Is this upscale gourmet? No. It is decent food at a great value. When you're in the mood for a Chinese buffet in the Boise area, this one is the best. Here's where they beat the competition: - Peel & eat shrimp are large and cooked properly. - Mongolian BBQ includes shrimp that are already peeled - Sushi area includes seaweed salad! - Nice offerings (yummy ribs) at the grill area. - Great chicken wings! They're big and taste great. - There's no upcharge for Saturday lunch. - There's plenty of food turnover, so nothing sits there long and we haven't encountered empty food trays, either. There's always room for improvement. Here's what Dad & I would like to see: - Thinner wonton wrappers on the wontons for wonton soup. The dough is way too thick. - Tako salad available at the sushi area. read more

City Buffet - Front entrance. - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

If I were to ever return here again which is unlikely, I would stick strictly to the Mongolian Grill where at least you get to put the dish together yourself. The first thing I noticed was that they had an over abundance of fried dishes. While I do expect to see a good amount of this at any cheap buffet, I was struck by just how many items fell into this category. I started with a bit of the egg drop soup which tasted like raw eggs and was barely edible. Next I had a small sampling of the sushi. Rather than having bright colors and a fresh look as it should, the selection looked dull, uninspired and not particularly interesting. The same can be said for the the taste. I did manage to find a few dishes which were pretty tasty. The best dish being the garlic string beans followed by the pepper chicken. I also had the beef with broccoli and a spare rib. Both of these dishes were average. All in all I couldn't find enough at this place to make it worth a return trip. read more

Have been ordering to go orders just about every week.Great Generals chicken and fried rice. The customer service is great with making sure everything is correct in the order. read more

Came here for the hibachi as I always do. The guy running the grill seems to always be in a bad mood but I never seemed to have an issue until today. Made my plate like normal, left it for him to make it and left to my seat to wait like I always do. My seat was close enough to where I can watch him make it plus he kept doing his thing without acknowledging me so I figured he needed a minute. Sat down and after 10 minutes I walk over to see why it wasn't done and my plate was nowhere to be found. Could have told me he didn't want to make my food for whatever reason instead of leaving me to wait for nothing. Had to eat the normal buffet food which is not worth eating. I don't appreciate the disrespect towards a customer. It's already a heavy dinner price to pay so why rip the customer off by not offering the full services and throwing away my food? Will never touch this place again. read more

So good most Of the time. They have the best hot and sour soup in Boise. And fact, it's sad the only good hot and sour soup in Boise that I found thus far. The restaurant itself is nice and the staff is courteous. Most of the food is really good, except every now and then there something that is a mess. Start off a small portions, find what you like and you'll be fine I'm really really full. Oh!!! Good sushi! read more

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Food was good, service was fast and polite. Reasonably priced and the food comes out fresh often! read more

Bang for the buck a great place for lunch or dinner. Many choices to pick from. You won't leave hungry read more

City Buffet - Stir Fry - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

This was an okay meal. It tasted good. Nothing that I would say that it was so good I need to eat here again. I have a four star because it definitely has a large variety of foods and desert. The staff was kind. Not overly friendly and not rude. read more

City Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

We tried this place yesterday and it was not bad. It only costs about $10 for lunch without a soft drink. It's relatively clean, and there is a ton of selection. The sushi was good and they cover a large range of food, soup, sushi, and desserts. The staff was not overly friendly and you have to ask them for water as they don't have it available for customers. If you are hungry, craving Chinese food, I would most definitely send you here. Just keep your expectations in check, and you will enjoy yourself. read more

I love this place. They do Togo by the pound. You can get a couple pieces of everything for around $10-15. Sweet and sour chicken, general tso's, beef and broccoli, pineapple chicken, fried shrimp, sushi, pork ribs, teriyaki chicken, chow mein, fried rice, pot stickers, pizza, fries, chicken wings, and the list goes on and on. If you just get a little of everything it's a great deal and it's always delicious. I've been eating here for over 10 years and it never disappoints. Sometimes it's going to be a little dry, it's a buffet, it happens. Also it's right next to a mongolian bbq and their name is city buffet. If you know anything about South park you should find this hilarious. They have city beef, city shrimp, city chicken... read more

