Zen Buffet
5449 N Rosemead Blvd, San Gabriel, CA, 91776
Zen Buffet Menu
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Visit below restaurant in San Gabriel for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in San Gabriel for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in San Gabriel for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
5449 N Rosemead Blvd
San Gabriel, CA, 91776 - Phone (626) 285-9595
- Website https://www.zenbuffettogo.com/
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : Yes
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Ikea C.
If you are from third-world country and has never seen or eaten a lobster, crab or oyster before. If you need to feed a family of six but earned less than $10,000 a year If you are looking to shed some pounds through a horrible diarrhea Or, if you just want to filled up your tummy at the cost of killing your taste buds Then, ZEN BUFFET is the place to be. You can find ZEN BUFFET in dictionary definitions for words such as: low-quality, DRY, un-fresh or OILY Even the fruits taste as if they have been sitting on the bottom of the shelves for weeks But if you insist in coming here, please print out a $2-3 coupon off their website before going!
(1)wendy s.
The worst ever!! All I could stomach eating from this place was their seaweed salad. Anyone that likes food or has a passion for quality should stay the HELL away from this place especially when you hear what I saw the staff doing... I was walking back to my car after having the worst dinner. I walked past the open kitchen door and saw one of the staff mopping the floor, normal stuff, then he picks the mop off the floor and cleaned the kitchen food prep counter WITH THE FLOOR MOP!!! I am in shock seeing this guy mopping the counter and I literally went home and threw up. DON"T EVER GO INTO THIS RESTAURANT.
(1)Ken D.
Sister took me here for my B-day...This place is pretty good. a lot of variety. Seafood: the usual fried shrimp crab legs were ok. Oysters were not that fresh. Roast beef seemed to be sitting there for who knows how long, it was pretty tough to chew through. Salad was ok, very clean. I liked the sashimi stuff.
(3)sheree k.
We've always gone to this place with my family. Recently they remodeled the restaurant so it looks more fancier and cleaner :) which Is always a big plus. Food is obviously buffet style. There are all different types of food American, Chinese, italian, and sushi.
(4)jt l.
Not a great tasting place. Definitely below casino buffets. The good thing are: Good, quick service. Variety Nice atmosphere (for a buffet place) $3 off coupon Everyone was raving over the crab legs, but they were definitely bland, tasteless. The sushi was OK, one of the best I've had from a buffet of this type. The kimchee was very good. That being said, nothing else was really impressive. Nothing is terrible or inedible, though. Probably will not return anytime soon.
(2)Mimi P.
For $8.29 lunch and $11.99 dinner, this is a pretty good buffet for the price. The food consists mainly Chinese and sushi plus seafood. I ususally start with a plate of sushi. I like their spicy tuna roll and salmon. But their wasabi has a really wear neon green color. After sushi, I'll get some seafood next. I usually have to fight with Asian old ladies to get some oyster and crab legs. Forget about the tongs, if you want to get some crab legs before the Asian old ladies grab them all, just use your hand. After that, I'll get a bowl of spicy and sour soup. Maybe get some kalbi and black pepper short ribs too. If I'm still hungry after that, then I'll get some Chinese food and chow mein. To end the meal, I'll have some fruit and jello. Must have a full belly by then. It's not the best buffet. The food was just alright. But for $10, you can eat like a fat kid and eat till you burst.
(3)Rick A.
I was having work done at the pep boys and this place is next door. I was Hella hungry. I'm pathetic for thinking a buffet would be good. This is the worst invention in the world. I hate spending money on gross things. I left hungry. I seriously do not get the few good reviews. If you like hometown buffet, you'll think this place is fancy I guess. I don't have a refined paLet, but I do have a palate . Needless to say I was not in a zen mood after leaving. If you go here your gross.
(1)Priscilla S.
Wide range of foods - from sushi to ribs to crab legs to even churros o.o The only good part about this place, to me, is crab legs. But the fact that you have to wait around until the next batch comes out sorta sucks. What sucks even more is that when it finally comes out, it's ALL GONE in less than a minute :x The sushi's pretty decent, but not memorable. But having unlimited crab legs (even though you have to fight for it) for less than 15 bucks is good to me (: (pst. check out their website for $3 off coupons :D )
(3)Global C.
good selection but make sure the grill lamb cook well, we had some under cooked lamb but the grill oysters were good. they need to better supply the snow crab legs.. stay away from raw sushi i got the runs each time , now i just eat the cooked seafood now no more runs HiHi now i get to keep the food i paid in my stomach not the toilet
(2)Vic S.
This place isn't really good. Go to The Hat! It's much better!!!
(1)J W.
Service needs some work. They aren't very fast at clearing the dishes. Food isn't that good but has a wide variety. Chocolate fountain is available on Sunday all day.
(3)Leslie T.
Needed a place for some lunch with friends and since we were all craving different things, we decided that a buffet would suffice our needs! I really wanted to use the chocolate fountain that I had heard so much about, but unfortunately, it is only available during dinner and the weekends. That's okay though, since the lunch is really cheap! The food was decent, some things were better than others. Nothing was great but they did have a wide variety. The service was okay too, but that's probably because they weren't busy. I think this is a decent place to go to every now and then.
(3)Renren V.
It's a buffet. It has good options. But don't come here for crab legs. They don't bring it out as often as they should. We got there at 2:45 pm and they had just brought out a tray of crab legs which quickly disappeared. So I waited, patiently I may add. And being seated at the table right in front of where the crab legs were supposed to go had first hand look at whenever they would arrive- which they never did. So at 3:30 I went up to the mgr to ask for our check and told him that the crab legs never appeared. To which the mgr replied that I needed to be quick to get them when they can out. Uh dude, that would be helpful advice if they actually did come out- but they never did. We left- and haven't been back since...
(3)Karen L.
OK, it's been a while since I've been here and I've realized that I may have been a bit harsh the first time around. I would never come back to this place, but for Father's Day, my grandfather, a big advocate of Chinese-owned buffets, insisted on coming here. There are many better options around the area, but if you must, you can still leave here full. But that doesn't change the fact that the food here isn't great. If you're like me and haven't been here in a while, you'll be pleased to see that they've remodeled the place so it looks a bit cleaner. But the food really hasn't changed that much since my last visit. Only thing worth noting was the soup, which was a nice, healthier option than some of the other stuff they have here. Oh, and the new chocolate fountain...which I saw only had marshmallows as an option to use with the fountain. There was also creme brulee, but I don't think the one I got was baked very well because it was super watery inside...ew. The sushi here is still pretty lame as always and people still fight for the limited amount of salmon sashimi slices they throw out. Service wasn't anything spectacular either, and they also charged us for more people than we really had... Overall, I would beg my grandfather to pick another place the next time we go out for dinner. Still not coming back.
(2)Lane S.
Price is reasonable! NOTHING ELSE.... P.S:FOOD IS ALRIGHT~~
(3)Robert L.
Hmm... where should I begin? If only from a price/quantity ratio, this is the place for you. A mix bland of international buffet around the world. You will find almost everything here. However, that's also its weakness, trying to cook everything with one cook (as it seems). There are no single item that stands out in particular. Don't come here without a coupon.
(1)Santos F.
There really isnt much to say about this place; food isnt all that great, service is mediocre, and the interior design is bland. The only reason I'm giving this place 3 stars is because I LOVE CRAB LEGS... and when I say I LOVE CRAB LEGS I mean if it was legal to make maritals with food... COUNT ME IN! LMAO So if your a CRAB LEG lover like myself, you just might enjoy ZEN :-D
(3)Minnie M.
Poor service on a slow Wednesday at 2pm. Overall, quality of food is as expected for $9.59 buffet. The only good thing is the variety of hot food and desserts.
(1)Eliot B.
This place is THE WORST!!! This place does not deserve 1 star, it deserves ZERO! (this review is for the Pico Rivera location @ Rosemead and Washington) NEVER come here, IF you respect your body (the food is scary, especially the so-called "sushi") and, IF you have any sense of dignity (the service here is UNBELIEVABLY RUDE)!!! Read the other reviews about the food and the service! Here are some highlights (or LOWlights, in this case): "NEVER in my life would i come back or recommend this place to anybody.." L.S. "I would never willingly go here." Shauna D. "Staff is cold and indifferent. When I asked for a refill of my iced tea, the lady grunted at me!" Ken S. "The service is absolutely horrible." J.V. "And believe it or not but there is something at this restaurant that is even worse then the food... the service!" Jessica V. "Avoid at all costs.. My mom got food poisoning here the last time we went." Jonathan Z. "This place is absolutely horrible." Lillian L. BE AFRAID, BE VERY AFRAID!!! In the same parking lot, there is a Chili's restaurant that is decent, so why torture yourself? If you want some GREAT food and service, Dal Rae is VERY close by...
(1)Jenny P.
I've been to this buffet many times over the past several years with family. The last time I came here, the crab legs were REALLY salty and they didn't reload the oysters often (once during the time I was there..which was disappointing!). They have other seafood selections here, such as baked salmon, mussels, clams, etc. There's also a variety of Chinese dishes (stir-fry and dimsum) and other Asian dishes. Usually when I come to this buffet I head straight for the sushi and sashimi section - other selections in the restaurant have too much salt or msg for my taste. The sushi isn't bad for a buffet that doesn't specialize in sushi. I was surprised that they charge a separate charge if you want refreshments other than water. I was pleased to find that they added egg pudding to their dessert selection but dismayed to find that the honeydew melon was not ripe AT ALL! I wouldn't come here unless I was out to dinner with my parents and they insist on it.
(3)Angie I.
Typical Asian/sushi buffet with a mediocre amount of food variety. There is a small, but pretty pathetic sushi bar...with some basic rolls, like California rolls, tuna and salmon rolls. Nothing fabulous and honestly the tuna roll was not fresh, it tasted a bit funky so I didn't eat it. I guess you can't really call their Sushi bar, "Sushi".....there's better "sushi" at Safeway or Lucky's. Then there's the basic stuff, chow mien, fried rice, crab, shrimp, etc....nothing special about the choices and definitely nothing good about the quality. The service was not good. Our waiter was a bit rude and had a 'whatever' attitude. He did get our drinks and clear the dishes, but his promptness didn't make up for his rudeness.... I'm not familiar with the area- but it didnt seem like they had much competition so I'm sure they do well. Would I come back again, NO. The food overall was questionable on the freshness and cleanilness. The only reason we ate here was due to family who lived in the area...otherwise, we would have never eaten at Zen's and definitely know not to...would rather get Mickey D's over this place, any day!
(1)Michelle T.
This place is not bad for a buffet. I think you need to pick and choose, though. Some of the items didn't look too good and so I didn't try them. Noodles were decent. Slightly oily, but no more so than the noodles at most sit-down restaurants. Sushi was fresh. You won't find gourmet, true sushi ingredients here (no actual raw fish). It was simple things like veggie sushi, or seaweed sushi (never had this before, but I liked it!), or bits of probably imitation crab. Still, it was pretty good. Better than pre-packaged sushi at supermarkets. Edamame was not so great, but not awful either. Fried tofu with eggplant and veggies was standard fast-food style--saucy and a little too sweet and oily. Sauteed/stewed non-fried tofu was ok. Very dense, not particularly tasty, but ok. Seaweed salad was pretty good. Sauteed veggies were good (broccoli, bitter greens). Desserts/sweets were mostly decent. I think the best was the sesame ball (hot, fresh, tasty). Frozen yogurt wasn't good (too artificial and sweet). Coffee-flavored cake was pretty good (Asian style, meaning not too sweet). Fried banana was tasty although kind of oily (ok, I know it's fried! still, I think you can make it with less oiliness.) Coconut cookies were pretty good (mounds of moistened, shredded coconut). Not too excited about the pastry with the white and chocolate decorations--the pastry itself was ok although not as delicate as it could be, but the real problem was the filling. Instead of the standard custard filling, it was a pasty icing filling. Parking on-site.
(3)Jack C.
My tummy hurts... :(
(1)Jon N.
Got some relatives coming from out of town who you aren't particularly fond of? Pay Zen Buffet a visit!
(2)Arlen M.
This place sucks and ill tell you why?! The food isn't the best but its not the worst.Its in between.I took my mom for an early mothers day lunch, I regret taking her.Only reason why was because the service is pretty bad.They waiters kept forgetting to give us refills.If the service is BAD for any business you pretty much have nothing.nuff said.
(2)Winnie J.
Dare I give Zen Buffet four stars?! Me thinks others will think me nuts. Does 3.5 sound a little better? Please allow me to explain - being a foodie, I can generally find something I like to eat no matter where I go. No matter how low the ratings, I can still find something I don't mind munching on. Zen Buffet was one of those places we avoided unless invited there because face it, the food there is quite sub-par. I love how another Yelper compared Zen to a Vegas buffet. Of course Zen's gonna go down. ;) This past visit however, I was pleasantly and shockingly surprised by certain food items. They have amazing eggrolls! Hot, crispy, and not too oily, filled with yummy veggies and such. Then there was the inari filled with not just rice - it was topped with seaweed salad! There was the decide-your-own-cut-and-serve-yourself prime rib. What a shock to my tongue when I found that it was the perfect texture and doneness, needing just a little au jus? So yes, it is a cheap place to fill the tummy with random foods and MSG, but there are a few gems that just made me smile this time. Yay for Zen Buffet!
(3)Gabriella H.
Best service we ever had at a buffet. The Chinese waitress was so attentive to us we tipped her $20.
(5)Wendy A.
5 out of 7 who went there got food poisoning...if you want to lose weight by dehydration....please eat there
(1)Rudy C.
This place is nasty. I saw the sushi chef picking his nose in the back and replacing trays. Enough said.
(1)Crystal Y.
Good and various seafood you can choose, sushi bar is not bad overall.
(3)Justin W.
This place used to be ok many years ago. I went recently and it is now one of the worst buffets I have ever visited. And the price is not cheap, even with coupons. I will never come here again.
(1)Tricia V.
The food is def not good! Never again!
(1)Judy H.
They always have coupons and birthday specials, which is why it's worth it. Otherwise it's like ~$14 to $16 a person, and the food is only decent. It's a chinese/japanese buffet, so we get fried rice, noodles dimsum, as well as sushi. I've heard lots about the crab legs, but I've never been able to get any! It's always out, and they dont seem to refill when I was there. Also, every time I go, at least 3 or 4 tables are celebrating someone's birthday. Here, the staff comes and sings happy birthday for you, so hearing it 4 times when you eat gets a little old.
(4)Roselle E.
Another reception at a buffet. If you ask me, I would never intentionally come to an AYCE Asian buffet, but would go when invited for an ocassion. Again, I'm just not a fan of these places. Actually I take that back..... there is one I would go to which is Cima at the Pacific Palms Hotel. Food was typical of any Asian buffet. They had sushi that didn't look too fresh but I must have been hungry because I finished a whole plate. The other stuff, I pretty much passed on. Oh, there was something weird that kind of stood out of their food selection which were Menudo and churros...... thought that was kinda weird. I did however enjoy the frozen yogurt. It was nice and creamy. I guess I would recommend this place if you want to stuff your face for less than $10.
(3)Leeli T.
went back 2to day they did a great remodle on inside better over aoo experance the sunday price is kinda pricy but worth it if you go when they open at 11am
(3)Judy T.
Okay, I have to admit I expected this to be a nicer buffet because the outside looked nice. But inside it's like a cafeteria!! But wait! Before you judge, hear me out. It's not the best chinese / japanese buffet, heck it's your average but overpriced buffet. I came here last night at a time when normal buffet eaters know not to go- when they stop bringing in new food. You can tell when the employees start eating. Anyway, the chinese food was not that good. The sushi didnt look very good either and the desserts were nasty and dry. I didn't try any of it. I had two ribs, a crab thing and some korean short ribs. I have to say though that the meat was really good!! I'm really surprised because their bbq ribs were juicy, meaty and the sauce was good. And the korean bbq ribs were edible, although it's kind of hard to mess that up. Variety is average, and most of the food was bleh, but since everyone goes to a buffet to stuff themselves with meat anyway, (don't lie!! I've heard your stories- guys...) this is not that bad.
(3)Patricia A.
Love this place, it offers a broad variety of dishes, desserts, sushi, etc. The food is tasty and at a great price.
(4)NK M.
OMG! This place is horrible. Horrible. Trust me, you will get it when you eat there. Better yet, DO NOT EAT THERE. You will regret it. Trust me. Enough said.
(1)jon m.
I have tried this place about 4 times over the past 3 years. My last visit was for their Holiday feast on New Years Eve. The taste and quality of their food is average at best. I don't see any improvements over the years, and i don't think i will be back to Zen Buffet.
(2)Anders C.
The food isn't all that great and it's basically one of those 'cheap' chinese/japanese and wannabe American buffets. I actually think it's somewhat costly for the crap that's served there. The sushi wasn't that good to me either. Blah I'm surprised they're able to get a steady revenue and still be in business. (Probably some of the extra revenue is from the ads displayed on the LCD screens...) There's better ways to spend your 10-15 dollars..Just save it.
(2)Hector E.
I have frequented this restaurant for the past 2 months at least once per week. The food is good, good variety of warm foods, and suchi, and the price is right. But the best about this place ...NO MSG.....!!!!
(3)Lillian H.
So my last review I wrote about this place got flagged/delete because I told the truth = that it sucks. This place is absolutely horrible.
(1)Jessica V.
We have visited Zen Buffet on multiple occasions. We always like going to Chinese Buffets because we love Chinese food, but we have visited Zen Buffet our last time. We're not going to go to Zen Buffet again, and it's too bad because it is cheap and close to home. There are many options at Zen Buffet, but the food is not very good at all. They have steamed rice, fried rice, chow mein, orange chicken, sushi, egg rolls, etc. Anything that you can think of that is categorized as Chinese food can be found at Zen Buffet, as well as American food like french fries and pizza. The food always looks good, so I always get the things that I think I'm going to like. We then sit down at the table, take one bite and from that first bite, there is always a "funny" taste to the food. There is just something that is not right about the food and leaves an awful after taste. I always tend to try most things that I know I like and unfortunately I have not found one thing I like at Zen Buffet. By the time that we leave the restaurant I always have a headache as well. This restaurant definitely uses MSG and I always get a bad reaction to MSG. And believe it or not but there is something at this restaurant that is even worse then the food... the service! That's right, the service is horrible at this restaurant. Someone will show you to your seat and then ask for what you want to drink. Once they take your drink order, it's time to get food. By the time you come back to the table for the first time, your drink is at your table. After that, it is hard to get anyone to come to your table to refill your drink or remove your used dishes. Usually the only time someone will even pass your table is when they bring you the bill. The prices are nice at about $10 per person, but that's about the only thing good about this place. It seems cheap. But, the food is awful, the service is even worse and I always leave this restaurant a little hungry because I'm never able to find something that I like.
(1)Kenneth T.
Friends went here, came over to my house, and one of them told me the food made him sick and he proceeded to empty his bowels in the family toilet.
(2)Robert Z.
When I first came here, I was curious about the quality and selection and quality because it was one of the many Asian restaurants around the area, but the only Asian buffet. I quickly found out that the food and service here was substandard. It is most likely the fact that everything is made in bulk that diminishes the quality. I know they have sushi, churros and crab legs, which I like as food, but none of that *looked* appealing to me. Maybe I'll try it next time I go here and write an update.
(2)Vichet L.
Stay away during lunch hrs. There's not that much variety and there's no good food. Waist of money, better off going to the one in long beach town center..
(1)Christopher L.
Really really good sushi here, love it just avoid getting the shasimi if I spelled it right. Only get it when its made fresh since it tends to get slimy and soggie if it can be. The sushi is really good, ate about $30-$40 dollars worth of it. Yum!!! Going here costs around $15-$20 per person. I recommend paying first before you eat because they charge you for extra food you don't finish off your plate. Hidden fees, grrrr......Avoid the frozen yogurt here because it sucks unless you like very tartiness. Definitely skip on the mayo shrimp they have here, it tastes like shrimp mayo with a mixture of tapioca powder and coconut. Very disgusting. I wanna hit the chef for making the world's worst attempt at making walnut mayo shrimp. Go to Pheonix Cafe if you want really good Walnut Mayo Shrimp.
(4)Michael Q.
Great selection for buffet food. The price is generous. Attack the crab legs and eat as much as you can as it is a buffet. They also have another location in Monrovia.
(4)Skep T.
