I love Chinese food and have been to many buffets in a few states. While by no means the greatest I have been to it was good. I went the other night for dinner and they had the coconut shrimp. I gave it a try and it was good but I didn't really taste coconut. Best coconut shrimp I have had was at Outback. That aside the lo mein was great and I was pleased with the teriyaki chicken. The beef in the beef and brocoli was actually nice and tender. The other items ranged from good to passable. For whatever was kind of bland was more than made up for by the lobster roll. I tried one on a whim and that by far was the best item there. My regret is I didn't eat more of them. The service was prompt and my drink remained filled the whole time. The place was clean and rather busy the night I went. The price is about hat i expected too. It was roughly 30 bucks for two people. Living in Lemon Grove and right down the street its easy to get to. I know many other buffets exist in San Diego with a larger variety but frankly for how close it is and how well the experience was I am content not venturing far from home. read more

It's a buffet, so you know what to expect in terms of heavy customer traffic. The food was okay, some items tasting better than other items, but you're going to get that no matter what buffet you go to in town. I tell you what... I really can't think of any one entree item that stood out in my mind as being especially flavorful, except for the green beans. They had that delicate balance of snap crunchiness and tender flavor. Oh wait... back pedal, back pedal... I do recall the apple pie turnover. Yeah, that was bonus round goodness! The wait staff are certainly courteous, efficient and friendly, picking up your used dishes without you having to flag them for attention... the same goes for your drink refills. Yeah, I'll probably pay them another visit. read more

I have been going there for years, never had a problem like the other posts i see. In fact, im pretty shcoked at learning Elite buffet doesnt have 5 stars here. I eat chinese food at least twice a monyh, my wife and daughter love chinese food and wont stop asking me to take them to different places. They have a very decent variety, 2 large steam tables and one very large dessert/salad cold bar. Their food is always fresh and the service is excellent. I wish it was more affordable but i cant say its overpriced. I think the cost is 12 per person. The place doesnt have that much seafood, but i dont mind, they do have shrimp in several forms and i LOVE the one that is coated in, I think honey? Anyways, they do deserve a 5 star rating from me. read more

Pretty good. Been in SD for over a year, this was our first Chinese buffet excursion in SD, and it was actually good. The waiter was on top of the drinks, and the empty plates were whisked away as we were finished with them. The restaurant itself was extremely clean, proven by the big "A" in the window. The Bad: Teriyaki Chicken. Soaked too long and was gooey. The Good: Crispy Chicken, Pepper Chicken, Korean Chicken, and the Hot and Sour soup was one of the best I have had(2 bowls). I'm sure there are more but this is all I had tonight. Dinner buffet was under $10 per person. What a value! read more

If you consider the amount of sit down restaurants in Lemon Grove, and the location (because you're bound to be in that strip buying something), the selection and the price, Elite Buffet is a staple I'd be willing to shoot into my thigh. Mostly it's the price, especially for lunch. We can spend almost as much on a drive through, why not get all you can eat? I won't proclaim that every damn thing they have is tasty. Some of it is drab. But go there once and you can find your favorites in one bite. The sushi is sub par, but hey, you can pile up your own sashimi. I love the shrimp, the wings, the thai chicken, the plantains, some of their desserts and the salad bar. There's more to love but I'm feeling lazy. The restaurant is clean and the service is fast. I'm knocking a star because I found a hair in my food yesterday. That bummed me out. I still went back for more of the other stuff but nobody really apologized or offered a discount. The bus boy just said "oh" and I don't think he told the manager. We didn't need a discount because I kept filling up, but the gesture would have been nice. read more

Really yummy food, love the calmness about this place , nice staff everything is all good! Recommend to others!

The best restaurant. I mean the only two things I eat is shrimp and fried fish but it's great for the price ! Despite the pandemic they are doing excellent! read more

For the price, this is a great Chinese food buffet! Lunch is only $6 per person, dinner is only $9. Compare that to other places that cost $13... yeah, it's GREAT! This is a hole-in-the-wall... there are very few people who come in. It's like we own the place whenever we're there. The waiters refill drinks without a big pause, take your finished plates almost immediately so you don't have them piling up, and all are pretty nice with smiles and laughs. I've been here twice (once for lunch, once for dinner) and I'm about to go back right now. My only complaint is that I SWEAR, they stopped bringing out mussels because they thought we were eating too many... just sayin', how do you run out of them at 1 PM??? But I guess I also ate A LOT of them... nearly 20, haha. So I can't be too mad. I took away a star because of the mussel thing and also cuz my friend went there the same night as me, but she came maybe a few hours after me (when I went for dinner) and the place disappointed her. It was an hour and a half before closing and the food was cold, all the stuff that she went there for wasn't there, etc. So I would suggest to not go toward closing time! I get it, it's a buffet, they aren't going to be cooking new food so close to closing, but the quality shouldn't go down just because it's later in the day. So I would suggest going for lunch or going around 5 so you don't get stuck with the end-of-the-day crap. All-in-all, GREAT for the price you pay :) read more

