Seeking THE BEST (not the biggest) Chinese Buffet in SA area??

[DerekTant]

Back in my military days, I frequented Ding How and the Fortune Cookie. Both were excellent, in my opinion. I live 300 miles away now, but still fondly remember the food I would eat in San Antonio. I have a craving for Chinese food now!

[verybadgnome]

Always check the food inspection scores, especially when it comes to Chinese Buffets. In my experience they have some of the worst ratings of any type of restaurant.

[Herbrocks]

Originally Posted by Napunani

We are looking for THE BEST Chinese Buffet in San Antonio. Gotta be good, not necessarily BIG! We've tried the SA Express Chinese Buffet winner and very disappointed. Where do you recommend?
Thanks!

Well, this thread went all over the place! Anyway, out of the big buffets I think CHINA SEA is generally the best. GOLDEN PHOENIX used to be but they have slipped a lot over the years, and also have a lot of odd food (usually with cheese) now.

I have found that most of the large buffets are great when they are new, and then go downhill. For instance, I used to like the one (Panda?) at 281/Bitters years ago, tried it recently and it was almost inedible. CHINA SEA used to be better too. But there doesnt seem top be huge difference between the best and worst large buffet anymore anyway

I don't know many smaller buffets anymore, like at the smaller "order off the menu also" places. There used to be some great Korean ones in the Austin Highway area but they are all gone now as far as I know. If anyone knows a Koeran buffet now, please let me know! I do like the Thai buffet on Perrin Bietel, but I can never remember the name. It's across form the old SNEAKERS location.

I read this thread hoping to find some good new small places. They usually have pretty fresh food as long as they are busy, but of course the quality varies widely from place to place. I used to like the little buffet at BEAN SPROUT near North Star many years ago, had it a few years back and it wasn't as good anymore. There also used to be a GREAT Asian buffet on Nach next to Dollar Tree, I was very sorry to see it go. They had a great mix of Chinese, Korean and Thai (can't remembr the name, but they were replaced by a similar one that was not as good, it's gone now too).

[elnina]

Maybe if they could make the buffets choices smaller, they would be better?
Everywhere I go I see a lots of cheap junk, and little of meats and fresh veggies. So called "steaks" are very chewy. Mexican food, burgers, pizza and spaghetti are added - can't make it any cheaper. But the prices are pretty high - with an average of 10 bucks + drink + tips... Chinese buffet is not a savvy option anymore.

[mlhradio]

A year or so ago I checked out about half a dozen different Chinese buffet places, to see if I could find a decent one. In my personal opinion, they all ranged between mediocre and terrible, and I gave up on my quest halfway through.

That isn't to say there aren't decent Chinese places around town. My personal favorite is, and always has been, Gin's Chinese off Evers and I-410 (www.ginrestaurant.com) - nothing fancy or expensive but I've never been disappointed (learned about it from my former boss whose parents came to San Antonio decades ago from Taiwan, and they would always order some of the most...interesting...things off the Chinese-language-only menus).

Previously living in California, my general experience was that the larger buffet-style places were universally poor, *especially* when it came to the quality of their meat. The decent buffets were always at the smaller restaurants that would only have a buffet on a certain day or part of the weekend, because they were making their regular dishes that they would normally make off their normal menu, rather than huge vats of buffet dishes with cheapest ingredients possible.

As far as buffets go, it's not *exactly* Chinese but I do enjoy the stir-fry barbeque places such as Hu-Hot, Fire Hut off 1604 and Genghis Grill. Each one, in my opinion, has their pluses and minuses, but I think they are all a notch above every traditional Chinese buffet place I've tried in the city.

[AmberAzeneth]

Originally Posted by elnina

Maybe if they could make the buffets choices smaller, they would be better?
Everywhere I go I see a lots of cheap junk, and little of meats and fresh veggies. So called "steaks" are very chewy. Mexican food, burgers, pizza and spaghetti are added - can't make it any cheaper. But the prices are pretty high - with an average of 10 bucks + drink + tips... Chinese buffet is not a savvy option anymore.

^^^^I Agree. The prices have gotten much steeper. Plus, I have always wondered why someone would go to a Chinese buffet and get burgers, pizza, quesadillas, spaghetti and those non-Chinese type foods. I know alot has to do with giving the kids food they are comfortable with. I always tell my kids that we didn't come to a Chinese restaurant to get American food. Anyway, that is my rant.

[Merovee]

Originally Posted by elnina

Chinese buffet is not a savvy option anymore.

Most buffets are not a savvy option for me either since the total amount of food I will consume is far less than a typical plate at a regular diner. For those who can eat a whole plate, or two, or three, then it might make more sense for them.

If we go it is just for the variety and not for any bargains. I am still waiting to see if anyone else has tried China King Buffet on San Pedro and what they thought of it. Is it more Chinese, Chinese or do they have all the undesired options such as the pizza, spaghetti, and Mexican that other buffets have? My 10% off coupon expires in three days!