
The Oriental Touch
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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.
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Reviews
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention weekend buffet, midday weekday buffet, dessert selection and chocolate fountain.
What reviewers say
Reviewers most often mention weekend buffet, midday weekday buffet, dessert selection and chocolate fountain.
Customer Review Summary
Most reviewers come for the variety of the buffet, with dishes described as hot, tasty and constantly replenished, and a vegetarian in one group finding plenty to eat. Desserts are called impressive, though one visitor wanted more choice, and several say the value is good for the amount of food. Staff are often described as friendly and quick to notice plates, and one regular says the weekend buffet has more options than the cheaper weekday midday one. The sharpest complaints come from diners who found the food basic or in decline: spare ribs with no meat under a sickly sauce, an awful tagliatelle, stodgy rice, and tasteless white fish and prawns. One longtime customer feels the kids menu now takes priority over the Chinese dishes. Others describe staff as abrupt, hard to communicate with, or slow to clear plates. One diner found the chicken and chips heavy on pepper and was disappointed that the chocolate fountain had been removed.
Customer Review Summary
Most reviewers come for the variety of the buffet, with dishes described as hot, tasty and constantly replenished, and a vegetarian in one group finding plenty to eat. Desserts are called impressive, though one visitor wanted more choice, and several say the value is good for the amount of food. Staff are often described as friendly and quick to notice plates, and one regular says the weekend buffet has more options than the cheaper weekday midday one. The sharpest complaints come from diners who found the food basic or in decline: spare ribs with no meat under a sickly sauce, an awful tagliatelle, stodgy rice, and tasteless white fish and prawns. One longtime customer feels the kids menu now takes priority over the Chinese dishes. Others describe staff as abrupt, hard to communicate with, or slow to clear plates. One diner found the chicken and chips heavy on pepper and was disappointed that the chocolate fountain had been removed.
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.”
Hours
- Monday
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- Tuesday
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- Wednesday
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- Thursday
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- Friday
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- Saturday
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- Sunday
Good to know
“No-frills decor in buzzing Chinese buffet restaurant with an all-you-can-eat menu and kids' options.”
- AccessibilityWheelchair: entrance, parking lot, restroom, seating
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
- Tasty House4.3880.3 mi
generous portions, roast pork chow mein, sweet and sour chicken
- Visto Lounge4.42,9510.6 mi
louisiana chicken, duck pancakes, smashed cheeseburger
- Pho Nam Torquay4.82240.6 mi
pho nam with garlic beef, bun bo hue, bun noodle salad
| Place | Rating | Distance | Mentioned in reviews |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Oriental TouchWheelchair accessible | 4.31,890 | — | weekend buffet, midday weekday buffet, dessert selection |
| Tasty House | 4.388 | 0.3 mi | generous portions, roast pork chow mein, sweet and sour chicken |
| Visto Lounge | 4.42,951 | 0.6 mi | louisiana chicken, duck pancakes, smashed cheeseburger |
| Pho Nam Torquay | 4.8224 | 0.6 mi | pho nam with garlic beef, bun bo hue, bun noodle salad |
The 3 nearest restaurants by distance. Ratings, hours and review terms come from public business profiles.
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