We love the wide selection and yummy foods and deserts at the buffet. We also love the lemon chicken for our younger son.
Nixon Anderson
The place offers a fantastic range of fresh food. I enjoyed eating here. Staff members are always nice, prices are affordable and the spot is always clean.
Irving Pearsall
I simply liked their food. I always get good service there. The place is neat and the employees are always helpful. Will visit here again.
D Cares
Yum yum!!! We just came here for another dinner in the bar and I love the ease of the space, the friendly staff and the modern decor. The food is also really good. I love that the fried rice has water chestnuts! We also can say after 3 visits that all the bartenders are really good and know how to make some mean martinis !We will Be back and hope that Lexington comes and explores it more now that it's changed hands and is no longer Yangtze.
G Ortega
last night was the first time we visited this fine restaurant. But It is absolutely not the last time. We passed a splendid evening with the good service, with the great dishes and wine and with the honest cost. We will absolutely return there again.
Cherry_Wonderdog
First and probably last visit to Sanyo Restaurant in the Depot of downtown Lexington last Saturday night. Like many others, we had been loyal fans of Yangtze River which outlasted Peking Garden, both dating back as far as the 1970s and 1980s, so we were hoping that the new Chinese restaurant on the block would earn its stripes, too. It did but only part way. The new decor was attractive for some, overly compartmentalized for others. Rather than one large dining room, Sanyo was broken into two partitions, including a dim right side presumably for Chinese food, and a brighter room left on the left with a sushi bar and TV. We needed more light so we forgoed festiveness for practicality and ate with a college basketball game looming above us. Our server pounced on us to order drinks the moment we sat down . There was a sense of rapidity here that felt a wee bit uncomfortable, although I’m sure it beats waiting excessively for food. Speaking of which, the food had its ups and downs. The biggest up was the soup -- both hot & sour and miso got strong marks. I thought the meatless hot & sour offered an ideal balance of thickness without too much starch, an excellent broth, and a good assortment of vegetables. The Beijing Ravioli, on the other hand, was deep fried as opposed to pan fried, and the mystery contents inside were not very hot. Our three main dishes were so-so. Chicken in black bean sauce felt Americanized -- discolored chicken chunks prepared slightly too sweet without much if any wow factor. The Crispy Pad Thai didn’t at all resemble a traditional Pad Thai, and while it wasn’t terrible, it also lacked any wow factor. The sliced chicken looked leathery and the peanut flavor was nonexistent, but there were a few slices of interesting vegetables like asparagus. For a noodle dish, the serving size was pretty small. Similarly, the small-portioned shrimp in lettuce wraps with hoisin sauce looked dwarfed on its large serving plate, and, again, the flavors were too subtle as if they had been dumbed down for the American palate. Sanyo would do better to serve a full head of iceberg lettuce instead of four skimpy leaves, because it meant we had to stuff them. In the past, we’ve found this dish more satisfying by skinning a full head of lettuce and adding smaller portions of the shrimp (or chicken) concoction. For the restaurant, the extra salad cost is surely minimal. Service was choppy. As mentioned, it started off with a bang, albeit with one person not having a menu. Dishes arrived quickly, but we could have used a new set of plates after the appetizer. Hosts and staff seemed very young, almost too young. There was no complimentary tea service which would have been nice, and our requests for one cup after the meal were totally forgotten. Eventually, after about 15 minutes of waiting and then calling attention to one of the idle waitresses wandering the floor, we received an entire kettle of tea with the lone cup. Nobody apologized for the delay. The tea showed up on the bill for $1. I reckon things would have been easier and better had this kettle been served for everyone at the beginning of the meal. An interesting aspect of the meal was the music soundtrack that Sanyo either outsourced or programmed. I heard the same Amy Winehouse tune not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES during our meal. Seemed awfully strange for any restaurant let alone a Chinese one. In summary, Sanyo didn’t fail miserably, but it didn’t offer me anything exceptional that would motivate me to return. While it’s nice to have both Japanese and Chinese in one restaurant, the combo is no longer the kind of novelty that warrants a special visit. The dishes didn’t share any fusion aspect in their preparation either. Ironically, there was the aforementioned pad Thai prepared in a semi-Chinese way. None of the food except my soup impressed me, pricing was higher than most Chinese restaurants -- very likely in keeping with Lexington rents, and the “kid” staff felt a lot more impersonal than the good old days of Yangtze River when the owners worked the
megankh
We go often and absolutely love it. The food always tastes fresh (not heavy) and the drinks are just wonderful. It's one of the few places in Lexington town center that doesn't close wildly early so you can go to the bar later in the evening.
