Chow Town
1668 Montgomery Hwy, Hoover, AL, 35216
Chow Town Menu
Sorry, We are updating this restaurant menu details.
Visit below restaurant in Hoover for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Hoover for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Hoover for healthy meals suggestion.
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
Sorry, No Coupons available for this restaurant.
-
Address :
1668 Montgomery Hwy
Hoover, AL, 35216 - Phone (205) 822-8883
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : Free
Has TV : Yes
Dogs Allowed : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
Looky Weed - Buy Marijuana Online
Looky Weed is here to help you navigate the maze of legalized marijuana. We provide you with a complete dispensary directory.
Ben K.
Make no mistake, this is Chinese buffet. So why the four stars? There are a few things that make this one of the best Chinese buffets in town, maybe the best I've ever had. The selection is unreal. There is a mix of standard Chinese fare (with excellent pot stickers and soups) and a few basic American dishes. But then it gets interesting - there is a made-to-order stir fry hibachi grill, a sushi bar, and an ice cream bar in addition to the dessert bar. The service is also excellent. At times it's so fast you don't see it in action. Seriously. For the money, this is a great value for lunch, I can't speak to the dinner experience.
(4)Chen L.
I have been there a couple of times. The food is various but some of them are not fresh! Besides the smell there is quite humid which lower the image. The good point is it is cheap. Be careful with your tips, my friend got over charged $1 without any notice!
(3)Cliff G.
Pleasantly, plumply satisfied. I haven't been to a Chinese, or any buffet in a very long time. We decided to try this one out on a whim and were very satisfied. The Venue: Pleasant environment and atmoshphere. The restaurant is well decorated and can hold quite a few guests. The Peeps: They were very helpful and attentive to keeping the buffet full. The Goods: Surprisingly the food was very good. I was a little skeptical of the raw oysters bit they seemed fresh and tasted alright for a buffet. The food selection was vast enough for any buffet foodie. Everything from wings to sushi.
(4)John S.
Typical Chinese buffet So far everything I've tried has been pretty pedestrian. Not bad but nothing to write home about. One fairly unique item is ability to select items to be prepared on hibachi grill. I haven't tried yet myself so unable to review that aspect. My co-workers favor this buffet over others in the general area.
(3)Jim M.
Have eaten here a few times, there are not many buffets i will revisit due to quality. This one is not a favorite but will do if i am in the mood for chinese. Price is average for a buffet, and there are many choices to choose from. All in all it is a good standby if you cannot get to China Bistro
(3)Chong T.
Things changed. This one had been my favorite. However, last 2 times after I had it, I had very severe diarrhea. I don't want to risk my life. I will not go again. Farewell. Chow Town.
(3)Jacob W.
Nice and clean interior, good lunch buffet, but as with most large Asian buffets, quality and quantity can't coexist. If you want choices and an unlimited amount of food, this is your place. However, if you want great food, Id suggest Mr Chen's right down 31. With that being said Chow Town is a decent, quick lunch that will leave you satisfied.
(3)Fergie F.
I used to really like this place, but the customer service and food quality have gone down. Don't waste your money.
(1)Michael H.
It is what you'd expect from a Chinese buffet - the Sushi is ok. There is a Hibachi Grill. I've never found the service lacking, or obtrusive. The buffer is one of the larger selection of items you'll see.
(4)Lucas L.
I went there with a large party of my coworkers and they all liked it. Its the best buffet I ever had. They serve hundreds items of Chinese food, Japanese sushi and American food, including crb legs, oysters, steaks, ribs and many kinds of seafoods. The server was nice and the dining environment is good. The price is very reasonable, only 6.99 for lunch and 10.99 for dinner. I will come back : )
(4)Caleigh R.
So not good for me to eat this food. There is nothing nutritionally healthful to it. If you like Chinese buffets then it's ok, but really you should not eat this food frequently.
(2)Joe V.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so I uploaded 4000 words. I am not a big fan of Crab Legs, but if you use Crab Legs as your excuse to jack the Lunch Rate up to the dinner rate, you should provide some product. We got a front row seat to the portion of the buffet where the elusive crab legs make an appearance about twice and hour with enough to feed 2 people, or one really hungry person. Which the person at the front of the crab leg line usually is. Most likely a nightly occurrence is folks standing online waiting for the tray of 8 or 10 crab leg sections, (see my photo) which disappear before the third person reaches the front of the line. Its a bait and switch and if you come for crab legs, be prepared for a wait. Now if you came for sushi..........ummm, well I guess it depends on your definition of sushi. Imitation crab, rice and cream cheese? Wooo hooo you have come to the right place!! Sushi with fish, like Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp.......... fuggettaboutit!! I dissected a piece of a roll and I found a piece of tuna smaller than a dime inside the imitation crab, cream cheese and rice. Hibachi Grill looked ok, the dishes on the buffet were plentiful with rice dishes (of course) other dishes were plentiful, and flavor was ok. 1 1/2 stars is about right. Food in the army is called Chow. This place serves chinese chow.