Yikes. This place was NOT for me. Too crowded. Too much shoving and craziness over some rubbery-ass crab legs. I liked that there was a variety of asian foods all in one place -- in theory. But the food just seemed funky, picked over and food-poisoning prime.
(1)Steve S.
Went to Zen last night at about 8:15 p.m. Most of the food was gone and not being replaced, just lots of empty steamer trays. Just a few rolls of sushi left. Despite the fact that 2/3 of the food was gone, we still were charged full price! When I commented to my waitress, she babbled something in Chinese and vanished. I was not expecting the food to be gourmet, but I at least wanted it to be there if I were going to pay full price. My advice is to get there early and definitely do not arrive after 8 p.m.
(1)A S.
NO STAR WOULD BE BEST: Simply awful food! If you don't care about the quality of your food eat up and good luck. EAT AT YOUR OWN RISK!
(1)Unhip L.
I know everyone's been bagging on Zen Buffet, so I felt I had to defend it. True, it's not gourmet dining, but it's good for what it is and there is a variety of food. The other day I ordered food to go and was pleasantly surprised at the price. I think it was $5.99/pound or around there - it depends on what you get. Noodles/rice are free and placed in another container. That's nice! My bill was like $3.81 and I had two mussels, chinese broccoli, and some pork in my container. $3.81! That's a great price if you just want a few things. I liked that I did not have to pay for the noodles and rice. So my suggestion is that you save your money and get take-out from this place. If you do want to eat in, be sure to get a coupon - they are on Zen's site and in the Penny Saver.
(3)Vissal P.
Has a variety of different food styles, japanese, korean, chinese and american not sure on the price as I didn't pay. Come if you're in the area and are starving for edible food, or if your family wants to go. The cream cheese wontons was crispy and and tasty. Too bad they never refilled it and I only had one. The sweet and sour sauce was also set elsewhere and I didn't see it until later. Crab legs were okay. my batch was small, but the following batches were big so it seems hit or miss. rock shelled oysters were okay, my first time eating them cooked so I can't judge. baked mussels tasted a little dry. the hot and sour soup was okay, typical of most buffets. The sushi rolls seemed mostly filled with rice. wasabi and ginger had very little kick. The sashimi was fresh that day, but they were very slow at refilling it.
(3)Charles P.
Certain foods are hit or miss. Sushi is not that great. Their orange chicken, firecracker chicken, etc are all good. Their dim sum type foods are MEH. Would I come back? Maybe. Fact is, for the price, it's a good place to get your face stuffed, just don't expect Las Vegas buffet quality stuff.
(3)Jennifer Y.
A list of 26 things that suck: - Ann Coulter aka the biggest troll known to mankind (somebody please tell her to shut her mouth and crawl back under her bridge) - Being cramped into a crowded room/elevator/car and then someone decides to let a deadly one rip - Confidently march into a classroom to own a test? Leave scrambling in distraught after having your butt spanked repeatedly to the soundtrack of evil cackling - Dry heaving: nothing sucks more than wanting to expel last night's festivities from your system, only to have your body deny you of this privilege and, adding insult to injury, torture you instead - Ebay's lame (and unfair) "Final Value Fee" fees - Fiercely sprinting for the bus only to have it take off as soon as you reach the bus stop (it's like the bus driver was waiting for you to catch up so he could purposely speed off and leave you wallowing in its exhaust) - G@Ng$tAh RaP - Hearing mortifying stories of not-so-proud moments from those nights when you got too wasted - Idiotic drivers who: tailgate you, cut you off, weave in and out of lanes at high speeds, steal the parking spot that you've been waiting 20 minutes for - Jersey Shore (The only good thing about this show is that we can finally laugh at stupid people without being scolded) - Keeping Up with the Kardashians (What is its relevance to society???) - Long, long, loooooong lines - Ms. Stephanie Meyer's Twilight books and the entire stupid vampire phenomenon - Nickelback (self-explanatory) - Oversleeping and the ensuing panic that comes with it, thereby ruining your entire morning - PT Cruisers (thank goodness they stopped making these) - Questions about your future/what you want to do with your life, leaving you utterly clueless and embarrassed - Raging hangover to go along with clutching the sides of your toilet for dear life and puking your guts out - Sitting in traffic using every bit of strength in you to keep your eyes open, but ultimately failing - Tequila shots - Using the restroom and then having someone who's looking for an empty toilet fling open the stall door because the lock sucks - Vacationing on a bus full of Asian tourists at the insistence of my parents (one large paper bag is all I'll need, please) - Waking up unnecessarily early--not by choice (is it ever?) - Xtreme Makeover: Home Edition (I actually love this show, but I hate how it makes me bawl like a baby every time I watch it...) - Yo mama's performance last night (nothing personal) - Zen Buffet -------------------------------- Dear Zen Buffet, Many thanks to you for your generous contribution to my A-Z list of things that suck; you were the final piece that filled the long-standing void to my puzzle. The rip-off prices you offer for your obscene-quality food make you more than qualified for the last coveted spot on this glorious list. I cannot fathom how you could possibly serve your rubbery, bland food to customers. I especially love seeing food that has been sitting under heating lamps for so long that the top has become crusty and wax-like; the grease spilling out of your entrées add an extra unaesthetically-pleasing effect to the eye. I would say that the sight of all your unfresh food displayed frivolously in the back is comparable to that of an abstract expressionism painting. I would also like to thank you for providing me with ample entertainment during my stay--watching little, old Asian ladies demonstrate their mastery of martial arts just to obtain some of your crappy crab legs never proved more hilarious. I know you tried really hard to please me with your lies and deceptions (you claim that you are upscale), but you failed miserably in all aspects of success. Although it is very thoughtful of you to want to keep your doors open for me, I will have to politely decline your invitation to return; I find that it truly is one of life's greatest mysteries as to how your doors have not yet been shut closed and boarded up. Angrily Yours Forever, Me
(1)Jonathan Z.
Avoid at all costs.. My mom got food poisoning here the last time we went. Food is either overcooked or undercooked. Chinese buffets are what they are, very bad chinese expess food, buffet style.
(1)Cece N.
This place is okay, the reason why i gave it two stars, because we got seated and the waitress asked us what we wanted to drink and I told him. Guess what? I ordered a Brisk Lemon Tea, she gave me a lemonade =[ ughhh....but the food is okay, so greasy, the fried rice was dried. Soup was nasty. Ice cream taste funky. LOl. overall its whatever prob wont ever come back.
(2)Kristy H.
It's an OK buffet. Service isn't that great, but then again, you're dealing with asian services. We all know how that goes and I'm asian myself. Anyhow, the food is a hit and miss at times. I don't like how they don't have plates or bowls at all times. We'd have to stand and wait for them to put it out...or their oysters and crab legs are never refilled as often. Overall, this is ok, considering the price is cheap.
(3)Todd C.
I went with my family Thanksgiving Day for the "Thanksgiving Day Special," which meant jacked up prices and, oh boy a Turkey. The variety is gargantuan, with almost every asian cuisine represented, and then some pico de gallo and churros for some reason. The sheer amount of food is a reason to come here. However: 1. The crowds were obnoxious and tripping over one another. It's very chinese, which means watch your own back and never apologize for bumping. 2. The servers were miserably busy; hardworking but very busy. 3. When the crab legs come out, everyone knocks you over and swarms around it like uptight, stressed-out moms after the last Tickle-me-Elmo. You know what I'm talking about. The Sweet and Peach buns were very good; had to grab a bunch of those. And the churros :). Everything else made my stomach quite upset. The sushi/sashimi were pretty bland at best and salmonellacious at worst. They even had a sign that stated, "Eating raw fish may cause serious disease."
(2)Jacqueline T.
First off, I despise Chinese buffets. I dont think it's tasty at all! Majority of the time, it leaves me feeling sick to the stomach. So my friend's sister had her Red Egg Party for her 1 month baby here. The parking was a pain in the a-double-s. We walk into Zen Buffet on a Saturday night and it was sooo packed! What would you have known! Everyone in San Gabriel decided to eat here! The presentation of the food can turn a hungry stomach to a "I'm full." I walked around the buffet area twice and my plate was 1/4 full. I walk over to the sushi area and all the sashimi didnt even look fresh. All I ate was fruit and that wasn't that appetizing either. People, just because it's cheap and there's variety doesnt mean the food is any good. I had to run across the street to The Hat to feed my tummy.
(1)Toby W.
It's a good price for the kind of food you get.
(3)Jennifer Y.
Zen Buffet has been around for years, I've drove by countless times but never encourage myself to try it out. Somehow today I insisted on giving it a shot. First of all, going around 6pm on a Saturday was a horrible idea, it was so packed, though I thought it must be a good sign since it looked like the whole world is here, then I come to realize that maybe the reason so many people are here is because of the reasonable pricing. The food was decent, I can't complain for $14.99 with all the selection. What really got to me was, the whole entire time I was there, I did not get one single piece of salmon sashimi, I kept going back but nothing, it was empty when I made my first trip, all the way til the last trip. And crab legs, it is ALWAYS out. That I actually blame it on some greedy people. When they bring out a new tray, I saw people literally grabbing 3 plates full, really? Can you really finish all that? Besides, have you thought about others who has been waiting for them just as long as you have been? Talking about rudeness and selfishness. I had 2 tiny ones and just gave up because I don't find fighting for some crab legs worth my times so I just settled for other foods instead. Everything else seems great, desserts were meh, I had some bananas with strawberry topping (which was awesome), but the cakes were yucky. Enough said. Give it a shot if you haven't yet. For the price you pay, it is definitely worth it.
(3)Tracy N.
My first time going to Zen Buffet was an eye opening experience. This was the first time I have ever been to a buffet that tasted so.... DISGUSTING! My favorite thing there is the red jello and only the red jello. Oh .. I did get a free "calendar" out of this.. but that doesnt make up for the nasty sushi.. it was like a rice paste.. :( Can you give zero stars on yelp?
(1)Rina C.
horrible. been there a few times before. the last time I went was half years ago. the food was ok at the time cheap and lots of selection. but when I went last night. it's horrible. they have been cutting down so much on their quality and selection to try to save as much money as poosible. they used to have calbi and other good food with better quality but now has the worst food i have ever eatten. (greasy, meat with nothing but fat, even the desert is bad) I left still feeling hungry. will not go back again,
(1)Mia L.
Every time I have visit this place it was enjoyable. I came yesterday (jul 10.) around 8:30pm. Dishes I've tried: Fried Dumpling, Oyster, Crab Legs, CrawFish, Kim Chee, Marinated Cucumber, Jelly Fish, Clams, Cooked Salmon, Crab Leg, Hot and Spicy Soup, and some desert. The service was great, the food was so so but not bad and it was filling. What I enjoyed most is the crab meat with cheese inside the crab shell and the crab legs. The crab legs is the hot kind that tasted very fresh. I always seem to get lucky cause it disappears each time they put a new batch in, but I always happen to be right next to it when a fresh new batch arrives. That is always enjoyable. Next is the sushi. My favorite there is the sashimi. The salmon and tuna is usually fresh and that's basically what I mainly ate yesterday. This place is pretty clean and certain dishes are really good. The other dishes are just so so. The cost is really low for a buffet and there's usually a wait during dinner hours. I have noticed they are open til 9:30pm on Sun-Thurs. Also, on your birthday with a party of 6 or more, the birthday person gets a free meal. The sushi is fresh, the crab legs are fresh, the oysters are fresh, and the clams are fresh. Just these dishes alone its already worth the $13 per person. On Fri and Sat dinner price maybe only 2/3 dollars difference. Try it out. People I have came with enjoyed this place as well. If you're around the area and craving for a buffet place, come check it out, its worth it.
(4)Peter C.
Parking - Horrible. Wait time - Sucks. Fighting for the crab - Funny, but annoying. If you want this dining experience to be worth it, you have to treat it like a special ops mission. You should assign each member of your dinner party to take turns staking out the one and only thing worth eating here, the crab legs. Don't feel embarrassed standing there waiting for them to bring it out either, because everyone else is too. And you've gotta just have no shame either. When the crab gets there, just take as much as your plate can hold, nobody will fault you for it. ;)
(2)Nik N.
Yuck! Everything was not good and not fresh. The crab legs were ok but they ran out and never refill. After 9pm they don't replenish the food. At about 9:30 the workers come out to eat the buffet with you. Then they stand there and wait until your done do they can clean the tables to leave on time. First and last.
(1)Anna S.
I generally like buffets, although my tastebuds have been more refined. I'm not too refined to recognize gritty ghetto food either. If it's good, it's good. I went to Zen Buffet for my bf's family friend's baby celebration. They rented out a private room with about 6 or 7 large (cramped) round tables. The minute we walked in, we were treated like a cattle round up and given fluorescent green stickers to show we were the private party. Don't know what that was for. To keep count? Since I had dinner plans in the evening, I didn't load up on too much. I was pretty choosy on what I got. If it didn't look appealing, I didn't get it. I thought it was a safe choice to get sweet and sour soup. Hmm, it's missing something. Pepper? Maybe I just can't see it cuz it was too minuscule? The chicken that i mistaken for a fish fillet tasted a bit soapy i think. My bf and his sister said it was the basil but it does NOT taste like basil to me. Overall, it was an EH experience. I don't understand how people stuff their plates with food. Half of it didn't even look appealing.
(2)EnergyWork Q.
My grandma passed away on Dec 10, 2008. Zen Buffet will always remind me of my grandmother. I never had a very good relationship with her, but at least for the last 6 months of her life, I took her out to Zen for lunch about once every 2 weeks. Why Zen is because this is her favorite place. She absolutely loves it. Now, for my objective viewpoint about Zen. Zen is no different from a lot of the other low-priced chinese/asian all-you-eats. Decent selection, but very low quality items. Some of the items taste ok, but I can tell that the ingredients are artificial and full of food coloring/msg/perservatives. This doesn't necessarily mean that it taste bad but you are eating junk. The place feels a little dirty. The bathroom also feels a bit icky. But they always have enough towels and toilet paper. Unlike nearby Hometown Buffet, Zen is tight with the amount of napkins they give you. Also the napkins are of the thin variety. Now, onto the real reason I gave this joint a single star... The service is absolutely horrible. Despite the fact that my grandmother and I are regulars, these servers NEVER acknowledged her with any personal greetings; they are always cold and indifferent. Didn't seem to bother my grandma, but it bugged me. They are slow as hell with the refills(I came here during lunch in the middle of the week, not many customers) and they almost never ask us if we need something. One time my grandma had an issue with the bill and a waitress we dealt with was RUDE AS HELL. This biatch was basically arguing with us when my grandma had a simple question to ask. I saw this piece of crap a lot and I always wanted to dump some Coke on her head. She can't speak English and always had a sour look on her face. Maybe this ugly bitch should work at a cemetary. My girlfriend invited me here last year for one of their whole day specials(chinese new years/father's day/valentine's/etc). The food was a lot better on this day but then it was also a lot more expensive. Still, this place strikes me as a bit deceptive. Whenever one of their big ticket items run out(and it does run out fast, especially lobster), they don't seem to be too quick to restock it. But they'll restock their string bean soy cream REAL FAST. Anyways, ever since my grandma passed away I have not stepped foot into this place again..and I will NEVER step foot into it again as long as it says ZEN Buffet.
(1)L S.
Zen buffet is disgusting to say the least. I really don't understand why so many plp flock this this location. Is it because plp want quantity before quality, if so then u come to the right place.. Its sad when you leave an all you can eat buffet hungry!! NEVER in my life would i come back or recommend this place to anybody.. your truly better off walking across the street to hometown buffet..
(1)Yong L.
Not too good, and not too bad as I do not expect any excellent chinese food or service at a buffet place. Everything was just average. Above average: crab legs are warm and not salty. But, meat was filled only half in the shell. Below average: server did not smile at all, looked like a plate removing robot. Also, she brought sprite when I ordered lemonade.
(3)P T.
Okay this is a buffet, it isn't gourmet.... stuck to the basics .... like the beef short rib, very good maguro/tuna sushi, crab legs, there was a line of guys waiting for the next shipment .... crab legs were thin and not that meaty... sushi looked pretty bland, dessert selection was boring... oranges were very fresh, the pinapple and watermelon lacked flavor
(2)Jia C.
I wish I had read reviews here before going. I haven't had international/asian buffet for the longest time, and thought they should be better now but it wasn't really the case. The place does have a lot of varieties like other buffet, but the quality sucks. I tried a few pieces of sushi and decided not to eat any more unless I want to get sick or food poisoning. It was nice for them to offer sharkfin soup, but you can barely find any sharkfin in the starched water. I was tempted to try the shumai but they look like they've been sitting there forever since the ski is all dried up. The custard bun wasn't as good as I exptected either. They jack up the price on weekends because of the crab legs, but they were very dry and they don't bring them out very often, so most of the time, the tray was empty. The signage at the restuarant was bad too. There were no signs for the desserts, so my boyfriend and I took a bit of each just to figure out what they are. I don't think it was worth $15 for what I have had. I could've had a more satisfying lunch at Souplantation for half the price.
(1)billy l.
i wished i can give this place a 0... first off this place is cheap and for one reason...the food here stinks and i mean literally. first off, would you like a side of poison with your buffet.? This is got to be the worst buffet i have been too. eat here if you would like to go on the food poisoning diet
(1)Ken S.
I just got back from having dinner here. I have decided me no likey. Lots of food, doesn't mean it's good. Children constanly running, screaming. No parental oversight. Adults also stampeding to buffet. They will knock you over, especially when they bring out the crab legs. Staff is cold and indifferent. When I asked for a refill of my iced tea, the lady grunted at me! I will take my dollars elsewhere to eat, thank you very much. Lastly, this joint looks like it needs a good cleaning, or complete demolition.
(2)Peng W.
Should have Yelped it before going there with my coupon. Food poisoning + possible allergic reaction ftw.
(1)jina K.
eek.... Never ever go there!!
(1)Jose B.
The food at this place actually doesn't look too bad. But once you put it in your mouth you know you should have gone elsewhere. What looked like sushi with tuna tasted like rotten fish. I couldn't even bit into it. My wife and I both spit out several different items because they didn't taste good at all. I will NEVER eat here again. I wouldn't be surprised if I get sick tonight...speaking of which...gotta cut this review short as nature calls...
(1)Guadalupe L.
My first visit turned out to be my last visit too. I got food poisoning from this place, the food looks good and the people was nice too, but just that one time experience it made me not want to go back anymore.
(1)Chris C.
Can't ask much from an Asian buffet, except variety in their food selections and lots of it...for the price you pay ($8.29-$12.99 per person) you can't really go wrong. You'll eat more than what you paid for guaranteed. I like the selection here, which includes both Chinese and Japanese dishes, seafood and sushi included... Let's be real here folks, you don't come to a buffet to experience 5 star dining, you come here to get major food coma for cheap! Great for big groups or a casual family meal. There's like 8 stalls for parking up front, but plenty more parking in the back of the building...stop bitching, you can use the walk after your gut busting meal anyway.
(3)Josh R.
I went cause a friend recommend we eat at a Asian buffet... We went in to check it out. The inside was nice. we went to look and the food.. and it was very much presentable. The service was quick and the waiter i had was great. OK... as i went and picked out my food the main things i wanted was crab legs, steak, and lobster. I went and got those exact items. First i tried the steak it was OK, but loaded with fat. It only tasted good with A-1 steak sauce. Then i tried the lobster, it was served in bits and pieces. I tried a little but and literally i gaged and had to spit it out. It was that BAD. So i gave the crab legs a try. HORRIBLE. They were still cold, so i did not eat them. I advised the manger and she quickly fixed the problem by bringing a plate full of crab legs ( ALOT ) this time hot, I was starting to crack them and they smelled. I ate some and again gagged. They tasted like s***. I tried a few other items and was not happy with nothing but the steam rice and water with lemon. I lost my appetite payed my $23.00 ticket and left. I'll never return and will for sure not recommend this place to any one. Not even my worst enemy. This place is horrible if your planning on trying or know anyone that would like to try it. WARN them.... it's OVER priced and GROSS.
(1)Daryl I.
A bunch of us from my old work came here for a birthday lunch, thinking that a buffet would be able to satisfy a wide range of tastes for close to 20 people. It was great finding a place that was large enough to accommodate our party, but I think the food in general underwhelmed a majority of the people that came here. You would have thought that out of 20 people, at least ONE person would have liked it! Now that I think about it, I'm not exactly sure that anyone ever came back here after that event, or not that I heard about. Me? I'd probably go back, but I'd end up having to go back by myself because I wouldn't be able to convince anyone else to come back here.
