Golden Gate

My favorite place in the world ???? to eat!!

The earlier you come for the buffet, the better. Past a certain time, the food out there is kind of scary. Best bet is to order off of the lunch special. The fact that the prices are amazing is the saving Grace. $5 lunch specials? $6 Buffet? Yes please!

They ching
They chang
They chong

10/10

I have driven past Golden Gate for years, as has probably about half of Alabama at some point. From the outside, it looks like a pretty standard, small town 'storefront Chinese' joint. Let me tell you, it looks like that on the inside as well.

Eating at a 4-top by myself, there was sort of a "went to the early church service this week and sat in someone's pew" vibe. Who is that guy and why is he sitting at Jim's table? It was kind of funny, really.

As for the food, what can I tell you? This was most certainly not an imperial banquet for the Great Qing Emperor. There was some very passable 'double/black pepper' chicken; a decent attempt at beef & broccoli, and a few other entrees that didn't look as appetizing. The rice (fried) was okay, but the egg roll was the low point. It had a taste like they had rolled it immediately after cleaning the cutting board and not rinsing it off completely....kind of soapy. However, for some reason, it gave me some piece of mind.

All told, I have been to worse 'small town' Chinese buffets. Right now, Golden Gate is in the 'middle of the pack.'