This was my favorite Chinese buffet, but after my experience yesterday I will not be going back there. Firstly my husband and I walked in and the woman who attended us gave us the incorrect flatware and one napkin instead of two. We are seniors and I told her this. She never acknowledged this so when I came to pay we were changed full until I mentioned this to the cashier. Then it was so very hot inside as they try to save money by keeping the ac off. As I said they have great food but not great service and it's very hot inside. read more

Not the best quality out there. You get what you pay for, fill your belly then feel guilty about then once the msg wears out you'll be hungry in an hour. read more

Great selection, surprisingly the wings are excellent! Salmon is delicious and shrimp is always available

I love this please, also I am ok with the self service, only think I am not happy about is they took away the pizza my girl is peaky eater is the only thing she likes and now is not there read more

First Chinese buffet that I've tried in town. I was surprised that there aren't more Chinese buffets in San Diego. In the Midwest, they seem to be everywhere. I went here for lunch with two Chinese buffet connoisseurs, my parents. They thought it was great and I was actually pleasantly surprised too. The food was fresh; there was a pretty good variety; and the restaurant was very nice. For $6 or so for lunch, you can't beat the price. read more

Elite? Didn't really lived up to its name. The food wasn't that great nor was it bad. But I guess that's what you pay for. They have the typical cliche "Chinese" buffet food choices: plain sushi, canned fruits, and watered out soups. HOWEVER, I give them props for the frozen yogurt section. They have sprinkles and chocolate syrup. Other than that... not an ideal place for a date. Lunch with a co-worker... maybe read more

We paid almost $38.00 for 2 people. The table was sticky all over. The food was overcooked, dry and the crab legs were so small there is no way to get any meat out and if you do it's dry and overcooked. Very disappointing. I figured the desserts would at least be good but they were the same. Dry. I do not recommend. Especially for that as much as the charged. read more

For the price... this place is good. I've been twice & the staff is nice & the place is clean. The lobster rolls are my favorite. Everything else is basic Chinese food in my opinion... but that's not a bad thing. It is what it is. A little razzle dazzle of some soy or sweet & sour sauce will fix whatever you may have an issue with. My only qualm is the staff is not very attentive to the front desk/register. We had to wait a while to be noticed to both enter & pay. read more

Elite Buffet - Just greedy - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Went to Elite today after church to eat. The food was good as always but I could have done without the hair in my food. :-( Andy the waiter actually looked at my hair to see if it was mine. The hair was black. I am pretty sure it wasn't mine. lol. Only a two star for you all today read more

See all

This use to be a good place to eat. Everything was fresh and always hot. After COVID the quality of the food went down, down, down!!! Nothing taste the same , especially the Hot and sour soup.. just awful.. everything is greasy and over cooked . Need new cooks!! read more

Hi on monday afternoon my friend went in to have some dinner with her kids and husband thay were not even there for like 20 min wen one of ur employees came to there table and told her husband to go out side he wanted to talk with him wen he went out side ur employee christian went to his car and grabed something he was provoking my friend's husband to fight him in front of his kids he was telling him to go to the side of the restreant were it was dark to fight him ur employee Christian was still clocked in at the time my friends children was scared saying he wants to fight my dad thay had a very bad experience that night . read more

This buffet is the worst I have gone to in my time visiting San Diego but one thing I do know I would not like for anyone to go thru the same "HOSPITALITY" that the manager and the host gave me and my family.For Starters, the host had there AirPods in it makes me wonder if he took the food and handelers exam also the so called manager yelled at my grandma instead of approaching her politely and letting her know that we were still paying just do not go if ur not willing to deal with rude and unprofessional employees read more

Yelpers need to understand that you cannot hold the same standard for sit down restaurants the same for buffets. Also, if people complain about their food being cold or it's not fresh, it is most likely because it has been sitting out in the open for too long, and you just missed the timing on its refill. Granted, this place is a little more expensive than China Super Buffet and there is less selection, but quality or quantity, plus drinks are free. You can really taste the freshness of their fish and chicken selections granted they haven't been sitting out for a while. Also the place is less crowded, so if you want a more quiet buffet experience, go here. read more

