Chinese buffets have never been a big thing in Manhattan. In fact buffets in general are not that popular here. There are some Brazilian meat places that do an unlimited salad bar..both are near Times Square. ... There,s a seafood place that does unlimited seafood on the east side. ... Bergen County, New... ... Food and real estate are too expensive in NYC ... More on tripadvisor.com

An all you can eat buffet was my worst nyc dining experience. It was a Chinese buffet in Queens and my friends wanted to go as they had copious seafood including lobster and crab. The place was disgusting. There was food everywhere on the floor. Tons of children were running around. And there was a North Korean style audio loop of various rules being read over the loudspeaker. People were parked in front of the seafood and fighting over every new tray. It was horrible. Best to avoid. More on reddit.com

This will be a bit of a long response, but if you’re genuinely interested in the culture I hope you’ll consider this. Understand that “real” Chinese food constitutes highly regionalized styles of cuisine that expands beyond China’s borders, into our diaspora and those influences we’ve come into contact with. That includes the American-Chinese food you’ve had - including General Tso’s - so no shame there and I commend you for wanting to try something new. Also, I hear you about wanting to be too adventurous (“exotic”) this outing, but let me assure you that there isn’t a ton of raw meat dishes you’ll find on these menus (and if it wasn’t obvious, Chinese food =/= sushi & Japanese food). Given your experience, you’ll definitely want to find a Cantonese (the more ubiquitous style, and primary influence in American-Chinese food) or Shanghainese restaurant. Cantonese food has a great deal of variety and flavors, usually ranging from savory to sweet and your usual dinner meats to seafood (the real specialty, imo). Shanghainese food has some overlap but you’ll find some special dishes like soup dumplings (xiaolongbao), cold dishes, etc. For Cantonese, I’d suggest Hop Kee if you want an “authentic” Chinatown experience (low key diner, brisk service, solid mix of American Chinese and Cantonese menu). Ping’s is a step up and oriented around seafood, if that’s your thing. If you want something a bit easier on the sense all around, go to Uncle Lou’s. They’re new to the game but I love their menu (good mix of favorite American Chinese dishes and classic Cantonese dishes), really friendly service and a good clean atmosphere with beer/wine. Get the Garlic Chicken, pea shoots & garlic sauce, some noodles and whatever else your stomach is in the mood for. If you wanna step up the adventure, order off their Lo Wah Kiu favorites (basically chef’s specialties). When in doubt, anything familiar, deep fried or “salt and pepper” flavored is a safe bet. Also, rice and noodles are your friend. If you feel like soup dumplings, rice cakes etc from a Shanghainese restaurant, hit up 456 New Shanghai - same sort of reccs as the other restaurants, but you can say you also tried soup dumplings! (And truly, no one dislikes soup dumplings… no one.) If you enjoy the experience and want more, remember that NYC is now home to the largest Chinese diaspora population in the Western hemisphere. The diversity of restaurants and cuisine have skyrocketed since my childhood, and there’s everything from Sichuanese (SPICY), Northern (pickly I suppose?) to Xinjiang (kind of a fusion of Chinese and Middle Eastern flavors) to choose from. Ain’t no best really, just what your heart is craving. So enjoy, and remember the city is your oyster! More on reddit.com

Spring Shabu Shabu More on reddit.com