Panda Asian Buffet

Popped by on a Monday evening for dinner, only to find a dismally limited selection available as the trays were mostly empty. The guy manning the sushi roll station seemed disinterested in maintaining whatever he was supposed to be putting out. Materials/​ingredients for dumplings were off to the side on one of the tables, but unattended for the entire time I was there. Nothing quite screamed «this is sanitary in the most basic way!» which was unfortunate.

I have been coming here for years and they went down in quality for a period of time but recently they have hired a new manager and she is doing a great job. The food is fresh most of the time and the price is still very reasonable for what you get. Staff is friendly and the place is overall very clean. The biggest improvement I have noticed is the sushi bar.

I had came here 3 or 4 times in the past as I only live a few blocks away. The food was ok for the price but since the new owners took over I have been back twice and the food was better than it was before. Thats where it stops!!! Today myself and my granddaughter went there for lunch and after having my favorite hot and sour soup I found a very small ROACH in my bowl! Not wanting to freak out my grandaughter I said nothing, paid my check, and left. However I left the roach on a napkin so that they could see it. Needless to say, I’ll never be back!!!

I would occasionally come in here for lunch when it was the New China Buffet. Now it is called Panda Asian Buffet. As for the quality of the food served and the price for the buffet, that has not changed. Which is good. One adult buffet and beverage with tax included came to $ 9.05. Most of your fast food restaurants costs that much for a burger/​fries/​drink or sub/​chips/​drink. Here, you have a selection of several soups and appetizers, Chinese/​Japanese specialties, and dessert.
I started with the won ton soup, egg roll and spring roll, and the wings. The wings were well seasoned and brought out immediately from the kitchen, the spring roll was crisp, and the won ton soup had a rich broth with large dumplings.
For the main course, I had the bourbon chicken with lo mein noodles. I also had a helping of baked crab dish and a baked salmon filet. The salmon was delicious, and the crab went well with a side of noodles. Other dishes that I did not try were a beef and broccoli, a hot onion shrimp, and a mix vegetable, along with several other chicken dishes. Peel and eat shrimp, pork dumplings, spare ribs, plantains, string beans, mushrooms, and fried donuts were items that I noticed while walking along the buffet. As well as a variety of rice and noodles. There is a sushi station as well. I did not try any, but it did look good. Garlic bread is available, but only to find out that it was cold when I bit into it. I most likely will stay away from that the next time I go here.
This is family owned. And the whole family was here. While I ate my meal, a little girl danced by my table several times before finally taking a nap at one of the booths along the wall near the service area. It’s like a oriental version of «Bob’s Burgers». Minus the little girl wearing the rabbit ears.
I had no problem with that. But there are a few problems I do have here at Panda Asian Buffet. First of all, the buffet is small, making it cramp to get around, with other diners and kitchen staff/​servers walking around, almost bumping into one another.
While I ate, there was a employee doing food preparation at a booth along the wall near the kitchen. This should be done in the kitchen. Not the dining area. While she worked, several other employees, either seated or standing, talked to her while she worked. This made getting to the buffet difficult, with people standing in the aisle or a employee sitting down with his legs sticking out onto the aisle.
Another problem I had was with my server. Before I was finished, my server placed my check and fortune cookie on my table. I didn’t even have dessert yet. By the way, dessert includes eight different ice creams.
After I had my ice cream, I went to the counter to pay for my meal. While I was going through my wallet, my server immediately walked behind the counter with his hand out. How about giving me a moment while I get my money and any change I have in my pocket before I pay. A woman came behind the counter and was more courteous. After I received my change, I went to my table to leave a tip. Before I could even get to the table, here was my server with his hand out. I gave him his tip and left.
I do not like to feel rushed when I am dining out. Especially when the restaurant is not that busy. And to see a employee doing food prep in the dining room, I would have to re-​consider dining here again. Which is a shame, because for the price of the buffet and the quality of the food, it would be worth coming here.

Food is ok and just barely good, the menu is inconsistent every time we come here, and it takes a while for them to bring out fresh food. The fake crab used to be good, but it lost that creamy flavor, at least it was hot. The Lo Mein looked dried out, the shrimp was very pale and mushy, hard to peel. The cocktail sauce however, was right on! The onions are cooked to perfection!

Apparently this place is under new ownership. The outside of the building still says New China Buffet. This place is a great value. It costs a little more than before but it is so worth it!
The food is well seasoned. That’s where many other restaurants fail. The potatoes, mei fun, wings, hot onion shrimp– it’s all good! Since I don’t eat sushi, I can’t rate it. The only thing that let me down was the cookies & cream ice cream. It had a weird marshmallowy flavor. The other ice creams were fine though. And I couldn’t get enough of the fried donuts. This will likely be a regular spot for us.

I didn’t realize this restaurant had changed ownership and names since the signs outside still says New China Buffet. It is now Panda Asian Buffet. Although this buffet is smaller than most, the food is absolutely delicious. Everything I tasted was well-​seasoned and flavorful. I especially loved the hot onion shrimp. I would go back just for that. It was scrumptious! The chicken wings were great. The Chinese barbecued ribs were fantastic. I loved the sauteed mushrooms, green beans, and fresh fruit! They have an assortment of about 8 hand scooped ice creams. I love the mint chocolate chip and the mocha, which I thought was chocolate initially. But the cookies and cream tasted fake. Maybe it was sugar free. I totally recommend this place and look forward to coming again.