Really delicious Chinese food in the area! Came as a big group and had an array of dishes (see photo). The roast pork was so crispy, my favorite was the bok choy and the steamed fish. Service was really good and the owners treated us like family. Old style menu with a old school restaurant feel! Updated the menu prices :) read more

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A hidden gem! Usually it is slow inside and kind of dark but the food is delicious. The cashew chicken is amazing. Their sweet and sour sauce is a little thick and will die your fingers (as learned from my 2 year old! lol). The ladies are super helpful and nice whenever we go. We usually order take out but occasionally sit in and are never disappointed either way! read more

I've been excited to try Jinlan Chinese Restaurant for a while now, mostly because I'm a fan of Chinese Restaurants that offer actual seating and that's far and few between in Buffalo. The place was completely empty when we came and that made it super easy to get seated and super quick for all the food to come as well. My girlfriend and I decided to just order a few different things and split them, we went with the sweet and sour chicken, some white rice, the Mongolian beef, and the mandarin chicken. Let's break it down. Sweet and Sour a Chicken- Prettt standard for what it was, not to hard which made it more enjoyable then most in the area. Mandarin Chicken- The mandarin chicken had a little kick to it, but it was pretty alright. Mongolian Beef- I've ordered Mongolian beef many times from many different places, and this was the first time that it was almost so awkwardly spicy that I couldn't eat it (and I enjoy spicy things). The meat itself tasted good, but the overbearing kick behind it made the dish Unenjoyable. White Rice- lets be real, it's just rice. Overall, I wanted Jinlan to be more then it was, but it was simply just another run of the mill restaurant. The food wasn't bad but nothing stood out, so if you are local and this is your go-to, it's a safe bet, but it's not worth going out of your way for. read more

Jinlan Chinese Restaurant - Mongolian Beef, White Rice, and Sweet and Sour Chicken. - Chinese Near Me - Buffalo, New York

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Great food, ridiculously inexpensive prices, great service! Charming atmosphere. We're going next week for our family get together. We love it! read more

Holy time warp! My first thoughts upon sitting down for lunch were that we were in a scene from The Godfather, or The Sopranos, or Inglorious Basterds. Like, we should definitely have a cigarette lit and maybe have a gun cocked between our legs. (There was actually a sign by our table that read "no smoking".) I am a fan of the dingy-ness, and the old menus, the non-ironicness of it all, and honestly, I'm also a fan of the fact that this place has been open for so long and only has 13 reviews on yelp. Also, apparently Keanu Reeves filmed some movie here? The drink menu really scored big with me. Most of the featured drinks were "in style" about 30 years ago, and I doubt seriously that the staff knows how to make them. But maybe they do. Either way, it makes me a little excited. The wine list was incomprehensible, but when I asked for a chardonnay, that was not listed, they said "okay". Nice! The food was actually pretty good, if a bit typical American-Chinese fare. I asked to add crispy tofu to my Veggie Lo Mein, and they were willing to do so.... and it was delicious! Although, I was a bit disappointed that there weren't more veggie offerings considering Chinese food is very veggie-versatile. A few of my lunch buddies thought that their meals were a bit greasy, but I did not have the same experience. Jinlan was a totally unexpected gem. On my own accord, I would never choose a restaurant like this for lunch, but I am very glad this was where we went. read more

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Food was great ! Very clean and beautifully decorated restaurant. Decor is retro and reminded us of 1950's Chinese Restaurant

best Chinese in Buffalo, chicken and broccoli, beef and broccolis, pepper steak are all great. And they definitely have the best fried rice, it's not that bland yellow rice from all the other Chinese spots I've been to. Great and quick service all the time. Love this place. Also they have a picture of the owner wit( Keanu Reeves, he ate there while working on a film. read more

