Qin Guan is located in Carbondale, IL. If you’re looking for good food that will satisfy your taste buds, make sure you try it out! We walked in and it only took 5 minutes to be seated and get our drinks. Price is based on your age, so it was 44 dollars for just 2 people. It isn’t the most ideal price, but it’s a buffet, so if you’re hungry, you can get your money’s worth. It was pretty busy during the dinner rush, so they were crowded and very loud. 

We walked through everyone and each got a plate of noodles, spicy chicken, sesame chicken, crab, oysters, different varieties of sushi, fried rice, and soup. The food was great quality, it was hot and seemed very fresh for a buffet. They had a big variety of food to choose from! The staff was great and took care of us the whole time we were there. They were very kind and welcoming. From the outside the restaurant looks run down and old, but on the inside it’s very modern and put together. There’s a lot of sitting areas and arrangements as well.

As we were eating, we realized how the restaurant was displayed. The carpet, tables, and chairs were dirty and not pleasing to the eye. The bathrooms were very small, outdated, and unsanitary. Despite the small bits of dirtiness, I would definitely recommend trying it out.

Kew Gardens is located in Herrin, IL, by KFC. As we went in, we were seated right away. The outside looked a little disheveled but the inside was very nice, relaxing, and small. They had dark lighting, which was very calming. There were brick walls, blue seats and marble patterned tables. It was $14.56 per person for us. The bathrooms were very small and there was not much lighting in the bathroom. They weren’t very welcoming, and they only checked up on us twice. 

The food overall was decent; I will say their chicken and sweet tea was better than Qin Guan’s, but their variety is much smaller. I most likely wouldn’t recommend dining in at Kew Gardens, but I would recommend the tea and chicken. I feel that it was a very awkward experience and I wouldn’t recommend dining there.

In all, I would definitely choose Qin Guan over Kew Gardens. Qin Guan had a better dining experience, and a more welcoming environment. Their prices may be a bit high; however, you get quality food and quality service.