Giving it a 2 star because the food has been sitting there for a long time and they dont have much variety. Plus, the food area is basically empty. They are not putting fresh food often. And where people eat is clean and i like that servers always asked if we wanted more drinks. But food to be honest is not that appetizing... and they dont have cones for ice cream. I repeat. THEY DO NOT HAVE CONES FOR ICE CREAM. read more

To this day I still wonder Was it the day.. the hour, weather, a coincidence or was it just that we were sooo hungry that everything just tasted so good on our visit to Elite buffet!! Nice quality and those delicious coconut shrimpies! On our way back from an errand day drove to smog the mx5, then headed to san Diego car museum which jenny got us tickets for (Franky thanks you) we visited Elite buffet very good items, clean establishment and busy tiny parking lot and after stop to empire Nissan for license plate frames for the y33 made this a very unforgettable experience. Until next time coco shrimps..until next time! read more

I'll discribe this joint in one word NASTY! God forbid you are unlucky enough to eat here on a Monday, everything is left over from their Sunday brunch... old cold Chineese food taste like nasty greasy crap. My wife and I ate there yesterday for dinner, after we finished our sloppings I became worried about dumping my guts before getting home, the lady working in the back preparing food came out and sat a few chairs from us near the rear of the restuarant. I could her sniffiling so I turned to take a look and her nose was dripping like a brokening faucet while she sponging it up with a well used napkin wadded up in her hand, she then gets up and starts to load up the salad bar...CRAP now I'm going to catch the frigginen plague. Geeze I doubt anyone that works there has a health permit let alone green card. You get what you pay for but I don't remember buying a dose of the dripping crud.. read more

This place is okay. We go here when we don't have time to go to the place that I really like but the service is reasonable the people are nice have a food is just okay. read more

Elite Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

I really liked this buffet. The food was good. Not the best Chinese I've tasted, but not the worst either. About average. The food selection was perfect. There was enough choices of appetizers, meats, sides and fruit. I wasn't too crazy about their desert though. Sugar cookies, brownies and coffee flavored mouse I believe. The customer service was excellent. All the staff were friendly and they made sure to come around to my table frequently to take plates and refill drinks. I'd dine here again and I'd recommend it to others. read more

My friend and I came for lunch. When you're paying $8.09 a person to eat a buffet, you really can't complain. But, be prepared. There's not very many options to choose from and most of them are generic take out food like orange chicken, chow mien, 'butter' shrimp, fried wontons, you get the gist. I didn't have anything I particularly liked and for the most part just ate to get full. You'll find more variety and more seafood options for about $2 more. Things that were good: cheesed up creamed spinach (surprising good when you eat it with the garlic bread), the scallop shells (literally one of the only things I ate. I think I ate like 10+ in total), the steamed fish, the cream cheese wontons, the fried octopus (yum when they just came out!), and the mussels in some sort of sweet and sour sauce. Things to skip: the sushi if you go during a weekday lunch. It has a weird taste to it. The egg drop soup which doesn't really taste anything like egg drop soup should taste like, the apple pie because it doesn't even resemble anything like an apple pie, and for the love of god, skip the lobster roll. I don't know what it is but it's like a dried up spring roll that has absolutely no lobster in it. But hey, It was $8 and I was full until breakfast the next day so I really can't complain. read more

The experience was nice with family, a lot to choose from, but seeing how the food was just sort of okay, it would have possibly been a 3 star rating. There was a great selection of food items to choose from. The food was average, with the beef and chicken tasting good, and the fries of all things, tasting the best. Everything else was just meh - food, okay - to fill you up, and eat too much to make up for the $14 you pay so you leave thinking that you made a good choice, but second guessing after experiencing the food. But the killer came from the restroom. It was not clean, and not usable to say the least. That is why the 2 star. read more