Due to what seemed like mixed reviews my daughter and I decided to try this anyway. We like to give people the benefit of doubt. I've worked in customer service for several years and understand customers can sometimes be overly picky. Upon walking in the food looked nice with many options. It appeared to be wiped down and fairly clean, your typical buffet. They had decent amount of people so I assumed that was a good sign. All food items were barely warm and pretty cold once you got your plate to the table. Everything had been sitting in a heat lamp for a long time. The only thing that was actually hot was some teriyaki chicken I grabbed that they had just brought out. My daughter and myself are not picky eaters but several of the food items made us gag and we were questioning if it was safe to eat. The pork ribs tasted rotten. Some of the sushi tasted like it had been sitting out for a long time and old. The items that I thought would be decent was just cold and covered in grease. I've never been at a buffet or any restaurant, where every item I put on my plate tasted questionable or bad. The waitress was polite. The two hosts were on their phone texting the whole time and didn't bother to say hello or goodbye, it must have been a very important text. There was not really anyone checking the food or temperatures of the food. I'm honestly shocked we didn't get incredibly sick from this place. Given the price you pay, you would think the quality and service was better. This is one of the more expensive Chinese Buffets around town. This was awful! I would not recommend and I will not be back. read more

Wow that was close to disgusting... Wife and I arrived kinda early (not to us though) around 5:40 on a Friday night. After explaining that my wife wanted a lemon-lime soda and not some kind of lemon water we were off to the races not really because there was only about 10 to 20 people in there. Got my usual oriental stuffs sat down to my plate of disappointment. All the dishes that had chicken were sooo dry and chewy it could challenge all the brands of jerky with no problem. The shrimp and I hope you know what "de-veining is and means. Nope that IS NOT a vein, in humans it's known as the poop tube and every shrimp I had served myself even on the large shrimp the tube was still present. BLLLEEEEEEEAAAACK! read more

"Well, it's good, but I had some better stuff in the bay area and..." None of that. "Yeah, the entree quality isn't at high as this one bistro that...." You be quiet. When you are reviewing a place, you review it for that area. I don't care how good whatever place is out in California or whatever. Nor do you compare it to a place not in the same league. You never read a review about a Civic being negatively compared to an Audi. That being said: I've been to City Buffet several more times since my initial review and this latest visit had me eager to update their rating to 5 stars. Much like my previous visit, I found the food as delicious as always and the hostessing staff had actually become more friendly since. The food was stocked and rotated fast enough that you almost never saw an empty tray, nor did the food have that "been under a heat lamp too long" appearance. The reason I'm upgrading to 5 stars is because of what I saw when I hit the hibachi line as well as the sushi section. Ladies and Gentlemen, City Buffet has stepped their game up in a big way. Their hibachi has SHRIMP. I've been to a several Mongolian places in the city and cannot recall a single one actually having shrimp available. Additionally, City Buffet actually butterflies and properly removes the "waste pipe" on the shrimp for the hibachi. Every. Single. One. The sushi section also received a minor overhaul in the form of additional pieces being offered and more emphasis on rolls that have several ingredients. The rolls are well formed and have great flavor. The staff continues to keep the floor tidy and orderly, the ambiance of poorly behaved children and indifferent parents so typical to this type of establishment wonderfully absent. City Buffet is the #1 Chinese Buffet in Boise, they were upon opening, and they have continued to work to maintain that ranking. read more

The food quality used to be except-able, but for the past year, the food quality keeps HEAVILY declining. The cold shrimp tastes like it was washed with dawn dish soap, I always find this weird grass like thing stuck inside of the muscles that is really difficult to pull out, the salmon is ALWAYS way overdone, some of the sushi is also starting to taste less freshly made, and so much more. The service is okay. I've never had a problem with the staff. read more

Some of the best Buffet Chinese food I have eaten. While the sushi is lacking, the actual buffet is very good. The place is clean and everyone is nice. The waitress like to play with my son when we go. I have yet to find something I didnt like besides the sushi. We went on Christmas night and it was packed. They were putting food out at a impressive pace. There was always good on the buffet. Ive been there twice and will go back soon. lunch prices are amazing. read more

Just received orders from Uber eats. Horrible. Had to throw away. Food was cold. Sweet and sour chicken all cold dough. Fried rice. No flavor. 38 dollars down the drain. Yuck. Should of made top ramen for dinner. read more

Lots of Asian food options but very little flavor among the choices. The one stand out is the very salty soy sauce. Unfortunately, the remaining dishes of fresh cut fruit, soy sauce, chicken special, sushi, and fried won ton, left no impression. This reviewer may have missed the mark though as this restaurant was quite busy. Three stars for the waitress who brought the drinks, and checked in with our table for any needed refills. read more

My favorite Chinese buffet place! We usually come here Sunday lunch because of the seafood ~ crab legs, shrimp, clams, squid etc and they have better choices than China grand! They have some sushi too, not too fancy but it's still ok. You can do stir fry etc. I just hope parents are being considerate & not let their kids serve by themselves (which is the rule btw) so not to mess the food. If you want to stuff yourself & not spend so much then come! read more

