Great Plaza Buffet Reviews

Incredible selection at the buffet Seafood, meat, vegetables, etc. Everything was super tasty I've never experienced anything like that in Europe or Asia... Fresh, well presented, just great

One of the Largest Chinese Buffets I have been to...A very, very large selection of items as well as a dessert, salad bar and cook to order Hibachi station.. We arrived late dinner time on Saturday nite( about an hour before they close!) and it was still busy , but I saw that the food is NOT always replenished and kept full...Many items were EMPTY, and some were barely hot, just lukewarm.As with any Buffet some items may be better than others, but with the selection here everything was just average, NO "WOW" factor at all.. Just average generic chinese food, some of it on the poor side!! They have more choices/dishes than most other chinese buffets that I have been to, mostly a very large selection of American foods...This buffet also has a Mongolian BBQ station, where they cook foods fresh for you with different sauces as well as a sushi bar...Typical Buffet Decor, nothing fancy, plenty of parking as it is in a strip mall/shopping center. Poor wait sevice too, on the nite we were there, no one interested in taking our dirty plates or refilling our beverages. The Men's room was also very much in need of attention. Maybe we got there on an "off" nite, but i don't think so.....Overall rating...Poor/Average

If you like below average food and lots of it - then this is the place for you.... It was Christmas Day, this was pretty much the only open restaurant around for miles - so for that we were grateful - but it was absolute bedlam - a 20 minute wait (wouldn't have minded but the hostess started seating people who got there after us, for some unknown reason - I had to go and point out hey - we were there BEFORE those people you just seated) - but that wasn't a big deal, poor lady was so overworked - the place seemed understaffed, the food was pretty grotty apart from the salad and desserts sections - the salmon and tuna sashimi did not look appetizing at all - looked like a 5 year old got hold of a knife and just hacked up some pieces of fish - very unappealing - sushi rolls were very poor quality and variety wise (only about 4 or 5 choices, tons of rice in them and very little filling - didn't have any ponzu sauce either - the rest of the buffet was very, VERY average - the cheapest quality - although the desserts were good - a really good variety including a chocolate fountain.... it was $16.95 and as we were desperate to eat somewhere on Christmas night, we paid it gladly - but would we ever go back? not in a million years - very poor in my opinion. It is a HUGE place though - literally hundreds of people in there at one time - so be prepared for that - it's like a massive dining hall, and last night it was a real scrum - I scrounged up some seaweed, a couple of california rolls and some coconut shrimp and that was pretty much all that looked edible.... just not appealing and not great quality. Husband had lots of rice and noodles (carbo-loading) but he even struggled to find anything decent looking. But we were glad of something to eat anyway.

Great choice of food here, Chinese with some fish and beef also, very fresh well cooked, clean and tidy with helpful friendly staff.

We went at this place that 3 out of 4 members of my family don't like but we want to be nice with mom so we went.5 mins after we arrived a lady was bleeding and she didn't notice,I was amazed how much blood she lost in afew seconds,a member of her family noticed and she had a puddle in the carpet. One of the employees notice the path of blood and then every single employee came out of the kitchen and look at the poor lady, all waiters,waitress cashiers/hostess,showing no respect,(WRONG).Someone started "mapping"(just the wet map ,no bucket,no water) all the floor even the one that was far from the incident,just moving blood from one place to another,I feel bad because they have zero knowledge,zero trainnig :(. One of the family members of the lady went to CVS half block away to get bandages and first aid stuff, Does the restaurante has one??? After 10 or 15 minutes they finally stopped the bleeding and this family walked away,but before they make them pay,I coudn't belived that they did that. No one pay attencion to the bloody carpet so every costumer and employee step on it and spread all over.thank god my wife saw this and we will never come back,Would you??

This is a large buffet. Sushi, regular Chinese food and a lot of deserts. Good food. Not the best service. You need to track someone down to refill your drink but they are nice.

Everything from sushi to roast beef. The quality is sometimes lacking, but the quantity and variety are very good. The soups were disappointing, but the BBQ ribs were great.

