Extremely disappointing..food took two hours to arrive. When it finally did, it was stone cold and saturated with grease. When I called to ask for a refund, I was told they would send someone out to collect the food. So, if you're hungry, and in the mood to eat nothing for a refund, or eat cold garbage for $20 this is your kind of dump. I will never even consider it again.
(1)
Adrian L.
Very authentic Chinese cooking. The Ganguo is a good deal, though they recently raised prices, so not the steal that it once was :) The Cook is a pretty chill dude, and they're able to accommodate requests for dietary restrictions, including gluten free (just say no soy sauce). Food can be oily at times, and once came out spicier than ordered.
(5)
Allie K.
After a mess trying to help the manager figure out our online order, we finally got our food. I wish we hadn't. It was pretty bad. The princess chicken was overcooked and hard. I couldn't even break a piece in half with my hands so that got tossed. The twice cooked pork was ok and the only reason this review does not get 1 star. It was kind of bland but better with soy sauce. The Mongolian beef... I have a hard time believing that was beef. It was white like pork but did not taste like either beef or pork. Large chunks of fat too. The crab rangoons were burned. The egg rolls were not like any egg roll I've had before and mushy inside. One bite and I spit it out. Large servings for the price but you're getting large servings of inedible food. We finally stopped trying to make the best out of a bad take out order and just reheated leftovers from the night before.
(2)
Holly G.
Tried this place for the first time today. Ordered delivery and got it within 45 minutes. I got chicken and veggies and my friend got Pad Thai. They were both delicious. I will be dining in soon :)
(4)
John K.
Great place. Clean, friendly and competent service. Entertaining for kids with fresh, delicious food.
(5)
Bill B.
Better and better, and now a vegetarian's dream. This evening we dined there and ordered two entirely wonderful dishes: Chongking Tofu, Mapo Tofu, and Kung Ka-Pow Tofu. The Chongking Tofu is similar to the Cumin Tofu at Thai House. Since the 8 Flavors chef is the son of the owner of Thai House, I assume there has been a collaboration on this preparation between the two restaurant's chefs. Also 8 Flavors has now become an art venue, with original paintings on the wall, some for sale, in the tradition of the restaurants in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City.
(5)
Phil H.
With the mixed reviews, we thought we'd give the place a try. What we discovered was the Chinese Restaurant from the Twilight Zone. First, it's in a pretty bad place for business visibility. Based on the reviews I read I figured, no big deal, that it was probably just a startup, which can often be an amazing experience. But... Second, when we walked in, we saw that the entire buffet area was completely empty. I mean, all the equipment was there, but there was no food in the bins. I was wishing I had read more of the reviews at this point. Third, the walls were completely barren... but with nails where the pictures used to be. One of the reviews I read stated that 8 Flavors was also being used to showcase local artists. Not any more! Fourth, they were out of tea, which is our usual drink for Asian cuisine. A Far East establishment with no tea??? No thanks. The last straw... we asked about several dishes that our waiter had no idea about. This was when we found out that 8 Flavors was not only under "new management/owners" but that the menu was just a placeholder until they could create a new one. So pretty much, they kept the names but replaced everything else. Needless to say, we left without taking a bite. I suggest you just avoid walking in altogether.
(1)
Haylie S.
I wish there was a no star option. I should have known by the completely empty dining area at 6:30pm that this was a bad idea. It was horrible. I got the Beef Chow Fun and my boyfriend got the Mongolian Beef. Both had huge chunks of fat in the dishes instead of real beef. I will never eat here again. And Will, there's no need to be rude. I could tell the difference between the rice cakes (which were completely impossible to chew, by the way) and the beef, which was still mostly fat. Sorry I didn't care for your food. It wasn't good. Obviously, you can't make everyone happy. So instead of being rude to me, you should talk to people who do like your food. Wouldn't that make more sense?
(1)
Sarah M.