(2)Tina R.
Great Seafood, but service was left to be deisired!
(3)Angela T.
This is a typical asian buffet. Nothing really special about it. Lunch on a weekday for 8.99 isn't so bad. FIlls you up. The food is okay, but the selection isn't wide enough.
(3)Diana H.
Ok, so we came here today for an early Mother's Day celebration with my dad's side of the family. We had a reservation so we were seated quickly. The food there is, meh...not terrible but not WHOOOOA gotta come back to this place, STAT! The only complain I would prob have would be that our drinks took forever to come out and then out of no where, a really super "FOBBY" song of Happy Birthday starts to play. TERRIBLE! You should've heard the "non-asian" folk sarcastically cheering and clapping! Hilarious! All in all I probably wouldn't come back to this place at my own will.
(3)Jen L.
Every time I came to Zen is because my kinds.... they love to come here. The food and services I give 3.5* and my kids give 1.5* add up to three. They like the food and also with the ARC game outside. I agree over all everything is 3.5 star. The Susi need to be more fresh not to be like some people said a bit of frozen with ice. The rice sometime is too hard... Bur some of them is pretty good. It depend on which night you were there. I wander the owner have they ever read the Yelp and knowing what we been advise and talk about the restaurant. I guess they don't care because they still have pretty good business. or Should we sent a day to stop going there. I am just kindding. I am still go here...
(5)Anthony D.
This just has to be the worst buffet in my life. The service was decent, but the food was just terrable. The only thing that the restaurant did right was having a cute girl with blondes as a waitresses.
(1)Chris J.
Overpriced, mediocre food, most of it cold. Would still be a ripoff at half the price. You couldn't pay me to go back there.
(1)Ami T.
Came back for their breakfast buffet. Dinner is more decent. Breakfast is...lets just say I was sick the rest of the day.
(1)Lindsay H.
eh.. eh.. sorry, i just don't recommend, unless you are like me, low on budget and just need a quick eat. i only ate their dimsum dumpling thingys mostly.. lunch maybe, but dinner no.
(2)Kevin C.
The buffet isn't that bad. The food is, well, buffet cooked and owned by asian people. The food selection is ok. I really like the all you can eat sushi hand rolls, although you have to ask the scary asian dude to make each one for you and most of the time they aren't to happy to work more for the money their paid. Overall, if you plan on become obese and diabetic for a decent price, this is probably the go to place
(2)Min T.
Dude, not my choice so know I would never willingly go here. I parked behind the nearby auto parts store because like any where in the SGV, parking sucks. What's up with the randomly parked cars everywhere over the blue lines next to handicapped spaces? Do you know people in wheelchairs need SPACE to get out? Dang. So my party, the non-foodies, arrived later than I did so I spent much time standing in the waiting room observing the banks of coin-operated machinery. I didn't want to sit on the duct-taped vinyl booths or the one high top table. I probably should have since even though this is a huge waiting room, some horrible old woman stood right under my nose with her yucky perfume wafting up at me. Now, I love coin-operated machines but not this trash. There was an Elvis pinball machine which one of the balls was stuck. They should call my good friends at Tiki Pinball to fix their machine or at least kill the annoying voice that screamed, "Welcome to the show," "You're beautiful," "Hey, I just work here." Some surfer types tried playing the machine for a while but since it didn't work well, they didn't even topple the soft-serve they set on the machine (by the way, wouldn't that be funny if it landed on their grubby flip-flop shod feet?). Finally, my party arrives and we enter the vast buffet space filled with people busily stuffing their maws. Since I was resigned to this night, I was going to do a buffet right. No, this isn't Vegas and don't expect that sort of "quality." Having read the yelp reviews, I decided the sushi and sashimi would be the way to go first. Sadly, the rolls were cold and mushy. The nigiri featured fish sliced so thin, there were holes in it. And the sashimi (only salmon and tuna) were cut up into tiny cubes. Perhaps to mask how bad it was. What's up with the tip jar in front of the sushi guys? I tried out the crawfish (not fresh), clams (pretty good sauce), shrimp (not bad), oysters (good, if you can find plump ones), king crab legs (uggh, too salty), dumplings (siu mai was fatty, wor tip was badly shaped and greasy), fried chicken wings (nicely deep fried, no flavor though), kimchi (gross), seaweed salad (too fishy), pig's ear (pretty good), sesame balls (tiny, must have been deep fried in the same oil as the chicken- gross), shrimp & broccoli (pretty good), fried fish (damn, it was chicken and not good), calamari (okay, surprisingly), octopus salad (mmm, good, not over cooked and non-rubbery), green beans (too saucy but not over cooked, good), tofu & eggplant (okay, eggplant was cut too small, too saucy), mussels (from the cold salad bar- gross, warm with bright orange mayo--okay) and sweet and soup soup (wow, it had real lily buds! I liked the soup) and I finally ate some unripe fruit for dessert. Yes, I weigh less than the people in my party. Yes, I ate all that (a bite or two of each) and yes, I did experience the after-effects all night long. Never again! (until I get to Vegas for a really good buffet, that is) Notes for those who still want to know: - special VIP room - the music is horrible Chinese opera but they turn it off to play an obnoxious birthday song where the wait staff try to sing along - lots of carbs I didn't eat (rice, fried rice, noodles, cakes, apple pie, buns, etc) - they're open for breakfast (which features American, Chinese and Mexican style foods), lunch and dinner - the cold salad bar has a ton of fixings for what could be potentially a healthy salad- nah, who came here for salad anyway? - pricing is fairly cheap but add an extra $.99 per hour if you eat longer than an hour (how can you do that!?) - service was very efficient, they cleared those plates quickly Um, really, I should have gone to the Hat across the street.
(1)Van K.
My aunt invited a whole bunch of my family and I for some chinese buffet! There was a lot of food to choose from, mixed with chinese and american food. They have a sushi bar, but the sushi wasnt that great and they were tiny. Their food was okay... Well actually, I thought their prawns and walnut was disgusting. It didn't have that same taste like at other chinese restaurants. I was hoping for crabs, but they kept running out of it and were slow at bringing new batches out, so we would have to wait for it. Their desserts didn't surprised me either. The frozen yogurt was way too sweet, cakes weren't good and the variety of muffins were bleh(muffins you can make at home). The only dessert i liked was the banana creme pie pudding. I guess people like the have their birthdays here because I swear they kept playing that birthday song like 10x! The server we had wasn't very nice, looked like she hated her job. This buffet is like any other chinese buffet I've been to. Same food and same type of servers. Haven't found that most awesome buffet yet. Booo...
(2)Caroline P.
hm...i understand you cant expect too much from $8 meal but this place is amazingly DISGUSTING!! OMGosh......the roast beef is seriously like super dried BEEF-JERKY and rolls are super Soggy....i mean they tasted like they'd been stting there for at least 3 hours.. would i ever come back to this place?? NOOOOO
(1)Kitty T.
Okay fine let's face it, it's only $11, so you can't expect much. Go to Tokai if you wanna pay more. I sold Chinese buffet restaurants before so I know this place actually really stretches far to keep the price low. It's already above average. We all know some of the dishes are untouchable but still, the oysters're normal; mussles, alright; crab legs, normal; sushi, normal. You do have to sit close to the oysters to catch them cuz they're gone fast every time there's a refill. Stay away from the "Western Chinese" favorites, like the greasy chicken, beef and stuff and focus on the seafood then you'll be fine. The place's huge, and however always packed. Wait staff's okay-helpful. It's a good place for especially guys' pig out with limited budget.
(4)Ann B.
As far as buffets go, you get decent bang for your buck here. The price is reasonable, and the variety of food is good compared to other more expensive places I've gone to. The crab legs were good, you just sorta have to become a stalker and hover around to be right there when the hot batch is put in, because it becomes a feeding frenzy and the legs go quick. I like the fact that they serve the legs hot instead of cold like other places. The hot and sour soup is also tasty. My other favorites: California sushi roll, steamed white rice with spicy kimchi and spicy cucumbers (they know how to make it real spicy here), corn on the cobs, fresh salad and spinach, little small clams (just be careful to not bite into the shell bits that sometimes get in the sauce). I've gone here multiple times for birthdays and other special occasions to celebrate and it's been fun. The place is a little darker than I would like, but overall, it is abuzz with people, so you know the food is being circulated and not sitting there for hours. One thing I would suggest to management is to clean the plates better. On my last visit, I saw several plates that still had food sticking to it.
(4)John O.
Why such bad reviews?
(4)Tina P.
The sushi is pretty good--to me at least. My parents like to come here because it's cheap and they offer crab legs and oysters. This buffet seems to have a lot of customers all the time. Service was ok (busboys are always coming by to collect your plates). Besides the sushi and the oysters, the food is pretty...standard and sort of bland. I could just taste the MSG. They have a salad bar; Chinese appetizers such as dumplings, buns, fried dumplings, soups, fried wontons; main dishes such as fried rice and noodles, beef & broccoli, tofu & veggie dishes, crab legs, and oysters and "American" food such as pizza and pie. I usually just get the sushi and sashimi when I come here, but I'd go somewhere else for a good Chinese/Japanese buffet that offers quality food.
(3)B L.
The food is not that great. There was a long wait when we went on Sunday night. I can't figure out why people would wait for lousy buffet food. We were invited to a birthday party so we had a reservation already when we showed up. I don't think I would come here or bring my friends on my own.
(1)Sean W.
terrible food. didnt worth $15 for sure.
(1)D K.
I have been coming here a lot at least once a month. You will be a fan too if you look beyond the service. As with many Chinese restaurants most waiters are the same, they speak really fast, or don't speak at all, slam things down like teapots, plates...maybe its a cultural things or maybe they're pissed off because they are waiters lol. I only come here for crab legs eventhough one has to wait and fight for the crab legs, its fun you will burn more calories. Only the Rosemead location makes you wait for the crab legs not at Long Beach location or Woodland Hills (they charged a couple dollars more), and with the coupon buy 1 get second 1 half off you can't beat that deal being that we are in the second recession. I also tried other dishes, i have to say most of them are fresh because they are busy all the times. And the taste is average to above average, and i pretty taste pretty much everything from Sushi, walnut shrimp, steaks, BBQ Ribs, hot & sour soup, salmon, fish, spicy shrimp...I dont eat anything raw here because i dont want to take a risk of getting sick, and of course i dont come here for deserts so its just an extra bonus, they have plenty of fresh fruits. Pretty much all waiters know me by now, beleive it or not they speak to me now.
(4)V P.
Had a rare opportunity to have dinner with the husband sans baby so I thought, lets just go here. I didnt expect much so this place did not disappoint. A new pan of clams with black bean sauce was brought out so I thought great and took a big scoop, only to realize that it was mostly crushed shell. I liked the Korean short ribs and the fried chicken wings. The sushi selection was not great. What happened to the vinegar rice?? I had a hard time finding the shark fin in the soup, all I found was ginger which is not to my liking. My husband who is not of asian decent thought the happy birthday songs were awesome! It reminds him of the end of a Christmas Story. Oh yeah watch out for the bananas with the red sauce. I would never get it anyways but as I was inspecting the desserts, I noticed a rotten banana partially covered with this bright red sauce. I stuck with the cherries. Service was ok, refills were a little slow but we got them. Most of the items were ok, not spectacular but I would come back because it its fairly cheap.
(3)J C.
I went here for lunch today, the sushi bar was only crappy rolls. I immediatly left. I guess holidays is when they have decent sushi, or maybe regular dinners. But lunch sushi sucked balls here today.
(1)Stan C.
this is the best buffet besides it always being packed by everyone in the san gabriel valley. anwyays, i usually come for lunch and its like 7.49 andi just get water cuz im too damn cheap to pay 1.39 for a soda. i have never gotten sick or anything from this place, even though everyone says its bad. i usually eat about 50 bucks worth of food here and empty the soft serve machine on myself. the sushi is pretty good not the best, but its enoguh to satisfy me, proabbly because i keep my standards low so i dont get dissapointed, ahhh ha. usually when im feeling poor and hungry, which is always, i come to zen buffet to fill up, which is always. if i'm feeling really poor, i'll eat 1 meal for 2 days, and it will be zen buffet. oh yeah they randomnly have pizza and stuff too. but mostly chinese food, and i dont relaly like chinese food that much. mmm. oh yeah, i always find 10 percenf off coupons in the chinese magazine or newspaper. that makes it even better
(5)Saori K.
This is my 2nd time ate at Zen Buffet. I liked the food last time and was in the area so we came back. They have wide selection of food. Sushi and sashimi was pretty fresh. Personally I was surprised to see they had crab innards(brown meat) at AYCE buffet, I've been to many AYCE but this is the first and only one with it! I usually order canned crab innards all the way from Japan so I was so impressed to see they had it! Service is not too good. Waitress barely come around, when you want your drink refilled, you have to look around for a few minutes, find the waitress and get her attention by waiving your hand. They keep their "stone face", say nothing back when I say "Thank you!" and walk away. Well, you can't expect them to behave like waitresses at Nobu's, but still yeah they need to behave much better. We handed the coupon to the cashier girl when we walked in but when we got our check we didin't see the discount was applied. So we walked up to the cashier and explained to the girl we gave the coupon to. She gave me the famous "stone face" look, fixed the price, I gave her my card, she gave it back to me and I said thank you...she stare at my face and said NOTHING. Haha that was actually funny to me. Overall their food is pretty good, price is very reasonable. Just don't expect the workers to make you happy with their service. If you want to save $ make sure to go to their website and print out the coupon.
(3)Mayra C.
The food scared me. Stopped by the grill area and saw that they had one DIRTY pair of tongs being used for all of the meats- chicken, pork, beef. :/ Salad bar was weak- lettuce, cucumbers, soggy tomatoes, pickled beets, mushrooms...raisins and sunflower seeds. I didn't enjoy much of anything that I tried ( orange chicken, chow mein, sushi, walnut shrimp, dumplings.) The steamed rice, fresh strawberries, and French fries were my salvation. The hostess was unbelievably rude as were the servers. I saw someone refill the lettuce bowl using their bare hands. Eww I will never eat here again.
(1)Steve G.
Food tastes stale. The restaurant seems very understaffed A lot of the food looks like they were from the day before.
(2)Marly G.
I DO NOT recommend this place! I live down the street from here and always pass it so I decided to give it a try..such a mistake! Everything is cold and not fresh at all. I even found a hair in my food!! And for $16 for dinner on a Friday was not worth it! Don't bother wasting your time!!
(1)Ruwinna P.
Dont ever eat here!!! My uncle found a cockroach in his drink! Not a small roach.. But a big freakin pest!
(1)Justin M.
Went here with family for a celebration. From the outside you'd assume this place is a but more upscale, but once you're in it seems like an Asian hometown buffet with all of the disappointments that come along. There is a good selection of food to choose from, but I found myself scraping the bottom of trays to get large enough servings from what was left. The quality of the food varies: the meat was good, but sometimes cold. The sushi was decent, but had been sitting out far too long. Do yourself a favor and go to a better buffet.
(2)Monica L.
Pretty empty on a Friday night...that's already bad news. Servers are very distant and the hostess was almost kinda rude in the way she talked--like she didn't want to be there, which she probably didn't. Décor is outdated, old fashioned, and almost depressing as it was practically empty save a couple people eating by their lonesome. Food-wise? Let's just say I didn't trust the sashimi enough to eat it. Shrimp wasn't even peeled and desserts are generic and blasé. Let me break it down for you: The meats were all over cooked and fatty, chicken was okay but everything was probably chocked full of corn starch to keep the cheap quality from tasting cheaper than it already was. There was also an insane amount of sodium in everything (that kimchi WTF??) so it'd make you thirsty and not want to eat any more. Seafood-wise, rolls were actually OK, though they put seaweed in everything as a filling OR a bunch of rice in the nigiri. The tuna tasted sour so I stopped eating sashimi right away. You don't get anything fancy in desserts--just little tiny cakes with no labels so you have no idea what you're getting. The assortment of fruits are nice--dip those in the chocolate fountain, which has extra cheap and sweet chocolate. The marshmallows offered are all smashed and stuck together, so at least that will force you to eat more fruit. Frozen yogurt is overly sweet and melts extremely fast, so you might not want to eat that either. Overall, yea, I wouldn't come here again. I don't even know why I agreed to come here in the first place...It's a decent price ($13ish), but I'm not paying that much for two plates of fruit...I'd rather pay double and go to Kirin.
(1)Michelle L.
I haven't been to a Chinese food buffet in YEARS. And Zen Buffet reminded me exactly why I haven't been to one. I was already hesitant from the start but when a coupon came in the mail for a $12 weekday dinner, I figured why not. We literally walked into the restaurant 30 minutes before closing but there was still plenty of food there and the service was still good. The problem with Zen isn't that there wasn't enough food. It's that there isn't enough tasty food. I mean to be honest I probably could have eaten better Chinese food at a Panda Express. The egg rolls had that microwaved taste to it, and the crab legs looked anemic and the sushi was just terrible. My boyfriend and I basically had one plate of food each from the entire buffet. I was really hoping that the desserts might be better but nope! Even the pastries and cookies were kind of bad. My boyfriend ate jello for dessert just because it was there and he hadn't had it in ages. Talk about just plain bad food. I'm not a hater of buffets but I just have never been to a good Chinese food one. Maybe I'll never find one but I'm willing to try! Either way I'm glad that I got to try it because now I can say that I'll never be back! Coupon or not! 1/5
(1)Sonny C.
530pm on a Wednesday, Aug 5th, looks like many of the food was left from lunch. For example yam n tapioca dessert has form some kind of crust on top. Steamed fish tail was stuck onto the steam table pan The kitchen brought out broccoli beef put old beef from the beef and broccoli on top.. A time bomb in the works for someone getting sick.
(1)Melissa B.
One of my favorites..!! Food is good always busy service is good always friendly and clean
(5)Christina G.
Theres 2 locations of Zen Buffet, one in Monrovia and one in San Gabriel. I have been to both and I can honestly say that they're both the same. This place is pretty big and I always see big parties and families come for dinner time. Parking is NOT good! they have a very small lot in front of the restaurant, and there is more parking in the back and around that plaza, but when you go during dinner time it is usually hard to find parking. The reason is because it's in the same plaza as OO-Kook and that place is always popping. There is also a PepBoys Auto store next to it, so I usually park over there and walk to Zen Buffet. Their prices change so I suggest looking online for their actual menu price. While you're on their website, they always have coupons that you can use for dine in only. You must print the coupon out and actually give it to them. They will not accept it if you show them over the phone. The coupons are actually really good deals especially for weekday lunch, so for sure check their website before coming in. I am probably not the best person to be reviewing this place because I am a vegetarian and I don't eat meat or seafood haha. I cannot base my review on anything you guys are going to eat, but I can base it on a vegetarians point of view, which most of you guys probably won't even care about. The dishes i get here are very limited. The only vegetarian items they have are: -Fried rice: Delicious ! I like it a lot. -Fried noodles: Very much like panda express so I don't care for this. -Tea eggs: I love tea eggs, but the last time I came here they didnt have these anymore :( I don't know if they took it out permanently but I hope they bring it back. -Japanese seaweed: Pretty good, this dish tastes the same everywhere. -Egg rolls: Also tastes like panda express but I really like it because its got a nice crunch to it. -A-choy: Yummy, I love A-choy -Vermicelli: I like this as well, I only try to get the vermicelli, not any of the other veggies that are in that dish. -Salad from the salad bar: Don't need to write about salad because all salads taste the same What I love about this place is the Noodle Bar! At first the bar used to be a noodle soup area where they have either udon, egg noodles or the flat white noodles in a bowl with veggies and other stuff inside of it. A man behind the counter makes the noodles for you and adds in the soup. The most recent time I went, they took out the noodle soup bar, and they replaced it with a stir fry noodle area. Its exactly like Great Khans where you pick all your ingredients like meats, seafood, veggies etc all on a plate, and you get to choose the amount of noodles you want as well. I suggest you get the udon noodles because it is delicious! The udon is nice and chew which is how I like it. They also have garlic, chili oil, soy sauce etc for you to put on the plate, and the man behind the counter makes it for you. Don't forget to tip him as well! I noticed that change a lot of their dishes, so not everything that Ive listed is going to be there and there is a possibility that new dishes come out every day. Its always a surprise I guess whenever I go,
(3)Dan L.
