Tai Wu

I contemplated how to describe most of the food here and it’s like the Chinese/​Indian you’d reheat the next day sort of stuff, so lukewarm and dried out stuff. If you are drunk or intending to be, then this is the place for you. The guy at the door was barely sociable — could work for the Wong Kei in London where your food is literally thrown at you and waiters don’t even talk. Before I continue it was £9.50 so let’s be realistic and have perspective, I mean my butcher charges me more for two fillet steaks and I have to cook them, albeit briefly. What was very good about it, well nothing really, close to very good were the roast duck, soya chicken and well rendered pork belly but all were served cold, and the duck skin was soggy as well as cold. The crispy seaweed was cold, greasy and limp. The sushi with salmon and prawn were both very good the rest if the sushi was poor. The previously frozen crab claws were ok, a bit watery but that’s freezing for ya. I was pleased that it was Kikkoman soy sauce; the wasabi was ace. The pork dumplings were good too. The rest was fair but meats were dried out like the shredded duck for pancakes, pork ribs, and the soups/​sauces were gelatinous, from sweet and sour to sweet corn soup. There were a lot of Chinese people eating when we were there and some of the specialities like ducks feet/​web and chickens feet. Not my taste. Didn’t try the pizza nor the Indian save for one small onion bhaji which was just ok — did notice a proper tandoor oven though. All desserts grim — this place could easily be far better but I guess
they know its mostly cheap so the couldn’t be bothered.
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I’m not SO discerning with food that I would turn down an all-​you-​can-​eat. After all, I am really greedy. So I was quite looking forward to this, although I really wish someone with a camera had been present to capture my face as I realised Tai Wu is a MULTI CUISINE all-​you-​can-​eat with a sushi bar and ice cream stand. Granted, the sushi looked quite basic and the ice cream tasted somewhat synthetic, but I paired the latter with jelly which was awesome.
Food wise, the Chinese roasted meat section (duck and pork) was actually excellent and I would go again just for that. Everything else was pretty standard, again things like pork spare ribs were pretty good, of course I also enjoyed some classic sweet and sour. In the end the only non-​Chinese food I had was some Thai curry (quite good) just because nothing else really looked as appetising, I think Chinese is probably their strong point. Given the proximity of this place to work… I’ll probably be back.

I have been to Taiwu for 3 – 5 times.
The contonese dishes are fantastic especially for some dim-​sum.
And Sichuan dishes are just so so as it is not spicy enough.
The Price is quite reasonable

Too many cooks spoil the broth — That is exactly what Tai Wu has landed up doing. I am a strong believer of the fact that if you do something, do it well.
Tai Wi used to be a full Chinese restaurant and buffet and honestly I was a fan at that point, but now they have re-​vamped it into a world buffet which honestly is a disaster. The food quality has gone down massively as they are trying to do every cuisine under the sun — Indian/​Chinese/​Thai/​Italian/​English (Really?). The Italian counter is perpetually empty, and the Thai food is unbearable; Chinese is just about alright but I could barely have one spoon full of the soup (bear in mind I am a soup lover). I guess their formula is perfect for midnight dinner on a weekend when you are drunk and don’t really care about the taste of the food, as long as its edible but I can’t see it working otherwise. The staff are not friendly, rather they just don’t care as when we walked in no one came to give us a table for about 10 minutes. The price is reasonable that is the only saving grace I guess.
Verdict: Not impressed with the new look at all! I preferred it when it was just Chinese instead of the whole world buffet thing that they are doing! 7.20 for lunch on weekends!

As a student, this place did wonders when I was hungry and poor. Which was all the time actually…
My very first visit was on a Saturday for lunch. Walking in, the dining was quite large and had a good number of patrons eating away. The set up here was just like any other buffet, loads of tables and chairs on one side, and all the food on the other. They also had a bar… But the only thing that seemed to be coming out of there was soda. Also, soda is not part of the meal deal.
Looking around there were a lot of selections, noodles to pizza to french fries. Interesting indeed. I’d say, stick to the Asian food, everything else just seems like filler. Their Chinese food was just alright, everything you’d expect from a buffet. But! Definitely big ups to having a section for Chinese deli/​butcher selections! I think this was my first time seeing a buffet serve up barbecue pork and roasted duck! That definitely got me excited. Some pork and duck, some rice or noodles and I was pretty much set!
I was actually disappointed in the ice cream selection. I don’t know why I am leaving a section of the review for ice cream, but I love ending my buffet binges with deserts, usually a soft-​serve, but the selection of ice cream here was not their strength. But this IS a Chinese buffet, so I shouldn’t be complaining
Overall, not a too bad place. But again I’m not too fond of buffets. Last time I was there, there were STUDENT DISCOUNTS, so definitely check that out if you can! This place definitely gets points for their Chinese deli selection, though!

