I began ordering from The Rice Bucket about 6 months ago. It is located very close to my office and is found inside a shopping center with several other great "lunch spots". The Rice Bucket is delivery and take out only. Every time I have called to place an order the person has been very nice and we were able to understand each other well... Let's face it, that is a problem at some other take-out spots. They have great lunch specials for about $5.50 - $6.50 with tons of options that come with either fried rice or white rice. For about $6 the portions are VERY generous. I have been able to share my meal on more than one occassion. The fried rice is always good (good, not great). Sadly, if I would have written this review 6 months ago they would have received 4 stars. Today, I'm conflicted between 2 and 3 stars... Let me give the reasoning for each... About 2 months ago I order my "usual" order from The Rice Bucket: Egg drop soup and Chicken with Broccoli. Please understand I had never had an issue before this order. I ate my soup (more on that later) and began to eat my C&B... About 3 bites in I noticed that there were TINY BUGS in the food. About 10 of them. Needless to say, I was disgusted. A coworker of mine ordered at the same time, and after we checked she had no bugs in her food. We determined it was the broccoli! I immediately got in my car and went back to The Rice Bucket with the food in tow. When I brought this to the attention of the woman at the front desk (who wasn't the usual person who attends to the front desk) she began to DENY they were bugs. Trust me, if there was any doubt I could have been swayed - but these were BUGS. She was insistant that they were not bugs but some of the cooked bits scraped from the wok. I'm sorry, but cooked bits do NOT have FRIGGEN WINGS! All I wanted was my money back and only the money for the Chicken and Broccolli. Yet, she did not want to return my money, she offered me another dish. My stomach, however, wasn't ready for another buggy-meal. I had to REPEATEDLY ask for my money back, until she finally agreed. The entire situation left me extremely upset. The Rice Bucket usually has good food and customer service - but failed on both counts that day. The reason I want to stick with three stars is that they have amazing Egg Drop Soup. I absolutely love it. It has never disappointed me. Also, they do still have good fried rice and eggs rolls. What keeps me from wanting to give four stars is that in addition to the incident I mentioned above, the taste of the food has taken a bit of a downturn. I do not know if they have someone else cooking, changed recipes or ingredients - but it is a noticable difference. I have tried on more than one occassion to "check them out again" and each time I have been disappointed. The lesson of the day is - no matter how much I liked this place before, it isn't what it used to be and I just need to stick with the soup!
(3)
Hark S.
I ordered a sesame chicken lunch special with ham fried rice. The best part of the special was the bottled water. The chicken was dark meat pieces globbed together in batter with no sesame seeds. I took one bite and want to hurl this back at the restaurant.
(1)
Jessica C.
I have been ordering from this place for over 12 years now. Really good food and always fresh. I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but staff is really friendly and their delivery is always on time, if not earlier. My personal favorite is the egg drop soup and their special fried rice. Definitely a great Miami Lakes staple for Chinese food.
(5)
Yunarky H.
So I keep trying new Chinese places in hope of finding a place that makes really good honey chicken. The one closet to that I s House of Sun. However, I decided to try Rice Bucket. Boy what a waste of money. Special fried rice was ok. Nothing impressing that would make me want to go back and buy it again. I also order the honey chicken as well. I must say, the actually chicken was good. Meat was soft, but the honey sauce was by far the worse sauce I have ever tried. I called them and asked if this honey sauce was actually honey and the lady, who answered, said yes. I told her that there is no way this sauce was honey. It was watery yellow coloring with a sour taste to it. Anyways, I had to go get a honey sauce from House of Sun that was $2.00. There was no way I could use the honey sauce from rice bucket. Bottom line I would not be going back nor do I recommend this place.
(2)
Erick O.
I've ordered from the Rice Bucket several times. There located in Miami Lakes, FL in a very convenient shopping center packed with several restaurants, lunch venues and coffee joints. There business is for delivery and take out only. I for the most part always order delivery. Every time I have ordered there older taker is kind a courteous, unlike other placed who place you on a endless hold or treat you less than admirable when taking your order. I typically order chicken friend rice along with a combination of the BBQ Short Ribs, Sesame Chicken or Mongolian Beef. I have no complaints at all on there food. The chicken in the rice is always cooked well and the rice is tasty and not bland like in many other places. Rice is cooked on point as well, so don't worry about having saggy rice. Not here The protein I am a big fan of, there Sesame chicken or Honey chicken is very good. There Honey chicken is softly battered fried chicken with a glaze of Orange Honey sauce that's to die for! It comes in a separate tub for you to put on your chicken at your leisure. The sesame chicken is soft and glazed with teriyaki and sprinkles of sesame on top served with broccoli. The beef I always order well done and it's also severed with broccoli and of course Teriyaki sauce. Food comes fast. There usually on point with there ETA and it's always been Hot and ready to eat. It's my go to spot for take out on the Asian Side
(4)
Sarai R.
