Canton House — Restaurant in Decatur

This is a good one. Maybe a hidden gem... if you're the "right" type. I am judging the buffet lines for lunch only. I didn't order anything specially made.

FOOD The buffet line is fairly plentiful. They carry most items that you'd normally run into at a southern Asian food buffet. Baked and seared foods, fried foods, desserts, and fruits. I sampled the shrimp and vegetables, honey chicken, grilled chicken, seared green beans, cheese topped crab, spicy pepper chicken, oranges pieces and seared potatoes. (Sorry I'm on a break from beef and pork momentarily). Every single single item I selected was cooked well, healthily flavorful and fresh tasting. I was impressed.

SERVICE A anyone who has read more than o e post of mine knows...Great Service Is Key for me, without it I believe the best cooks and chefs would fail. Our mood is almost connected to our food. So, they service was not great... for me. I came with co workers, but I sat separately. I watched as my colleagues drinks were refilled and their satisfaction was ensured by the waitress, meanwhile my drink was never re-filled and I was never checked in on the entire time I was there. I've been there before and when sitting with my colleagues, the service was different. They are regulars, but you'd think that everyone would recieve that bare minimum level of service so they'd become regulars. Just my point of view.

ATMOSPHERE The place did seem clean. The ambiance was spot on for the style of restaurant. Low lit with yellow lighting and nods to the Asian culture spread unsparingly about the establishment. The A/C was working very well, creating a level of comfort that would lull you to sleep if you stayed to long. No music. There was an inviting amount of natural light but half closed blinds shield you from the traffic outside. Nicely done.

PRICE

I want to say the price is good, but I've received different pricing. Once again, while with colleagues, the buffet was around $10, but today, on my own the price elevated to $15. Both prices are good, but the issue is the change dependent on the company I keep. This is an unusual way to charge, and after the diminished service, I couldn't help but wonder if the regular are getting a deal or if I recieved a "black tax". This is speculation and shouldn't be considered when choosing, but I feel that I'd be failing inquirers by omitting the information. If I learn otherwise, I will promptly edit. I do not wish to disparage a good company through a misunderstanding.

I rate this establishment a 4-star. This would be my rating based on food, service, and atmosphere. A rating of price would place them at a 3-star. Do try them the food was...

Because of Canton House's positive reviews, we ate here for the first time on a Saturday night. The buffet was $13/person, which doesn't include the price of a drink, tax, and tip. We saw a sign near the cash register that indicated that there is a surcharge if you pay by credit card instead of cash.

There are several buffet stations, where we found the usual Chinese buffet items, like egg rolls, spring rolls, crab ragoons, sauteed mushrooms, soups, etc.

The buffet is a little more Americanized than other Chinese buffets that we've visited. For example, the buffet not only had corn nuggets and fried drumsticks, but the buffet also had meatballs as well. Some of the items on the buffet were decent, like the fried shrimp and the crab ragoons. However, many of the buffet items were either not good or had been dried out from sitting on the buffet for too long. For example, instead of having a crispy skin, the egg rolls were soggy, and mushy, as if the egg rolls were deep fried in oil that was not hot enough to actually fry the egg rolls. The cocktail sauce was so dried out, it was just a pile of red chunks. The hot and sour soup was mediocre, and there were actually no wontons in the wonton soup container (So it was just broth.).

The staff was friendly and hard working. But I still can't recommend eating here on a Saturday night. In fact, one family member calls this restaurant "the nasty...

Well, I’ve been abiding in Alabama for about four months now, and I have been looking for some good Chinese food, to no avail. I finally got desperate; I texted my cousin, who has more dietary restrictions than a Facebook forum of Anti-vaxxors. Upon her questionably dependable recommendation, I came here. While not the best place I’ve ever been to, it is definitely a oasis in the wasteland known as the ethnic food culture of northern Alabama. Have you ever drove through Illinois and you see the “Now leaving Illinois” sign, and automatically get this feeling of relief as your tension leaves your body; you pull over at the first rest stop you come to, and unpack your civil rights and common sense that you had to put away upon entering the cesspool of Illinois, because believing in and utilizing certain unalienable rights will get you locked up under the jail in that barbaric state. Anyways, not to take you off track. But if I were to compare Chinese buffets to states, then all the other ones in Alabama that I have purveyed, they were Illinois, California, and New York; dismal, dystopian, quite simply horrendous experiences. While Canton House is like Louisiana during Mardi Gras, purty great food, good environment, and smells slightly funky. But honestly a great time. Even though it will never be as good a Texas.

I guess what I’m getting at is; this is a solid buffet that I will...