The place was clean and nice, and the food quality was good. I just think they could offer a little…read moremore variety. For the price, the buffet selection felt a bit limited, especially in Houston, where there are so many all-you-can-eat options. That said, it's not bad at all. If you want something quick and easy, it's a good choice.

Came here around 130pm on a Saturday, group of 4. The line was out the door like a Disneyland ride…read moreline. Funny enough what seems to look like an hours wait became around 10 to 15 minutes. So many dishes to choose from, seafood, sushi, meats, veggies, my all time fave Korean bbq short ribs!!!!! They also have salad and desserts including profiteroles and jello, and fruit. Placed was nonstop packed, service was great though, or server continously checked on us. I definitely recommend this place.

The food is amazing especially the hibachi area. The crawfish are always good but sometimes some of…read morethem are mushy not all of them but some of them. The service is really good. They always refill your drink without you asking! The ambiance is very good especially for tourist they have a tiny pond inside with coy fish and it looks like it is form avatar.

Waitresses were super rude and weird. They checked how much we tipped before wanting to bring the…read moredrinks we already paid for. Food was stale and honestly tasted expired. It was $45 for two people before 3pm. I wish i could go back in time to before i had experienced this place. I am having the worst time ever. The mexican food made me cry it was so bad. The energy was off. I'm calling my bank.

I'm a big lover of buffets, and being Vietnamese, a Vietnamese buffet definitely has my heart…read more There's just something about Kim Son that keeps me coming back. I love being able to get all of my favorite Vietnamese comfort foods in one place--from bánh xèo, bánh cuốn, chicken curry, bún riêu, bánh bột chiên, noodles and dumplings to chè and pandan sticky rice. There's always something I'm craving, and I love being able to have a little bit of everything. The food is consistently good, the selection has so many of my favorites, and it's the kind of place that feels comforting every time I go. Kim Son will always be a place I recommend!

I felt like I was in Disneyland Vietnam when my cousins took me to Kim Son last year! I was like,…read more"How is this place even real?" and had to pinch myself a few times just for good measure. I don't even know where to start with my review because there's so many layers to the magic that we experienced in this establishment. I guess I can address the purpose of my family's visit, which was to celebrate my beloved grandpa's birthday. We were all in town for my cousin's medical school graduation, so we figured we might as well get together for another major milestone while we were at it. What better way to celebrate old age than to increase our cholesterol levels with seafood and more seafood, right? But I digress! The moment we walked in through the doors of Kim Son, we were amazed by their abundance of selection. I couldn't believe how many different stations there were for dim sum, mango sticky rice, fresh pho/bun rieu/bun bo hue/etc., banh cuon, and so much more. My personal favorite highlight of the afternoon was the fact that you could get sua dau nanh on tap. Where else do they do that at other than in Houston, TX? If you find out, please message me because I'll book my flight TODAY. Consider my bags packed! My cousin mentioned that on the weekends, they also have crawfish at the buffet as well. Thank goodness we were there on weekday for lunch because my family probably would've ate them damn near into bankruptcy if a seafood boil were present. We already make Crawfish Cafe™ the first and last place we visit every time we touch down in Houston, so imagine having access to bottomless crawfish at Kim Son as well? Let's not even entertain such a thought. I also personally feel that their entrance prices are more than fair, but I also live in a state with a higher cost of living, so locals -- please feel free to call me out if the prices are actually insane, LOL. Just know that if the food is heat, I'll pay whatever the asking prices are and that's my cross to bear. I usually don't even eat Vietnamese food that much and almost never go to buffets just based on the sanitation aspect alone. All things considered, however, I really enjoyed the diverse selection of dishes available at this joint and they also kept it squeaky clean around the clock. No complaints from me other than the fact that they need to open a location closer to my hometown in Orange County so I can bring my folks here more often.

My parents like this buffet, so my dad wanted to have lunch on his birthday here…read more + Pretty decent selection of food in terms of sushi and Chinese cuisine. There's dimsum, some American food, Chinese classics like kung pao, sauerkraut fish, crawfish, pineapple fried rice, and just too many to count. + Several soups to choose from, including the hot & sour soup, which was really good! + Several juices and desserts to choose from. Juices were slightly on the sweet side, and at least the rose was mixed with jasmine tea. + Sushi looked okay, good if you're okay with 'buffet' sushi. + Really good weekday lunch pricing, only $23.99 for adults! - Sauerkraut fish and the black bean spare ribs looked good but were kinda disappointing. Fish didn't have enough flavor, and the spare ribs weren't steamed long enough to be tender and 'fall apart'. - The sign mentioned milk tea, but they didn't have any. I guess they didn't update it. All in all, probably one of the best Chinese buffets in Houston! Worth trying if you're in the area.

