The Real China in Salford

Popped in for lunch. poor choice poor standard would not recommended. Will not be retuning. will not be returning

Popped in for lunch today£8 per head plus £2.50 for a soft drinkGood variety of starters Good variety of main dishes inc noodles or riceLimited desserts mainly fruit cakes or ice creamFood piping hot and I had no quibbles of what I ate for lunchCan not beat 3 courses for £8Certainly will be returning

We all found the food delicious. A good variety of starter and main, we ate early (7pm). Staff were friendly and polite too. Restaurant looked clean and tidy.On the negative side...Puddings were a let down, little choice, basically tinned fruit, biscuits/cookies, one flavour ice cream and a few chocolates. Ladies toilet seemed clean however the handryer was out of order and no hand towels or anything to dry hands on! Definitely would have scored more re food if puddings had more choice, fresh fruit would be nice

Better value than some places that are all you can eat but note the desserts are not included, that's separate price. There was a mixture of starter and mains. Staff were welcoming. Food is warm not hot. A decent amount of choice, 2 rice, 2 noodle dishes, 2 vegetable dishes but not necessarily vegetarian dishes, basically your run of the mill food. The sweetcorn soup was tasty, the Peking Duck was like mince but finer (not appreciated by those that like duck in our party). The chicken in black bean sauce was nice. The food area was clean. Can't extol the places virtues but can't decry it either, I knew what I was walking into - it doesn't enhance any part of my belief that all you can eats are anything other than tame and less tasty versions of takeaway food.

Visited when in Up on business.I had mostly starter dishes which to be fair were ok and the ribs were very goodStayed clear on the main dishes so can’t comment on those , rice and noodles were fine and a decent price,The toilets were a disgrace though and I am glad I visited after my meal, they need sorting out quickly

Visited this Chinese on the 5th August with my mum and my daughter and my adorable 4 grandkids ( BOTTOMLESS PITS ). We thought it was nice and all the kids ate well as well as loving helping themselves to the drinks , we did find it a little strange when the waitress came midway through eating to offer them a lollipop ( I quickly told her no not yet thanks), they then never got the lollipop so was a little confused, I do feel that they were rushing all of us because they hovered around looking directly at us for most of the time. The lady’s toilet could do with a good clean and maybe if they checked the lady’s hygiene bin as the one I went in didn’t have the lid on fully it wasn’t good especially as you are eating. Other than that for the price you pay the food was tasty, warm and there was plenty to choose from.

I called in here last night before going to the Lowry for a show. I thought it was comparable to other Chinese buffets. A decent selection of food available and it was all hot and everything was replenished when it was running low. Staff were friendly and I didn't think the prices were too bad considering the location. 2 buffet meals and two drinks for just under £30 quid.

I went there today and was very worried the whole time I was there with my family. There were several young waiters pacing up and down and frequently intimidating each other and staring at us in an intimidating way, a couple of waiters actually kicked off with each other and a young waitress said “get your hands off me” to a young male waiter, two tattooed men then came out of the kitchen lookIng very scary, I actually thought at one point that the restaurant had been took over by a gang and imagined the real staff tied up in the back. There was a clear air of aggression in the place. The food was awful and tasted like something a few days old, and a one point my 12 year old son was using a serving spoon to put food on his plate and a young waiter took it off him. Then another young waiter ordered us to put our napkins on our empty plates before removing them. I’m usually confident about complaining but we just left our food and paid and got out of there as quickly as we could.

without doubt the most disgusting Chinese buffet I have ever seen (and I’ve seen a lot). Most of the food dishes had very little in them and what was there was bland and tasteless. When I complained to one of the staff about the lack of food he said don’t worry you will get some later. The gents toilet was atrocious, you were gagging at the stink of stale urine, probably embedded into the disgusting red carpet that covered most of the toilet floor.Eat here at your peril!!!

Absolutely gross - the driest, most tasteless, lukewarm food in a dirty restaurant. 0 customer service. The toilets are vile, dread to think what the kitchen looks like! Also charging £7.10 for a half-pint of beer and a (lukewarm) ‘J2o’ - wtf? This place brings down every reputable trader at the Lowry. Honestly not worth it one bit - If you’re looking for a cheap eat stick to the food court.

There is a wide choice of eateries in this area and we were looking for somewhere with a range of rice based dishes so this seemed a logical option. Outside we saw they were advertising an all you can eat buffet for £5.50 and the same including drinks for £7. We ordered this. We were pointed towards the buffet area and, when I returned, my wife's drink had been served but I had been provided with an empty glass instead of mineral water. The food was very average and our server told me to get my drink from a machine at the far end of the buffet area. When I visited there was no water option. On paying we expected £5.50 x 2 plus my wife's fruit juice. We were charged £18.40, paid cash and were given change and no receipt.

4 of us visited before a show at the Lowry. It was very disappointing, the food was poor to average. The staff were clearly stocking the buffet up on cheap rice and noodles but didn’t’ top up the meat dishes. We were there reasonably early (about 7pm) but there were no desserts left. Service was average to poor. We weren’t the only ones with this opinion, the guy paying in front of us told the waiter it was the worst food he’d ever had.