My gf brought me here for the first time and I loved it from the beginning. The decorations are old school Chinese which I love. The staff was very friendly and quick with our order. We split the poo poo platter which was a show in itself! Trying different varieties of food with it such as dumplings, eggrolls, fried shrimp, etc. and to top it off (literally) put the seasoned beef skewer on top of the flaming cole, soooooo good. Then we split the half Peking Duck which came with the plum sauce that is out of this world, along with splitting Dragon and Pheonix platter that came with real rooster tail, chicken and broccoli!!! Amazing!!!! best yet the process were cheap! I heart this place with a passion now! read more

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The last time we ate here was 32 years ago when we lived near by. I can remember how long ago it was because my son was an infant at the time and we brought him with us. It was like stepping back in time. Things haven't changed a bit. I really mean that things haven't changed at all. This place has never been updated. Same very dark walls, same mishmash of chairs and tables and same decor. I think that they may still be using the same menus. Knowing this is a problem. Currently most establishments are using disposable menus or on-line menus to help prevent the spread of Covid. We were surprised to have been handed the ancient menus that appear to have been used for decades. I started with wonton soup and an egg roll. The soup broth was good but wontons were a bit lacking in filling. The egg roll was ok. Again I was a bit surprised by the lack of Covid safety when I was brought hot mustard from another table. For our main course we had General Tso's chicken, shrimp lo mein and shrimp fried rice. The General Tso's chicken and lo mein were very good. The portions were very plentiful and the prices were reasonable. I think this place could be better if the decor was freshened and brightened up a bit. The only Covid precautions we seen were masks on the servers. I think more attention, such as disposable menus and disposable condiments would be a good idea. With some attention they could be a decent sit down Chinese restaurant. The one thing that has changed in the 32 years is how busy they appear. Back then I remember it being crowded. Currently they didn't seem to be doing much business. Besides my wife and myself there was only one other table of three. read more

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Not good, pretty dirty environment and smells smoky. I love good Chinese but won't recommend to anyone.

Inconsistent.. The first time we went here, it was really good. Surprisingly good. Pan fried dumplings were wonderful, egg rolls delicious, Sesame Chicken good and Beef and Broccoli was amazing. Service was good. Second time we went... Not so much, Seems like they had a tour bus of people that came in and we suffered the consequences for it. Dumplings were greasy. Egg rolls were not as good., The Almond Boneless Chicken.. AVOID at all costs. It was chicken and vegetables in some sort of congealed sauce with a handful of almonds tossed on top. We were the only table in there besides this tour group and we were there first so, I am thinking we got the shaft because they were focusing on the group. read more

This has to be the ABSOLUTE WORST Chinese restaurant I've ever eaten at! No exaggeration. HORRIBLE!! Walking in I felt like I entered a time warp and was back in the 1950's. The dark booths, plastic sculptures, and retro bar could have been the setting for a grade B movie. The (sticky!) menus listed item after item of old Cantonese standards..... Lo mein, fried rice, egg rolls, sweet and sour pork..... Even pu pu platters. Seriously! I haven't seen one of those on a menu in decades! Two of us shared a pu pu for two. Now, that's much better to say than it was to eat. The egg rolls were okay, but the crab Rangoon was an over-fried pocket of sludge. Yuck! I next tried a piece of the beef that was sizzling on the grill at the top of the platter and found it impossible to bite, so I hid it under my Rangoon remains. I was AFRAID to try the shrimp and other morsels. For entrees we shared noodles with black bean sauce and some spicy chicken with vegetables. I don't know which was worse! The former was a mushy, greasy, salty black and white tangle of over-cooked noodles covered with goo. The later was a pile of over-breaded, over-fried, chicken (I hope!!) in an overly soy sauced, overly oiled, under-veggied gravy. Even the white rice that came with the meal tasted "off"... and how can anyone ruin rice? I think this place must stay in business by catering to groups passing through from NYC to Toronto that are filled with Asian tourists. When we first arrived the place was pretty empty, but about halfway through our meal hoards of other diners arrived. Upon leaving we noticed two huge tour busses parked outside. I can't imagine that anyone who wasn't held captive by an already paid-for itinerary would ever come back to this place! read more

