Pearl River in King's Lynn and West Norfolk

Fantastic experience, Cantonese duck is amazing

Staff very attentive and atmosphere good. Ie plenty of space , yet was quite noisy due to openness and structure of building layout. Food varied in quality, chicken tender and well presented, however other guests thought some food was over salty and over cooked.. ie duck. Overall a pleasant experience, however not outstanding.

Chinese restaurant served in a tapas style, start with starters then mains, as much as you want. Great for trying out new dishes.

I appreciate that the food is cooked to order but small amounts brought out and then a lengthy wait for another helping to arrive. Didn’t have time to “eat as much as we would have liked”. Food ok but nothing special.

Complete rubbish show manger Steve has no clue what he's doing over charges u so be very carful, very rude we spent nearly £600 as a party off 18 ppl Don't bother if want get ripped out n get a attitude I wouldn't give any stars if I could

Lovely restaurant great food service was great all you can eat what more can you ask for

The meal was an all you could eat buffet. Unfortunately we decided to take the staff recommendation for the starters. They promptly brought out 3 huge plates of starters to share between 12 people. With the exception of the spare ribs I can only describe them as bland, very salty and clearly bought in. Second course was Crispy Duck which was considerably better, however the portions were much smaller in fact the portions of plum sauce needed to be replenished multiple times. The mains were at least freshly made and reasonably tasty. It was a shame about the starters and I would recommend you definitely order your own.

Buffet was very greasy all fried

Food was excellent , staff very friendly

I've now been to Phill's Chinese restaurant 3 times. Tonight was for a small, celebratery birthday meal. Met by a warm welcome as we stepped through the door with swift service for first drinks once we were comfortably seated. The staff were professional, polite, attentive but not over bearing. Heated plates and swift service meant your food wont go cold (mind yourself on the sesame toast). Plenty to eat across the buffet. Don't waste food, eat it, it's too nice to waste. The freshly cooked food I ordered was the same as on my last two visits, excellent. I look foward to my next visit to Pearl River.

I've now been to Phill's Chinese restaurant 3 times. Tonight was for a small, celebratery birthday meal. Met by a warm welcome as we stepped through the door with swift service for first drinks once we were comfortably seated. The staff were professional, polite, attentive but not over bearing. Heated plates and swift service meant your food wont go cold (mind yourself on the sesame toast). Plenty to eat across the buffet. Don't waste food, eat it, it's too nice to waste. The freshly cooked food I ordered was the same as on my last two visits, excellent. I look foward to my next visit to Pearl River.

I am vegeterian and I though that it can not het wrong with chineese food. Unfortunately I was disappointed, food was very plain, tasteless. For example, I choose tempura as stater and I got 1 piece of carrot and few of the onions. There is so many veg You could make as tempura. My Husband have some meat options and he was happy, that is why I gave 3 starts. However, we wil no go there again. Sorry. Service was great however!

Plenty parking space, great food and hospitality. Clean place too.

Average at best, noodles were hard and inedible, rest of the food was ok but not great

With my parents recently moving to the area, we are so grateful to have found a clean, superb service, tasty food and excellent Chinese restaurant serving up all the classics. We went for the buffet option £24.90 per head unlimited starters, aromatic duck and mains with all the sides. We loved the portion sizing, small but the waiters were so accommodating and asked if we wanted any more, reduced waste and were absolutely here for it, which also meant your dishes stayed hot. It was really buzzy for a Monday night and the toilets were also spotless, both signs of a great place. Shout out to Steve and his team, we can see why they have been open for 21 years and we will certainly be back!

Best Chinese in Norfolk. Busy, suggest reserving on the weekend. Everything was delicious and reminded me of good Chinese restaurants back home in Australia. Prawn toast is yum yum, the curry spicy in a good way, the beef stirfry spot on.