Food tasteless, barely warm and of a poor quality.I was very disappointed as usually you cant go wrong with a Chinese buffet, but the food was bland and barely warm, not much variety either, prawn crackers were stale, cucumber and spring onions for duck pancakes were all dried up. Drinks machine produced barely fizzy drinks.

This is really the only Chinese restaurant/buffet in the media city and Salford quays area. It is ideal for a quick bite but is not really the restaurant experience. It has more of a cafe feel than a restaurant. Food was generally good. Not the greatest range but had all the essentials - ribs, duck, soup etc. This place closes at 9.30pm with last entry at 8 30pm and kitchen closing at 9pm. So later in the evening it is quiet and you do feel rushed. There are so many staff hovering around clearing plates the very moment you step back to the hot plates to get more food. It was efficient but it is overbearing. So good food but never really felt comfortable whilst there probably because I was at the tail end of the day. It's an eat and leave sort of place and quite reasonably priced. So not bad for a quick nosh but not the place if you want a nice unrushed comfortable dining experience with ambience.

Visited before a theatre visit. Thought it might be busy as there was a craft market on and everywhere else was heaving. I love Chinese food and I love s good buffet so we went in. We were greeted by a very friendly waiter and a senior looking bloke who made a space for my wheelchair. The drinks order was taken straight away and hubs went to get my food. Not much for vegetarians, but I can cope with rice, mushrooms, crispy seaweed egg foo young and vegetables in some sort of sauce. I was also served banana fritters with my seaweed - confused husband alert! However, the food was hot, plentiful and delicious except for the chewy prawn crackers! The price - £13 each plus beer was very reasonable for Salford!

This place is awful, it's filthy, the tables were sticky and there were flies around the food. The food itself was completely tasteless, it wasn't even just salty, everything tasted of nothing, even the chips. I can't recommend going anywhere other than here more

Food was okay for the price. Desserts were terrible. One flavour of melted icecream and stale biscuits. Prawn crackers were stale and soft. Then went to pay and asked about student discount and got told I asked to late because he had just put it through the till. Acting like there was no cancel button on the til. Probably done on purpose as he put it through the till before I even had chance to ask for discount. Would not recommend, rude staff and stale food. Don't know how it is possible to get prawn crackers wrong

We as a group of 5 were on a weekend trip to Salford for Man Utd treble reunion game. Food was very very average or I would say below par. Its a great location but unfortunately food was a big let down!

Some good and bad points: Food is ok; nothing stands out but what's there is ok, take-away equivalent quality. It's value for money. Convenient location. Irn-bru on draft. The let-downs: Decor dated, especially toilets. Limited variety. Limited to a sweet and sour option, noodles, rice.

I'm always sceptical about buffets as from my experience the food is at best average and often not particularly warm. However, having sat next door in Cafe Rouge for 15 minutes watching the waiters chatting with each other instead of taking our order, we upped sticks and came here.The food was good in parts (vegetable dishes and the crispy beef), average in the main, and poor in others (soups and deserts).Dishes were replaced promptly before they were empty, but weren't the warmest. Our table was clean and our empties were collected straight way so full marks for the service.For the two of us with a drink each our lunch came to just over £20, so I can't really complain!

Very disappointed, hardly anything from to choose from! The dishes that were there were very poor quality. Desert selection was just vanilla ice cream and a bit of fruit and nothing else!

Made a mistake by visiting this restaurants just as a large what seemed like bus load of people arrived. Talk about swarm of locusts! Staff were then very slow to refill dishes. Food was pretty basic what there was of it. . Would not visit again.

Awful food. Greasy and of low quality. Such a shame because this is a lovely area and you expect quality food options but this place was horrid. We both had stomach pains after eating here.

I’m always excited when I visit a Chinese restaurant for the first time. Having moved to Salford Quays at the end of last year, I’d been meaning to try this place out for a while. Got home from work this evening and couldn’t be bothered cooking so thought, perfect opportunity! Upon walking in, a waiter pointed to the back of the restaurant. He didn’t specify which table for us to sit at so we just picked one and sat down. We then went to get our first plates of food. Blended duck, cold pancakes and runny hoisin sauce... I always like to try a bit of everything but I can honestly say not one dish was hot or tasty. The prawn toast was just bread, chicken curry was cold and tasteless, noodles were greasy and had a funny taste, salt and pepper chicken was dry and hard, crispy seaweed was not crispy at all.... In the end I barely had one plate full. This is the first time I’ve ever written a review but I felt like I had to. Absolute waste of money. Avoid!