First time trying this place.. nothing was cooked right. The pot stickers were burned... like black very OBVIOUSLY burned. and the crab rangoon was rubbery and undercooked. chicken was fatty mystery meat. didn't have more than two bites of anything. this place is awful. never again.
(1)
Michael L.
I can't believe so many reviews for this restaurant were rated so low! I havent been in Lawrence for a while and I went for buffet at Peking Taste, and I noticed 8 Flavors in it's place, so I thought I would give it a try. As I walked in, I was greeted with smiles and a friendly handshake and was taken to my table. The menus looked nice, but may have been a little easier to navigate. I knew I wanted the lunch special, which was only 6 dollars and change after tax. I ordered the princess chicken, and it came out fresh, crispy and hot in less than 10 minutes. Given, there was 3 people in there, but the plate came out super fresh, and the presentation was nice on the rectangular plate. If there was a buffet, I didn't see it. It may have been in that little room as you walk in, but I didn't ask. I will definitely go back for more lunch specials. The decor was nice too, this restaurant would be great for a family to have a sit-down order-off-a-menu chinese food experience. It's either buffet or take out these days, so this is a neat place. Check it out!
(5)
Andrew A.
Overall 8/10 Food 9/10 (awesome) Price 8/10 (meh) Location 7/10 (close for me, but hard to see) Ambiance 5/10 (don't bring your date here) I must say, I was hesitant to come here. But I was unfortunately mistaken. THINGS TO NOTE 1) Do not order off the Americanized menu, go for the traditional Chinese menu. If you do not know what to order, tell them why type of meat and what you are looking for. Crab rangoon and pad thai are not traditional Chinese food. 2) This place specializes in Szechuan food. Meaning hot, spicy, flavorful goodness. Therefore, I would highly recommend the BEEF IN HOT CHILI SAUCE. If you haven't had this style of food, it will change your life. 3) HOT POT! Bring a couple of friends, expect to pay ~$24 a person, and ask for hotpot and start ordering things. It is a hot chili broth that you dip food in to cook. Makes for a good friends/family dinner. 4) The location and decor are not desirable... I do not come here for that, I come here for food. 5) No buffet. And in my opinion, this is a good thing. Why would you want Chinese food to sit in a tray? It is best served hot and freshly made. So what should you do? Give this place a try, DO NOT ASK FOR A BUFFET make sure to order off the Chinese menu, make sure to try something spicy, ask for help on what to order :) Would I be back? Yup, I come back regularly
(4)
Ci C.
Seems expensive for all you can eat hot pot. Don't know if they included our tip in the price. One and done for me.
(3)
J S.
With the mixed reviews, I thought I will give this place a chance. But it turned out that is a huge mess! The menu is not easy to cruise through so we asked our waitress about how some dishes are cooked Caz they are just written in Chinese English and she said to be honest I have no clue I am new here, I will ask the older waitress to come explain you ( shouldn't you have a clue on the menu before you interact with customers?) then the more experienced waitress Came which unfortunately was not a lot more helpful than the previous one except that she doesn't say I don't know!! To be in the safe side I ordered soup with shrimps guess what it turned out to be soup was beef!!!!!! The taste was average And to top things off she brought us the check without a pen So over all this place needs a new management or it should be closing very soon
(2)
Nan B.
They serve good food. But they give a so bad delivery serve that let customer hang on the phone for more than 15 minutes.
(3)
Mark M.
Just not good all around in my opinion. I tried the gyoza and they were doughy and not very flavorful. I went at noon on a week day and I was the only other patron in the place. I decided to go with a tried and true, if not exciting choice (generals chicken) and the chicken was very tough and way overcooked. It honestly tasted like they pulled it out of a freezer and failed to follow the cooking instructions. Never will go again.
(1)
Alex A.
You must eat here!!! The food is amazing. Eat from the menus. Authentic fresh Asian food. The Rangoon is unique and amazing, I know this because I hate crab Rangoon, and I like these here. Great variety. Nice clean simple atmosphere. Great service. Friendly and attentive. The exterior is deceptively plain and unassuming. It hides a true dining treasure.