This place seems to garner quite a bit of hate. I've been here a few times over the years, and to be 100% honest, I do have some mixed feelings and reservations about this eatery. This place definitely has a number of shortcomings, but I honestly think it's not as bad as some folks make it out to be ... or maybe I'm just crazy and\or have no self-respect for my body; read on and you can decide for yourself. :D For those who have not yet eaten here yet, Zen Buffet offers a mix of "western" and Pan-Asian foods in a AYCE buffet format, including desserts. Beverages (other than water) will incur a charge not included in the base dining price. Some of the food here is actually quite good: I'm a big fan of the bacon-wrapped shrimp, and the chicken wings are well-executed as well. The majority of the other dishes I've sampled here have been no less than at least "acceptable". But some of the other dishes ... not so much. The BBQ Beef Ribs here are simply godawful, totally lacking in flavor. The fried crabs were also unimpressive, and I would not bother with them again either. But hey, the overall quality of the food is still at least commensurate with the cutthroat pricing. Ah yes, the pricing ... at the time of this review (Feb 26, 2015), there is currently a *promotional* price per person for dine-in AYCE as follows: $7.99 Monday-Friday 11AM to 3:30PM $11.99 Monday-Thursday 4PM to 9:30PM $13.99 Friday-Sunday 4PM-10PM Even taking into consideration the sometimes questionable quality of the food here, I think you're still getting quite a bit for your money (particularly when you factor in the wide variety of dishes made available) - particularly if you keep your expectations realistic for the price you are paying. Briefly revisiting "food quality" ... I don't think I've ever developed full-blown stomach cramps that were directly attributable to a meal at this Zen Buffet. Having said that, I think I've noticed a modicum of queasiness in my belly not long after leaving here on more than one occasion (in all fairness, I think the culprit was most likely the heavy presence of mayo in the mussels that I was going to town on). The service here does also admittedly leave a bit to be desired - some of the staff members seem perpetually numb, traumatized, and demoralized ... don't expect any emotional labor here. On the other hand, my empty/dirty plates were always cleared from my table with satisfactory frequency. My glass of cherry coke was also kept refilled very often, without my needing to signal any staff members. They did seem to rush the check to my table though, as soon as they saw my dining party getting dessert. :/ Honestly, for the mere $11.99 I paid tonight, I don't think I could have feasted on so many varieties of food at any other restaurant of the same price tier. Sure, I could have gone somewhere else (like the OO-KOOK next door), and gotten conspicuously better food. But the cost of admission would also have been significantly higher. So I think there you have it folks ... you won't have to pay a lot to eat here, and you'll more or less get what you paid for. You'll have a wide variety of food to choose from, and some of the menu items will be noticeably better than others. The service will not be flawless, but it should average out as "acceptable". If you can afford better, then yes, there are certainly superior dining options elsewhere (the OO-KOOK next door certainly falls into that category). But if you're starving, on a tight budget, *and* have no self-respect for your body, I think you could do worse than place ... although I'd probably stay away from here *if* you don't have a cast iron stomach possessing the same Level 10 resiliency as mine. :P
(3)Jonathan S.
Zen Buffet is pretty much the "buffet" version of both (or either) Panda Express/Pick Up Stix - Orange Chicken; Broccoli Beef; Hot and Spicy Chicken, etc. But as long as I can actually what I can eat at a place like this for a descent price than getting a "Number 3" on my plate, which to me is not worth the $8.50 (without drinks) that people get at Panda. This is pretty much the only "good" thing about Zen Buffet; everything else is...meh. I usually get the orange chicken, and the pork potstickers. The Orange chicken is nothing special, but if you get the potstickers, try it with Sriracha sauce (if you can handle it spicy), and the black or red vinegar. SO GOOD! Other than that, nothing else is special. The sushi, was not my cup of tea, though - I'll tell you this.
(3)Jingting W.
Overall, lots of food so this is always a good place for mediocre variety and lots of it. PROS: -variety of food from Japanese to Chinese to Mongolian to american food -Mongolian grill made the dining experience manageable, make your own noodle plate and LAMB SKEWERS -chocolate fountain on the weekends (Fri-Sun) -sashimi was great CONS: -ribs my friend had was undercooked -crab legs looked low-quality, but AYCE! -decent food overall
(2)Josie C.
Having been told this place was under new management I dropped by to give it a try.. The salmon sashimi alone deserves 4 stars!! Wow! I'm flabbergasted they serve such high quality for an Asian buffet! They also have my all time favorite, lamb skewers, made to order. It was a nice surprise to see tea eggs at a buffet too. I also had the coupon which made my meal such a SWEET DEAL. Overall, I think it's worth it for just the salmon. Can't wait to come back! Check out my pictures : )
(4)Pam K.
I went there on Wednesday lunch. It's only $8.99 per person. I would say it's cheaper than I thought and it's the cheapest buffet that I have ever been. The food was so so. While I was walking in buffet area, I saw dishes with some leftover food on it. I don't know if customers took those plates there or server meant to leave it there. I just felt like this restaurant was dirty. If customers took those dishes there, could it mean bad service? Because servers were supposed to take away dirty dishes from the tables. On the other hand, if server left it there, it meant he/she didn't care about cleanness? From my point of view, both are not sound good to me. Their desserts were fine. However, sushi smelled fishy. As soon as I put it into my mouth, I could smell it right away. I wanted to vomit. Well, I'm not going to Zen buffet again for sure. This place was where I learned "You got what you pay for."
(1)Sum H.
Not sure about why all these low star review because I'm a fan of the buffet! For the price that I paid (about $15 including tax and tips with coupon), I thought the selection of the food and its quality were pretty good. Majority of the food were above my expectation and even the average ones were still decent. A few of my favorites were the crab legs, mushrooms, buttery shrimp, clams and sushi. The service was quick. Every time when I came back to the table for a new plate, the old plate there before was already gone. Zen Buffet seems to come out with a coupon every month now as I have noticed so look out in the mail and make sure you get one before coming here.
(4)Samantha C.
I wasn't too pleased but you get what you pay for. Wanted to try this place out because I heard they had oysters. We came in here for lunch. I got a plate of clams, green beans, and mushrooms. So far so good. Then I realized I didn't see any oysters. I had to walk around the buffet twice to finally see it. They had a sign advising that they could not serve raw oysters and that you had to ask the cook to cook them for you. Limit two per person. Why call yourself a buffet if you put a limit? The cooks seem more interested in mopping the floor than making themselves available to serve you so I didn't bother asking. The fruit section was awful! I didn't even want to try anything because it didn't look fresh at all. We had to look for our server to get our plates picked up, ask for a refill or for our check.
(2)Brian H.
You get what you pay for. As a cheap buffet restaurant its already good. Its a paradise for the poor. I give it five stars just to drive back the mean score and cancell out the picky, unfair and mean remarks
(5)Danny L.
If I had to choose between starving for 3 days or coming here for one meal, I would choose to starve. I rarely give 1 star reviews, but this place deserves it. We came on a Saturday afternoon and it was pretty empty. During the weekends they jack up the prices by $5, but in exchange you get items that they don't put out everyday like sashimi and oysters. At first I was really impressed by all the different types of food they offered. There was salmon, prime rib, lobster, crawfish, sushi, dim sum, and a chocolate fountain! But once I started eating I was very disappointed. A lot of the food didn't taste like how it is suppose to taste. The cooked foods had too much oil and the seafood tasted bad. You can tell a lot of it has just been sitting there for hours. Overall, the place is dirty, understaff, and the food was not very good. My friends left here feeling that we would have had better meal if we went to Del Taco or McDonald's. If u really want AYCE, go to the Hometown Buffet or KBBQ place nearby.
(1)Jennifer C.
I guess this place is under new management (again?). I've always driven by this place but finally came here because my company decided to have their Christmas dinner here for us. We initially reserved a room a day in advance which they ended up giving to someone else (rude). They gave us keychains to make up for it......I guess I appreciate the gesture to make things right. I work in chinatown and most of their food is comparable to the take out food. Very low quality and freshness. They did have some seafood options, but honestly...I didn't want to take a risk and get sick from eating it :X One word to sum it up: Mediocre (and I don't want no mediocre, no).
(3)Jasmine N.
I've been coming here since I was little. Never had a problem. And I'm not picky when it comes to food. Service is good. And the value is great for a buffet!
(5)Fan Y.
So many dishes for a very proper price.
(5)Daniel K.
If you plan on going to zen buffet, make sure you go to their zen buffet San Gabriel website to get the coupon $11.99 for dinner on weekdays (Monday-Thursday) and $12.99 for dinner on weekends (Friday-Sunday): zenbuffetsangabriel.com As far as I'm concerned the food isn't as bad as it has been noted from other reviewers. But for $11.99-$12.99 all you can eat Chinese and Japanese food, you won't feel too disappointed. PROS: Usually no waiting for a table on Friday and weekend nights there. Last few times I've been at Zen Buffet which was quite recent, we never had to wait to be seated and there were plenty of open tables. Walnut shrimp, Peking duck (they have the salt right next to it) and the orange chicken are delicious. The sushi consist of nigiri sushi, California rolls, nice assortment of dragon rolls, and sashimi (tuna and salmon) are quite tasty. Bok Choy and sautéed string beans is good too. They have plenty of crab legs. In contrast to Hometown Buffet & Hibachi Buffet, there is much more variety of food you can eat at Zen Buffet. CONS: Last time I went there which was about a few week ago, I didn't bother getting the Prime rib because they didn't have Au Jus and horse radish sauce. They can improve their salad section. It was pretty bland. They do lose points for their service. The host asked after seating us 'What do you want?' In reference to what we wanted to drink. It wasn't even a busy, hectic night. A kind 'what would you like to drink?' would have been better. Not too friendly but it's a buffet. You go to buffets to serve yourself to the food. It would be nice if customers can serve yourself to the drinks such as the way it is over at Hometown Buffet and Souplantation. There are other Asian buffets such as Todai which I don't like and K-Buffet in Montebello which I haven't tried and Hibachi in Alhambra which is smaller in choice of food. But for me, Zen Buffet stands out as the place to dine at for it's 11.99-$12.99 price with the coupon, variety, walnut shrimp, Peking duck, orange chicken, and sushi.
(4)Ley O.
I just walked out of this establishment in complete and utter disgust. I came in here with my family to celebrate a birthday and enjoy some sea food. As I was eating my food my sister was taking a bite into her walnut shrimp and noticed that there was something there. She noticed that there was a cockroach in her shrimp. It was clear that the cockroach had been fried with the shrimp. In disbelief she walked to the front counter and asked for the manager. When the manager arrived to our table she had a bad attitude and hostile demeanor. She blamed the cockroach on a exterminating company that cleans the restaurant every two weeks. We had just sat down to eat and told her we would not continue to eat and would not be paying for the meal. The manager said she would comp my sisters meal and give the rest of our party a discount. We will be reporting this incident to the BBB. If I could give this place 0 or negative stars I would. I'm glad my sister has a tendency of looking at her food before she puts it in her mouth. This was a traumatic experience and the management just made everything worse with their bad attitudes. I tried asking for the owners number and everyone (servers) just ignore me and started speaking their native language which I clearly could not understand. I am so disgusted and I hope you guys take time to read my review, because I would not want anyone eating food that has been contaminated with pests.
(1)Alexis O.
I don't know about you guys, but my experience here was pretty good - it's not like I have low expectations or anything either. I didn't give it 5 stars but it was pretty close. I came here on a Wednesday night with my family. Sure, the waiters don't talk to you or anything but they came by at very opportune times to refill drinks and take away plates. I guess Americans are used to waiters that linger and make convo and whatnot? I personally like my waiters curt and at a distance, I hate hoverers. That said, they never failed to do their job. They even sang happy birthday to like three different tables and I don't really know any other Asian places that did that. The food was good. I was impressed and I'm hard to impress (I am a woman, hah). Even my super particular little sister who never eats anything had her plates full. She was super cute (objective irrelevant info) and so happy with the selection of food. My parents were pleased too, and they never like anything. We loved the fresh to grill oysters and the sushi (you gotta know how to pick them though). The rest of the food were pretty good too. I feel like some people bash buffets because they don't love every single thing there, but everybody has different preferences and taste buds, people. They COULD work on hygiene though, as tongs and stuff goes, but I can see they try. We all left satisfied and on a full belly, and no one got sick - I mean that should be a given but mentioned for the sake of the other reviews. And I'm known for having gotten food poisoning like three/four times the past two years! (sensitive stomach) Sorry some of y'all had bad experiences but mine was great. I'd come back!
(4)Klein G.
I have not even ate here yet and don't plan to. I just want to say that this place sucks ass! Walked in once and walked right out. Nuff said.
(1)Scott K.
I cannot believe how wonderfully quality of the food was here, great the service, and professional staff. A check for $30 for two people that included a seafood buffet, sashimi bar, and chocolate fountain seems tragically underpriced. I waited for an hour though for there to be sufficient quantities of king crab, and when there was a selfish gunsel who decided to steal every single one of them onto his own plate, I confronted him about his dishonoring of the system of unwritten laws that keeps everything in a delicate balance with regards to buffet etiquette. The patient wait-staff calmed my indignation and then served us our very own plate of crab legs happily. I am appalled at the negative reviews, because for the value and price, location and courtesy of everyone involved... this is a tremendous value and a restaurant whose proprietors and staff deserve to have a positive Yelp review!
(4)Pear M.
I used to like Zen buffet last visited at Acadia every things wasn't good. Low quality nothing tast good I don't think I gonna go back again. Now many buffet open around.
(1)Annie G.
youtu.be/f_9w4INvj9I skip to 2:20 for Zen Buffet Hadn't been to Zen for years, so we thought we'd give it a try. (had coupons from the in-laws) Sorry Zen, we tried to like you, we really did..... Quality of the food was very poor and barely edible. I would have to admit though, the sushi wasn't too bad. I enjoyed the salmon. All the cooked food that I tried was pretty gross. We won't be returning anytime soon.
(1)Vincent W.
If I had the option to give this "buffet" a 0 star, I would. I might even give it a Negative review. I don't know where to start, because everything from the servers to food was a complete disappointment. So let's start with the food shall we? The "food" that zen buffet offers is disgusting. Attached to this review will be a picture of the Hibachi Grill meat. That meat, as you can see for yourself, is discolored. There are two scenarios that can be possible. Either the meat is freezer burned due to improper sealing, or the meat is spoiled. It takes about a MONTH or more for meat to show symptoms of discoloration (with proper freezing). The meat is also continuously refrozen and thawed countless times. The meat can be contaminated through improper storage procedures, thawing, and refreezing. Is the Owner of Zen Buffet trying to kill their customers or what? There are numerous diseases that people can contract from exogenous meat (meat contaminated after slaughter) such as bovine tuberculosis, salmonella, listeriosis...the list goes on. THANK GOD there wasn't a chef present at the Grill to cook or else Zen Buffet may have been presented with a lawsuit. The meat was also put on a plate that wasn't chilled with ice or any sort of cooling. If that is the meat they serve at the Hibachi Grill, just IMAGINE what kind of meat they are serving in their other entrees. Probably some gross cross-contaminated chicken. Honestly who knows? Just looking at the meat presented at the Hibachi Grill made me lose my appetite. I was done eating. Aside from the meat, the sushi rice was harder than it should be. Noting again that the food made at Zen Buffet is not "freshly made" like they boast on their take out menu. There was also a cockroach near the steamed rice counter. Let me say that again. A COCKROACH. I have a video/picture attached to the review. See for yourself. When was the last time the health inspector checked out this place? Disgusting. Cockroach video link: mail-attachment.googleus… Service: From the time I sat down, to the time I left, my plate and the plates of my friends never got cleared off the table. The table looked cluttered with bones, clam shells, and other half finished food. Also for water and fountain drinks, I would have to constantly ask the servers to refill my drinks. Advice: Honestly I don't need variety if all that variety is crap and inedible. I'd much rather have you serve 10 dishes that are all cooked to perfection than 100 entrees that are all crap. As an average consumer and customer, I don't expect my food to end up killing me. But at Zen Buffet, I have to go through the meticulous act of checking if my food is edible. If you think Zen buffet is a GREAT place, you must be blind, crazy, or both.
(1)Pom L.
First of all, there is a big sink hole in the parking lot. I told the waitress however she did not care. The food was not great. The waiter was not nice. I am not coming this place any more.
(1)Leo L.
One of the worst quality buffet. If you come on weekday, you will be sorry. Food looks old, service is bad, they come around once in a blue moon. Price is quite high for food quality.
(1)L. T.
This is one of the top places to me for the worst ayce. I don't care how much you pay here. If you know the saying you get what you pay for that is what best describes this place. For those people who doesn't care about quality come here. If I saw they had peat in the food for sure I wouldn't come here.
(1)Jennifer N.
Chinese families love buffets. Why? They cater to everyone of all age groups and you can eat without shame with the perceived notion of a ton of food and a ton of variety. We came here on Christmas Day after deciding not to go to the KBBQ in the same place because there were children and it was dangerous for them to be around a grill. We agreed and made the unanimous decision to go to Zen. It was also a unanimous agreement that they seriously suck. It's not a surprise that Zen Buffet has really low Yelp rating as it is because their food department (or lack thereof) is consistently disgraceful quality. Not only is the hosts the first people you see, they are also the first people to make the experience bad. Okay yeah maybe they were bitter because they had to work on Christmas, but come on. Restaurant life. The food. Was a nightmare. On Christmas, they jack up the price to $19.99 per person, which is also the same price at the Korean BBQ place. And really, it's not the price that really bothered me, it was the lack of anything special to make it even close to that. The food is extremely greasy, made poorly and lack every essence of what the food/dish should be. I tried the "crab legs" and they were mushy and had a very unclean taste. The clams, too. And the monstrosity they call lobster. I decided to just get some steamed fish, which was also horrible because the fish had the same mushed texture and unpalatable taste. Nightmare. I decided then to just skip the seafood and try their meats and veggies. I didn't even want to stop by the sushi station because sanitation. It's not worth your holy bodies to get sick from this food, trust me. The chicken was the only decent thing they could make. Beef had a very weird tenderized texture. YUCK. More importantly, aside from the food being horrid quality, what really bothered me was the fact that the guys that worked in the sushi station kept pointing and laughing at people as they passed and was saying things about what they're getting. I saw an elderly lady get something from the "sushi bar" and two guys were holding their laughter in like they knew something was wrong with the food. It was disgusting. All in all, i would rather spend my money elsewhere. I'd rather pay 3x somewhere else where restaurant goers are treated with respect and dignity. I really don't care what people say about Chinese restaurants and customer service. No one should ever feel that disrespected in a place where they're shelling out money and dining with their families. The food was also representative of what management really thinks about their customers. Like trash.
(1)Chrisel V.
I showed up for lunch (right when the restaurant opened) and none of the food was hot. I'm talking about their soup, tempura, orange chicken, beef, and everything that is meant to be warm. All buffet food should be warmed up to a certain temperature if it's going to be left out for several hours for people to serve themselves (otherwise customers can get sick). That's just one thing to think about. Also, the food just didn't taste great at all. If you're more interested in paying the lowest price possible for a buffet, go for it. But if you want to eat food that's actually palatable and safe to eat, you probably shouldn't eat here.
(1)Ed T.
I try to keep an open eye and be objective so I decided to take my teenager here and give it a try. It is so bad that he refused to eat First plate. There is a smell in the oil that mades everything taste awful. He says it smell like gasoline. We tried the Mongolian BBQ but the beef taste like it is spoiled! We tried the sushi and it didn't taste right. The best dish is the bao with cream inside. Although there are lots of varieties but it is not good and because I am watching my weight, I rather walked out and get fat for nothing! It is not the money, it is time wasted! Moral of the story: buffet is bad for me! It is better to have a little bid of quality than quantity, unless you just want to gain weight!
(1)Manuel B.
Had dinner here once and it was good. They had a good variety and plenty of food. I plan on going back.
(4)Linda L.
