If you walk in to ocean buffet do yourself a favor and turn around and go next door to seafood dock. The food was awful. The whole staff had a nasty attitude. The store was dirty as well. If I could leave zero stars I would. read more

This is the best Asian buffet in Gainesville, but it doesn't have much competition. With dinner service you can get "hibachi," which is pretty decent. The food is usually pretty well stocked at dinner, can be spotty at lunch. The service has always been really good. They make sure your water cup is never empty and can get your check very quickly. I think it could improve by switching up the dishes offered. read more

Wish I could give 0 stars. Gratuity is included on the check yet the server had the audacity to call out my tip because apparently 20% gratuity isn't enough for the worst food in Gainesville. I'd pick gator corner over this for 1/3 the price anyday of the week. I don't understand how the CHD hasn't shut this place down yet. I wouldn't feed my dog this food read more

Okay for buffet. great fried fish and sushi. plates questionable clean. friendly staff. its near the mall. always busy and food is replenished often read more

I love Ocean Buffet. The key with this buffet place (and in my opinion, every buffet place) is to go at busy times around lunch and dinner. The sushi rolls offered are varied and not just different combinations of krab and cream cheese. They are also cold and fresh, which is super important -- nothing grosser or more harmful than warm sushi. My favorite food items at Ocean are their coconut shrimp, stuffed mushrooms, teriyaki chicken, and chicken on a stick. I love that they have a lot of seafood and fish options (hence the buffet name). They also have a hibachi station and green tea ice cream. What more could you ask for? Waitstaff are consistently kind and attentive and tables are clean. Check it out! read more

Excellent food & service.Their 2hr seating rule is unique! Why? I've never been a restaurant with that rule before!

This is your typical Chinese buffet. Not bad but nothing much that's extraordinary. Lots of choices of merely average food. Price is good and you can stuff your face all day long if you're super hungry. At this stage, I'd rather have a smaller amount of better food. It does fill a niche though. read more

Not real sure why they have a 4.1... We stopped in, they seemed somewhat busy. They had to buffet stocked well, but it was old, dry and a poor representation of other Asian Buffets we visited. I get it. Every restaurant has off days, but that wasnt expected based on reviews..... read more

Good food and excellent service. Can't ask for more for the price!! I would repeat in my next visit to Gainesville.

Poor service people without gloves or mask kids running free taking food from bar with bare hands no one seem to care recommend going someplace else they give you gloves but not required to use read more

A very popular spot. I got in just before seven on a Friday night and when I was leaving by about seven thirty, the line was out the door. So, the food was at buffet standard and the selection was decent. The servers kept my table clean. Would I go again? Sure. Would I go out of my way, no. read more

Food was ok! We stopped by for lunch on our drive out of town and then back in town. Both times our server Mandy requested more tips! We do tip generously but was put off with her requesting an almost $60 tip!. Will not return. read more

Would give one star if I could. Server Mandy was very rude. She wouldn't let my kids use the bathroom until I paid. She brought the check before we were ready and then stood by the table tapping the receipt demanding we pay. I hate to claim racism but our table was the only table she did this to. It was very frustrating and we will not be back. Sucks because the food was decent. read more

This is my first time back after COVID had started. When we came in, the server gave us disposable gloves to use while we were up getting food and told us mask are required at all times while we were up and about getting food. While we were up getting food I saw a man not wearing his mask, not wearing gloves while scooping food and wiped his nose with the back of his hand then continued to scoop other food. My reason for this one star is that I looked up and at least 2 if not more employees working there saw this and didn't say thing to the man. They simply looked away. I had to walk up to the hostess to tell them that the man is not following the restaurant guidelines AND was wiping snot on the back of his hand. If they let this guy slide, how many more people are they turning a blind eye to. Needless to say, I will not be coming back. read more

Ocean Buffet is a typical Chinese buffet, with separate lunch and dinner services. The lunch buffet price is fairly cheap for the amount of food you can get, after tip you'll end up at about $11-12 without a drink. There's standard Chinese buffet food: lo mein, fried rice, General Tso's Chicken, etc. There's also general foods like fried chicken and french fries for those less adventurous with their tastes. There's also sushi, which is pretty decent all things considered. The stand out feature of this restaurant though is the hibachi bar. You can build your own hibachi plate and they'll cook if for you for no extra charge (but you should tip the chef!). All in all, this is a great place to get the most out of your money at lunch time. read more

Very good! Clean and food was HOT will definitely return. We went for lunch and the price was right!