City Buffet - Ice cream for finale! - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Nan: It was clean, great selection of food, food was hot, tasted good....I think, as far as Chinese buffets go, it's the best one I've been to so far. I liked the jalapeño chicken, actually all of their chicken dishes were good. I look forward to going back! Nic: Jalapeño chicken? Where did you see jalapeño chicken? As for me, the food was typical Chinese buffet food, but there are also some specialty items, which make it interesting. Clean, good tables, friendly staff and great selections of a large variety of food make this a great place to eat. read more

In Boise at St Al's for family emergency and City Buffet was recommended. They have great selection - including Sushi, were a clean and friendly place at a good price. You should definitely try it! read more

Food was terrible everything cold and greasy. No flavor no matter what you picked. Egg flower soup layer of grease on top because soup was so cold. Didn't blame staff not their fault glad their working. Blame management just collecting their paycheck. It doesn't matter they lost a couple customers because there's always someone else waiting to eat Worst ever !!! read more

Read the reviews. Some where good, others not so good. This was my experience: We had fresh food since it was really busy Friday night during traditional dinner time. Lots of families. Got seated right away, and while the staff ia not chummy chummy, they are not rude. They were busy and did their jobs well. Don't mistake these servers with those at chilli's or olive garden who may kiss your butt for their tips. There is no butt kissing just people trying to do what needs to be done and I respect that. It was really busy while I was there, and new trays of food were being stocked quickly. Selection was adequate, enough, but would have liked more of a variety of sushi. They had the usual chicken and seafood dishes which were fine. Basically a good spot to take a large group of people because there's something for everyone. Sure I've had better Chinese buffets before, but in Boise pickens are slim and this place does the trick just fine. I would return for another meal. read more

City Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

It's good, get there before 5pm and you'll beat the crowds. The selection is enormous.

I have been told this is one of the best Chinese buffets in all of Boise. Most of the entree items were pretty fresh, but it's still a buffet. Some items were winners and there's always plenty of losers. So why give this place such a high rating? Homemade brittle. They make Chinese style peanut brittle. By the sheet. It's so delicious. I've never been to a place that makes it in house. My mom bought a pound just to take home. Service was slow at the Mongolian BBQ station but the staff cleared plates off out table very quickly. If I come back I do want to come for lobster night. Only served at dinner on the weekends. read more

I certainly don't frequent buffets as much as I used to, thanks to my recent change in diet. But I can tell you that for many years, I ate at far too many of them. So for better or for worse, I can consider myself a bit of an "expert" on the subject. I thought it would be appropriate then to add City Buffet to my list of reviewed experiences here in the Boise area. And I will summarize by saying that for an Asian buffet, City Buffet gets the job done, but you won't walk away astounded. It used to be the case that things like a Mongolian style BBQ or sushi offerings would make an Asian buffet stand out from the crowd. Nowadays however these are almost "standard features" at this style of buffet, and that is the case at City Buffet. The reason I mention it specifically is that if you really want to get the best "bang for your buck" and also likely the freshest food available, sticking to the sushi and BBQ is your best bet. This is food that hasn't been sitting under heat lamps or stewing in sauce for who knows how long. And honestly for a buffet, the sushi is pretty good. The rolls are standard, and don't really vary from day to day or chef to chef, but they are tasty. So this is where I would recommend you "fill up." The other offerings are your typical Asian buffet fare... all the usual suspects are here; bourbon chicken, broccoli and beef, fried rice, lo mein, etc. If you're looking for the usual "Americanized" Chinese dishes, you will find them all here. You also have a decent selection of cold salads and fruit as well as dessert. So overall there are plenty of choices here. But again, it is all fairly standard and doesn't really impress. In terms of service, City Buffet is a little hit and miss. Some days I have had good experiences where my drinks are refilled quickly and my dirty plates disappear... other times I've almost died of dehydration and suffocated under a stack of dishes. Ok, slight exaggeration but the point is that the service here is rather inconsistent. This also applies to the food stations. Some days they are clean and well stocked, other days you will find old dried out pans. Just have to take your chances a little bit in this regard. So overall if you're looking for an Asian buffet, City Buffet will get the job done. It won't knock your socks off, and you probably won't book a return visit in advance, but it will fill your belly at a decent price. read more

Good quality (but don't forget it is a buffet!) and a wide variety. Price is decent, 14.50 or so for two adults to have lunch. They also seem to really have a thing for krab, which is okay with me as I like surimi products but I could see others not digging how often it's used in various dishes. Portions are generous, specifically the skewered pork and whatever you call those cream cheese filled things, some places in the valley can really skim on those areas but not here. Nice place for a quick lunch. read more

I would give this place 3.5 - 4 stars. It was very clean and the food was stocked well. Some dishes were great and others were not so good. The broccoli beef & broccoli chicken, which I usually love and always get at the other buffet in town, tasted very bland. The salmon nigiri sushi was good and also I enjoyed the fried rice and the stir fried green beans. I got some shrimp that appeared to be undercooked so I didn't eat it. My mom enjoyed most of her food. I would say the other main buffet in town is slightly better taste wise, but it was a good atmosphere and it wasn't too packed or noisy on Tuesday for dinner. read more

City Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

Was good for a buffet style, food area was clean and fresh. Bathrooms could use attention more often. Other than that nice service.

