Driftwood Restaurant Campbell River in Campbell River

We do take out here and its always great. The food is hot and tasty and the staff is very accommodating.

One of our favorite spots to eat!

While the smorg food is always freshly prepared, and tasty, it is slow to be put out to accommodate customers appetite. The service staff is always polite and ready to serve with a smile.

I went for the buffet, shortly after it opened for the buffet hours. Food was good and good variety.

Really enjoyed the food. Everyone was so friendly.

Nice selection for buffet, deep fried wonton and deep fried prawns would be nice to see in there though and fortune cookies Friendly staff, nice view and decent priced!

We have been going to this restaurant since it first opened in Comox very many years ago and was always been excellent but after it was sold it started to go downhill but we kept going back and then covid hit so we went for takeout which was the worst I had ever eaten,but when it opened up again we went back it was not great they took deep fried prawns, mussels in pepper sauce and chicken balls off the menu all the things that the group of us (6-8) like to eat But we would still go back 3-4 times a year hoping they would put them back on the menu. Then they opened up one in Courtenay so we went there at first it was not to bad but they still did not have the dishes that they took of and replaced them with the worst oysters ever one of the girls got a touch of food poisoning from then and we know it was the oyster as she was the only one that had one, so we started to go to QF as there food was better and they have deep fried prawns and Chichen balls. The last time we went to the Courtenay restaurant the chicken was so greasy the grease ran down our arms and other friends went there not long ago and said the food was so bad they would never go back.My husband is taking me out for my 81 birthday as Chinese food is my favourite we are going to go to the one in Campbell River and hope that they have deep-fried prawns or chicken balls. Parking: good parking

Sat us in a corner hiding away from everyone and did not inform our server. Our server didnt say one word to us just dropped off waters than ignored us the entire visit. (We sat for 20 mins before she even noticed we were there.)

laura served myself and my family and her service was excellent. had a wonderful time and would recommend this restaurant :)

I have been eating at this restaurant for over 20 years and always loved it.. but in the last 2 years the food has been disgusting.. I thought maybe its a new cook but no its constantly gross and I will not be eating there any longer ... so sad as it was great food beforehand. You cant call it fried rice when its plain rice with frozen vegetables and nothing else dont waste your money and time

The food was good and delicious

What happened? The food used to great

The last two times we have gone for the afternoon smorgasbord it wasnt on. We got there at 20 after 12,and the cook was looking out the kitchen door deciding to cook or not. Makes you mad when youve driven for more than an hour DO WHAT YOURE SIGN SAYS

Been here an hour. No drinks and one member of our party ordered off the menu. Same time frame. Had to wait to get a complete meal. Went back twice to get meat. Totally disappointed! No staff, but kept seating people.

Rave to the blonde gal working the takeout desk tonight! Awesome customer service and super helpful. Will definitely be back.

Great spot to stop for a delicious chinese food buffet

Grest food and service. The honey garlic pork was perfect last night. Not soggy at all. Nice and crispy. Food

We had booked a month in advance, and confirmed our reservation early that day for my son s and nieces graduation. When we all arrived (25 of us) at 8:00pm we were informed it was too late to honour our reservation and turned us all away. Obviously they must do a very profitable business to turn away an $800 plus bill. All of us were so disappointed and embarrassed and will never set foot in the restaurant again. Shame on you. We will never set foot in that establishment ever again.

My husband and I went there today for the lunch buffet. As we walked in the server Mia said the debit machine was not working. We said ok thank you, we will come back another day. (We dont carry cash). She then said just the 2 of you. We replied yes. She said go eat. Come back and pay when you are this way again. I said no we cant do that. She said no no its ok you go eat. I trust you to come back and pay. We did go and eat. Then after our meal we went and found an ATM to get cash. Then went back and paid. Because of Mia and her kindness we will be back again. It helps to that the food was amazing!!

Very meh. Either do budget food or quality food, but this place is neither. Quality foods counter is better value for money.

Best place to eat

Took a friend to Driftwood in Campbell River. It was his first time there. We enjoy an excellent meal with great service. Thanks to all. Parking: Plenty of parking spots even tho restaursnt was busy

Ordered takeout for the first time after hearing rave reviews and was extremely disappointed. Food was tasteless and mediocre at best. Spring rolls were definitely frozen from a box. We also found a small metal shaving (a small spiral, similar to debris when opening a can) in our meal. It was so awful we didn t even save the leftovers. Help yourself and avoid the regret and go literally anywhere else.