I have had the rare opportunity to eat at Zen Buffet one day and Golden Hibachi the next and believe me it's not my choice just the two families having similar outings. To start with Zen, the crab legs are cold and way too salty. Don't know the reason for this but I have my suspicions. Second the roast beef is excellent and cooked right also the beef ribs cooked good. The sushi is mediocre and that's just how Chinese do it. The deserts are excellent with good selection. The place is getting a little ran down but I expect the owners to make improvements after reading this. The price is good and don't have any issues with it. I'm not a picky eater it's just that the crab legs better be good and the place needs to be clean. Sorry Zen for the 3 stars but you do match up to the others. Now as far as Golden Hibachi, the crab legs are hot and flavorful and not too salty. The sushi is mediocre but the Agro sushi guy has got to go. as all and they don't know how to cook roast beef . I think they use a convection oven to blow them out. The roast beef lacks much flavor. Deserts, where are they? The place looks new and remodeled but the bathrooms still old and filthy. Why stop here? The filthy bathrooms bring my rating down. Overall it's 3 stars and between the two it's a tie. So either or it's up to you. My heart goes to Zen for so many good times. You just need a tune up. The Arcadia zen is much nicer.
(3)Ana A.
Stay Away from this Place We bought a gift certificate from this place as a gift for our parents in January 2014 that says valid for 1 year. After my parents finished their meal and presented the certificate the staff and manager did not accept it because it says it is under new management. My parents argued that it was bought from Zen irregardless of management and the date is still valid, but they insist that it was not acceptable. my parents had to pay for their meal.
(1)Judy K.
I called a day before Memorial day to ask three questions, 1. Do you serve lunch on Memorial day? It is a holiday: Yes 2. How much is it? $8.99 3. What time you open on Memorial day? 11am I found only my question #3 was answered correctly. They serve dinner all day for holiday at $12.99. The cashier didn't apologize, only kept saying she didn't answer the phone. I tried to talk to the manager, but she didn't even let me talk, kept saying "today is Memorial day and price is $12.99 all day." Usually, it's hard to expect a great service at low-priced Chinese buffets, but it was still very disappointng, and I left without eating there.
(1)Gela A.
This review is not for the food because I couldn't even get past the hostess to try out the food. This review is for the attitude of the face of the restaurant--the reception/hostess. Very bad attitude, acts like she doesn't care if you go or not. I don't think the owner values their customers otherwise they would have realized that the staff at the front of their store is just as important as those inside. I will NOT be going there and giving my hard-earned money to this establishment. Please check out the other negative reviews on the food here. Enough said.
(1)Chi T.
Isn't ironic that the parking lot was full, but the restaurant was half empty? Well, we thought it was. We were seated right away by a not so pleasant hostess who took our drink order. After that, we were pretty much left alone except when staff came to clear our plates. They never refilled my water or asked my bf if he wants another beer. Food there was not very good, but then again, it is a buffet, so I didn't expect better. Most of the food were on the salty side, so I don't recommend those with high blood pressure eating here. We managed to snag three king crab legs before they disappeared. And I don't know why it's such a popular item other than the fact that it's expensive, because there was no taste to it unless you count the salt. I was so happy to see that they have crawfish. Tried some, and boy, was I disappointed! Again, there was no seasoning in it. I took 4, but could only stomach 2 of them. Being a fan of sushi, I also made the mistake of trying their sushi. I had smelt eggs. They were frugal with the eggs, which weren't half bad. As for the seaweed, I couldn't chew it apart and the rice tasted like they're several days old. My bf had the salmon sashimi, and he said they almost had some taste. Yes, they were that not good. I think one of their only redeeming dishes is their hot and sour soup. That was well seasoned and contained the usual ingredients, which they didn't seem to skimp on. I also tried their miso soup, which was a disappointment. It was mostly large pieces of seaweed and uncut tofu. When we went to pay, we had a coupon for $3 off each adult, except it wasn't printed. The cashier said that per their policy, they only take printed coupons so they weren't going to honor ours. According to the online coupon, there was no mention of needing to print and present to the cashier. Needless to say, we were not happy. It's a good thing I live close by because the bf went home and printed the coupons so we were able to save the $6. All in all, I would not come back here again. The food and service are not worth the price.
(2)Lisa B.
The waitress at this restaurant was very rude. She would not refill drinks unless we complained. Also rude to my daughter saying rudely that she needed to pass plates down to the other side of the table instead of going around herself to pick them up. Another waiter came over to help us several times to see if we needed anything. Also being a buffet we were given the check while on our 1st plate of food.
(1)Romana L.
Did not expect this place to have such low ratings! I was disappointed in the food selection.. Thought there would be oysters like the Zen Buffet in Monrovia. But, I thought the service was decent. Maybe me & my boyf came at a good time.. The servers refilled our drinks & took our plates away fairly quick. Prob won't be returning here tho due to the lack of food selection. If anything, I'll prob go to the Zen buffet in Monrovia. :]
(3)Alex H.
Please do not spend your money here. On weekends, they are okay. But any other day, the food is not food; completely inedible. I came in at 7:30pm and stayed until 9pm. I stayed so long because I was waiting for new food to come out. My entire time there, no new food was brought to the heating tables. All the food has been sitting, went cold and gone inedible. The sashimi was inadequately cut, and cut way to thick. They close at 9:30 but the kitchen was obviously closed since I arrived, also at 8:40 they already cleared and cleaned one of the steam tables. Overall highly unsatisfied experience and will not be coming back.
(1)M W.
Very bad food, I won't eat again! Just very few food there. Taste not good. The plates had water on it and not clean.
(1)Jenny L.
No. Just no. No no no. This place is a disgrace to all Asian buffets...and Asian buffets aren't even "prestigious." In other words, I don't have high standards walking into any Asian buffet. Zen buffet is just disgusting. I haven't been back since the first time my family tried it and really do not plan on returning EVER. Food is all lukewarm and not fresh, plus the plates and everything were so dirty. It's a miracle I didn't get food poisoning from this place... Plus I've heard it's gotten more expensive! We only went because it was "new" at the time so they sent us coupons since we live near by..... Still would never go back even with 10 coupons!
(1)Eric M.
It's only ok with their $6.99 lunch couple on weekdays. Each one is good for up to 8 people on a single check. Otherwise, I would not come here paying full price. At lunch, I believe the best thing is the noodle soup station. It's better than some regular restaurants. Otherwise, I enjoyed the nacho cheese dispenser and chips. Everything is edible, just not great. The finished tables can go unattended for a while before they clean up, I noticed.
(3)Bomber A.
I like the fact that the restaurant is cleaned and well maintained, the food was great especially the price. Sushi bar was surprisingly good, and food selection is great too, i got no complain so far, and il definitely come back here and bring my mom :-)
(4)A K.
A few years ago, we had a coupon to Zen buffet so we decided to try this location. The food was thoroughly awful and I was unimpressed enough with the experience to not come back again for years(coupon or not). We recently heard this location was taken over by new management recently and decided to give it another try. Asian buffets are actually a bit of an Achilles heel though I always regret it but if you put sushi on the menu, I'm yours. Based on my last experience, I wasnt expecting much. But wow what a pleasant surprise this was!!! Fresh seafood, piles of super fresh salmon sashimi, a good selection of rolls and a ton of other entrees to choose from. The new management upped the ante for certain and we will be back! If you swore off this place due to past experiences, I'd say if you are craving an ayce asian buffet experience, maybe drop by this place again! Hopefully, you will be as pleasantly surprised as I was!
(5)Michelle T.
I've never really had problems eating here. For $8 a person you cant expect much. Lunch is okay, I would rather pay an extra $5 for dinner. They have what you would expect for a $13 all you can eat cheap Asian buffet. Of course the food is going to be cheap. The sushi is pretty decent and overall the food is pretty good. I love coming back here every now and again.
(4)Gigi G.
Went here on the weekend once and it was okay. The second time, it was decided that we couldn't return. The food is really oily and heavy and tastes just okay. The prices are kinda high if you go on the weekend. The last time I was there I thought, so many choices but nothing I wanted to eat. Won't be back.
(1)Wilson C.
Was here on a Wednesday afternoon with my wife and two kids, the dining experiences was really bad due to service from the front counter Asian lady. My son, 1-yr old was playing with condiment sugar packages and she came over with madness saying we are not suitable to dine here?!! She also said we are wasting their sugar packages cuz they didn't charge on it!!! She used Chinese and speak like she's the queen!! Anyways, we organized the condiment and left. My wife had stomached afterwards, lol. Don't come here be cuz their service really made us not coming back with that attitude!!
(1)Nancy S.
This is cheaper than Huntington. There are many kinds of seafood and sushi. There are so delicious and fresh. I will come back again
(5)Janet T.
"Today was President's Day & so I decided to take my mom out for a little buffet lunch ;)" PRICE: $14.99 per person on President's Day Feb. 17, 2014... FOOD: NOT bad... Dinner was served all day! I went for salmon sashimi & grilled oysters... my mom enjoyed everything else... she likes the stir-fried mushroom caps, crab legs, baked sole filet, stir-fried clams, surprisingly the Udon was quite good...but, of course not as good as the Udon served at LAX ;) price difference :P When rating foods I like to think about the price & not expect too much...as long as it's fresh & clean & not expired = me happy :) TRAFFIC:There was some construction going on so expect some delays if you're passing on Rosemead Blvd during these days., try to avoid that street...try coming from San Gabriel Blvd. to Las Tunas or Broadway ;) SERVICE: It's a buffet, serve yourself! Now, I have to be honest here, I was a little skeptical about the plates not being picked up as frequently bc it wasn't so busy. Drinks came out fast and the bill came out even faster!?!?!?! I will probably be back, back, back! When another salmon sashimi craving hits & I feel like saving some money otherwise, I would go to Yoshino Sushi ;)
(3)Teresa L.
I came here for the Christmas special, and on that day, they had lobster. It was hilarious to see customers linger around the lobster. The minute it came out, those customers pounced and it was gone in seconds. The restaurant did not refill the lobster when I was there, so sadly I didn't get any but I did get to see that show. PROS: *Huge selection. There's sushi, hot bars, a noodle and yakitori station, salad, desserts, soups, and ice cream. *Great service *Large space that is good for large groups *Large parking lot *Good price for the amount of selection CONS *Some of the food was average-tasting, but nothing was bad *Hot ticket item (the lobster) wasn't refilled OVERALL I wouldn't seek out Zen Buffet again on my own, but if someone wanted to go there, I'd be down.
(4)Richard L.
Pros: + The Salmon Sashimi was excellent, best I had eat for sub $20 Buffet. + Serve Lamb Skewer (Using Charcoal) + Have HDTV showing ESPN + Huge Oyster + Good value with coupon + Salad quality and selection was actually pretty good. Cons: - The wanton soup wasn't good at all - Soup isn't good too plain and water. - Many of the hot dish is quite dry. I like this location more than Monrovia, despite that location has slight better rating. The lamb skewer/udon/wonton soup replacemetn over mongoria bbq is a better choice. Only problem it take a long time cook the skewer but it does tasted as good as typical restaurant quality. Their seafood was overall very good for a buffet, some like the Salmon Sashimi is more like Japanese restaurant quality, maybe I just lucky that time. If you don't like seafood don't bother come here, their non seafood isn't good, medicore at best.
(4)Bernice T.
Price: decent for lunch, $9.85 or so. Food: the food looks tempting. Epecially the mussels and "fresh" fish. They don't serve much seafood during lunch time. Problem: both my friend and I got really sick from food poisoning. I couldnt sleep the whole night and still had to work early in the morning. Unless you have a steel stomach, you might not want to try this place
(1)Rich C.
I have to say I've been to many buffet but the feel of this buffet is like I walked into a Panda fast food and I'm serving myself and the selection is a little better. I think food at panda is better than here. The choices of food is subpart and the taste even worst than most fast food. It doesn't deserve your hard earn dollars. The sushi selection look like they've cut, served and regurgitated days ago. The desert selection looks like the desert that were served in prison on special holidays to appease the masses and prevent rioting. This place doesn't deserve your hard earn dollars.
(2)Idy H.
No good. Don't go. Waste of money. The only thing edible was the snow crab for dinner and that's bc I am biased to it and love that stuff no matter what or where.
(1)Rachel L.
we came here today because we wanna eat that AYCE BBQ next to it, but there were too many people. We don't want to wait so we went into the buffet. First it's so crowded so we think it might be good. BUT I think I was wrong. I mean some of the food is pretty nice, only a few of them though... THE service was so bad, three waiters and one waitress passed by us and just ignored the plates that's empty. We wanna have more water and there is no one around. And it's very loud, maybe because it's a kid's birthday or something. I don't think I will go back again...
(1)Julia P.
I never go to a buffet unless it's with a big group of people or family. This time it was with both. Standard Asian buffet with pretty much everything you could think of in Asian cuisine. Vegetables were fresh in the salad bar and wait...they had prime rib and pizza?! Overall it was okay. It wasn't amazing or horrible. Funny how the best tasting things were the most fried...time for a week long diet.
(2)Hung T.
This place is clean but the taste of the food isn't good. I would rather eat at home than waste money here. IT'S DISGUSTING!!!!!
(1)Jim F.
I swore I would not eat at this garbage ass place again and fml, my dad wanted to eat here for his bday. I said no, but I saw some reviews about food quality going up, either these Yelpers are their friends or eat shit on a daily basis. I tried a little bit of everything and everything was gross. So i scooped up some chow mein thinking they cant f*ck it up, noodles are soggy and over cooked, wtf. My parents kept complaining about sand in the clams. If you plan to eat here, save your money and pick something out of the garbage can, its probabaly better.
(1)Katie C.
Typical asian style buffet but the food doesn't seem to be as good as the other asian buffets around SGV even though it's the same price or more.
(2)Rebeca S.
Only been here once in Dec,large group/party not going to return so there was a lot of people in there so I guess people like it, but every food item I tried was very bland,you need to salt or soy sauce everything to give it flavor, everything lacked flavor down to the ice cream/frozen yogurt, not 1 topping for that! the sushi looked good however I don't care for sushi except for the CA rolls but they all had avocado in them! And no one was making avocado free ones for me. Seated for at least 20 minutes eating a server finally took drink orders, never came back to refill! My 12 yr old son found the fountain and refilled his cup, after following the server to see where they keep it, no not recommending at all, better off at The Hat across the street.
(1)Kin Tat N.
Price n food OK. Very poor service. The manager named Min n one staff yanged up on me and raised their voices when they would not honor a coupon for the whole party when the coupon says "VALID FOR ENTIRE PARTY". VERY VERY BAD SERVICE! NO TIPS DUE TO POOR SERVICE!!!
(1)Aundrey H.
Tonight was horrible out of many previous visit. Food was not fresh and service is very poor. Wait person not attentive. Management, cannot communicate English fluently. Horrible experience they all acted likethey don't care.
(1)Samantha I.
Came here for the first time a couple of months ago and the food was mediocre. Today I decided to give them a second chance and was utterly disgusted. I should have known to turn away when The lobby reaks of cigarettes even the California law regulates that smoking is prohibited within 20 feet of restaurants..The mushrooms were saltier than the ocean, their "honey walnut shrimp" was drenched in mayonnaise!! The plates looked like they hadn't even been washed today.. Can easily say I will never spend another dime in this place.. The only reason I'm even giving them one star is because yelp enforces it...
(1)Cindy L.
Two word FOOD POISONING!!! Their so called fresh thing ain't so fresh, this is the first and only buffet I went and got food poisoning! DO NOT GO!!!
(1)磊
The food is ok just ok. But those waitress is really bad attitude, they make you feel like beggars.
(1)Mko L.
I am visiting from Ft Lauderdale FL, my friend took me to Zen Buffet. She told me they had new management with good food, true to their word, They had great selection and I ate way too many crab legs! I was very surprised by the pricing, too - the dinner was on $14, which was a step considering all the fresh seafood! I highly recommend this place!
(5)Teemo Carry U.
My family loves going here whenever we have a big group of celebrations. It's usually dinner time when we come here. The wait is never more than 30 minutes. Services alright. They will try to change your finished plate out for you and at times it may be sitting there at your table for more than 2 minutes. The bummer thing about this is the nacho machine that never seems to work. Fruits seems kind of fresh. They have xiu mai here and the salmons good. So make sure you get it before its gone!
(3)Benjamin B.
What do you expect from a cheap buffet? ;D
(2)Lawrence Z.
Delicious food, great service, the maneger Katrina is super nice to customer. I really enjoy eating there.
(5)Baby D.
I yelped prior to coming here today and saw the terrible ratings. Due to hunger decided to give it another try since i havent gone in years and it wasnt great from what i remember. Its horrible. Worse than i remember. The food was bad- the sushi bar was so pathetic, the chefs didnt even bother to put ripe avocados in the rolls, they were still hard. The service was worse than the food... our server never came by to ask for anything, and no one came by to fill up our water. The only people who worked hard were the guys picking up the dirty trays. We will not be returning,
(2)Dodie A.
Sorry..won't be coming back to this place again..service was ok, but the food is NOT fresh..my daughter found small bug in her salmon sushi..we inform the manager that we found bug and we even made sure the we personally showed it to them. All they did was offer a new servings..wow we lost our appetite..needless to say later on that night my stomach started hurting..
(1)Gary K.
I only come here when my boss has some get-together event and would be rude on my part not to attend. This happens roughly twice a year and every time I do come I get sick. The first time this year I had to stay home for 1 full week to recover from some really bad food poisoning. I did however lose nearly 10 pounds, but through pure agony. Today i had to come again for his birthday and I ate crapload of yogurt an hour before to have my gut ready. I stayed completely away from all the cold stuff (sushi, salad, fruits, etc..). So if it wasn't steaming hot, pass. After an hour after the meal, I was feeling bloated and ready for some ass vomit. My mom who was there wasn't as lucky, she had to go 3x in span of 3 hrs. conclusion: you better have the zen-vaccine if you want to at least enjoy a good time with friends. Service: rude Sanitation: none Food: Yummy microbes Price: who cares even if its free
(1)JoJo B.
Where else can I eat sushi and pizza at the same time for a fraction of the price ? here!! Not sure why so many negative reviews. The buffet was a huge variety, was decently clean, normal temperature, and service. The restaurant had clean and roomy tables , but the floors felt sticky as I walked, and I think the staff should clean the tongs once in awhile. People use those tongs for all the foods near it to put food on their plate and layers of old food dries on it and touches my fresh food. Also the tongs need a distinct place to sit. I can't tell if those plates are for the tongs to sit or if it was someone's dirty plate just sitting there. (Near the sushi, if fresh sushi is out the tongs usually sit on plates) The floors should be mopped once in awhile. It was a busy restaurant but definitely not crowded. The service is attentive to get our refills and take away our dirty plates. They aren't super friendly but not mean either. Communication is minimal. The sushi is very fresh and I saw the chef put more new rolls out each time. Amazing sashimi. The rolls mostly consist of crabmeat, some eel, and crunchy shrimp. Yummmm. Pizza is soft and too cheesy. Crawfish are fresh. The bacon shrimp was delish if you like chewy bacon. The miso soup was not hot like the other soups. Still tasted good though. The lid was broken though. I like that there is a stash of napkins, silverware and chopsticks so no need to ask. The reason I took off a star was because the entire time we ate, I smelled cigarette smoke on and off. Not sure where it was coming from but our seat was near the kitchen/staff door. It eventually got worse and stronger as we continued to eat longer. I felt like gagging. Not how I want to enjoy my food. I prefer colder restaurants that involve a jacket but it was just normal here. If they sanitized a little better, didn't smoke , and maybe smiled more it'd be a 5 star. The food is such a great price though. It beat my expectations.
(4)Wendy N.
I love the clams at this place. The other buffets I visit do not have any sauce. It's so plain. At least this place has sauce on their clams. Other than the clams, nothing else is good. I make sure I get my money's worth by eating over 4 lbs. of clams every time I come here!
(3)Rose R.
These people have bad cuustomer service they are fuckin ignorente and they act lije if they dont want u here
(1)Alonso G.
Good price for a lunch buffet, nice atmosphere, decent service, but the selection did not impress and was limited. Sushi was not fresh at all and even their fruit selection was limited. Wont be coming back for lunch anytime soon.
(2)Clement H.
Came here for lunch with my co-worker and lunch selection really need improvement. The food is too greasy, and somewhat tasy. Overall you can not expect too much for the price and if you want a good buffet. Well somewhat recommended.
(3)Alex Victor M.
There is something for everyone. Be it tepid water, "Fresh" fish, "beef" broccoli, or any other food they offer-you'll be sure to take part in the horrible nausea inducing food poisoning. And for three people and a small child, to pay $60 is just ridiculous. Youre welcome. Ps. I only enjoyed the jello.
(1)Kurt W.
It is ok! well the mushrooms are very spicy.
(3)Iakona C.