Shittiest chinese food in town told the staff about flies in the food was told i would get a $1 discount should be called shitty buffet read more

City Buffet - Shitty food with fried fly - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

I have been here too many times to begin to count yet this is the visit that prompted my review. Obviously if I've visited multiple times one would get the idea the place must be decent. Well my most recent visit had me eating crow as it was my glorious idea to eat here with someone who'd never been. URGH! So much for Yelp elite status when the food is dis-gus- TING! What happened here? I'm still trying to figure out why this went from a decent buffet for Boise standards to downright yuck. Cold food, selection was very blah in comparison to past visits. I am not to naive however it really killed my vibe when I seen the waitress dumping hot water over the salmon to keep it looking fresh. Service was still good and I'll have to go again to see if they consistently suck or if it was just a fluke. Worth a visit if you have never been here and want to form your own opinion. read more

I read a few poor reviews for this place, but I really had a hankering for a Chinese buffet while I was up in Boise for job training and of the few options I had I went for this one. I had a great experience. First one I've seen that puts out see weed salad. I really like sushi and obviously buffet sushi isn't even comparable to the real deal, but I love buffets and I like getting my money's worth of sushi. This place is fantastic sushi wise. Everything I ate tasted good, sushi and buffet food. The wasabi paste wasn't very spicy, but was still good. And fresh! All the food was well rotated and fresh. I wish I could've tried it all. This was even on a Tuesday night. The sad part for me was their ice cream was cheap little styrofoam cups of lousiness. But I really like my ice cream and think every place should have a soft serve machine. Typical $12 for dinner. Worth it. I would probably give it a 3.5 out of 5, but since it's either 3 or 4 I went with 4. read more

City Buffet - Sushi and see weed salad. - Chinese Near Me - Boise, Idaho

They keep their food well stocked and rotate things regularly. The staff of always friendly and nice. I really appreciate the American items that they serve for the kids! read more

THE WORST CHINESE FOOD WE HAVE EVER HAD!!!!! There was a lot of choice of chicken dishes-ALL were hard balls that you couldn't bite into, bbq ribs were hard as a rock, beef and broccoli was horrible beef was tough and chewy broccoli was soggy. etc etc etc- ugh!!! read more

I will never come here again. I had bariatric surgery less than 5 months ago. So I only eat 3 or 4 oz. So I ate about a third of a plate. And the want to charge me full price and every where else I go to eat only charges us kids meal prices. And they were really rude. read more

Great selection!! Mongolian grill is awesome. Sushi is good. I would reccomend this place to anyone.

This is the best Chinese buffet in Boise that I have found. The cuttlefish salad is out of this world. The sushi is not high end but very good for a Chinese restaurant. They also have Mongolian BBQ and great soup and salad selections. read more

We recently went to City Buffet for lunch. I have to say that for a buffet, the food was fresh, had good flavor, and a quick and efficient staff that was polite and always had a smile. The mushrooms were excellent, the pot stickers were tasty, teriyaki chicken skewers were outstanding, and the wonton soup was excellent. I would definitely recommend this restaurant if you're wanting a buffet of Chinese and American foods. read more

Have been to this place quite a few times. The Hibachi guys are rude, and constantly complaining to me about how life in America is all about working. On top of that two of them have spoken to me inappropriately in front of my 9 year old daughter. The dishwasher has also been inappropriate. Today was the last time. I will not be back. The Hibachi guy burnt my entire dinner, once again, and the refills are never constant, you have to get them yourself. Will not miss this place. read more

Lots of choices of old and uninspired food items. Everything looked old and stale with the quality of the meats for the Mongolian stir fry looking the most pathetic. There is a reason other restaurants use frozen slices of meat for their Mongolian grilling, IT DOESN'T TURN BROWN AND DISGUSTING! The only item that was reasonably palatable were the green beans and those were just okay. Look elsewhere you will not be disappointed. read more

I don't know why but my kids love this place. Sushi gets turned over really fast, and they have a big selection. Never have to wait for seating either which it nice with the kiddos as well. Maybe it's just my personal belief that a Chinese buffet restaurant just can't get over 3 stars anyways...I mean it a buffet, right!?! read more