(2)Jonathan B.
This place is not awful. But it's definitely not worth your time. They serve way too big of a selection. I regret most of my plate every time I fill up. There are so many great restaurants in hoover, this isn't one of them.
(2)Colin S.
Chow Town is a decent Chinese buffet that offers the usual selection of Americanized asian dishes. Nothing is particularly incredible although the hot and sour soup is tasty. Remember, the purpose of buffets is to introduce as much food into your body as possible without necessarily caring about the quality. So pile that plate up with orange chicken and go to town. Wash it all down with an ice cream cone afterwards.
(3)Courtney F.
Me and my husband finally broke down and went in sometime during the summer and we are now spoiled! We come just for the hibachi alone! My one problem is that the other items are kind of lackluster and/or cold, depending on when you get there. The sushi is definitely average, but there are a few gems hiding on the bar. All in all, go for lunch on weekdays, and the prices are justifiable.
(4)Courtney O.
The food ok nothing was overly mouth watering or tip delicious too handle or anything like that. This is just basic buffet that didn't spend too much time creating this great display of food. Aside from that the was ok bout too but ok. Yet the service left much too be desired, servers are nothing friendly but robot like and borderline rude, this was my first and last visit.
(2)Joshua C.
It's a typical buffet as far as food quality goes. But it's more of a hog pog of food types and not really a lot of Asian food.
(3)matt d.
The good: Nice large selection of better than average buffet food and large sushi selection (both kept very well stocked). Hard serve ice cream and sherbet. A lot of good deserts. Clean. Nice decor. The bad: The soup (ugh), the predictably bad crab legs (not available at lunch), the front room staff (particularly the young movie-star wanna-be with the quadruple gelled orange windstorm blasted Pompadour hair) are generally indifferent. There is no feeling of being welcome, we are just cattle passing though (which not surprisingly does appear to aptly describe a lot of the patrons). I know of no better Chinese buffet food around. Beats Top China by quite a bit (and they were not too bad either). edit: I ate there today and somebody new was up front (owner?). He was very friendly and talkative. Orange hair was still mute, other than his one catch phrase "wa'chu'wan'drin" (which I believe translates to "What would you like to drink", or he was asking me for a date in mandarin).
(4)Brad H.
I was ecstatic when this buffet opened within a mile of my house, and I've had the willpower to resist most cravings but have caved a few times. Huge amount of menu items, and some non-standard dishes you don't see at all buffets. One time they had a peanut butter chicken that was very good, kind of Thai style. I'm a self-titled "tame sushi fan" so buffet sushi is good enough for me. Good ice cream selection too (hard, not soft-serve).
(4)Brad H.
I was ecstatic when this buffet opened within a mile of my house, and I've had the willpower to resist most cravings but have caved a few times. Huge amount of menu items, and some non-standard dishes you don't see at all buffets. One time they had a peanut butter chicken that was very good, kind of Thai style. I'm a self-titled "tame sushi fan" so buffet sushi is good enough for me. Good ice cream selection too (hard, not soft-serve).
(4)Timothy W.
Food was good atmosphere was nice.had a large selection. Food was fresh and good quality. The staff was pleasant but not very interactive
(4)Peter L.
Owned by the same people/family that owns and runs New China Buffet III out at Crestwood. So the menu is almost identical, except the buffet space is a lot more compact. The main differences in the menu are mostly seen in the sushi line, where there are a bit more authentic items than at NCB, but the sushi runs out faster and is replenished slower. One thing I noticed in the menu here is the availability of fried dumplings during dinner; at NCB you can only get fried dumplings during weekday lunch. Also the fresh seafood salad that you can get at NCB doesn't exist here. In both places they only bring out the raw fish on weekends when they can charge more. During Xmas and western New Year's they were open but charged $1 more while changing up the menu a little; they had salt-and-pepper fried frogs legs and sliced peking roast duck which I thought were good and unique variations - they should do the frog legs more. In general they are $1 more expensive than NCB, probably due to being in Hoover vs. Crestwood. They also close an hour earlier than NCB.
(4)Scott N.
