Inshanghai in County Durham

Food was great, I had 3 plates alongside my partner who had 3, not usually a big eater but we just kept going back for more, i’ve not been to buffet in years but this was what you can kind of expect, service was fast enough, nice and quiet considering a massive group of 30+ students came in, loads of space never felt busy even though people just kept coming in, always topping up the food, would recommend to anyone looking for a cheap eat out in durham.

This restaurant was worse Chinese restaurants in Newcastle I went to many Chinese restaurants but this place was worse and very dirty.we went to this restaurant for first time on Sunday with my family but all my family were very unhappy. Most of dishes were empty. Never back and never recommend to anyone.

Terrible food ,dry chicken, chewy beef Won't be going back!

Good food and plenty to choose from

I go there a couple of times a year but it's gor a group of older guys as our post Christmas get together as we are all countryside volunteers ,it's a good venue for the group

Walked in at 12 thought the food would be hot but it was stone cold and bland have been once and only minor issues but this time it was awful mainly the chicken which was chewy and raw was disgusted had to go to the toilet immediately and continued to have the runs for over 20 mins very disappointed and will not be attending ever again DO NOT RECOMMEND

Average buffet with an average selection of dishes. The bill was distinctly above average though.

So tasty ,and resnabe price ,as you eat what you wish mmmm delicious 😋

Incredible food and lovely place!

Might have been the worst meal I’ve ever had, came in 11:30 when it op ended expecting it to be fresh and couldn’t be further from what it was. It was stone cold and the chicken was dry and all the noodles was cold. The prawns were cold as for everything else. All for a £15.90 which was over priced for eating only one plate before we left because it was so disgusting not even worth £1. The drinks were over priced as my friend got a coke and feel ill and got food poising and have been throwing up since. I only recommend going if you are an idiot or homeless.

Greated with a bark from some angry Thai lady that then said go to Ur seat had to ask for a drink .didn't even taste like coke the ice in coke was warmer than the food and only came with one singular ice cubes and the cup was dirty,could only drink half.food was chewy and atrocious despite just been served 20 mins prior left after half a plate charged 15 pounds.the food was hot and cold deffiently microwaved DO NOT GO DRINKS AND FOOD OVERPRICED,GOT FOOD POSIONING!

The food was lovely and it was very sanitary and service was also great. I SUGGEST it

Excellent Chinese buffet on the river with lovely views from the windows of Durham Cathedral. Lovely food particularly a wider range of main courses. Always great service.

La carne era gomosa, masticable y carecía de sabor. La peor fue la carne de res que era casi sólida como una roca y requería un esfuerzo considerable para masticarla. Además, no había postres aparte de algunas pequeñas tarrinas baratas de helado. El tofu era tan sucio que tenía que ser escupido, las algas tenían este extraño sabor quemado y extraño sabor. La única razón por la que esto no está clasificado 1 estrella es porque algunos alimentos como el pollo agridulce estaba bien y el personal decente. Por algunas críticas, es posible que viniera en un mal día, sin embargo mi experiencia personal demuestra lo contrario y por lo que no podría recomendar este lugar.

Nice place but can't get over the cost dinner time 2 all you can eats only half of the menu is available at dinnertime 2 cokes 32.00 pound

Gran buffet chino, la comida regularmente recargada y siempre fue fresco y caliente, fantástica selección y gran precio también, visitaría la próxima vez que estemos en Durham

The BEST Chinese buffet I’ve been to Tasty,fresh,huge range, clean, lovely location and very pleasant staff Would HIGHLY RECOMMEND

Estuve en una feria de algunos buffets chinos y esto es lo MEJOR de lejos Todo fresco, sabroso, abundante, gran variedad, personal muy agradable, ubicación encantadora Lo recomendaría 😋🙌❤️

Realmente disfrutamos de nuestro tiempo aquí. La comida era preciosa, con un montón de platos disponibles. Soy vegano, pero todavía tengo muchas opciones. Recomiendo especialmente las verduras de ajo. Salió como 25 libras por cabeza con bebidas. Situado justo en Riverside. Sin duda volveremos...

We were not happy with the food quality but it has good service and it is always very busy. People like it but it is not for everyone. Good buffet experience in Durham.

All perfect food excellent staff very friendly could not find a fault

Good quality food we really enjoyed it, been before and will nodoubt return

Great selection, quick service for drinks, will be back!

Popped in for afternoon dinner after our visit to the cinema. Great warm welcome, lovely prepared food with wide selection to choose from. Great value for money. Enjoyed it.