Jinlan is like a slice of Americana from the 1950's and mind you I'm referring to a Chinese restaurant. This place is definitely a blast from the past and every time I go I'm waiting for Don Draper to walk in and order a Pu Pu Platter...which they do have on the menu with the mini-volcano to scorch your eggrolls and crab rangoons. Overall, this is average Chinese food...with the exception of one item...CHA JONG NOODLES. Just trust me the CHA JONG NOODLES are amazing!! These are gummy, thick noodles smothered in a very think black bean sauce with onions and tons of ground pork. I can not find this dish anywhere else in town and I absolutely LOVE the Cha Jong Noodles at Jinlan. I actually crave this dish every time I drive by the place. They are savory and delish and have an amazing texture. The problem is that nothing else on the menu even compares with how good these noodles are. For the most part you can find better Chinese Food at Wegmans, that is without the ambiance. Of course there is something to be said about the ambiance...its got the look of all your classic Chinese Food eateries (cheap sculptures, lacquered wallpaper and wall-hangings, a giant fish tank, and even more giant bar that NEVER has anyone sitting at it but the owners family members) and that alone always makes for a better meal. I can't tell you to go running here...but if your looking for some of the more classic American "Chinese" dishes...then head over...order a Pu Pu platter and some Cha Jong Noodles you can't go wrong. read more

Is give it 1 star but the chicken lo mein saved the day. It was garlicky and tasty, though not much chicken. We ordered two additional dishes: beef chow mein and orange chicken. Nothing special, lots of sloppy and bland food. It's really too bad. This place has very cool decor: wood paneling, oriental lamps and artwork. It feels like you are walking into a vintage world, but here's the problem. The place is filthy. Our white linen tablecloth was stained and torn. The green tile walls near the bathroom have a thick layer of scum on them. The light fixtures are riddled with dust and cobwebs. It feels like the owners have just given up and maybe so have their customers. We were the only people eating there at lunch time. CLEAN THIS PLACE UP read more

This place has taken a serious turn for the worse. The last time I was here I ordered the vegetable chow mein. It was a plate of stir fried bean sprouts served on rice instead of noodles. Upon complaining, the kitchen added some broccoli to my nearly inedible dish. I shoud add that new prices were taped upon the old (very old) menus. And it looked as though the menus had never been cleaned. Are you serious, Jinlan? You really need to put some love back into the place. read more

I'm having a mix feeling about this restaurant. My friend and I came in here to waste some times and try something new since we have an hour until my next appointment. Walking in, I was impressed by the decoration. It's beautiful and the room is empty ( still pretty early for lunch.) service was fast and we enjoyed our appetizers. The pan fried dumplings were good, but I wish it cooked both side because you can tell by the color, one side has color and the other side is plain white. My friend gets unsweetened ice every restaurant she goes to, and she said this one is plain and doesn't taste like ice tea she ever had. The noodles were greasy and not much flavor in it. The price is very reasonable seeing the portion of the food. If you're looking for a good quality food, this may not be a place for you but if you're looking for quantity with decent prices then it's a good place. All in all, may or may not be back. There's really nothing that I really wanted to try so. read more

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I would not go here for the food, I wouldn't even try the appetizers, ACK. BUT, there are Tiki drinks here, some served in Tiki mugs. Though the Mai Tai and the rest of the drinks we tried tasted the same (can't go wrong with rum and pineapple juice!) it's worth going to have a few Tiki cocktails and enjoy the wonderful kitsch-tastic Chinese decor. There are few places in Buffalo to enjoy a Tiki drink and I was giddy that there a few choices on the menu. (We did ask what the Polynesian Cocktail was printed in their menu and the ladies were clueless, haha!) Come on, give it a try! As a side note, my husband did try the Cha Jong Noodles that Joseph L. recommended and he really enjoyed them. Aloha Buffalo! read more

