Golden China, 245 Bush River Road: June 2009 8 comments
I believe I only ate at Golden China once, probably in the 1970s, but it was a favorite of my mother's and I know she and my father went there a number of times over the years.
I don't recall much about the restaurant itself -- I believe it impressed me as a perfectly OK Chinese place, but Chinese food is not really something I care for, so I can't say much. I do remember its long running radio commercial which featured a man and a woman trying to decide where to eat, and went something like this:
Man: I could really use some good Chinese food!
Woman: Golden China!
Man: Suuuure. I'll hop on a plane right now...
Woman: Not "go-to-China" Silly, "Gol-den China" in the Boozer Shopping Center!
Man: Oh yeah!
As you can see from the pictures, the building is now an Indian restaurant (with Chinese decor..) which opened last week (25 June 2009). On the one hand, I'm happy because I like Indian food on the other hand I'm sorry to see a longtime Columbia landmark go, even if I didn't want to eat there.
8 Responses to 'Golden China, 245 Bush River Road: June 2009'
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Tom
28 Jun 09 at 5:43 am
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I think it was sold about 10 years ago.
Before that, the food was excellent and the interior of the place was a complete throwback to the 1970's... that is, a 1970's chinese restaurant...
Steve
28 Jun 09 at 9:23 am
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I was a regular here about 10 years ago when I worked in the area. The lady that hosted/managed (owned?) the place would always take care of us when we showed up. She'd even come by our booth and sit down and share some crazy stories from time to time.
It was a buffet but it was the best buffet in the area and their general tso's chicken was the best I've had then and since.
At some point the quality declined and the lady that knew us was no longer around. Maybe Steve above is right in that it was sold and that was what prompted the change in quality/service.
Brian
29 Jun 09 at 8:19 am
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This is funny I worked their as a bus boy way back when
James Sanderson
27 Oct 09 at 1:58 am
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I know it was Golden China for a very long time, but I'm certain when I was a kid in the early '80s, this was a Po' Folks restaurant.
weston
10 Jun 10 at 6:47 am
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I wanna say that the po folks was next door. I remember going to golden China with my mom after a day of her dragging me around Dutch Square all day. I remember it being really dark and they had this extraordinary fountain in the front. I was all about the butterfly shrimp. It was so delicious. I'm in Charleston now but its crazy to see the transformation this area of Columbia has undergone. I don't even want to talk about the harbison area. I remember harbison boulevard being bi-Lo and Todd&Moore
trey
31 Aug 10 at 2:13 pm
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I think I remember that this was Piccolo's Pizza in the late 70's.
Jim
2 Jun 11 at 7:32 am
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Weston, I THINK that Po Folks was next door as Trey stated. It might have been demolished and Brandelli's Bistro was built, then it was demolished and Chik Fil A was built in its place. I just realized he posted a year ago.
Jonathan
2 Jun 11 at 8:47 am
At one time this was considered one of the best Chineese places in Columbia. In the last decade or so it became a buffet and its quality seriously declined.