Great food and reasonable pricing. Pace yourself with the all you can eat, I would recommend spending more time on the starters before moving on to the mains Starters 9/10 Mains 7/10

Just left after a meal in here. Four adults and one toddler. We were served mainly by two waitresses. Being only two our daughter is a little fussy. And one lady went above and beyond to cater for her. Getting extra bits for her that she saw she was digging into! Nothing seemed too much hassle. However the other waitress / lady clearing table was very grumpy and felt rude. We asked at end if tips were split. They are. This prevented us tipping but we really wanted the lady to know who provided an exceptional service how appreciated it was. Her name was Alisha. Food was good, served quickly and my daughter in particular loved the decor!

Last time I reviewed Pearl River, I said it was the best Chinese in Norfolk. I’m wrong. It’s the best RESTAURANT in Norfolk! Great food, friendly staff, very attentive. I never get tired of this place!

What can I say other than terrible, food is mediocre at best and the service was awful. To start with it took 20 minutes for a mock-tail to come (the drink sat at the bar for 10 minutes as the bar tender was too busy replying to texts on his Apple Watch). I asked for a shandy and had to make it myself. The food had zero taste to it and was heavy on sugar and salt, duck was over cooked and the wraps were dry. Dirty plates and cutlery. The waitress swore when another set of customers sat in the wrong seat. All around bad experience and not worth the price.

Great for trying different dishes

Horrible takeaway, prawn crackers soft & stale, the beef & black bean was rank and chewy... don't think one member of our family enjoyed the meal... won't be returning

came here for the first time with my partner as we saw they offered a veggie and vegan buffet which is super hard to find, and we were NOT disappointed! each and every dish was cooked to perfection with such gorgeous flavours, the variety of dishes for both of our diets was amazing, the portion sizes were perfect as they left enough room to try multiple dishes on the menu, it’s amazing value for money and well worth paying for the experience, and to top it off the staff were absolutely lovely (especially our main waitress Alisha who was extremely accommodating for us!). highly recommend this place to all, we can’t wait to come back! 🤍

We had GF takeaway which was very tasty. Would be 5/5 if GF takeaway menu was on website as we had to go into restaurant to confirm dishes available, we will be using Pearl River again.

Duck dish has reduced from a breast to a sliver with mainly fat. Really disappointed. Not cheap but like most restaurants they are also now reducing quality ingredients. My hunt for a quality chinese continues

Delicious Chinese meal for an incredible price. The meals were deliciously flavoured and we ordered a big variety of dishes. Service was quick and friendly. Will definitely be back!

Large variety of food, great service. Food is mainly deep fried English style Chinese/Cantonese food but is still nice. I wouldn’t recommend the duck but would recommend all the other starters and mains. Great friendly staff and atmosphere. Decor is beautiful and a lovely fish tank. They do need better air conditioning for hot days.

Came here early on a Thursday evening, really warm welcome, attentive staff even though later restaurant got really busy. Lots of choice on the buffet menu, can highly recommend the beef in black pepper sauce which has quite a kick, the crispy duck was also really good. Initially though £24 might be a lot for buffet however went away satisfied and content, will definitely return here - thank you for an enjoyable evening!

Simply refuse to go to another Chinese in Lynn. Always such good experiences with food, service & drinks. Always a pleasure visiting Philip and the guys here! 10/10

been going here a while now very good food, front staff very welcoming and friendly, and the chefs are very good at what they do, always been one for a very hot curry and if you ask they do this very well!, will highly recommend the mint aero shots too!

We had a fairly pleasant meal at Pearl River. The starters were the highlight, however they arrived much quicker than our drinks. The portions were fair. We found the duck to be dry and obviously reheated. As for the main course, we enjoyed the Singapore fried rice and sweet and sour chicken, however the beef and pork dishes were lacklustre.

