Been here multiple times already. On the weekend is super packed but that's where more good food is out , on the week days less people and still a good selection of food. When we are in the mood to eat in a Chinese buffet this is where we usually stop by. Easy to find parking , they have Mongolian BBQ, a great selection of seafood, and good space inside, plenty of tables, and most of all our table is always clean , the staff is always around to pick up our done plates. Just the bathroom needs to get checked often; it's a mess specially on the weekends. read more

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It's not as expensive as other asian buffets in San Diego, but you get what you pay for. It's okay. Not something I would go out of my way for though. If I'm in the area and someone else is paying, sure let's go. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Seafood selection - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

I've eaten at this Great Plaza Buffet about 40 times in the last 2 years. I come every Friday night for the all you can eat snow crab legs. I really like this Buffet because all other All You Can Eat buffets and Korean barbecue buffets and even Las Vegas buffets all limit your eating time to 2 hours or less. 100s Seafood Buffet in Mission Valley kicked me out when I overstayed the 2 hours by 15 minutes. The manager hollered In demanding voice,"I want you to pay your server RIGHT NOW", and he kicked me out. That was the first time I ever went to 100s Seafood buffet and they didn't have a line of people waiting for tables when he kicked me out. I was about the only person sitting at a table in my area so it wasn't like I was keeping them from making more money. I never went back but the food was really good and I only had time to eat only five items in the buffet. Cost was $36 at the time So before coming to Great Plaza Buffet I called the restaurant and asked them if they had a 2-hour eating limit. The lady who seats people when you first come in, named Mimi, told me "No you can stay as long as you want". So I come and eat the crab and I eat alone most times. Sometimes I bring my next door neighbors but she doesn't eat crab because of allergies, but they like the other food. My favorite foods besides the snow crab is the black pepper lamb which is very tender. Lamb with no gristle. And I like the scallop shells that are stuffed. And the chicken with mushrooms so delicious. And their chicken wings are really big and crispy on the outside. I like the flan for dessert and the fresh fruit, watermelon, papaya and sometimes they have black cherries. This Great Plaza Buffet is generous with their food. I used to eat at a Asian buffet in Gilbert, Arizona, and they only bring out five crab legs at a time every 20 minutes. I have to stand there at the buffet waiting for the crab to come out because if I don't get it when they from put a few pieces, I will never see the crab. And I can only take three or four because they only brought out five or six and there's people standing behind me. I don't go there anymore. They are too stingy with the crab it's not worth it to drive 25 miles for the crab. Every 15 times I get a free dinner at Great Plaza. Tonight I'm going again and it will be reward number 9 towards my 15 to get the free dinner. I always eat alone. Thank you Great Plaza Buffet for not kicking me out like 100's Seafood Buffet. Eating at Great Plaza Buffet is the highlight of my week. It takes a long time to crack the crab and get the meat out of the shells. If you look at my 100's Seafood review written on Sept. 27, 2021, it got many funny votes which Yelp does not have funny votes anymore, but I wrote a really funny review that people wrote me and said they laughed so hard how funny it is and what a good writer I am. But they kicked me out and my bad review was read by so many people laughing at how 100's buffet treats their customers. That's what I love about Great Plaza Buffet. Their food items are high quality. And the price is good $26 for my senior price for the crab nights. As soon as I leave the restaurant I'm already can't wait to come back next Friday. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Great Plaza Buffet is very generous in making sure you never run out of snow crab. - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

I'm a sucker for Chinese buffets because I love variety when it comes to Chinese food. I thought this one had a pretty good variety of food and I enjoyed the egg drop soup and stir fry station the most. read more