(5)
Sunthud P.
After they were closing for a while, I went to this place a couple more times. The hot pot is amazing. Their tofu with the hot soup is awesome. It is a little bit expensive though ($22 per head). I also tried their regular menu. The 'fish in chili oil' is too oily and bland for me. I tried a duck dish which I cannot remember. I do not like it because it is very hard to chew. The hot pot is hard to beat. I think it is the best in town now.
(5)
Rae H.
We have now added Smoked Brisket Curry to our list of "have tried" and egg rolls. I can't eat them due to gluten issues, but Jay said that they were great! The brisket meat was fabulously tender and the curry is delicious. I loved having BOTH regular and green onions in the sauce, and the potatoes added a comfortable heartiness to the dish. As before, I really wanted to lick the sauce right off the plate. Good thing I was taught table manners, so I mixed the leftover dribbles into the generous rice pile and ate a lot more daintily. Our brand new server, Susan, was super sweet and kept everything set up just right. Edit: I'm so sad this is no longer the same owners/chef. But I'll give it a try some day.
(5)
Jon N.
I ate there this evening near closing. First off, got there and they offered us free sushi from the boats. I didn't take one at first as I'm a bit leery of sushi that's been floating around for I don't know how long, but I relented, because hey, someone's got to write a review. It was a plain salmon roll and plain describes it rather well. The nori had gone soft, of course, given the innumerable laps it must have made. It was about what I expected. If you want good sushi go to Wa or Yokohama, but if you want it fast, this will suffice. I was with a vegetarian friend of mine, and we weren't incredibly hungry so I decided we would split a veggie dish as opposed to me getting the pork & tofu. We got Yu Choy stir fry (pretty sure it's just bok choy). There was plenty of oil, but it was also seasoned quite well and they provided two servings of fried rice at no extra charge. Tiny green onions in the fried rice and it was over-all quite tasty. I ordered it spicy but not asian spicy so I ended up supplementing it with chili flakes in oil. Definitely not a proper Chinese chili oil/sauce, but it sufficed. Overall, I wasn't blown away, but I also definitely enjoyed my food. I may up the # of stars if I go back and try other dishes and am impressed. Right now I would recommend Thai Siam as a better value for the same price, though they do lack fried rice. Also, the little sushi boats are cute, the chef came and asked how the food was, and our server was very attentive ^_^
(3)
Stephanie B.
We love, love, love 8 Flavors. This is a new business, so don't go in if you're expecting white linen and crystal wine glasses. It's a casual place with really, really (really) good food. Yeah, sometimes the dining room is slow. They don't have as good of a location (as far as visibility from the street) as they deserve, but I haven't talked to a single person who has dined there and not been totally happy. FURTHERMORE... They do $1 Tsingtao's from 3-6, which is freaking awesome. We are going there tonight with a group of friends and really looking forward to it. Hi Will! Hi Rebecca!
(5)
Soroush R.
I got combination fried rice and the princess chicken. Both were incredible. They also have a homemade mixed hot sauce which is also great. I also tried the egg rolls and they were great too. Strongly recommended...
(5)
Feng Z.
Best hot pot in the state!!!
(5)
c d.
well I was excited to try this new place out, but couldn't even make it through the ordering process on the phone. the woman working was SO RUDE to me, incredibly impatient & laughed condescendingly at me when I asked a legitimate question about the menu. I'm super patient & understanding when it comes to food service & people having off days or being busy, but this was just ridiculous... I felt like a burden for being a potential customer. definitely won't be eating here ever.
(1)
Jeffrey B.
Got food delivered. About 35 minute wait, no bad for where I live. Food was fresh and hot. I ordered the lo mien with bacon, and peppercorn chicken. Both dishes were excellent, plenty of food for two or three meals. I would recommend!