Tasty food, friendly staff. Food could have been served a bit hotter

We were visiting Kings Lynn and wanted somewhere for dinner. It had to have gluten-free options. We found out about Pearl River, and we weren't disappointed. Staff were friendly, and the Gluten-Free menu had plenty to choose from (be aware things are cooked in the same fryers,etc.). The food was tasty, and being a buffet menu, you can eat plenty. Be warned, they don't like waste, so make sure your eyes aren't bigger than your belly. Spoke to the manager, who was worried they'd been slow, but they were busy and working hard. It didn’t seem slow to us. Would certainly recommend.

Great food and service as usual.

We can now understand why this restaurant is so popular, the food was excellent, one of the best Chinese meals we have had for years also the service is very good and waiting staff are very helpful and friendly, we will definitely be coming back and will be telling all our friends how good it was, congratulations on everything.

Love coming here, fabulous food always busy and very attentive friendly staff. Be prepared to come away stuffed! The darters are exceptional in 16 years I’ve never got to the desert. Only order what you can eat. Parking can be a problem it’s on a busy main road with a tiny car park but there is public car parking across the road. Well recommended.

Portions of starters very smaller were not asked at anytime if we wanted to order more, the duck was very small portions too only enough for one roll each and again not asked if we wanted anymore, main course were minute not enough for one person let alone to share, staff polite, but won't be going again.

best customer service ever, definitely recommend and will 100% be going back the staff were so lovely and helped with everything we needed and always with a smile on their face.

The food was nice. I think the buffet could have been explained better- as we ordered a starter each, and were served enough of one portion for everyone to share- so we had way too much. That’s not a big criticism, but would have helped. The staff didn’t smile at all, and were very unwelcoming. We had some children in our group, and the buffet was full price for over 12s- that seemed a lot, and was not explained in the menu. The restaurant is ok, nothing special.

Lovely food, great service, all you can eat and dishes brought to the table (no unknown hands touching it) would recommend

Really lovely food and friendly staff.

Enjoyed an early Valentines meal with my husband on Saturday night, staff were very attentive and friendly. Buffet menu choice was extensive and delicious. We both really enjoyed all the dishes we had especially the prawn toast and duck.

We have been coming here for years. The service and customer care is impeccable. The menu is varied with many dishes that are not seen in your standard Chinese menu. You can choose from a regular menu or the fresh and cooked to order buffet. Love the smoked chicken and their prawn toast is the BEST. Oh, did I mention the ribs??? Mmmmm. Great choices are available for vegetarians. It’s a busy restaurant with loads of ‘regulars’ proving its popularity. Philip, Amy, Jacob and their staff make this the best Chinese restaurant around without driving to London!

Excellent food, great variation in choice with attentive staff. Thank you

Bday meal for our son, food always great would prefer bigger sauce dishes like bbq and sweet and sour as had to keep asking for more and took time , otherwise we love ot rebooted again for end of jan

Plenty of food as it's an all you can eat buffet. The waiter explained how ordering worked..I.e. Order as many starters as you like, order some then order more but once you go to the duck wrap course you can't return for more starters. Likewise once you start ordering mains there's no going back to starters or duck course. If you order far more than you can eat you can be charged extra at their discretion. All of this is fair enough and as far as we were concerned totally acceptable. We went for my birthday and our 30th ( Pearl) anniversary and it didn't disappoint. Excellent choice for our celebration. The only downside is there's very little parking on site..It was only a minor issue that a customer had to come out and move his car so we could vacate the car park.

Absolutely beautiful food Brilliant service

I ordered chili salt prawns then shezuan prawn with stir fry veg and egg fried rice .. food was the worst I’ve seen and eaten for long time but it got worse. About 4 hours later I started getting stomach cramps and 24 hours later I’m still in agony.

