China Palace Offers High Prices, Low Quality

When it comes to Chinese restaurants in Beaver Dam, WI, the one that has been there the longest is China Palace. It has been in the Beaver Dam Mall ever since the mall opened in the 1980s. Yet, I had never eaten there; until this past weekend that is. And, after trying their food, I can honestly say I didn't miss anything.

The biggest reason I've never eaten there before is their price, which is much higher than the Chinese Buffet downtown. However, I was attending a retirement dinner and the food was free so I was able to give it a chance. I even got a better understanding of what they offered since they were serving all their dishes buffet-style (normally you have to order on a menu).

What I found was, even though they offered mostly the same things every other Chinese restaurant does, the food tasted quite different than the other restaurants; and that wasn't in a good way. Foods I normally like and make multiple trips for at the buffet were a major disappointment at China Palace and I didn't even bother going for seconds.

They did offer some foods that I can find anywhere else, including fried crab legs. But, even those were a bit of a disappointment. I tried one of the crab legs and couldn't even taste the meat, just the breading.

In short, if the meal hadn't been free, I would have been asking for my money back.

There were some redeeming qualities for the restaurant. The service there was decent (though not as good as the restaurant downtown). We had our daughter with us and the waitress went out of her way to make sure she was comfortable. She even suggested us taking her to the buffet early so she had time to think about what she wanted before there was a line.

The other nice thing was the immediate seating. Like I said, I was attending a dinner in the back but the rest of the restaurant was almost empty, despite it being a Saturday night. Since the mall itself only has a couple of stores (both closed at that time) there was also plenty of parking available. If the food was slightly better and the restaurant lowered some of its prices, it would be a nice place to have a date.

It's just too bad that a place with so much local history isn't making more of an effort to keep its customers happy.