This place is so good for the price. I came here per my dad's request on Father's day and it was pretty busy! Luckily we were only a party of 3 so we were sat within 15 minutes. The food selection is vast so it's easy for anyone to find at least a few items they like. My personal favorites were the cream cheese wontons, fried rice and the coconut shrimp. I tried a few things that I didn't particularly like but that's the beauty of a buffet, I don't need to eat more of/commit to food I don't like! The food was all pretty fresh looking to keep up with the fast pace crowds hitting the buffet lines. The dessert selection was great and they have a very fun chocolate fountain, the chocolate in it is actually really good too and not that weird waxy chocolate you get in fountains sometimes. I will note that the ice cream bin doesn't seem very sanitary with so many people reusing the same scoop over and over. Another thing I didn't enjoy was the cream puffs, I'm not sure if I got a bad one or if they all tasted like this but mine seriously tasted like spoiled milk. Everyone that we interacted with was pleasant from the hostess, to our server and the person who checked us out. Our server was also pretty good about keeping our waters filled. Overall a very enjoyable experience! I look forward to coming back again soon. read more

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5 stars alert This place is really good, They got a huge variety everything from sushi to Chinese food, seafood, and my favorite is the hibachi grill where you just build your own plate with noodles, green peppers, mushrooms, whatever you want. I came here for my birthday and that deal is actually legit half off on your birthday and even up to five days after. Staff is really friendly too, especially the girl at the register, she always makes you feel welcome and gets you seated quick. Service is solid. Just make sure you come hungry and bring the whole family, there's a lot to choose from. On Fridays and Saturdays they have crab legs, yeah they're cold but honestly still taste good. For like $25+, it's definitely worth it. They also got lunch, so check the menu. Trust me, you won't be disappointed.Nice anclean when I came in . #BuffetEats #AllYouCanEat #FoodSpots #WorthIt #FoodieFinds read more

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Average Chinese buffet, Mongolian BBQ station, some sushi and other Asian selections. Dinner with tax and tip was $30. Staff was friendly, large parking lot. Staff was friendly. Thrifty ice cream for dessert along with some fruit and chocolate fountain. Worth a visit if you want a buffet. read more

Me and my husband are buffet lovers and we were surprised that there was a buffet in pacific beach! I would say this buffet is a hidden gem because they offer crab legs on friday and saturday evenings for less than $30 on top of all the other food you can get. They even have a hibachi station which you won't really find at the cheaper buffets so I was surprised. The food is ok but the hibachi and crab legs alone make it worth it. Not only that but there is literally no wait. We came on a saturday night during graduation week too. Other buffets in san diego would most definitely have a wait but this place wasn't crowded at all. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Lots of option ! Brought a group of young people here and they loved it ! They have an amazing for for the lunch buffet ! My favorite item here was the honey walnut shrimp ! To die for !! Restaurant was clean , service was fast ! Definitely some place I'd come again read more

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Really bad experience with staff, really rude. Food atmosphere 2.5 Costumer service 0 read more

5 words,.. All you can eat crab! Fri and Sat nights, $25.00. Crab is sweet and plentiful. No one at a time serving per person here. My wife and I easily ate our moneys worth. The rest of the buffet is pretty good. All the usual suspects you would find at a decent Chinese buffet. Great place to get yo crab on.... Service is average and the place seats a ton of people. read more

Food was ok the service wasn't good at all nobody offered me refill of my drink or pick up the plates from my table but that was not the only problem I just noticed that they change the amount of the total of my receipt. I took a picture of the receipt with my signature because I used a company card and now I see a different amount that got pulled from the bank account. So I recommend to everybody to check the bank account because they are stealing money they are putting tips or changing the amount of money. I left cash on the table (they didn't deserve it) that's why i didn't put the tip in the credit card. I have pictures to prove. Is not a lot but stealing is stealing and imagine how to how many people they are doing this. Thousands of dollars read more

Great Plaza Buffet - That's what I signed for $21.53 - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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This place is ratchet. It makes Golden Coral seem like a five star buffet. I came here because I was searching for Mongolian bbq/grill and this was the only thing that popped up in the area. The Hibachi /Mongolian grill was subpar. No sauces to customize noodles and limited veggies (not even broccoli). Water also tasted like tap water. TWICE, I got death stares when I was trying to see what food was available. I saw people lined up in one area so I went up to see what they were waiting for... and I receive the coldest looks ever as if I wanted to cut in front... I didn't even have a plate in my hand....Later found out that it was the crab legs of snow crab. Definitely Not my cup tea type of restaurant when the people are ready to fight for food even though it's BUFFET and there is plenty of food. Also the food is mediocre at best. I make my own fried rice and crab ragoons at home and mine are way better. The only selling point of this place is that it is AYCE, but I'd take a Golden Corral any day over this place. read more