If I can give this place a 0 stars I would .... I have only been there 2 times the first time I got super sick and so did my mom the second time all my family went we were all food poisoning and we were super sick do not go here if you don't want to get sick ! read more

After my bf introduced me to this buffet, I've been hooked! Seriously, we come here at least once a week. The price is affordable and the food is pretty good! It's not a fancy restaurant or anything but it's quite clean. The waiters/waitresses are nice and the place is big. If you're not in the mood to cook and you're really hungry, this is the perfect place to go because the food is hot and ready. My bf and I always get the fried crab and it's sooo good! It's crunchy and salty and delicious. I always get the string beans, the cream cheese wontons, the baked shrimp, coconut shrimp, the fried crab and sushi. The crab is the main reason why we come back time and time again, it's the closest thing to R&G lounge's fried crab in SF! read more

Elite Buffet - Their fried crab and baked shrimp! YUM! - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

Pro: most of the food was good. Con: gave me bubba'guts. Would I come back again? yeah, if I'm backed up. Nothing wrong with killing two birds with one stone. ;) read more

The food was alright. Almost all of the food was cold. Waiter did a decent job refilling drinks. There was no toilet paper in the filthy bathroom. I told a woman who was sweeping around the food. She told me to tell someone else. After we ate I told the manager who said well maybe he doesn't speak english. First of all I said a she and she told me to tell someone else so she speaks enough english. This is place is not worth the visit or the price. I came once about 3 years ago and the food still sucks. Apparently checking on the restroom is too hard who knows what the kitchen looks like. read more

One word. Great. Great food great service. Only thing we felt rushed. Only because it was ridiculously busy!!! A lot of people waiting to be seated which is good. highly recommended and its not that expensive read more

Even one star is a lot for this buffet it's the worse buffet I have ever had there's nothing to eat and when I asked the manager about ice cream or any dessert to eat I will never go back again. Don't recommend read more

This was our first and last time here. Nice but not tasty. It's cheap for a reason. If u just want quick Chinese buffet then here's the spot but I would say spend less and go to Panda Express read more

Good selection. Fresh, hot, tasty food. The French fries are the best ever found on a buffet line, no joke! Mad crispy on the outside, tender and moist on the inside. All the chix dishes are very good and diverse. Drinks are separate charge, so I pass. Wait staff have good attitude, sweep dirty dishes away in a snap, but slow to fill up the water glasses. The frozen yogurt is bland and icy. Fresh fried zucchini. Lo mein decent. All in all, a worthy stroll down buffet lane for $10 bones. read more

Elite Buffet - Plate #1 - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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I will never ever eat there again the food was nasty the people there eating were wiping there snot in there hands and then it wasn't real clean inside read more

I really enjoyed this place. I wasn't planning on eating here... but I was hungry and had just gone to CVS and Anna's linens in the same shopping center and well, why not. I walked in and was greeted asked about prices then asked if I could take a look at the line up before I sat down to eat. They agreed with an "Of course, go ahead" ... The food looked good they had many things to choose from, new york steak, lo mein, spring rolls, oysters on a half shell, cream puffs, baked salmon, sushi, blue crab, broccoli beef, mandrin orange salad, thai chicken, egg drop soup, lobster rolls, salad, orange chicken, etc. They did have alot of sea food which is... good for some people I guess though because neither I nor the person I was dining with eat seafood it didnt matter much, I was just happy that the whole place didnt have the smell of sea food as places sometimes get. The food was very good, some of my favorites were the lo-mein (absolutley delicious), orange chicken, and sweet and sour chicken... The price was also a plus, only 10.11 (including tax) without a drink... and that was for dinner (the most expensive it ever gets) The service was great, they took away empty plates quickly and filled up drinks in a hurry. I would certainly suggest this place... very good. read more

Awesome buffet, same delish flavor any time & every time. Courteous waiters every time! Awesome price. read more

Elite Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

We're visiting family here in the area, and they recommended that we all eat at this buffet. The prices during lunch time was really good, and the food selection was your average Chinese buffet with a couple of different dishes like lobster rolls, stuffed mushrooms, and baked scallops. Not much variety in sushi, but the rolls they did have were good. The waiter was attentive and took our dirty plates and refilled the drinks in a timely manner. Wasn't the best buffet I've been to, but surely not the worst. Overall, I would come back. read more

Elite Buffet - Food pricing - Chinese Near Me - Lemon Grove, California

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Please upgrade! Last time I was there, fried rice got egg shell on it so I took out put outside the pan hope the staff see it. Dishes sticky grease... Won't come back again only if some thing change. read more

