The service there is really great, it's great all over the cultural center. We drive out there from town just for the Gateway dinner buffet. The food is really good, there's a wonderful huge selection to choose from. The setting is really nice. Live music (and fashion shows) really help set the ambience. Pricing is VERY reasonable, it's actually better than buffet pricing in town. The Gateway Buffet dinner can be purchased as a stand alone item - you do not need to purchase Village or show tickets. For those who have to make the drive. It's a beautiful drive. It's definitely well worth it. Please do not confuse this with the brand new Hukilau lunch buffet. These are not the same thing. The food, drink and dessert selection are astounding. There's even a kids section which many adults also visit lol. You can expect to find local style food, Hawaiian style food, and lots of Asian fusion. Lots of meat, poultry,, fish, seafood, veggies, salad, starches, fresh fruit, and a wide selection of cake style dessert and ice cream. Well worth the money and drive time. Kamaaina can get a discount IF you are an Ohana Club Member. It's free and I def recommend. read more

Solid buffet. Easy seating. So many good options. The hall was pretty hot while eating; the outside was much cooler. Highlights--fresh ahi tuna, the garlic shrimp, poke. Fresh tropical fruits. Macadamia nut ice cream. Plus, there is live music. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

This buffet offers an impressive variety of selections divided into sections -- salad, dessert, starch, seafood, chicken, pork/beef, Keiki, drinks, and ice cream. The top sirloin steak and fresh ahi sashimi were definite highlights, especially watching the whole fish being prepared right in front of us! We were seated quickly and warmly greeted by our server. The staff were exceptionally friendly and attentive, clearing plates promptly. The live music added a great touch and created such a fun, relaxing atmosphere. Overall, a wonderful dining experience with great food, excellent service, and lively island vibes. read more

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A little boy kicked my soccer ball into the river adjacent to the outside patio, and we asked an employee about it. The employee courageously solved the problem and jumped into the river to retrieve the ball. That is some dedication. We will always remember you. Food was amazing and service was top tier. Customer satisfaction guaranteed. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - Ball in the river - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

This buffet restaurant has a nice atmosphere, and it's spacious and can accommodate a large number of people, also the live music over there. The buffet offers an impressive variety of selections divided into sections, such as chicken, beef, pasta, salad, fruit, seafood, pork, pastry, dessert , coffee and soda. No matter meat eater or vegetarian , people can choose their favorite they want. I love sashimi very much and there is a whole ahi fish and slices already on the table, that is so amazing when I see it. Unfortunately I see two big flies are on the sashimi and that makes me sick, and I don't want to eat. Then, I go to other sections to get food. The service is so good and friendly, they always smile and make me welcome. Overall, the buffet is not bad, just a bit of pity I don't eat sashimi. I hope they can address the hygiene issues, and I won't encounter the problem of flies when I visit again next time. read more

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We had an amazing family experience at Polynesian Cultural Center Gateway Buffet after a lovely day at the Villages and before our beautiful Ha Breath of Life show! What an incredible experience! read more

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I'll preface my review with the fact that we came last in 2018 and I was not impressed. It was a basic budget buffet with a few meat options, felt like a dorm dining hall, and the limits led time not even photographing anything (I photograph all my food), so I didn't prepare for how amazingly delicious and bougie this buffet had become!! My husband and I were both absolutely blown away by the endless options: our favorites were the poke pickings, the fresh sliced tuna served over a massive real tuna sliced in half (which we learned is actually small), the desserts: pineapple cake and ube coconut cake, ube ice cream, tea options (though there was only one herbal tea option), free flowing dole whip machine, and the braised pork. Didn't care for the bok choy but the broccolini with tofu was delish, and the garlic udon discovered in the kids (keiki) section was loved by all. Bonus all the workers were so nice and kind and even offered to take our photo at the end! I love that!! Every dinner place should make that an option after because it is so much better than a wonky sad selfie. read more

Man I pigged out here. This buffet was part of a package deal with the Islands of Polynesia and the luau show called Ha. After spending several hours at the Island of Polynesia, I was definitely ready to finally sit down and chow down. The buffet is massive with various stations. The best one was the Fresh Ahi Sashimi Station where they had an entire tuna and they slice the meat in front of you on the spot. They had a salad bar, kids station, chicken station, dessert station, ice cream station, seafood, veggies, rice potatoes & noodles, and others that I can't remember. It's a lot and there's something for everybody. They have some good live music while you're chowing down on your food. Overall, it's worth it before the luau show. read more