I checked this place out today at lunch. It is a welcome addition to the Riverchase area of Hoover. The decor is ornate and modern, definitely a cut above most buffets in the area. The sushi spread is impressive, probably the largest in the area for a buffet. They had a good selection of nigiri and rolls with roe on them. There was seven other stations of salads, desserts, Chinese, and American foods. I didn't get to sample everything but what I did have was real good. The place was busy so the turnover on the buffet was good so everything that I had was fresh. It is definitely worth checking out.
(4)Bryan W.
Not sure I understand why this is a top rated Chinese place. Sure it had a nice selection like most buffets, but it isn't fantastic. The sushi wasn't very good, and the various odds and ends were more frightening than anything. Not the Chinese buffet I would pick in Birmingham.
(3)Timothy W.
Food was good atmosphere was nice.had a large selection. Food was fresh and good quality. The staff was pleasant but not very interactive
(4)Peter L.
Owned by the same people/family that owns and runs New China Buffet III out at Crestwood. So the menu is almost identical, except the buffet space is a lot more compact. The main differences in the menu are mostly seen in the sushi line, where there are a bit more authentic items than at NCB, but the sushi runs out faster and is replenished slower. One thing I noticed in the menu here is the availability of fried dumplings during dinner; at NCB you can only get fried dumplings during weekday lunch. Also the fresh seafood salad that you can get at NCB doesn't exist here. In both places they only bring out the raw fish on weekends when they can charge more. During Xmas and western New Year's they were open but charged $1 more while changing up the menu a little; they had salt-and-pepper fried frogs legs and sliced peking roast duck which I thought were good and unique variations - they should do the frog legs more. In general they are $1 more expensive than NCB, probably due to being in Hoover vs. Crestwood. They also close an hour earlier than NCB.
(4)Scott N.
I checked this place out today at lunch. It is a welcome addition to the Riverchase area of Hoover. The decor is ornate and modern, definitely a cut above most buffets in the area. The sushi spread is impressive, probably the largest in the area for a buffet. They had a good selection of nigiri and rolls with roe on them. There was seven other stations of salads, desserts, Chinese, and American foods. I didn't get to sample everything but what I did have was real good. The place was busy so the turnover on the buffet was good so everything that I had was fresh. It is definitely worth checking out.
(4)Bryan W.
Not sure I understand why this is a top rated Chinese place. Sure it had a nice selection like most buffets, but it isn't fantastic. The sushi wasn't very good, and the various odds and ends were more frightening than anything. Not the Chinese buffet I would pick in Birmingham.
(3)Arian A.
BY FAR THE WORST SERVICE I've ever had at a resturant! The manager was rude as soon as we walked in the door and he wasn't welcoming at all!! Our server was atrocious! !! Instead of serving my friend and I, he was too busy sitting in the back eating his lunch!! After sitting without water for at least 10 min. we asked for refills and the server put his hand up in a do not disturb gesture and made us wait even longer! We instantly informed the manager of the rude server, and he walked off and laughed without doing a damn thing!!!!! The server refused to clear our table and at that point we had enough and refused to pay the bill!! The manager had the audacity to call the cops on us causing a big scene!! I WILL NEVER SPEND ANOTHER DIME IN THAT PLACE , I have never in my life been treated so poorly!
(1)Terje D.
When this place opened it was maybe the best Chinese buffet around, but it seems to have gone down recently, or perhaps it was just that we visited on a Saturday night, naturally a busy time at the restaurant. You pay a premium at dinner time, primarily for the privilege of eating crab legs. Good luck getting some. They provide about four clusters maybe every 20-30 min or so. One person is always patiently waiting for it, and unless you are that person, you're not getting any. Some of the food is not bad at all - the ribs are good - but they seemed to have a hard time keeping up with demand for luxury items like clams etc. The selection is less than it used to be. What really did it for me this time, though was the lack of cleanliness. The plates were greasy and some of them even had remains of food still stuck to them. It was disappointing, and I think we'll have to try out Top China again.
(2)P.L. S.
Nooooooo........ keep walking. There are enough good-enough restaurants in Hoover and on #31 for you to not waste your time adn too much money on this not-good-enough restaurant. The Hoover area has far, far better Asian food than Chowtown serves. These folks simpply are not even trying.
(1)Tina H.
I luckily went on opening night and thoroughly enjoyed this new addition to the B'ham buffet scene. It's your typical Chinese buffet with pleasant additions. I'm an avid sushi fan, and they had such a wide variety of sushi and roe toppings. Surprisingly, they also have an oyster bar with a server who opens oysters for you right then and there. I feasted on the shrimp & cocktails and mussels. I was able to get some snow crab legs as the line was way too long. I had a spoonful of the usual cuisine dishes, like sauteed green beans, peppered steak, orange chicken, and dumplings after consuming mass quantities of sushi and seafood. Needless to say, I'll be working out tomorrow :)
(4)John S.