Terrible Chinese on 05/06/2015 I ordered chicken Tso and special Fried Rice... it was FAT CHUNKS OF CHICKEN Under cooked. We had to throw out the food...Don't order from there its Really bad food.
(1)
Carolina P.
I used to work here while in high school and don't recommend it at all. When customers called in stating they didn't want "MSG IN THEIR FOOD", we would be like "yeah, none shall be added" ... What's really true is no one cares about your requests bro and most likely it was added. The cook is Mexican and used to work at the restaurant across the street called Cancun. Do you feel lied to? Most people only order the honey chicken or the special fried rice. If you're thinking about ordering from here (I'm not sure why) order items which are popular! Anything else was probably freezed for quite a long time and when you start to get creative, ordering things most people don't, you will be getting what's been frozen for +2 weeks. Their delivery takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes. In comparison to other Chinese locations around this area, The Rice Bucket offers the most inexpensive and best dinner specials. Their dinner specials are great and come with soup of your choice, crab Rangoon's and an egg roll. For about $10, it's cheaper than any other around Miami Lakes and Miami Gardens. Maybe even Hialeah. They don't open on Mondays and are always closed on major holidays.
(3)
Sergio F.
I agree with Olivia that the clerk up front was friendly and chatty. I especially hate to write bad reviews on a Friday, but my rice was a little bit on the dry side and was given only one packet of soy sauce. Last I checked, teriyaki chicken had some pineapples served with it. Not on my dish :( Qng gijìn!
(2)
Richard D.
Fast, simple, quality would sum up this location. Try the crab Rangoon... Every time I pick up good it's fresh. The Japanese soda is also good.
(5)
Olivia L.
The lady that took care of us was extremely nice and helpful. I'm not a huge fan of the Uncle Ben type of rice for fried rice, but it was very tasteful.
(4)
Fidel C.
I have nothing but amazing experiences with Rice Bucket. I think everyone should have one staple asian restaurant nearby and this one is mine, for sure. I have been coming here for probably over ten years now, and when I worked at the Starbucks around the corner I frequented a lot. The service is excellent, the food is great, and you can never go wrong with their honey garlic chicken. The honey garlic sauce is ADDICTING! Their prices are totally reasonable (between $6-$10 for individual meals). When I come pick up a quick dinner for my partner and I, we spend about $15 and almost always have plenty of leftovers. I highly recommend this place to anyone living in Miami Lakes and as a great lunch pickup spot. I do wish they'd open as a full service restaurant, but if it ain't broke-- dont fix it!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Bike Parking : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : No Caters : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Angie Y.
I began ordering from The Rice Bucket about 6 months ago. It is located very close to my office and is found inside a shopping center with several other great "lunch spots". The Rice Bucket is delivery and take out only. Every time I have called to place an order the person has been very nice and we were able to understand each other well... Let's face it, that is a problem at some other take-out spots. They have great lunch specials for about $5.50 - $6.50 with tons of options that come with either fried rice or white rice. For about $6 the portions are VERY generous. I have been able to share my meal on more than one occassion. The fried rice is always good (good, not great). Sadly, if I would have written this review 6 months ago they would have received 4 stars. Today, I'm conflicted between 2 and 3 stars... Let me give the reasoning for each... About 2 months ago I order my "usual" order from The Rice Bucket: Egg drop soup and Chicken with Broccoli. Please understand I had never had an issue before this order. I ate my soup (more on that later) and began to eat my C&B... About 3 bites in I noticed that there were TINY BUGS in the food. About 10 of them. Needless to say, I was disgusted. A coworker of mine ordered at the same time, and after we checked she had no bugs in her food. We determined it was the broccoli! I immediately got in my car and went back to The Rice Bucket with the food in tow. When I brought this to the attention of the woman at the front desk (who wasn't the usual person who attends to the front desk) she began to DENY they were bugs. Trust me, if there was any doubt I could have been swayed - but these were BUGS. She was insistant that they were not bugs but some of the cooked bits scraped from the wok. I'm sorry, but cooked bits do NOT have FRIGGEN WINGS! All I wanted was my money back and only the money for the Chicken and Broccolli. Yet, she did not want to return my money, she offered me another dish. My stomach, however, wasn't ready for another buggy-meal. I had to REPEATEDLY ask for my money back, until she finally agreed. The entire situation left me extremely upset. The Rice Bucket usually has good food and customer service - but failed on both counts that day. The reason I want to stick with three stars is that they have amazing Egg Drop Soup. I absolutely love it. It has never disappointed me. Also, they do still have good fried rice and eggs rolls. What keeps me from wanting to give four stars is that in addition to the incident I mentioned above, the taste of the food has taken a bit of a downturn. I do not know if they have someone else cooking, changed recipes or ingredients - but it is a noticable difference. I have tried on more than one occassion to "check them out again" and each time I have been disappointed. The lesson of the day is - no matter how much I liked this place before, it isn't what it used to be and I just need to stick with the soup!
(3)Hark S.