We have had our annual banquet at the Zen for the past two years. Thankfully, I had a much better experience this year compared to last. Typical AYCE Chinese buffet. Was relatively crowded which I always like to see at a buffet. I avoided any raw items and any shellfish/seafood as I got sick last year. Favorite dish was the char-siu and the salt/pepper chicken. Service has always been good maybe b/c we are a banquet. Our plates get changed out promptly and drinks are always full. Best of all, the wait staff is always helpful in getting the LCD setup for my technology lacking brain.. Will be back if the club votes on Zen again next year...
(3)Dionne L.
The reason why I had given this restaurant a 1 star is because of the horrible, rude customer service my family and I had received. I was visiting my family and took them here because we wanted to eat - a lot. We arrived at the restaurant at 8:45PM and they closed at 9:30PM. We just stuffed our faces until they closed. Some of the food was good, some of them, you can tell it's been days old. As we were finishing our last plates, I noticed the employees were storing the food in containers... Well.. now I know for sure they do store their food. With the employees busy cleaning up.. My boyfriend went to go ask the waiter for a glass of water. The waiter then LOUDLY and rudely says, "NO! WE ARE CLOSED!" Including the waving of the hands and fists. Then walks away glaring at us. Another waiter, who was nice enough, came and gave us water and told the other waiter off. We were astounded by how we were treated. And it wasn't that late (9:35PM at this point). We gave the nice waiter a fat tip and thanked him and stormed off I only made an yelp account to let people know about this restaurant, DO NOT COME HERE! IT'S PRICEY, RUDE SERVICE, AND STORED FOOD!
(1)Alan K.
I understand now why this place has low ratings. I came here for lunch hoping to stuff my face silly. Unfortunately, the food selection consisted of filler only. Lots of rice dishes, sushi (more rice), and noodles (even more rice). Also, the soups tasted as though they had lots of MSG in it as well. The food was greasy, oily, fried, and not very appetizing. The service was also spotty. They were more concerned about getting more customers in the restaurant than attending to the customers that were actually in the restaurant.
(2)George H.
If there is a no star option, I would give them a no star. I've been coming to this place for a while now since it's very close to my house, and the food is kind of a hit and miss. But most of the time, it's a miss. The only reason i would come here is the coupons they offer. The customer service here is almost none existence, but I am fine with it since it's all you can eat self serve buffet. This is one of those restaurants that I would not bother coming up to yelp to leave a review, but what happened recently prompted me to write one here. Me and my buddies were here on a Thursday night. Again, we came here because we had the $3.00 off per person coupon. When we sat down with the food in our plates, we both noticed that the water boiled shrimp had a very nasty odor to it. we ended up putting the shrimp aside, but that was a mistake, now it stunk up our fingers. The snow crabs was very bad, really bad it tasted like it was dipped in a bowl of salt. Anyways, there was too many misses that night. But what really offended us was when the bill came. Apparently, my buddies forgot to give the waiter the coupon, so we asked the cashier to redo the bill. She simply said it was too troublesome and keep stating that we can use it for future visits. Well, in future visits, we'll have new coupons!!! I asked her if it was restaurant policy that they cannot change the bill, but she couldn't answer me. this went on back and forth for about 5 minutes then we decided to ask for the manager, in which the cashier refused to call her manager. It was at this point, my buddy blew up and started demanding that we talk to the manager. In the end, we did not get our discount, though it's a small amount of cash, but the attitude this establishment has towards their customer is rude and unprofessional, but again, most Chinese restaurants in the San Gabriel Valley are none existence when it comes to customer service. We would never come to this place again and we would recommend those seeking a terrible buffet experience to give this place a try.
(1)Thitikan T.
Normally, I didn't give 5 stars on yelp. (Only complains lol) but here I feel it worth it. Sunday late lunch at $16.99.- Fresh salmon, sushi not much to select but delicious. Will come back for crab!
(5)LG B.
I've never been to a "good" Chinese/Asian buffet. Therefore, my expectations for them are low. Thus, I was not that disappointed by this restaurant as I should've been. The food varies from good to bad, fresh to gross. I have to say that they got a nice sushi bar. But the grill and udon bar needs some improvement. The owner really needs to focus on the quality of the food.. Is not always about the taste. The boiled fish taste well, but it was so soft... That chewing wasn't needed.
(3)D C.
Was driving through town and stopped here for a change of pace. This place is a buffet goldmine for me! Similar to el Rio Vegas, the place exudes class. Besides a worker checking his phone instead of being attentive to its guests, the atmosphere's great, food's fresh and top quality. Even has Korean Kim Chee! I gotta say, these guys at Zen probably hated me because I eat a lot! Looking at some stars and notice a some one or two stars... Are they on "crack"?! Absolutely impossible!! For basically $20/adult you get everything of high quality food at an A graded joint. Pros: *Sushi *BBQ Beef Ribs *Kim Chee *Crab Legs *Dessert... Etc Cons: Employee checking on cell phone instead of guests One large TV, could probably use at least a few more well placed At least a few of the workers don't seem to understand any English but didn't mind Sits next to PepBoys: that might be a negative for some diners but a positive for me! Great Place!
(5)J C.
More of a fast food buffet joint. Went here for lunch and it was $7.99 weekday special and soda was $1.89. Best was actually the frozen yogurt... i wont come back to this joint again, but it aint all bad... Saw a family of 4 ate and didnt even leave a dollar tip... The workers there was not happy.
(3)Samantha C.
Meh. I wanted to give this place the benefit of the doubt. I was hesitant to try to sushi, but I love sushi so I went for it. I felt kinda sick afterwards. As for the other dishes, I didn't find one dish I really liked at all. They basically all lacked flavor. The only thing that I ate many of was the marshmallows because they're store bought...so that doesn't really count. $17 dollars for dinner. Go spend your money somewhere else. There's a hometown buffet across the street, a Hat next door, and an In n Out a few blocks down. Eat somewhere else and you won't leave hungry like I did.
(1)Maggie L.
NononononononononononononononononononononnonnoonnoÂnonnonoonnonononoononnnoononononnoonoonn. DON'T GO HERE if you would like to live. YesyeysesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyeÂsyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyesyes. If you love food poisoning and crappy food but then again you can get the same thing from a dumpster for free! I got sick from the sashimi there. Okay honestly half the blame is on me. The fish was obviously nasty but I still chose to eat a couple pieces. Shame on me.
(1)David C.
I just sign up to write a review. I can't believe they would use the same water that would boil meat to re heat the crab legs. 1) the crab legs smells like pork 2) it was slimy, probably from the fat of the meat they boiled before the legs 3) when I told the waiter, he didn't even cared and just toss out my plate. I would not recommend this place anymore. Unless your looking to lose weight by having a major diarrhea!!!
(1)Aurora L.
2 stars? You people are harsh! It is a buffet after all.. Can't expect it to be spectacular. I really must say though, this place has drastically improved. When I'd have a lunch date with my mom I'd be quite sad when she'd suggest coming to zen.. " okay mom... * sad face * but I'd suck it up and life goes on. The last time I came I was really quite shocked and impressed at how decent everything tasted. I left full and satisfied, Which has happened...NEVER. The sushi selection is much bigger now and is really much tastier. They've even added in a noodle bar, with udon, beef noodles and wonton soup. They're just missing the ramen, but i highly doubt that'll be added in anytime soon. They have a pretty wide selection of dishes and you can't beat the lunch price. Next time my mom suggests Zen.. it won't be an exact smile but It also won't be a frown either. One more thing, my phone was dying and I asked the hostess If I could use her Iphone charger and she gladly said yes. Awesome. +1 star
(4)Mister M.
I have been here many times, not too often, but i have eaten here many times. The food is pretty good, but i was there yesterday and the CARPET is very very disgusting and it looks very filthy. I was trying to avoid looking down while i was eating, but i just couldn't help it, and the more i noticed it, the food began to taste bad as well. Let me ask you people, if you are eating on top of such filth, how do you think the kitchen is?? I don't think i will be going to eat there any time soon. Not until they replace that carpet. What kind of IDIOT decides to put a carpet in such place, like in a buffet with lots of traffic inside?? Some managers! By the way, the "sushi" is pretty darn bad, not so great taste. I think i am going to start going to the buffet on Arcadia on Huntington Dr and problem solved.
(1)Sam W.
It's just bad. I can't believe I came eat here. I see it bad rating on Google and Yelp, but had to see it for myself. The foods are bad, many verities are out, left an empty tray there. The foods are not prepare fast enough for people. Other verities are not fresh, over cooked, and some left out too long. I would not suggest it to anyone. Oh, by the way, as for service, what service? Not getting any
(2)Pettra T.
Garbage. Not a place for lunch. Maybe the dinner is better. Now I see why the coupons came in the mail. Awful. The one in Monrovia is WAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY better. WaYYYYYYYYYYYY
(1)Titus T.
The food is hideous and the staffs are rude..
(1)Matt S.
I don't know what everyone here is expecting from an all-you-can-eat Chinese buffet, but Zen pretty much clears that bar for me. The food is abundant, the staff takes good care of us, I tell them it's my birthday every single time I'm there so they'll play the Chinese birthday song (they always go along with it), AND I get a free colon cleanse a few hours later. Quit complaining and bring me some more of that red BBQ pork!
(5)C. L.
Nastiest buffet I have ever eaten. Food: Very few selection. Not fresh. Tried sushi and didn't dare to take another bite (old, stale, sogging) if you are meat lover, tough luck. They only have chicken and only two types of dishes (fried and boiled) Oh there is steak but u won't stand a chance because the people will hog it all the moment it came out. Dont worry of missing out bc its very chewy and bland. Tricking you of crab legs but they are salty and old. Just yuck. Plain yuck!! Price: very expensive ($15-$20) with very few selections and poor quality of food. Service: horrible. Only 1/2 star if possible. Girl front desk very rude. Hardly see any waiter come to refill water. Best just bring your own water bottle. Been here three times before I rate it. Three times are all the same: BAD! Therefore this place is BAD!!! I have tried many buffets and they are not only in California so I know what it's good. To give this place a 1star they are only worth 1 star.
(1)Melissa L.
Granted that I am from Indiana but this buffet was one of the better Chinese buffets that I have ever been to! Awesome oyster grill area and udon station. The food was pretty fresh. I would have liked to see more variety in the sushi area though. The desserts were pretty nice but arranged kind of weird. There was some desserts next to the seafood station. I did like all the food that I tasted.
(3)Benjamin W.
Zen Buffet management has credibility issue. I went in to make lunch reservation for a group of senior citizens after a Tuesday meeting. Coincidentally, they provide discount for seniors on Tuesday. The hostess accepted the reservation for a group of 30 plus seniors. The manager overheard our conversations. She said group party was not allowed on Tuesday! What logic is that?
(1)Jorge S.
Terrible. These people are cheap and are not aware on how customer loyalty programs work. Plus their common sense is not there
(1)D K.
I used to come here a lot, the food was much better. Since they changed owners, the food is getting worst. We were here a month ago, the crab legs were bad, the outer part were very soft, and almost no meat inside. You can tell that they bought low quality crab legs. They also changed the food selection, all bad choices. I came back last week around 2pm, DONT come around this time you will get no service. I went to get the beef noodles and rang the bell, the cook were gone for 30 mins. Then I saw 12 employees sit in the corner having lunch with guests. Very unprofessional, since when does employees sit and eat with other guests at front of house??? One lady went and complaint and they said she has to wait 10 mins cause they are having lunch. When we go to pay, they said the machine broke down and we have to sit and wait. My friend also threw up in the bathroom. We don't recommend this place, and would never come back again.
(1)Sandy L.
screw this place and the waiters working there. Management if you're reading, you better discuss with your waiters not to threaten customers about washing dishes because chairs were moved around. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO THREATEN CUSTOMERS and for management not to reprimand or fire the waiters who made such threats you are horrible and i'll never be back!. Food sucks anyways!
(1)Rex C.
There should be a no star option for reviewers to choose from yelp! Anyways, got my worst food poison ever in life, diarrhea 7 times straight !! What a nice place for people looking for lose weight lol.
(1)Trenton T.
it's been a long while since I've been to this location, but nothing has changed much other than maybe the decor. It looks more cozy, but as far as the quality of food, it's still the same low quality. I would only consider this place is all the other surrounding restaurants had closed up including Hometown Buffet. Zen's food used to be pretty good but it's still sub par and I think Zen Buffet and that new Vegas Seafood Buffet in Glendale is the same quality yet Vegas Seafood is about $5-10 more than Zen Buffet. Most buffets in southern cali are sub par and only ones in vegas are superior because of the price. So I would take caution when you go to any of the Zen Buffet locations. If you're an out of town traveler, it's good to at least eat here once, but that should be it!! Check yourself into a trauma center if you feel any uncommon sharp pains...could be from food poisoning or possible salmonella on some of their serving stations.
(2)Trinh L.
Came here all the time but Jesus Christ the price! It's rising & rising every single time I return... However they had upgrade as time pass though. They have chocolate fountain & soup section & fry oyster. There are a lot of crayfishes & crabs mostly on weekend though .... The desserts is okay not like how it's use to be & the service is pretty okay
(3)john l.
ehhh.
(2)Jackie W.
A coupon for Buy 2 Get 1 Free convinced my parents to convince me to be their "1 free." Free or not, it was so not worth the calories ingested. The food was either overly salty or overly bland or overly sweet - there was no in between. Majority of the food was dried out from the heat lamps and the sashimi/sushi looked questionable. The salmon and tuna sashimi were cut into chunks and just piled onto a plate. The king crab legs were meatless; it seems as though they caught and served all the anorexic crabs of the sea. However, I was able to enjoy the fried skin-on shrimp; they were plump and not too dried out. The fresh fruit was also enjoyable as well as hitting the froyo machine... and that's about it. Everything else felt like regret in my tummy. Some of their plates were also wet or garnished with dried scraps of food, which doesn't help your appetite at all. I am generally not fond of buffets and dining here confirmed it. Save your $14 and hit The Hat across the street. I much rather have had a pastrami sandwich tonight.
(1)Arial B.
The food is just not fresh and good... Expensive and not worth it... the yogurt they serve is very, very sour Not enough selection of fruits :( They do have a chocolate fountain :) but its not great :/
(2)Kathryn N.
Came here on a Tuesday night at 6:30, luckily it didn't fill up until 7:30 or so!! Pros: two types of mussels, cooked or covered in mayo and baked. Clams. Crab legs. Variety of soups. Sashimi salmon, and the baked crap meat on a shell (my favorite). Quite a bit of salad selection, I chose the geoduck salad. Also a chocolate fountain! Cons: My mussel had a baby crab in it! Which was a surprise, thought it was a shell. The sweet sticky rice was decent but dry on some areas. Not many really good dessert choices Food was decent but oily Slow service to refill my drink As soon as it got busy peoole would take all the sashimi, oysters and clams. And they were slow about refilling!
(3)Stephen P.
Buffets are great for family dining - great for old and young and help to cater for all. And despite the low Yelp rating we came here with open minds. The selection was wide - salads, roast turkey, sushi, Chinese soups. I think the family chose to come here because of the remodel...I don't think they'll come back as it was below average for $20/head. But despite the snow crab legs and cocktail shrimp I followed my family's taste buds. They stayed away from those items. The cooked shrimp was from frozen (the shells didn't peel easily) but ok, the mussels were baked with cheese or may, the oysters were baked. The best dish was the baked salmon - worthy of second helpings! Generally, the presentation was too functional and unappetizing. The make your own dish in the back had meat that looked past its prime. The chicken skewers and pork chops were overcooked. I did like the Chinese soups - chicken herbal and watercress - were fairly good. Nice to see that on the menu. The dessert selection was small and what I picked at was not great, esp, the custard slice - pastry was dry and cream was so synthetic. But the coffee cake was ok. Grandma didn't love this place and at least one person had to make a bathroom visit after eating here.
(2)Aivlys N.
Best food ever! I don't understand why everyone is giving a low rating here. The food was great. I had a great dining experience besides difficulty with parking.
(5)Hannah C.
This place sucks!!!! Their waiter does not know the meaning of "service"! Extremely rude. The food is really bad, like soggy. They give u a snicker bar size piece of rice with every sushi n expect u to eat it. I don't know why people come here...seriously, do the coupons make it that cheap that u don't care if u r eating soggy tasteless food with really bad service? And it isn't just bad service...these people are in your face unapologetically rude....sigh....n I really wanted a good buffet dinner tonight. Take my advice, skip this place....
(1)Jason C.
Unlike previous reviews, the place recently underwent a remodel and the place overall has improved. I personally tried to avoid the raw food here, but everyone else here seems to like it. For a $15 buffet with a wide selection of sea food, what else do you expect.
(3)San Gabriel N.
not good anymore!! the place is so hot inside more than outside. and they will not turn on ac even with customers request. employees are rude specially the one at the front desk the food isn't like before now its just like leftovers reheated. yakksss!!
(1)Anita L.
I am sorry... But I don't think they even deserve 1 star. For someone that stuff literally down her stomach, getting food poisoning 2 times from this restaurant on 2 separate occasions is enough reasons for me to hate it with a passion. You might ask why I would still come here after getting food poisoning the first time. The answer is simple... My family members are lazy and they don't like to cook. Zen Buffet is there solution when they want to do a gathering and need to feed more than 20 people. I try to avoid this place as much as I can. ----------------- ** REASONS I HATE THIS PLACE ** - I got food poisoning from it (Duh?!) - Expensive (I can definitely get myself a nice meal for the price they are charging for their crap) - Food is oily and mediocre - Sushi/ Oysters are not that fresh - Rude Asian patrons. I remember visiting this place one year during Thanksgiving, and they serve turkey. Instead of having the turkey pre-sliced or have a chef serving it, they just throw the entire turkey under the heat lamps with 2 knives. I thought I was going to die when the crazy Asian patron from the other side of the serving counter stick their knife right in front of me and took half a turkey to their table. Yes, I really really HATE this place. I pray everyday that our next family gathering would not be held at Zen Buffet. Even if they hold it there, I REFUSE to eat anything they serve, I rather pay $17.99 for a soda than risk getting food poisoning again.
(1)Joyce Y.
This is an interesting buffet that features Chinese, sushi, American food, dim sum, chocolate fountain, and a soft serve machine. It's a hodge podge of different foods. They have a private room for parties and a large dining area. The food is food. It's not good, and it's not inedible. There is not one item that is especially good. It's all.....meh. Its cheaper on wkdays but on wkends it runs $16.99/ person. Kids under 10 are charged $1.35/ year of age.
(2)Will L.
This is my first 1 star review. Hate to do it but it was terrible. I don't like buffets much. I'm more about quality than quantity. My buddy wanted to try this place out. I was very hesitant but I was a good friend and went with him. It's your typical buffet with sections for seafood, meat and poultry. They have an assortment of Asian food. Everything to me tasted stale and not fresh. I know I shouldn't of done this as you can't expect a buffet to have this be good but I tried their sushi and boy did I pay for it. I had an extremely upset stomach after I left. Definitely wont be returning anytime soon.
(1)S. N.
I was a little leery with the low Yelp score. However, we were pleasantly surprised that the food was good and had a plentiful food selections (so, check out all areas, you may miss something). There was good variety of sushi, six types of soups, crab legs, prime rib and a cook to order section as well. The dessert selection had the usual fruits and mini cakes, but was a little slight in colorful variety of baked goods. But all in all a very nice experience, and I would recommend people try it.
(4)Esther L.
I used to really like ZB. The seafood is really fresh, good chow mein, refreshing soups, and you can't complain when there are places out there that charge more than their buffet price for a single person's meal. BUT I'm not rating it higher because I noticed that I walked out with a stomachache and really bad nausea every single time (and I was here at least a dozen). It was "run to the bathroom right away" immediately after finishing eating. I'm not sure what it is ZB puts in the food. Also, one of the servers has some sort of delusion issues because every time she saw me she asked if I wanted to work there (???) even though I told her I already had a job. Her coworker questioned my answers when I told them about other people I knew. These servers didn't seem to take me seriously at all. Um, I don't even know what to say. I don't think they were trying to be annoying BUT that came off as hawkish and rude. Really sad, because otherwise I would consider continuing coming. That's the end of my relationship here.
(1)Frank L.
WORST BUFFET I HAVE TRIED THUS FAR! CONS: There wasn't much selection to choose from. While I was there, their selections were nearly empty. On top of that, most of their selections weren't fresh Don't recommend this place. THERE ARE OTHER BETTER BUFFETS that are cheaper than Zen Buffet lunch special PROS: Clean, Okay waiter services
(1)Mary T.