I don't understand why people cannot give good review to the restaurant . it's clean and you can even. Look at the kitchen . the bathroom is clean modern sink to wash your hands The food please you are entering a Chinese restaurant so expect Chinese food Fried Crabs and Shrimp on weekends are superb not salty at all . what else do you want ? Every thing you can think of Chinese food is in there . Yes sushi are not like Seaside Buffet or 100 Seafood but you are not paying $30 per person Their price is reasonable to the cuTrent inflation. . It's $15.00 on weekends and you got 3 kinds of soup . 4 islands of assorted main dishes one Long Island of fruits salads desserts drinks are free you get them yourself . There is a Zojirushi Hot water dispenser for tea or instant coffee its family owned . They cannot afford to pay more employees because of the 16/hr lady owner is the waitress she is doing it all . Cashier is the son . Husband not totally well yet from stem cell procedure . I keep them in my prayers . I have been going to this Resto for 13 years and I know they are paying rent of 20k / month I feel sad when people waste food and also few take some food home . So sad . This is the only Buffet standing in the area so please be fair and considerate in your reviews . They worked so hard . thank you read more

My family and I absolutely love this place - specially my dad. This is our go to place when it's his birthday, Father's Day and just don't feel like cooking day! The food is delicious and warm and as my dad would put it it's very Family friendly and gives you that eating as a family vibe. My favorite items are the Egg drop soup and teriyaki chicken! read more

They're currently remodeling but they improved in cleanliness. The prices dropped and it comes with drinks. Sadly I haven't seen any fried crab on the menu but what can you expect when the price is so low. To get your drinks you have to grab a cup but that's not bad at all. You get variety and what not. Still one of my favorite locations to eat. read more

I understand people are trying to get back on their feet after Covid and all but come on these guys gotta try harder. Food was cold, greasy as hell, the selection sucked. I couldn't even tell what kind of meat I was eating half the time. I wouldn't come back... read more

I just left. I had a plate of fried crab and the meat wasn't cooked. I know what raw meat looks like. I know what raw crab looks like. I tried to be nice and tell the lady quietly, but she wanted to keep telling me sometimes its red. No lady... Its not red... Its pink. Not a light pink... It's PINK!! Crab is my favorite food. I have eaten crab here many times. Its white. Outside is red...inside is white, when its cooked. I will post a picture. No one can tell me that bs is cooked!!! And they STILL charged $15 damn dollars!!!!!!! If I get sick.....expect a call from my lawyer. read more

Elite Buffet - Raw - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Been coming here since I was a kid. The foods Not bad. The enployees work hard and the ambience is very comfortable. A/C,Clean buffet, and quieter than most chinese buffets even though theres always quite a bit of people dining. I am very happy to eat here its almost therapeutic. read more

The food was fresh and delicious. Dinner buffet with all the Crab and shrimp you can eat. Clean and affordable.

It was alright, I thought the food were really bland but it's really cheap. So if you're looking to eat for cheap food, this is the spot.

