MingMoon Chinese Restaurant and Bar

Of all of the Chinese places to eat in the area this has to be one of the worst.
I work in the service industry so it is rare I will give a bad review unless I believe it to be true.
The first time i went it was good which Is why I give It two stars, this was on a saterday when the food was changed regularly, and there was much choice, this is the only time I would recommend going.
The second was a Sunday, first of all there was no chicken balls… this should of been a sign. Regardless we choose to eat as the first time was good. We went to the buffet and the food looked as though it had been out for hours, it tastes this way too. This was the first time I have ever refused to pay for a meal.
The third I was invited by a friend and it was difficult to say no. We were sat by the buffet as it was quiet, this was a Thursday. The room was freezing so we asked to be moved. Upon going to the buffet I then realised the room being so cold affected the temperature of the food. Even the lunch price is a rip off, and the staff are pretty useless, managment argue, drinks are slow, don’t see any point going again.

Have been here a few times and the food is good, especially my favourite desserts, theirs loads of selections of choices you get to pick from. The venue is nicely decorated and modern. Most of the food is often luke warm so on that aspect of things they could do better with keeping the food a lot warmer. It’s nice for a buffet food that is mass produced for large amounts of people. Overall It’s a nice place to go out to eat with your friends and family for a reasonable price.

We went there with a group of people from Thailand, Taiwan and Japan and they all recommended us what to eat, they said the food was pretty good and I totally agreed. Going there with a big group and karaokeing is the best :)

The Arcadian and hurst street areas of Birmingham are packed full of amazing Chinese restaurants, last weekend we decide to visit the buffet style restaurant Ming Moon.
Upon arrival you are warned that you will only have an hour and a half to eat, the restaurant is always busy and there can sometimes be a wait for tables so I understand them having to do this on weekend nights. Our waiter quickly took our drinks order, went through the vast selection of dishes we could take advantage of and set us on our way.
At some Chinese buffets there is a decent selection of classic Chinese dishes… however at Ming Moon the selection is beyond what I have ever experienced before. You have the option of sushi, dim sum and teppanyaki, as well as a range of Chinese curries, starters and deserts. Two small plates in, I was sadly defeated… I had high hopes of eating my own body weight in food, but it’s amazing how quickly you feel full.
As with most Chinese buffet restaurants I feel Ming Moon suffers from a quantity over quality issue, however at £15 for as much food as you want you do get what you pay for here. This is the perfect restaurant for hangovers and diet cheat days but If you are watching your waste line this is not the place for you!

This is in my opinion a typical Chinese all you can eat buffet. There is a variety of never ending dishes and re-​filled very often that I never saw it more than a quarter left before it got refilled. The food was ok nothing amazingly special. I have had better food at all you can eat buffets in London & Derby. Even better in Chinese restaurants in London. This is located in Chinatown so there are loads of options nearby. I wouldn’t come back here if I was in the area, I would probably go to an independent restaurant but due to time restraint and this place being conveniently located opposite Reflex which is where we had to be for the master of flair competition. It was the best option. They do cater well to big groups as we had a group of 15 and they handled it very well. Service was great and extremely efficient. If you want quick and easy and your not too fussy about the quality or taste of food then I would say come here otherwise I would say avoid it.

This place is quite something. It seems to run smooth and tight and appears clean and tidy throughout, unlike some other local competition. Service is helpful and polite. It’s an all you can eat buffet kinda place, so the score reflects the typical competition within that niche rather more than the absolute quality. Food is OK. The noodles, soup, rice, etc. are all fine. The main dishes are typical buffet standard — that means mediocre quality overall, but edible. The chicken in particular is of the spongy reconstituted style. All is tasty enough and there is a huge selection to choose from. I had a nibble or two of pretty much everything. Like I say … it’s OK. So why 4****? Well, it’s more the slickness and service that gets the extra star. Food wise I’d say it’s a 3*** joint, but it was still very busy even after standard lunchtime. I was in around 3.00pm. People want quick and easy and that’s what this place does so well. And at £7.99 including a large selection of deserts it’s hard to complain.