Went into this establishment to give it a try to see if it's really as good as they say in some of…read morethese reviews. But reality is, I don't think I'll ever step foot in this place anymore. Dont get me wrong, the waitress was nice and accommodating. We had a large party. They seated us in the back area so it'll be enough room, we were fine with it. What we were not ok with was the OPEN trash can piled filled with trash was next to our table. We kindly asked the server to move it to another spot, she tried her best. The other manager that noticed it had been moved tried to place it back. I went to talk to her and she had her back towards me trying to intentionally ignore me. When I got louder to get her attention she said that she can't move it [lies]. I proceeded to give her a solution- take out the trash or seal it up. Her demeanor already let me know that I'm not the first to bring this issue up with her. So yes, the reviews that mention it smelling weird.... this is why. Sitting it next to buckets of chemicals to clean tables with is not going to resolve anything. Food is subpar for the price and definitely not worth the experience.

Quick and professional service. Polite host/waiter. Food was delicious with good portion to fill…read moreyou up.

Found this place on DoorDash and figured I'd give it a try. I ordered the cilantro shrimp soup. I…read morereally liked the flavor however I wish it was thicker and less lemon. I also ordered the crab wontons, now those were amazing. I paid about $31 for two soups and an order of wontons which wasn't too bad. If im ever in the area and craving Thai food I think I would try this place again.

The difference between Royal Buffet (君臨閣) and other Chinese buffets around this part of town comes…read moredown to size and variety. The plus side (#1) is the abundant parking, practically guaranteed seating, and options that skew on the more authentic side of things. The downside is knowing the limitations that come with affordably priced buffets and quality of food. The official entrance is from the parking lot between Vinh Hoa (#2) and the massage. Plenty of folks will also enter from the back, which is through the Dynasty Plaza mall and takes a bit longer. It then becomes a question of stairs (parking lot) versus an escalator (mall). At $18-24 (lunch to holiday pricing), the prices aren't too steep for AYCE food. Kids 3 and under eat free but are otherwise subject to $13-14 per person. Non-water drinks are $2.39 a person, so definitely get as many refills as possible. The place is as massive on the inside as it looks on the outside. Window side seating offers an elevated view of Chinatown, but don't focus too much on the excessive finger prints along the windows. The seating is so abundant that almost any size group should have zero problem finding space. There is also a large private room that is ideal for special functions, equipped with TVs and a sound system. Food wise, it's a hodgepodge of all food types. Here's a breakdown in the stations: Mongolian Grill / Noodle Soup: This is a combo station where one can customize their stir fry. I had decent results with lo mein, an egg, some vegetables with beef slices. The person cooking drizzled sesame oil, soy sauce seasoning, and water and each time it took around 3-5 minutes. The noodle soups are a bit more standard but the options here are the noodle options are wonton noodle, beef noodle, seafood noodle, and beef pho. I wouldn't recommend ordering the latter. Fruits & Salads / Cold Dishes / Seafood: A standard selection of cold fruit salads, which is unsurprisingly the least exciting part of the buffet. I'm impressed with the variety of the sushi on the seafood end, but the presentation and fish quality is extremely mediocre. It won't deter most folks, since most people perceive value by loading up on the rolls. When in doubt, shoot for the sashimi. Entrees: With the exception of the eyesore dim sum and standard fried food selection, there is a solid selection of hot food. The weekend offerings is probably the best they'll have, but some standouts here included the thin ribeye slices, a solid mapo tofu with a kick, well seasoned clams, fish slices, pork spare ribs, a very solid steamed fish, and several varieties of fried noodle. Folks might enjoy the Chinese-American selection, which should have all the classics (sesame chicken, beef with broccoli, marinated chicken wings, etc.) and then some. Serviced as a decent job of clearing tables, offering water refills, cleaning the food counters, and replenishing empty trays. I appreciate some small touches, such as their multicolored plates for different selections, bathrooms, and well marked labels. Buffet lovers who are in it for the thrill of copious portions will likely enjoy what's available here. __________ (#1) Aside from one's waistline. (#2) https://www.yelp.com/biz/vinh-hoa-houston

