Definitely been a while since we came here, we used to come here almost every month before Covid. After Covid, the changes they made weren't so great. This time, we tried this place again and it's better! The food is still similar to all other buffets, but I think I prefer this place's chicken wings, baked mussels, bbq ribs, and beef stir fry. It is similar price range as other buffets ($20) and drinks are paid separate as usual. Refillable fountain drinks if you prefer but having water works too. The sushi is a hit or miss, I had great sushi rolls but other days it might have been sitting for too long. They refill their trays as food is getting less and I like that there's someone around to ask when they will bring a fresh batch. The tables are numbered so it's easy to know where we sit and where we have to go if it gets busy. Utensils are all plastic or one time use, no more checking if the forks are clean! The plates and bowls are still the reusable ones which is what I prefer for getting food. They have a popcorn machine (also a hit or miss in taste and freshness). For food: The crab legs are served cold and their butter is super yellow (it's most likely butter flavored oil). Bbq Ribs are good, served in single ribs, nice bbq flavor. Chicken skewers are still tender and flavorful, will keep having these! Chicken wings (fresh) are soooo juicy and crispy! They have chicken tenders but I didn't try them. No crab Rangoon or sesame balls unfortunately. Baked mussels taste just the same, great creamy sauce on chewy mussels. Coconut shrimp is fried with sweet creamy mayo sauce, it doesn't have coconut shredding so I love it. Beef stirfry is actually great, it had peppers and mushrooms, but the beef is tender (sometimes not so hit or miss). Ice cream is self serve scooped, they have a sign that it's $2.50 if anyone plans to take ice cream to go. Restrooms are clean when we went, I know during peak hours the restrooms can be a bit gross... Overall I'm glad we came back! Might come back more and hope the experience is good again! read more

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Really affordable buffet. The chicken skewers were really good, Ribs too. Although we were seated in the large party section food runners/ servers came to check on us pretty frequently. Refill and napkins came as soon as we asked. The Mongolian BBQ was cool, I didn't like it because I got stir fried udon. I should have just gone with the basic egg noodles. We came with a pretty big party, and still the service was very good. Best bang for your buck with top tier service. Good vibe. read more

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I did not want to come here but I was out voted. Now I can't wait to get back. No frills so getting the plastic forks tossed onto the table was not great but when you compare what you are getting and at what price, it is a great value. Bring your own crab cracking tools because they don't have them. But the food. Oh the food. So many seafood options. I didn't touch the sushi, I mainly had the crab and the different styles of oysters and mussels. There was some very interesting options for those of us that are open to trying unusual or uncommon items. Like the pigs feet. Yup, I have to come back even though I am not a big buffet guy. read more

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The place was fabulous for a Christmas lunch. So many choices and food was hot or cold appropriately. Staff was awesome, kept drinks filled and consistent on taking dirty dishes. The place was well clean, well lit and not too hot, cold or loud. The only thing that was concerning were the young kids getting food themselves. Hands in the ice cream, dropping jello on the ground. Parents, come on step it up. Anyone under 10 needs an adult to get the food. Really wish a staff member was scooping the ice cream. Otherwise totally worth the money. Loved it, would recommend it and will return. read more

China Great Buffet - Dessert case - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

It was clean and the food was decent. My friend didn't care for the Mongolian barbecue. The ice cream was really good. I also really enjoyed the chicken nuggets. read more

China Great Buffet - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

If I may be honest, I didn't expect to plan a birthday here. We called seven places and landed with this buffet which is down a few blocks from our home. I lived here for fairly 15 years, and it was our first time trying it that day! I understood why God made me waited for this long and that is to celebrate and experience it together. I loved the environment, and beautiful service that was conducted. That day was filled with love and blessings-- our guests enjoyed the food and hospitality. It was a beautiful memorable day for the birthday ‍ read more

China Great Buffet - Two dank cakes for 28 guests ‍ celebrating our Baby and Pop's birthday - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

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The ambiance was highly lacking and the food very mediocre, a lot of food that could and should of been cooked longer was obviously rushed. Right when you walk in you have to pay before you sit. I took my kids and the smaller one hardly ate anything. read more

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Food was fresh and plenty full selection was typical one drawback was the place setting was plastic wear not very sturdy Place was clean and kept up read more

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Have different verity of foods, seafoods, sushi, noodle bar, fried assortments, desserts, fruits, salad bar, popcorn, soups, mix of all sort and good for the price and would recommend for buffet read more

FOOD :XXX it was acceptable level of quality and taste . Interior:xxx Nice walls and tables but carpet floor s need a serious wash and clean up or replacement. I could smell it already from sitting position. Service xxxx They serve the drinks and refill fast Bathroom X It was smelled not so good but it was a plumbing issue not cleaning issue . PRICE: XXXXX 14$ all I can eat was great WHILE WE WERE HERE FOOD INSPECTOR CAME IN AND EVERYTHING SEEMS TO BE OK .so I guess it's a good sign read more

I became really sick right after eating at this buffet and went to the ER twice. I wouldn't recommend coming here to eat.

