Another Chinese place on the east side

[Mydalmationis8]

Lai-Lai's (aka Panda Garden) is opening a location in the shopping center at 12th & Alameda. It will be in the location next to the Pizza Shuttle. Not sure when it will open, but the signs are up. Hopefully, it will be good.

[kevinpate]

This is a very good thing. The existing location is often too crowded for my tastes, both at lunch and at dinner.

[Soonerman]

This may be a little off topic but don't they have a chinese eatery at Wal-Mart on the east side?

[kevinpate]

That's certainly possible. I rarely visit that stretch of road and don't know. The sole chinese place I eat at in Norman is the current Panda at W 36th off Robinson.
As it is often crowded, I'm in favor of anything that lowers its table count. Well, anything that doesn't mess with the current quality of the food.

[rcjunkie]

This may be a little off topic but don't they have a chinese eatery at Wal-Mart on the east side?

There is one in the E. side Walmart (ate there once, save your money). The only place I eat Chinese food is at Dot Wo, SW 104th & Penn in OKC.

[JimTrabersColostomyBag]

Manager at west side Panda said three months to open the east side. There is a chinese restaurant in the Wal-Mart and another in the strip center in front of Wal-Mart. Happy Family chinese is in Heisman Square and there is an Asian Buffet in the anatole Shopping Center (around the corner from Middle Earth) plus Asian Fusion joint in the old Abners (Pizza HUt) location.

[Spartan]

Jim Traber's Colostomy Bag?? Wow.

[Uncle Slayton]

Yeah, what's the deal w/ this? We have really good places to eat in almost every other realm of "ethnic" food, but the Chinese places here are all crap. Buffets are terrible, takeout is terrible. Just seems like a niche that would have been filled by now.

[JimTrabersColostomyBag]

Panda Garden at 12th and Alameda now open

[OUman]

^I have eaten from the Asian Buffet and it's actually pretty good, cheese wontons are nice and crispy with a cream cheese filling and the rice/meat/vegetable dishes are very tasty, and not oily like you find at some other places. It has a great variety too.

[Video Expert]

I have to agree with OUman. The Asian Buffet is amazingly good and has lots of variety. The salt and pepper shrimp is unbelievable! I've eaten Panda Garden on the West Side many times and it's good, but Asian Buffet is better, IMO. I haven't tried the new Panda Garden yet.

FYI...the Chinese place inside the East Side Wal-Mart closed a couple of months ago.