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    Cafe East 3

    3.1 (93 reviews)
    ModerateChinese, Buffets
    Open 11:00 am - 10:00 pm

    Order Cafe East 3 Takeout or Delivery

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    CAFE EAST 3 ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Moderate noise
    Good for groups
    Good for kids

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    Ginger Chicken Wings, lo mein, plantains.
    Jade P.

    Grabbed a quick lunch with my brother today! I am very weird about buffets and try to avoid them when I can. My brother is a Chinese buffet connoisseur and has to try every one I guess. He loves a big greasy plate of appetizers too. I want to say something about the amazing service I received here. I never had to ask to get a refill on my drinks. We probably had 4 servers come by and refill without us asking. Everyone was very polite and asked us if we were doing alright and if we needed anything without feeling like we were a burden. The food wasn't bad at all! I was severely disappointed in the sushi selection as it was very small, but very very clean. The whole buffet like was clean and nothing looked out of place. I thoroughly enjoyed the shrimp! Everything else wasn't show stopping. The pork chops actually hit ! They were super tender and nicely sauced!! I wish they had mashed potatoes lol. I'd come again if my brother invites again. Wasn't bad.

    Mario M.

    Great food and service here. I've been coming here for the past 20 years and I really enjoy it.

    Holly H.

    The service here is excellent, but the food is just okay. The best thing was the soft shell crab which was very good! They also have cotton candy that they make there in the restaurant which is pretty cool. Everything else I tried was just meh.

    a variety of food items
    Vanessa T.

    I have been coming here since I can remember with my family. We grew up in the area and this was the go to spot for our family gatherings. Brought Hubby with me today and our experience was horrible. The food was ok. Some of it was warm. I'm not sure if it's from it sitting there too long or the lighting. I had grabbed some wings and was going to get ranch. I was beginning to pour some and it seemed too thick for it to be ranch. I poured it on my plate thinking nothing of it. Maybe it was just me and it was fine. Got to my table and tasted it. It was tartar sauce where it was labeled ranch, which is what I thought I was getting. I asked one of the workers and she grabbed someone from the back to see if they had ranch. She kept insisting that it was ranch, but I was trying to let her know it was tartar sauce and not ranch. She dismissed me and walked off. I went up to the counter and let the manager know that the tartar sauce was under the ranch label and asked if they had ranch. She said yes and walked me over to the tartar sauce. I was obviously not being understood. She just said thanks for the suggestion and walked off. Then when I got to my seat the waiter was rude. She grabbed our plates when we weren't even done eating. A few minutes after she brought the check and started hovering as if she were trying to rush us to pay. I'm not sure if it's new management, but the customer service SUCKS!!! I don't think I'm coming back here again. I don't like being rushed to eat and leave.

    Me when I was little and there in the buffet 3

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    7 years ago

    Food isn't that good, waitresses have an attitude and demand their tips by each person eating and kids under 5 got charged as adults

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    10 years ago

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    10 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Used to come here alot. I don't like it as much. Seems more of a Hispanic restaurant than a Chinese Restaurant. Not really good food either.

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    8 years ago

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    15 years ago

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    9 years ago

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    12 years ago

    Food was not the best ...Small selection of food. Messy environment..probably won't go there again.

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    11 years ago

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    9 years ago

    Food is always good, staff very nice. Owner/manager even steamed some fresh veggies just for us. Thanks!

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    10 years ago

    My default go to Chinese buffet when I'm in the area. Reasonably priced, food's good and the staff is friendly.

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    Kim Son

    Kim Son

    3.6
    (1.1k reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$$

    The best largest Vietnamese buffet I've had over and over again. Everytime I come back they always…read morehave new added item. Every possible dish you can think of and all their portions are small. Not huge portion so you get full. Every noodle soup you can think of in small portion bowls. Super delicious and a must try for all their soup. They have vietnamese street food with grilled oysters. They have everything from chicken feet, to blue crabs, roasted duck, roasted pork belly, prime rib, sushi, banh xeo, banh knot, banh cuon, and some much more. Basically, all your traditional vietnamese dishes and some. They all have you traditional hot deserts, cold desert, sweet sticky rice, mango coconut sticky rice, panda waffles, coconut jelly, honeycomb sweet bread and many more. They even have a sugarcane, milk tea, and passion fruit tea station. They continuously refill the food and the food is always hot. They remove empty plates very fast and refill your drinks continuously. Super friendly staff and so many of them. Very large space and fast paced environment. Can get super crowded with lines for every serving station. Large parking lot with plenty of parking.

    Disappointed in what was offered for a Saturday especially for $33 a person. I've been going to Kim…read moreSon since I was a teen, and it seems to have gone downhill since Covid. If you want an assortment of everything Vietnam has to offer, then this is a great place to have that experience. But if you want the best of the best, visit and use Yelp to find the particular dishes you want. Typically Saturdays in the past were more expensive because of what they offered with seafood but there want much to choose from outside of mussels. There were shrimp dishes but in the past crawfish, crab, etc. were offered. The new-ish addition of the street food, Che station, and new desserts was nice but not for the price in my opinion. Not a bad experience but moderate compared to previous experiences to the old Kim Son experiences. I would return to let friends taste everything that Vietnam has to offer but not return if they had in mind what dishes they want to experience.