We had Theatre tickets for 7.30pm and got caught in the dreaded Regent Road Traffic which was backing up on the Mancunian Way. It meant we had only 30 minutes to find somewhere, order, eat, pay and get to our seat in the theatre which is really close by. We spotted the Real China and decided that was the best solution - and it was!The place was very busy with Chinese people - which I figure is a good sign.We explained the rush to the chap at the desk - and the drinks arrived really quickly.The starters were hot and plentiful - but I couldn't get anywhere near the crispy duck and no time to wait!For my main, I chose rice, bean sprouts and 'the old stand-by' Sweet and sour chicken.I enjoyed it... albeit a bit too bright red for my liking. I didn't get a look at the desserts - no time.It came to £63.40 for 4 of us - so if we had more time and maybe bigger appetites I think it would be well worth it. As it was - it filled a hole and we made it to our theatre seats just in time!

Tables were dirty. Food was luke warm at best, I had half a plate of food, complained on paying, staff didn't seem phased at all. Dreadful

Unappetising slop the toilets are dirty with dried spit on the mirror light fitting screws exposed tired looking place and that's before the substanded food

Went here with a large family group ( 17 of us, 10 adults 7 kids) & everyone left stuffed & happy! Great selection of dishes to suit all tastes, & was all really yummy!! The deserts are basic as people have already pointed out ... ice cream , fruit salad, jam tarts ..... just pick bits really! However after filling up on the fab buffet , deserts arent really that important! I Will be a regular customer!

Never write reviews only to defend ..... but this place is absolutely shocking, just paid for a meal for my family and I feed my dog better quality

This cannot not be described as food. I cannot stress strongly enough the lack of choice, lack of heat in food and lack of presentation at this premises.I could eat the chips although cold, but do not risk what ever else was there. I cannot believe they are serving seafood in these conditions.

I was attending a show at the Lowry Theatre opposite and didn't have much time, so this place fitted the bill perfectly.I accept that compromises are made for buffet restaurants. For what was offered prices were cheaper than average - I paid £12.95 plus £2.90 for unlimited self service soft drinks which was good for a Friday night. I have paid up to £18+drinks elsewhere for similar food.Some of the recent reviews seem a little unfair. The staff were a lot friendlier and helpful than many similar buffets I have been to and the place was reasonably clean and the flood was actually quite hot. I do think other reviewers are right though about the dessert selection being rather limited.

I’m not one to complain but this place needs the review, it was terrible in every way the food, the service, the drinks all really bad. Such potential but no wonder we were one of three people in the restaurant..nothing fresh all frozen food and cold, the dessert tray had jammie dodgers I mean come on please!! So disappointed we walked in (I was with my daughter 7) and the prices were on the board but when we were leaving we were charged double what the board had said when we walked in. When we were leaving the waitress asked how the food was, I said ‘honestly, it was terrible’ , ‘excellent’ thank you she said!!! Avoid this place until the owner decides to run a real Chinese restaurant, absolutely disgraceful in all areasSorry but it’s true

We have visited several times and looked forward to hot, well cooked food and a fantastic range. The soup and some of the main dishes were just luke warm, the lemon chicken was dry as bone and the fruit was all tinned in syrup, rather than fresh. A bus load of Chinese arrived and ate with their coats on and rushed out! The bill payment was to a man at the till, who not only did not ask if we had enjoyed our meal, but did not even look at us, when he grabbed my card.. He was probably quite happy, just had not told his face, but we won't be back!

Considering the location of this restaurant I expected a high standard of food. I was disappointed with the choice of dishes on offer, and found that some dishes were running out and not being replenished in a timely fashion. Peachy keans in the Printworks, Manchester is much better.

When other eateries are full with waiting time of 30 mins pre theatre meal....... we should have been suspicious that we could easily get a table hereThe simple reason it was awfulCold plates, congealed food....... easily one of the worst we have been to......Tasteless chicken dishes..... no no no......I could go on.......

Food was distinctly average, nothing was bad but the only thing that was notably good were the Singapore noodles. Not much choice either especially for vegetarians. Food was lukewarm. Puddings were comically poor, I love a good Chinese buffet pudding and was expecting those great mini cakes. All they had was biscuits???? Cereal bars and tinned fruit. Very disappointing end to the meal. Gave it three stars cause it was pretty cheap.

First time visiting Media City UK, we were hungry and spotted this chinese buffet. We were taken to our table and immediately asked what we would like to drink. (Give me a chance to take my coat of please).We were seated and then the waiter walked of leaving the wine list on the table. Looking at each other in amazement, we made our way towards the buffet (although no-one showed us where to go). It was lunch time and all the serving dishes had food in and the foods appeared to be hot. The selection was adequate but not as much as other Chinese buffett I've been to previously. The pork and spare ribs could have been cooked a little longer as they were a little chewy. Everything else was satisfactory. However, I fancied something sweet and went to the desserts which was shocking. There was a few selections of fruits and a tray of BROKEN biscuits. Needless to say, we skipped dessert and went elsewhere.