The best option in all Campbell River. Good food, better service and good prices also. Vegetarian options: Vegetarian fried rice is delicious! Wheelchair accessibility: Accesibility facilities for wheelchairs.

Good fresh buffet

Ask for table closer to buffet as husband has arthritis and was placed by washrooms in back restaurant. Server in front didnt want to serve us. RUDE Food

Food was hot which is great for a buffet and the staff were friendly. Great atmosphere. Parking: Lots of parking Wheelchair accessibility: Wheelchair accessible

Best Chinese food in Campbell River.

It s in a lovely seaside setting. We always go for buffet but menu has lots of delicious options. The buffet is plentiful, diverse and delicious.

Worst chow mein I ve ever had. Very dry noodles. The chicken was just placed dry on top instead of fried with the noodles. The deep fried prawns were definitely not locally caught. The restaurant smelled like it hasn t been cleaned since it opened. Service was okay.

Amazing New Years Eve Dinner. Great food and great service. Our Server was a very kind gentleman and we were well taken care of.

Food was delicious. Always 100%

This is a very nice buffet. The price is reasonable. The food is probably the best Chinese in Campbell River. It is well worth the drive.

Have been coming here for many years, but lately food has gone downhill. Not impressed on our last visit.

Good food at a decent price. Very unrealistic wait times when busy, even with a reservation. Food

Once orede the food, wait just tiny bit time, and the food is ready!!so awesome tasty!!! Definitely come back again !!!!!!

The food was delicious with many to choose from. Despite being so busy, all the staff handled it well and with reservations we were seated within minutes. Great experience! Great food!

Cold, blah, unappealing Chinese food. Very over priced for what it is. Staff were pleasant.

We went to the buffet for Chinese New Year. The food was delicious and the service was also great.

I loved the Chinese buffet it wasnt to pricey and it was definitely worth the full belly.

Was at the driftwood for the buffet. 2 adults and an 8yr old. They only had half the buffet out. Bland food to boot . Got the bills 80$ way overpriced for poor quality

On there on March 11th, after the poor service, we wont return. I informed our server about my pepper allergy and asked if I could get some dishes made without peppers. The server said that I will have to charge you full order if you want a dish without peppers. The food tasted blander then nornal. Almost every dish had peppers in it, except half a dozen, which could be questionable. It also was not that warm and this was just before 5:00 pm. Previous visits, when I asked if they could make a certain dish that was on the buffet without peppers, it was no problem, and they would be accommodating. They would make a small portion without peppers and bring it to my table, and not charge extra. This visit was the first time I was informed about the additional costs. Dietary restrictions: charged full price for 2 items to be made without peppers in it.

Great food and great service!

Food was fresh and tasty, portions are big, but the food is fresh and tasty!

Great service vary tastey yummy

The service was excellent, the food not so much. The wor wonton didnt have much flavor. The food was also very greasy.

Best Chinese food for miles (and miles) around! Worth the drive!

Best Chinese Buffet on the island. I have tried the buffets from Victoria to Campbell River. Most use the lowest quality ingredients that sit in the warming trays for hours. It s the worst. When I first went to to the Driftwood in Campbell River I was surprised it was so good. Great quality food, prepared well and fresh. The price is also very fair. I can say hands down it s the best on the Island. That s why I drive an hour to have it

Food was fresh, hot and not greasy...very tastey

One of our all time fav places to eat in Campbell River. Consistently great food and great service

Unfortunately, no ice cream

Definitely will return when in the area, best buffet we have ever had , service and atmosphere was #1 . Thanks

Was awesome smorgasbord such good food havnt been there in along time

Mediocre Chinese buffet. Would be better to order from the menu.

All.great except chow mein no sprouts NO.flavor.. On buffet Food

We had the Chinese buffet. Typical Canadian style Chinese food options. Nothing spectacular, nothing awful. Restaurant furniture and fittings are dated, but staff was friendly.

Yummy. Yummy. Best buffet ever!!!!!!

Servers there need to learn how to multitask especially on a busy day If you cant help more than one person then you shouldnt be a server Food

Probably some of the best Chinese smorgasbord food Ive had in years! We went about 15 minutes before they closed(probably shouldve checked that ) And the food was still amazingly hot and even still looked really appetizing . And we got a great deal! They even let us have take out containers

Good service but ok food

Typical gweilo, belly up to the buffet Canadian Chinese food. They are just accommodating the demographics, can t say I blame them. The food isn t my thing but it s obvious the locals love it!