I'm reviewing from the POV of an allium-free vegetarian. The owner of the now closed Pine Forest…read moreworks here and they have an entire two rows (?) of vegetarian food that he is in charge of. It's pretty decent and takes up almost 50% of what they offer, so not bad if you follow a vegetarian diet. Do note that you pay the same price regardless of what you eat. Likely not food allergy friendly; we fed my kid with the food allergies before we came. This place is fairly new and is on the second floor of Dynasty Plaza. A decent amount of parking but it can fill up fast during the busy hours as there are a lot of restaurants there. We initially scouted out the place a week before and it was almost empty, but we did go during the slow hours. This time, I met up with my omnivorous friend at noon and there were a good amount of tables that were occupied. It is a huge space so if it were smaller, it would seem busier, but most people spread out. It's about $18 per person for the weekdays and about $24 per person on the weekends. Kids are around $11 each. This price does not include the beverage station/drinks but you do get complimentary water. There's a sign saying you can't stay for longer than 2 hours. You pay first and then seat yourself... almost. Someone came with us with our waters and asked us where we wanted to sit and placed our drinks on the table. We chose a more isolated place. They don't have actual napkin dispensers. Every table has soy sauce, sriracha, and a bag of napkins. No caddy. Very casual. They offer a lot of different foods. You can order stir fry/noodles that they make just for you, there's an international section consisting of fried chicken, fries, even a few soups, a sushi section, fruit and salads, the 2 vegetarian sections I mentioned earlier, and a dessert section. I honestly just focused on the vegetarian and dessert sections. The food was good as expected. Less greenery than one would think when you think of vegetarian food but there is some. I thought it was pretty good except for the fact that I could only eat one full plate, but I managed to sample almost everything in that one plate. They've got things you might recognize from Pine Forest but also items that are new, so that is nice. They have an interesting shaved ice section, but the ice is sitting there... but the ice bed it's on isn't cold enough to keep it from melting. I like the idea, but the execution could be much better. They have small diced fruit, beans, and grass jelly as well as random liquids you can add on (syrup)? I think that they could definitely provide bowls of fresh shaved ice (the guy manning that counter looked pretty bored) and offer more toppings where the platter of shaved ice is. The dessert section is a bunch of cakes, but they do offer individual cups of Blue Bunny ice cream (vanilla, strawberry, chocolate). My kid loved the mango one the most. She ate 3. I thought the mocha (?) one I tried was on the dry side. My friend got a chocolate one and she agreed. Overall, pretty decent if you go for the vegetarian items. The price of $18 isn't terrible, especially if you eat more than me. However, I'm not sure if it's worth it to pay $24 on the weekends. My kids don't eat a lot; my daughter only ate a few bites of the rice noodles and 3 mango cakes. There's a reason why we don't bring them to buffets. BUT if you've got a big eater for a child, then go right ahead. I definitely think drinks should be included. It's a BUFFET. As for the meat items, my friend said they were okay. The seafood could be more fresh. They should label better though. Some sections have labels but they're mostly wrong. The restrooms are sound the side and we're pretty clean. I like how they have a lower sink for kids/wheelchairs. They definitely have some things to improve on and iron out overall. The Pine Forest owner did say that they might get rid of the vegetarian section. Once that happens, I guess this place won't be an option for us. Not sure if that will mean they'll focus on more meat items, but perhaps they should perfect/improve on what they already have if the reviews I've heard on those are mediocre instead of doing too much.

Food is amazing and delicious service super nice and kind.. Ambiance super love it..I'm not from…read moreHouston but I will come back and visit again..

Delicious. I had a little of everything. They have Chinese and sushi. They even have fries for the…read morekids. My favorite were the cream cheese rangoons and the chicken on a stick. They have dessert as well. My favorite was the peach cobbler with ice cream and a graham cracker/whipped cream dessert. Very reasonable price and delicious. Try it out!

All great!! No complaints! I love this place. The steak Hibachi is good. Also the egg rolls.read more

(+) Seafood selection (+) Hibachi was tasty…read more(+) Interior is spacious and clean (+) Good value at $21 for adults on weekends Came here on a weekend for lunch to celebrate my cousin's 60th birthday with some of his colleagues and family. We got a table in the quieter room on the left side away from the main eating area. The overall experience was comfortable. Servers were attentive and the selection and quality were good and given the competitive price, I'd say this was a great visit for a Chinese buffet.

I came here the day after Thanksgiving and wanted to give it a try with my family. The place was…read morecompletely empty and only one server was working. I get it - it's right after the holidays so staffing could be short. The server we had wasn't exactly enthusiastic, just did the bare minimum. Dishes piled up and we weren't asked about refills. You'd figure because there was only 1 group that the service would be attentive, but nope! The food that we ordered from the kitchen were all super fresh and delicious. My favorites were the bulgogi gimbap, eggroll (tiny rolled egg omelette), and chicken wings! They come out super hot - loved them all. The hot buffet bar was not filled at all, some were even just empty. I found it disappointing that we didn't get to try a lot of their items. The hot buffet bar was really scarce, I mean, just fried dumplings and fries but they were refilled really slow and some never had refills. The boba bar was empty and never filled. The DIY ramen station was closed off. I tipped only because I felt like I had to, but the service was abysmal. I would come back but maybe for lunch instead of dinner. Hopefully service improves.

I'm so glad that I finally got to try sweet pot! It's so great to try a bunch of foods that you…read morenormally wouldn't order at non ayce places. I think for the experience the price was well worth it! I recommend you upgrade and do the 28.45 dinner portion as you have full access to the menu. My favorite dishes were the fried pork belly- so crispy and yummy And the rose broth pot was so savory and sweet- would love to get this again. Service was fantastic! The owner and Nathan were amazing! Inside is really cute and and great for bigger groups.

I had a great experience at GEN Korean BBQ House! The ambience inside was warm and intimate,…read morecreating the perfect setting for a great date night. When ordering, I decided to upgrade to the premium meats, and I definitely believe it was worth it. The selection and quality made the experience even better. Our waiter was extremely knowledgeable about the entire menu and also made sure we knew about the Happy Hour specials before they ended at 6 PM, including both the food and drink options. Between the atmosphere, quality of the food, and great service, I would definitely recommend GEN Korean BBQ House. I'll absolutely be back!

Great KBBQ, quick service, galbi was extremely well seasoned. The premium menu offered wagyu and…read morethicker cuts of galbi which were extremely tasting and filling. The two for one soju special was amazing as well and only added to a great meal. Highly recommend