If you go to a buffet restaurant thinking "quantity over quality", you're much less likely to be 
disappointed with the food and the experience. Such was the case with our recent visit to Hao Wah, a Chinese restaurant with a buffet-focus on S. Dale Mabry. We were in the mood for Chinese this past Friday night, but didn't feel like doing take-out or delivery. Instead, we were looking for more of a sit-down place. Hao Wah the closest place we knew of by our house so off we went.
Hao Wah looks like your typical Chinese buffet place from the inside - lots of seating and generic Chinese decorations. The interior appears well maintained, our table was clean, and our server was friendly, which is more than I can say for most of these places. I decided to go with the buffet, while Traci ordered off the menu. In addition to the normal Chinese fare, Hao Wah also has Vietnamese dishes (pho beef noodle soups, mi-egg noddles etc) available off the menu. Traci ordered sweet and sour chicken and chicken fried rice (there was only pork rice on the buffet).
For around ten bucks per person for dinner, it's hard to argue with Hao Wah's buffet. Yes, some of the items tasted a little dried out and had probably been sitting out for too long, but you get what you pay for. Like it or not, buffets generally require a "quantity over quality" mindset. Indeed, if I had paid fifteen or twenty bucks for the buffet, I probably wouldn't have been a happy camper. I've been to Chinese buffets before with bigger selections (I still miss the Chinese buffet place near where I used to live in Altamonte Springs), but Hao Wah is solid. Based on my sampling of what Traci ordered, the food off the menu does appear to be a cut above the buffet, as you'd expect.
I'd put Hao Wah in the same category as I do Jimbo's on Kennedy for barbecue - not a bad choice in a pinch, but not the best in town either. To Hao Wah's credit, I did think their buffet was better than China Garden Super Buffet in Britton Plaza off Dale Mabry. We went there once a year ago and said never again. Local Chinese restaurants I've seen mentioned highly include China Yuan on Armenia and the more upscale TC Choy's on SOHO for dim sum on Sundays.
So what's your favorite local Chinese place? A chain everyone already knows about like PF Chang's doesn't count and no lectures please on how Chinese buffets are all a waste and unhealthy! ;)
As a side note, I couldn't locate a health inspection report on Hao Wah, which is probably just as well. Even well-regarded TC Choy's had a whopping 14 critical violations on its last inspection!
Bottom-line: Hao Wah is certainly not gourmet, but if you're in the mood for inexpensive Chinese food, this place isn't a bad choice. The focus is on the buffet, but you can also order off a menu.