The worst experience i have ever had in a restaurant in my life. The food was a joke tasteless and cold. Empty buffet dish lying for ages it took us 20 minutes for the chips to come out from the kitchen and long times to full other dishes apart from the awful starters and main courses available the pudding section was the worst chocolate chip cookies jeffa cakes and jammy dodger biscuits was absolutely terrible avoid at all costs if you ask me

Went last sunday 2pm with my wife and two adult children.It was a birthday treat from our daughter and we really enjoyed the food.There was a great variety and it was all hot and fresh.the staff were friendly and efficient.we were found a good table allthough the place was crowded.

This is a mediocre Chinese buffet place, not sparkling but not bad. A good point was within 2 minutes of entering the place I was sat with a plate overflowing with food and unlimited soft drinks...£43 for a family of 5 👍👍

Visited this Chinese buffet last night it’s got to be the worst I’ve ever experienced. Very little to select from and what was there was really bad and tasteless, to there credit staff were very pleasant. It’s a shame this restaurant spoiled the end of our long weekend in Scotland and Manchester with our twin grandchildren maybe visit another Chinese when we visit Manchester in may.

In the surroundings of quays, this place stood out as having decent value lunch menu around all the other chains such as harvester, nandos etc etc. For £6.95 all you can eat buffet, with soups, duck pancaKes, loads of starters and plenty of choice for mains. It was a bit quiet when we arrived, but then a load of oriental folks arrived, probably about 20, and they all got stuck in with us. Food is basic but well cooked, could,nt have got better elsewhere I'm sure. Drinks were decent too - bottomless soft drinks for less than £3 means eat here for under £20 for two and you can have as much as you like!!!

We have eaten at a few Chinese buffet's and this one was very nice. Lots of choice, the food was hot and tasty and it was very good value. We would certainly go back.

I would never recommend this venue even if there was nothing else available. The food was both poor and low temperature. It needs serious investment to bring it up to an acceptable standard. For such a nice area the venue is horrendous.

Being a chinese buffet I can only compare this against other chinese buffets as you never get excellent quality food from these sorts of restaurant. So if you go to these buffet restaurants you know what I mean. We visited of an evening so was on the more expensive dinner buffet. Arriving we were seated immediately and we requested the refillable soft drinks. We were given our glasses and believe it or not they actually offer branded soft drinks in a 'help yourself' fountain. Very unusual for a Chinese buffet I find but definitely a plus. We helped ourselves to the food. We had to ask them to replace the duck as there was just scrappy dried bits left but they were happy to do this and did this quickly. The food was of usual quality for a Chinese buffet and hot which was good and had enough variety to keep me going back a few times. The staff were friendly and helpful and I had a nice little conversation with one of the gentlemen on why they don't accept American express which was entertaining.A trip to the chinese buffet is never complete without a visit to the dessert counter. Always a laugh, this particular dessert counter had a variety of Mr Kiplings including apple pies, cherry bakewells and battenburg, along with the usual chinese cheap "desserts" and ice cream. Helped myself to an apple pie and cherry bakewell to satisfy my sweet tooth but who ever goes to the chinese for desserts?I believe the evening cost was £13 each which was a little higher than I expect for a chinese on the night. Maybe £11 I think is the norm but I enjoyed either way. We have visited the Real China in Redditch and I feel this one is much better, quality, variety and service. The one in Redditch has sinced been closed down.Please bear in mind when you visit you are going to a chinese buffet... greasy noodles, and saucy chicken is the reason why you're there and not a reason to complain.So overall a good experience and would definitely go back on our next visit to Manchester

Visited here for a quick bite before heading to the Lowry theatre.I’ve not had such bad food in a long while. It’s a buffet yes, and I always allow for a little leeway given this fact but honestly I cannot think of one good thing to say. The selection was not bad for a lunchtime, but all of the food was either dried out or swimming in generous sauce. The sweet and sour chicken.... well it said chicken but it tasted more like sweet and sour batter.Mushrooms in soy sauce was just pure salt.I’ve made better Singapore noodles myself at home.The crispy salt and pepper chicken and beef both tasted the same - again just batter.The salt and pepper chicken wings were green inside. Yes green.The prawn toast had no prawn in it, just deep fried bread.I tried a few other dishes that all tasted the same.The desserts were also poor, cheap biscuits cut into halves, jam tarts just obviously tipped out of a box, dried out chocolate roll and what can only be described as a tub of what looked like frozen milk. Add into that the fact that all the staff looked miserable as anything.None of us actually ate much as it was so disgusting. Usually I can satisfy myself at a buffet even with just one or two dishes but there was nothing nice at all here. We did complain and got two of the meals taken off the bill meaning that we ended up paying just over a fiver each, which in my opinion was still far too much. The best part was leaving! Would I return? Not even if you paid me.

