If you want a place that will get you in and out then this is the place that does have plenty of options. My number one complaint is the temp of the food-- it is my opinion- it does not meet my standard for state regulation temperatures some what-- lukewarm-- and with seafood you really have to be careful. The staff is pleasant, seating well spaced and the dessert bar is good. The offering of protein is served with some being over cooked or chewy -- but that is according to my taste -- which may be okay for others. A very pleasant staff that is environmentally friendly for all groups. read more

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I still consider Buffet City to be Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet's little brother...despite the fact that Buffet City has been in business longer. They both offer similar litems. Standard Chinese food. Appetizers. Hibachi. Sushi. Salad and fruits. Desserts. And Western items for kids or the non adventurous adults.... The selection is not quite as extensive as HG&SB but it's big enough. One thing this place is probably better with, than their main competitor, is seafood... Crab legs, shrimp, scallops, crawfish, mussels, and octopus. Along with salmon and halibut... No matter what diet you are on you can accommodate it here. Staff greets you when you walk in and seats you and your party. Seating is a combination of booths and low top tables and chairs. Drink orders are taken at your table. Payment is done with your server when you finish your meal. Service has never been an issue for me here. Buffet City is open on most holidays like Hibachi Grill & Supreme Buffet when other businesses are closed and is usually less busy. This is actually one of the biggest appeals of Buffet City for me... Starting with the pandemic Buffet City starting offering take out across their standard menu and delivery through Doordash (and possibly through other services). I've seen a lot of comments in reviews about cold food here. I've never run into this... When I order off the menu at any restaurant I'm liable to go at off peak times to avoid a crowd, but... When I go to a buffet...ANY buffet...I ONLY go at PEAK times. Lol Most buffets have plenty of seating so going at peak times isn't an issue unless you insist on having rockstar parking. Going at a peak time normally ensures you hot and fresh food. If you hit a buffet at an off peak time you are really rolling the dice. You have no idea how long that food has been sitting on the warmer... This place has never knocked my socks off, but I've never walked away hungry or feeling like I didn't get my money's worth. read more

I went to this Chinese restaurant expecting a nice meal, but I think my taste buds filed a formal complaint halfway through. First off, the fortune cookie told me, "You will regret this decision," which honestly felt less like a fortune and more like a warning label. The cold food was warm and the warm food was cold. The crab was terrible smelt like 10 cans of bounce dat ass. When I eventually broke into the crab my hard work was rewarded with an almost hollow shell. The only thing I partially enjoyed was the pizza and I went to a Chinese buffet. Finally their ice cream was very unsanitary with the spoon looking like it hasn't been washed in weeks. The only bonus was that I didn't see rats but I came to the conclusion that they didn't even want this food. read more

A bit weird in here... I recommend the desserts :) the staff is nice but there's only 3-6 staff in here :p the music is nice and decoration :| I'm a bit confused why there's barely anyone *_.? read more

If I could leave a zero star I would. Honestly they should be paying me to eat here, service was awful and rude, food was cold. Water tastes nasty, craw fish was alive,crab was meatless and smelt like some boiled diarrhea. The ice cream scooper was just lying in the sink with water running.I had immediate bubble guts. If you eat here you will regret it immediately. read more

The food is either dry or tasteless. Taste is not good stale and old. The seafood is so damn gross. read more

Buffet City - Dessert also gross - Buffets Near Me - Clive, Iowa

The food was cold, and I ate a mussel that had something hairy in it and spat it out. It ruined my appetite.

While the overall appearance is ok, the Men's room definitely needs an overhaul. The pond in the entrance needs cleaning, there was a film on the water. Now, the food. The egg drop soap was flavorless, very bland. Our party had different items from the buffet and we were all in agreement that everything was lukewarm at best. There was shrimp and mussels next to Banana Pudding and chocolate pudding. For folks with shellfish allergies the chance for cross contamination was high. Food items were not always under the correct description label. For example, what they called chicken wings were in fact drumsticks and fried shrimp was in fact fried zucchini. Their sushi sat on plates under a light until the entire plate had been emptied before being refilled. So overall, I don't think we will go back here. I'm adventurous with dining but not to the point of gambling with my health. read more

food is lowest quality ever and it tastes horrendous my chicken was mushy and just so gross and the pizza was so gross I have never had a regular pepperoni pizza that tasted like that sh*t, but had good service although it's just a buffet. matter a fact the plates were dirty as hell and had left over food all over them. WILL NEVER COME BACK TO THIS DIRTY A** NASTY PLACE!!!! read more