Even though I spoke about avoiding Ming Moon before, I recently attended a Christmas Dinner party there and was impressed how much it had improved!
We visited Ming Moon in a party of 12 on a Tuesday evening, staff were polite and attentive, there was hot, freshly made dim sum, teppanyaki and soups as well as being able to request tap water.
Glad to see it improve! Thank you Ming Moon!

Located in China Town/​Arcadian. Restaurant is always busy, so good sogn people can’t get enough of Ming Moon food. Always managed to get table within 5 to 10 minutes. You’ll wait longer if you have bigger group or weekends.
Food is pretty good. Lots of food, it’s a buffet ofcourse. The only buffet where they have omlette on menu, and I’m a big fan of omlette. The food section is large but can be a line for food as It gets pretty busy.
Unfortunately there isn’t enough room between tables. Have to be extra careful everytime you get up or you’ll bump into someone behind or side. Can hear people’s conversations, that’s how close you are.
I love the cooking stations, you can get stir fry made as you like with the toppings you like. And the chef make it so pleasant by decorating the plates with patterns from sauces, you’ll just want to look at your plate after. They have other foods they cook live other than stir fry but I never got to try.
Desert section is big. Theres everything from sweets, cakes and fresh fruits to chocolate fountain with marshmallows.
Overall food is great but the other stuff gets a little annoying, especially if you want have a nice conversation. People bumping into you and gets kinda loud. But I guess that’s a lot of buffets atmosphere. It’s not the best buffet I’ve been to, but the food is not the problem.

We went here for a friends birthday last Saturday evening. As there was a group of about 12 a table had been booked in advance. When we arrived we were told that we had to pay before being seated — I didn’t mind this so much as it must be hard to keep track o people at a large buffet restaurant (which this is). However it would have been so much easier if they had told us about this at the time of booking so people could have had the right change etc. really badly organised.
We were lead to a long table (never good for a party of that size — I much prefer a round table so you can talk to more people) which was located parallel and right next to the buffet service area. This was AWFUL. I couldn’t sit facing the food area as the lights were so bright that they would have triggered a migraine, sitting with my back to the food meant that there was a constant stream of people immediately behind me jostling for food. There was music playing in the background which, on top of the sound of people, was so loud that I couldn’t even hear my friend sitting across from me.
The food was actually quite horrific. The driest crispy duck and prawn toast I’ve ever seen. There was a wide range of food but it just wasn’t well prepared and suffered from being under such hot lights.
When I first moved to Brum I was so excited by Chinese buffets (there was nothing similar in the town I lived in before) but that’s before I got to experience ‘proper’ Chinese food. I’m not even talking strange dishes but just well cooked, genuine food. I’d put Ming Moon on a par with Big Wok which is just around the corner. I’d stay away from both of these — if you want a good Chinese buffet then head to Golden Pond which is just around the corner in The Arcadian Centre — at least here you can see Chinese people eating in the restaurant which is generally a good sign.

I do love a good Chinese buffet restaurant and Ming Moon is probably my favourite. I love the inside, it’s huge and has lots of space. The girly magpie in me also loves the black, glittery stairs leading up.
The staff are friendly and attentive; making sure that plates are cleared away quickly and that food is replaced regularly.
The food is good too, a fairly standard buffet menu with an open kitchen making fresh dim sum and a huge dessert selection. The food area can get very busy, it’s surrounded by tables and leaves little space to move around. Last time I went I managed to stab a women in the arm with a fork by mistake.
Overall, I am a fan of Ming Moon. It’s on the better end of buffet restaurants.
My top tip: book in advance for a Friday or Saturday, it gets very busy.