Chinese buffets are often viewed as the worst of all the buffet types. Well,. if you go to this one, you will be thrilled by the variety and flavor. I am not exaggerating since my readers and my viewers know I don't mince words when it comes to reviews. I would go over and over... If only I lived nearby! I wish there were a buffet like this in Las Vegas! It's not gourmet nor a healthy/trendy version of Chinese food, but if you like this cuisine you will like this buffet. There is something for everybody and the price is very competitive. I am waiting for a great Chinese buffet to open up in Las Vegas, one which elevates the Chinese options at any of the Vegas buffets, which are poor. Let's hope this could be a good example and good inspiration ;)

My title pretty much sums it up. We were on vacation (from a land-locked state where good seafood is hard to find) so the idea of a seafood buffet was appealing. The variety was good, but except for the Chinese dishes, the food was not. We had seafood at seven different restaurants during our four day trip and this was definitely the worst. And the service was terrible. The waiter stopped by to collect plates whenever we went back to the buffet, but never refilled our water glasses once.

The 6 of us (4 adults and 2 kdis) came here for dinner after spending the day at the San Diego Zoo. I really enjoyed the made to order stir fry you can get on the hibachi grill. My wife and sister in law loved the sushi selection. Very friendly service and our drinks were never empty. Overall a good experience.

If you are out of town visiting San Diego and are unfamiliar with the local restaurants, on a budget and have to feed a family....then try this local place...I am from Northern CA and found this place on the web (it was only 4 miles from my hotel). One of the few buffets that the drinks are included in the price (soda, hot/ice tea)! Chinese buffet with large salad bar, salmon, fresh fruit, Chinese dishes, soups, and sushi. They had a local 10% coupon on their web site at the time I went here. Lunch is $8.99 with dinner around $11.99. Some American food. Ice milk (chocolate/vanilla), toppings, desserts. Located in a strip mall so parking is no problem. There is a Von's (grocery store) in the mall, so if you are a visitor, you can get stuff for that visit to Sea World/ the Zoo. See their web site for further details if you want to try it. Bottom line: Would eat here again, no problem. Get your fill and money's worth. They cleaned off the dishes promptly. A local place.

My first visit to Great Plaza Buffet and it was very good. There is a ton of food so if you go, go hungry. The place was packed for dinner but it was Labor Day. The service was good and the best beer prices around and a good selection. I didn't feel like I was in Pacific Beach at all so it was actually a nice getaway. It felt more like a crowded bustling casino Buffet. I will go back there again next time I feel like Chinese food. They also had Sushi that my friend liked and American food too. The coconut shrimp was great. A huge salad bar. Didn't try anything I didn't like. Enjoy.

We have eaten at this buffet perhaps two dozen times. The restaurant was recently closed for a total remodeling and they did a great job. Frankly, I am surprised that so few people have reviewed this restaurant, because it is one of the better buffets that I have come across. The place starts as a Chinese buffet, fixed price, but there is also a huge salad bar with almost everything that you can think about putting onto a plate. They also have a huge fresh sushi bar and the sushi chef is right there, knocking out some of the more amazing sushi that you could expect from a buffet. They also added a Mongolian BBQ where they will freshly grill out your selection of meats and vegetables. Lastly, they have huge crab legs and when they bring out a new batch, the whole restaurant descends on them. The array of soups, and Chinese buffet items is amazing and there is also a huge dessert area. Your meal comes with a soft drink of choice, but I think they also have a beer selection. The price is very fair, there is plenty of parking and often times, the place is packed. So, the question is, why are there so few reviews of a place that is this good?

The food was good and seemed fresh and the service was good. I just feel that they don't have enough variety. I have been to Chinese buffet places where there was double the amount of food to choose from. The place is big and very clean and has a hibachi guy that will cook whatever mix of raw meats and veggies you choose.

My four teens and I ate lunch around 2pm today, and it was good! It was 45$ for the five of us with water(we usually get water cause its more affordable and better for you). The place was 3/4 full, at 2, so the turn over of food is good, nothing sets long. The quality of food is good, the place is clean, the waitress kept our water glass full and empty plates taken away promptly. And they have a typical soft ice cream machine that has good yogurt!! We would go back!!

Each time I have visited for lunch or dinner, the waiting time was between 0 and 15 minutes. Restaurant is clean, comfortable and offers a great variety of appetizers, salads, desserts, breads, soups, and other preparations [Chinese, continental, Japanese}. The staff is not very friendly but feels like robotic. Many do not understand English. So, when asked about the ingredients of a dish, they would give either a blank look or wave their head sideways. A vegetarian like me was totally dependent on my thai and chinese friends to confirm a preparation did not have egg, meat or fish. Smiles seem to be banned for the staff. We have visited in group of 15-21 friends. No staff was welcoming which does not encourage us to go there anymore. No doubt food is worth relishing and for some, over-eating. GO for it!!