Overall: After a long day of walking around the Polynesian Culture Center and doing the activities, going to the gateway buffet was a reward. I purchased the gateway buffet with the ticket to go to the PCC and watch the show. We went in around 5pm and it is a very spacious place. There is a lot of food; I head straight to get Mac n cheese, broccoli, poke, and a variety of other things. It is buffet food; there is no special wow factor to it but I was so hungry so I ate at least two plates. After that, we got pineapple soft serve and other yummy desserts. read more

Limited selection of food at lunch, but dinner selections were more robust. Beef, chicken, fish and pork were all offered as the main entrees, with the usual add-ons of sides, salads, appetizers, etc., available as well. Like most buffets, the food is not as good as you would get in a "regular" restaurant, but it was OK. Atmosphere was open , like the inside of a barn, with little privacy, but the noise level wasn't objectionable. There were some locals singing that posed as live entertainers, but they were barely noticable. Employees were very courteous and helpful, especially the hosts and hostesses. read more

Oh my God! Wonderful! Definitely do this is you are in the Polynesian culture center. So many options. Exotic fruits. All kinds of seafood. Live entertainment. With a fun and friendly staff. read more

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to PCC, please look into your buffet's desserts! great food, great ambiance, there was live music & the servers that seat you are great otherwise its all self serve (love it). it is a little chaotic because everyone's trying to get food in different directions and its hard not to bump into one another lol, i noticed several people were aggravated with the maze of people we had to dodge. I wish they had some sort of line for each section. I tried the desserts and a lot of the desserts tasted like rubber, absolutely horrible. I had to quickly get the taste out of my mouth, this was definitely not the taste they intended to use as most "rubbery" tasting food is just food.. gone bad like one of the ingredients they used was expired because all of them tasted rubbery. the icecream & fruit was normal though however. the beef ribs were amazing, a bit salty though. everything but the dessert section showed quality. The staff were amazing but sometimes we would run out of plates & they only provide 1 fork and 1 knife otherwise you have to ask for another one. the drink section was pretty plain in comparison to the food, thats ok. overall I would visit again. not sure if i'd try anything from the dessert bar though. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - dessert (tasted like tire rubber ) - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Great food and very friendly staff. Musicians sang Hawaiian Roller Coaster Ride song but made no mention of Hawaii's own Iam Tongi who was contracted by Disney for the remake for Lili and Stitch part 2. I felt he should have been mentioned. read more

A must at the PCC. We booked the Gateway Package buffet ($142 per person, $130 if you book 10 days in advance), children 3 & under are free. This includes entrance to the Islands of Polynesia self guided tour (canoe rides), the Gateway buffet, & silver tier reserved seating for the Ha Breath of Life evening show. We chose this option since we didn't care much for the luau (more expensive) because there was another show in the evening. Buffet opens at 4:30 until 7:00PM. Free to come anytime between those hours, they do not have a time limit on how long you can stay there. We came at around 5:30 & took our time to eat and rested our very tired feet until they closed since the show did not start until 7:30. This buffet really surprised us. Came with zero expectations, just needed to eat. Lol. Left with very very happy tummies! Check in with the host, they walk you back to your table. Over 10 different stations - see photos for reference. The variety was insane but the quality of food was even better! Kids section had garlic noodles, mac & cheese, chicken tenders. Seafood had the fresh sashimi & a carving station with broiled fish. Fresh poke station. Tons of meat options, sirloin carving station, the braised short rib was our ultimate favorite. Chicken done in over 6 ways... all delicious. The carbs station with rice, potatoes, noodles. They had an ahi steamed dumpling that was amazing. The mango & taro dinner rolls. The salad & fruit station was great. Veggie station had sauteed mushroom / bokchoy - my favorite. Then they had an ice cream station serving ube ice cream & pineapple soft serve. Non-alcoholic beverages. Prime gastronomic experience, we all enjoyed. Huge dining area. Live music playing. I wish I had 10 stomachs to try them all. Staff were extremely friendly... especially Nina & Nie from the Philippines who are current BYU students. Staff & food 10/10. Took off a star for not enough air flow. It was hot, we were sweating while eating. But we came prepared with neck fans & fans for the kids strollers. Highly recommend but bring a fan. Lol. read more

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Great service, lots of dishes, tasty food. Loved the free piña coladas. Tip: don't fill up on drinks. read more