A friend/Jinlan-fanatic had his birthday celebration here. So I had both the pleasure and burden of trying out several different menu items. I can COMPLETELY understand why there's such a variety of opinions on this restaurant, the food is ridiculously inconsistent. Based on food alone I'd give this place a 2 overall. But the ambiance was nice, the service was fine, there was free tea, the prices were low, the portions were generous and the staff accommodated my boisterous, loud group of friends without complaint! Bathrooms were in poor condition, though. They desperately need an upgrade. Quick synopsis of the foods I got to try: Kimchi -- It's my first Kimchi experience and it was Interesting. Tangy with some kick to it. Can't say how it compares to other Kimchi. It was fun to try but I wouldn't order it. Dumplings -- Quite bland and boring. Zombie alcoholic beverage -- A 'girly' drink, which suits me just fine. A bit sweet, a bit tart, served in a nifty cup that had a cute umbrella in it. Chicken and Cashews -- Not bad, but not great. One of the lesser offensive main course options. Chicken Lo Mein -- Whichever reviewer mentioned that this dish had a 'burnt' taste was spot on. I've gotta guess they're not cleaning the surfaces of their kitchenware properly. Otherwise, it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great. It had a perfect coat of garlicky sauce, which I liked, but overall the dish was too salty and didn't have enough chicken. It was simply decent ; I'm not excited about the plenty of leftovers I got to bring home. Dragon and Phoenix -- The arrival of this dish was so damn sexy the staff may as well have been playing porno music in the background. It was served in a pot that had an ongoing flame underneath it that kept the dish's brown sauce bubbling hot. That said the brown sauce of this dish was QUITE disappointing ... just, terribly bland and one-note. For being one of the more expensive menu items, it was the biggest let-down of the night. Orange Chicken -- Just chicken with a tangy sauce. Entirely unremarkable, but nice sized chicken pieces and, along with everything else here, generous portion sizes. General Tso's -- This is admittedly not my flavor profile. I probably wouldn't like a GOOD version of this dish, but I tried it and found it to be too sweet and boring. Mandarin Chicken -- I actually loved this dish. If I had come here and ordered this dish without trying anything else, I may have given this restaurant four stars. The mandarin chicken were tasty medium-sized nuggets of spicy goodness ...Yes, the chicken was seasoned, not simply blanketed by an unexciting sauce! I think the fact that this dish lacked a sauce is why it turned out so pleasant compared to the other dishes -- the sauces at Jinlan overall are hideously one-dimensional and should be avoided. Basically, I feel like a foodie could be happy with Jinlan if they find that ONE dish they really, really like and simply stick with it. The menu isn't worth exploring, but it may be a fun place to get some drinks at. read more

This is absolutely the worst Chinese food I've ever had! I don't know how anyone could rate this more than one star. I'd give it a zero if I could. The place was dingy inside and my 2.5 year old even noticed that the bathrooms were very dirty. The service was OK but the food was horrible. We ordered a dinner special for two people: chicken lo mein, broccoli and beef, soup and a pupu platter. The lo mein had a smoky burnt kind of taste ( but not like a good seasoned wok type of seared taste - more like burnt garbage). Otherwise everything was just bland. Soup tasted like plain water with overcooked wontons and a little brown food coloring instead of beef broth. Dessert was supposed to be included in the meal but by the end we just wanted to cut and run. This is my first time writing a review but the food was so bad I just had to put the warning it there. Dine at your own risk! read more

My partner had been here before and really enjoyed it so when he brought me here I was really looking forward to it. Our experience this time was completely different. My Lo Mein didn't taste very good and additionally it was so horribly oversalted I could only take a few bites. My partner's General Tso's also wasn't very good. He thought it was too sweet and one-note. The ambiance of the restaurant in general was also eerie and it felt dirty. It's also not inexpensive. It might just depend on the day but our experience was not good. read more

