the House Beef which was as great as I remember. The price is fair$12.99 for a lunch buffet and $14.99 for dinner.Sorry I didn't take pictures read more

This place was so ass , Food was trash , Cold and they didn't have that many options. I don't even wanna rate them. This is not a place that should be open still. Only thing that was coo was the service , but they should find another job cuz this place ain't it!!!!! Somebody should call the health inspector!!!! EAT AT YOU ON RISK. I am another contestant of eating this food.. my stomach is bubbling maybe 30 mins after consuming an egg roll. The crab Rangoon had NO CREAM CHEESE. It was just the breading and it was tough. More of a burnt color than golden brown. The chicken was undone and pink as a pig. I honestly am disgusted and my cousin found a roach by the ice cream bin. read more

Happy China - My Chicken was undone and looked unpleasant - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

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My friend and I get together for dinner about once a month. Our favorite place went out of business, so we were looking for a new place to meet. My friend was craving cashew chicken, so we looked online for a chinese restaurant that was an actual restaurant, as opposed to a tiny space for picking up carryout. This place has a buffet, but they also claim to have a menu, and inside it looked like a sit-down restaurant - not just a carryout and delivery kind of place. One review I read mentioned "happy hour," which would imply that they serve cocktails. When we arrived, a young man took us to our table and asked what we'd like to drink. I asked if they had chardonnay, and he just looked confused by the word. I asked if they had wine at all, and he shook his head no, so I told him I'd just wait until I could look at a menu. This seemed to confuse him further, which should have tipped me off. I assume they have menus (the words "buffet & menu" are prominently displayed on their storefront), but if they do, we never saw one. We sat at our table for a good twenty minutes waiting for someone to bring us menus, but we were never acknowledged again. Once it became painfully obvious that we were not welcome, we got up and left. This place is probably fine if you want carryout, but I can't really say for sure. What seems certain is that they need to remove the word "menu" from their sign. read more

How the mighty have fallen. This used to be my go-to for chinese. Excellent buffet options, very tasty food, great people. Then it was sold and things changed. Went back for the first time in a few years and was mega disappointed. On the good side, they changed the layout of the buffet and I like the new setup - easier to get around in. On the bad side, fewer offerings. It was clean, but I had to walk past a large open trash can to get to the seating area which wasn't very appealing. The quality had definitely fallen since my last review. Good: They have 6-8 kinds of sushi, which was pretty good. The chicken on a stick was moist and tasty. The coconut shrimp was decent. Not Good: The crab rangoon was dried out and the cream cheese filling had a strange taste to it. The House Special Beef was moist (covered with sauce) but the meat was tough. The broccoli was soggy. read more

Me and a friend arrived at 7pm on Sunday. Despite the low ratings online, my friend wanted to eat there because of the buffet, 14.99 per person. I usually like sushi, but after looking over the general poor condition of the food on the buffet, I wasn't going to take a chance on it. Food looked like it had been sitting out for a while. One reviewer said "everything looked off", yes that is a good overall assessment. The special beef was ok, the hot braised beef was ok. Worst egg roll I have ever tasted in my life. Egg drop soup was very low in the container and had a thick scum covering the top, I am sure it just needed to be stirred or something, but looked horrible to say the least. The waitress was attentive to our drink needs and was very nice. We both agreed we would never go back. read more

Unfortunately this buffet was uninspiring. I would not return The quantity was mediocre. The interior was depressing and with duct taped patched upholstery read more

It definitely is not the place it used to be. The building and interior can definitely use some updating. I'm sure they are still suffering from the changes caused by the pandemic era. However, the food is still pretty good and the crab rangoon's are still the best around. read more

8-18-22 1:00PM. Lunch buffet Ambiance - Nicely decorated and VERY CLEAN!!! Staff - Young and very very polite. Very efficient and eager to please!!! Parking - Large area shopping center. Buffet appearance - most impressive!!! Sushi buffet selection - Very large selection approximately 8 trays. Looks excellent!! Chinese buffet - EXCELLENT SELECTION Do yourself a favor and try this delightful Chinese Buffet. Hours: Tues - Sun 11:00 to 9:00 CLOSED MONDAY Senior Citizen Discount 10%OFF (60+) read more

It has a lot of variety.I believe it's an authentic chineese restaurant.The only downside is that there were few flies in the place.Service was good. read more

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Sad!!! Nothing happy about this place. It might have been an amazing place 20 years ago...run down, dirty and food is ok at best...stay away! read more

