Driftwood Restaurant Courtenay in Courtenay

Great buffet. I have always had great food here even with 3 ownership changes. Dim Sum buffet is great.

very good

Great food - best Chinese buffet; excellent service

All you can eat dinner buffet doesn t offer vegetarian options

Sweet and sour chicken balls batter was disgusting and the chicken was disgusting and old the Sweet and sour pork was stuck together like grandmas candy mints.

Foods are great and services are awesome too.

Staffs are very nice and the food is tasty compared to other branches.

Food is awesome, service is also good.

Every time we eat, food is always fresh and hot, servers constantly offer water! They also have some sweets available if you are interested. Food

This restaurant is great the staff are hard working and the host is very polite highly recommended

Really delicious food and good customer service.

Kid-friendliness: The service was great and food was to Food

Best food ever! Great service and wide selection of tasty food. Would recommend it again and again

Great staff, great atmosphere and great Chinese food. I bring a group of buddies here most months and it s always a good time, plus they have a robot that drives around and gives you food or cookies Food

Driftwood is my go to place for Chinese food in Courtenay, food is always fresh and staff are always friendly and supper attentive.

The food is really nice and the service was great. Thank you

We had a nice dinner with my friends.. The food was delicious and they had a great staff. Excellent service! Thank you!

Food here is incredibly good, you get what you pay for for sure. The owner himself takes time to have conversations with every table. Come try for yourself, the reviews are so false when it comes to this place. Everything about this place is phenomenal.

I went there to pickup the food . They are very rude. Actually Yesterday around 6.30 pm I had the skip order. I went there and one employee (lady) almost threw me out from the restaurant and said no order go from here. This was very weird.

nice server great host, really taking care of us!

Generous serving of beef and mushrooms with a side of steamed rice.

Taste very good, lots of selections We are coming back for sure

Showed up at 8:00 for Buffay they closed at 9:00 said can t help you closing soon, made us pick from the buffay and said we had to leave and eat it, not from here, they didn t supply a fork and when my wife asked for another container and they wouldn t give us one, won t be going back

Buffet was great! service was very good and the restaurant was very clean and well kept!! highly recommend!!

Dined in with a group, excellent all around! Vegetarian options: Dishes are marked as to content & lots to pick from Food : 5/5 |

Vegetarian options: You have to add more vegetarian dishes in your menu but we try veggie chowmin and spring roll they are really really good Food

An Exelent expirence & extremely good food & deserts

my son , who loves chinese food , could not finish his plate, I ate a few bites it was greasy and tasteless, for that price..shameful...

Dont know how the food is. Went in and asked for a menu and was told we had to have buffet. Guess I know some place I will not be back too.

Tried to place an order on Skip, says opens at 3:30. Called restaurant at 3:45 asked if I could do a pick up. Lady was very rude and said only through skip and not till 4:30. Couple mins to 5:00 and still not available!!

My partner and I have been to the buffet, had pickup, and delivery from this place and we will not be giving it any more chances until they get their rating up. Each time it has been gradually worse. The wonton soup is flavorless and zero vegetables in the wontons. The breading on the saucy fried meats is always completely soggy. The sweet and sour sauce is bland and watery. The egg rolls are doughy and unseasoned. The chow mein is always overcooked and underseasoned. They do have a few redeeming dishes, such as the spicy fried squid, pan fried dumplings, garlic butter shrimp and the chicken wings. However for the price I think most of us expected a lot better. Also the other locations are much better and have better reviews and a higher overall rating to reflect this. The restaurant there before it, east kitchen, was cheaper and much better Wheelchair accessibility: It is wheelchair accessible

I purchased a meal for one last night with fried rice, sweet and sour chicken balls and almond chicken and was very disappointed by what I received. The rice was dry and broken into a million pieces, chicken balls seemed be of the previously frozen type and unappetizing. What really put me off though was the sweet and sour sauce which had this weird gross smell of fish. Who wants fish smelling sauce on their doughy chicken balls? Not me. The almond chicken with gravy was dry and hard to cut and the coating was mushy. I wish I could say something nice about the gravy because I usually LOVE gravy, but it was lumpy and had no flavour. Basically my entire meal which cost about 20 dollars with taxes was not worth it. I wont return to this restaurant even though I had planned on bringing family here for the buffet.