They have fresh crab legs, a good variety of tasty food, and the prices are very reasonable for what you get. Everything was fresh and flavorful, and there were plenty of options to choose from. Definitely a good value and a place I'd come back to! read more

Not so great buffet. I generally don't expect much from a cheaper end buffet, but this one is a bit on the worst side. Sushi - was like 3 days old. I mean I'm sure it was made today, you can tell by the rice but the fish and everything, it was bad. I feel like gas station sushi would be better. I saw the lady cutting up salmon and that fish still looked half frozen. Just no. Also, one of them had a long strand of hair embedded in it. I told the staff behind the counter, she took it, pulled the hair out and put it aside. I can't confirm if she put the exact same one back on the stand, let's just say if she didn't throw it away, what do you think they did with it? Dim sum options - just above room temp so, no bueno. Curry in their marinate. The porkchop, chicken wings, even their kale salad had them. I'm not saying that's a bad thing, I'm not a fan of curry so I'm just calling it out as I've never had Indian curry in my food in a Chinese restaurant. It was unexpected. They have very limited selections, compared to other buffet places. The place was just damp and blah looking. Just spend the money on a meal you'll actually enjoy. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Hibachi, the only thing I enjoyed on this place. - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

Amazing food the service is amazing. They're on it. They come pick their plate and they just know i'm from Riverside California and my cousin told me about this place. It's amazing. I love it. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - The food from the buffet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

The only thing that was honestly good about this place was the price. We came at 7:30 on a Thursday night. The sushi was dry like it had been sitting for a while, and the sushi chef was not interested in replacing the California rolls that had been out for a while. Wait staff was nice enough, but did not engage with you at all, completely looked over the fact that people needed refills. When I finally asked for one, he took the glass I was using (watered down) and went to the back to refill, did not dump the watered down soda in it, just filled more on top of it. Selection was small and they seemed more concerned with cutting back than cooking. As for the American part of their menu, didn't see anything, except for a small pizza they had out. One kind pepperoni, that's it. I don't live here and we choose this place at random. The food was mediocre at best. Service was fairly non existent, and price was not worth the whole experience. They really need to figure out what service means before suggesting a 15%-20% tip on the check. Tips are given based on quality of service given, bringing out drinks because you don't have a self serve fountain doesn't warrant that big a tip, especially when you're ignoring the fact that people needed refills. Needless to say, won't come and eat here again when I'm in town. read more

Food: I wouldn't say every item is a hit, but the Snow Crabs are the standout. They are on par with, or just slightly below, the quality of a Las Vegas AYCE buffet. While the crabs aren't huge, they are fresh and flavorful, which is what matters most. They also serve larger shrimp than most competitors and have a solid teppanyaki station. The fruit and ice cream were a highlight--the strawberries were nearly twice the size of what you usually see. At $27 (including snow crabs), the value is unbeatable. The sushi could be fresher, but since I wasn't there for sashimi, it was a moot point. Even so, the squid sushi was decent; my wife had over 10 pieces. We stick to what the vendor does best. Service: The service was fair and efficient, despite the heavy crowds. I noticed more male servers here than at similar spots; in a typical Chinese buffet setting, that often leads to very direct communication (e.g., "I know," "Okay"). Since I'm used to this style, I didn't mind--their intentions were good and the service was fast. Ambiance: The restaurant is a decent size and very clean. The interior feels a bit dated, but that wasn't a dealbreaker for me at all. Bottom Line: If you love snow crab, this is easily one of the best Chinese buffet values in Orange County. read more

The area was good and the food was delicious. The workers are very hard workers. The chocolate fountain is the best thing. The area is clean and well maintained. read more

excellent buffet. hot yummy fresh food, fruit, desserts. and sushi as well...m-thurs is best price (esp with large crowds) highly recommend read more