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : Yes Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Quiet Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : Paid Has TV : No Dogs Allowed : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
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.
Patrick C.
Extremely disappointing..food took two hours to arrive. When it finally did, it was stone cold and saturated with grease. When I called to ask for a refund, I was told they would send someone out to collect the food. So, if you're hungry, and in the mood to eat nothing for a refund, or eat cold garbage for $20 this is your kind of dump. I will never even consider it again.
(1)Adrian L.
Very authentic Chinese cooking. The Ganguo is a good deal, though they recently raised prices, so not the steal that it once was :) The Cook is a pretty chill dude, and they're able to accommodate requests for dietary restrictions, including gluten free (just say no soy sauce). Food can be oily at times, and once came out spicier than ordered.
(5)Allie K.
After a mess trying to help the manager figure out our online order, we finally got our food. I wish we hadn't. It was pretty bad. The princess chicken was overcooked and hard. I couldn't even break a piece in half with my hands so that got tossed. The twice cooked pork was ok and the only reason this review does not get 1 star. It was kind of bland but better with soy sauce. The Mongolian beef... I have a hard time believing that was beef. It was white like pork but did not taste like either beef or pork. Large chunks of fat too. The crab rangoons were burned. The egg rolls were not like any egg roll I've had before and mushy inside. One bite and I spit it out. Large servings for the price but you're getting large servings of inedible food. We finally stopped trying to make the best out of a bad take out order and just reheated leftovers from the night before.
(2)Holly G.
Tried this place for the first time today. Ordered delivery and got it within 45 minutes. I got chicken and veggies and my friend got Pad Thai. They were both delicious. I will be dining in soon :)
(4)John K.
Great place. Clean, friendly and competent service. Entertaining for kids with fresh, delicious food.
(5)Bill B.
Better and better, and now a vegetarian's dream. This evening we dined there and ordered two entirely wonderful dishes: Chongking Tofu, Mapo Tofu, and Kung Ka-Pow Tofu. The Chongking Tofu is similar to the Cumin Tofu at Thai House. Since the 8 Flavors chef is the son of the owner of Thai House, I assume there has been a collaboration on this preparation between the two restaurant's chefs. Also 8 Flavors has now become an art venue, with original paintings on the wall, some for sale, in the tradition of the restaurants in the Crossroads Art District of Kansas City.
(5)Phil H.
With the mixed reviews, we thought we'd give the place a try. What we discovered was the Chinese Restaurant from the Twilight Zone. First, it's in a pretty bad place for business visibility. Based on the reviews I read I figured, no big deal, that it was probably just a startup, which can often be an amazing experience. But... Second, when we walked in, we saw that the entire buffet area was completely empty. I mean, all the equipment was there, but there was no food in the bins. I was wishing I had read more of the reviews at this point. Third, the walls were completely barren... but with nails where the pictures used to be. One of the reviews I read stated that 8 Flavors was also being used to showcase local artists. Not any more! Fourth, they were out of tea, which is our usual drink for Asian cuisine. A Far East establishment with no tea??? No thanks. The last straw... we asked about several dishes that our waiter had no idea about. This was when we found out that 8 Flavors was not only under "new management/owners" but that the menu was just a placeholder until they could create a new one. So pretty much, they kept the names but replaced everything else. Needless to say, we left without taking a bite. I suggest you just avoid walking in altogether.
(1)Haylie S.
I wish there was a no star option. I should have known by the completely empty dining area at 6:30pm that this was a bad idea. It was horrible. I got the Beef Chow Fun and my boyfriend got the Mongolian Beef. Both had huge chunks of fat in the dishes instead of real beef. I will never eat here again. And Will, there's no need to be rude. I could tell the difference between the rice cakes (which were completely impossible to chew, by the way) and the beef, which was still mostly fat. Sorry I didn't care for your food. It wasn't good. Obviously, you can't make everyone happy. So instead of being rude to me, you should talk to people who do like your food. Wouldn't that make more sense?
(1)Sarah M.