I was recently blessed with a free ticket to visit this place at lunch time with my colleagues, in celebration of Chinese New Year.Approaching the door, we were surprised to find a closed sign. There were people in there, and we had booked, so we entered. This is a strange way of getting bums on seats.Upon being seated, it appeared to be just like every other Chinese buffet, and my initial thoughts were good. Firstly, I made my way over to the drinks station and was faced with a rather eclectic selection of beverages. This is the first place in England where I have seen Irn Bru served on draft. I suspect that most of the other patrons were in the same boat, as looking around 75% of all drinks glasses were full of it.Let’s talk food.Food is present. And that is about as good as you’re going to get with regards to compliments.The lunch menu appears to be a compromised version of the dinner menu. As you walk up to the buffet you are immediately offended by the lack of trust in their customers, as you are made to eat off of plastic plates. The plates aren’t warm, despite them being stacked in a plate-warming device with a warning slogan plastered on the side of it. Presumably at some point they had real “China”, but they may have had to tend to a party of Greeks in the past which has basically ruined it for everybody. As a result, the already lukewarm food is nice and cool for when you return to your seat.The first thing you can put on your ice block is [blended?] duck and pancakes with a selection of nondescript sauces. I had to be told it was duck because it looked like stuffing or that pretentious naff version of rice that the upper-class like to call quinoa. The restaurant had also kindly dehydrated it so they could fit more in the bowl. After that, the usual suspects were here; spring rolls, samosas, chips, onion rings, and any other beige and typically not Chinese food stuffs.As you progress towards the end of the 1st… aisle, you reach the chicken wings and carbohydrate, the former of which are removed from chickens that were clearly never fed for their short and miserable lives. The rice was actually enjoyable, but the chef had chosen to boil the noodles in soy sauce, which with the duck, double-teamed the moisture in your mouth. A trip to the drink station would be appropriate here.Moving onto the next section, you had Sweet and Sour 12 times, with differing meats. The highlight of this area was the shredded beef, which was actually the closest thing to what my local Chinese down the road produces. However, this place I believe should be defined by its choice of desserts.A ginormous tub of ice cream of unknown flavour (the words “generic”, “white”, and “bland” were used to describe it) follows a heap of biscuits that appear to have been deliberately halved to make people feel guilty about getting whole ones. Strangely, whole mini apple pies in little tins were available if you dug through to the bottom. You can also choose to have a portion of tinned fruit with your ice cream and biscuits. And for people on a diet, at the end of the dessert area there was salad. For some reason.And that sums it up really. To summarise:Irn Bru on draft. Duck in a blender. Biscuit landfill.P.S. Don’t come when it’s closed like we did, because many many tourists also descend on the restaurant and they are incapable of catering for more than about 30 guests.

You come for the food - you return for the biscuits. The selection of desert biscuits at this place is first class. Never before have I seen such a selection of biscuits, and white flavoured ice cream.I love how much attention to detail there was as well with amazing decorations around the biscuits. I never though a potato (in the top right of the picture) would've finished a display so perfectly.I will definitely be returning!

It was good! Plenty of food at a good price. Would have been 5 stars if the food was a little hotter. Would definitely go back.

Ok for a quick lunch, but the food was not that varied and the quality only fair. Had much better Asian food for the money. No real service to speak about. Overall a very basic and not authentic Chinese. Don't think we would return but was not overpriced

Visited this place 12 months ago and what a difference 12 months make, went for my birthday and was really disappointed with the lack of food and choice. The food, what was available, was very bland and some of it cold. The “crispy” shredded duck was what I can only describe as a powder substitute. Not very shredded. The pancakes stone cold. The desserts was lacking, who wants Jaffa cakes as an afters!! But worse than this is the fact they scrape the left over food into a container at the front of house on the bar. Not very inviting and won’t be visiting again.

In Manchester for weekend and popped in here for evening meal. It's worst Chinese buffet I 've ever had misfortune to visit. Terrible selection of food, most servers were empty and what was available was tasteless.As for deserts , it's first restaurant I 've ever visited where I was offered a jaffa cake or a jammy dodger for pudding. I love deserts and couldn't find a thing I would eat. Avoid this place at all costs, a complete waste of money and an hour of my life !!

You would think proximity to The Lowry would instigate some competition from the surrounding business, however it seems like The Real China is happy to coast along on a wave of mediocre buffet food and tepid deserts. The food was very greasy and it was quite insulting that the 'desserts' were substandard e.g out of a packet Swiss roll and cheap biscuits. It really wasn't worth the price you would pay for a better standard of buffet in any other restaurant we have visited. The service was friendly and polite which was the only positive.

I visited this restaurant whilst on a shopping trip to the Lowry centre in Salford keys. Whilst the food was nice, had I visited the toilet first and not just as I was leaving I would NEVER have eaten there. The toilets are DISGRACEFUL. They have not been cleaned in a long time the toilet brush was disgusting and there was carpet on the floor - who has carpet on a toilet floor especially in a restaurant I can only imagine what the floor was like under that. There was no soap to wash your hands and the tap didn't work on one of the sinks, I was glad I had hand sanitiser with me. it was only when I came out of the toilet I started to look around the restaurant itself it also looked dirty. I was waiting for my husband to come out of the men's toilet. He also said they were disgusting and there was carpet in the men's toilet as well. How do these places get past the hygiene standards agency. Luckily I haven't been sick but my stomach has been a bit dodgy all day. When eating out I usually visit the toilets first and if they are not clean then I don't eat there. If they are not bothered about the hygiene in the toilets then it is probably not good anywhere. Will not be visiting that place again. The buffet cost around £32 per couple with refill soft drink.