Ah… no longer is this restaurant the place of choice amongst the local Chinese population. What was once a very ‘good value’ Chinese has now turned into another one of those many ‘International Buffets’ dotted around Manchester.
Reviewing this as what it is now, I have to say, ‘I’ve had better’. You are not just given a great choice of Chinese buffet anymore, but anything from European to Indian dishes are offered here now, and they do it badly.
Cheap, overcooked and unloved, there are definitely better buffets to be had.

NEW Tai Wu. Rubbish bring back the OLD Tai Wu! Totally agree. I really miss the old Tai Wu

I previously gave this place 5 stars in its old guise as a proper Chinese restaurant! Sadly it has now turned into an international buffet serving Chinese, Indian and Italian. Having a Dim Sum section I was really hoping it may still be up to standard, sadly not! There was a lack of choice, tasteless and cheap quality.
Even by buffet standards this place was really poor, avoid!!!

Updating my review now that this place is a buffet.
It seems an odd decision to turn this all into a buffet. As far as I knew, it was a very successful «normal» restaurant — it was always busy and the food was good quality.
The buffet was not bad. If it was a «normal» restaurant, its not that good — as with most buffets, its a bit too salty and the quality generally not as good. For buffet though its decent.
Its got a good selection. Some things it has you don’t get at many buffet places is the roast meats — chicken, pork, duck. A chef actually chops it in front of you so you see its fresh. The buffet actually has food from other cuisines other than Chinese. Its got Italian — didn’t try myself and Indian — curries, naan bread etc and also sushi.
One dish they have which is one of my favourite is Beef Brisket. I often have this in other ‘A La Carte’ restaurants. It wasn’t as good as them but just having it was pretty impressive.
The dessert selection was pretty good. The usual Chinese desserts plus ice cream. I had the Chinese egg tarts and also the almond biscuits/​cakes — which I have not seen in a buffet before — although I don’t usually pay attention to desserts so it may be in all buffets!
Overall, it was all pretty decent. The price is reasonable too. It has different prices for lunch — some don’t. We paid £7.50 — we went on Saturday early afternoon. This is excluding drinks. The most expensive is £11.50 for all evenings and also on Sundays.
Not sure what they have done to downstairs — which used to be the buffet part of the restaurant. Upstairs (ground level) was the A La Carte restaurant. Is it ALL now buffet, 2 levels?
If you a slow eater, you may want to be aware that there is a 1.5 hour time limit.

What Happened?!! This place was always packed with Chinese people eating, it was a ok for noodles and dim sum, until the refurb over the last few months. Now it’s trying to compete with Red Hot Buffet by offering not only Chinese food but Sushi, Italian and Indian. It’s buffet mania gone crazy, loads of choice but nothing done well, crap vegetarian choices too and very noisy.
I won’t be going here again unless I’m unconscious on drain cleaner and someone wheels me in on a hospital trolley whilst I’m unconscious.

my cousin and his fiancé wanted to meet up with a bunch of their friends over the holidays and i tagged along as the American with the twangy accent.
When we got to the restaurant it was like any typical american cantonese style dim sum restaurant, complete with the huge dragon and phoenix mural on the back wall and the dias that is used for traditional chinese wedding banquets. the main dining room was also spacious, and could easily seat 300 – 400 for those big weddings/​events.
the party was fairly large, but there was no problem accomodating 12 – 12 people at a large lazy susan table. however, there were smaller tables available for parties of two, four and six.
the tea pot was never empty, and the service was fast and polite. our food arrived promptly and accurately. my cousin’s fiancé and i both loved the fried squid, and the duck was pretty good as well.
the beauty of this place was that we trekked from Birkenhead down to Manchester at 11:30pm, got to Manchester proper at 12midnight and the place was still open, and fairly full. We did not feel rushed or hurried, and left around 1:30 in the morning.
if you are ever in manchester and need some food after the bars, this is your place.

