En Lai Chinese Kitchen

Good food, decent prices. You get more food than other places we have tried. Love that the driver carry a credit card machine with them so ordering is easy!

I ordered a small order of sweet and sour pork. Overall it was decent for an inexpensive chinese restaurant. However, there were no vegetables in the sweet and sour sauce. I’ve ordered from numerous different chinese restaurants in the past, and have always had veggies in the sweet and sour sauce so it as bit disappointing. Will try something different next time.

I decided to give this place a try again as my go-​to takeout place is Happy China in West Lafayette and I was 5 minutes from En Lai and 20 from Happy.
My second visit was different, but in no way better. I walked in and the place was still empty with small children running around or sitting at tables (I’m assuming they’re the owners), but this time there was an American girl running the front. (She took my order over the phone and didn’t seem to know where the hold button was located when I was abruptly told to hold and so I heard her the whole time, I had to repeat everything 2x and then I had to ask how long before she hung up. And thank you too!) So walking in, I’m not sure how to describe the smell; at first I thought dirty rag and spoiled seafood then I was immediately arrested by what seemed unmistakenly the stench of sewage. Now I’m not sure what it actually was, but you get the idea – not too appetizing. The phone girl proved to be equally hospitable in person, and then I left. {I will say, stench aside, the place looked very clean.}
I thoroughly inspected my food to make sure that stench wasn’t part of my food and decided to give everything a taste and to say a silent prayer just in case. Not. One. Item. Had. Any. Flavor. Not even the spicy stuff. The lo main was mushy sticky and flavorless. The spicy chicken and veg was flavorless and the rice might’ve been fried twice. The best thing was the crab Rangoon, probably because the sweet red sauce. Even the fortune cookies were stale.
Now I know it’s American Chinese, I wasn’t expecting much, but this food was just varied texture and no flavor. I’m not very good at making Chinese-​like dishes at home (even the basic stir fry I prefer from restaurants) but my food runs circles around these guys. :-(

We were looking for a spicy Chinese dish and we found this place without a lot of trouble. Curry Shrimp was really good with good portion and big size Shrimp. Broccoli with garlic sauce was delicious. We would recommend this as a real good fast food place. If you are not looking for a fancy restaurant then this is where you could dine for a break from your daily routine dishes at home.

Decided to order in despite the reviews. Delivery was a little slow but good came hot. Prices were good and the food was decent. The quantity was insane. I could of ate off it for days!

We occasionally eat here for the lunch buffet which is fast, tasty, and reasonably priced @ $ 5.50 which includes a drink. The food is tasty and egg rolls are great! On the downside, the dining room is crowded and they serve on styrofoam plates & cups. Still a good value for the price!

Awful food. I had a friend who found glass in her chicken. I have had much better chinese food for the same price. Panda express is better than this.

There are a couple of bad reviews here, and it kind of confuses me. This is a Chinese Buffett. in Indiana. for $ 5. expecting amazing things is kind of ridiculous. You must keep in mind what we are comparing with — China 1, Great Wall, Teppanyaki Grill, Super China, etc. they are all potentially, or have been gross/​greasy in some way at one time or another.
Amongst all of these, En Lai is my go to for Chinese in Lafayette. Both the «B» location on Creasy and the original on Teal. (although I think I’ve only been to the one on teal once since the new one opened) I have a «three strikes and you’re out» rule with buffets — if they make me sick 3 times, I don’t ever go back. In my 17 years in Lafayette, En Lai is the only one that isn’t «out». This may sound harsh, but it’s the reality of eating food that is left on steam tables all day.
Ok, enough about the intricacies of the genre, let me tell you why I think En Lai is good. (and these are all about the buffett, it’s just not as good a deal to eat anything else there)
1. Super cheap. The buffet and a small drink is like $ 5.29. I don’t think anyone else in town can touch that.
2. Fried stuff. They hit the mark as far as having the fried stuff that Americans want from Americanized Chinese food. Sweet and Sour chicken, pork fried rice, crab rangoon.
3. fresh (for a buffet). Both En Lai locations get hit pretty hard during the lunch rush, especially on sundays. This means that the food on the buffet gets eaten and replaced quickly, unlike some others in town. They only have half as many things on the buffet as say, Great Wall or China 1, but as a result, they don’t sit as long.
All that said, there are some downsides, and this is why I didn’t give it a 5 star. There is a kind of slacker work aesthetic I think. as mentioned in an earlier review, sometimes they are slow to refill an item on the buffet. I will say though, that it’s not because the «day-​to-​day» managers aren’t here — the same manager is there everyday. He was the manager at the teal location before the Creasy one opened. Usually if you tell them an item is out, they get on it.
Also, it’s a little dirty. tables aren’t cleaned frequently, etc.
If these are things that freak you out, don’t go. It’s not for you. Try TGI Fridays or something. For me, it’s a small thing to put up with for cheap, tasty food.

Price was very reasonable and included small drink. Entire place was very run down and dirty. Small buffet, nothing was labeled so I wasn’t sure what I was getting. Food was low quality… you get what you pay for in this case. This was the first Chinese restaurant I’ve tried since moving to Lafayette… so I guess the search continues, cause I won’t be back.
:-(Two thumbs down!

Decent delivery joint. The crab Rangoon is kickass, and I love their Sesame Chicken. The only place on this side of town worth getting delivery from really.
I’ve never eaten inside the restaurant — having only ordered delivery — but I’ve always had a positive experience there.

This is «Kitchen B» It is very obviously not run by the day day-​to-​day manager/​s. The buffet is never filled by the start of lunch. In fact we have had to wait 1&½ hours for everything to finally show up! They do not keep it fresh or filled… they really act as if they would rather not do the buffet at this location. The food has less taste and more grease here. Be prepared to fight for your food, if you go here b/​c people on the clock get frantic when some food does come out!

I ate Chinese food my entire life and what they serve here is not great at all. From what I can tell, it is northern Chinese trying to cook the more popular southern Chinese food normally served in the USA.

Lunch buffet is only $ 4, but what u get is a selection of a few dishes and the typical eggrolls, etc. All the tables were dirty and the employees there were less than pleasant. I wouldn’t come again although if u want cheap food then be my guest.