Came in during lunch special, was only 20 dollars thought it was a good deal(it wasnt) food was bad to okay. Service was alright didnt come to my table often. I would suggest coming here if you're just looking for a big meal not quality. read more

Hot food is cold. Server behind buffet is rude and polices your food selection. Manager is unaccomodating. Never returning. Waitstaff is very good. Stressfull after being co fronted with another guest who claimed to be an executive chef. Should find out about his restaurant, make sure to not patronize it. read more

China Great Buffet - Dirty tables - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

This place has really good food but it could be more sanitary, I found a hair cooked in my shrimp and killed a roach crawling on my table and previously saw a roach crawling on the plates my sushi area!!! read more

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The food is actually good, but then the service (you can't get your own drinks) is skow, and the general manager and half owner literally enforces the 2 hor time limit which is posted INSIDE the restaurant but I believe dies not appear in their ads or listings. To me it is VERY MISLEADING to say your restaurant is all-you-can-eat but then surprise first time guestsbwuth a time limit!! ESPECIALLY when you have to eait for drink service which again is slow - In fact to get any refills I had to walk up to the server who paid me no attention other than that! read more

While I'm glad they stopped using styrofoam plates. They absolutely need to change their plastic fork. These forks are the flimsiest cheapest fork where you can't even use them to get your food. Please please change to a better sturdier fork read more

Stopped here after a hike I couldn't bottom down the 1st plate very cold food and made me feel like nauseous and I eat a lot of food. read more

China Great Buffet - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

For the price point, this buffet is pretty great. I'm not sure why this place has such low reviews, but when I went with my parents, we enjoyed it a lot! They had a good variety of food, and all the food I tasted was good. I liked their sushi and baked mussels the most. They also had fried softshell crab and crab legs (which were still frozen though). We went on a Saturday, so I'm unsure if they have those items on the weekdays. Their desserts weren't great though, they were all prepackaged desserts which were mostly dry and/or didn't taste good. The only good thing was the ice cream and the almond cookies. Overall, would definitely come back again since it's so cheap for some good food. read more

Food was okay nothing special missing spices, service unfriendly with cold faces, Good for one time to try read more

I always enjoy eatting here. Staff are polite and food is great. And its affordable. My grandkids love the chow mein and tangerine chicken!

Just a heads-up, the service charge here is mandatory, and the tone of the notice was very poor. I was really shocked to receive this notice from a self-service buffet restaurant where I pay at the front and don't get extra services like drink refills or dish delivery. read more

China Great Buffet - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

Food was good overall. Some things were better than others but I would say to be watchful of what you choose based on how long it's been sitting on display. Good variety of meat and fish, and sides. My only concern is the cleanliness of the place. I noticed one worker throw some used plates in the trash but miss, dropping some trash on the floor... but didn't clean it. I guess maybe don't expect it to be the cleanest because it's a buffet?! Also, we were there on Saturday for lunch so it was busy as heck. read more

Highly recommend!! The food was very fresh, the staff was great and they had a wide variety of different dishes to offer. The seafood was fresh and taste delicious! The staff was pleasant and welcoming and the place was clean. The sushi was even fresh! I myself was shocked! Must try, our new go to buffet!!! Also very affordable... hidden gem read more

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Ai the best China Great Buffet . I will be coming back for more food, elegant, dining, and perfect ambience for all you can eat buffet. Food is excellent fresh meat daily with corn on the cob and cheese on top. I highly recommend to my friends and loved ones who want to share in overindulgence of great tasting hemisphere Chinese food. read more

The food is good. Friday had deep fried crabs, weekend had snow crab legs- but they are small, and waiting time to get refilled is longer. The dinning area has two areas, three trash bins are there to easy clean through trashes. I think that the cheapest restaurant that serves crab and snow crab legs even small and waiting longer to refill. The service is ok. Only see two people each shift. read more

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Food/Taste/Flavor: 4/5 - since it's a buffet, feel free to select the items you're interested in. There are many many tasty and yummy things but the items I would avoid in the future include the tempera shrimp due to the extremely thick batter, frozen sliced meat for the stir fry since it's really tough, and some of the mixed sushi rolls since the rice is a bit tough and the imitation crab mixtures are inconsistent Ambience: 2/5 - tables are clean but the building does look a bit rundown with stains in the ceiling and random decorations all over. There are paper signs taped to walls and the food area Service: 4/5 - friendly and nice but slight communication difficulties that sometimes takes a few repeats to understand Value for price: 5/5 - still comparable pricing read more

