The New Hong Kong Buffet is located at the end of a strip mall along Highway 69 that neighbors Blake Furniture and Tractor Supply. From the outside, one would never know just how large of a space it is. A large entryway centers two large seating areas and that’s what hits you first. It’s very large, and very open. In the center, they’ve set up four buffet tables filled with a wide variety of food that doesn’t quite fill the space. While dated, the interior is very clean. On this trip, we didn’t have need for the bathrooms, so the condition of those is unknown.
We visited on a Sunday afternoon prior to the church crowd with zero wait. Hostess handed us off to a waiter to be seated, and drink orders were taken. Wait staff is Asian, which is a good sign for the food, but meant there was very little interaction between the wait staff and customers. Because it’s a buffet, we made do, but it would have been nice to have been seated, and then told what was expected from us. “You can go get your food over there” or if they take special orders. Just a little indication of where to go and what to do as a courtesy would have elevated the experience.
The real star here is the food. I am no fan of typical Chinese buffets, but was pleasantly surprised by the quality, and quantity of food offered. We had a sampling of just about everything. You can tell there is pride in the food made, and that it’s not just (or doesn’t seem to be) frozen, packaged food. Everything offered was fresh, crisp, and not greasy. The steamed dumplings and egg rolls weren’t your typical fare. They were fantastic, and you owe it to yourself to find a vessel to put the dumpling sauce into to put on everything. They really need little bowls there because that sauce was delicious.
What’s not good? The macaroni and cheese. It looked cheesy and saucy, but it was bland and flavorless. It was the only non-Chinese item we tried besides the desserts. All of which was as expected. Not the specialty, and it showed. The grilled kebab meat was tasty, but overcooked, and dry. Still, we weren’t disappointed.
Service was almost non-existent. As a buffet, one doesn’t really need much attention, but my coffee was never refilled, and sugar/sweetener was never offered. They did clear plates between servings, and seated new patrons quickly as the church crowd started trickling in. And, again, being a buffet, we really didn’t need much service. It should be noted, though, the coffee was good and strongly brewed.
Will we go back? Absolutely. The food was great, and the price at $11.95 a plate for Sunday dinner was a bargain for the amount of food offered. Plus, it’s very clean which is always a plus. Just don’t eat all the dumplings. Save some for me.