Expensive for poor quality food, the decor is poor and shoddy. Not at all inviting, like a shoddy cafe, wallpaper coming off walls, threadbear carpets, toilets only passable, staff in trainers, looked like a bit of a who can wear the most expensive. Once you add in price of any beer forget it go elsewhere. With its present state it won’t be open much longer. People expect better nowadays.

The main plus point was we went in just after it opened at 5.00 so all dishes were fresh and hot. The food I thought was very bland. There was no hint of spice in the two chicken curries. The duck wasn't shredded as most places it was minced so no crispy bits which are the best bits in Peking duck.Quick service and plates cleared quickly. Average Chinese buffet

Average buffet - Something there everyone will like but not amazing quality. Food was not monitored as well as previous visits and ran out quickly.

Not having the time to queue in Nando’s or Pizza Express we went into here. It hasn’t proved fatal as both of us are still alive. This restaurant is simply appalling. The only enjoyable part was a bottle of beer which wasn’t made on the premises. There are no words to describe how awful the food is. Didn’t bother complaining just wrote it down to experience.

I used to eat hear regularly a few years back and was always happy, it has never been the best in Asian food but was enjoyable, having not been in a few months I popped in for lunch and wish I had not. The food was so greasy and everything just tasted of dirty fryer oil but the thing that really got me mushrooms in black bean sauce as soon as I put it in my mouth it just tasted wrong and ended up having going to the toilet to be sick, the toilet by the way is filthy. It’s a shame because I really liked this place.

Lunchtime buffet and as the place was busy with Xmas shoppers the trays were replenished regularly and all the food was hot.The mainly non-chinese were friendly enough.There is a large selection of starters and mains. The food was average and the sweets a joke.OK if you want a quick cheap meal.

We were looking for a late lunch when we came across The Real China. It was 2pm & we were told the buffet finished at 3pm. This would give us an hour to have our meal, plenty of time you might think? We needed to wait for dishes to be refilled, due to an influx of a large organised party. At 3pm the restaurant closed, I mean the lights were switched off & everyone left. They very kindly waited while we found our way out of the toilet in the dark, due to unlit stairs - it was dangerous. It did give us a talking point for the rest of the evening & weekend.

Put simply, this is a poor restaurant. Whilst buffet-style restaurants are different to a la carte, it is not an excuse for bad food. The Real China does for Chinese food what Frankie and Benny’s does for Italian: it takes poor quality ingredients and cooks them badly. It is a cheap restaurant so you can’t expect too much however, regardless of how low your expectations are, you will be disappointed. I will however finish on a positive: whilst other reviews comment on poor service and rude staff, I did not find this to be the case. Despite a very busy restaurant, the staff who we met were courteous and friendly.

Main course was adequate but hugely disappointing deserts. Advertised gatueux and black forest gatueux on the menu but only got jam tarts and party rings. Must be a different way of doing things in Salford! If got pudding right you could easily double the rating!

The real China is a buffet style resturant.This meal was a bit of a let down. We arrived at 8.00 and were promptly told that they closed at 9.00 so we had to hurry our meal. Even as we ate, they staff were clearing up and taking some of the food away.Many of the dishes were quite dry and obviously not fresh. We love crispy duck but this dry and bit tasteless. When we came to the pudding, it was a bit of a joke, I love banana fritters but they only had one little tiny portion ( actually it was only a spoon full). Other puddings were very strange and very basic.Not a very good experience.

Rude and poor service and management. Tasteless foods. I live in a residential block near to this restaurant and all my neighbours had a bad food experience at this restaurant.

I have visited this establishment over the years and it’s been value for money with good food and a vibrant atmosphere. However, I’ve not been for sometime and will definitely not be returning soon. On route I was reading recent reviews with nothing but negativity about the place but being one to want to make my own opinions I continued to visit the restaurant. If you are on route or planning to go, don’t be stubborn like me. Here goes ....Totally bland, tasteless food. Most dishes were just about warm. If it wasn’t hot it was cremated or warm at best. The chicken skewers had definitely moved on to another life. The chicken dishes were disgusting especially the sweet and sour mush. Desert comprised of jammie dodgers, Jaffa cakes , party rings, Swiss role and other effortless choices. The location has massive potential but unfortunately it’s a massive let down. Someone needs to give chef Ramsey a call and offer him a real challenge. On the plus side, the bottled tiger beer was good.

it was awful the food was greasy and barely hot , the food tasted like it was microwaved from frozen and when i went to pay i was charged £10 instead of £6.55 because apparently its more money with card and it “said this on the sign at the front” which was not said on the sign at the front. The diet cole was flat also and service was poor. DO NOT GO HERE