Although there may be less food selection than other Chinese buffets in St. Louis, the quality is better. I enjoyed all the food I tried here. The chicken steak and shrimp dishes tasted great in particular. I was glad they had broccoli chicken and green beans as dishes. The dessert bar had your traditional Chinese buffet dishes: ice cream cups, fruit and pudding. The folks working here were hospitable. The staff regularly refilled drinks and cleaned off plates. They used paper plates and plastic utensils. Dining area did not have any windows. There was Chinese music playing in the background. The atmosphere was casual and relaxing. I really enjoyed my buffet dinner experience here. I highly recommend it! read more

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Went for lunch, a lot of the food was dried out, cold, or just nasty. Restaurant itself doesn't seem that clean and could use a major remodel, there is stuff hanging on the wall touting what a good place it was 30 or more years ago. Bathroom is not handicapped accessible, its super small and super cold in there, apparently not heated. Staff was nice, and service was good. Overall, though its below average even for a Chinese buffet; unfortunately not many good ones left; the pandemic did most of them in, and the few that managed to hold on for the most part just are not very good at all. read more

It's clear that this establishment has seen happier days than what it's experiencing right now. I was surprised that the buffet area was steamy, stuffy, and humid while the dining room had the air conditioning on. Also, the food was not hot at all, at best it was lukewarm and just did not satisfy. The rice bowl had crusty old rice that I didn't want to eat whatsoever. The flavor on some of their chicken was good, but it would have been much better if it was hot. Overall, not impressed, especially for the price paid. Some improvements, renovations, and attention to detail would go a long way to bringing the "happy" back to this restaurant and its customers! read more

The food was awful. And cold. I tried several things on the Buffett and took just one bite before finally giving up on finding anything eatable. It used to be really good but new owner and it's absolutely awful. I won't be going back. read more

9/9/2023 First Time back in about a year and a half. Under $14 per person for dinner buffet. Food was fair, seemed like it had been on the buffet for half a day-some breaded meats dried out, white rice too. Will have to try in a month or two to see if I get better results read more

If I could have given zero stars I would have.. 1st - do not go by the pic they don't have more than half of what's in the pic. 2nd - it's dirty 3rd - food was cold 4th - food taste nasty If it was not for a 600 mile trip and being starving would have walked out.. DO NOT EAT HERE. read more

Decided to try out this buffet and it was very small. When you walk in the buffet is right in front of you and it is extremely steamy and humid in the buffet area (like out of control humid). I'm pregnant and it was difficult breathing while in that area. The service was quick and nice but when we got our plate, there were pieces of rice that were like small rocks. I grabbed a couple crab ragoons and when I bit into them there was absolutely no filling. It was really weird. The noodles were mushy like they've been sitting in water. The bathroom smelled like mold and the overall experience was too much for me so I decided to leave without finishing my plate. I respect the business and they're politeness but the experience was terrible. (Didn't take any pictures because I was only there for about 5 minutes) read more

The incredible customer service can't compensate for the very small buffet. The quality of the food was pretty impressive but there was no General Tso or Orange chicken. I can't move past this. read more

First time trying Happy China and I wasn't disappointed. Excellent customer service, most of the restaurant is blocked off due to Covid, and the condiments are sitting out for customers to grab. Personally I like bean sprouts in my rice and mine did not come with any but the customer service makes up for that. I also prefer my crab Rangoon to be a little sweeter but the crunch was excellent. I will be back to try some other menu items read more

Happy China - Shrimp fried rice fried dark - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

Wow! This place had gone down hill. Back in 2002 this place was the RFT Best Buffet, it is not the same now. Stopped in on a Saturday afternoon, it is $4 more for lunch on weekends. Buffet appears clean and well stocked. I loaded up the usual that I used to get when I came here in the early 2000's. House Beef, fried rice, crab Rangoon, pot sticker, and green beans. Wow the fried rice was terrible and the House beef was chewy and terrible. Noticed the orange chicken is not on the buffet anymore. The dessert area is smaller now. Overall, I was disappointed at what Happy China has become. Going to refer to it as Sad China, not much to be happy about if your favorite house beef has now become a chewy, over seasoned mess. read more

This place used to be fine, but now it's just gross. They had the air conditioning on in the dining area, but off in the where the food is located. It was so hot and steamy! All of the food was over cooked to the point of hardly being edible. Won't go back. read more