Like it! Food was brilliant, my partner was actually over the moon to find a decent Chinese buffet

No es el mejor, visitado un miércoles por la noche con mi esposa La comida estaba caliente Fueron muy lentos en reponer los platos Mala selección de postre en comparación con otros buffets que he visitado Mala relación calidad-precio

visited more 3 times! revisit again ona Saturday (Nov.9) with friends! definitely more than 5 stars for the food and staff😍 so far the best in North East Fried noodles, Sweet and sour, Peking duck etcetc you name it they've got it! And they're super YUM (make sure u guys try the seafood)🤌🏼🤌🏼🤌🏼 the staff are just super nice and friendly as well! Super professional even during busy hours, greet you like your friendly neighbors, loved it! will definitely revisit again! side note: Participated in one of their special event before(Oriental Night I think? also a MUST TRY!! authentic food, fresh! but not sure if there's gonna be another one 😍(please do)

Excellent service and the food was outstanding

Most amazing all you can eat buffet I have ever been to! Amazing, helpful staff who did not hesitate to help with problems. Absolutely amazing views, the river and bridge, especially. Amazing scenic walk to the restaraunt. Magnificent food, lots of amazing options of mains and desserts, quite cheap, times slots are helpful. 100% recommend visiting! 🙂

We went for lunch. But I found the crispy chicken, pork and beef very difficult to chew. All other dishes were reasonable. It is not cheap!! £38 including a pint of coke and a pint of lime and soda. I will try a night time meal sometime to see what that is like!!!

Had a wonderful meal here staff very friendly and polite prices very reasonable for the amount of food you eat great place to go on the evening

Popped in quite late for a dinner after arriving and checking into my hotel , had a few pints and had a hankering for something fried and comforting. After some research I chose this place which is quite hard to find on Google maps. Initally the place looked deserted and initally didn't know it was open untill I walked past the windows a few times. I had to wait around 10 mins before I saw a staff member. It almost appeared like it was closing down or was half shut as it was dark and lacked refinement. I was shown to one of the many free tables where I began to tuck into the buffet. There was no lack of choices or selection of dishes and it all looked fresh for a buffet. I went for the usual chineese order of noodles , meat with a sauce, h'ordevs and various other items. Considering it was late and they were closing in 30 mins I was pleasantly surprised by the tastiness and quality. Having filled up on beer beforehand I probably didn't get my moneys worth and 20.99 was a fair price I suppose. The decor and feel really let this plave down as I expect the food would be very good at peak times and it's in a lovley riverside location. The ladies who served me when seated at the buffet were lovley and attentive and really made a difference. This place needs some love and I genuinely believe that it could be a great place for dinner out. 6/10 Decor and atmosphere really let's it down.

Very good - low expectations for Saturday lunchtime in a Chinese buffet restaurant but pleasantly surprised. Would def go back.

So so food . Nothing special. Lack of choice at lunch . Would hate to go when busy. Accepted blue light card , although she overcharged . Would I go again. ? Mmm 👎

Nice location buffet with fabulous river view. Eating the foods and watching the rain on the river now. Variety choice of foods. What I need is a bigger stomach 🤣

Visited couple time but no particular impressed unfortunately. Not much at all to offer for vegetarians yet states on website it cater for them!? Food was hot but did it to be from frozen boxes or tinned food! Food was not "fresh"cooked.

Great food lots of variety I highley reccomed

My wife and I and another couple visited Inshangai for a late lunch arriving around 2:30pm. We have visited numerous buffet restaurants over the years and they do tend to be a bit hit and miss. However, we had a very pleasant lunch here. Service was friendly and attentive, there was a good selection of foods which were all nicely cooked, suitably warm and well presented. Staff were regularly replenishing the food and clearing and wiping tables. The location is great with pleasant views of Durham. Can highly recommend.

The food has giving my partner food poisoning also u couldn’t eat anything as there was no food to eat there was people putting eaten food back in trays I would advise not to come here as you will be waisting your cash

I’ll start this review by saying we have been to Inshanghai several times over the years (usually for the grand buffet on a weekend). The food is always topped up quickly with freshly cooked dishes and is delicious. We’ve never had any issues until last Thursday. Maybe it was because it was a weekday and not as busy but the dishes weren’t topped up frequently and felt like fresh food was only brought out once the dregs of the previous food has been used. Even though the food tasted fine, 3 of our party became ill on Thursday night (living in different households, the only possibility could have been the food). Price has gone up, £20.50 for the grand buffet on a weekday. Unfortunately we won’t be rushing back which is a shame as we’ve always enjoyed the food and the staff are lovely.