We live in the Midwest where Chinese buffets are a dime a dozen. This was hands down the best Chinese buffet we've ever been too. The food was fresh and cooked well. Not too salty which is a typical buffet trick to slow down big eaters. Service was a bit slow, but to be fair they were packed. We were there late afternoon, so I get the feeling they are always packed. We had to wait about 10 minutes to get it, but it was well worth it. Price was moderate. Go hungry and you will definitely get your money's worth.

We had a late day and called the restaurant to confirm the time they close-"10:30pm". We arrived at 9:38pm and immediately felt rushed. Our drink orders were taken, brought and our first round of plates swept away. The sushi and other foods seemed picked over and paltry. The staff took away the soy sauce off the tables and started hoovering the carpets around our feet. We couldn't pick ice cream for dessert as they started cleaning the machine and "tsk'ed" when I went to get fruit for my children. A clearly disgruntled waiter grudgingly brought me a to go cup for my daughter's milk. We all felt rushed; dissatisfied and irritable as we left in our car at 10:19pm. The food was just ok.

A group of us came here for my husbands birthday several years ago and kept coming back, because the food was so good. After a while the food started deteriating and we stopped coming. Subsequently a new friend suggested it and said how good it was and that it had been remodeled so we decided to give it another try and so glad we did. We come here at least once a month for the last 2 years now.

A place not far from San Diego centre with parking to park your car. Nice atmosphere with beautiful interior lighting. Great sushi variety and not only this. The sweets are typical american without managing to leave the average tastes. The personel is polite. This place is a good choise if you are looking for a buffet and not a romantic place staring at the sea.

Service was good, food was very good. They have a fresh stir fry bar where you can pick your own mix of items and they fry it up there, we had a little wait for it but the buffet had plenty options while you wait. wish they had some of my favorites, but still a great lunch spot. Didn't see Egg Drop Soup.

Walked in and place was very clean. Went for Sushi and Sashimi which was displayed well looked good and tasted even better. The off for some crab legs and shrimp which were good. Crab legs needed a little more meat in them. Then to the various other dishes that they serve which included a Teppanyaki set up. Desert was ice cream with toppings a long line of fresh and caned fruit and cakes. All in all a very nice experience.

Good food. Good price. I would go again if I came back to the area. Mostly Asian food.but ok with me.

The variety and quality of food here was a huge surprise. Most buffets are all vegetables and no meat; not this one. Great selection of seafood (shrimp, squid etc) and meat. Everything was nicely prepared and well organized. The service was very good too. Certainly be back here again!!

The line up going in the door led us to try this restaurant. It was packed but we were seated quickly as there were only two of us. The selection of food was incredible and you could even select raw items and have a chef prepare them right before you. The price was very reasonable given the size of the staff needed. We are planning a return trip on a Tuesday when a 15% seniors discount is available.

So many choices at this buffet, and the price includes dessert and drink. Here were some of my favorites: salmon with garlic of cheese, cream cheese wontons, roasted pork. There's so much variety!

It was good quality, lots of options good flavors. Lots to choose from, nice and friendly staff. Easy to find parking, central located, lots pf seating, it was busy too which usually is a good sign.

I'm scratching my head after looking at these reviews. The selection really wasn't that large for an Asian buffet. It was average, but there aren't a lot of choices in the area so I guess that counts for something. They did have a couple uncommon delicacies (chicken feet, cow stomach), but way short on grilled choices and veggies. If you're passing through town, you will probably find better if you keep driving. The service was very good...kept the tables clear and pans full.

Great place with lots of options and choices to eat. has it all. Choose from mongonaling bbq, sushi, chines, american and deserts.

Overall a good experience. Some foods were lacking taste. Demand seemed to outweigh food available. Good selection of premium food items but could be improved. Great service.

We were skeptical to eat at a buffet, but it exceeded our expectations. The restaurant was very clean and the food was fresh. There is sushi, traditional Chinese offerings, and an amazing hibachi style noodle bar with lots of fresh vegetables and herbs. Basically there were too many options to try it all, but we all had a great dinner. Excellent service. They are open until 10pm, which was nice, since many places close at 9pm or 9:30pm in this San Diego area. My 10 and 13 year olds loved it, especially the dessert offerings (including a chocolate fondue fountain).

We always frequent the Great Plaza Buffet every time we vacation in the area! The food is always fresh and so good! The staff and cleanliness are spot on, too! They always have such a broad selection. Parking is often limited, so arrive early.

