Chen's Mongolian Buffet

Bistrozine

➤ 409 E Calder Way, State College, PA 16801, United States

Carte • Canadian • American • Desserts • North American

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"This was a co-workers recommendation. I would not have guessed that it was an asian fusion type restaurant by the name. It 's tucked back in Calder Way and off the main drag. There is a metered parking lot nearby or you can find a garage that 's 3 blocks away. We were quickly seated and service was great. The restaurant was clean, small and interesting. They have tables with swings for chairs? Unfortunately, we sat in regular chairs. I 'm not sure if this place was something else previously but there was some out of place decor.The menu has a variety of asian inspired options with rice or noodles. Some options were familar and others were new to me. Food presentation was excellent. Our party, in general, raved about their dishes. I got the kimchi fried rice and thought there would have been pieces of kimchi throughout but no. We enjoyed their variety of tea options and drank two whole pots on a cold winter 's day. Everything had great spice and kick. Pricing was reasonable with most dishes around $12-14."

Gigi's Southern Table

➤ 2080 Cato Ave.PA 16801, State College, United States

Carte • Full • Steak • American • Bar-lounge

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"Gigi's substantially changed their menu ahead of Father's Day so that it differed from the online version not only were the options quite different, but the menu was substantially shorter one page, very few options . Furthermore there were no vegetarian options besides salads, only one fish option the shrimp dish had sausage in it , and nearly all dishes had a substantial element of spiciness to them while I love spice, one member of our party is very sensitive and had difficulty figuring out an option . What made our experience particularly difficult was Gigi's refusal to allow minor substitutions i.e. condiments, spice level and refusal to add a protein to a salad that the restaurant had in stock which we would have been more than happy to pay for , which was explicitly an option on the old menu. While I understand why a chef would not want to back up their kitchen for customer substitution requests, this policy should have been relaxed considering the extremely short menu that had been changed at the last minute in fact, the online version of the menu still had not been changed by the time we sat at our table. But the most frustrating portion of our evening was when the manager came over to ask how we were doing. One member of our party brought up politely the last minute menu change and lack of options for diners, to which the manager perplexingly retorted that Gigi's didn't want to allow additions/substitutions because it might create an influx of customers to the establishment ??? , and that proteins were still allowed to be added to dishes for breakfast options but not dinner again, ??? . I should note that my dishes crab soup, salmon were delicious, and the service by our waitress was lovely. However this did not extend to the all of the dishes that my companions ate an over cooked burger, bland grits, etc. , and their negative experience regrettably ruined what should have been a relaxing Father's Day dinner."

Plaza Mexican Grill

➤ 1550 S Atherton St, State College, Pennsylvania, USA, 16801, United States

Carte • Cafés • Vegan • Tacos • Mexican

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"We LOVE their table-side guacamole — it’s like dinner and a show all in one We have brought many friends here over the years!! They recently began offering specifically vegan items on their menu, but they will gladly make any item with whatever alterations you want as well!!!"

Carnegie Inn

➤ 100 Cricklewood Dr, 16803, State College, US, United States

Carte • Pub • Wine • American • Breakfast

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"We spent two hours at the restaurant, watching guests who arrived after us being served and leaving before us. Despite having made reservations and arriving on time, we waited almost 20 minutes for anyone to take our drink orders. After that, we waited nearly an hour for our salads. At the one hour and 45-minute mark, we finally flagged down a waitress and requested our meals to-go because we had simply lost patience. No one checked in on us or offered any explanation for the delays. It was baffling to see other diners enjoying multiple courses and settling their bills while we were still waiting for our salads. There was no apology or effort to make our dining experience better; we felt entirely ignored. It was incredibly frustrating to observe the attentive service given to the tables around us, while we received none—no drink refills, no communication, nothing. We ended up spending $200 on an anniversary dinner that we had to finish at home, feeling tired and irritable. While the food was quite good, it was definitely overpriced, and the service was dreadful. There are many other places where you can enjoy a romantic meal with great service and a lovely atmosphere at a more reasonable price."

India Pavilion

➤ 222 E Calder Way, State College, PA 16801, United States

Carte • Soup • Vegan • Indian • Desserts

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"I've had nothing but good experiences here. It's refreshing to see such a friendly staff. Nothing outstanding, but they make you feel warmly welcome and comfortable. It feels family-run, and when you dine in you feel like a part of the family. You'll never be hurried out of the restaurant, but you'll also never have to wait too long for the check. The waiters always seem to stop by at the perfect time. 5/5 for service. The food is quite good. It may not be 100% authentic, it might lack complexity of flavor, yet something about it is special: 100x better than the curries I can make myself. Even the rice by itself is phenomenal. Nothing tastes frozen, you can see there's serious effort and pride put into the food. Doesn't take long to arrive. The menu is short enough to show the chef's confidence but long enough to have plenty of delicious options. 4/5 almost perfect. The atmosphere is alright. I'd be excited to see new renovations as it does seem a bit outdated, but overall it's relaxing, peaceful, not too stuffy, too casual or too formal. Very clean. You get treated to some nice tranquil Indian music. A competent restaurant owned by intelligent, hard-working, and friendly people. You really can feel the effort and care they put in. I always leave fat and happy. I hope you'll continue to succeed. Thanks guys."