I ordered a sesame chicken lunch special with ham fried rice. The best part of the special was the bottled water. The chicken was dark meat pieces globbed together in batter with no sesame seeds. I took one bite and want to hurl this back at the restaurant.
(1)Jessica C.
I have been ordering from this place for over 12 years now. Really good food and always fresh. I can't speak for anyone else's experience, but staff is really friendly and their delivery is always on time, if not earlier. My personal favorite is the egg drop soup and their special fried rice. Definitely a great Miami Lakes staple for Chinese food.
(5)Yunarky H.
So I keep trying new Chinese places in hope of finding a place that makes really good honey chicken. The one closet to that I s House of Sun. However, I decided to try Rice Bucket. Boy what a waste of money. Special fried rice was ok. Nothing impressing that would make me want to go back and buy it again. I also order the honey chicken as well. I must say, the actually chicken was good. Meat was soft, but the honey sauce was by far the worse sauce I have ever tried. I called them and asked if this honey sauce was actually honey and the lady, who answered, said yes. I told her that there is no way this sauce was honey. It was watery yellow coloring with a sour taste to it. Anyways, I had to go get a honey sauce from House of Sun that was $2.00. There was no way I could use the honey sauce from rice bucket. Bottom line I would not be going back nor do I recommend this place.
(2)Erick O.
I've ordered from the Rice Bucket several times. There located in Miami Lakes, FL in a very convenient shopping center packed with several restaurants, lunch venues and coffee joints. There business is for delivery and take out only. I for the most part always order delivery. Every time I have ordered there older taker is kind a courteous, unlike other placed who place you on a endless hold or treat you less than admirable when taking your order. I typically order chicken friend rice along with a combination of the BBQ Short Ribs, Sesame Chicken or Mongolian Beef. I have no complaints at all on there food. The chicken in the rice is always cooked well and the rice is tasty and not bland like in many other places. Rice is cooked on point as well, so don't worry about having saggy rice. Not here The protein I am a big fan of, there Sesame chicken or Honey chicken is very good. There Honey chicken is softly battered fried chicken with a glaze of Orange Honey sauce that's to die for! It comes in a separate tub for you to put on your chicken at your leisure. The sesame chicken is soft and glazed with teriyaki and sprinkles of sesame on top served with broccoli. The beef I always order well done and it's also severed with broccoli and of course Teriyaki sauce. Food comes fast. There usually on point with there ETA and it's always been Hot and ready to eat. It's my go to spot for take out on the Asian Side
(4)Sarai R.
Terrible Chinese on 05/06/2015 I ordered chicken Tso and special Fried Rice... it was FAT CHUNKS OF CHICKEN Under cooked. We had to throw out the food...Don't order from there its Really bad food.
(1)Carolina P.
I used to work here while in high school and don't recommend it at all. When customers called in stating they didn't want "MSG IN THEIR FOOD", we would be like "yeah, none shall be added" ... What's really true is no one cares about your requests bro and most likely it was added. The cook is Mexican and used to work at the restaurant across the street called Cancun. Do you feel lied to? Most people only order the honey chicken or the special fried rice. If you're thinking about ordering from here (I'm not sure why) order items which are popular! Anything else was probably freezed for quite a long time and when you start to get creative, ordering things most people don't, you will be getting what's been frozen for +2 weeks. Their delivery takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes. In comparison to other Chinese locations around this area, The Rice Bucket offers the most inexpensive and best dinner specials. Their dinner specials are great and come with soup of your choice, crab Rangoon's and an egg roll. For about $10, it's cheaper than any other around Miami Lakes and Miami Gardens. Maybe even Hialeah. They don't open on Mondays and are always closed on major holidays.
(3)Sergio F.
I agree with Olivia that the clerk up front was friendly and chatty. I especially hate to write bad reviews on a Friday, but my rice was a little bit on the dry side and was given only one packet of soy sauce. Last I checked, teriyaki chicken had some pineapples served with it. Not on my dish :( Qng gijìn!
(2)Richard D.
Fast, simple, quality would sum up this location. Try the crab Rangoon... Every time I pick up good it's fresh. The Japanese soda is also good.
(5)Olivia L.
The lady that took care of us was extremely nice and helpful. I'm not a huge fan of the Uncle Ben type of rice for fried rice, but it was very tasteful.
(4)Fidel C.
I have nothing but amazing experiences with Rice Bucket. I think everyone should have one staple asian restaurant nearby and this one is mine, for sure. I have been coming here for probably over ten years now, and when I worked at the Starbucks around the corner I frequented a lot. The service is excellent, the food is great, and you can never go wrong with their honey garlic chicken. The honey garlic sauce is ADDICTING! Their prices are totally reasonable (between $6-$10 for individual meals). When I come pick up a quick dinner for my partner and I, we spend about $15 and almost always have plenty of leftovers. I highly recommend this place to anyone living in Miami Lakes and as a great lunch pickup spot. I do wish they'd open as a full service restaurant, but if it ain't broke-- dont fix it!
(5)