We moderately enjoyed the buffet. Little bit greasy and a smidgen over priced for what it was. I had just one small plate, did not go back for seconds

A good variety and hot not Luke warm like most other places could use a few improvements for disabled access and use

Nicely decorated place and the help-yoursef buffet dinner had plenty of high quality food to choose from plus an excellent choice of sweets. Would definitely go back again for seconds!

Great selection and good prices

Long time fans of Campbell River Driftwood location. First time in Courtenay location and expected same service and food. We were disappointed. Had to stand and wait for table even tho place was almost empty. Long wait for service. Food was only so so, a big disappointment compared to CR location. Could be startup blues, but they will have to get better. Parking: parking good

Ist time there. Terrible won ton soup. No flavour at all.Wont be going back there.

Went with friends for lunch. Arrived at 12:30 and the buffet was almost empty with no new food on the way. The buffet looked unappetizing with nearly empty serving dishes. We were told to order from the menu. My fried rice was luke warm, my egg roll inedible, and my chicken cutlet hard as nails. I do not recommend this restaurant.

Pleasant staff. Good food. Buffet food was pretty fresh as we went during the busier meal time. Kid friendly!

Was much better as east kitchen. We are a fan of the driftwood restaurant in Campbell river but the one in courtenay isnt even close to as good. The food was dried out, the place feels cramped and the whole atmosphere is high stress. Better off eating at the golden carriage restaurant up the street.

Food is 10/10. Absolutely delicious.

I love the foods they served, so delicious. Wide variety of foods too! I love the service too. Even though it is busy, they manage to smile throughout our stay. The place is clean. For sure, me and my friends will come back.

$72 for dinner for 3 and a beef dish and small white rice. Easily the worst Chinese food I have ever tasted. Inedible waste of $ and food. So disappointed I will never go back to the Courtenay Driftwood. Complete ripoff.

Had the buffet, it was OK.

Its always been pretty good every time weve been there

Great buffet, lots of seafood Food stayed hot as they were really busy on Xmas Eve. I didnt find it too expensive at all for the food! Food

Friendly staff, great food and buffet.

Outstanding food and service. Highly recommend this warm and wonderful place. Food

Great place for brunch, lunch, or dinner

Chinese buffet..great selection..and tasty .. but they shut down at 2 from lunch .. so get there with time to enjoy your meal ..

There was an entire tray of moldy cake in the dessert buffet. I went back to take a picture, but the customers who pointed it out to me also let the staff know, and they replaced it with one with no mold. My 7 year old took a piece of fresh looking cake but said it didnt taste good and only ate one bite. The jello was popular with my two kids. It was more firm than jiggly. The vegetables were cooked well - not crunchy, but not mushy, either. The sauces on the breaded meats were good, and made up for the soggy breading. The variety of shrimps were good. The squid was nicely done, and the wings were crunchy. The server replenished our water often, and plates were cleared regularly. Due to the extensively moldy cake, we will not return. If that is left out long enough to get moldy (on nearly all the pieces) who knows what kind of food safery guidelines theyre following for everything else?

Best Chinese Buffet on the island.

Delicious and fresh, awesome service! We had the buffet and it was spectacular.