I’ve eaten at both the buffet and the restaurant upstairs, and was impressed with both.
The buffet has a good selection, but the crispy duck and pancakes seem to run out quickly and replenished slowly!
The dimsum in the restaurant is excellent and still available after 6pm, but its smaller menu.

You know that Simpsons episode, the one where they go to a steakhouse and the owner has to explain to Homer that the all-​you-​can-​eat buffet «is not a personal challenge, Sir»? Perhaps you don’t actually, perhaps I’m just a bit sad, but that quote basically sums up my feelings towards this place.
Devotees to high cuisine had best steer clear– the interior sort of reminds me of the breakfast room on a low-​budget cruise ship, except without windows and the prospect of a cabaret show later on in the day. It’s dark, pink and just a tiny bit on the dingy side; this is probably because it’s located in the basement of the building, and the building itself is sort of UNDERNEATH a multi-​storey car park. Very urban.
HOWEVER. I simply cannot describe to you how fantastic the food is– it was like a revelation to the tastebuds when I first tried their bean curd. Its everything an all you can eat buffet needs to be: plenty of choice, replenished often and always warm, as well as being ridiculously yummy. It might be a little on the greasy side, but if you’re in a Chinese buffet to begin with clearly the diet isn’t your foremost concern that day, so we can allow that.
One of my favourite things about Tai Wu is the fact that all the dishes are very clearly and neatly labelled, meaning that you can try out things you never normally would for fear of not enjoying them. Also, the veggie-​friendly dishes are very clearly marked with a nice big ‘V’, meaning that there’s no risk of a meat-​based calamity if you’re of the Quorn persuasion, like me.
The staff have been accused of being a tad on the surly side, and whilst you’re not likely to have a sparkling and banter-​filled conversation with them, they’re pleasant enough, and very good at whisking away any plates you may have finished with (they’re a bit too good at this actually– I’m still mourning that fried vermicelli). I’ve also never had any problems extracting tap water from them, as some people below me seem to have, so maybe they have heeded the Unilocal contingent and started being a bit freer with their agua.
I’m told that there’s also a restaurant bit in Tai Wu, on the ground floor. However, having never tried it out I shall reserve judgement until the day I am strong enough to say no to the delights that are held in the basement bit of this misleadingly-​grim looking building.

There always seem to be hordes of in-​the-​know Chinese students hanging around the doors at Tai Wu just before midday. It always seemed odd because when I went to the downstairs buffet it would just be filled with the usual selection of budget business lunchers and student sports team endurance eaters. My housemate who studied physics once received an invitation to the secret ‘other’ restaurant where actual Chinese food was served — chicken feet, duck egg and pork porridge; the sort of stuff that you didn’t get in those huge stainless steel vats under the heat-​lamps of the buffet table. He said it wasn’t really all to his taste but that it was an experience.
Unfortunately the buffet is about as far from an experience as you can get — it is very mid level quality stuff. They do whippy ice cream for dessert but aside from that it has nothing to separate it from the scores of other buffet places in the area. If you can get in to the ‘other’ restaurant then go, and tell me what it’s like afterwards.
My friend confessed that although a lot of the food didn’t go down well with him, he did love chicken feet. He has since moved to China for a year, supposedly to teach English. Definitely for the chicken feet.

Tai Wu is great whatever kind of meal you’re after — long sit down or buffet.
The buffet downstairs is huge and allows you to try things that perhaps you wouldn’t usually. You get the mentality that you have to try everything before someone else takes it or so you can get your moneys worth. There’s a good range of starters and mains — soups, spring rolls, crispy duck, BBQ ribs, prawn crackers, beef in chilli sauce, sweet and sour chicken, seaweed… and they have an ice cream machine which is the perfect end to a meal. Between 12 and 4:45 the buffet only costs £5.40 so there’s great value for money. The setting is basic but is authentically Chinese because you’re there to eat not admire the décor. Great for group meals/​birthday lunches.
Upstairs is more of a sit down experience. I’ve only been for Dim Sum lunches, never in the evening but I would imagine the set meals are delicious. An ex-​boyfriend ordered in Chinese so goodness knows what I ended up eating but it was all lovely. The BBQ pork buns (char siu bau) are definitely worth having as are the meat dumplings. The food is wheeled round constantly on little carts so you can pick and choose what and how much you want throughout the meal. Combine it with copious amounts of Chinese tea.
Also, it’s open really late so perfect for post night out munchies.