First time trying this place.. nothing was cooked right. The pot stickers were burned... like black very OBVIOUSLY burned. and the crab rangoon was rubbery and undercooked. chicken was fatty mystery meat. didn't have more than two bites of anything. this place is awful. never again.
(1)Michael L.
I can't believe so many reviews for this restaurant were rated so low! I havent been in Lawrence for a while and I went for buffet at Peking Taste, and I noticed 8 Flavors in it's place, so I thought I would give it a try. As I walked in, I was greeted with smiles and a friendly handshake and was taken to my table. The menus looked nice, but may have been a little easier to navigate. I knew I wanted the lunch special, which was only 6 dollars and change after tax. I ordered the princess chicken, and it came out fresh, crispy and hot in less than 10 minutes. Given, there was 3 people in there, but the plate came out super fresh, and the presentation was nice on the rectangular plate. If there was a buffet, I didn't see it. It may have been in that little room as you walk in, but I didn't ask. I will definitely go back for more lunch specials. The decor was nice too, this restaurant would be great for a family to have a sit-down order-off-a-menu chinese food experience. It's either buffet or take out these days, so this is a neat place. Check it out!
(5)Andrew A.
Overall 8/10 Food 9/10 (awesome) Price 8/10 (meh) Location 7/10 (close for me, but hard to see) Ambiance 5/10 (don't bring your date here) I must say, I was hesitant to come here. But I was unfortunately mistaken. THINGS TO NOTE 1) Do not order off the Americanized menu, go for the traditional Chinese menu. If you do not know what to order, tell them why type of meat and what you are looking for. Crab rangoon and pad thai are not traditional Chinese food. 2) This place specializes in Szechuan food. Meaning hot, spicy, flavorful goodness. Therefore, I would highly recommend the BEEF IN HOT CHILI SAUCE. If you haven't had this style of food, it will change your life. 3) HOT POT! Bring a couple of friends, expect to pay ~$24 a person, and ask for hotpot and start ordering things. It is a hot chili broth that you dip food in to cook. Makes for a good friends/family dinner. 4) The location and decor are not desirable... I do not come here for that, I come here for food. 5) No buffet. And in my opinion, this is a good thing. Why would you want Chinese food to sit in a tray? It is best served hot and freshly made. So what should you do? Give this place a try, DO NOT ASK FOR A BUFFET make sure to order off the Chinese menu, make sure to try something spicy, ask for help on what to order :) Would I be back? Yup, I come back regularly
(4)Ci C.
Seems expensive for all you can eat hot pot. Don't know if they included our tip in the price. One and done for me.
(3)J S.
With the mixed reviews, I thought I will give this place a chance. But it turned out that is a huge mess! The menu is not easy to cruise through so we asked our waitress about how some dishes are cooked Caz they are just written in Chinese English and she said to be honest I have no clue I am new here, I will ask the older waitress to come explain you ( shouldn't you have a clue on the menu before you interact with customers?) then the more experienced waitress Came which unfortunately was not a lot more helpful than the previous one except that she doesn't say I don't know!! To be in the safe side I ordered soup with shrimps guess what it turned out to be soup was beef!!!!!! The taste was average And to top things off she brought us the check without a pen So over all this place needs a new management or it should be closing very soon
(2)Nan B.
They serve good food. But they give a so bad delivery serve that let customer hang on the phone for more than 15 minutes.
(3)Mark M.
Just not good all around in my opinion. I tried the gyoza and they were doughy and not very flavorful. I went at noon on a week day and I was the only other patron in the place. I decided to go with a tried and true, if not exciting choice (generals chicken) and the chicken was very tough and way overcooked. It honestly tasted like they pulled it out of a freezer and failed to follow the cooking instructions. Never will go again.
(1)Alex A.