The real rating here is 2.5 stars, here's why: Let's start with the positive part... 1) $8.99 for lunch & $12.29 for dinner, and 79 cents each year for children ages 1 to 11 ~~ making this buffet location inexpensive and budget friendly 2) service was fantastic. Gratuity is 10% with party of 7 or more. I came with 14 other people, but we left a total of a 20% tip. Drinks refilled & plates were cleaned up promptly 3) Place seems to be nice and clean overall 4) Some of my favorite foods here were: stuffed chicken mushrooms*, sautéed garlic green beans, chicken & mushrooms*, seasoned fries*, egg drop soup, bean sprouts, butter shrimp, fried donut, coffee cake, crab legs, and garlic bread*. *indicates party's super favorites 5) The food is promptly filled, so I didn't see any empty trays In the middle... 1) wonton soup (liked the broth, not so much the actual wontons), certain sushi rolls (unagi, California, and imitation crab rolls), lobster roll (kinda has too much breading), fried rice (it's okay), pizza (after eating the cheesy seafood items, I just wanna take off the cheese), coconut shrimp, cream puffs (some were fresh & some were kinda stale), almond cookie, vanilla soft serve, and I geuss the list goes on 2) wait time... there's only one lady at the front, and there's no room setting for a party of 15, but just combine the chairs & tables together 3) Parking isn't too bad on a weekday The sad part... 1) bathrooms (men's): When you walk in, there's a urinal facing you, and two other stalls. When both stalls are occupied, you are left with that dreadful urinal, hoping no one walks in and sees your junk 2) I find it annoying that one of the kitchen staff screams (in a Chinese dialect of some sort) for more of a certain food in a PA system? 3a) most of the desserts were mainly stale, fruits were okay, but the way they cut it 3b) after a couple plates, you notice that the food quality sucks for the other stuff that I didn't mention above. I feel like they're hit or misses, but eating too much of the cheesy stuff and "crispy" foods, do get tiring after a while. Some of their food were too hard like their white rice and orange chicken 4) Selection is limited Would I come back again? If I'm on a budget, yes. Overall, not so much. It's a bit of a drive for me, and I'll stick with Souplantation or VIP Oriental (they're closer to me). read more

0/10. They buy their food from a third party place & just put it out. Soups tasted like straight oil, the orange chicken was smothered with whatever sauce & watered down, & even the ice cream was just frozen water. Perfect place for old people who've lost their taste buds but outside of that STAY AWAY. P.S. Kids cost $9 read more

I happen to like Elite Buffet. It's your typical Chinese buffet and you pretty much get what you can expect for an establishment like this. I make my own combinations by using the garlic green beans and putting the butter shrimp and veggies in the tray right next to them on top. The bean sprouts dish is also good with the shrimp on top. I heard someone raving about the hot and sour soup one day so I tried it and was pleasantly surprised (but I also had to doctor it up with lemon and Sriracha to my own liking). There's a cheesy scallop mixture served on a sea shell that's tasty too. Oddly enough, their pizza is pretty good; it reminds me of middle school. The best thing to do for dessert is take one of the sugared donuts and put vanilla soft serve on top. Their fortune cookies can be a little stale, unfortunately. read more

Isn't there some sort of golden rule about eating ethnic foods... if you don't see any of the cuisine's originators dining at the spot, it's no good? Well, there were absolutely no Chinese people (or any other kind of Asians) at Elite Buffet but it was still pretty damn good. What much is there to say about a buffet? They have a bunch of food prepared, sit it under heat lamps, and you take your grubby hands and choose whatever you want. My favorite item was the crispy chicken. There were cream puffs, but meh, I've had better. The servers were a little slow on getting our empty plates out of the way, but no biggie. I'm not that harsh of a critic. Why only three stars, then? Well, because Elite Buffet is good for what it is, but I dunno if I'll be going back in. And what the heck - my roommate and I both got the same fortune in our fortune cookies. Awww burrrrn...! I thought we were individual and special. Maybe that is such a fluke hat only happens once in a blue moon. read more

I have came here several times. basically a regular patron. But last week on Sunday I came and brought my kids for their 17th bday to eat along with a few other family members a total of 8 people. It was everyone's first time but mine. I WAS SO PUT OFF BY THE WAY THE WOMAN WHO SEATED US TREATED US. We walked in and she asked how many, I said 8 and she walked us to our table then right away told us that they require a 10% tip. then she started badgering us about my 1 yr old twins and that she would be charging me them as adults. I was like well if they don't eat that much how could you? she said yes yes that's what I'm going to do. I wanted to walk out but the family was hungry. She had a horrible attitude. I think she was one of the owners or family member of them. But sadly some how our bill came out to $139.00! ON WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS ITS $12.00 a person. and that still do not come up to 139.00. THEY LOST A LOYAL COSTUMER. My kids and guests told me they were extremely rude. If your trying to empress anyone DON'T BRING THEM HERE! read more

