China Inn

Reviews

• James D.

  star star star star star 4 September 2026

  You probably don't realize just how good you have it in La Crosse, WI.  Of all places.
  
  As a husky oriental man, I know my way around the venerable Chinese buffet.  And this was the best I've ever had.  This superlative includes all the buffets I've been to in my native northern California, where by default one would expect Chinese food to be orders of magnitude better than that in the middle of the Midwest.
  
  There was a wide variety of your typical Americanized Chinese fare.  Good balance of beef, chicken, pork, and seafood dishes.  The broccoli beef and kung pao chicken--always reliable barometers to determine basic competence--were fresh and tasty.  Not overcooked, not overpowering.  
  
  Normally, chow mein in chinese buffets (or as you call it in the midwest, "lo mein") should be avoided since it has a tendency to sit out for long periods of time and become soggy.  Not at the China Inn.  It was fresh and not overly greasy.  
  
  I was extremely surprised that I liked the food (given my CA bias).  I walked into the restaurant with the bar set extremely low.  Imagine my surprise when it turned out to be the best I've had in the nation.
  
  Also, under $8 for this buffet?  I can't begin to tell you the value here.  (EDIT:  may have been under $7, and maybe even closer to $6)
  
  My wife grew up in Onalaska and makes us stop at Happy Joe's (meh) whenever we go back to visit.  I've found my must-dine.  And I can't wait to go back.
  
  tl;dr- oriental with overly-qualified opinion really likes this restaurant

• Amber A.

  star star star star_border star_border 2 September 2026

  It is like any other Chinese buffet, hit or miss. Depends what time of the day you go. Don't go an hour before they close because they won't have much and what they do have isn't fresh at all. I've made that mistake more than once. But if you go around dinner time or lunch time it is definitely worth it! I love their food but only when it's fresh. When it's bad, it's bad when it is good.. man oh man it delicious!!! Prices aren't horrible either. The host guy that sits at the desk is hilarious and he always puts a smile on our face as soon as we walk in. You'll know if it's him when you walk in the door lol I always leave a good tip when he's there.

• Patrick S.

  star star star star_border star_border 26 August 2026

  My family and I have eaten in a few times and gotten take away maybe once every month or two.  Take away is generally better.  It's... well... 3 out of 5 stars.  Not great.  Not bad.
  
  The buffet - my experience with buffets is that it's largely about timing.  You come in at high time, there are lots of hot options and it's fine.  You come in and there is only 1 or 2 other tables full, you're more likely to get (c)older food.
  
  The staff for us as always been OK.  They get your drink orders, they clear your dishes as they pile up, they bring the check.  It's a buffet, not a fine French restaurant.
  
  So... there you go.  I trust the good reviews (at high times) and I'd believe the bad reviews (at low times).  My advice - plan accordingly.

• Damian C.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 21 August 2026

  Giving this place a 1 star was beyond what I wanted to give this place, but unfortunately you can't rate 0 stars.
  
  Here's my experience. We went to China Inn here in Lacrosse/ Onalaska, WI, tonight seemed like a night for Chinese food. I hadn't had Chinese food for over a month or two.
  
  The atmosphere entering the restaurant pretty much met you at the door. There was an awful stench as if there was a rotten fish in the entry way to the restaurant. A waitress met us at the door and almost seemed kinda forceful of where she wanted to place us to eat.
  
  When we walked up to the buffet bar I immediately spotted several food containers that were either completely depleted or on the verge of depletion. I got some food and took it back to my table. I instantly noticed that the food was cold, stale, and all-round disgusting!!!
  
  No one in there seemed to care for this restaurant and you could tell in the food. I was appalled by lack of care. Also, it was only 7:00pm, and they don't close until 9, so why in the world don't you have fresh food and well-stocked fresh food for that matter out and available for guests who visit and want good Chinese???!!!! The man, who seemed like a manager...didn't even ask how the food was...probably because he already knew!!! Even after the awful service, we said, "have a good night". His response was..."uh huh". So, let me add that the customer service is top notch...as you can see.
  
  It's not a good way to represent your town for a decent Chinese  take out dine-in experience. While we were eating did I ever see anyone replace food or stock it up with more fresh food.
  
  It was disgusting. Do not eat at China Inn!!!!!

• Jaron T.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 12 August 2026

  I didn't care for any of the food they had at the buffet. All of the options were cold and tasteless. The only good food they had there was the ice cream and sweet donuts. I had to eat those to get the horrible taste of Chinese from my mouth.