Panda Oriental Buffet

For the price, and the fact it’s a buffet, it’s really good value for money and very good food. The only downside I can think of is the décor, and still that’s only minor.
It’s a very reliable way to have a filling meal for a cheap price, me and my friends can’t stop going!

Plus Points: it’s cheap and it’s all you can eat.
Bad points: everything else. The food is good if you have never had a half decent chinese before. Everything appears to have been bought from iceland (the shop, not the country) and whilst there is plenty of it, I could have cooked better myself (nobody would employ me as a chef, trust me). there are far better restaurants in sunderland, however if you are after a dining experience that makes Mcdonalds look like a five star restaurant this is your place. BTW, good luck with the diabetes/​high blood pressure/​diarrhoea that may come free of charge with every meal. Oh, and if you are going to drink anything here, make sure you have a healthy bank account.

Panda for us is a cheap and cheerful option. I will say with the introduction of more competition locally they have really improved their restaurant. It can get very full and sometimes the buffet is a bit of a jostle but I think it comes with the territory of a cheap all you can eat.
The new décor is much better though I think the KTV bar upstairs was a bit pointless from what I’ve seen (doesn’t seem to get used enough to warrant it).
What seems to be pulling in extra trade is the Sunday buffet now offering carvery food as well as Chinese. While there is better carvery food out there, you wouldn’t get it for a better price, especially with unlimited meat.
Some reviewers have mentioned the cost of drinks and while I do agree they’re certainly not cheap there are alternatives. Panda don’t seem to mind people getting water if you want to limit the amount of drinks you have, or consider the Chinese (jasmine) tea if that’s your thing. We drink that with our meal, it has unlimited refills on it, is just over £1 a person and we find aids digestion of chinese food too.
Could be better, but is improving, and they do seem to be trying. Cheaper than nearest competitor.

It’s cheap and cheerful. The quality is reasonable and the children will usually find something they like.
The drinks are not cheap but then what would you expect?

I found that the atmosphere in this restaurant isn’t very good, the food is ok but the drinks are daylight robbery, you certainly can find cheaper drinks elsewhere. The numerous times i have been there, i waited quite long for a table, especially on a weekend, id recommend you go on a weekday when its not busy.

Great place to pop in for a quick meal. Food decent quality and not bad priced. Can’t pick fault with it to be honest.

I’ve visited this restaurant on a number of occasions and have found it to be great value.
Not all of the food is excellent all of the time but there is always a great selection on offer with food regularly refreshed and good friendly service. I can also highly recommend going for the aromatic duck option on an evening which is again great value. Don’t get me wrong, this isn’t a gourmet restaurant, it’s more like an all you can eat buffet but all in all really worth a trip out for a good value meal in pleasant surroundings with friendly and helpful staff.

I have eaten in panda on many occasions, there is always a fine selection of food at a good quality, As well as friendly staff, with a competent management team, and all day specials on drinks. what more could you ask from a Chinese buffet! Aromatic crispy duck and seafood specials more than make up for the price increase after 7.30. One of the best Chinese buffets in the north east.

I love pandas range of food, something for everyone, though beware, my son came with me one afternoon along with my daughter and although I bought him a drink and he was sitting down, he went to have a look at the buffet and decided he wasnt that hungery, later on a waitress came over to us and said that next time that happend we would be charged for my son even though he didnt eat anything, so just beware of that. Other than that slight misunderstanding its always a great experience but i usually go quite early to avoid the cues.

i really like the panda oriental buffet because of the sheer variety of food availbel to you. i think its great how you can have as much of whatever you want and all for a great price. ive heard that if you pay extra on an evening you get the crispy duck and pancakes which sounds very appetising so i will have to try this in the near future — i have only ever been at a lunch time but even then it has always been quite busy because it is very popular!
i also have found the staff very nice even if you just want to order a soft drink with your meal, they dont make you feel as though you should order wine, ect
highly recommended for a good quality cheap night (or day!) out

The Panda Oriental Buffet is located in the town on Holmeside. It is they only restaurant of its type in Sunderland is looks quite modern. I’ve been here a few time and enjoyed it a lot. Recently I think the food quality has not been that good, but you can’t really complain for about a fiver. The evening meal is a better deal as for a couple of quid extra you get the crispy duck and pancakes which is very nice. I’m not a fan of the fact you can’t get tap water, but one bottle of mineral water is big enough for two.

I like this place as you can eat all you want for as little as £5.50 if I remember correctly, so with a drink, you could have a good lunch out for as little as £6.50 and it is hard to do. I love the food, but I am disappointed that they only have seafood on offer for the evening pricing bracket.
The problem is that the staff have poor english and I find myself asking them to repeat themselves, which makes me feel rude if I ask more than once. Also if I am wanting to purchase alcohol, they need to take my ID to a manager (out the back) to check that it is okay. I do not feel comfortable with someone taking my driving license.

i have been visiting panda since it opened with both my family and friends. it is a cheap place to eat out and there are also further discounts for oap’s and students. the food is great and alot of choice, the place is very clean and the staff are helpful and friendly. it is always busy but there is an upstairs if you wanted abit extra space, highchairs are provided for the kids. definately worth a visit, a cheap meal and good value for money. a family of four could eat with a drink each for about £20. located in sunderland city centre.

The Panda Oriental Buffet opened at around 2005, since then i have been there up to about 15 times.
I mainly went with my school friends, at the time it opened, on a saturday afternoon. For £5.50p per person it was a buffet that was also kind on the finances. Staff are very friendly and approachable.
It is priced £5.50 during the day, the prices increase for an evening rate and a night time rate.
Usually £5.50 up to 5pm then £7.50 till 7pm then £9.50 from 7pm. On the evening they cook and serve different foods than from the day time buffett, i believe you can have duck on the evening buffett, whereas you won’t have duck if you go during the day.

This all you can eat chinese resturant is fantastic value for money i first when there on a nightout with work mates and really enjoyed it so decided to go back again with my family i have two children who have never eaten this food before and think its a great place for children becuase they can try a bit of everything.
you will not be stuck for something to eat my children are fussy and they loved it and we plan to go again.
The staff were very friendly and the best part of all is the price its just very cheap for what you can eat.
There is plenty of other bars around this area to make it an even better nightout.
It can get very busy as you can imagine so go early.

Panda is a really great all-​you-​can-​eat oriental buffet. The prices are reasonable and the variety of food available is very very good! The starter is crispy duck pancakes which are delicious. We tend to go to the Grand Buffet after 7.30pm — it is £1 more expensive but there is more seafood available such as king prawns, mussels, and other savoury delights. There are lots of different meats — beef, pork and chicken, and also plenty different types of curry sauces, chicken nuggets, potato croquets, a salad bar, and more. The drinks are not included in the overall price, but they are fairly reasonably priced.
Kids are classed as those under 4ft 11 which is a bit of a bummer if your kids are tall, but still, even if you have to pay the adult price for them it still works out as good value as you can eat as much as you like!

Since this place opened a couple of years ago. Me and the family go often. It is an eat as much as you like place. So if you want abit of everything you can just try and go back until you are full. The kids think is great as they go up and get there own food. Cheap and friendly place to visit.