I've been going regular for 10 years, and it's still beautiful. I highly recommend

Definitely the best and healthiest oriental buffet we have visited and we have been to many - every oriental dish imaginable, regularly replenished, and large selection of salad and fresh fruit. Attractive environment, next to the river, and friendly but unobtrusive service. We will be back!

The one restaurant with the most customers. I walked around the local area to find a good restaurant and chose this one as it's the one with the most customers. This is an all you can eat restaurant with various prices for different times of the day. Loved the options available but as always a few more different dishes would be better.

I have been going to Inshanghai on and off for quite a few years. Clearly there is a reason for this, well its because their food is good and reasonable...up to a point. I can not complain about the service, the staff always serve me and eme and my partner or anyone I am with, with a smile. Inshanghai, do tend to have a reasonable choice when it comes to food, what you would expect from an americanised/oriental buffet. Lately though, i was rather shocked at the price they charged me for a meal for 2 and two none alcoholic drinks. I should hve checked the prices for going in on a Sunday, as it was double the amount we normally pay. Safe to say we wont be going back on a sunday. Weekdays are a safe bet, for us anyway. Also they tend to play the music way to loud, when I went, me and my partner could not hear one another over the din of the music coming in through the speakers above. My partner has oversensitivity. Normally going to Inshanghai we have never experienced this issuse, but we had to ask a member of staff to turn it down, which they did. We were greatful for that, so ten out of ten for service! Just if you want to, go when its cheaper, go on a weekday.

The Inshanghai restaurant in Durham is one of the best restaurants in the city. The food is very tasty, always fresh and hot. When something runs out in the bain-marie, the staff immediately refills it. A huge selection of hot dishes, salads and desserts. The staff is very cheerful, always polite and smiling. Mrs. Justyna, who is the head of the room there, deserves special recognition. She is a person who is always smiling, polite, willing to help and advise. And at the same time she is characterized by great personal culture. Delicious food, great atmosphere and service make Inshanghai a very atmospheric place to which you return with pleasure. I highly recommend it. Kasia i Irek.

Always a nice atmosphere and friendly staff. No complaints with the food

Good food good people's and very clean restaurant x

Inshanghai Durham – The Best Chinese Restaurant in North East Inshanghai Durham is a true gem among Chinese restaurants in North East. Located in a picturesque setting with a beautiful view of Durham Castle, this restaurant offers not only great food but also unforgettable experiences. The food at Inshanghai is always fresh and delicious. Each dish is prepared with the utmost care, making every bite a true feast for the palate. The menu is diverse, so everyone can find something they like – from classic Chinese dishes to more modern interpretations. However, what really sets Inshanghai apart is the service. The staff are extremely courteous and pay attention to every detail to make guests feel special. Special thanks go to Justyna, who always greets guests with a smile and makes you want to come back. Thanks to her and the entire team, every visit to Inshanghai is pure pleasure. We highly recommend Inshanghai Durham to anyone looking for an exceptional dining experience. It is the perfect place for gatherings with friends and family, Artur & Magdalena✨✨

Great quality food, plenty if it. Always leave full and happy A regular !

First-trime visit for a Golden Wedding Anniversary. Nine guests, so only a small gathering. We were all very impressed with the ambiance, delicious array of food, drinks choice and excellent fast, friendly service. Fantastic value for money, too, at just under £30 a head for both food and drinks. Highly recommend. Many thanks.

Went on a Sunday ll the food was loverly even the Sunday roast

The fans make the restaurant quite cold, making it difficult to tell whether the food is stone cold from the Bain Maries or due to the fans. The food is of poor quality despite being very expensive, and you’re charged if you waste any. If the food were of good quality and served hot, perhaps fewer customers would leave it uneaten. It’s nowhere near worth £20.50; I wouldn’t even say it’s worth £10. I’ve been to many Pan-Asian buffet restaurants that are over £5 cheaper and don’t charge for waste, and they still manage to serve the food hot.

My friend and I visited Inshanghai for a spot of tea. To say this was our 1st time - the food was great. A good selection. The atmosphere was lovely. Highly recommend 👌

It was a good experience. We loved it. We will be back.

Beautiful food. EXTREMELY expensive, especially for a child. £115 for 3 adults and two young children really took the shine off the excellent food.