    Photos
    Inside
    Inside
    Thit Nuong
    Thit Nuong
    Yogurt (bomb!)

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    Yogurt (bomb!)
    Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet

    Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet

    3.4
    (408 reviews)
    4.2 mi
    $$$

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

    Good service and clean. Food was okay; tasted and presented well…read more Restaurant was so cold that the servers were all wearing jackets and coats. So cold that it limited us from enjoying the meal I will not be going back because of the high levels of MSG in the food. It took 2 days to cleans it out of my system. If you can tolerate MSG, then it could be of good value.

    Photos
    Nice space
    Nice space
    Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet
    Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet

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    Iyara Thai Cuisine

    Iyara Thai Cuisine

    4.4
    (213 reviews)
    3.6 mi
    $$
    Grab-and-go
    Happy hour specials

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

    1. Service - the hostess and wait staff were outstanding and attentive. They filled your drinks as…read moresoon as it hit midway, and they took your plates away as soon as it was empty. When you come in, wait to be seated, order and pay at the table. 2. Price - approximately $15 a plate. 3. Ambiance - Classy restaurant. I love the white linen on the tables. Soft music, white and red walls with Thai decor. Natural lighting during the day with warm interior lighting. It appears that there has been a makeover to the restaurant. I like the new look more. It seems more upscale in appearance. Dress code here is business casual. 4. Food - I've had their YELLOW CURRY WITH CHICKEN AND WHITE RICE. Curry is a bit sweet to my liking, but overall, it was a good meal. Will have to try other dishes next time. Food presentation is nicely plated. Not messy or sloppy. 5. Cleanliness - dining area is clean. The waitstaff keeps this place in tip top shape. The only complaint I have, although not exactly about cleanliness, I would suggest that management take a look at the lock in the men's restroom. Although it was locked, someone was able to enter still. SUMMARY This is a petite Thai cafe. Everything about this place was enjoyable. I would definitely come back to try again and will highly recommend this place.

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    Iyara Thai Cuisine
    Iyara Thai Cuisine
    Iyara Thai Cuisine

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    Royal Buffet

    Royal Buffet

    3.3
    (29 reviews)
    5.5 mi
    $$

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

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

    Photos
    Royal Buffet
    Royal Buffet
    Royal Buffet

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    Sweet Pot K-kitchen

    Sweet Pot K-kitchen

    4.4
    (310 reviews)
    7.2 mi
    $$

    I had a fantastic time at Sweet Kpot! From the moment we walked in, the staff was welcoming and…read moreattentive. The restaurant has a clean, modern vibe and the atmosphere is energetic but still comfortable. The food was really good as well! At first, my boyfriend and I didn't expect much, but everything that we ordered turned out to be amazing :) Our favorites was the bulgogi wrap, shrimp and mushroom skewers, candied potatoes, and the bingsu! Definitely will be back :)

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

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    Sweet Pot K-kitchen
    Sweet Pot K-kitchen
    Sweet Pot K-kitchen

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    Gen Korean BBQ House

    Gen Korean BBQ House

    4.3
    (1.1k reviews)
    16.0 mi
    $$$

    This BBQ spot felt like the kind of place where you can truly slow down and enjoy a good meal…read more The aroma of grilled meat fills the air, but in a warm, comforting way rather than anything overwhelming. The meat was fresh and perfectly cooked--crispy on the outside, tender inside, and deeply satisfying. The side dishes were thoughtfully done as well, light and refreshing. I really appreciated the atmosphere here--relaxed, unpretentious, and just right for a long conversation or even a quiet meal on your own. Service was easygoing and attentive in a very natural way--present when needed, never intrusive. Overall, it's the kind of place I'd happily return to--not just for the food, but for how comfortable it makes you feel.

    After not visiting for several years, I was excited to give this place another try, but…read moreunfortunately, the experience fell short of expectations. The first red flag was arriving to find the banchan and salad already sitting on the table. Everything was warm, which made it seem like it had been sitting out for a while rather than being freshly served. After placing our order, only part of the meal arrived. We eventually had to ask about the missing soup and japchae. When the soup finally came out, it was cold. We later learned the wrong bowl had been brought out. Once the correct soup arrived, it was piping hot, packed with flavor, and had just the right amount of spice, easily one of the highlights of the meal. My husband was especially disappointed to learn that the beef belly, the dish he specifically came for, was completely sold out...on a Friday night. The fried shrimp also came out cold, and the popcorn chicken was underwhelming. Thankfully, not everything missed the mark. The beef bulgogi and kalbi were both flavorful and satisfying, and the pork cheek was served in generous, meaty portions that were perfect for sharing. Overall, the meal felt inconsistent. There were a few standout dishes, but between the service delays, missing items, and several dishes arriving cold, the experience didn't live up to the memories I had of dining here years ago. Would I come back? Probably not. Houston has too many great Korean BBQ options to overlook this many service and quality issues. While a few dishes were enjoyable, the overall experience simply wasn't worth the visit.

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    Gen Korean BBQ House
    Gen Korean BBQ House
    Gen Korean BBQ House

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    Cafe East 3 - chinese - Updated July 2026

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