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Buffet of buffets! This place is ginormous and features tons of different types of food to eat including Filipino, Hawaiian, American, Japanese and more. The star of the show was the sashimi. They present it on a whole tuna fish! Not to mention how fresh this fish was. If I'm on the island, I'm gonna eat tons of poke, which is definitely what I did while here. Their lomi-lomi was really good too! As with everything on the island, it's pricey. But you're going in as a tourist, so what do you expect? read more

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We been here before and experience the great service as usual. The food selection is awesome, even have kids section. The food selection is vast, and a lot to choose from. There was a live band, and they played all types of music, even sang Happy Birthday to birthday celebrant, if you tell them your name... the crowd sings along too. Desert is awesome, they have all kinds of ice cream ( I liked the Ube, and vanilla Macadamia nuts, they had chocolate too). Opposite from the ice cream, they have self serve pineapple sherbet... self serve.... Not to forget, the salad bar... The wait staff was excellent, students from BYU, cleaning up and answering all your questions. If you go PCC, you gotta eat here( it's all you can eat buffet)..there's other options outside if you choose otherwise. Overall, I enjoyed the ambiance, food, and service.. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - After dinner we took pictures.. - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

One of the better buffets I've been too. Usually buffets have either sub par or average food but there was a descent amount of good food here. The highlights would be the ahi sashimi and the tuna dumpling. I think that there is definitely food for everyone here. read more

Good food, relaxing place. Live Hawaiian music. Live entertainment. Great for group outings. I hear they do military 10% discount.

Had a great meal after visiting the Island Villages. Staff was very courteous & attentive to all our needs. Amazing selections of food with a ton of varieties and it all tasted good. Always save room for desserts and the ambiance was spectacular with live music done tastefully in all aspects. I highly recommend trying this buffet along with supporting the students by visiting here! read more

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Amazing fresh hot food, can't wait to go back. Highly revoke d the buffet. Everything is labeled, gluten free, nuts, vegan etc

Two of us came for the buffet after visiting the Polynesian Cultural Center. First of all, the food was excellent. A large variety, good quality and very tasty. The issue that cost the extra star was their organization with seating. We were ushered to our table and given the run down of the buffet procedure. We went and got our food and came back to find other people sitting at our table. After the awkwardness of sorting this out, we were ushered to another table, with food in hand. Finally seated at a new table across the restaurant with our swiftly cooling food, we started to settle down. Then another couple turned up and said we were seated at their table. Another awkward moment as we tried to sort that out. I am afraid that some of the staff didn't know what they were doing and the whole situation made the event less than enjoyable. Great food though. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

Didn't know exactly what to expect but we booked reservations for the Gateway Buffet at the PCC. Really glad that we did! Although we originally wanted to book the Luau dinner, they were fully booked out when we set up our dates. The Gateway Buffet seemed like the next best option at the time. We're actually glad we chose this option! First you walk in and they take you to your table, but. Or until you first get a pineapple and cream drink. Once you're seated, the shear size of this facility will set in! They have lots of various stations that are all well labeled. They you notice that they have live music! They were really pretty good, and we're taking some requests and making announcements. Very cool! The number of food choices is rather impressive. From kid friendly items to fresh sashimi (served freshly cut on the tuna!), to salad bar and deserts - there's something for anyone here! I definitely recommend eating here if you visit PCC! read more

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The last two times that I came to the Polynesian Cultural Center, I did the luau package and never liked the food. When I went on 3/4/2022 my husband and I decided that we'd do the buffet package this time as it's cheaper and has a TON of gluten free options. As someone with celiac disease I was so happy to see every item labeled and I received a packet that listed all of the allergens just to double check. This was the first time in Hawaii that I've had a real dinner that isn't an overpriced bowl of salad as Hawaii is not celiac friendly. If you like sashimi or ahi sashimi, you're in luck because they have a full poke bar with gluten free options and the biggest ahi sashimi platter I've ever seen. I loaded up on the sashimi and GF poke because I haven't had any poke this trip because they're all mixed with wheat-containing soy sauce at places like Foodland. As someone who lives in the 9th Island, buffet Mecca, Las Vegas, is this Caesars Bacchanal type food? No. But you're also not paying Bacchanal prices for dinner either. You can't compare a family buffet to a luxury dining option. If I was comparing this to comparably priced buffets (when you factor out 3 days of park admission, the Ha show ticket & the charter bus ride) this buffet is a 5 star in comparison. I actually went back for another helping of the gluten free kalbi stir fried beef & was so happy to see that they had gluten free pineapple fried rice! There are so many vegetable options and foods with lilikoi, furakake, ube, guava, & macadamia nut flavors included, as well as fresh rambutan, longan & other tropical fruits on the salad bar. Try the mashed ulu, which is breadfruit not potatoes - it had a nice smokey, buttery flavor. During dinner they had live music at the buffet with two guys on guitar singing as well as another woman singing. They took requests and kids were dancing to the Moana and Encanto songs and everyone else including staff were dancing when Meghan Trainor's All About That Base was requested. While I didn't like the luau food the other times I was here, I really enjoyed my meal at Gateway Buffet yesterday. read more