Fantastic meal as always. Never had a bad meal ever. By far the best Chinese in King's Lynn. Super friendly staff that fitted us in at the last minute, leading up to Christmas. Jacob even made me a cocktail not on the menu. Tried all the Christmas special dishes and they were superb. Well done to Phil, his son and all the wonderful staff. See you on the 16th. Xx

Excellent food and all you can eat! Very busy unsurprisingly but staff friendly and attentive despite being run off their fewt

I had the pleasure of dining at here last night where the culinary artistry was nothing short of exceptional. The flavors danced on my palate, each dish a symphony of exquisite taste. However, my gastronomic joy was overshadowed by a peculiar and disheartening change in the restaurant's ambiance. To my utter dismay, I discovered that the once lively fish tank, a charming centerpiece that added to the restaurant's allure, was now devoid of its aquatic inhabitants. This absence created a void, not just in the tank, but in the very heart of my dining experience. The sight of the tank, now only adorned with lackluster stickers of fish, was a jarring reminder of what once was. It felt as though the restaurant had lost a part of its soul. While I understand changes are a part of any business, the removal of the fish tank seemed like a misguided attempt to fill the space with a hollow imitation of its former glory. The stickers, intended perhaps as a whimsical replacement, only served to deepen the sense of loss. It was as if the restaurant had not only taken away a source of delight but also underestimated the attachment and joy these small creatures brought to diners like myself. In conclusion, while the food remains a testament to culinary excellence, the absence of the fish tank has left an indelible mark on the atmosphere of the restaurant. It's a change that, for me, took away a part of the dining experience that was as nourishing to the soul as the food was to the body.

First time visit for 4 of our party of 6 The restaurant was spotless and so nice inside, the staff were very friendly The choice of food was superb and we didn’t have to wait long and it was piping hot One of the best Chinese meals I’ve ever had and definitely the best buffet type restaurant I’ve been too Absolutely outstanding

Fantastic meal, good quality food and plenty of it, starters just kept coming

Had meal tonight with partner awsome place great food great service couldn't fault. Good job guys n gals. Five stars.

Wow, I was surprised by how good this place is..staff are really friendly and attentive, food is exceptional and portions are of a reasonable size. Everything is brought to your table quickly with an excellent choice for veggies and vegans. Highly recommended.

A surprise meal had a wonderful time buffet was brilliant

Went for our anniversary Absolutely lovely, service was great, food was incredible best Chinese tasted so far ( and tried a few 🙂 ) Meat was cooked lovely. And the prawn toast was AMAZING. Was a lovely evening. The only thing I would say was we was placed near a 2 tables on a 18th birthday celebration so got pretty crackly when the wine was in full swing, so was not as quiet as would have liked. So maybe ask when you book for a quiet area if possible. Not loads available to park if was busy but we were quite lucky. Would definitely return though, as said food was very good.

Fantastic food was brilliant service was excellent and the atmosphere was authentic price was very reasonable for the portions you get could do with better lager on tap tho 😉

Have visited Pearl River many times over a good few years and have never been disappointed. First, always book or you stand a very good chance of being turned away as it is so popular. Second, car parking is atrocious, best bet is to park in the short term council car park just across the road. Unlike a lot of Chinese buffets you don’t go and help yourself to food from a hot plate. You order off the menu for the entire table, starting with soup, then starters then duck and finally mains. You can keep ordering until you’ve had enough of one sort of food. So once you’ve had your fill of soup move in to the starters. Once you’ve moved you can’t go back. My favourites are the starters and we usually end up ordering two or three plates of starters, the smoked chicken and vegetable tempura are amazing. Once youve gorged yourself on the superb range of starters the crispy duck and hoisin sauce is a lovely way to continue. I can guarantee you won’t need a huge amount of mains but everything you would expect is there to enjoy. Don’t over order and leave food as you may be charged if excess food is wasted. Drinks are a little expensive but nothing outrageous. Staff are very happy and attentive without being intrusive. Highly recommended, gets extremely busy through the summer and weekends throughout the year. Gromit loves the salt n pepper ribs 👍

Lovely modern restaurant. Buffet food straight to your table. Lovely and tranquil setting. Speedy service, friendly staff and most of all great food! Highly recommend the the salt & Pepper Ribs and Salt & Pepper chicken from the starter menu. The best ribs I've ever had. Will most definitely be returning.