This is my favourite Chinese buffet in Birmingham. The quality of the food can be a bit hit and miss at times, but on the whole I usually enjoy it, and come away nursing a food baby.
The daytime selection is good, but the evening selection is amazing as this also gives you teppenyaki where you choose your own ingredients, a huge variety of dim sum, traditional Chinese dishes, and crispy duck spring rolls. During the day you’re limited to the buffet bar and the occasional steamed dumplings.
It can get quite noisy at times, as it’s a popular venue for parties, and the music gets quite loud too.
If you like Chinese food, and you aren’t too bothered about sitting at a little table between a lot of other diners, you’ll probably enjoy your meal. If you’d prefer something a little quieter, then it’s probably best to avoid.

After my second time visiting this restaurant I thought it was about time I wrote a review.
This large restaurant and bar is situated close to the Arcadian, and is about a 10 minute walk from new street station.
I have always found the staff to be welcoming and the bar comprises of sofas and chairs for that all important pre or post meal drink.
The food here is set out buffet style with plenty of starters, mains and desserts options. There are some speciality dishes such as octopus and lamb along with a live coking station and a chef that makes sweet crepes. Taking of sweets make sure you do leave room for dessert because mini cakes, sweets, and fresh fruit are on offer and there is a chocolate fountain!
The food is of good quality and is regularly topped up when items get low.
This restaurant is always buzzing!

This is a large venue in the city centre. Polite, courteous who generally don’t do a big sales pitch with you.
Its a buffet, order drinks and then go find food! And there is lots of food. You can go have something hand made for you or pick from what’s on display. Nearly always piping hot and a lot of choice. Don’t forget there is sushi and salad next to the dessert wall.
Make sure you save room for mini puddings as they are small enough for you to pick two or three little things to give you a taste.
The décor is modern and most of the times I’ve been there the music has been pretty current chart/​dance.
Loud people get noticed very easily here so its probably not best to bring twenty of your noisy friends for a big birthday buffet.
Currently the lunch price lasts until 5pm and then the dinner price after.
Well worth a try!

I’m afraid I have to add myself to the list of disgruntled customers below.
I’ve been here countless times and had begun to think of it as my new favourite meeting place, but I shan’t be going back anytime soon, simply because of the embarrassment and loss of face brought on by the waiting staff.
It was my daughter’s birthday yesterday so, after ringing around friends and family I decided to arrange a surprise get together and booked the table last week, with a promise to confirm final numbers on Saturday. I rang again on Saturday and confirmed that there would be thirteen adults and two children and the booking went smoothly.
When I arrived with my daughter and grandchildren the table and some of the other guests were already waiting and, since my daughter wasn’t expecting such big a turnout, the element of surprise increased at each new arrival, which was great all good so far.
At the appointed ‘start time’ the balloons, surprise home made birthday cake (chocolate and strawberries) and majority of attendees had turned up, so we proceeded to get into the buffet which, as always, was quite pleasant, unrushed and plentiful a good choice for all tastes and reasonably priced.
Only two of the guests were still outstanding by this stage but, since it was my grandson’s father and his soon to be married sister from Leamington, they were the ones that would finalise my daughter’s special day, as they were also the last people my daughter was expecting to see this side of the wedding in three weeks’ time!
One of the guests by this time had to leave so I went with him to the waiting staff and ‘excused’ him, explaining that I was footing the bill for the entire booking so they didn’t need to worry so that left ten adults and two children.
Anyway, to cut a long story short, the last two turned up an hour into the allotted two hour slot I knew they were just about to arrrive so I grabbed my grandson and went downstairs to greet them and, whilst letting them know that my daughter wasn’t expecting them, asked my six year old grandson to take his dad and auntie upstairs to the table.
Surprise complete total success! Daughter almost fainted in shock!
So, after hugs, kisses and introductions all round, the latest two went off and grabbed some food we only had forty or so minutes left so time was dwindling.
Then it happened!
Two of the waiting staff rushed over to the last two guests and started interrogatng them asking if they had made a booking, and did they know they were sitting at a reserved table, at which point I had to interrupt and explain that I had specifically finalised the booking for thirteen adults and two children the previous day.
The staff then retreated and everything settled down but the damage had been done, and I was left shamefaced in front of my family, which is the reason that I shan’t be going back.
Ming Moon staff canot begin to imagine the embarrassment they have caused me by questioning my family and my guests as to their eligibility to sit down with me, especially when I am paying hundreds of pounds for the privilege!
Had the waiting staff taken the time to count the guests as they arrived they would have realised that the final two had completed the headcount, or did they assume that two black people sitting down an hour late at an otherwise white gathering were obviously uninvited?
Bad, bad show Ming Moon!