Jonathan S.
I was a customer of the old Yangtze River restaurant that used to occupy the location. We went on a Wednesday evening. Decor was different, upgraded but also seemed to create a more intimate feeling. I have also been to the Bamboo restaurant in Burlington owned by the same group. The hot and sour soup was more sour than I like it, similar to the style served at Bamboo. Spicy Hunan Beef was not very spicy, and a little salty. General Gau's chicken was syrupy sweet. Beef with Broccoli was ok. The chicken skewers were adequate. Beijing pork tenderloin was also very sweet and resembled what some other restaurants call "Sweet and Sour Pork". We are at 3 stars so far. But the big problem was the salmon dish. My guest would not eat it. Despite her advice to leave it, I took it home intending to eat as leftovers. The salmon had no flavor. It didn't taste like fish. It didn't even taste like fish. It tasted like it had been sitting around all day and was combined with sauce at the last minute. When I tasted it, I decided it was better to throw it out. I doubt I will be back.
Rose Tucker
Nice, reasonably priced luncheon buffet. Quiet music. Nice place to meet with friends. Very clean.
Yum yum!!! We just came here for another dinner in the bar and I love the ease of the space, the friendly staff and the modern decor. The food is also really good. I love that the fried rice has water chestnuts! We also can say after 3 visits that all the bartenders are really good and know how to make some mean martinis !
Stuart R
We were there in a private area with a group of about 40 people after an event. The service was quite fine, considering the demands we were placing on them. The menu was large and varied, as you'd expect in a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. The food was solidly OK -- not a place we'd be eager to return to, nor one we'd actively avoid.
Ashley L.
I came here the first week it opened. I believe it was about a year ago. I thought my bad experience related to its' recent opening, however year out it's is the same. The food was poor and hard to stomach, The Shrimp with Lobster Sauce was salty, with piece of gristle throughout. As the first time I was seated and then the waitress disappeared. After I finally found her and received my dish, I never saw her again. I waited and waited and finally went to the front desk and was told that she was working on a project down stairs. The dish was $20. and truly awful. I will not give them another try. The one star is because the decor is attractive and so is the location. There are other alternative asian restaurants in the area. It's a pity the restaurant at this location before it was great.
Leif Patterson
This spot is worth visiting. They serve large portions for convenient prices. Constantly well organized and with awesome ambience. Will come visit again.
Buffet. Lemon chicken
We love the wide selection and yummy foods and deserts at the buffet. We also love the lemon chicken for our younger son.
The place offers a fantastic range of fresh food. I enjoyed eating here. Staff members are always nice, prices are affordable and the spot is always clean.
I simply liked their food. I always get good service there. The place is neat and the employees are always helpful. Will visit here again.
Yum yum!!! We just came here for another dinner in the bar and I love the ease of the space, the friendly staff and the modern decor. The food is also really good. I love that the fried rice has water chestnuts! We also can say after 3 visits that all the bartenders are really good and know how to make some mean martinis !We will Be back and hope that Lexington comes and explores it more now that it's changed hands and is no longer Yangtze.
last night was the first time we visited this fine restaurant. But It is absolutely not the last time. We passed a splendid evening with the good service, with the great dishes and wine and with the honest cost. We will absolutely return there again.