Great Plaza Buffet - After a full tummy. Time for a nap =))) - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Superrrr yummy and cozy. The food was delicious and well organized. The people here are very kind and attentive. Probably the best buffet I've ever been to! The ice cream was even rich and flavorful! My bill was $55 for two people. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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This is easily the best asian buffet-type restaurant in San Diego. I've been coming here for many years on a regular basis. The food, salad bar, deserts, soup station and live-cooked grill are all consistently great. They even a variety of sushi to choose from. It's extremely well staffed and I don't think there's another similar restaurant that can rival this place - it's a gem. read more

You compare to other buffets not restaurants, The staff are very helpful and respectful, clearing the used dishes quickly, even opening some bottle of wine when my hand was hurting. The food quality does vary depending on what you choose to eat. The salmon is always good, so is the Brooklyn chicken, and the different soups. The many salads are fine, though they have lots of dressing. I liked their Mongolian station, but I am to Andy to wait for it, but it is reasonably good, with limited sauce selection. The chicken was done great. The many deserts are fine,though I do not like chocolate fountain that is usually overwhelmed with kids. The place is quiet if you do not next to a TV. I do like the sesame coated peanuts. We enjoy that place, and is usually greeted with familiarity as we come in by Mimi. We go there once or twice on Saturdays. read more

Very disappointing most of the times just because of tall front desk girl Mimi. She's just very rude! idk why you would have attitude when working with people. Last time I came in she didn't even say hello and just walk away from me and was same rude during check out. Their food is really good tho! I take stir fry its fresh and delicious especially for that price! So yeah if it wasn't rude staff it could've been 5 stars. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

The seafood and sushi didn't seem fresh. The fruits especially watermelon appeared to be coated with some sort sugary glaze to make them taste sweeter, which felt quite artificial. read more

For 18.99 per person for lunch, you honestly cannot complain too much. The staff were friendly and attentive, and the restaurant itself was clean. The food however was just absolutely not good. It was either flavorless, or just tasted absolutely wrong. They even somehow messed up the honeydew melon, which was not good at all. The only thing worth enjoying was the miso soup. Overall, not terrible, but not a good experience. read more

Delicious . Good price. Food is fresh. Definitely coming back again Service good . Ambiance well. read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

No quality food and no customer service conclusion if u are a food lover and appreciate the taste of your food, this place isn't the place to go read more

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Today's visit wasn't as good as it has been lately. The food wasn't as hot as usual. NO problem with the cold items. No problem with the food taste or quality. It took a long time for my table to be bussed. It took a really long time to get my bill. It was thier turn to have a bad day. read more

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We love the noodles. Have only been for lunch but want to try the dinner crab legs. Employees are friendly read more

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Well you cooked dishes, fresh Japanese sushi, sashimi, etc. Very reasonable price. This is a popular restaurant for sure. We loved it. At the final we got fortune cookies, which said sooo true and realistic for all of us. We were impressed. read more

Very affordable. Food options are great. The Mongolian grill is better than most places. Service is good. Can't complain much about the food because the price makes it worth it. This place deserves more customers. read more