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Large selection of high-quality foods, including amazing garlic shrimp, fresh sashimi and poke, steak, great selection of vegetables and desserts! There was also beautiful live music and amazing wall paintings. It's kinda pricey and is open only 2,5 hours a day for dinner, you also have to buy tickets to get in, but it was worth it. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - Fruit section - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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We came here for the Breath of Life night show and we chose to eat dinner here. The staffs are standing outside to greet and welcome us. Once you walk-in there are drinks (piña colada with no alcohol) on a table in the entrance. The place is nice and the food are average. The fresh Ahi sashimi was so good, the texture was mild and very tender. The Longan was yummy and sweet. The Guava bun was also tasty, soft and had guava taste. Friendly service from staffs, nice place, with live music and good food. :) :) read more

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This was my wife's and my first time at the Gateway Buffet, second time overall to PCC. The first time we attended the Alii Luau buffet and it was amazing. We were concerned the Gateway buffet would not live up to Alii Luau buffet, we could not have been more wrong! The Food: Outstanding. Lots of options ranging from Hawaiian and Polynesian to Asian and American. The staff did a wonderful job of keeping the food trays well stocked. Even the presentation was good, it made me want to try more items. Pro tip: If you're able, I recommend fasting all day prior to this meal; very difficult to do but you'll thank yourself. The Ambience: Very good. It was spacious, with live music, and lots of customers, however it was still relatively quiet enough that we could have a normal conversation at our table. It also had an open-air feel to it which I was concerned would welcome in the heat/humidity but it was surprisingly pleasant and comfortable with a very gentle breeze. Might be slightly different in July/August. The Service: Top notch. Considering the staff are nearly all college students, the level of service was very high. Staff was patient, attentive, and friendly. Overall we thoroughly enjoyed our dinner. The food/ambience/service and attention to detail are all 5/5. If I had to compare Gateway buffet, I'd put it on the level of a really nice Walt Disney World buffet, such as Boma. Little known fact: If you live on island you can join their Ohana Club for free, this allows you to buy passes just for Gateway buffet and HA Breath of Life for only $54.45. read more

4/5! After a long and eventful day at the PCC, my friends and I needed some good food to end the day with. With there being a buffet here, of course we had to check it out! It also helps as a place to relax and just wind down while eating great food. The Food: The Gateway had a wide variety of food here! And for a buffet, the quality was very good and the food was delicious! There was so much food to try, so I had to get a little of everything. The Service: Service was good! Upon arriving, we were greeted by the friendly staff and made our way to our table. Everything else was pretty much self service the staff were very quick to take dirty plates. The Atmosphere: The buffet is housed in a large space with plenty of seating, very Hawaiian themed and they even had a live band play while we eat! They were incredibly talented as well. Overall, a 4/5! I'd definitely recommend giving the Gateway Buffet a try! I definitely enjoyed my time here! read more

Food was okay. Had high expectations for the buffet, but it was more of quantity than quality. Poke weren't all that. They have good variety of fruits though for dessert. The entertainment was great. read more

They had everything, fish, pan-pacific, beverages, desserts, salads, soup, children's dishes. Even Dolewhip. We were tired after a day of touring so we just sort of grazed. So we didn't enjoy the buffet as much as we might have if we were more energetic. Our tip is to check out all the areas before starting. Lots and lots of choices. read more