The service here was excellent, thank you Victoria. The food was tasty, with lots of options to choose from at the buffet. It is also very popular and very busy, we made a reservation which I would recommend.

Excellent buffet..

Very friendly family oriented. The food is delicious and and the buffet has a great variety of Chinese food. The staff is OnPoint with the service. I highly recommend the Driftwood

Amazing food and staff! Love the buffet!

Unusual quiet, friendly server

Great buffet, super busy.

Authentic Chinese food. Great service and good portions. Wheelchair accessibility: Right at the front door. Food : 5/5 |

I went there for a birthday party Saturday night. Everything was over cooked. The won ton, chicken drumsticks , the ginger beef it was horrible it s the worst smorgasbord I ve ever been to there. I will never go back there and to pay 30.00 for that. If I owned that place I would be testing what comes out of that kitchen at all times. Saturday night I would have fired that cook. There smorgasbord was absolutely terrible. You guy s keep that up and soon no one will show up at your door. I will never eat there again

My absolute favorite place for Chinese food, best in town. Its pricey especially with a drive attached to it, but it always seems to be busy.

Food is OK for the price. Good buffet.

Ordered food. Said it would be ready in an hour and had to wait an additional hour in the store to get the food.

Stop when we can for smorgasbord !! Awesome !!

Absolute garbage experience tonight. I called at 6:30 asking when they closed for the night, and was told 8 pm. I then told the person on the phone that I would drive there to place my order since I didn t know what we wanted yet. Drove down there in an absolute snow storm and got there at 7:30 (and yes, I know it s horrible to arrive half an hour before closing, but we literally were just ordering to take out, not dining in.) and got told they were closed? I then said that must be wrong, I just called at 6:29 and was told that it was closed at 8. Another worker came out and then said that they close at 8, but the kitchen closes at 7:45 anyways so I couldn t order. I turned my phone around and showed her that it was 7:30 when I walked in, now 7:34 and it wasn t 7:45 yet. She then backtracked and said that they were closed anyways because it wasn t busy. Ummm okay? Why say you re closed at 8, then 7:45, then just simply closed? I understand about closing early and staff shortages but maybe try not lying to customers faces and changing your stories around to fit your narrative. I will literally never eat here again because I was lied to three times, and didn t even receive an apology. Just attitude.

Good grub

The food didnt taste too badly however, there were at least 3 employees walking around without masks, one of them was handling the utensils at the buffet and mixing food and not once did he even sanitize. When we asked the girl at the front, she deflected, and said well hes just a dishwasher. Immediately defensive and walked away while we paid, even though we were completely turned off. Never going back there.

Cause i cant go lower terrible experience badly handled

The buffet is always great and so are the people

Very good food, great service. The breaded prawns were amazing and not something other Chinese food places offer.

We all have to show passport and wear masks but I noticed a cook in a white gown walking around in and out of the kitchen with no mask. Is he even vaccinated? I told the frontline person nothing was done. I dont wish him being near my food. Last time I eat here. Its too bad as its close to me and I love a buffet.

The food was delicious and such huge variety on the buffet so worth the drive. The service was excellent as well . Covid safety precautions are in place, with easy to follow guidlines.all employees were very friendly and helpful even though it was super busy

Super yummy Chinese food excellent buffet and take out.

A friend and I went there for the lunch buffet. We walked inside and waited to be seated for 15 minutes with tables available the whole time We waited. Then we were told to just seat ourselves. We did and waited another 20 minutes before we got up a nod left. Truely a very poor dining experience.

Is it me or has the food become bland and tasteless? $25.00 a plate (buffet) l dont think so! After years (on and off) of going there, not going again.

Very busy night but the staff was friendly and attentive. The ginger beef was a real standout.

Very good food with large portions & reasonably priced. Driftwood is very clean and the service is pleasant & attentive.

Really good buffet. The several shrimp dishes were all delicious and the beef with mushroom was amazing.

Great Chinese Food The y available Your Pork Allergy & Spice Allergy.

Food was cold.

Food was ok but the service was much to be desired they spent more time talk to each other then server the customer.

1st smorgasbord in 2 years ,damn covid ,tasty tasty

My Mom really likes to go for their buffet. Theres a good mix of different dishes and several with seafood. Friendly and attentive staff.

This place is was a pleasant surprise. Best Chinese food buffet I ve had. Also had baked oysters

Always enjoy this restaurant. Consistent and good food.

I have eaten in the restaurant and ordered off the menu. The food & service has been great. I will be back.