We've eaten here before but can't remember it being this bad. After a visit to the Lowry we decided against going into Manchester to eat and decided to give Real China another go. Considering all the eateries available we really must have fancied Chinese to end up going to Real China again.It's a no-nonsense Chinese Buffet, so there isn't any service to speak of, only drink orders. My first trip to the servery resulted in a plate of food that was all stone cold. The Sesame Toast was rock hard and there wasn't a great deal of taste to anything.Platter 2 resulted in Fried Rice that clearly wasn't cooked and the rest of my choices were again just bland and tasteless. The only redeeming dish was some Lemon Chicken that I managed to bag straight from the kitchen as it was being topped up. Although the batter was really hard, the chicken inside was actually quite tender and succulent, so Lemon Chicken to fill up on.To one side of the servery, there are a number of heated chafing dishes containing what appear to be Thai dishes. All these look like they had been there since opening that day and visually were dry and unappetising. We naturally avoided them.The sweets were quite entertaining including Jaffa Cakes and Lemon Tarts, (very Chinese). Okay it isn't expensive but that is no excuse for food of dismal quality. They know exactly what they are serving up each day, so should be able to keep the food fresh and hot. Kids would be happy though with Chicken Nuggets and Chips to fill up on

Wish I’d read the reviews before entering this establishment. Food was luke warm and bland. Fortunately the light is quite good as I cut into a piece of chicken and it was pink inside - clearly not cooked through. I told the waitress who was apologetic and did nothing to remove the dish in question so who knows who actually ate the potentially dangerous dish. Sweet and sour chicken !!!! Trades descriptions act needs to be used on this dish as it was just red mush - certainly no chicken around, which may have been for the best. Highlight was the Oriental Swiss roll, Jaffa cakes and Jammie Dodgers - someone’s been to Lidl.Up there with one of the worst meals I’ve ever had.

Friendly welcome from staff. Drinks were brought to the table quickly. Food was fine with a reasonable choice of dishes.

This was our 1st visit here and would definitely return. We only waited a few minutes to be seated. Our drinks were brought out swiftly. Lots of choice from the all you can eat buffet along with a grill. All the food was hit and was filled as soon as empty. It's a big restaurant but it didn't feel like we were battling through people to get food. Really good prices, friendly staff and a good atmosphere. It is opposite The Lowry Theatre so close to metrolink.

You'd expect this to be good due to its perfect location. From the flat lager shandy through the watery tasteless soup, the limp tasteless starters and poor choice and Luke warm main courses.It's a bit much when the highlight is the Mr Kipling cakes and sliced Twix! The prawn crackers weren't too bad eitherThe scintillating atmosphere? Sadly noAwful!

Service fast and friendly. While three of our group of four were pleased with what they ate, I found the available dishes too sweet with little variety in taste. Toilet fascility leaves much to be desired!

Went to this Chinese buffet with friends, the who restaurant is really old and out dated, to food was horrendous. Greasy, poor selection, most of the dishes were luke warm or cold. I was truly a waste of money and an embarrassment for the Lowry centre. There really needs to be a review of the premise, facilities and food. I would highly recommend that you do not waste your money here. The cost was ridiculous for the poor quality and choice.

Hands down the absolute worst Chinese buffet I have had the misfortune to eat. All of the food was either overcooked or cold and tasted like nothing I would call Chinese,definitely will not be back and would recommend everyone not to go.

I was here for dinner the food was luke warm at best the staff were alright but nothing special maybe if It would be better if the place was busier as the food would be on a higher turn over which would keep the food fresh

Real China is a buffet restaurant which is OK. The food was tasty enough but was only lukewarm, as was the service. There were a couple of Chinese families eating there which I thought was a good sign but I wasn't really impressed. Won't be hurrying back.

We should have walked back out as soon as we walked in when the manager told us we had to finish by 5.30 as a party of 300 would be arriving.There wasn't much choice in food, no teppanyaki unlike other buffet Chinese restaurants. We paid £10.95 each for the poor selection of food, i wish now i had said something at the time.The desserts on offer was appalling, ginger bread men and caramel shortcake which can be bought from Asda (2 boxes for £3), jammie dodgers, an unappetising box of frozen solid icecream and some fruit. Maybe i set my expectations too high hoping the food would be similar to that served in the local buffet restaurants to me on Derby and Burton On Trent, i did expect a hell of alot better than what we got though.

We visited the resteraunt twice and both times was refused entry because they had private party's. This was highly disappointing as the only reason we visited the area on these 2 occasions was to eat here and to be refused access was frustrating.Online it doesn't state that the place is closed and surely they should have a function room or a separate area for private events?Very disappointed.