We always take guests to this buffet because the variety of dishes will please any taste. My friend loves the different shrimp and preparations. My spouse says the hot and sour soup is superb. The sushi is beautifully presented and varied. My favorite items include the spinach souffle, the barbecued meats, and the fresh fruit dishes. The crab legs are also delicious.

Get the weekly "Reader" free san diego magazine and they may have 10-15% discount for this place. Lunch is $10.49 during week for all you can eat buffet. Ate seafood, sushi, veggies, dessert. Sushi ehh. Dessert not good. Seafood is farmed fish, calamari, various shell fish, no crab legs. Passable. Veggies ok. Watermelon and kiwi both good. Clean. Employees friendly. Atmosphere good. Restroom clean. Your average chinese buffet. 6/10.

We take all of our foreign and domestic guests to this wonderful, popular restaurant. There are many, many choices of Asian and American dishes. The guests can try a variety of dishes. This week we took a foreign guest and he tasted shrimp for the first time prepared four different ways. He liked the buffet so much, we took him back the next day. The sushi bar is huge and the choices are beautifully displayed. There is another bar where you can choose your raw meats and vegetables and a chef will sautee them for you. My favorite dishes are the greens topped with a thin layer of cheese. Children will love coating marshmallows with chocolate at the chocolate fountain.

Everyone I know loves this buffet, even if you don't like a buffet, give this one a shot. Lots of Asian choices including sushi and an abundance of crab legs. You can even load your plate with veggies and meat and give it to the stir fry guy - who cooks it up just for you. If you like discount coupons, stop into Vons (in the same Strip mall), right inside the door grab a

The good was great, fresh, and was simply amazing. The floors, and counters were sticky and unswept. Dirty. The waitress didn't come back to check on is very often at all.

Soooo right when I walked through the doors there was a very awful Bad Fish smell to it... I still gave this place the benefit of the doubt... They sat us down right next to the bathroom because I was in a larger group.. The bathroom smelled awful!! It literally smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in months.. And that permeated throughout the area right outside of the bathroom where we were sitting.. NOT GOOD when you are smelling the bathroom and trying to eat!! The food was awful, everything looked like it had been sitting out for days... the few things I did try, once it got cold after not being under the heat light any longer, it was just disgusting.... Everything about this place left a bad taste in my mouth.... I will definitely not be returning to this place and will be telling people to steer clear of it.. Im very disappointed.

many many choices, all appeared to be fresh; staff very helpful and nice; reasonably priced; worth a return trip

This place was recommended by our hotel. I wish they told us that it was in a small shopping center. Once we found it, the parking was very easy. The food variety was excellent. They had a hibachi counter as well as very good sushi and sashimi. Service was fine. Drink refills brought the minute we needed one. Desert was good. Reasonable prices.

We were visiting friends in San Diego and wanted a good Chinese buffet. We found Great Plaza Buffet and we're happy to see positive overall reviews. However, we left wondering what people liked about it. The food selection was incredibly small, the actual amount of Chinese food was close to zero and the food quality was average to poor. Really disappointed...

Everything was good. Lots of things to choose from. Good sushi too. Don't miss the "create your own stir fry". This way you choose what you want and it is made fresh for you. For everything you get its a great price.

This place has had a remodel which is really nice. They revamped the serving aisles which now look new and presentable. Love the chocolate fountain which is new! The Mongolian Barbeque which you get to take part in creating, is excellent and delicious.

This is definitely a classic Chinese buffet. Their Chinese food is delicious. Their imitation American foods are God awful in 85% of cases. Their saving grace is their dessert section. They have a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN. This is not a drill guys. The most delicious thing I had there was their *amazing* strawberry frozen yogurt. It is absolutely worth a trip back just for that. Really affordable and definitely a place to check out if you enjoy Chinese take-out style food and desserts.