Visited here on August 4th, can't believe how far it's gone back, food was atrocious, and it is now like a pit canteen, so dark n dingy. . £17 ALL YOU CAN EAT, £4FOR A COKE., BITTERLY DISAPPEARED.

My mother in law my 15 year old niece my wife and my just turned 13 son had a lovely meal staff were lovely until it came to the bill .my 15 year old nice got child rate my just turned 13 adult price when questioned was told to tall for a child surely this is against the law my mother in law is 5ft going by that logic she should of had child prices

It's hit and miss, I've been coming here for years and iv noticed it's slowly starting to get worse, it's definitely worth a try though if you haven't been before, it's all you can eat so there will be something you will like.

Had embarrassing moment in here after me and family had only been in for 40 minutes and been told to leave because the late meals had been put out and desert. We had our meal and we wanted a desert there told us we would have to pay a extra £5 pp as it was the late sitting . So we where told to leave . We did my bill was £ 96 and we had no desert I will never go back for the way we where treated.

Typical chinese evening buffet. Food was nice and hot, service was good. The room restaurant is large enough that you dont feel overcrowded. They add a 20% service charge which of course is optional but the bill was paid without the payer realising so paid nearly £40 tip for a help yourself buffet so just be careful.

This Chinese buffet restaurant offers a delightful experience with a wide variety of delicious dishes to choose from. The food is not only tasty but also great value for money. The restaurant boasts a beautiful view of the river, adding to the overall pleasant ambiance. The staff is friendly and attentive, ensuring you leave with a happy and satisfied tummy.

Just love going in there. Food is amazing.x John smith drink is cans x ❤️

Loads of good options of food, reasonable price!

Vast array of food in the buffet. Fresh and tasty. Lovely staff. Easily missed as it's not advertised around the Riverwalk like the other restaurants. So, it's on the lower level, next to the Thai restaurant, below Mr Fox. Go! Enjoy!

Very disappointed on this occasion. Whilst the food was hot and we were seated quickly the food itself was a let down. No prawn toast, very chewy beef and lots of the meat dishes had little to no meat; no chicken in the chicken chow mein, no pork in the pork rice etc. There was also no banana fritters by 8pm, you'd think with 2 hours until closing they would replace the empty dishes. Had I known there would be no prawn toast and no meat in half of the meat dishes I'd have come for the lunch buffet and saved £5 each.

Excellent food!! Will be here again.

Really nice food. Plenty to choose from. Very good variety. The salad nice and fresh. Only thing that let's it down is the fruit is tinned. But apart from that excellent. Would recommend.

The food was great, The staff was always nice and friendly,

All foods were oily and cold, deserts were dry, charged a 13 year old an adults meal which is 2x more because he was over 5 foot tall. SCAM! 60 pounds for 2 people and 1 drink to have a nice night RUINED, asked for the child to be given the child's price and the rude man said no and expected a tip too! The cheek... Never going back there again as staff walk around and just pick out food to eat as they go! The beef is so hard you might as well chew on a tree as it will be softer!! Definitely DO NOT come here, I hope it shuts down to avoid any more scams...

Absolutely mouthwatering food, thoroughly enjoyed the entire experience. From being seated, orders taken, food and drinks, payment, atmosphere, staff readiness and friendliness, the entire visit was brilliant. I've never visited this place before but I will most definitely be returning regular. Fantastic day

Dined with my daughter for her 19th birthday. Very disappointed. Paid a lot of money for the worse Chinese buffet we have ever experienced. Very poor choice . Beef was like leather ... You couldn't cut it . Had to spit it out because was soo chewy. The curry sauce watery and tasteless. Resembled dirty kitchen sink water . Chips were cold and dry . Very little choice of desserts a tub of ice cream was the best option . Was so looking forward to our choice of restaurant with amazing views of cathedral. But left feeling deflated. My daughter had tummy ache all night after eating here . I feel that this restaurant should be shut down . Don't know how they are still trading with such high prices Don't be fooled by the beautiful views . There are much nicer restaurants to eat in Durham

Worse Chinese buffet I have ever been to . Beef was like leather . Curry sauce resembled dirty dish water with no taste . Daughter was up all night with a tummy upset . This place needs to close .

It's a while since I've been to inshanghai durham and Sunday buffet was arround £7 to £8 went today two adults Sunday buffet with two half's of coke and cost £41 could not believe the price . Could of gone out for Sunday lunch at pub and paid less . Cost now is not worth it.

1st time won't be the last time. Food was lovely, a couple of items were not the best really char siu pork was flavourless and shredded beef was a mission to chew.. couldn't cut it with the knife and was like super tough jerky.. BUT apart from that everthing else was delicious and well worth every penny. Staff were lovely. Very clean.