More like UnHappy China. This was at one time one of my favorite Chinese restaurants pre-Covid. I went For the first time done March 2020 Thursday night and was such a gross disappointment. I recommend it to my daughter, so we went. When we were first seated, I said "wow, it's actually cleaner than it used to be". Then as we're getting our food, my daughter says "Mom, look" and points to a bug crawling on the buffet bar. Not a nat ant, which would have been bad enough, but some kind of brown gross bug. We told an employee who went over to look at it and said "Oh, sorry". That's all she said. And then she picked the bug up and walked away. By the way, the food was not good either. The chicken was dried out and the noodles were mushy. The green beans were good and so were the potatoes, but that's about it. Needless to say, sadly I won't be back. read more

The day we were in there a couple brought a large dog in. The staff allowed it. The couple brought the dog up to the buffet where all the food is and the dog walked around the food. While the couple was getting their food the dog pooped in the middle of the floor by the buffet. There was dog poop all over the floor. Unless it is a service dog, the staff should never have let the couple bring the dog in. Needless to say, it ruined our appetite. I will never go in there again. read more

Everything was fresh and tasty. The staff was incredibly friendly and helpful which isn't usually characteristic of a buffet. They even included a small free box of fried donuts in our takeout order once. My only complaint is the floor around the buffet can be slippery to an unsafe degree, so please watch your step. Will be back! read more

Today my lady and I decided to give Happy China another shot after a lackluster experience last time we visited. We went in the early afternoon and we were pleasantly surprised with a great dining experience. Everything was hot and fresh and dishes were constantly being refilled. All the classics such as House Beef, Homemade Egg Rolls, Homemade Crab Ragoons, California Rolls, Gyoza, etc were tasty as ever! This place is known for a ton of rich homemade style Chinese dishes and they didn't disappoint today. The waitress was very attentive with refilling drinks and clearing plates...she even remembered us from last time. The couple that own the place now were friendly as ever and remembered us and even asked about our family. Best tip I can give is visit during the day as it's both cheaper ($22 per couple) than the dinner prices ($35 per couple)...prices including soft drinks/tax but not including tip obviously. Glad to have visited again and gave them another shot. Check them out during lunch sometime...one of the best Chinese buffet in STL. read more

Came in here around 730 at night, knowing its a buffet, was expecting new food to come out. Alright, I'm sorry, came in here saw all their self promotions and rewards they previously won, so expectations went a little bit higher. Unfortunately, it did not come close to the small hype I had. This place is pretty downright, lets just say, not one of my favorite buffets. I went through and tried the majority of their foods, and not a single one made me want to go back to get seconds for. Pretty much won't be coming here again, price isn't even that cheap read more

The wife and I were sitting around last night when we were accosted by the need to have some bad-for-you Chinese food. You know, a plate full of grub that will make you later realize that you have defined the word "glutton". So that's what we decided to do. It was tough to find a good Chinese place in Maryland Heights. We have tried a few already, but nothing really was floating our boat. However, we read the reviews on Happy China, and it seemed like a no-brainer. Well...it didn't quite suck, but we really could have done better. To be honest, if it weren't for the delightful owners (who were visiting tables like they were running for Senate), I would have given them 2 stars. I can see where the RFT awards came from. There are remnants of accolades throughout the building, but it doesn't help that the year 2004 is emblazoned on the awards, and the photos look aged. It just reminds you that at one time it was a great place to go. Now it's a bit lived-in. The food was okay, but they need to tighten up their presentation and the rotation of food. You don't need to try to cram ever choice in the world on to the line. Throwing food on the line that on a saran wrap covered plate looks bad. And if they are rotating food, it doesn't look like it. It honestly looks like the food sits there until it's gone...which could take awhile. The Happy China buffet is okay. But it could be so much better. read more