*from the point of view of a vegetarian* Not many options...... i mean you could have some rice or some not-so-good lookin veggies and a salad. for desert some frozen cream puffs and fruit....and jello if your not a strict vegetarian. my mom and sis who eat meat thought it was pretty good thus why it isn't a one. bottom line: NOT a good place for vegtarians. p.s. srry to be this mean but hey.... just gotta get the word out to my fellow vegi's xD read more

My absolute favorite item here is the coconut shrimp and the crab in the shells! Yuuuuuummmmmmmmmm!!!! We come here a lot with my Church and Family. Sundays are always full of people but its Sunday, isn't everything full that day? The service is good. They always seem busy but my cup is usually full of what I'm drinking and o serve my own food so it's all good (: read more

Love this place! Been looking for a great buffet and this is definitely at the top of our list Its cheaper to eat here then take out btw read more

I've been here multiple times. It's always sooo good and it's close to my house. The food is always warm and fresh and the platters are full. I never feel like I'm getting the last piece. They have fruit and dessert. I just wish they had a larger variety of veggies. But still delicious and I would come back anytime. read more

LOVEEE the Elite Buffet! The coconut shrimp is delicious as is the broccoli beef, sesame chicken, orange chicken, love their lo mein. Your drink will stay full the entire time that you are there and your plates will be cleared seconds after you get up for a new plate. They are a little pricey, but chinese buffets usually are a bit more expensive than lets say hometown buffet. Very fresh salad bar with an abundant amount of toppings. I don't really like the sushi, but that's mainly because the selection isn't that great. read more

I've been going to Elite for a year now & it's been the best Chinese buffet I've been to. They're clean, friendly and cheap. They have great quality food but not a lot of options. My favorites are the; Orange chicken, Chow mein, fried rice, french fries (I know that sounds gross at a Chinese joint but there pretty good), fried fish & fried shrimp. Every time I go there the bill is always around $17 so it's basically $8 per person which is not that bad because it's worth it. Pros: Great food, Clean & Waiters are polite and on point. Cons: Not a lot of options to eat, sometimes I end up getting the same thing in the second round. read more

Watch out I've come here and 2 times ive notice they over charge. Watch out check your bill before or after you pay it's ridiculous. They say they also charge you for the tip. read more

Like most people that have been here, I received the buy get one free coupon in the mail. I went for lunch with my boyfriend and we both agreed it was just okay. My boyfriend felt sick afterwards but I think its cause he overstuffed himself with the cream cheese wontons. I stayed away from it cause I'm not too fond of cream cheese in food, other than cheese cake and on bagels. ANYWAY, they had a good variety of salads and the typical asian dishes (beef and broccoli, wonton soup, orange chicken). I felt like the dishes were cold and sort of bland. The crispy chicken wasn't crispy and the battered shrimp was practically naked... no batter at all! The service was good. The staff made sure to take the plates away promptly and refill the drinks. The prices are affordable but the quality of the food needs some work. read more

This buffet had a fair selection of food. It was like Chinese take-out buffet, but of poorer quality. Not all the food was super warm. It just wasn't noteworthy or super delicious. Basically, I've had a lot of better Chinese buffets. read more

Ok, so they are a bit hit or miss. Some things are really good and some are not. Positives Decent selection They had two choices of lettuce at the salad bar: romaine and mixed baby greens and it was FRESH - seriously impressed by this Well priced, also offer senior and a take away option Clean Negatives Sea food is frozen and you can tell A lot of the breaded meat tastes so so Plus for some reason knives are not offered. Also there aren't any small cups or bowls for the various sauces Its a great place for when you have that craving for the guilty pleasure of buffet Americanized Chinese food and a small budget :) read more

Standard cookie cutter Chinese buffet here. Seems like they have the same exact food from a Chinese buffet in the chula vista area. Maybe same owners. Service is ok. Last time here it was a hot day and noticed they did not turn up the AC in here. It was uncomfortable eating. Nice selection of Chinese staple foods. Some American food mixed in. I do like the won ton soup. They had plentiful won tons filled with a good amount of meat. Good place if your craving a buffet in the area. Parking gets crowded during lunch. It shares the parking lot with a few other restaurants and a grocery store. read more

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I came in with my girlfriend and they didn't greet us. Then the guy just says "we're full". Like they didn't want to serve us or something. We never have gotten great service here but we wanted some food so we came here but after this there is no point in coming back. read more