This was an amazing buffet! It was so worth getting the buffet package that way we were able to try an abundance of Hawaiian specialties. They greeted us with a welcome drink. It was very nice. They do have fountain drinks and coffee as well you may serve yourself. I loved the poke and tried all of them, the spicy one was my favorite. We had some Huli Huli chicken. The Kalaua pork was good. I loved the garlic butter udon, so good. They had some great scooped ice cream, I tried the ube and mac nut flavors. Their desserts were amazing, the family adored the chocolate souffle. I also loved the pineapple tart and the mochi chocolate chip cookie, very nice and chewy. For those who like poi they had some at the salad bar but my daughter liked the poi from the demo more on the islands. A man was going from table to table offering some poison cru from Tahiti (which I do love, I have had eaten a lot of it there) but I was unfortunately too stuffed to even take one bite. Their fluffy buns were nice and flavorful. There was just too much to try all of it. I loved the entertainment. They had two gentlemen that had ukuleles and sang. They took requests and did shout outs to the crowd via text. The family had fun submitting requests and they even sang Happy Birthday! When they sang I Lava You, I lost it and cried so hard, it was great. If we ever come back I would definitely do the buffet again. It is great for families especially if you have a group of diverse eaters who like different things and a group who likes a big meal during a long adventure out. read more

Gateway Buffet - Polynesian Cultural Center - Buffets Near Me - Laie, Hawaii

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Best Buffet in Oahu so far. This was a part of a surprise our beautiful daughter arranged for us that day. I hope she realizes "She knocked it out of the park" for us. My wife was wide eyed, and I was stoked the whole time. From Kalua Pig to fresh Ahi Poke. Tons of local foods, salad and desert bars, live music, and 5 STAR ambience. It is connected to the Polynesian cultural center and totally rocks for dinner or lunch. I can't begin to tell you all they have. Let's just say this place is cavernous and full of Hawaiian/Pacific foods. The staff is cheerful, the place is constantly being COVID cleaned when people leave. dirty dishes magically disappear so you can further enjoy your meal. I would return in a minute ... and will next visit. Bravo TEAM GATEWAY BUFFET. read more

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We were in other dinner venues at the center in the past but we thought the Gateway buffer had the most pleasant buffet experience. We booked this buffet (with the shows) ourselves and we were directed to a huge but nice warehouse type building with a ton of buffet stations. We really liked the fact that we did not have to share a long table with strangers. I think you will get the "higher class" venues (there were 2 others) if you book your ticket through the "GO Oahu" pass or pay more. We did those in the previous years and we each got a lei and photo opportunities with the performers. We also had the roasted pig paraded around before the dinner. Those were nice but we did not miss those things this time. We really enjoyed all the food (great variety and taste) and the friendly hard working staff. There were outstanding dishes like the pork, seafood and poke. We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. read more

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This is like Las Vegas style mega-buffet. Selections are awesome! and for $49.99 offer plus evening show for Ohana Club Members is a steal! I just wish they'll include access to villages. read more

After a delay (our choice) by rain, we entered the Polynesian Cultural Center about 2 hours late. We accomplished almost everything we wanted to do before it was time for us to eat at the Gateway Buffet. The options for salads, vegetables, potatoes/rice/noodles, seafood, and meats was quite extensive. There were a few dessert options and pineapple or mango soft freeze. If you left the place hungry, it was definitely your own fault. Everything was good, with some things better than others. Very friendly staff (at least the ones who had anything do do with us personally). read more

Lots of variety of food BUT MOST OF THE FOOD ARE NOT FRESH. At the end of the day at 7pm, they put the left over food in a gallon ziplock bag to bring it out again on the next day. BEWARE, You might get sick or food poisoned. Too bad, the food isn't fresh otherwise I would give this buffet a 4 or 5 stars. read more

It's ok for large crowds, but I prefer a lot down restaurant where the food is super fresh and made after I order.

Food has gone from A+ to C, at best. Small spoon of kalua pig and you must ask for more. Teriyaki Beef Strips had so much gristle you could chew a whole piece. NO Lomi Lomi salmon at a luau. Deep fried shrimp had as much batter as shrimp, fried in large clu.ps and shrimp overdone and dry. We ate there 2 years ago and it was wonderful. Won't take company there again!!! We'll eat elsewhere and go to the show. read more

The variety was great and consisted of original dishes. Fresh ahi tuna Sashimi, salmon and tuna poke, lomi lomi salmon, I had a great time adding an inch to my waistline. read more

Oh has this place changed from the last time we were here. The food selection has changed a lot!! More selection and choice!! The live music is just so amazing that i can just sit here all night and listen to them play Hawaiian music. All the staff were so mice and friendly from different countries around Asia. If you haven't been back to the Polynesian Cultural Center, I suggest you give it another try. It is way better from the last couple of years. read more