The food was not the best, desserts were supper dry, the meat tasted old, and their sea food is trash. When it comes to their service they are also horribly, I asked for a cup of water and the waitress ignored me. Definitely don't come here, not worth the money. read more

Used to love this place but quality has decreased and the price increased. The food is served on paper plates, it really diminishes the experience. read more

Horrible! Never been to a buffet that uses styrafoam plates, and cups, along with plastic silverware. Food was cold and looked like it had been sitting there for a long time. The servers were quick, but mainly because there was no other tables besides mine. You had to pay extra for certain dishes, and I heard they use tap water to cook their food. Which is disgusting. My bill for just me, my son and my son's girlfriend was $300. The desserts were dry, and it was almost as if they bought store bought cake and cut it into pieces and put melted chocolate on top of it. They also served the same melted chocolate for the cake in cups... of just melted chocolate. If you're broke just say that. 0/10 experience, never ever again $20 per person by the way. That's actually outrageous. Our server was sweet, so we did leave a tip for her, but everythin besides that, this experience was my first and last time. China great buffet? Not so great after all... read more

I like it! A lot of wonderful foods, sushi, Chinese meat, sweets for kids and for 17 dollars and you can have a good lunch with friends.

food is ok lol 4/10 paper cups paper plates they try not to give us refills on purpose service is not there 4/10 75$ for 3 alduts 1 kid read more

China Great Buffet - chow mein - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

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Love your war wanton soup ! So tasty ! The best around ! Love how you pack it full of meat and vegetables ! Keep up the good work guys ! N I love how I can call it in and you will have ready for me! That You So Much Guys ! Keep Up The Great Food ! read more

Stopped by this location for dinner on Friday. I paid a total of $107...for dinner, only to be handed Styrofoam plates and plastic silverware? Food was bland and no flavor, most of the food was cold, by the time it got to my table...We had to keep hunting down a server, to refill our drinks, and clean off our table and bring us napkins.... I've been to other buffets, and this one is by far the worst, right next to Luxe buffet in Ontario!! I won't be back!! read more

Dinner for $13.99 on weekdays ! Quite a selection to pick from. The seafood was good. It wasn't too crowded. I don't understand why they don't sit us closer to the food islands. I noticed they put everyone near the corners which makes the walk farther, perhaps so we can eat more ?!! read more

China Great Buffet - Chinese Near Me - El Monte, California

Probably one of THE worst restaurants I've ever been to in my entire foodie career. The food was rotten (especially the strawberries, see attached pictures), the bathrooms were immediately next to all the raw food like raw fish for sushi and raw meat for the Mongolian BBQ grill. All of the smell that came from the bathrooms were all over the food. The fruits, the meat, the fish, all of it was rotten and tasted like they've been left out for weeks. My girlfriend's family and I came here twice before in the past and both times have disappointed me. How can a restaurant be allowed to have such a standard? My girlfriend's mother ended up getting sick off of the food. $15 per person for dinner? Yikes. No thanks. You should probably stay far away from this place if you care about the quality of your food. read more

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always a great place to go to for lunch or dinner its my kids favorite ! they have sea food a mix of American/Chinese food !! also have sushi freshly made every time overall worth the money !! read more

Eaten at many Asian buffets, higher and lower price range. This is a lower price buffet and surprisingly decent. Went here for dinner. The sushi and sashimi selection is small but not bad for what's available. Ate mainly the seafood at other stations, clams, mussels, shrimp which was good. The Chinese food, what little i tried, is a pass. Small salad and fruit selection Overall for the price, it's worth a return visit when in the area. read more

The food and service were terrible. Everyone had a cold attitude which was awful. Don't waste your time or money there.

Food was great, tasted amazing. Everything that was suppose to hot was hot, everything that was cold was cold. It has been a long time since we have found a good buffet this is a good buffet read more

During our 1st day of my 3 day west coast tour... Our tour guide took us here for dinner at the China Great Buffet of El Monte Ca which was my very 1st time ever to be here at the City of El Monte Ca and also coming here for dinner for the 1st time at this China Great Buffet and it was on July 11 2017 which was last tuesday!!! As I got here as a tourist this place was crowded but we were able to get a table as I get seated by the host... I went after the food that I wanted to eat and the things that I ate was the beef and broccoli, Sushi, fried won ton and also fried shrimp I also tried some fried rice and shrimp they also had some roast beef, and chicken on the stick I also can't forget to eat some french fries as well after eating all those yummy items!!! And I wasn't through yet I went and got me some Clam Chowder soup as well!!! After I finished up all those yummy delicious items I have to say that the China Great Buffet is one of the nicest buffet place that I have ever been to!!! If your out here on vacation and if your really hungry for some buffet go to the China Great Buffet of El Monte Ca it's one of the best Buffets that I have ever been to in the Southern California Area!!! read more

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