I was a bit disappointed on my last visit :( I took my grandma to have zen buffet because it had been years since we've been there. She loved the king crab legs they had. Why was I disappointed this time around? 1. I tried some of the sushi rolls, they didn't taste fresh. Especially the shrimp. I could taste the dirt? Kind of like eating a crawfish? 2. My grandma doesn't eat raw food so she got the cooked oysters. They were not fully cooked, she got scared and had to waste that oyster. 3. My grandma tried the fried tempura (sweet potato) and it was NOT cooked. It was fried on the outside, but the sweet potato was still raw! 4. Prime Rib... the only thing that should have been half cooked and half raw was OVERCOOKED. :( I thought I was being smart by shaving the outer layer and cutting me a slice of prime rib hoping that it'd be moist on the inside -- nope, I was wrong. It was so overcooked that the meat was shredding when I poked at it. Other than those 4 complaints, everything else was decent. But still not decent enough for me to give 4 stars.
(3)Alan M.
Sushi selection was really weak. On the other hand, what do you expect for $10 lunch. The place appears to be clean for an asian buffet place.
(3)Les R.
Great for seafood but bad for regular meat plates. Could be more affordable. great music selection..
(1)Asia E.
Dry, tough, greasy, chewy, old.
(1)Katrina V.
The only thing i liked about this place.....the recently added chocolate fountain. The only thing that really satisfied me. But there was only one Oh, and the ice cream machine. This was a buffet, no? The sushi made me feel sick, not fresh. The food is not thoroughly cooked and some of the dishes make you go, "Should i risk it?" As for service, the servers weren't very polite and were so quick to push the check into your face even though we were still eating. I dont know if anyone else has had the experience but i surely didn't like it. The place is definitely cheap. But you're in San Gabriel. I've lived here my whole life and there are many more places with fresh-er, tasty-er, better places to eat with family and/or friends.
(2)Courtney J.
Cheap Chinese buffet that you can't complain anything about. They got Chinese, cheap sushi, cheap steak, and many weird looking foods. It's a more interesting Asian choice than Home Town buffet across the street. Chinese manager was naughty enough who tried hard in asking me out!! Bad boy!!
(2)Thompson K.
Service improved much since my last visit in 2011. But food was mediocre and selection was pretty terrible. For the price I paid, I would expect at least decent tasting food or a wider selection. Probably won't ever go back. It could be me but they do have customers rolling in, so there must be something that taste good I might have missed?
(2)David W.
I used to come here a lot for school and club banquets. I've never got food poisoning, but I've never been a fan. There is A LOT of food, but nothing really tastes good. Everything is made in bulk and is left out to cold. I'm a sucker for junk food and none of it tempted me. Nothing is crispy, even the ones that just come out. It's cheap though. I've gotten coupons in the mail but the food poisoning stories really scare me.
(2)Samuel L.
I can't believe at all of so many reviews stating that the food at Zen Buffet are awful. I can't figure out why I have different feelings about the food. I should have my taste buds checked out by an MD. Anyways, I just want to say that the food are atrocious. I don't expect to eat grand food at buffets, but at least Zen could avoid making them taste disgusting. Why does everyone want crab legs? I don't like crabs. They make me itch. yelp.com/biz/zen-buffet-… yelp.com/biz/zen-buffet-… yelp.com/biz/zen-buffet-… The employees love to pile up the food on the public trays. Are they trying to be efficient? It's a great idea if they want plenty of spare time to step outside and send text messages. Mi compadre and hermano also dislike this place. Rather than giving at least one star, I prefer to offer tips on cooking average-tasting food. Too bad I'm unable to. But why would they accept it when they're already making money from numerous patrons. The Monrovia location opened up about 6 - 12 months ago even though people for years are aware to just zoom by/ignore this spot. Zen must mean zero in an obscure language.
(1)Kelly K.
Compared to great china buffet or Ichiban buffet this is the weakest buffet out of the three.
(3)Carol J.
It was the six of us celebrating my BF Bday dinner. Customer service was great!!! I truly enjoy the food here and especially the crab. They ran out of crème brûlée every time I make my way to the counter.. The manager saw how disappointed I was, so she went out of her to get me some more. On top of that the manager was extremely nice to us and gave us a discount on our bill for my BF birthday. This kind of serve definitely made me a repeat customer.
(4)Christine K.
I've eaten at a lot of restaurants and this place is on my list of top 5 worst restaurants. 1. We were seated at a table which looked like it had not been cleaned. 2. The miso soup had no flavor at all and hardly any tofu. The vegetable tempura was cold. The california roll did not taste fresh. The chow mein was too salty. I could go on and on. 3. It took about 20 minutes to get a refill of my soda. I was thinking 'where in the world did all the waiters go?' 4. The noise level was incredible and there were little kids running around. I've eaten at a lot of buffets but the word to describe this one would be chaos. 5. The waiter and the manager would not honor the coupon I had on my phone so I ended up paying full price for a meal that was way below average. I have the entertainment app on my iphone that states this place allows mobile coupons. The manager said they started a new policy that customers need to print the coupons. Needless to say, I will never go back there!!! Please do not the mistake of trying this place.
(1)Eric Y.
At first I was afraid I was petrified. Kept thinking how could I put away all my food to the side. The food made me want to punch kittens and get into fights Thinking how could someone cook something so wrong. And I grew strong! And then I put a review on yelp in form of a song! So now I feel better after ranting about this place. No restaurant have ever made me have a sadder face
(1)Quinn F.
TERRIBLE!!!!!!!!! We usually come here annually because for some reason, this is my grandma's favorite place to eat on her birthday -___- . I wasn't even going to leave a review just based on how used to I got to this place just sucking. But this time not only did the food suck, but we had the most HORRIBLE waiter ever. He was a total douche who hated his life that day. We had a big party, and we told them we would need a separate check and would like to sit at the table next to the large part of the party so no confusion was caused. They said ok, no problem. Then we get seated and he says oh, you need a separate check? We said yes, and asked if it would be a problem. He said yes...it is a problem. WTF. That's not what you just told us 5 mins ago. Then he proceeded to get drinks, pouring them like his life was about to end...spilling them all over the table. Slamming the utensils down on the table while huffing and puffing the entire time. The manager is just retarded. She tried to act oblivious to the way her server was acting while he was huffing and puffing and shaking his head right in front of her when we told her what was going on. She just smiled and said oh, im sorry. No, you know what is sorry? This establishment. Across the board I found nothing pleasant about this place. Not even the random balloon girl who made my son a batman, um yeah that wasn't batman, I want my $2 back for that also. Only reason I paid was because It was my grandma's birthday....but best believe that NO TIP WAS GIVEN THAT DAY. Never coming back, or recommending.
(1)Missing F.
For under $20, you can get two pounds of sashimi if you just order the to-go option. Okay, there it is. I've given my secret away. ;x
(5)Lori C.
Zen buffet has improved from what I've heard! I came here on a Friday for lunch and the food was fresh. The sushi wasn't that great and some of the won-ton strips were stale. The Chinese donuts and the pastas were good, and the Chinese dishes in general were good for an all you can eat buffet. You just have to get the right stuff. It's cheap, and it's decent for a buffet, so let's not be so picky!
(4)Richard C.
I love this place. I have been coming here for four years and the food has consistently been great. Having travelled many times to various countries in Asia, I can truly say Zen Buffet does it right. Highly recommend!
(5)Richard W.
Just another Asian rat infested restaurant. It's a buffet ALL YOU CAN EAT! Why do these Asian people over stock there plates if you can go back as many times as you want??? Very rude typical Asian service, unless your Asian. I was better of going to Jack in The Box and buying fried eggrolls! THIS PLACE SUCKS!!
(1)Eddie X.
OK this place is seriously bad. You're in San Gabriel you have 89888 other Asian places to choose from. Go there let some other, worthy, Chinese buffet chain succeed Aside from the cheesy Happy Birthday songs that interrupt your meal and a lot of really artificial looking food you will get your standard assortment of General Tso s chicken and a really large JellO section. I guess if you really want to eat a lot of mediocre seafood and wannabe Chinese food go here. Seriously I'll take Hometown Buffet over this any day
(2)Hong K.
The last time I came here was over a year ago. I was in the area this evening , so I stopped by for dinner. The place was renovated. Overall it was better than before. It looked a lot better at the buffet line. They have expanded the sushi bar and they have added the noddle and BBQ station. The Sushi are pretty good and fresh. The crab legs are medium to small, The tasted pretty good. i tried the beef noodle and the wonton soap and they were tasty. There are 5 types of soup. Tthey even have the chicken with Chinese herbs and ginseng. Service was good. Business was excellent. the place was packed, partly because it was Sunday. 65% of the customers were Asian. When you see that many Asian, you know that it is a good Chinese buffet. I must say it was a pleasant surprise after a year. I even like the new men's room. it was clean and has a modern look. I gave it a 5 stars because there is not a lot of good Chinese buffet in the Area. My background: I was a Chinese Chef for 5 years when I was in College. My job takes me to all over US and Canada. I write review mostly for TripAdvisor.
(5)Allen S.
Let me start off by saying I've been coming here for several years and on the whole, my experience has been pleasant and fulfilling. That said, my latest experience was not so good. I went on a Saturday night, and the place was packed. The staff at times seemed overwhelmed due to the presence of two birthday party groups and a large amount of people. The plates on our table were at times ignored and not picked up. Even when we flagged down a waiter, he would ask for a minute and promptly forget about us. The same situation happened when we asked for basic utensils. Food was of pretty good quality despite the masses constantly crowding around for crab legs. The way they do birthday songs is kind of annoying but overall, I still believe this is a pretty good buffet, despite poor service on one occasion.
(3)Emma M.
This Zen Buffet 100x better than the one in Long Beach Town Center! I come here occasionally with my family for their birthdays. Last time I came here was for my uncle's birthday. It was a Sunday evening and their selection of food was huge! Everything was pretty good, I don't think I ate anything that was gross. The only thing I didn't like was that the crab legs are "going, going, gone" in about 5 minutes. I practically had to attack to get some for my grandparents! Lol. Service was just okay.
(3)Tracey N.
I have to say I was surprised when I decided to stop by this place on a wednesday night after work. I have never seen seafood that fresh at a buffet. Their crab legs are small but very fresh. Salmon Sashimi is yummy and I had so much of that. They have about 6 different types of soup and they are pretty average. I love the Mongolian stir fry station in which you pick you own items and someone will cook it fresh for you on the spot. I did came back 3 times after that wednesday night since I loved it so much. It might just be me but the food seemed to be better on weekdays. I was there for a Saturday's dinner and was a bit disappointed since I experienced much better food the first time there but it was still better than other buffets I have tried before.
(4)Wilson P.
Just went here to eat and I have to say that the food here is lowest of the bottom tier. Their selection is a piece of shiet and the food sucks, I could make better food at home. Most of the items tasted as if they were either made by the mexicans washing dishes in the back or from step 1 2 sauce mixes. This is a warning, this place sucks deeeeakk, Stay away and don't ever come here, well you should atleast give it a shot to experience for yourself how "appetizing" it is. One good thing though was their service, they were constantly bussing my plates full of partially bitten food quickly and bringing me water with a smile. They probably felt bad for the shitty food that they offered or were probably laughing on the inside because of it.
(1)Kat S.
Not bad for buffet food. I'd even go as far as the food is cooked well. As any other buffet restaurant, you have to go when it's meal time or when it's crowded. It will guarantee that the food will be fresher. Typical choices for an Asian buffet, with some selection of Western fare. Place is clean. Service is fast. Price reasonable. This place has a VIP room for a large party, with a karaoke machine. Honestly, I would only go here when there's a party or with a large group of people.
(3)Jonathan C.
This place is better than some people gave it credit for. For one, the sushi and the fish really are not that bad. The baked salmon. Yum, And the sweet and sour fish also good. Although I did not have such a good experience with the crab legs that everyone raves about. It seemed overcooked and soggy. Not very crisp and not very fresh. However, I did enjoy pretty much everything else. The pineapple rice. The fried banana, and also the New York steak. It seems that this place seems to have rotating main dishes, such as the NY steak on Tuesday. Baby back ribs etc. All in all, it's really your typical asian buffet. With a slightly larger selection. You've seen a few of these around your own place. If it's near your location, go ahead try it out. I just wouldn't make a 20 minute trip out here. It's nothing TOO spectacular. But all in all very nice :) I enjoyed myself.
(4)Clay O.
I was looking at Zen Buffet's website and I notice they describe themselves as an "upscale, all-you-can-eat" restaurant. "Upscale?" Are you fu..king kidding me? I see SOMEONE has an unrealistic view of themselves... I wish false advertising weren't so subjective, otherwise I'd sue them for it. To be honest, I've usually found a few things at Zen Buffet that didn't kill me or make me gravely ill, but I still wouldn't have bothered if not for the crab legs. Again, they aren't great crab legs, but they're crab legs. However, if you come here for that, you'll need to bring your dog-eat-dog, ghetto attitude. The reason for this is because they never keep the tray stocked enough to satisfy the demand for them, and once the legs are brought out, they're all gone within 3-4 seconds - literally. At most seafood buffets, you wait your turn, and when you get to the front, you pick up the tongs and get your crab legs. At Zen Buffet, you wait your turn, you get to the front, you pick up the tongs, but when they bring out the legs, a woman comes from behind you, grabs tongs from a nearby tray, and quickly scoops up all of the legs, leaving you with two or three - if you're lucky. Another yelper described this happening to them, and I swear the same lady did it to me both times I was there! Anyway, fifteen bucks for a seafood buffet might sound cheap initially, but you quickly realize it's still not worth it. The website says you can eat for free on your birthday, but you have to buy five adult dinners! Besides, who the hell would want to go to Zen Buffet for their birthday?
(2)Linh X.
Not sure if this place was the cause for making me feel nauseated or me, eating everything in sight... I came here w/ the family before heading out to the movies & I piled up a bunch of randomn stuff... Crab leg- NO FLAVOR, a bunch of water in it still Beef Steak-Not good, too dry Oyster-it's okay but not diggin the cream on top Seashell filled w/ I do not know what-GROSS Shrimp w/ veggies-actually pretty decent Sharkfin soup-pretty good sushi-okay Service was decent cause we went there in the early afternoon before the crowd came in...I don't think I would come here for the amount that they charge about $17.99 per adult...but I should of known it's a buffet... =?
(2)Ayami H.
just decided to eat here very randomly... everything out there didnt look very appealing... i tried a piece here and a piece there but the only thing i really liked were the dumplings and the frozen yogurt. but then again can you really mess up the two? the sushi bar was kind of sad. i dont eat raw fish but was told the salmon was the worst they'd ever tired... it was like chewy... i had the california roll... and again, you really cant mess up a califriggin roll. when the fresh crab came out you had to fight with all the other asian people piling up crabs onto their plate... its pretty funny watching them fight over it tho... good thing their crab didnt look appetizing to me either :( i'd rather fork up a few extra dollars and go to the hilton buffet, souplantation, any other chinese buffets... i'm sure theres some more out there right? how about the mongolian bbq? thats a buffet, a few min up north and its friggin good. oh and they have a fathers day special coming up... i posted a pic of the flyer. but warning... i heard their "lobster" is actually crawfish... bastards!!
(2)W W.
I've been to this place for about 4 times for the past few years. It is the worst buffet in my life. They serve crab legs, right? haha The legs would show up for about 20 seconds then you have to wait for another hour to 'see' them again because they never bother to resupply the legs until the next hour or two... bad business tricks. Once you see them coming out, some customer will make sure to scoop them all away from the tray and the rest of us just come back for another ah-oh rendezvous. Still, no legs! Their foods are greasy and loaded with MSG. Whoever doesn't believe what I wrote about this restaurant, just go ahead and spend your hard earned $ and get ripped off. :) haha
(1)Linda C.
I think my first time at Zen Buffet would have to be my last time. I came here for a banquet, and it was in the VIP room. When I first got in, I was pretty excited since it's a buffet! As I walked over to the food, I was disappointed in the choices of food they had, because I expected more variety of foods. I did not like the customer service at all. The waiters did not have smiles on their faces, were very impatient, and it did not seem like they wanted to serve us at all. I know we all have the excuse that they were Asian waiters because I myself am a very impatient Asian, but I have met extremely friendly waiters at other Chinese Restaurants. I enjoyed the walnut shrimp and the California Rolls because I'm a sucker for some tasty Cali Rolls. I expected the fries to taste super yummy, but they didn't taste like anything. I was also excited that they had a frozen yogurt machine, but was soon disappointed because the vanilla yogurt didn't taste like yogurt and the strawberry yogurt tasted like a cheap strawberry ice cream. However, I did enjoy the jello because who doesn't enjoy jello? The fruit was sweet and delicious, so they did something right about that. The pastries were alright, but I've had better before. It was also pretty expensive for all you can eat. Sorry, I think next time I'll head on over to Home Town Buffet. :P
(2)Brian C.
Well, I have come to this place on many different occasions and my review of the place still remains the same... horrible. On one occasion my brother came here (perfectly healthy), and came out with a flu, stomach ache, headache, etc. Everytime I come here, I feel the dread of really yucky tasting sushi, very uncooked meat, and really unappealing desserts. I guess the watermelon tastes good though... But then again, it's kinda hard to mess up on fruits.. In conclusion, don't waste your money... Avoid this place if you want to live longer!
(1)Haley K.
Plz,,,, Don't waste yours.. The oil price is extremely expensive
(1)Linda L.
If there was a 0 star rating.. I would give it a 0 star. I remember after eating at this place, I was going to make a yelp account just so I could tell everyone how horrible this place was. WORLD'S WORST BUFFET is what I have to say.
(1)Ceci C.
A great selection of sushi, chinese, korean, japanese, and salad bar.
(5)Miranda Y.
The services are not that good. The manner of the servers are horrible.
(1)Evelyn L.
Came here expecting it to be bad.. and sadly it was. The food was okay, drenched in sauce and looked kind of dead. The sushi rolls were big but bland. As for sashimi, they only had tuna, which was a bit depressing. The froyo was literally frozen yogurt. Imagine yoplait in a frozen form. YUP. Their chocolate fountain was fun, but all you could dip was marshmallows. But, the service was what really killed it. The waiters don't come by that often to take your plates, leaving you a huge pile on the table. When they do come, they kind of stare at it then walk away. SERIOUSLY? ugh, waste of money.
(2)May Z.
Nothing tastes good, not even the ice cream.
(1)Caroline C.
I went here for the Thanksgiving buffet this year. My sister wanted to make it a Thanksgiving tradition since we went a couple of years ago. Bad idea. They offer lobster as part of their buffet, but the lobsters are so hard to eat because they don't crack them enough for you. One of the lobster pieces that I worked so hard on gave me a lot of meat. I was so excited! If you've never taken apart lobster pieces or crab meat, then you can't possibly understand the joy of reaping the fruits of your hard labor. Unfortunately, the quality of the meat was disappointing. It tasted like the lobster had gone bad. So bad that my stomach started hurting (like diarrhea was coming kind of hurting) WHILE I was at the restaurant. (Yes, an explosion in the toilet did occur when I got back home.) Nothing was great. I tried most things too, except the fried stuff because I don't like to fill up on fried stuff when I'm at a buffet. It defeats my purpose for being at the buffet, which is to fill up on as much food as possible. I thought I remembered liking their sesame balls during my previous trips because I normally like all sesame balls that enter my mouth. That tasted rancid too! Sigh. Just a major disappointment. I told my sister that I would never go there again and crushed her hopes of making it a Thanksgiving tradition. My stomach thanks me. And so does my toilet.
(1)Rosaline Z.
I remembered the time when Zen Buffet's food used to be good. Food quality seems to decrease after they have tons of customer. Several years ago, the sushi bar used to be good and fresh. Now it's just cheap sushi with low quality imitation stuff. You'll find a lot of fried stuff at Zen Buffet. It's easy to spot greasy and unhealthy food made with cheap ingredients. Service is so so. Since it's a buffet place, service is minimal. The staff pretty much helped with the drinks and taking out dirty plates. For the same price I'd rather go to Souplantation for better and healthier food.
(2)Anthony Y.
Food was pretty greasy (not good for my health!), and the sushi had little variety since I only saw california rolls and tuna maki rolls. If there were more choices like Todai, then I would give this place another star. The floors were a bit sticky. Well, you got what over 10 dollars could get.