The food was excellent. The staff was awesome. Highly recommend this place

Good food, but restaurant needs some cleaning up. Dining room carpet is torn and not clean. Exterior is looking rundown. There was a sign on the kitchen door asking patrons to stand clear of the door, which is fine, but the added line written in black felt unless you like being hit by the door kind of sets a bad tone.

Fantastic buffet. Great choices and the food was really good! Lots of parking. Friendly staff. Dont let the look of the exterior fool you (it could use a little tlc)

Even the Jell-O was bland? Seriously. It tastes like the water that came out of the tap... ... ...Two days ago. The food isnt terribly bad, but it is bland. Won Tons were water-logged. Chow mein had little to no flavor etc... The buffet is pretty small too. They have the staple foods for the most part, but they have a whole steam table turned off and empty. But it is a Wednesday, so maybe they put out more food on the weekends, IDK? But for $30, I would expect more variety and to actually use spices. Service was just fine. Pleasant servers with a smile. Clearing plates regularly and such. No complaints there. Oh and for the love of Christn please turn off that country radio station. Parking: Lots of parking

Food was fresh and tasty

Sorry to say but the food was dissapointing; the turkey sandwich was totally regular- plain Dempster white bread not toasted; the fish and chips- the fish breading was too thick and the fries were saggy. Also, a cockroach was roaming in the lamp above our neighbors table.

avoid the hot and sour soup. baked oysters were delish

Good tasting food!

It was great, and our waiter was amazing. He remembered everything, without writing anything down, and we had 10 dishes.

Great place for a buffet dinner and great selection

Went the other night with the family and it was very good, food was hot and flavourful, especially loved the baked oysters. staff was excellent and cheery.

Beware that there hours of operation is inconsistent. There not always open when you drive out there.

Always a great place to eat. The kids love the buffet and picking what they want.

Omg!!!!! The best Chinese buffet we have ever been to!!!!!! The selection of food was out of this world!!! It is worth every penny!!!!!!!!!

Took the motorcycle out with my dad from Courteney for lunch, absolutely worth the ride

Good food, good variety

Food was delicious! Baked oysters and prawns three ways. Could use a good cleaning and some repairs though, especially exterior and windows.

Its OK. A little pricy and the food was so so.

Great

Was better before. Might have a better experience next time. The first time was better tasting food.

Lots of parking. Easy access to the restaurant. Staff were really nice! Service was great! We had the buffet, all you can eat dinner. The food was ok, no complaints, it just wasnt outstanding. Flavour of the food was just ok. We didnt have a favorite dish. Many good options at the buffet. Beef, chicken, shrimp and vege dishes were all good. Food was fresh and frequently restocked. Unfortunately because the flavour wasnt there for us we wont be returning. Vegetarian options: Vegetable and noodle dishes available. Parking: Many easily accessible parking spots and easy access to the restaurant from the parking area. Kid-friendliness: Kid friendly. Lots of room to sit in the dining room. Wheelchair accessibility: Easy access from the parking area to the restaurant.

Good

Good taste , good buffet!! Very friendly staff

I ve been ordering take out here off and on for 5 years now. Always very delicious and fresh. Thank you for being here.

Snow day, very few people there so no buffet at lunch but ordered of the menu and enjoyed our lunch.

Good smorgasbord

Excellent food and COVID 19 measures. Reservations are recommended.

Always delicious and great service

The food is awesome.

Awesome and Amazing

The food is out of this world , an for the price it cant be beat the only thing I dont like is who am I kidding love this location Highly recommended

Excellent food, big servings. Fast service. We each ordered a combo for one. You have a choice of chow mein or rice. We added 1 extra item each. The servings were enough for both of us plus we have enough left overs for tomorrow nite. Prices are very reasonable. And the taste is very good. Two combos for one with an extra item plus 2 cokes came to under $40...

Great Chinese cuisine.

Great price and a large amount of food was served.The service wss wonderful. Not really busy but comfortable. After the meal was over the province closed all dinein locations. So we got lucky that day to have a lovely lunch

No dining-in yet, but take-out is still excellent.

Worst service ever. Never came to our table once to ask for drinks etc and there was NO food. The 3 of us all left hungry

Enjoyed the buffet, great service

Great food...generous portions....reasonable priced....go hungry!

Good food good service thanks

So glad to be back and it didnt disappoint. The food was fresh & delicious, the service was great. Looking forward to going back.

Great service and awesome food. I have never been disappointed by them at all! Would recommend to anyone looking for quality Chinese food!

The buffet is back on and as good as ever.

A bit pricey but you cant beat the quality.