3.5 stars. My grandparents flip over this place and are basically regulars here so naturally they would invite the rest of our family out for dinner with them. Not really sure where to place an "amazing place" in the taste buds of my aging grandparents, the Yelp reviews looked pretty safe. I am really impressed with the cleanliness, spaciousness, and overall decor of the restaurant. Don't be fooled by it being located in a strip mall in Lemon Grove. The people have more presentation here than most Chinese buffets I've been to before. The variety was endless with many different buffet stations with options that would please even the pickiest of eaters. Stay away from the broccoli beef, or at least the beef part of it. It was too soggy and tasted questionable. However, load up on the Thai style chicken. Delicious!! The waiting staff always makes sure to keep your drinks filled and takes away plates pretty quickly. When we were dining tonight the place was packed and so the wait staff definitely had their work cut out for them. Very much impressed with how inexpensive it is to eat here. I think for 6 of us to eat totaled out to be a little over 50 bucks with tip. Check out their lunch special and if you've got friends with kids, this is the place to take them, $2.79 for kids 3-5. Save money where you can! read more

So i got a coupon in the mail for buy one get one free because this place just opened. Its an $11 meal so that makes it $5.50 plus tax and tip each. A steal, i know First thing I notice when I get there is a sign saying "Price Change. Dinner: $7.99." Wow even better!The place looks very class any nice. My only complaint would be the flies. Got there just when dinner started and the food was almost identical to that of all Chinese places. The coconut shrimp was heavenly and i ate so much that I was nauseous. The staff always made sure my drink was full and that my empty plates were cleared. A VERY cheap place to eat, very fresh, delicious, and nice ambiance. Even if you don't have a coupon it's a great place to go read more

Elite Buffet? More like Average Buffet. This place is located in a shopping area in Lemon Grove. Upon arriving I was greeted by the hostess and she escorted me to my table. She served me up some Raspberry Iced Tea which tastes perfect. There's not a whole lot of food here compared to other buffets. They had some seafood, chicken wings, fruits and vegetables, sushi, soup, and the standard chinese food. For my first plate I decided to have some fried rice with beef and broccoli along with the sauteed mushrooms with chicken. The beef and broccoli were barely warm and the beef tasted a little strange to me. It was quite rubbery and chewy to me. The mushrooms and chicken, however, were okay. Fried rice is fried rice; nothing special. For my second plate I got some fried shrimp, a cheese seafood combinaton, and some baked salmon. Both the shrimp and salmon lacked flavor and the cheese seafood was just nasty. Way too much cheese on it. It also didn't help the fact that it was already cold. I couldn't even finish it. For dessert I settled for some simple vanilla ice cream. They don't offer a lot as far as toppings for your ice cream. I decided to have some fudge on top of it. The fudge was not as hot as I would like but I still ate most of it. The waiters did a good job service wise and the restaurant was clean. I was considering two stars for this place but I decided to boost it up to three stars mainly because of the cheap price (only $9.00) and the excellent service. Don't go out of your way of eating here because there are plenty of buffets and chinese places that offer better food. read more

Fresh food, very clean as well as very clean serving line. Fresh seafood and veggies. Managed very well. The waiters/ waitresses are very nice and helpful. read more

As soon as i ate the sushi i was sick to my stomach. First time we came here it was amazing! Everything we tried was great and became my favorite place! 2nd time was "meh"... 3rd time im literally stuck in their bathroon. Seriously... worst experience ever. Never be back again. read more

Elite Buffet - Literally my experience in this place.. ate their food and i threw up.. my stomach is cramping.. terrible - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Used to be a Regular. What Really changed my mind about this place is that the Lady (im guessing the manager she looked like a kiss A**) was yelling at an Employee around customers. First of all they are human beings and they will make mistakes. I heard an argument about owners taking all tips & waiter was accused of "Stealing" ...later i see this guy walking out. I did not Leave a Tip nor did anyone who was able to hear(she was pretty loud!!) TREAT YOUR EMPLOYEES RIGHT!!!! read more