Hot food was cold or Luke warm. Cold food was scary. It seemed like there was a lot of food that was warmed from a previous day. Gross. Not recommended. read more

I feel bad for the fishes in the pond. They haven't cleaned the fish pond in what looks like YEARS. But the food choices are good. The service was quite slow and it took 20-30 minutes for a refill. Men's bathroom needs a whole makeover because it is gross. I still love all the food. I used to go there more frequently when I was younger. read more

Some food was hot. Some was not the and crab legs were sparse and not worth the price.

for $18 a person on the weekend they mislead you with pictures of nigiri sushi outside the reaturant on their window. when you come in they don't have it on the buffet line so I asked the receptionist if they have Nigri and I had to ask the sushi chef who made it but gave me an attitude and was rude to me because I asked to have it twice. I did not have enough money on my card for four people because I thought it was lunchtime but I got charged dinner price so I said I was going to give a cash tip but I had to take it from the car and the waitress was waiting for me the whole time staring at me while I was eating and when I was done eating she came up to me and asked me if I was done and she made sure to ask me that I was going to give her a cash tip so on my way out so they don't think that I was leaving without tipping I had to inform the receptionist that I will be back and give a cash tip because I did not have enough money on my card. read more

Pros: large selection of food, plenty waiting staff, plenty seating, plenty parking, reasonable pricing Cons: quality of food is probably decent at best, extra charge for drinks (all kinds) read more

Buffet City - I'm trying to be vegan. Although this wasn't completely vegan, I was able to get a good selection of mostly vegetarian options. - Buffets Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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Order out from this restaurant last night. It was my wife..mother in law and myself. The cashew chicken was very salty and arrived to us cold. My beef and mushroom wasn't bad but it too was just lukewarm and salty. The crab Rangoon were soggy and overly sweet and the spring rolls were the smallest I've ever ate. I actually measured them and they were a whopping 2" long. The fried rice was bland and tasteless. I felt as if the $60 we spent was for nothing but garbage. If I could give this joint zero stars I would. DON'T eat here..you'll regret it! read more

Unbelievable meal! Had great service and delicious selection. Best decision I've made in a long time! Woke up the next morning and felt like a million bucks!! Yummmmooo!!! read more

Food was bad, no flavor and old. The service was awful, our server was standing a the table next to us watching us and playing on her phone the whole time, it made it so uncomfortable to talk or eat. If me and my family are paying $90 to be watched eating old and disgusting food then I'm never coming back. I remember when this place was actually worth dining in, but its clear to see that this place has a good 2-3 years left in it. AT MOST. read more

Great little hole in the wall that is hard to find. I'm not sure if it is a family run restaurant but the staff is super friendly and attentive. A wide variety of food and very good kimchi. There is another Chinese buffet close by but I found the food here to be of a much higher quality. read more

Nice selection of food but would be nice if they give the carpet a deep clean. Variety is adequate and food is tasty. Crabs a hit and miss

food was terrible, bathrooms rusty and dirty, someone also took an insane shit in the restroom and could smell the scent from the lobby, majority of the food was cold and covered in ice when a lot of the food should be warm, sushi left out for hours on end and rice was crusty, we paid dinner price but wasn't allowed" dinner food". butter tasted like olive oil and was supposed to be warm but wasn't. do not go to buffet city unless you want diarrhea, cold food, and a bad experience. read more

Garbage! Yuck. Disgusting and bland. Leaves you thirsty for hours after eating from all the salt etc in the food. The patrons look like they shop at Walmart. The staff wears pointless masks and when asked questions about their food their eyeballed just stare blankly back from above their little masks. The wasabi was the consistency of mayonnaise and almost unrecognizable in taste. I could go on but you get the point. Never would've picked this place- was dragged here with a group. Steer clear of this awful establishment. Cool Basil nearby is much better. read more

