Lunch Box Buffet

Came here several times before when I went to the dentist. The food used to be in the center. The last time I went there, the food is at the back.

This place is crazy! Like literally read the Unilocal reviews so you do not get confused on what to do.
FIrst off, you walk in, go to the cashier to pay first for your lunch tray box. It’s the styrofoam container. I believe there are two prices. One for to go and one for dine in. I think there are two prices for if you get rice or no rice. No one seems to speak English but pointing and simple words should get you by.
Okay, now for my experience. My mom and brother and I were in NYC in April 2012 and saw this place with simple words saying Lunch Box Buffet 4.00. Okay, you know I love a cheap eat deal and this was calling my name. Also I have a steel stomach so nothing could make me sick. LOL.
Walked in and perused before deciding on getting food here. We opted for to go. The man took our money and off we went to the buffet line to pick what we wanted. There are two ladies with ladle scoopers so they plop the stuff you point on your tray. We were eating a vegetarian diet so we asked which ones had no meat. They would point and say NO MEAT NO MEAT! and then we nodded for our choices. Plop plop plop plop went our 4 selections on our plates and then out to the cashier who gave us a bag so we could take it on the subway to eat at our hotel. It’s close to the Grand Street subway stop, for the B/​D train.
So be forewarned, this place gives big portions. My mom and I split a tray. I had some bamboo shoots with fake ham meat, veggie noodles, some stir fry veggies, and tofu. Yummers.
We liked it so much we went back every day during our week stay. THe next time the cashier man gave us a container of soup. It’s like a spinach leaf or leafy greens thin soup. Not a big deal if they forget to give it to you since it’s not all that to write home about.
Again, you pay for fast and convenience. I think the food was good and I was prego at the time so you know my taste buds would have discriminated! Yup, good stuff. Just don’t expect fancy Chinese food.

It’s slightly below average for the category but a reasonable deal at $ 4.75. Spicy chicken and some pork thing with sweet sauce were o.k. from a flavor standpoint, but even at single digit prices I don’t like cold food. The noodles were abundant, if ordinary, and the sleeper hit was the very crisp bok choy.

I’ve been to the one on 34^th St. several times, so I knew what I was getting into.
This location has a similar clientele (mix of people on break from work getting a quick bite, and people who look not-​very-​wealthy), and a similar level of hygiene (greasy.) However, this location has the benefit of the fact that you don’t have to listen to a video recruiting you into some sort of nutrition pyramid-​scheme/​cult while you eat.
The food is not that great, and definitely not that healthy, but it’s edible. There are better Chinese buffets, but if you’re in the neighborhood, and want something quick and cheap to eat, this will do the job.

Today was the second time in a row I’ve gotten food poisoning from this restaurant. It happened about 9 months ago, and eventually I decided that it might have been a fluke and that I should give them a second chance. Stupid idea! Today was my first time back, and it happened again! I will never, ever go back here.

I saw the advertisement outside for $ 4.00 lunch-​box. It was my 1^st time here so I was a bit confused whether to pay first or get the food first. Then I saw the Styrofoam trays at the counter so I went over. She spoke to me in a Chinese dialect so I didn’t understand, I told her I don’t speak Chinese. For some reason she got angry, and said pay 9.00. I pointed to the sign that advertises $ 4.50 and realized there was two trays over lapping each other. She assumed the old guy behind me was with me, so I told her one order and she got madder. She threw my change onto the tray holder.
Maybe she was on her period, I didn’t make a big deal over it. I went over to get the food, it looked really greasy. So I just picked the best looking dishes and headed home.
The sign outside is $ 4.00, but it costs $ 4.50. I would pay the extra $ to eat at the locations around 34^th street and 8^th ave. They have higher quality in midtown and the food tastes better and is less greasy.

It’s yucky dirty in there. The food is greasy and nasty. I couldnt even eat the eggplant. It was dripping in grease. I can’t! I didn’t want rice so you get one more entrée selection instead. WIth white rice you get to choose 4 selections. If you say NO RICE. they understand Engwish (I can say that, I am Chinese)! ehhehe. anyways. No rice and you get to choose 5 entrees. I think that is a better deal. BUT I didn’t like the food at all.

