New China Buffet — Restaurant in Clanton

The food is not good enough to justify the prices; at least on the to-go plates. They give you a small styrofoam plate, then weigh it to calculate the price. It cost more get a to-go plate, than it does to sit down to eat & get a drink. Nearly double the cost per-person for the to-go plates, w/ no drink. The average dinner is going to eat more while sitting down, then they could fill up in that tiny styrofoam plate. Even more so, since the person that sits down to eat, has the option to go back to get something else if what they got is not good. Additionally when sitting down to eat you have the option of getting some of the deserts and other food options, where if you get a to-go plate its unlikely that the person is going to mix cookies/cake/fruit/etc with their main items (rices/meat/etc)..

With the current situation due to the pandemic, the restaurant should make it just as affordable to get food to-go, as it is to sit down. For those people that don't want to sit in a public place and risk contracting anything viral.

Their food is not great, its edible but nothing to call home to "ma" about.. Being that its the only Chinese restaurant in town, you're left without options for something better if you have a random want for Chinese food.

The food quality is not consistent; one time the rice might be to over cooked, or the next it might be hard (lost its moisture.) And many of the other items are not always the same quality either.

They have a small variety of items, compared to other restaurants of the same type that I've visited. And they have some odd items, you wouldn't expect to see at a Chinese restaurant, for example Cajun Chicken. Since when is Cajun a spice of china? Granted 99% of Chinese restaurants in the US are "American-Chinese" food, it's still just odd to see a cajun flavored item there. I rather have something more traditional Chinese instead.

Bottom line; If you're in the area, and you have a want for Chinese food then its your only option, just be sure to sit-down to eat if you only have a few bucks in your pocket, or only put a minimal amount in the to-go plate so it doesn't weigh as much. And don't expect a "damn this is good" type feeling from the food.. If you want that, than try one of the BBQ places in...

The billboards on I-65 proclaim New China Buffet has something like 80+ items on its steam tables. I wasn't a math major, but I am pretty sure it doesn't...maybe half that number unless you count the individual egg rolls and pot stickers.

What it DOES have is some pretty standard Chinese buffet food and a few assorted desserts. Nothing really stands out as either good or bad. All in all, it is a pretty average effort from the kitchen.

With that said, the place is pretty darn popular with the locals and interstate travelers (including myself)....presumably thanks to the billboard around Jemison. As a result, the buffet 'turns over' pretty quickly meaning the food stays fresh which a huge plus at a place like this.

All told, for something like $7 (with water to drink), it is a decent and fast alternative to the fast food joints at...

Just stopped on our way home to Ft.Payne,Al,.from our trip to Panama City Beach. It's a small,barn- like looking place,but it's clean inside . They had a buffet table with fruit and salad choices as.well as a small sushi table. They had two other buffet tables with rice,glass noodles ,soup and several meat and vegetable.choices ,as well as eggrolls and shrimp. It was okay,but not as spicy as the Chinese food ,we usually eat.The soup was very watery and tasteless in both mine and my husband's opinion. Not many dessert choices. Just sugar covered peanut, and a small amount of fruit( melon,oranges slices,pineapple) . They had some pudding,but no icecream or cookies. Rest rooms were clean and service was good. Staff were courteous. Price was only $26.65 for me,my husband and our daughter. The ice...