You know those times when you say to each other "Hey, let's go for Chinese!" It's at this point when all you want is Chinese food. You don't care if it's authentic. You don't care if it's buffet or a la carte. You don't even care who serves it. All you know or care about is that you're going out for Chinese food... and that's what The Jackpot is, plain and simple.
The Jackpot has always struck me as a place that at one point, tried to be more. Tried to be all things to all patrons... Sports bar, Chinese buffet, carvery, lounge, catering service, banquet hall, and from what I remember, bingo hall too. If this is you're first visit, you'll probably notice that at some point, all of its personalities may have all caved in on itself. The decor is a mish-mash, pool tables do double duty during buffet service, and let's just say that they won't be catering to the "Pay-per-view fight crowd" with a 15 year old projection screen TV you might find in your dad's man-cave. Our family was invited out for a New Year's dinner by friends of ours, kids and all. The kids were excited being able to choose anything they wanted, and to The Jackpot's credit, if there was nothing in the Chinese buffet for them, french fries and fruit were also available. I think the kids were more interested in cleaning off the plate of pickles and getting to the desert table. To be honest, as far as the food goes it wasn't the worst I've had... and that's about the best I can say about it.
So, we've established that the word "fine" will never precede the word "dining" in a review pertaining to The Jackpot. But that's OK... that's not what they are all about, nor are they trying to be. I do know that when you try to get a table at 12:15pm on a weekday, the place is mostly full, being in a decent location in the west side industrial area, as well as having ample parking. Chinese is not the only fare here either, as they have grill items and lunch sandwiches as well. Many people will not even grab a menu, and will just say "Chinese Combo", basically consisting of stir-fried rice and veggies, and the "surprise-side"... one day it could be chicken balls, one day ginger beef, one day sweet & sour pork... you get the idea.
Would I Go Back?: I think at some point, we all end up eating at The Jackpot whether we plan to or not. Would I make a point of it?.... No.
Worth The Money?: For mediocre buffet, it is fairly expensive.
Would I Recommend?: Working lunch? Reluctantly. Dinner out with the wife? She'll wonder what she did wrong. read more