The food was okay but the service was awful. Lady kept asking for a tip and wanted us to give her more. Never come here. If you do, leave the tip you'll like and run out! read more

I have to confess something: I love me some all you can eat because I can eat a lot. I don't have to pine over what to eat when I can eat all of it. Oceans is my go to recommendation spot for friends visiting Gainesville who want decent Chinese food at affordable prices. I'm told ome buffet places charge for uneaten food, but I never leave anything on my plate. read more

I spoke with someone on the phone before coming here, hoping to confirm whether or not dairy is used in any of the food. Dairy consumption will potentially send my partner to the hospital, so we try to be as diligent as possible in making sure we know what foods to avoid (if any). Unfortunately this place offers no information as to what foods may or may not contain dairy, but what really upset me was the tone of the person on the phone. She was rude and dismissive. I asked if their menu, or any food available tonight, contained any sort of dairy. She replied, "we don't HAVE a menu, it's a buffet.." The way she stressed certain words is what gave her the rude tone. I cannot help but wonder if she got stuck on the word "menu" and ignored everything else I said. She seemed uninterested in helping me find the information I needed, so tonight we're going to eat somewhere else. I think there is a good likelihood that a lot of food here is dairy free, especially the Chinese food which typically is not cooked with any sort of dairy products. However, for those of you who absolutely should not consume dairy, it's probably more worthwhile to eat somewhere in which the staff is polite and willing to discuss information about their food. read more

Great value, food was decent. There was a large selection of salads, main dishes, and desserts. Will go back!

Don't risk your stomach's well-being!!!!! It's nice that it is a cheap Asian buffet, but their food is cheap, and I did not have a good night after. Their food was not good at all and everything felt.... off. Only their ice cream was reliable, but everything else.. very risky business. read more

This buffet replaced Century Buffet which was very good. Ocean Buffet is the best yet I've seen in Gainesville. Sushi fresh and made to order, boiled shrimp, etc. The buffet is absolutely huge ! I would recommend given them a try. read more

The food was decent. Actually not bad for a buffet Lots of items and good stuff. I could have done without the 300 pound man playing with himself under the table next to me however. read more

The food is fresh and tasty. The overall flavor of the dishes leaves something to be desired but it's a relavatively low priced buffet. You know what a restaurant like this is about. For what it is and what you get you should rationally expect that, then it's great. I'm tired of reading reviews of people critiquing a buffet expecting it to be a 5 star steak place. This is exactly what you're expecting for a great price. read more

Rotten food, I got food poinsoning right after the meal. And the manager refuse to take responsibility and insist on asking a "formal medical provement" on that day to get my money back..Thought he must be joking, I have been vomitting for the whole night, just wishing to get those rotten seafood out, almost thought I would die.... Those clients who don't have met problems, you have to pay attention, I have been to this resaurant for at least 5 times, this is the first time and last time I would go there, spread it out, keep safe, stay away from this restaurent! I found it's not just me have this situation, search " Ocean buffet, food poinsoing": https://cn.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g34242-d3814187-r269130539-Ocean_Buffet-Gainesville_Florida.html read more

The food is on par with what would be expected at a buffet. Definitely a good bargain. Don't expect much from the staff, however. They don't speak a lot. They don't smile. And they barely respond when you say thank you. Normally, I would not bother too much about this, but the place has been open for quite some time and they should absolutely effect an immediate change in their bedside manner and overall customer service. Don't make me ask for straws. Don't take away my silverware to discourage me from eating more. Ask if we need anything from time to time. Definitely ask if we are ready for the godforsaken check before you think it's ok to throw it next to my plate. Also, my mom asked a question to the wait staff walking around. the wait staff responded with 'I can't hear you' and continued on her way. If a paying customer asks a question, then answer it or go find someone who gives a crap. Never coming back But please feel free to make your own assessment of the customer service. Good ice cream and strawberry mousse, though. read more

Ocean Buffet - Use this to improve your customer service - Chinese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

$7.50 for all you can eat chinese food? Hard to beat. Lots of choices, like the tofu which is usually missing at other places, helpful to a vegetarian like me. Sushi is limited, Habachi is popular, there's dessert and soups, as well as entrees. All seemed fresh and hot. Lots of seating, very popular. They handle crowds well. They should make a bar area, many patrons come alone for lunch. Decor is not as cluttered as expected, large dining area. A sweet surprise.... they played recorded piano music in background, it was a collection of old hymns. TIP: Count in time for parking, small lot for too many needs. Jason Deli is next door and this entire older, 2 story, strip mall can use a face lift. read more

Ocean buffet has a great variety of food available at their buffet. I really enjoyed hibachi and the Asian cuisine out there. The deserts were not up to the mark but the food made up for it. I'd definitely recommend other people to try ocean buffet. It is a good deal for the amount of food available. read more

