It has been a little while since I have done a review on a local restaurant – so here we go. This one is for the King’s Chef Buffet, a Chinese all-you-can-eat buffet (“smorgasbord”) in Warrensburg, Missouri.
Warrensburg, like many places, have a couple different options for Chinese food. The most popular two is King’s Chef (this place) and Ping’s Habachi. However, a close third would be Hong Kong Express. Ping’s and Hong Kong Express are both order off the menu; they have no buffet.
King’s Chef is located in a small shopping center at the intersection of North Street and Maguire Street/Highway 13. You can easily locate it as its the center across from Arby’s, with the Scooters in the parking lot.
First Impressions/”Look and Feel”
First impressions is important – and this restaurant actually gets that. As soon as you walk in, you’re greeted with a peaceful fountain and a staff member waiting to seat you. This restaurant is extremely clean and well laid-out.
Staff members are constantly cleaning and making sure the restaurant is clean and looks presentable. I say they do a very good job.
Unlike another Chinese restaurant I’ve visited in a strip mall or shopping center, this one is not only well laid out, but you have room. Despite how busy this place typically is, you never feel that you’re bumping into someone else. At the other strip-mall Chinese restaurant I frequent, it is chaotic: you are constantly bumping into people.
The employees at this restaurant are very friendly. Unlike other restaurants I frequent, this place is packed with employees – who are constantly replacing food, cleaning, and checking in on customers. My waitress was extremely nice and made sure to keep my table clear and my drink filled.
Food
A clean, well laid-out restaurant will not be successful if it has poor food. Thankfully, the food at King’s Chef is just as good as the layout and cleanliness.
If you like Chinese food, they have quite a selection. Their selection is about the same as I’ve seen at many other Chinese restaurants. King’s Chef also has an excellent assortment of desserts, including ice cream (which I’ll get to), cakes, cookies, puddings, jello, etc.
One of the safest choices you can get if you ever go to any Chinese restaurant is the Sweet-and-Sour Chicken. I’ve yet to come across a restaurant with bad Sweet-and-Sour Chicken. However, King’s Chef has the best Sweet-and-Sour Chicken – hands down. It has a really good taste, and the chicken is the right consistency and isn’t too juicy or too dry.
I did eventually try their honey chicken. Their honey chicken is amazing – dripping in sauce, and the chicken is very good.
The only thing that I thought could use some improvement was the crab rangoon. Their crab rangoon was overfilled with filling, which I thought was too much.
They do have a buffet bar dedicated specifically to Japanese delicacies, such as sushi.
The last thing I ate was ice cream, which is my dessert of choice. Unlike some of the Chinese restaurants I’ve been too, this restaurant has a functioning soft-serve ice cream machine. Swirled ice cream is my favorite – a perfect mix of vanilla and chocolate.
Unlike other Chinese restaurants I’ve been too, this one used the standard chocolate in their chocolate ice cream, like you’d find at an ice cream stand or a Golden Corral.
Overall, this Chinese place is very good. But how does it rank on the infamous “Garrett Fuller Restaurant Grading Scale”?
| Variety- This place offers a wide variety of Chinese food, dessert, and some Japanese food. | 5/5 |
| Food Quality- Really good. The items I tried tasted good, with the exception of the overfilled crab rangoon. The Sweet-and-Sour Chicken was outstanding. | 4/5 |
| Employee Friendliness- All employees were extremely friendly, with my waitress constantly checking in with me, clearing my table, and refilling my drink. | 5/5 |
| Cleanliness- The restaurant was extremely clean, with employees constantly cleaning. | 5/5 |
| Interior (decor and comfort)- This restaurant is well laid out, and you never feel cramped. The atmosphere was inviting and calming, with the placid fountain and the chandelier. Interior design was excellent. | 5/5 |
| Value- Very decently priced considering what you’re receiving. Drinks are included in the price of your buffet. My total was $11. | 5/5 |
Overall Rating (29/30) – 97%
This place is a great value. The food was good, the place is clean and well laid out, and the employees were friendly. Considering that I paid nearly $11 for myself (including my drink), that is a good value considering some other Chinese buffets charge up to $15 and make you pay separate for your drink.
Go try the King’s Chef if you’re ever in Warrensburg! It’s located at the corner of North and Maguire Streets in Warrensburg – the shopping center with the Scooters in the parking lot. (Address is 501 North Maguire Street, Warrensburg, Missouri.)
Visited 3-10-2018. T420
Previous Food Reviews
This is my first Food Review on my WordPress site. Therefore, I’m providing a link to my prior reviews on my main site for easy access.