First and probably last visit to Sanyo Restaurant in the Depot of downtown Lexington last Saturday night. Like many others, we had been loyal fans of Yangtze River which outlasted Peking Garden, both dating back as far as the 1970s and 1980s, so we were hoping that the new Chinese restaurant on the block would earn its stripes, too. It did but only part way. The new decor was attractive for some, overly compartmentalized for others. Rather than one large dining room, Sanyo was broken into two partitions, including a dim right side presumably for Chinese food, and a brighter room left on the left with a sushi bar and TV. We needed more light so we forgoed festiveness for practicality and ate with a college basketball game looming above us. Our server pounced on us to order drinks the moment we sat down . There was a sense of rapidity here that felt a wee bit uncomfortable, although I’m sure it beats waiting excessively for food. Speaking of which, the food had its ups and downs. The biggest up was the soup -- both hot & sour and miso got strong marks. I thought the meatless hot & sour offered an ideal balance of thickness without too much starch, an excellent broth, and a good assortment of vegetables. The Beijing Ravioli, on the other hand, was deep fried as opposed to pan fried, and the mystery contents inside were not very hot. Our three main dishes were so-so. Chicken in black bean sauce felt Americanized -- discolored chicken chunks prepared slightly too sweet without much if any wow factor. The Crispy Pad Thai didn’t at all resemble a traditional Pad Thai, and while it wasn’t terrible, it also lacked any wow factor. The sliced chicken looked leathery and the peanut flavor was nonexistent, but there were a few slices of interesting vegetables like asparagus. For a noodle dish, the serving size was pretty small. Similarly, the small-portioned shrimp in lettuce wraps with hoisin sauce looked dwarfed on its large serving plate, and, again, the flavors were too subtle as if they had been dumbed down for the American palate. Sanyo would do better to serve a full head of iceberg lettuce instead of four skimpy leaves, because it meant we had to stuff them. In the past, we’ve found this dish more satisfying by skinning a full head of lettuce and adding smaller portions of the shrimp (or chicken) concoction. For the restaurant, the extra salad cost is surely minimal. Service was choppy. As mentioned, it started off with a bang, albeit with one person not having a menu. Dishes arrived quickly, but we could have used a new set of plates after the appetizer. Hosts and staff seemed very young, almost too young. There was no complimentary tea service which would have been nice, and our requests for one cup after the meal were totally forgotten. Eventually, after about 15 minutes of waiting and then calling attention to one of the idle waitresses wandering the floor, we received an entire kettle of tea with the lone cup. Nobody apologized for the delay. The tea showed up on the bill for $1. I reckon things would have been easier and better had this kettle been served for everyone at the beginning of the meal. An interesting aspect of the meal was the music soundtrack that Sanyo either outsourced or programmed. I heard the same Amy Winehouse tune not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES during our meal. Seemed awfully strange for any restaurant let alone a Chinese one. In summary, Sanyo didn’t fail miserably, but it didn’t offer me anything exceptional that would motivate me to return. While it’s nice to have both Japanese and Chinese in one restaurant, the combo is no longer the kind of novelty that warrants a special visit. The dishes didn’t share any fusion aspect in their preparation either. Ironically, there was the aforementioned pad Thai prepared in a semi-Chinese way. None of the food except my soup impressed me, pricing was higher than most Chinese restaurants -- very likely in keeping with Lexington rents, and the “kid” staff felt a lot more impersonal than the good old days of Yangtze River when the owners worked the
We go often and absolutely love it. The food always tastes fresh (not heavy) and the drinks are just wonderful. It's one of the few places in Lexington town center that doesn't close wildly early so you can go to the bar later in the evening.
I was a customer of the old Yangtze River restaurant that used to occupy the location. We went on a Wednesday evening. Decor was different, upgraded but also seemed to create a more intimate feeling. I have also been to the Bamboo restaurant in Burlington owned by the same group. The hot and sour soup was more sour than I like it, similar to the style served at Bamboo. Spicy Hunan Beef was not very spicy, and a little salty. General Gau's chicken was syrupy sweet. Beef with Broccoli was ok. The chicken skewers were adequate. Beijing pork tenderloin was also very sweet and resembled what some other restaurants call "Sweet and Sour Pork". We are at 3 stars so far. But the big problem was the salmon dish. My guest would not eat it. Despite her advice to leave it, I took it home intending to eat as leftovers. The salmon had no flavor. It didn't taste like fish. It didn't even taste like fish. It tasted like it had been sitting around all day and was combined with sauce at the last minute. When I tasted it, I decided it was better to throw it out. I doubt I will be back.
Nice, reasonably priced luncheon buffet. Quiet music. Nice place to meet with friends. Very clean.
Restaurantji Recommends
I love this place!everyone is so nice
Yum yum!!! We just came here for another dinner in the bar and I love the ease of the space, the friendly staff and the modern decor. The food is also really good. I love that the fried rice has water chestnuts! We also can say after 3 visits that all the bartenders are really good and know how to make some mean martinis !
We were there in a private area with a group of about 40 people after an event. The service was quite fine, considering the demands we were placing on them. The menu was large and varied, as you'd expect in a Chinese/Japanese restaurant. The food was solidly OK -- not a place we'd be eager to return to, nor one we'd actively avoid.
I came here the first week it opened. I believe it was about a year ago. I thought my bad experience related to its' recent opening, however year out it's is the same. The food was poor and hard to stomach, The Shrimp with Lobster Sauce was salty, with piece of gristle throughout. As the first time I was seated and then the waitress disappeared. After I finally found her and received my dish, I never saw her again. I waited and waited and finally went to the front desk and was told that she was working on a project down stairs. The dish was $20. and truly awful. I will not give them another try. The one star is because the decor is attractive and so is the location. There are other alternative asian restaurants in the area. It's a pity the restaurant at this location before it was great.
This spot is worth visiting. They serve large portions for convenient prices. Constantly well organized and with awesome ambience. Will come visit again.