Ocean Buffet - Great buffet! - Chinese Near Me - Gainesville, Florida

Above average food, lots of choices. The desert is not commonly seen in a Chinese buffet, which means it's awesome ! Very busy place. Keep up good work/food ! read more

The waitress was very disrespectful! Myself and two other friends ate at the buffet and after paying for our meal, we received our receipts. We all added our tip amounts and were having a conversation when the waitress arrived, looked at my friend's receipt and said "That's it? That's too little of a tip, just keep it, I don't want it." We were totally shocked and had never experienced this in our lives. We then decided to not leave a tip due to her rude behavior. All she had done was refill our water 1 time (the restaurant was busy and she was serving many tables at once) and had such an attitude when it came to our bill. Please train your staff to be respectful to the customers. read more

This the worst Chinese food in Gainesville! Besides there rude staff There food is cold. You pay for a Buffett, my husband did not like the way the rice tasted on his sushi so took off thr parts off he liked and ate that. The rude server had nerve to say our policy is you cant pick the sushi apart you have to eat ot all. We paid for our food not on your advice how to eat it! We will never go there again. The food sucks so does your RUDE STAFF! read more

We are almost turned away by the 3-star review here but thought we cut just give a try since we live very close to it. Wow, it totally beats our expectations! Foods are nicely cooked, fresh, with just about right flavor. Highly recommended! read more

Buffett not my first, second or third choice but I'm frequently overruled by family. Especially if they're paying, So here we are. This is typical Buffett food. Stuff was hot, not really old, of course we visited at dinner time so it should be. But nothing was outstanding as you can imagine but many many edible and satisfying choices. They have this crab leg thing and it had a blue tint and somewhat small so I assumed they were soft shell crabs except the shells were hard like a normal crab so that made them inedible, and they are deep fried...seems like a poor choice to have on a Buffett. I would have been excited if it was a regular crab leg. Overall okay. Yeah your going walk away stuffed read more

So-so food. Been there twice and probably won't return. I'm only adding more because the review was too short. Hope this is enough now.

This is a staple in Gainesville and it has re-opened for dine in also. Been here a few times since the pandemic slowed down and they give you gloves to use for the buffet. great idea overall, but not everyone follows this protocol. I saw kids without gloves everywhere so it is hard to enforce but A for effort here. I don't like the service as most wait staff is RUDE overall but if you like sushi that is decent, this is the place to go. It has gone up in price so between 9-10 bucks now for lunch buffet. read more

Pros: The food and variety was good. Sushi was fresh. The buffet was replenished often. Cons: The waitress hovered constantly. She continuously pestered us by clearing plates before we were even done, getting into people's personal space, asking us if we are still hungry, and even as far as to ask for a tip. Despite the women's bathroom having an overflowed toilet with water covering the floor dangerously, there were several workers standing around and even following my kids around despite me accompanying them. It was like they thought people were going to steal food or destroy something. read more

Easily one of my husband's, good friends' and my favorite place to go indulge in some awesome Asian fusion, buffet-style. It's not fancy, but it is quality! The service is fantastic and the buffet is always clean and fresh. There's so much to choose from- be prepared for a food coma after leaving! My husband loves sushi and raves about the sushi here- which is big because he is very picky when it comes to his beloved sushi. There's definitely something for everyone here; and the prices are very affordable for families, date night with cash to spare for more date night fun and for a spontaneous friend gathering to binge on yummy food in a nice atmosphere. read more

I have been to some pretty bad Chinese buffets in my time but this is by far the worst buffet I have ever been to. I am going to start and date every detail I saw. First when you see the sign it looks run down, you walk in and they have something that looks like a waterfall but it does not work. They have 4 buffet lines, a sushi line and a hamachi line. This place is dirty and the food is just like the feel bad! I tried several different dishes but who knows exactly what they were because not everything was labeled. I know I tried the general tso chicken, lo mein, chicken on a stick, mushrooms, sweet and sour chicken and egg rolls. Some of the dishes had been sitting out for a while and were just bad. I am not someone to complain but this was just gross! The place is bad all around. They have a carving station but you serve it yourself. If you like fried sea food this is the place to go. For the dinner buffet it was $11.70! Way over priced for the quality and the chance to get sick! I will never go back!!! read more

Doesn't look like much from the outside but when you walk inside the place is pretty big. They had a good variety of buffet food that was replaced often as it was very busy. The sushi was very good. The servers were kind of impersonal and my drink went empty often. The food didn't give me a stomachache which is common with me for buffets. I recommend this buffet read more

The price is cheap and the food is reasonably good. But the environment is not very clean and it's a little bit noisy during dinner time.