(1)Mark S.
Ok for a buffet , but there are better places. Don't bother with the crab legs, not very many and not much meat, typical of buffets. Roast beef is ok, salads are sad looking. OK for the price, service is average. Many items looked dried out, but that's what happens at buffets when the place is not very busy, food turn over is low and you get some beef onion sauce with a thick skin on it, miso soup that tastes like seawater.
(2)Jocey K.
go to the one in Monrovia. Me and a freind came here for lunch and they were misssing many of the choices Monrovias' has. Biggest disappointment was there was no sashimi/great sushi rolls at lunch. Also they had the nerve not to have the chocolate fountain turned on! WTH,just terrible. Idk it was just all around a 1 star experience but I'll give two becasue the frozen yogurt was creamy and not icy like Monrovias usually is. I don't know if it's different at dinner and I'm not coming back to find out!
(2)Kathy W.
Not necessary my choice of buffet but came for a family dinner. The food is decent but don't expect too much out of it. The only thing that was decent was the salmon sashimi. Good place if you are on a budget and need to feed your family but I'm sure after coming here once you won't come here again.
(1)Bryan M.
It is what it is. Kinda glad I didn't eat here before the remodel. Hit up the website, grab the coupon and get your buffet on. Sushi and sashimi satisfied the craving. Crab legs go fast so grab a set of tongs and wait it out. $8 pitchers of Bud light-good. Chocolate fountain for the kids and easily amused adults-check. Booths along the edge were a little cramped but better than sitting in the overly-bright middle general seating; normal glut of flat screens showed the same channel all around.
(3)Daniel F.
It was aite. They had sashimi and sushi but sashimi was just ok. The calamari in the mixed seafood dish was undercooked, but the service here is really good.
(3)Donalt B.
If I could give 2.5 stars I would.... The Food: A wide variety of stuff that should appeal to the locals (made largely of low to middle class Chinese immigrants). Standard Chinese buffet fare and dishes. People go through it so quick, the turnover on an entree is pretty good. It's all tasty, but all kind of tastes the same. The Staff: The staff seems like very intimidated Chinese immigrants. They don't look at you in the eye, they don't talk, and just quick refill your soda and bus away your spent plates. The Vibe: You feel like you are in another world if you are an American. It has 80's style florescent light tubes all over, a projector playing a chinese VHF channel, tvs playing CNN or Sports, and 5 American pop songs playing in a loop, with a random Happy birthday in chinese played over the PA. The place is rather large, and has tons of pizza ria style benches and rows of tables for larger parties. Never have over cooked, rubbery crab legs been so revered. Zen puts out these crab legs, and usually the dads of the family hawk around the empty crab leg try until another crab leg tray comes out. As fast as it's put down on the buffet, these guys go gangbusters stacking their plate to the sky with bright orange crab legs. Unreal. I will put it on you tube when I get a chance. The Value: If you can eat 3 plates of salty run of the mill chinese foods, its a good value. You also won't feel bad about your kid trashing the place, as it's a war zone of mass eating as it is.
(2)Jireh H.
Summary: One, I love buffets. Two, I would eat at a buffet everyday if I could. Three, this is NOT a buffet I would bother with again. Food is crap and the diners are pffffft. Detailed: My first experience here was years ago and that was bad enough for me to avoid this place for so long. True, I heard that they have improved and that heavy eaters like me would enjoy the variety that they now have to offer. Well, the other day was my second but definitely last experience I'm ever going to have at this craphole. 1. Variety is always a great thing. But what's the point of having a variety of terribly prepared dishes? And those that are semi-okay disappear so quickly but take forever to be replenished. 2. I hate the crowd that dines here. One freaking lady wiped out the whole oyster tray in one go, TWICE. What's more amusing? She left half of the empty oyster shells in the tray. Crab legs, well, are tiny and disappear just as quickly. It's like the same greedy people camp the area to rape the refills. 3. "Japanese" - experience told me to be careful when eating raw foods at any non-Japanese establishment. So to test the water, I would always take an Eel sushi or their cooked fish. I mean, one look at their salmon Sashimi, I could tell it wasn't fresh. The eel sushi was GROSS. Eel was rubbery and the rice had an awkward taste to it. Skipped the "Japanese" section right after. 4. MUSH food: (a) cooked Salmon; (b) shrimp; (c) Mongolian beef; (d) practically everything else. 5. Service is okay and seemingly present. The only way I know I was being well, served, is my empty plate is already gone by the time I get back from the line. 6. They didn't take coupons that day so my lunch meal + soda = $16.11 before tip. The hell, lol? 7. HIGHLIGHT: I didn't get food poisoning, win!
(1)Jane S.
I only came because it was a family event Overall. Everything is bad (food and service)... I don't recommend it for anyone..so...what more can i say.. i would not be back.
(1)Hart A.
Go for the sushi! Salmon-rific! The newly remodeled Zen Buffet has the best sushi in town and it's unlimited!!! Sashimi and rolls are very fresh and well prepared! Lots of soup choices and the other entrees are good too. Prices are just right as well. I love the new Zen Buffet!
(4)Ja L.
For those planning an event or family gathering, this is my experience: We booked a private event and was told we had a VIP room. When we arrived, they did not have the room ready. Our guests waited in the lobby as they prepared our room. When the room was ready 10 minutes later, we were lead to a VIP room but restricted to 3 of the 5 tables inside this VIP room. Our party had 30 paying guests, and about 10 small children (no charge). Their restriction in essence required 40 people to squeeze into 30 seats, while keeping 2 tables free in case they have other parties that may want to utilize the VIP room. Totally defeats the concept of booking a VIP room if others can join you in the middle of your party. Eventually we were allowed to use the 4th table. Service was lacking throughout our 2 hour event because we only had 1 waiter who couldn't keep up, neglecting busing duties as well as drink refills. Food was just mediocre. The chocolate fountain was a hit with the kids. At checkout, we initially handed over cash, but then decided we would rather pay with our credit card instead. The cashier had not started the transaction. Our cash was still fresh in her hands. She said, "but you have cash". I replied, "Yes, but I would rather pay with my credit card". She then called her manager and explained the situation. He didn't want to return our cash and called an "experienced" cashier to deal with the situation. This 'experienced cashier" came and said, "you have to pay at least 1/2 cash and 1/2 credit card". Not that I'm in the business of slapping people, but the thought did cross my mind at that absurd moment. Was it not my prerogative what method of payment I chose if you accept both? I said, "No, you need to give me back ALL my cash and charge this credit card instead". Condescendingly she said, "We don't take American Express". Holding back the slap that was brewing in my head, I gave her my Visa card instead. The initial cashier reluctantly returned our cash and the "experienced" cashier processed our credit card charge. I'm sorry I spent $500 here today. In writing this review, I hope I have deterred you from making this same mistake.
(1)Angry B.
I agree with the previous review about the people being greedy about the crab legs. I couldn't even get a plate. People just stand there waiting and then they take the whole tray. So there's a line waiting for the crab. I get it. So I'm waiting in line and the crab comes. Of course, the first person in line takes most of the crab. A Chinese lady, not waiting in line, grabs a spoon from another tray and starts helping herself while we all wait in line. The nerve! Yes, the people are rude. But why doesn't Zen keep a fully stocked tray of crab legs? It's not lobster! Todai does. Hokkaido does.
(2)Ken V.
Like other yelpers, i checked out this place before coming in. To be honest, the 2 stars threw off a little negativity at first. But then i saw some good reviews with recent dates. So i decided to come in anyway with little expectation. It was more than what i expected from the harsh reviews. The sushi section at lunch did not have sashimi but the rolls are fresh and tasty (i didnt really expect sashimis for lunch anyway.) adian section also looks yummy. Service is pretty attentive to the left-over plates. Either they have gone through major improvements or the last couple reviewers were in for a bad day. Anyway, i will definitely come back to checl out their dinner menu.
(5)Doug L.
Slightly worse than hospital food and WAY worse than airplane food! Diners beware!
(2)Tony T.
This restaurant is a classic buffet style restaurant similar to hometown buffet. The lines can get crowded weekend nights. The parking lot is shared by Sizzler, pep boys and other mom and pop shop. At peak times it may be difficult to find parking so come early. If you really want to hate asian people this is the place to come. I'm saying it because you will see the ASIAN in Asian people. I will elaborate further. The food itself is below average. There is a sushi area where you see "chefs" prepare sushi. They are so slow that by the time you want sushi, there's no variety. Usually one through three choices. If you enjoy eating chow mein from panda express, this is the place for you. Unlimited servings of noodles. Unlimited everything basically subpar which they would serve at panda. Lower in quality i might add but unlimited quantity. The seafood is up in the air. You can buy your own crab legs and steam it or you can come here for them to steam frozen crab legs for you. Asian people will line up and block you from getting the crab legs. Tongs from other dishes will some how end up in the tray of crab legs. People will stand there just taking ALL the crab legs and not leaving any for others. They might as well take the whole tray. The above also applies to oysters and any other items that may appear "special" but can easily be done at home. NO SHARING is the mindset of the common asian person. I know because I am an asian hybrid. This is really sad and true. Now i know there are people that say you can't judge all asians based on this which is correct. However just observation the ASIAN nature in these folks is just hysterical and upsetting at the same time. BE PREPARED TO FIGHT FOR THE FOOD! This place really needs to operate like hometown to serve the food since everyone paid to EAT! Fighting for the food doesnt seem right and if you arent a fighter, you might as well not eat. Sounds barbaric but its true. Patience is a formula for failure. The waiters/waitress are underpaid and over worked dealing with the crazy people. This leads to poor service. I suggest to not order soda because it's not worth it. You might as well hunt your waiter down to get a refill, especially during peak times. Finally some else really bugs me, they re-plate the buffet very slowly! Looking for clean plates sometimes would be really hard because you need to work from station to station.
(1)Pamela S.
I went here with family for dinner, it was interesting because they have stuff not found in other Asian buffet places... such as churros. I wasn't in the mood for churros but my cousin said that they were kinda hard. Anyway, I appreciate the sushi bar, but it didn't look as appetizing as it could have. I feasted on the sashimi, though. I love sashimi. I don't think I ate too much of anything else at this buffet. It's kinda dark and weird in there. OH but I happened to be there for some kid's birthday. And they really go over the top for birthdays, apparently... they blare the birthday song over the speakers and bring out the piece of cake with candles, so pretty much everyone in there focuses on the birthday person, who in this case happened to be a cute little boy. That was adorable. Zen Buffet was a place that I passed by a lot but never tried so I wondered about it. And then I tried it. If you're also wondering about it, maybe go try it, but really even if you don't, you're not missing out.
(2)David T.
Two words that should never go together...Buffet and Asian (or chinese). I'm not sure if it's the fact that it's Asian food, or that the place is run by Asians. Having worked in food prep for many years of my life, I can say I know a little something about how food should be prepped, stored, and kept. Know, I'm not trying to knock any Asian restaurants, but I have to be honest...many cut corners or blur some of the most basic food safety rules. Foods need to be kept at or above a specific temp, and often times the less popular items are left for extended periods of time (food should not be dry!) My 2 star rating is so because I have experienced better Asian buffets, its not of the quality of food. So for now, live well but eat better!
(2)Andrew D.
I have tried many buffet restaurants, but this one really fails to please. The moment I stepped in the door, I knew right away this restaurant was going to be downright terrible. I was left standing at the door for about 10 minutes before the busboy escorted me where to sit. I was quite annoyed at the fact they would not allow me where I wanted to be seated. I politely asked for a seating closer to the food items because my sister had a disability and it was her birthday. They denied my request. On the contrary, the food was quite okay. The selection was decent, but not many of the food had an authentic taste. What really bothered me was the sanitation issues at the sushi bar. The tongs there were used to pick up varies sushi items from raw salmon cuts to California rolls. This could lead to some serious cross-contamination issues. The atmosphere was decent. You had the television turned on with the first college football game rolling. I was pleased to find the tables and chairs clean. This restaurant is okay for the family, though I recommend finding another place worth your money's value.
(2)Christine U.
i remember i used to ditch work to come here to eat with friends. LOL. work wasnt a priority since it was just plain old boring. this was like the hang out spot. pay 18 dallors to eat for 2 hours. i wouldn't say this location is the best. i think their monrovia location is better since it has the tapen yaki.
(3)Justin K.
I do not understand how anyone can like this place. If what you're looking for is a wide selection of horrible tasting food, go to Zen Buffet!
(1)Ben W.
The buffet itself is kind of a strange mix. It's about 50% Chinese, 30% Japanese, and 20% American. I personally would have preferred it if they left out all the American food and made more room for the Chinese and Japanese. The food is ok. It's not bad but not great. The rice was well prepared as were some of the entrees, but nothing spectacular. The sushi was surprisingly fresh and generally very good. The staff was very courteous and friendly and if the price for the buffet was lower, I would consider stopping in here again next time I'm in San Gabriel. I ate here on a weekend so the price may be a little higher than a weekday. I'm not sure. However, for the price I paid I would much prefer to eat at one of the many delicious non-buffet Chinese restaurants in San Gabriel.
(3)Sally Z.
All the trappings of a Chinese buffet. I enjoyed steak night and found a couple things to my pleasing. My advice is just try a little bit of everything, and eat a lot of what you like. :) Yeah the crab legs are bland, their desserts look questionable (except for the cake! :b) and their tarte frozen yogurt tasted...lemon-y?
(3)Kevin C.
Wow, where do I begin.... The food is sub-par at best, the sushi is a joke. Ran out of soup by 9 pm... and remained empty till close. Good thing it tastes so bad that I didn't want seconds. Waiters don't really want to work there, and they make sure you know it! They will tell you that they are closing in the rudest tone..... tell you to take your belongings off the table (in this case, my iPhone), or he will take it off the table for you! Oh my god, the worst part is that the management does nothing about it. DO YOURSELF A FAVOR, GO ELSE WHERE IF YOU WANT TO BE TREATED LIKE A HUMAN BEING!
(1)jen k.
THE +'s: a decent variety of foods -- pizza to chinese sticky rice to lobster. relatively inexpensive prices. surprisingly clean dining room. THE -'s: none of it tastes very good. unless you're starving, and even then the appetite dies pretty fast. SUM: i came here because i was craving vegas buffet. omg, not the same thing. i wasn't expecting quality like the buffet at the mirage but come on, what's with the bland soggies?!
(2)Linh L.
Food here is pretty terrible. Most of it was old, greasy, and had either no flavor or a really funky flavor that was just not edible. The only thing I could stomach more than a few bites of was the watermelon, and that's because it didn't require any cooking! Yes, there is a great variety in terms of the types of food you can get. And yes, the amount of food you can shovel down is probably worth more than the amount you're paying for the meal. But there's a point where a cheap price just isn't worth it- and Zen Buffet is definitely NOT worth it.
(1)Nancy C.
-» the food is ... edible ... & full of msg. -» crowded. -» Asian ladies fighting for crab legs?! -» Cheap, but not that worth it. -» decent service. -» WHY IS VANILLA YOGURT SO YELLOW?!
(1)Jennifer T.
The price at this restaurant managed to make me a fool-again. I think I've sworn to never return at least twice. Anyhow... it all boils down to lackluster food, poor in quality and taste... and LOADED with MSG. I felt sluggish the rest of the day and into the next, which never happens. I almost wanted to go here and complain! The crab legs? HA! Limp, bland, blah. Who knows what the HELL they put into the food. I, for one, do not want to find out. The food is not completely horrible, but the way your body feels afterwards... as if you HARMED yourself in this ingestion of crap. SO not worth the few bucks saved... never again... and... I've warned you...!
(1)Amy L.
Find coupons in the mail . . first and then it's worth it . . . came here on a weekday with a $2 off coupon for each adult save $$$$ about $8.99 for lunch so its about $7 buffet.... sushi is pretty good . . . everything else is .... a-okay..... nothing wonderful... D:
(3)Ashley F.
Service: 0/5 Food: 0/5 Cost: 0/5 Sorry but this place doesn't even deserve one star but yelp wants me to at least rate it. I mean, this is the sh!t hole for uneducated ones to think that this is asian food. Now, to be seated, if you want to use a coupon, u CAN"T sit together if you have a big party. You have to sit seperately and act like you guys don't know each other. And the dam coupon requires you to order a drink other than water! First of all, they charge for soda. WTF? doesn't ppl eat less if they drink more? As you move towards the food, one who actually has taste in foods would know that their quality blows. Their food are clearly not fresh and pathetic. The oysters will give you a stomach and will keep you in the restroom all night after going home from this place. Hence, stay away from sushi area also. Their steaks are overdone and off very bad quality. Its terrible. The fish are just frozen and just defrosted & cooked. The fried stuff are just soggy and bad. The chocolate fountain has been double dipped by everyone and has tons of bacteria in there. All of a sudden, boooom comes out the speakers of the happy birthday song. If you go on a weekend, this might happen like 10x in one sit in. Ridiculously embarassing and annoying! And the bathrooms are just bad. Don't even picture las vegas bathrooms where they are actually looked after. There is throw up stains here and there and dirty all over. Ready for dessert now? well, all the fruits have been chopped up and laid out there in the bowl for like a day. There is no such thing as fresh. Worst part is, they act like they tried to keep them cool but once you take a look at them maybe even take a bite...... game over. Time to leave. Last thing you wanna do before leaving is have trouble with the check. They can't get the dam bill right. They added the wrong amount of people or they added something wrong. It might take you an hour to sort this out. DON"T RUIN YOUR NITE BY GOING TO THIS PLACE. Your going to leave here with regret and a bad stomachache.
(1)Terence L.
Christmas at Zen Buffet, no way... For the past several years during the holidays, I have journeyed from the far reaches of Tucson to visit my family in the Los Angeles area. On this particular 2009 holiday visit, my uncle took me and some of his friends out to Zen for a Christmas lunch. Upon arrival, the place looked packed from the outside. Stepping inside confirmed the initial observation, and my party of five was required to wait for nearly ten minutes. This was my first visit to Zen, so I had no idea what to expect other than it was an Asian buffet and that it was serving a "Christmas special." The main advertised draw was the lobster. I was lottery-winner lucky in that I actually was walking by as the lady with the tray of lobster walked to the station. The lobster, prepared in a Chinese-style sauce, wasn't that bad. But having to fight over it resembled a scene from Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome. You know, people locked in mortal combat in a big dome. Okay, that is an utter exaggeration, but I hope it illustrates my point: customers had to wait in a line for the special items to be brought out. That wouldn't be such a problem if those high ticket items were brought out with some kind of frequency. They were not. Many of the more popular, and expensive, items had run out completely. I think I was actually lucky to score a few remaining scraps of steak on my second trip up. That too, surprisingly, wasn't bad in taste and quality. But I literally only had four or five bites of it. There was shark fin soup, which I don't like or eat, but need I say it: there was none left. Is there a clearly established pattern going on here? We arrived there fairly early, sometime after 11, and the aforementioned food scarcity was pretty bad. I can't imagine what it was like at the peak lunch time period. The rest of items are standard, run-of-the-mill stuff you'd normally encounter in any number of Asian buffets. The universal adjective used to apply to buffet food, of any kind, is MEDIOCRE. Some may argue and say it is BLAND. As much as I enjoy the art of debate, I would not protest that statement. Zen, despite how it bills itself or what the price may indicate, is no different. By the way, since my uncle paid the bill, I have no idea what the actual damage was. I think it was $16 per person for lunch. If I really wanted to drop a ton of money only to be teased and ultimately denied what I want, then I'd spend my time in a buffet of the strip club variety.
(1)Lucil C.
I HATE ZEN BUFFET. it's over priced for crap. I can make what they serve in the toilet. everything sucks! take your monies and go across the street to the HAT and get some wet fries and a pastrami dip sandwich.
(1)Sammy S.
Cheap and basic buffet that I have nothing to complain about. I will eat here again if someone else is paying for it.
(3)Brenda H.
Its not the best buffet around but it's cheap and there are a lot of options. I try to stick to the things that don't look too oily or won't give me a stomach ache. I recommend the sashimi, the fish is more than likely frozen but its still fish and the color didn't look so bad. The fried rice and noodles were also not bad, i kept refiling my plate with them. One of the better items is the fried chicken wings, really crispy (not too salty). The king crab legs were really salty. Fresh fruit was good, not frozen and not rotting either. Make sure you check for online/mobile coupons or weekly newspaper coupons, its even cheaper! Honestly not bad for the price.
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