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Chan’s Fine Chinese Dining - Scottsdale
September 04 , 2004 by Mystery Reviewer
Chan’s Fine Chinese Dining
9699 N. Hayden Road
Scottsdale, AZ
480.998.8185
Hours: Mon-Sat - open for lunch and dinner
Sunday, dinner only
Dress Code: Casual
Credit Cards: Major credit cards accepted
Type: Chinese Buffet
Buffet Dining with Unbeatable Variety
When you think of buffet dining, you don’t think of an upscale neighborhood in Scottsdale. Buffet connoisseurs don’t appear to be interested in subtle flavors marrying harmoniously on the tongue – they’re interested in either great variety or a tremendous amount of food for a reasonable price. I love variety and when I couldn’t decide definitively what I wanted for lunch, I made my way to Chan’s Fine Chinese Dining on N. Hayden and Mountain View. I knew that there’d be a dish or two that would my satisfy appetite.
Chan’s offers buffet-style lunch Monday through Saturday for just $4.95 through the summer*. If buffet food isn’t appealing, order from the regular lunch menu – prices range from $4.50 to 5.95. When I walked into the very clean dining area, none of the 16 patrons had ordered a specially prepared entrée – they were all feasting at the buffet.
The fare was standard Chinese - Sweet and Sour Pork and Chicken, Sesame Chicken, Egg Foo Yung, Egg Rolls, Sweet and Sour Soup, Fried Rice, White Rice, Steamed Won-Tons, Vegetable Chow Mein and much more. During my 40 minute stay, I noticed the kitchen and wait staff refreshing the dishes approximately every 10 to 15 minutes.
I tried the sweet and sour dishes, won-tons, sesame chicken, vegetarian stir-fry, house special fried rice, crab puffs and fried, lightly-breaded zucchini. There were only a few dishes suffering from “steam-table heat rash” – the sesame chicken was a bit tough and the sauce had evaporated over time. The won-ton skins on the crab puff were too brittle.
To my surprise, the won-tons were excellent. I used the sauce at the buffet table and a splash of Chinese mustard to season them and they were very good. The zucchini was cooked to perfection and the house fried rice was outstanding with bits of pork, egg and vegetables. 
The sweet and sours were good as was the vegetable stir-fry. I’d certainly try them again, but will likely stick with the winning combo of won-tons, zucchini and house fried rice the next time I visit Chan’s.
If you’re looking for upscale, Chan’s isn’t the place for you. But if you want a great variety of good Chinese food in a clean environment with friendly wait staff, you can’t do much better than Chan’s.
*NOTE: Neither the manager or waitress could tell me how long the Summer Special would last, nor the regular cost of the buffet. Chan’s appears to be family run and prices may fluctuate to accommodate their business environment.