Some of the best Chinese food I've had in Buffalo, for sure. I wouldn't call myself a Chinese food connoisseur, mostly due to the fact that I don't like what the "usual" places in Buffalo serve (questionable meat, etc). My husband introduced me to Jinlan and it's safe to say I'm hooked. We usually get the chicken and broccoli (sometimes with beef instead of chicken), and the chicken with cashews - I am currently obsessed with this meal and have had a hard time restraining myself from ordering it weekly. The chicken actually looks like chicken. Weird, right?! We always get takeout, and my husband was always the one to pick it up. I picked up our order a few weeks ago and was almost speechless when I saw the interior; it is a total time warp, and I don't say that in a negative way... but it's different! Doesn't look like much has changed in a few decades, and that's alright by me. Our food has been consistently good and that's what matters. We plan to dine in with friends in the next couple weeks, I look forward to that experience! read more

My experience here requires a full narrative haha. My girlfriend and I tried Jinlan last night (a Friday night). She found it on google and thought it looked interesting. We walked in and my first impression was the decorating. It was elaborate, but not to the point of being tacky. I thought it made for a cool experience. After we walked in the door we realized that it was completely empty. Like totally empty. Not a soul in sight aside from the wait staff who looked surprised to see us. At this point I wasn't feeling optimistic as it was a Friday night dinner rush. My girlfriend and I sat down and began looking at the menu. I quickly realized that the surprise I saw on the wait staff's face was actually horror. Less than 5 minutes after sitting down, a call ahead group of literal BUSLOADS of Chinese tourists walked in through the back entrance. The atmosphere changed immediately and this place was hopping. The next 10-15 minutes the staff was trolleying cart after cart of food into the dining area. It was one of the more memorable date nights we've had in a while. Despite the huge influx of customers, the wait staff remained extremely friendly and helpful. Our food came out hot and cooked properly. Their hot tea was tasty, not just hot Lipton. Awesome service and experience. The food and menu itself wasn't ground breaking, but still very good and well priced. I kept it simple with orange chicken, and she got something called lover's nest. Both were very good. They also have pretty good drinks for the price. We got a daiquiri and piña colada for $5 a piece and both were tasty. We'll definitely be making Jinlan one of our regular date night restaurants. read more

We were pleasantly surprised with the food this noon when we had our lunch at Jinlan. We ordered chicken with cashew nuts and shrimp with lobster sauce. Both tasted amazingly great, the portions are very generous, and the best part is that they were both lunch specials (around $4.00 each). As of this latest visit, we (with our mother in law and son) think that the food is as good as, if not better, than our long-time favorite Chinese restaurant in the area---Red Pepper. I do agree with the other reviewers that the interior needs an update, and the food sometimes overcooked. read more

Just adding to my previous review. Had holiday dinners there with family again. I did order a couple strawberry daquiris---best in Buffalo. So my science experiment was successful. The food and service was perfect as always. read more

This was my favorite Chinese restaurant when I was growing up and the first place I had sea cucumber. I have a lot of fond memories of this place. But either my tastes have changed or the food has gotten worse - probably the latter. It's still a good choice for a quick, cheap lunch but don't expect anything spectacular. read more

Fantastic Food. Make sure you try the Won-Ton soup! Never have we had better! Prices are very reasonable and portions are HUGE! read more

Food was just okay. Have had considerable much tastier Chinese food and also worse However this place has not change d in years and is not the cleanest place I have ever been in. Cobwebs on the ceiling, shelf hasn't been dusted in a month of sundays, menus are actually dirty and the people doing the serving were more interested in gossiping with one another than taking care of customers. read more

The food at Jinlan is great. My Husband and I usually get take-out because we don't live that far from the restaurant. The General Tso's chicken, Hunan Beef, Chicken and Beef broccoli, Vegetable fried rice, Subgum egg foo young, Beef and broccoli, Pepper Steak, Moo Goo Gai Pan, and their thin rice noodle dishes are great. Maybe the days that we order they have the better chef....if they have several chefs. Anyway any time we order take-out it is very good. The decor might need updating but that doesn't take away from the food. I love this restaurant. read more