Oh My God! This place is nasty. Three of us went and we could not even finish our food. The people who work there are like unhappy robots. The music they play seems like a Hospice Hospital. Depressing! Don't Go! Sunrise Buffet is great on Convoy. Same price fresh and tons of food. read more

You definitely get your money's worth at Elite. It can be crowded, but that's a great sign. Not sure what all the negative reviews are for, but for buffet Chinese food...it's pretty good. *I love the egg rolls with the lobster inside. read more

Generally speaking, this is about the same as any other chinese buffet place. Steam tables chock full of amercanized chinese, jello and bizarre pudding-based desserts, and the ubiquitous chocolate and vanilla soft serve. We went on a Monday evening, and it was pretty empty, but roomy enough that even if it were packed, you wouldn't feel crowded. The wait staff were incredibly attentive, my drink never went wanting and they cleared the plates as fast as we emptied them. The food was actually pretty damn good for a chinese buffet. Tasted fresh, crispy things were crispy, tender things were tender, veggies were steamy soft, and not yet mush. For the price, and the quality, next time I want cheap chinese, I'll hit up Elite, no doubt. read more

"The Call of the Steam Table" I yelped for the better Chinese buffet in town and found that none where really close to work, but decided that I needed buffet. I usually go to Great Moon/Harvest in PB, but that is far from work, so in searching I noticed some good recent reviews of Elite down in LG. I'd give it a try. Food was good as expected with very few surprises. Food was fresh, hot and turn over was not as issue, as it was 1:30PM and the place was still busy. Service was great, the iced tea glass being continuously filled. Only draw back was some loud mouths two tables over that jawed and jawed and would not shut it. Bottom lines: Good food Great Service Great price I recommend and I will be back read more

One word: Terrible. (food, customer service, water, restrooms...everything about this place). When i paid bill, I commented on quality of food; cashier asked, "well what kind of food do you like?" I was tempted to say, "Edible food.." read more

I love Chinese food and have been to many buffets in a few states. While by no means the greatest I have been to it was good. I went the other night for dinner and they had the coconut shrimp. I gave it a try and it was good but I didn't really taste coconut. Best coconut shrimp I have had was at Outback. That aside the lo mein was great and I was pleased with the teriyaki chicken. The beef in the beef and brocoli was actually nice and tender. The other items ranged from good to passable. For whatever was kind of bland was more than made up for by the lobster roll. I tried one on a whim and that by far was the best item there. My regret is I didn't eat more of them. The service was prompt and my drink remained filled the whole time. The place was clean and rather busy the night I went. The price is about hat i expected too. It was roughly 30 bucks for two people. Living in Lemon Grove and right down the street its easy to get to. I know many other buffets exist in San Diego with a larger variety but frankly for how close it is and how well the experience was I am content not venturing far from home. read more

Great Buffet! Good food selection, ample seating, great "Take-Out" option. 5 Stars on the food, I just wish this place was less ghetto as in babies running around, baby momma's talking all loud on their cell phones, people sitting with their asses showing, gross, I just grab a "Take-Out" container and enjoy. read more

It's a buffet, so you know what to expect in terms of heavy customer traffic. The food was okay, some items tasting better than other items, but you're going to get that no matter what buffet you go to in town. I tell you what... I really can't think of any one entree item that stood out in my mind as being especially flavorful, except for the green beans. They had that delicate balance of snap crunchiness and tender flavor. Oh wait... back pedal, back pedal... I do recall the apple pie turnover. Yeah, that was bonus round goodness! The wait staff are certainly courteous, efficient and friendly, picking up your used dishes without you having to flag them for attention... the same goes for your drink refills. Yeah, I'll probably pay them another visit. read more