You must eat here!!! The food is amazing. Eat from the menus. Authentic fresh Asian food. The Rangoon is unique and amazing, I know this because I hate crab Rangoon, and I like these here. Great variety. Nice clean simple atmosphere. Great service. Friendly and attentive. The exterior is deceptively plain and unassuming. It hides a true dining treasure.
(5)Sunthud P.
After they were closing for a while, I went to this place a couple more times. The hot pot is amazing. Their tofu with the hot soup is awesome. It is a little bit expensive though ($22 per head). I also tried their regular menu. The 'fish in chili oil' is too oily and bland for me. I tried a duck dish which I cannot remember. I do not like it because it is very hard to chew. The hot pot is hard to beat. I think it is the best in town now.
(5)Rae H.
We have now added Smoked Brisket Curry to our list of "have tried" and egg rolls. I can't eat them due to gluten issues, but Jay said that they were great! The brisket meat was fabulously tender and the curry is delicious. I loved having BOTH regular and green onions in the sauce, and the potatoes added a comfortable heartiness to the dish. As before, I really wanted to lick the sauce right off the plate. Good thing I was taught table manners, so I mixed the leftover dribbles into the generous rice pile and ate a lot more daintily. Our brand new server, Susan, was super sweet and kept everything set up just right. Edit: I'm so sad this is no longer the same owners/chef. But I'll give it a try some day.
(5)Jon N.
I ate there this evening near closing. First off, got there and they offered us free sushi from the boats. I didn't take one at first as I'm a bit leery of sushi that's been floating around for I don't know how long, but I relented, because hey, someone's got to write a review. It was a plain salmon roll and plain describes it rather well. The nori had gone soft, of course, given the innumerable laps it must have made. It was about what I expected. If you want good sushi go to Wa or Yokohama, but if you want it fast, this will suffice. I was with a vegetarian friend of mine, and we weren't incredibly hungry so I decided we would split a veggie dish as opposed to me getting the pork & tofu. We got Yu Choy stir fry (pretty sure it's just bok choy). There was plenty of oil, but it was also seasoned quite well and they provided two servings of fried rice at no extra charge. Tiny green onions in the fried rice and it was over-all quite tasty. I ordered it spicy but not asian spicy so I ended up supplementing it with chili flakes in oil. Definitely not a proper Chinese chili oil/sauce, but it sufficed. Overall, I wasn't blown away, but I also definitely enjoyed my food. I may up the # of stars if I go back and try other dishes and am impressed. Right now I would recommend Thai Siam as a better value for the same price, though they do lack fried rice. Also, the little sushi boats are cute, the chef came and asked how the food was, and our server was very attentive ^_^
(3)Stephanie B.
We love, love, love 8 Flavors. This is a new business, so don't go in if you're expecting white linen and crystal wine glasses. It's a casual place with really, really (really) good food. Yeah, sometimes the dining room is slow. They don't have as good of a location (as far as visibility from the street) as they deserve, but I haven't talked to a single person who has dined there and not been totally happy. FURTHERMORE... They do $1 Tsingtao's from 3-6, which is freaking awesome. We are going there tonight with a group of friends and really looking forward to it. Hi Will! Hi Rebecca!
(5)Soroush R.
I got combination fried rice and the princess chicken. Both were incredible. They also have a homemade mixed hot sauce which is also great. I also tried the egg rolls and they were great too. Strongly recommended...
(5)Feng Z.
Best hot pot in the state!!!
(5)c d.
well I was excited to try this new place out, but couldn't even make it through the ordering process on the phone. the woman working was SO RUDE to me, incredibly impatient & laughed condescendingly at me when I asked a legitimate question about the menu. I'm super patient & understanding when it comes to food service & people having off days or being busy, but this was just ridiculous... I felt like a burden for being a potential customer. definitely won't be eating here ever.
(1)Jeffrey B.
Got food delivered. About 35 minute wait, no bad for where I live. Food was fresh and hot. I ordered the lo mien with bacon, and peppercorn chicken. Both dishes were excellent, plenty of food for two or three meals. I would recommend!
(4)