Well not the same quality of food and service as east kitchen ... war wonton soup broth was watery no flavour the wontons were not near as good ... the service was very poor .. they knew nothing about the menu and had to ask 3 different staff about a menu item I inquired about..surprised that a name as famed as the Driftwood was this poor . ... improvement needed before I return

4 rows of 5 or 6 different dishes to choose + a small desert bar. It wasnt dry nor oily, if you frequent smorgasbord you know what I mean. If you want the typical western Chinese... this is it. As for cost... I went with my daughter. The bill for the two of us came to $59.00 + tax and tip. Pricey for sure but compared to the other places in town, I know Im paying for the quality and selection so its worth it, plus everything is expensive anyway so what do you want. The atmosphere? Its dated, its also exactly what I had expected. Its not terrible, its not dirty, no booth seating, very open. Service was fine. Its not like you really need any, but the plates were removed before I got back from the next round and I was constantly asked if I wanted more water. Oh... wonton soup needs more flavor. Met the owner, it was nice. A good overall experience. Id go again for sure.

As another reviewer said, If you want the typical western Chinese... this is it. Buffet: Lots of fried food (but many are mushy), sweet sauces, bland noodles. Nothing bad to say about the service. Friendly and attentive.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to let people know you are CLOSED from 2-3pm for employee lunch. We arrived at 2:35pm with a hungry group only to have to knock on the door and be met by rude employee with a mouthful of food saying she was on a lunch break and slammed and locked the door in our faces. Too bad, we had real looked forward to it!

Unfortunately we came away disappointed. The food was ok, but no better than any average Chinese restaurant. Restaurant Was half full, but common dishes often empty in the buffet. $30 per adult, $20 for kids 9 or older . Not worth it. Better to order off the menu, skip the buffet.

Poor reviews are accurate. This place is not fit for human consumption. Up your game Driftwood new owners or be prepared for endless bad reviews. Garbage!

Put green onion cakes, and maybe some congee on the table. Seriously Driftwood, the Comox Valley is ready for real, Chinese food. Smorgasbord is a thing of the past. Youre fine 4 a few years until all the grey/blue hairs pass. Hot and sour soup was barely acceptable. You had a chance to step up and stumbled. Check out the Asian food that discerning diners want. .

Their buffet is very good. Each dish has such good flavor, everything tastes different. And the layout is open, spacious clean and organized. Loved the prawn tempura . The waitress we had is a beautiful soul. All in all, I shall return!

Really friendly, nice people working there. Unfortunately the food is... Really not good. Especially compared to the east kitchen which used to be there. Incredibly bland. Sad to say we wont be back.

Went here today about 130 to order take out. The only server there wouldnt allow it, she said buffet only and became very angry about it. There was hardly any food items in the buffet and only plum sauce. My daughter had some items from the buffet, but she said the rice was hard and dry. What a huge disappointment, the Driftwood we had in Parksville was amazing, we assumed the same here. I know what assume really means, and I own that one.

Buffet food was okayish but rice was cold and hard, service was absolutely atrocious i couldnt believe how rude the lady there was definitely not worth the $40

We got delivery twice this will be the last time. The first time the food was not cooked properly and this time the contents leaked into the bag. Which caused it to brake open and end up all over the floor. Hope this is not common for everybody else.

We ordered takeout. Spent $120. The ginger beef and sweet and sour pork were mushy and flavourless. The beef curry was actually pretty good. And the chicken chow mein, let me tell you, made us gag. There was a huge clump of unmixed msg powder or salt through it. It burned our mouths out. Totally inedible and unacceptable. Will never be eating here again.

Best Chinese food in the island!

You can tell the deep fried food are all fresh cook. Wings are amazing super juice and rich flavor. Noodle and rice give a great balance with other food. Only device here is play some music will make much more enjoyable. Will be back!

Too expensive for having a lot of empty dishes. Went at 7pm. They said to come at 4pm for the best food. If youre spending 30 dollars it should be fresh all the time! The Campbell river location was way better.

Driftwood is just awesome. servers are si friendly and polite. Food contains no MSG and would love to go there again. love you guys

Servers/hosts are always friendly ! And my family / kiddos we LOVE the buffet! Gingerbeef if my father in laws favorite. So many options for my picky eaters to try new things. Happy to see theyre on skip now too! so clean! And efficient.

Any place that serves perfectly cooked duck in a buffet setting deserves a perfect score.