Wow I LOVE an Asian buffet. Any food snobbery I may have goes straight out the window when I am faced with a never-ending supply of coconut shrimp and a chocolate fountain. I've spent many a childhood birthday main-lining hot and sour soup, I've impressed (horrified) many an out-of-state relative with the amount I can eat in one sitting, and I once scared the entire family at an adjacent table with the aggressive efficiency with which I cracked crab legs with my bare hands and teeth. Anyways. It was my turn to pick a dinner spot for my friends and me, and this is where I made them come. Buffet prices have gone up up UP since the pandemic, and they are high enough to make even me, an unabashed buffet lover, think twice about the cost-to-food-quality ratio. However, I had a great time at Great Plaza Buffet, and will definitely return! First of all, I gotta highlight the fact that this buffet is in a shopping plaza, so parking is a breeze. A huge plus given the typically difficult nature of PB parking. As soon as you walk in you see some dingy candy and toy dispensers, as well as a claw machine full of off-brand cartoon characters. Off to a good start ! My party came around 5PM and got seated promptly but there were still a decent number of people. The dining area is vast and there were entire back sections that were empty, though the place still felt pretty lively. There were several screens playing sports all around the dining space. We put our bags down before I bee-lined to the sashimi. They had tuna, salmon, mackerel, and red snapper, as well as seaweed salad and squid salad. The salmon and red snapper were my favorites. They both looked pretty vibrant and fresh, and I didn't taste any funkiness. I like the soft, chewy texture of the salmon and the firmer bite of the snapper. I never get nigiri because rice fills you up, but they also had squid and eel there. Most of their sushi rolls don't have raw fish, but I did nab a piece of rainbow roll. On my way back to our table, I swung by the crab legs to pick up a plate for the table. The crab legs varied a bit in quality, but were not the worst ones I've ever had at a buffet. The first batch I took from was probably over-salted, but the second batch I got later was fine. I got one nasty crab leg that was clearly not fresh, and tasted like ammonia, but the rest of the ones I had ranged from a bit bland to pleasantly sweet. I tried cocktail sauce for the first time and it was just alright. I prefer my crab legs plain. After my table demolished a plate of crab, I started in on the cooked foods. The dim sum was limited but I was THRILLED to see that they had chicken feet. All together I ate two chickens' worth of feet (4). They were incredibly tender and flavorful, with chewy, sticky-sweet meat that fell off the bone. I've had worse chicken feet at actual dim sum places. Their hot foods were fairly standard buffet fare: fried rice, baked salmon, beef broccoli, baked shrimp and mussels. The only thing I was missing was the black bean stir-fried clams. I need to shout out their ribs as they were pretty tender and flavorful! The stir fried baby octopus was also very soft, thoroughly-seasoned, and delicious. No gummy seafood here! The fried chicken was a miss for me though, since it didn't taste that crispy. The hot and sour soup is a must for me at buffets, and I will always find space in my stomach for it. I skipped desserts as I was too full, but I had a few cubes of very sweet watermelon and a tiny scoop of ice cream. Throughout our dining experience, service was polite and prompt in clearing our table. We had a fun chat with the front desk guys about the wall of shame (dine-n-dashers), before waddling out of the buffet. This was a wonderfully nostalgic experience, and I am glad to see that this buffet, so reminiscent of the ones I loved years ago, survived the pandemic. I hold buffets to a different standard than regular restaurants, and Great Plaza indeed lives up to its name. I had a Great time there! read more

Great Plaza Buffet - Plate 1, sashimi, seaweed salad, octopus, chicken feet - Chinese Near Me - San Diego, California

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I've gone here for years. Great Buffet! All you can eat. There is a huge variety of fresh, delicious Asian and American food, salads, fruits, deserts, ice cream. You can even choose fresh items and they will cook them for you! They also serve wine, coffee, tea, soda. It's a huge space, where you can leisurely enjoy your food - And very reasonable price. The services was always good too. read more

Honestly, had a wonderful time here! For a buffet, this spot had a lot of great options. The pepper chicken was so good.. I'd go back just to eat my weight in it. I wish they elaborated on what specific items were in the sushi roll options to help decide whether or not I'd like something to avoid food waste. Good salad options and loved the build your own bowl where they cook it in front of you! read more

The food was great! Definitely family friendly place. My kids enjoyed the variety of foods. Great food selection, variety of meats, veggies, and dessert. It was worth going. Staff were nice, restrooms were clean, servers were attentive. Great experience. read more

Tuesday is very crowded. A lot of seafood is offered. It typical flavor of an Asian buffet nothing special. No Salmon sushi is available. Reasonable price. The restaurant is very clean and the stuff are friendly. read more

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Most of their food was cold, unless it was just coming out of the kitchen, in all honesty I don't recommend this place, as soon as I walked in I knew I should walk right out, but it was late and we were hungry so we gave it a shot, we usually go to Natsumi, but today they were closed. Service was okay, no one was rude. read more

Food was delicious, service was wonderful, and price was exceedingly reasonable. And the restaurant had truly variety of dishes: all clean and fresh. read more

Amazing food and service! The food was great and the staff was very nice! Would come back.