Panda Buffet

MSG. MSG. terrible crippling migraine from the extreme use of MSG. Friendly service but that does not make up for my headache. And waste of money ordering this.

Wow!
Not what it used to be.
Been here twice within last few months. Very disappointed both times. Because of se situation.
Most of the food selections are empty.
You ask them to bring some out.
Eventually they do, only enough for one person.
I came here with three people.
We could not all enjoy the same dish because there was not enough. A bit of false advertising“all you can eat buffet“
There is nothing to eat.
Its a shame because it used to be a nice little place.
If you planned to stop for lunch and fill up a container to go. Its not going to happen.

Still have a lot to improve, but decent food for the price. The one buffet to go near this area.

Formerly known as Eastern Chinese Buffet, this establishment closed for a month or so during the summer of ’14 and reopened as Panda Buffet. I had always planned on going when it was Eastern Chinese Buffet, but never made it, as China Buffet King over in Green Tree always got my vote. However, the other night I was out and about with the full intention of trying it as the newly re-​christened Panda Buffet.
It was a pretty underwhelming experience. I went between 7 and 8 PM and was the only person in there the majority of the time. When I was nearly finished, another person came in for some take out. There is adequate room for a good number of diners in there, but perhaps I just went during a less busy night.
The buffet is comprised of three main tables, with a fourth one scuttled off to the side. The first table had the standard fruit and dessert items. Cakes, cookies, slices of watermelon, you know the stuff. The second and third tables had the various soups and Chinese dishes, as well as the substandard American fare that plagues too many Chinese buffets. The fourth table had a sad little tray of crab legs and a couple of other items that didn’t look too appetizing.
It’s a pretty rinky-​dink selection. I tried the wonton soup first. It was decent. The wontons were small, and the broth had decent flavor, which is more than I can say for Phong May House’s wonton soup (see the review for that place for those details), I liked it enough to go back for a second bowl, but that may have also been down to the slim selection on the buffet overall.
The coconut shrimp was very good. Nice and tangy, with no fishy taste, which is always a plus at a buffet. I also enjoyed the steamed dumplings. The filling seemed to be different from the usual potsticker recipe. I couldn’t tell if it was chicken, pork, or a mix of the two. Weird stuff, but another thing I had seconds of.
The General Tso’s chicken’s sauce is way too thick. It was similar to a thick barbecue sauce. I didn’t care for it. Ditto on the egg rolls. The pork filling in them was that strange sort of minced/​spiced variety. Way too overpowering. I didn’t try the spring rolls, but they didn’t look much better.
A big problem overall was trying to determine how long all the food on the buffet had been out. A person came out of the back and refilled the fried rice once. Nothing else was refreshed or refilled the rest of the time I was there, even though I had claimed the last of the dumplings and most of the wontons (there were four before I got my soup). The rest of the items had a sort of glazed over look to them, especially the sweet and sour sauce which looked like it may have darkened and almost got a skin going on top. Yeah. Not so great.
I doubt I’ll ever go back. It’s definitely cheaper by a couple bucks than China Buffet King, but the food isn’t in the same class, even though it’s buffet fare. The two or three things I enjoyed were decent enough, but nothing to get me to come back for those alone. Maybe some people really dig this place, but if my visit was any indication of a regular experience there, I wouldn’t be surprised if Panda Buffet winds up closing as well.