Typical Chinese buffet So far everything I've tried has been pretty pedestrian. Not bad but nothing to write home about. One fairly unique item is ability to select items to be prepared on hibachi grill. I haven't tried yet myself so unable to review that aspect. My co-workers favor this buffet over others in the general area.
(3)Jim M.
Have eaten here a few times, there are not many buffets i will revisit due to quality. This one is not a favorite but will do if i am in the mood for chinese. Price is average for a buffet, and there are many choices to choose from. All in all it is a good standby if you cannot get to China Bistro
(3)Chong T.
Things changed. This one had been my favorite. However, last 2 times after I had it, I had very severe diarrhea. I don't want to risk my life. I will not go again. Farewell. Chow Town.
(3)Terje D.
When this place opened it was maybe the best Chinese buffet around, but it seems to have gone down recently, or perhaps it was just that we visited on a Saturday night, naturally a busy time at the restaurant. You pay a premium at dinner time, primarily for the privilege of eating crab legs. Good luck getting some. They provide about four clusters maybe every 20-30 min or so. One person is always patiently waiting for it, and unless you are that person, you're not getting any. Some of the food is not bad at all - the ribs are good - but they seemed to have a hard time keeping up with demand for luxury items like clams etc. The selection is less than it used to be. What really did it for me this time, though was the lack of cleanliness. The plates were greasy and some of them even had remains of food still stuck to them. It was disappointing, and I think we'll have to try out Top China again.
(2)P.L. S.
Nooooooo........ keep walking. There are enough good-enough restaurants in Hoover and on #31 for you to not waste your time adn too much money on this not-good-enough restaurant. The Hoover area has far, far better Asian food than Chowtown serves. These folks simpply are not even trying.
(1)Tina H.
I luckily went on opening night and thoroughly enjoyed this new addition to the B'ham buffet scene. It's your typical Chinese buffet with pleasant additions. I'm an avid sushi fan, and they had such a wide variety of sushi and roe toppings. Surprisingly, they also have an oyster bar with a server who opens oysters for you right then and there. I feasted on the shrimp & cocktails and mussels. I was able to get some snow crab legs as the line was way too long. I had a spoonful of the usual cuisine dishes, like sauteed green beans, peppered steak, orange chicken, and dumplings after consuming mass quantities of sushi and seafood. Needless to say, I'll be working out tomorrow :)
(4)Cliff G.
Pleasantly, plumply satisfied. I haven't been to a Chinese, or any buffet in a very long time. We decided to try this one out on a whim and were very satisfied. The Venue: Pleasant environment and atmoshphere. The restaurant is well decorated and can hold quite a few guests. The Peeps: They were very helpful and attentive to keeping the buffet full. The Goods: Surprisingly the food was very good. I was a little skeptical of the raw oysters bit they seemed fresh and tasted alright for a buffet. The food selection was vast enough for any buffet foodie. Everything from wings to sushi.
(4)Jacob W.
Nice and clean interior, good lunch buffet, but as with most large Asian buffets, quality and quantity can't coexist. If you want choices and an unlimited amount of food, this is your place. However, if you want great food, Id suggest Mr Chen's right down 31. With that being said Chow Town is a decent, quick lunch that will leave you satisfied.
(3)Fergie F.
I used to really like this place, but the customer service and food quality have gone down. Don't waste your money.
(1)Michael H.
It is what you'd expect from a Chinese buffet - the Sushi is ok. There is a Hibachi Grill. I've never found the service lacking, or obtrusive. The buffer is one of the larger selection of items you'll see.
(4)Ben K.
Make no mistake, this is Chinese buffet. So why the four stars? There are a few things that make this one of the best Chinese buffets in town, maybe the best I've ever had. The selection is unreal. There is a mix of standard Chinese fare (with excellent pot stickers and soups) and a few basic American dishes. But then it gets interesting - there is a made-to-order stir fry hibachi grill, a sushi bar, and an ice cream bar in addition to the dessert bar. The service is also excellent. At times it's so fast you don't see it in action. Seriously. For the money, this is a great value for lunch, I can't speak to the dinner experience.
(4)Chen L.
I have been there a couple of times. The food is various but some of them are not fresh! Besides the smell there is quite humid which lower the image. The good point is it is cheap. Be careful with your tips, my friend got over charged $1 without any notice!