Take out was fresh, lots of flavor, not overcooked, good quality, and all in all a good choice in the area for standard Chinese fare.

I didnt like how the prices were it was so expensive even when its my first time there but the buffet was good its to expensive I dont think I would go back tho

Decided to pop in on the way home and it didnt seem too busy, we walked in and were behind a party of 4 as we waited numerous people came in and had reservations but either butted ahead for pick up or stood out of line. There was one woman running the front of house answering the phone taking orders and when it was our turn we said just for 2 and then she went back to answering the phone. Helped a gentlemen who helped himself to the front of the line (more people were jumping the line behind us as well) There was no communication as to when we would be seated or have to wait and there was no organization to the line up, people were piling up and when I finally got the chance to ask she said she didnt know when we would be sweated as reservations were first. We left and were discouraged but what I think was not great was the fact the woman was working alone and had soo much to deal with.

This is the best Chinese restaurant on the Island. The buffet is really good, which always includes at least three kinds of shrimps. The hot and saucer soup is perfect as is the wonton soup. The decor is beautiful. The parking at the back is large. This still the best Chinese Restauant, been two times just now 2021 July, will go again next week.

Enjoy their service

It was fun!

Excellent food, great people, top notch restaurant! Will definitely tell people about this place!

Been a while since Ive been to a smorgasbord yum

Steamed mussels, deep fried shrimp. ginger beef was zippy.

Just because you guys are still running your buffet, this in itself is worth 4* but the food was pretty good to!! So 5*!! Will definitely come encourage you again and will send my friends your direction. Thanks!

Pretty sure this place gave me food poisoning. Came here for my sisters Bday dinner and got WonTon soup at the buffet, Took a bite of and swallowed some of and realized it tasted kind of funny only to look down and see it s still pink woke up at the middle of the night to run to the bathroom as I was about to vomit. I m sitting on the bathroom floor holding back vomit while typing this. I cut into other Wontons and they were all like this so I m probably not the only one whose sick now. I have been working on overcoming paranoia with food and it making me sick for the past 2 years and this sent me back to square 1. Would not come here ever again.

Delicious food and friendly service!

I was super skeptical at first, but this place sure did surprise me! The food is delicious and the service is great! If anyone is driving by here, be sure to come check it out! I will definitely be back. UPDATE: I m back just a couple days later... lol thoroughly enjoying it. Don t hesitate, just come stop by!

Can I give this place less than 1 star? I ordered fried rice with vegetables and beef chop suey. The food was absolutely tasteless. Beef tasted like it was cooked under a tap of hot running water. The dish was about 6 pieces of beef with a mountain of random vegetables that also had zero flavor. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone who does not have taste buds. Portions are massive but trust me, you do not want leftovers.

Good food busy place. Could use some deep cleaning.

I ordered Wonton soup. The broth was tasteless.

I m only commenting on their service. We arrived 40 minutes before their break. Restaurant was empty and my son and I were turned away because of their upcoming break in 40 min. Lazy staff.

Amazing food

Disgusting customer service. Wait time 45 minutes longer than told for takeout and the order was incorrect. Wait staff was quick to take payment then disappear for 20 minutes with a waiting room full of angry customers waiting for late takeout orders.

We were seated on time. We ordered from the menu and had lots of leftovers for the next day. The only thing was they didnt have any of their awesome egg rolls. Service was awesome! And food, as always, was delicious.

Amazed at buffet being open and delicious.

The food was fresh and very tasty. However, the resteraunt did not check any of our vaccine passports.. when I asked if they were going to check our vaccine passports, I was given a very abrupt, NO by the waiter. I strongly believe that not checking and verifying vaccine passports puts the public at risk. I will not go back. Edit: answer to your reply. Asking if your customers have a passport, is not checking and verifying. VERIFYING is actually scanning the passport to confirm, and then physically checking that the passport matches the Care Card.

Buffet a bit light in choice and slow topping up,but hey its fast cold food lol.

Wonderful atmosphere, yummy food and great service.

I really like this place great good and people follow all the covid rules

Great food and large amounts when ordering combo orders. Always got orders correct and friendly service

Wonderful... GREAT FOOD... GREAT STAFF!!! Clean and tidy ... YOU should stop in and eat if youre over this way!!!

Awesome buffet!

Open Wed thru Sunday, buffet and menu options.

Amazing service, friendly atmosphere and of course delicious food

Love the garlic prawns.

Best chinese food ever, great service, cheery staff.

Was really good there good food for sure

Great !

The best Chinese food in town, Bar down!