It was our first date night in a while due to having babies. We sat near the back of the restraunt and the floors were covered in food. It really didn't help that we could see inside the dirty kitchen and they weren't wearing correct PPE for work which wasn't great when the chef came out in dirty clothes with what looked like blood on his hands serving food and getting himself drinks from the customer refill station. For £30 the food was disgusting and a real let down for the Lowry. Food tasted of vinegar and the chicken didn't taste one bit like chicken

If you visit Manchester and you found your way around Salford or Lowry outlet and you need a good food, one of the best restaurants around is the Real China. Not that this restaurant restaurant is also clean and have good variety. The restaurants is buffet but you paid for the drink. The location is good and close to the Quay. The food taste nice and you always find something to eat. The staff are also helpful and provide assistance

Nothing seriously wrong with this place, and it works well for a no-delays meal before the theatre, but the food is not exceptional. It's okay. Nothing more.

Myself and my partner decided to eat here after doing the coronation street tour.

Yet again a really delicious lunch here. The staff are pleasant and polite and there is never a shortage of dishes. Everything is piping hot and the containers kept topped up regularly. Always our eating place when visiting the Lowry for either theatre or shopping.

My wife and I had Chinese buffet here before attending a show at The Lowry (which is 60 seconds walk opposite).

We have quite frequently visited The Real China, as the food is freshly prepared and good quality, even if the staff are somewhat morose and not particularly welcoming.

There was good choice and the price was reasonable at £12.95 per head. Plenty to choose from, soup, starters and main courses, although we did find some things were not too warm, especially the chips. Ice cream and various choices for dessert as well which was an added bonus. Good choice of drinks, except for draft lager which they had run out of so we had bottles which were £3.50 each. Our only complaint was the plates, which were only side plate size.

I visited this place about 2 years ago and thought the food was of average quality but the service was lacking. On my visit to have a quick bite to eat I was informed that the offer ended at 15:00, but as we were there at 14:20 I felt that was more than enough time to tide our hunger over till dinner time. Multiple times we were asked if we were sure as they were closing and we would have to leave the premises by that time. Which to me is pretty rude considering we paid 13.90 in total for the 2 of us, for the leftovers of a buffet. I'd think that would be a businesses happy moment but were met with nothing but rudeness and glances to where we were Sat. We left at 14:57 And will never return again due to the worst service ever. It'll probably be shut down by the end of the year with attitudes like that. Maybe a visit by the health inspector may be needed also.

Unlike most all you can eat Chinese buffets the food was freshly cooked and never left to go dry or overcooked. The chicken satay on skewers were moist, hot and delicious as were the chicken wings. A great selection of starters including perfectly cooked barbeque ribs. All of the main selections were excellent with various beef, pork, duck and chicken dishes. An excellent buffet restaurant and reasonably priced as well.

Shame I have to give one star should be no stars.

There is not many choices of dishes and the deserts are poor. Over all average although over priced.

Was working at the theatre in MediaCity. Decided to visit the restaurant on Saturday. Arrived at the door and the people in front were seated. A man who I assume was the Ower said there was no space. The group in the queue behind me were seated as I walked away. I just assumed they had reservations. The Sunday I decided I would try again. I arrived to no queue and there were plenty of seats inside and outside. I said to the waitress at the door, table for one please. She looked at the empty tables and said one moment and said something to the same man from the night before. The man said there is no space. I said excuse me, can I sit outside then?

Went to this place as it was close to where I needed to be , big mistake . I totally understand that they were busy ( soccer aid was on ) however the young waitress proceeded to flick food on me whilst cleaning the neighbouring table , then reached over to clear my plate when I was still eating and then no sooner had we stood up they were like a pack of wolves clearing the table for the next unfortunate customer . Food is not all that , cheap supermarket desserts just cut in half . Poor utensils to self serve with , avoid , avoid , avoid !!!!!!

Shocking food. Tasteless and Lukewarm, would Defiantly not go again any time soon!! It was obviously cheap for a reason!!

Probably the worst meal I've ever had, cheap food , cheap service, cheap every thing , revolting . Horrible

A weekend away in Salford Quays, and we really enjoy Chinese buffets so we went hoping for a nice meal, but it was not to be. Very limited variety of food, all of which you had to put on a plate the size of a side plate. All very luke warm and not appertising in the slightest. Dessert consisted (and I couldn’t quite believe my eyes), on show was mince pies, chocolate digestive biscuits, caramel biscuits cut in half, mini rolls cut in half, fig rolls and other numerous bits of biscuits and cakes all cut up, along with jelly in a plastic cup with one grape in, together with a huge tub of ice cream, other than that there was a poor selection of fruit, and most of that was canned. We complained as we paid the bill, but they didn’t seem at all bothered, just muttered they would check everything was out!

Having visited the Real China in Redditch,Worcestershire I was looking forward to my meal. The food was luke warm and the choice was very limited. The deserts were a selection of cheap biscuits and some ice cream. This was the worse Chinese meal I have every had. Would never go back again

Good food except the deserts Value for money. Chicken and beef items were good. Lemon chicken, chicken on black bean sauce, prawn, singapore noodles were very good. Much better than cosmos manchester.

Could count the choices of main meals in one hand. Their dessert choices are very pitiful and unimaginative. They have no curry sauce!? So strange. Luckily we only

Goodish Chinese buffet, nothing outstandingly good or bad. Nice, though, and busy so locals must think it's OK.