For a year now my family from Staffordshire trecks to Manchester to have dinner or dim sum at Tai Wu. It’s these occasion where I don’t get a say at all. I daren’t do to be honest, they’re the experts and when a place gets written off, it stays written off.
Thankfully Tai Wu remains the choice into 2010 (I’m quite fed up of the picky comments now). China town is off the menu and Tai Wu gets the head nods. You’ll always find a lot of other Chinese families feeling the same thing.
I don’t get a say in the ordering either. The routine is to order rice with a lot of specials like the in season vegetables or fish dishes, or the set menus with the lobster and soupy stuff. I rarely venture here by myself because I just end up in the awful buffet downstairs. It’s not awful to be honesty but it’s got nothing on upstairs. Most of all I like the copious amounts of Chinese tea, so refreshing.
If I was a better Chinese person, I’d come here more often. But my language abilities can’t do justice on what there is on offer; a meal with me would unpleasantly be just rice I’m afraid. Anyways Tai Wu is the Hoang family’s choice. Get your Chinese speaking best mate down here to get you really appreciating this place.

Right opposite Jilly’s Rockworld, you can only imagine the times that I’ve stumbled out in my Doc Martens and my summer dress juxtaposed with leather jacket and teased hair, with too many Southern Comforts in my belly, and given in to my stomach’s mumble of, ‘Chineeeeeeese Foooooooood.’
Which is why it’s so great that this restaurant stays open so late. When you’re that tipsy and silly, do you care about the quality of your Oriental cuisine? Is the Pope a spokesperson for birth control?
However the bonus here is that the food’s actually rather good. Yep, Chinese people go there, one of the menus is entirely in Chinese, so you know it’s pretty serious. It’s the Szechuan dishes that are the stars here, but the menu is also Cantonese-​themed. I love Szechuan stuff. It’s the spicier and sweeter end of the Oriental spectrum and I can safely say it re-​lines the stomach after a drink or several. Tai Wu might not look like the most appealing place in the world with its bingo hall vibe and its location under a multi-​storey car park, but it’s certainly worth a trip, especially before or after a night out.

This review is for the buffet part of this restaurant, which is found downstairs and accessed via the door to the right of the main entrance.
I don’t really care for buffets. I used to quite enjoy them but after a few bad experiences with trying to keep up with my male friends on our Pizza Hut buffet visits as a teenager, I’ve gone off them. The facts that I don’t eat meat, that I’ve heard numerous horror stories about Mancunian buffets and that they don’t tend to serve fish at buffets (which I would often order from a menu) don’t help either.
However, this buffet is a bit of an exception. I’m never quite sure what to order in Chinese restaurants and on a recent trip to China found myself eating the same aubergine dish and cold sticky rice almost every day. Here you can sample hundreds of clearly marked dishes with plenty of vegetarian options (including some delicious tofu dishes) which are also clearly marked. Alongside the Peking duck, seaweed, noodles and prawn crackers there are also some English dishes including that much-​loved English speciality chips. My Dad loves this restaurant and whenever he comes to Manchester he insists on coming here. Once he even managed to convince a few of my friends to come along too! There are clearly many other fans who have become regulars here, many of them alone and on the clinically obese side of large.
I just wish we could’ve found somewhere like this in China! Admittedly a meal in China did cost about 50p and was probably fresher and healthier than this buffet. The prices at Tai Wu have gone up slightly recently, but they’re still very reasonable for the UK. I think it’s just over £5 for a buffet on a weekday which goes up to around £10 at a weekend. Often the price includes a free soft drink or half a pint of beer, but the staff will not provide you with tap water, even if you do complain that this is a legal requirement.

Tai Wu is a great Chinese restaurant, just outside Chinatown in the city centre.
The thing that is so great about it is how authentic it is! Great Cantonese food and a huge range of it too!
I like buffets because you get to try things you’ve never tried before! And you also get to eat as much as you like too which is always good! Prices depend on time and day so check the website in advance if you like, highest price is £10.90 though and that’s peak time Fridays and Saturdays.
There are several banquet menus too but I’ve only been to the buffet, I’ve always enjoyed it and I get a bit of everything so it’s perfect for me. Very very good food. Mmmmmmm.

Often come here with friends to eat, they’re open late which is a great feature.
I’ve not tried the downstarirs buffet so have no clue about that but usually the food is good. Now and again you may have a bad meal but where doesn’t that happen?
Not all dim sum are available after 6pm (one of my fav’s sadly included) but you can still order some yummy fried custard buns any time of the day!