On previous visits to San Diego, we passed this restaurant and it always interested me. Chinese buffets are a favorite, and we usually try one wherever we travel. I tried this restaurant based on the reviews here. Once I tasted some of the food, I double checked to be sure I was in the correct establishment. The food not only tasted terrible, but all the hot dishes were barely lukewarm, at best. I am not a terribly picky eater, and this is my first (and hopefully only) 1 star review. I wish I could give it minus 5 stars. Let me begin by saying this is a buffet, and I was not expecting gourmet. I was, however, expecting at least a few tasteful dishes. The snow crab legs were plentiful, but were served cold (on ice), and were terribly overcooked, along with the rest of the seafood. The small clams were tasteless and mushy. The salt shrimp was smothered in a gooey substance that so completely offended my tastebuds, I was forced to spit it into a napkin. (Please forgive the crudeness, it is not my normal behavior.) With the seafood being so offensive, I moved on to some of the Chinese selections. My first attempt was the fried section: fried shrimp, egg rolls and spring rolls, and what I thought was teryaki chicken (still not sure what I ate). Out of these four dishes, the fried shrimp was somewhat palatable, but the (cold) sweet and sour sauce was tasteless and did nothing to enhance the flavor. The other three items were cold and tasteless, and were relegated to more napkins. Hoping for better luck, I braved some chicken dishes and the salmon...who can mess up orange chicken, right? Thankfully I just tried 1 piece of each chicken, and a small bite of salmon. The orange chicken and pepper chicken were cold and the batter was mush; the salmon was dry and covered in an offensive fake cheese. At this point, I went over to the grill and had the chef stirfry some veggies for me. This was the only part of my meal that tasted halfway good. It may have even been great, but by this time, my tastebuds and stomach were both angry and rebelling against trying anything else at this establishment. I was not up to trying any of the desserts. My server was attentive to clearing my plates and keeping my beverage filled. Thank God for Diet Coke...best part of my experience at this restaurant! I am so thankful that I tried this restaurant alone, while my husband was tied up in a late meeting. He would have never been willing to dine at another Chinese buffet again.

This restaurant is a must visit when in San Diego. There variety is amazing & will cater for most palate. Food is fresh as they keep topping it up & the Teppanyaki chef is excellent as well. I had some crawfish & they were very fresh. Sorry forgot to do those photos ... was too busy enjoying them & had sticky fingers😂. Will be back again before I leave SAN.

With this being my first visit, I parked my car very near the front door but I didn't notice a tour bus that was off-loading approximately 50 people. Needless to say, as tempting as it was to run ahead of the group, I let them enter first and had a little chuckle with the last man in line. With that being said, I was tempted to leave but so glad I didn't as the group was led to a reserved section and I was actually escorted to my table within a minute. This place is pretty big and has booths and tables and has a smorgasbord of American, Chinese and Japanese Cuisine plus deserts. Drinks are separate and my lunchtime bill was $13.12 with tax. Even if you're a picky eater, you're bound to find enough that you like to fill your plate more than once. Even though it is located in a shopping center, it's in a separate building all by itself. Enjoy!!!

This is one of the very best all youcan eat orientl food places I know of. It has Chinese, Japanese and American food as well as a Mongolian cooking area. A great place to take a lot of friends who have different food tastes

The food was good and a huge variety of entrees: sushi, seafood, lamb, stir fries and plenty of fruits and desserts We liked choosing our meats and vegetables for grilling at their Mongolian station. The place is clean and the staff is nice.

Very pleased with the restaurant and impressive. The food was all fresh. The teppanyaki was great. The proteins were all good. We will definitely be back. The had all kinds of different food to eat.

I'm not a huge fan of Chinese buffets, but I was outvoted by the family :) This is one of the better buffets I've been to. The variety was good, and most of what I ate tasted fine. I didn't try the sushi though, and the desserts were not that great, but overall the family enjoyed it. We were there on New Year's Day, so the prices were higher and they weren't accepting coupons that day, so check prices on the website before you go.

What I like about this place is that the food is fresh. They have a mongolian grill style fresh cooking stall, and they have sushi. Lots of variety for all tastes, but a larger portion is Asian.

We go here about once every 6 weeks. Although they have raised the prices, they did remodel and we still find it the best value in PB. All food is fresh and delicious. You have the option to pick up all your own fresh ingredients off of a buffet bar and have them grilled for you. The salad bar is impressive as is the variety of hot dishes of both Chinese, Japanese and American fare. It is popular with the senior crowd which gets a discount. Lunch is cheaper than dinner and offers exactly the same menu (except of crab legs) as far as we can see, so we almost always go for lunch.

My husband and I kept wondering what the catch was and why this restaurant doesn't have a line out the door - we never figured it out. Delicious buffet, fresh crab legs, prawns, tepanyaki, sushi, hot food and even a chocolate fountain! Endless drink refills. I have eaten at buffets twice the price and not even half as good. Do yourself a favour and put this on your list!