Mandarin Restaurant opening in Centre on Barton — long live the buffet

A brand new Mandarin Restaurant is under construction at Centre on Barton.

The pandemic was bad for buffets, closing a number of them locally, including Kings Buffet in east Hamilton and Tucker's Marketplace in Burlington. But, at least in Hamilton, Mandarin rises from the ashes.

Barton mall's Mandarin - at 1223 Barton St. E. - will be Hamilton's second. The Upper James location has been hosting lunch and dinner smorgasbord seven days a week.

The new one is in the building beside the Boston Pizza and the brand new Church's Texas Chicken.

As of 2021, Mandarin had 29 locations across Ontario, including Hamilton, and 1881 Fairview St. in Burlington, and each restaurant can seat from 300 to 500 diners with an average of 150 feet of buffet tables, according to the company's website.

Jeremy Kemeny is a Hamilton-based web editor at The Spectator. Reach him via email: jkemeny@thespec.com