Food was served very quickly and was really nice. Great atmosphere too. Highly recommended

Went here with family, from the moment we walked in the staff were so helpful and going out their way to help The food was amazing. So much choice on the menu it was a job to know which to pick. Can’t wait to return

Service was a little slow but probably because the staff were busy. It was a calm place to eat and no music or noise made it tranquil. The food was ok. We had scallop dishes although the broccoli on mine was a bit undercooked. It could have done with a few more minutes to soften it. Overall, a good meal.

We lived our time at the Pearl River. You order your buffet, have a seat, and then you order starters. They come, you can order more. When finished with starters you can do mains and rinse and repeat. The staff were superb - one of the young guys on the counter as we came in was lovely, then one of the ladies saw where we were sitting and moved us to a better seat. Then one of the young ladies serving drinks was also bubbly and friendly. All of the staff were exemplary that we dealt with and we felt really welcome. The food was between really good and okay. The satay was decent and the Kung Po was really spicy. The Hoi Sin Shredded Duck was good and the Smoked Chicken was a huge sizeable portion. All in all pretty good and we'd like to go again! Again, the staff were what made it special for me but the food was good too, and finding a good Chinese buffet these days is so rare!

A top example of Chinese cuisine. Prompt table service with friendly and welcoming staff ☺️ We even spoke to the manager, an awesome down-to-earth chap too. Would absolutely recommend and will return soon!

Very friendly Chinese, atmosphere was very good, service was faultless and the food plentiful. Would return again

Absolutely terrific food in a nice atmosphere. Always a lot of people there - we went on a Monday evening (this evening) and even on a Monday, it was quite full, which obviously says a lot about the place and the quality of the food. The only thing I would say is that at £24 a head (as of July 2023) the buffet isn't really worth the money unless you are really VERY hungry and are going to eat a LOT, otherwise you're just not getting your money's worth, in which case you're better off eating off the normal menu. But I'm sure you could say that about practically every Chinese restaurant offering a buffet meal option. However all in all, Pearl River is well worth a visit and, having been there several times in the past, I am more than happy to recommend it.

Nice restaurant, food is very good. Service is good. Not too expensive either. Would recommend.

Excellent food and service. Owner and staff are very friendly and helpful. Would recommend to all. Been many times. Great place.

Had a midweek buffet. Service was excellent, all of the staff very attentive and friendly and made sure we were happy and that frankly, we were getting our monies worth of food. Did get a little confused at one point unsure of whether the buffet just covered starters but no, we were offered more mains after our first order- a full buffet. Many buffets can sacrifice quality for quantity but not here, made to order was very effective and still very quick. Both the buffet and drinks were priced reasonably and you do get your monies worth. The restaurant itself has a nice atmosphere and decor and is very clean. Parking is a little bit of a free for all. Brilliant place to eat. Just wish we were local.

Food is lovely. Many gluten free options, but not many starter options

Lucky to find this place when spending a few days in Kings Lynn. Traditional Chinese food and not too busy.

Celebrated my birthday there really good food off the very friendly lovely place to eat

Great restaurant, food was lovely and fresh. The staff was very kind and friendly.

Lovely meal again tonight! Food was hot and fresh and lots of choices! Staff are attentive and friendly! Can't wait for my next visit 💕

Lovely food but the visit was let down by over attentive staff. It was constant visits to our table by nearly every member of staff to ask for our orders. You may think this is a strange thing to complain about one team member would ask and I kid you not 3 seconds later another would come, then another and so it continued and was very annoying ! Also drinks we didn't check prices or ingredient's ie £5 for a bottle of sparkling water we thought excessive and we ordered the cocktail of cherry Bakewell which we knew that as Prosecco and disaranno but what came was disgusting ameratto , crème cassis and lemonade for which we paid £8.50 each As I said this was our responsibility as we didn't ask prices or check ingredients so if we visit again we will definitely be looking at prices first!