Had a fantastic time. Plenty of buffet choices, the restaurant was really clean, seating was comfortable. Had a table by the window which had some stunning views over the river. Staffs were welcoming and friendly from start to finish. This was a positive dining experience. My first buffet in years and yesss!! It was worth the wait..

Spontaneous birthday treat whilst staying far from home. Asked Google for the best Chinese restaurant in the area and we were not disappointed. The food was fabulous, very fresh, hot, tasty and plentiful. The restaurant and facilities were spotlessly clean and the staff team extremely welcoming. We were hugely surprised when we were presented with a birthday cake complete with candles and the team singing happy birthday. If we lived closer we would be regulars. I would highly recommend to anyone.

Just watch out for the service charge which isn't listed anywhere

Went for lunch with partner first time we have ate here. We found it to have a nice atmosphere food was really nice with a good selection on offer.. Nice view of the river staff were very helpful and polite can highly recommend. Pricing was reasonable. good service through out. Will be returning soon.

One of the best all-you-can-eat Chinese places with amazing food and great food selection, especially the grand buffet

Food great but far too expensive.

Lots of choice and very good food and friendly staff, would definitely come again, price was also very reasonable, and good atmosphere

Getting very expensive 30% of the food trays where empty and not getting replaced fast enough and not a lot to choose from desert wise

Visited Saturday 04/05/2024 around 6pm. Decent selection of tasty food, though quite a lot of seafood. Although we had pre-booked by phone earlier in the day, the process of being allocated a table at 6pm is chaotic, with no system at all for seating people in the order they arrived, you pretty much just have to get up and go forward or be last.

Taste and quality not up to the mark. Would not recommend.

Food always good never had bad thing in all years I've been going .. staff are very friendly always clean the place I won't go anywhere else

Regular visitors, staff always polite and courteous, friendly atmosphere and seems to attract a good crowd. The food is fantastic. Especially as its so popular it could be a little cheaper 🤔

What this place has going for it is its location, overlooking the lovely river and bridge. Make sure you get a window seat. We visited on Saturday afternoon, expecting it to be really busy but it was surprisingly quite. On entering the restaurant the sign asks you to wait to be seated. However, there was no staff member present. We hung about waiting for a few minutes. Just a metre away at the bar, 4 staff were talking and hovering around yet none of them acknowledged us. We watched a busy waitress come and get drinks from the bar twice and serve drinks to two tables before she came back and seated us. We then had a ten minute wait until someone came to offer us drinks. The buffet was OK. Pretty normal english/chinese food. I was surprised that the soup (usually chicken and sweetcorn) was just egg and sweetcorn and this was disappointing. Some of the food was really nice - chicken chow mein, chicken curry, egg food young. The beef and leek could have lovely but I got the tail end of the tray and the beef was too chewy to eat. Overall I don't think we will go back. £15.99 seems reasonable for all you can eat but it wasn't for us. However, £2.10 for water/cordial and a huge ice cube is ridiculous. Clientelle mainly chavvy families and noisy kids and didn't make for a relaxing afternoon meal.

Lovely place lovely staff and lovely food

Very nice food had to wait but got through fast enough

Midweek lunch was £15 pp, bargain, and we enjoyed everything we tried. There was so much choice we couldn't have even a tiny portion of everything on offer. Special fried rice and noodles also fantastic. There was things like chips, nuggets ,poppadoms, hash browns etc maybe for kids and we finished with ice cream, fruit and jelly. I would go again , really busy which is always a good sign

Shocking, £106 for 5 people they charged a 12 yr old a 13 yr old and 14 yr old as adults and it’s £6 for a glass of Pepsi absolute madness

Not that authentic but still worth trying.

Food has gone downhill from previous visits I wouldn't go back the best bit was the banana fritters that were labeled at pineapple fritters

One complaint.... never had seaweed 😆

Lovely place Bern going for years always value for money & very tasty

Perfectly OK. Plates have shrunk but that's OK stop me mixing too many different dishes

Choice of dishes for lunch time buffet seems to have got less. Staff always polite and helpful

Rude staff, foodbbasic and bland, dirty glasses, drunk beggers quite frightful, for all the new bars and eateries durham has to office , try cleaning up drunks, beggers and shoplifters and make a beautiful city wonderful again.

I would just wait for the evening so you get the full works much better dinner time isn't the best

Food has gone down hill not a fan at all now