First, I will say that I gave this buffet 3 stars because, even by buffet standards, this one fell a bit short. Not the worst, but not the best. Let me preface my review by saying that I showed up at 11:05 am, which was right after they opened, so that I could try the food at its peak freshness. The fried rice was mushier than the fried rice I've had at every other Chinese restaurant and buffet, so the texture was a bit off. The sauces on the various chicken dishes was almost as thin as water - virtually no thickening agent was used. That said, however, said sauces were flavorful. The sushi was just decent, but what do you expect on a buffet? I did not try the hibachi, so I have no comment on that whatsoever. Now, like Hugh J, I would also like to address Tessa N's condescending review. First, I want to specifically address her "Iowa strip mall chinese buffet......scary" comment. According to your Yelp profile, you're from Minneapolis. I will stoop to your level for just a moment and say that I highly doubt the standard of Minnesota strip mall Chinese buffets is any higher. Being from Minneapolis makes you no better than anyone else, so do not act as if you are somehow better than someone from Iowa. To disparage Iowa in such a way is uncalled-for, and quite frankly, lacking in class. However I suppose it's to be expected of someone with such high - or shall I say pretentious - buffet standards. But I digress. In the end, this was not a bad buffet by any means, it just fell short of others, such as the one right around the corner from it, in my opinion. To me, 3 stars does not make it bad, so I felt the need to give a bit of an explanation. read more

ahhh in the mood for sushi!! and yes they have ok maki here! that is rolled sushi. nice place to stop in, pre prime time. water here is not so good... I wish they would get the water out of the pop machine! most of the time that is well filtered for flavor!! ok several choices on the sushi! and it was good. a bit of egg drop soup. it is ok.. I wish they had moo goo gui pan on the buffet!! that is one of my favorite things!! mostly American Asian offerings here.. but for the bucks it is ok! read more

Went there at prine lunch time.. Service was good, some of the food was decent, but other things were cold. The sushi was OK. There are better buffets in the Des Moines area read more

The food was so good! The service was also good.. place is clean! Lots of good food to choose from!!

This is a great buffet. Crab legs, lobster, sushi, American, noodles, egg rolls, dessert, chicken, beef, fish, shrimp, friendly service. But if you need refills = no. Otherwise great price, excellent options, hot, delicious, good :) read more

Buffet City - Delicious! Sushi. Seaweed salad & extras. Mmmmmm - Buffets Near Me - Clive, Iowa

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Uff....im full..... good food at a great price! Many choices including a sushi bar and mongolian grill! definitely on my "return to" list! read more

Buffet City - Round 1 - Buffets Near Me - Clive, Iowa

Ive always liked this buffet. It has been one of the best buffets in Des Moines. One of my favorite dishes can only be found at this buffet - the cheesey mussels! Their selection of sushi is good in comparison to other buffets. Im a sashimi lover so i just grab the ones with the most fish. They added korean short ribs which i thought was awesome. Unfortunately the ribs i had were very chewy and hard to eat. The other bbq ribs in the buffet were more tender. I dont mind going to this buffet because of the mussels. read more

Buffet City - Buffets Near Me - Clive, Iowa

This is one of the better Chinese buffets in the area and one of my favorites. They have a large selection of food and that includes crab legs. They are busy , but I have never had to wait for a seat or have the crowd affect my eating experience. The staff is friendly here, but they mainly keep to themselves. Food quality is very good, I always enjoy every dish they have out. Parking is a hassle here during peak hours due to the parking lot shared by many stores. This is one of my main go to Chinese restaurants in the area and will continue to be! read more

We came an hour and a half before closing and they turned all the heaters off and everything in the buffet was very cold and dried up...