Buffet not available for 1 person, only ala carte which is double the price but from the buffet in the kitchen. Very dry and salty. Not sure why people rave about the place.

Absolutely dreadful. Food had no taste at all. Very limited menu. Value for money I don’t think so. Never again

As always first class you caint beat it the best

Really nice food, brilliant service

Hot food and friendly staff. One of our favourite places to eat.

Really nice buffet went there recently for a nice dinner .....................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................

Atmosphere was incredible and food was amazing and came fast. Staff very friendly. Honestly can't find a fault

Best Chinese around, a little pricey but you only get what you pay for. Front of house staff amazing and super friendly

Slightly expensive for a Chinese buffet, but the sheer amount of food you can get more than makes up for it! It's all really well-made as well and the staff are very helpful. It is strange though that the only entree is shredded duck.

Food was great. Staff were excellent A++++

Excellent food and attentive service. Food was easily ordered and quickly brought to the table. Really busy with lots of happy patrons and families including well behaved children.

Very friendly and polite staff with excellent food very well presented

Reasonable price,nice service, lovely atmosphere. The owner is really nice and was really helpful.

Five people, 5 courses great food and drink only £40 a head. Couldn't fault it.

Absolutely exceptional. Fit us in at very late notice, even kept them from their own meal and they were still so accommodating, polite abd friendly. Food was beyond delicious too!

Очень холодно. Просто невозможно расслабится. И вода в туалете ледяная. Ну еда отнасительная. Некоторые блюда зубы сломаешь.

Great choice of food with good service. Would definitely recommend if it's Chinese food you want. Haven't been for a long time and it was enjoyable.

The food is awesome, and the service is great too. It's an all you can eat buffet where you order from the menu: starters, duck, then mains. No backtracking. I've been plenty of times where I haven't made it past the starters and where I've had a bit of everything. The servers can be pretty relaxed about reordering from the starters after you go past as long as you don't overdo it. They also have a fish tank, which is pretty cool. It's a good place to go with friends or hang out with family or as a party to celebrate a special day or achievement.

such an amazing atmosphere and staff was very friendly food was amazing would defiantly go back again!

What a fabulous evening! Family Christmas Eve meal (11 of us) we are not local but were staying in the area for Christmas. Food was simply amazing, plentiful, fresh, hot, delicious and we were not rushed at all. The service was outstanding, drinks refilled, food checked upon and replenished - nothing was to much trouble. We had 3 gluten free diners and they were looked after and again the food just kept coming. We had the most loveliest time - hats off to the young girl who waited on our table (sorry I didn’t get her name) she was a credit to your restaurant as were all the team assisting. I hope we are back in the area again as we will return. Thank you for making our Xmas Eve memorable (and delicious) Happy New Year to you all x

First time in the restaurant last night. Absolutely loved it. Food was great. Great service. Looking forward to going again.

Forgot how good their food is ,fit us in as hadn't booked,several parties in so was very busy didn't stop great service with a smile and amazing food all hot and quickly served without bothering you,can't wait for next visit cheers0

Took the children and one of their friend's as a treat for my daughter's birthday and was charged adult prices for them. When I questioned the bill, I was told that because they were over 12 yrs (they have just turned 13) I had to pay adult prices. I pointed out that it doesn't mention this on their website or menu and when I came two month's earlier for my sons birthday, I was charged for child prices and not adult prices. Apparently they said they made a mistake and I should have been charged adult prices. There is a massive difference between £13.50 for a child and £28.50 for an adult, so I was understandably shocked at the bill. They need to state next to their child price, that there is an age limit. To me, a child is a child, until they reach 16! I'm not a mind reader and if it doesn't state an age limit and just states child/adult prices, then I should have been charged child prices.

Good restaurants and good food and atmosphere. Poor Value for money, food was slightly salt across the board