(3)Joe V.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so I uploaded 4000 words. I am not a big fan of Crab Legs, but if you use Crab Legs as your excuse to jack the Lunch Rate up to the dinner rate, you should provide some product. We got a front row seat to the portion of the buffet where the elusive crab legs make an appearance about twice and hour with enough to feed 2 people, or one really hungry person. Which the person at the front of the crab leg line usually is. Most likely a nightly occurrence is folks standing online waiting for the tray of 8 or 10 crab leg sections, (see my photo) which disappear before the third person reaches the front of the line. Its a bait and switch and if you come for crab legs, be prepared for a wait. Now if you came for sushi..........ummm, well I guess it depends on your definition of sushi. Imitation crab, rice and cream cheese? Wooo hooo you have come to the right place!! Sushi with fish, like Tuna, Salmon, Shrimp.......... fuggettaboutit!! I dissected a piece of a roll and I found a piece of tuna smaller than a dime inside the imitation crab, cream cheese and rice. Hibachi Grill looked ok, the dishes on the buffet were plentiful with rice dishes (of course) other dishes were plentiful, and flavor was ok. 1 1/2 stars is about right. Food in the army is called Chow. This place serves chinese chow.
(2)Jonathan B.
This place is not awful. But it's definitely not worth your time. They serve way too big of a selection. I regret most of my plate every time I fill up. There are so many great restaurants in hoover, this isn't one of them.
(2)Colin S.
Chow Town is a decent Chinese buffet that offers the usual selection of Americanized asian dishes. Nothing is particularly incredible although the hot and sour soup is tasty. Remember, the purpose of buffets is to introduce as much food into your body as possible without necessarily caring about the quality. So pile that plate up with orange chicken and go to town. Wash it all down with an ice cream cone afterwards.
(3)Courtney F.
Me and my husband finally broke down and went in sometime during the summer and we are now spoiled! We come just for the hibachi alone! My one problem is that the other items are kind of lackluster and/or cold, depending on when you get there. The sushi is definitely average, but there are a few gems hiding on the bar. All in all, go for lunch on weekdays, and the prices are justifiable.
(4)Courtney O.
The food ok nothing was overly mouth watering or tip delicious too handle or anything like that. This is just basic buffet that didn't spend too much time creating this great display of food. Aside from that the was ok bout too but ok. Yet the service left much too be desired, servers are nothing friendly but robot like and borderline rude, this was my first and last visit.
(2)Joshua C.
It's a typical buffet as far as food quality goes. But it's more of a hog pog of food types and not really a lot of Asian food.
(3)Lucas L.
I went there with a large party of my coworkers and they all liked it. Its the best buffet I ever had. They serve hundreds items of Chinese food, Japanese sushi and American food, including crb legs, oysters, steaks, ribs and many kinds of seafoods. The server was nice and the dining environment is good. The price is very reasonable, only 6.99 for lunch and 10.99 for dinner. I will come back : )
(4)Caleigh R.
So not good for me to eat this food. There is nothing nutritionally healthful to it. If you like Chinese buffets then it's ok, but really you should not eat this food frequently.
(2)matt d.
The good: Nice large selection of better than average buffet food and large sushi selection (both kept very well stocked). Hard serve ice cream and sherbet. A lot of good deserts. Clean. Nice decor. The bad: The soup (ugh), the predictably bad crab legs (not available at lunch), the front room staff (particularly the young movie-star wanna-be with the quadruple gelled orange windstorm blasted Pompadour hair) are generally indifferent. There is no feeling of being welcome, we are just cattle passing though (which not surprisingly does appear to aptly describe a lot of the patrons). I know of no better Chinese buffet food around. Beats Top China by quite a bit (and they were not too bad either). edit: I ate there today and somebody new was up front (owner?). He was very friendly and talkative. Orange hair was still mute, other than his one catch phrase "wa'chu'wan'drin" (which I believe translates to "What would you like to drink", or he was asking me for a date in mandarin).
(4)Arian A.
BY FAR THE WORST SERVICE I've ever had at a resturant! The manager was rude as soon as we walked in the door and he wasn't welcoming at all!! Our server was atrocious! !! Instead of serving my friend and I, he was too busy sitting in the back eating his lunch!! After sitting without water for at least 10 min. we asked for refills and the server put his hand up in a do not disturb gesture and made us wait even longer! We instantly informed the manager of the rude server, and he walked off and laughed without doing a damn thing!!!!! The server refused to clear our table and at that point we had enough and refused to pay the bill!! The manager had the audacity to call the cops on us causing a big scene!! I WILL NEVER SPEND ANOTHER DIME IN THAT PLACE , I have never in my life been treated so poorly!
(1)