Being vegetarian foodie we asked them before if they have enough vegetarian options, lady on the phone mentioned if you want we can make few vegetarian options for you but when we went there, it was very disappointing. There were just couple of options n everything was almost empty. I'm giving them 3 stars cos she got us few fresh spring rolls. 3 stars are just for service read more

This place used to be the best in town, but lately as the hibachi buffet opened down the street, this place has gone down in quality. They have this large area for sushi, so it makes you excited to have some. But when you go to get it, all the options are poor man's sushi. Cucumber and some type of BS fake meat are your only options. There is no fish or real meat whatsoever. It must be hard thinking of how many variations of crappy sushi you can make. Rest of the food was mushy. Some of it like fried chicken, or crawfish was good, but the Chinese dishes were just not that good. It is a buffet but some sear or pop in the food would bee appreciated. The crab legs are also non existent. They put out a couple of legs once an hour just to say they serve them, but don't expect to get any because some cheap azz fat broke bum will be waiting there to take all of them before you get a chance. It's like a Walmart of buffets. Anyways, I'm not a fan. It has potential as it used to be better, but I will probably not be coming back. read more

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So I would like to be able to give this place five stars, because it's clean, the service was good, the selection was good, and they were refilling the buffet line constantly. The only criticism I have, is that the vegetables were all raw. Now I don't mean cooked-crisp, but actually raw. This meant that anything with onion, had huge chunks of uncooked raw onion, and anything with broccoli or carrots, simply contained raw chunks of both. So trying to eat anything with veggies in it, meant that you had to pick through it, and deal with the raw veggies. This place has the capability to be superb, but whoever was running the wok this evening, needs a little bit of additional training. read more

My friends and I eat here all the time! Great environment and solid food. I basically praise this place over other buffets.

It's just a ok buffet place, not bad but not great. They use a lot of rice for the sushi rolls, I had about 10 pieces of them and I was already half full. The Chinese food were decent ,again not great just decent. I didn't care for their crab rangoon,spring roll nor the stir fried rice noodles though They don't taste so good :/ then again it's a buffet place you can't really expect them too much , at least not this place. I don't know if I will be coming back ,maybe only if I was really starving and just trying to fill up my stomach with food. Um I think I'd rather spend $11.95 somewhere else and get a better taste and quality of food. read more

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I've gone there for years and have taken many out of state family there. Sometimes twenty people at a time. Everyone thought it was wonderful. Personally, I've never been disappointed with the buffet offerings and I never leave unsatisfied. Not so much into Sushi myself, but have looked at their offerings and they look good for what Sushi I have eaten. Great seating and staff. I would eat there more often if closer, but I live outside of Des Moines. It's my first go to Asian Buffet. read more

My favorite Chinese buffet especially Sunday lunch. Large variety of entrees as well as desserts, fruit, sushi, salad, and soup. Sunday and evenings have expanded offerings. Service is always great and the staff is always friendly. read more

This was undoubtedly one of the worst restaurant experiences I've had, and the worst one ever for here. I've been coming to this buffet for years, and in the last couple of years, even before the pandemic, the food and customer service has gone down hill. There used to be an older gentleman running the place, and he hasn't been there for a few years. About 3 years ago, I was in filling a to go container to take back to the office, when one of their workers (who I continued to recognize when in there subsequently, and was in there last night) started KICKING stuff out from the hostess stand at the front, stomped out of the restaurant, came back in, and shut the lights off.....THEN an older lady who was also there, LOCKED him out. I scaddled out of there. Anyway, back to last night. I have been eating there for years and can tell when the food has been in the serving containers for a while. All old food last night. No crab on the buffet, had to ask for it....when I did scary young man said we are going to quit serving it; it's too expensive....Oh! back to me walking in young lady that sat me, wanted to sit me 2 ft away from a family of four....um no. asked for a booth further away and she gave me a dirty look. I thought I was coming at a good time (about 6 pm) so that the food would be hot, plentiful and fresh. It was awful. About 7 they did start getting some business so they HAD to start putting more fresh food out. Staff and customer service was bad, food was worse. Used to love the place and eat there about once a month. I won't go back. read more

This place use to be so good and now its just poor quality. My girlfriend and I went there today around 11:30 AM and the food was so cold and had no flavor. We are not picky eaters and this place needs to be shut down. All the food tasted like leftovers and was so dry and wasnt even hot. The management needs to be fired and they need to get health inspectors in there. We use to come here two years ago for the crab legs and now they let them sit in water in the back for hours and its flavorless. This is the worst place to eat at in the Des Moines Metro area. We will never be going back. read more

The food is good. They have a wide variety of things to choose from. The prices are very affordable. Will definitely be coming back here to eat more often! read more