Ming Moon is perhaps the best Chinese buffet during my stay in Birmingham and believe me, there is a lot around!
China Town itself situated not far from the Bullring, is home to countless buffets, all offering competitive prices, but often skipping on the quality of the food.
As a huge Chinese fan, Ming Moon at £9.99 per person seemed slightly deer in comparison to other buffets I had visited, but once I’d been, it all made sense.
The selection of food was second to none, with everything I tried tasting delicious and the number one rule at buffets, it was piping hot. No food was left out over long duration’s of time, with a member of staff regularly coming to change the tray, bringing fresh food to the counters.
Cantonese, Thai and even Japanese food are all represented, providing a culinary adventure throughout Asia.
The food was so good, it was almost surprising after experiencing other Chinese buffets on offer in town. Overall my experience at Ming Moon was an utterly enjoyable one, one that I will definitely be repeating sooner rather than later.

Ming Moon is special, I almost ate my self to death in there when I took it upon my self to do the «buffet challenge»
The «buffet challenge» is where you eat a set amount of everything there is to eat and see how far you can get. The selection is so wide here even if i had a bottomless stomach it would still take me hours to get through the menu.
The problem with Chinese buffets I find is that sometimes the food has been left out for awhile and it can get cold or just look like sorry left over’s in the containers but the staff here where like military, I was sad to keep chipping away at their beautiful set up so freshly servers food but joking aside these guys had a constant watch over the food to make sure it was all OK.
Desserts looked amazing, ice cream on tape and a chocolate fountain, you know the drill, with the marshmallows on the skewers? I would of love to of tried it but I was already half way to the ambulance with an exploded stomach from failing the «buffet challenge»
The cost is a set 11.99 per head and the bar has limited drinks but all the classics. The restaurant it’s self is near New Street station and is in the heart of china town. You can’t miss it, feels kind of like stars in your eyes as you assent the steps from the street into the restaurant.
The interior is amazing, the place is so big but the table layout sometimes feels like your too close to the people next to you. When I was there they had a live pianist playing loads of classics including Adele, so you know people where happy.

absolutely had the best birthday ever here. friendly staff, good food for a buffet, drinks were a bit to expensive but i did had a good time and with my family although we made you guys extra rich with 25 peoples and rounds of bottle of champagnes and wines i cant complain about the good experience i had in there.

good selection of food all around. the sushi was kind of meh. but i liked the stirfry section. The only thing that upset me was the duck pancakes and its clearly not duck meat. the texture tasted like shredded pork. it’s also chopped up into very fine bits so it would fool most people… but othewise pretty decent buffet. would consider going again when i’m feeling gluttonous.

Unfortunatley ive had to put a bad rating for this, ive been 3 times here never had a problem with the food.
The décor and atmosphere is superb in this restaurant. And the selection is out this world 10÷10…
But…
4 of us went and all of us ended up vometing when we got back. Dont know if it was food poising but not good.
I wont be going back simply of the bad experience.

5pm on Tues 9 November 2010
standard chinese buffet £11.99 after 5pm nicely laid out and labelled
good teppanyaki section at the rear missed out on that
should have had a good nose around first which is what I remind you to do when you visit here
standard selection of deep fried starters
curry section lamb look a bit suss but the meat was eatable
no shredded duck though only chredded chicken WHAAAT
chocolate fountain was a good addition to the dessert section
all in all an average buffet
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