The Oriental Touch
Quick info
About The Oriental Touch
On St Marychurch Rd in Torquay, The Oriental Touch is a Chinese buffet restaurant with a self-serve format, where diners take a seat and then go up to serve their own plates. The spread covers a wide selection of dishes alongside a kids' menu and vegetarian options, with a dessert area on the side, though the chocolate fountain once part of that spread has since been removed. Buffets run daily at two different times, a midday and weekday option priced more affordably and a separate weekend buffet with a broader range of food. The room runs on a no-frills setup rather than any decorative theme. Seating is walk-in, with no reservations taken. Staff circulate to clear plates through the meal, though not always right away during busier periods.
Good to know
“No-frills decor in buzzing Chinese buffet restaurant with an all-you-can-eat menu and kids' options.”
- ReservationsWalk-in only
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, parking lot, restroom, seating
Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention weekend and midday buffet, dessert selection and hot freshly replenished food.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention weekend and midday buffet, dessert selection and hot freshly replenished food.
Customer Review Summary
The buffet's variety draws most reviewers back, with the wide array of hot, freshly replenished dishes and generous dessert selection singled out for praise, alongside reasonable pricing for the amount served. Several call out attentive, friendly staff and quick plate clearing on good visits. Close behind, complaints cluster around inconsistency: one longtime customer describes a decline in quality, citing pork in plum sauce disappearing, stodgy rice, tasteless white fish, and spare ribs "with no meat on but loads of sickly sauce." Others report unfriendly staff, language barrier issues, and slow plate clearing. One reviewer reports finding maggots in their food and says staff initially refused a refund and shouted before relenting once other customers noticed. Minor gripes include a missing chocolate fountain and no pancakes on offer. Despite the mixed accounts, multiple diners explicitly recommend the buffet for its price and portion.
Customer Review Summary
The buffet's variety draws most reviewers back, with the wide array of hot, freshly replenished dishes and generous dessert selection singled out for praise, alongside reasonable pricing for the amount served. Several call out attentive, friendly staff and quick plate clearing on good visits. Close behind, complaints cluster around inconsistency: one longtime customer describes a decline in quality, citing pork in plum sauce disappearing, stodgy rice, tasteless white fish, and spare ribs "with no meat on but loads of sickly sauce." Others report unfriendly staff, language barrier issues, and slow plate clearing. One reviewer reports finding maggots in their food and says staff initially refused a refund and shouted before relenting once other customers noticed. Minor gripes include a missing chocolate fountain and no pancakes on offer. Despite the mixed accounts, multiple diners explicitly recommend the buffet for its price and portion.
Featured reviews
- Google user
“Food wasn’t as great as mentioned in other reviews. It didn’t taste like other Chinese restaurants at all. The food was very basic. The staff were not friendly. A staff member at the billing counter gave us a strange look when we asked for tap water. We felt that this was because we didn’t buy any drinks. We found it was not easy to communicate with most of the staff as we felt they do not understand even basic English. The plates were not cleared promptly by the staff. I wouldn't recommend this restaurant to anyone.”
- Google user
“Have been visiting this place regularly ever since they opened. Sad to say that standard of food has gone downhill. Tried to explain politely to man who I thought was management. He new little English, and said food was always the same. Abrupt, and more interested in sorting out his lights problem. Kids menu seems to have taken priority over Oriental. No pork in plum sauce anymore. Tagliatelle was awful. Lots of stodgy rice. White fish, tasteless...more now even after the ginger was omitted. Spare ribs had no meat on but loads of sickly sauce. Forget the prawns, as nobody wants to fiddle with a tasteless mess. A relative of mine has also gone twice recently with her family agrees with me. The Price increase we do object to. But the standard has declined. So we all will not return until we hear things have greatly improved. Sad.”
- Google user
“Had a great time here trying it out for the first time. Was a vast selection of food and was all delicious. One of our group is a vegetarian and there was plenty options for her too. The food quality was fine and there was nothing to complain about quality wise. Staff were friendly and we were seated immediately. The only thing I wish there was from my visit was a few more dessert options. Overall it was a great experience and the price is a amazing one, coming from central London where I have to pay £30 minimum for something of this quality it was so nice being able to pay £40 for two of us.”
- Google user
“We found maggots in our food, when we approached staff without making a scene they refused to give us a refund, shouted at us. When customers started leaving they finally refunded us and told us to not return ever. We have always been loyal customers and have never had an issue and always defended them online, which we now regret. I would not advise as they tried justifying the maggot and didn’t seem surprised.”
- Google user
“Probably one of the best Chinese Buffets I’ve ever been too. Not a Humungous selection however everything they had was hot and tasty and the desserts selection was pretty impressive. Only thing we thought was odd was no pancakes yet seriously well worth every penny.”
Amenities
- Wheelchair accessible entrance
Show more amenities
- Accessibility· 3
- Wheelchair accessible parking lot
- Wheelchair accessible restroom
- Wheelchair accessible seating
Location
Restaurants near The Oriental Touch
- The Chippy4.32762.1 mi£10–20Vegetarian optionsGood for kidsReservations
fish and chips, mushy peas, battered sausages
- The London Fryer4.41,1932.1 mi£10–20Vegan optionsVegetarian optionsWheelchair accessible
fish and chips, curry sauce, vegan fish
- Roy's Restaurant4.9672.1 mi
fish and chips, skate wings, sticky toffee pudding
| Place | Rating | Distance | Price | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Oriental TouchWheelchair accessible | 4.31,890 | — | — | weekend and midday buffet, dessert selection, hot freshly replenished food |
| The ChippyVegetarian options · Good for kids · Reservations | 4.3276 | 2.1 mi | £10–20 | fish and chips, mushy peas, battered sausages |
| The London FryerVegan options · Vegetarian options · Wheelchair accessible | 4.41,193 | 2.1 mi | £10–20 | fish and chips, curry sauce, vegan fish |
| Roy's Restaurant | 4.967 | 2.1 mi | — | fish and chips, skate wings, sticky toffee pudding |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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