I've been a fan of Happy China back when it was the size of a shoebox and had a different name. I've lived in New York City and now in San Francisco, and neither city has come close to impressing me with their fare as much as the Pa family has over the years. It's just as delicious today as it was when I was a kid. Happy China is known by the public for its impressive buffet and has been voted by City Search readers "Best Buffet" for years. These voters know what they're talking about. The buffet contains at least 40 different dishes (Hunan, Szechuan and Cantonese as well as Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese favorites), and they do NOT skimp on the good stuff. Their prawns are extra large, plump and plentiful. Beef is succulent, cooked through with flavor and overflowing from the food bin. Vegetables are crisp and bright. Fruit is sweet and ripe. If you're not into buffets but you want to give their food a try, feel free to order off the menu. Everything is excellent. My favorites are special dishes that aren't on the menu: hand-pulled noodles with spicy seafood broth or hand-pulled noodles with black bean sauce. YUM! YUM! YUM! Happy China is not just a place you come to gorge on f*ing amazing food. You get a very unique food experience. Mr. Pa can be seen in the front of the restaurant massaging masses of dough and pulling and slapping it into noodles. Once he gets the dough going, he'll walk around the restaurant and "perform" live ... pulling noodles right before your eyes. I'm trying to convince Mr. Pa to open a restaurant in San Francisco, but he's content right where he is in St. Louis. Doesn't mean I won't keep trying to get him out here.... we need some gourmet Chinese in this town!! read more

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Happy China used to be the Chinese buffet to go to. Not anymore. The food was very mediocre. The crab Rangoon had very little filling. Every chicken dish tasted the same. The beef selections were tough. A lot of the food was cold. It used to be the best, but not worth going to anymore. read more

The food was subpar and the hostess asked us if we wanted lunch or dinner. We chose dinner because the hostess said more seafood would be coming out. That never happened even when we'd ask about when the extra food was coming out and she to us at least 3-4 times and nothing changed. It was extremely hot. We ate the off of paper plates and use plastic utensils. Nothing like how it use to be... read more

Awesome buffet with Great choices. Only Place we will go for Chinese. Food is always Fresh and Service is very friendly. Love This Place!!

I'm really big on Chinese food and I just moved in the area so finding something that suits me has been hard because all the good chinese places are in the city. I got all my food off the buffet platter and my total was 10 dollars, every thing seems to be hot and fresh and I'm pleased with my plate. I think I've found a new spot! PICTURED: lo mein noodles, hot braised chicken, beef and broccoli, and two egg rolls read more

Happy China - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This place was fairly good last time i had it two months ago. Possibly they have new chefs along with new management because the order i've been getting for years was widely different. The chicken was saltier than normal with less flavor and crisp. The fried rice was basically brown rice barely cooked slightly soggy. And considering it was the lunch special it was more expensive than usual. They gave me less meat and more of the nasty rice. I probably will not be returning. read more

Happy China - "fried rice" - Chinese Near Me - Saint Louis, Missouri

This place is nothing like it was a few years ago. I get the feeling it's changed ownership since the last time I was there. It's not quite bad, but it used to be really good. Now it's overpriced for what is offered. The selection isn't as good and it seems like they have about half of what they did. Some of the food had clearly been on the buffet for a while and was dried out. We did get there an hour before closing but that's no excuse for stale food. They also weren't refilling everything that ran out, further limiting the selections. This place used to win local awards for their food. Now they'd just win for the most generic, run of the mill Chinese food. I was disappointed that it wasn't what it had been for so many years. read more

Read Other Reviews Before You Go Here : WOW this place has changed so much over the years. The buffet was half empty to empty and I went there for crab legs and all I found was 3 to 4 skinny legs laying in a bed of warm water. The service is the worst , I ordered two ice waters and waited 10 minutes before having to ask again for water.. The food taste like it's been there for hours keeping warm if you can even find anything, not once did I see anyone add more food. My grandson wanted sushi and said it was good, I tried it for the first time and have to say it was good. We paid $28 plus tip for an empty buffet on a Saturday night at 6 pm which is WAY TO EXPENSIVE for what we got... NO I NEVER HAD AN CRAB LEGS, Like I said they never refilled the warm water that the other legs were swimming in... NEVER AGAIN Will I go here.... Read other reviews before you go here and if you go and complain , IT'S YOUR OWN FAULT ... I warned you.... The pictures they have on this site , DON'T BE FOOLED The buffet doesn't look anything like it , it's EMPTY.... read more

Used to be fantastic in the 90s - early 2000s. Was there Saturday afternoon. Not much on the tables to select. What was fried - looked dried out. I attempted one of the chicken pieces for sweet and sour and a fried bread - disgustingly dried out. Only 1 crab ragoon on the table and it too had been there for a while. I was there for 1 hr and the food was not filled on the hot food bar. Quality has gone down hill. The fried bread were like bits not rolls (dried out - crunchy). Things were not labeled so had no clue on the meat dishes what they were. To me coming all this way - not worth the price anymore. I have to think, why was I paying for buffet when all I had to choose from was limited selection ? Unfortunately, I wont be returning. read more