Probably the worst Chinese food I have ever had. Everything was tasteless - had to douse with soy sauce for any flavour. Anything fried was limp and soggy. Spicy items - no spice, no heat, no anything. I tend to give restaurants a second chance but given how incredibly bad it was, this will be my one and only time.

I generally dont like much Chinese food but this place was great! The hostess was lovely and the food was super fresh! Thank you for changing my mind!

Room was cold, Food was cold. Didnt feel welcome. Some items were very mushy, some very bland. We were there around 7 it closes at 9. Asked for a beer and not sure if she said they dont have beer or they dont have a licence?? We wont be going back.

Poor service the lady tryed to take my plate before I was done.the buffet had not bin tended to.the food was horrible .they don t do carry out.last but not least very expensive 95 dollers for 3 plates way over priced. I ll stick to quality foods.

Prior to reading all the horrible reviews online, I attempted to order via Skip. My order for $70 worth of food placed successfully, restaurant shown preparing dinner, driver on way to restaurant. After watching the driver parked at the restaurant for 45 minutes I started to wonder at the delivery time kept getting pushed back. Finally, 1.5 hours after I placed the order, order was cancelled by the restaurant. Not impressed. Needless to say I will never be ordering from these clowns and in hindsight, glad I did not receive the order after reading all the terrible reviews. Sounds like this restaurant should not exist. Really sad that the restaurant they replaced (East Kitchen) was superb and is sadly missed. Do not shop here!

I am going to write a brief message. The restaurant is okay. For sure It need to improve a lots of things reach the same quality as Driftwood Campbell River. What really bothers me is the awful comments that make the restaurant the worst?? The internet rate shows 3 bad comments that make the restaurant WRONG. I believe there is more people that really enjoy the restaurant that spent more money than a simple buffet plate and they are happy, because they are happy they do not spent time sitting in the computer making awful comments. What about intead to write the wrongs you don t suggest the improvements we need to do here. THANKS

We had a nice time. Good food, friendly staff.

This chinese cuisine buffet restaurant upholds the reputation of western Canadian oriented buffet style perfectly. Lots of variety, with options to please most everyone. We thoroughly enjoyed our meal and conversations with ourselves and staff.

Tried to deny buffet an hour before close then sell us the leftovers. GHETTO! Probably selling coyote meat.

I really enjoyed it. So glad we have this option in Courtenay. The food was great, dim sum during the lunch buffet. Lots of variety at the evening buffet. Was treated very well, the staff is just great! Kid-friendliness: We had a large party with several children and had no problems, they paid special attention to the kids and made it a fun experience.

We arrived at 12:45 pm for lunch. Not much food in the buffet and asked the one waitress on duty if more food will be coming. Some food was replenished, but not everything during the 1.5 hours we were there. The Campbell River location serves a better dinner buffet which we will be going to from now on.

Their Singapore noodles are so good (:

Terrible food ! All the dishes had no flavour and was really greasy . The gravy for the almond chicken had a 1 inch layer of fat floating on top and the gravy had absolutely zero flavour. Sadly disappointed and usually give a second chance but it was so terrible we won t order again .

A Chinese buffet. First off, they have yet to get a liquor license. The food, in general, lacked flavour, especially when compared to the original location. The soggy ginger beef was swimming in sauce, and the shrimp was overcooked. The food trays were filled frequently. The staff was friendly and cleared the used dishes quickly.

We were pleasantly surprised with our spontaneous dinner order, we popped by at 4:30pm Sunday to see the menu & order, ended up sitting at a table & ordering some spring rolls to eat while we waited, they were delish. We were pleased with our take out order too ~ Egg Rolls, Prawn Curry & Rice, Ginger Beef & Onion, Chicken Chow Mein (noodles) ~ everything tasted quite good! Not as good as Driftwood Nanaimo (we have been to CR Location a few times too & its been ok) Looking forward to ordering again!

Went for the Lunch buffet. Was just ok. Food was fresh just lacked some flavour. Ice cream, fruits and cake available for desert. No liquor license

Loved the food! Fresh and yummy