Every time I go there I get a little confused with the pricing. Last week it was 3.75 and this week it was 4.25 The ladies working there was rude and the cashier pretty much threw my change on the tray. There are only two sections of food here which is quite small compared to the other ones in Chinatown.
I had clams in sauce ^_​^ my favorite (she gave me 5 – 6 clams)
fried shrimp (3 pieces)
some short of spare rib
and chinese curry chicken!
I was quite surprised that they had clams because I thought clams were sort of pricy 0₀ A few weren’t opened yet but I still ate it. The sauce was pretty yummy, although not as good as the ones u get in the restaurant.
The fried shrimp was pretty average. I got it right when it came out so it was quite crispy.
the spare rib was probably the worst dish i had. It was very hard and the sauce was to salty. I expected it to be more tender.
The chinese curry chicken is something that I get every time I go there =]
It stayed the same throughout the years and every location makes it very similar. It’s just boneless chicken with potatoes and carrots in this yellow sauce. YUM!
Overall the quantity is enough to make me full. The quality is pretty good for 4.25 and yeah. This will definitely be the place to eat if you’re looking for something cheap, fast and convenient if your in Chinatown!

This little strip of Grand Street used to be home to many little restaurants and other types of eateries back in the day. A few years ago the health department and the police department swept through Chinatown closing down storefront after storefront for unsanitary conditions, fake coach bags, etc. From the aftermath of the crack sprang up plenty of little boutiques. I usually pay no mind to them but one day I walked by and saw a big open spaced store that smelled like food. At which point I had to ask the age old question «has that always been there?»
That place being Lunch Box Buffet, or at least that’s what I think it’s called. Those are the only English words through the entire store and it’s on the awning outside although it’s printed to look more like it’s advertising that they sell lunch box buffets.
I paid $ 4.25 at the counter to a woman who speaks solely in Mandarin, as does the rest of the people working here, when I walked in. I was reduced to speaking in a loud, obnoxious tone in Cantonese and lots of pointing. I’m handed a tray and a take out box and I was pointed towards the huge row of buffet style containers of food. One or two women usually stand in the middle and they ration you food as you point to it. I was given four sides and a rice. At $ 4.25 to dine in you also get a free soup which is available at the front of the buffet. They won’t tell you about it though so you have to get it yourself.
Now onto the food. At first it may seem like a lot to choose from. However, upon closer inspection, thing start getting repetitive. There’s a lot of rives and noodles and things soaked in so many sauces you can’t even tell what they are. What they lack however is a good selection of vegetables. There’s a million different versions of chicken, half of which taste the same. Speaking if their chicken, I’d advise against it. No matter what type of chicken I tried it always comes out amazingly dry. I even tried a drumstick once and it was dry. How do you make dark meat dry?
The next time I came I brought my girlfriend which helped so much because she can sort of speak and understand Mandarin. The first time I came by myself they didn’t tell me about the soup and I didn’t feel like making lots of gestures. This time I had her ask and translate anything they said. Make sure you bring a Mandarin speaking friend with you if you ever visit. Otherwise you’ll be reduced to obnoxious tones, lots of pointing and plenty of gestures.

You walk in, pay first, and bring your rice box around the counter for a tour de cuisine. No longer are you confined to picking from limited trays, the long stretch of buffet counter features all sorts of Chinese dishes. A piece of adivse: food are on both sides! don’t make your selection until you see all that’s available.
Whether you are a carnivore or an omnivore (they are bit limited on veggie dish selections), you shall find 4 dishes that suit your taste buds. I particularly like the braised meat balls.
3.75 for take out, 4.25 dine in and comes with a cup of soup. No tipping necessary, cheap eats even for Chinatown standards.

I had no idea what half the items on my plate were, but at $ 4.25 for a big plate of tasty Chinese food I couldn’t care less.