I was very excited to try Ma-daSao which had gone viral on several popular social media platforms. It was packed on a Saturday night at 6 pm when we went. Service is not great and you have to work very hard to flag down a server to get a water refill or order one of their menu items like the beef noodle soup. The serve yourself buffet had a few gems like the chicken wings but overall it felt like I was searching hard for gems rather than enjoying the majority of the dishes. Overall, glad I got to try this spot but it did not live up to the hype for me. read more

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My husband and I went on the first Saturday lunch when they were still transitioning the new business before they raised prices from $25 to $29. Overall we thought the price was fair with quality and variety at the lower price. The quality and variety changed a lot throughout the time we were there so you will need to stalk the buffet area often to find various different items. A lot of the food was not hot which we weren't fans of. We were disappointed by all the steamed dumplings. XLB had no soup, hargow were all broke apart, other dumplings cold. My favorite item was the pork hock which was nice and tender. The Taiwanese beef soup that you order from the menu was hot and tasty. Overall, they were probably in soft opening and working out the kinks so I may go back and try again another Saturday lunch. Highly recommend going with a group so you can try more things because the portion sizes are too big to sample "all you can eat". read more

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I was really excited to go here after seeing video of the food and hearing that it's an all you can eat (AYCE) restaurant specializing in Shanghainese cuisine. However, that's where the excitement ends. This is a review meant for their AYCE. Ma-dasao serves a bunch of small dishes alongside a countertop, you grab a tray and whatever looks enticing, and sit down at a table. A server will come and ask if you want any drinks (costs extra) along with giving you a menu you can order from for additional dishes. Prices listed on the side are on the absurd side, but it's to prevent food waste in case you can't finish. When I went in Dec., the hours posted on google were false, so we ended up arriving at around 1:35pm, with last call of ordering food from the kitchen at 2pm. The place closes at 2:30pm for a brief break. Because there was a lot of people ahead of us despite the empty tables, the host didn't allow us to put our name down on the list. The google hours have since been updated to reflect the hours posted on their door, which is also false because the restaurant opens again at 4:30pm, NOT 4pm! Their AYCE was advertised online at $20, in person at $24.99, but one of their signage at the front also says $28.78 for Saturdays. We got charged $24.99. As for the food, they looked good. I recommend only grabbing what you really like because they have a constant rotation of different dishes, so don't just grab everything you see all at once because there's new things coming out later. I also don't recommend ordering from the menu because the portions are so big that it might be the only thing you can even eat. Taste wise, some dishes were good. Others were both salty and bland (ie tofu in soy sauce broth), like it wasn't marinated long enough and had no umami flavor. Overall, the dishes were bland, not seasoned right, some were oily, and good, but not amazing to wait in line for. Honestly, I wouldn't bother coming here again. read more

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I really enjoyed this ayce spot. We came early before the big morning rush and were seated immediately. You can order from the server and get your food from the buffet. For the price, it was an absolute value. The inside is large but it does get quite busy. There are plenty of large tables if you come with a large party. I think they still have some figuring out with the service but it's headed in the right direction. read more

Ma-daSao - Spread - Shanghainese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Its "dim sum" ayce brunch price had increased to 26$. I like the concept but the day I went they had 0 shu mai. I was told the guy that usually makes it was not working that day. Bummer bc thats the ONLY dim sum, or "breakfast" item that would categorize this ayce brunch as dim sum. They don't advertise it as such, but please tik tok foodies, stop spreading misinformation. The spaces in this place is tight and it gets full during the ayce chinese food times. For brunch they have the menu items and all the buffet items. Interesting bc for dinner ayce, it won't include some menu items. The food here, for me, was either bland, or the broths had too much mala taste but not flavorful or spicy. The walnut shrimp was the best tasting item there. I liked the Chinese broccoli too. I dont think the price is worth the kinds of food you get. Its for sure better than oanda express or fadt food chinese. Nothing beats the REAL ayce dim sum in vegas for 22$ ALL day. You can try happy ayce hot pot or 1968 bistro for ayce dim sum in california, but for quality and real dim sum items, you cant beat vegas. read more

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What a nice place to have dinner. This place is super clean and spacious. The customer service is on point. I like that this is an all you can eat Chinese restaurant. It's really rare to have authentic Chinese food that is tasty. Thank you so much for your hospitality and tasty food. We will definitely be back. read more

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Great price for the dishes they have to offer. Tasted authentic as well. Interesting take on buffets! read more

Ma-daSao - Shanghainese Near Me - San Diego, California

Madasao is now known as Shanghai. They are mostly an all you can eat buffet style Chinese restaurant that serves a mix of Chinese food and random Chinese food. The Chinese name of the restaurant made me think that it would serve very traditional Shanghainews food, but when I went, it wasn't the case. There is a lot of variety for its buffets, and I think for the price, it's pretty worth it. But taste wise, I don't think it's very authentic Chinese. If you don't want to eat that all you can eat, they do allow you to order things à la carte such as Shanghai, wontons, Shanghai, rice, cakes, or chow mein, etc. I do enjoy all of the little dishes that they serve during the buffet to give you a taste of all sorts of things. read more

Ma-daSao - Inside - Shanghainese Near Me - San Diego, California

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Food was so so. Kind of a home cook meal. The mapo tofu did not taste like the one I eat regularly at home as it was more sweet and have that kind of taste. Came here because of all the hype on tiktok and instagram. Was disappointed that there were no dim sum as it was only on the weekend that the videos fail to mention. Not alot of variety of food. The service was great though. I love the staff there. Just wish there were more options or if it was satisfying that its worth the 23 dollars for AYCE. read more

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Now Sunday open too，it was $28 per person. The selection is rich and varied, with dishes stir-fried fresh and served hot. Spicy dishes are optional and can be chosen based on your preference. Now add more dishes, like dim sum, soy milk, and sweet rice wine glutinous rice balls available. New dishes keep coming out throughout the meal -- not everything is offered at the same time -- which makes it fun to try different items. . read more

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Sleeper restaurant, current rating doesn't accurately reflect how legit the dishes are at this restaurant. The chefs are from Shanghai and Yangzhou, so the dishes are all very authentic and tasty, and it is a great place to try a variety of Chinese food. All are well known dishes in China! The price is super worth it on the weekdays too. Make sure to get the Lion's head meatball, fried rice, dessert tang yuan soup, eggplant, and cold dishes! read more

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I'm not sure which place to write a review because I heard this is Shanghai Cuisine as well. We came here on a Saturday morning a little after 12pm. It was already packed. They have a writing notepad by the door where you add your name to a wait list. We didn't wait long, maybe about 5 minutes but a ton of people came after us and there was definitely a wait after that. The seating area is cramp, we ended up getting a table in a separate section that had three very large tables that probably accommodated family style eating because there was a center turning table. Overall, the food was okay. The really good stuff went fast but some stuff sat out for a while. Not too much dim sum items, mainly sui mai, ha gaw, chicken feet and soup dumplings. We also ordered off the menu as well which is included in the AYCE price $28.78. At first, bowls were getting taken quickly, and then it was piling up. Drinks are not included but water is and it took till the end of our meal to get it refilled. Favorite items were soup dumplings, potstickers, gailan, daikon salad (I think), fried chicken, and sui mai. Everything else was either dry or looked good but tasted okay. I would suggest to at least try once but not something to do all the time. read more

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Came here for lunch with a coworker recently. I have been to this place over the past 18 years under different names. All I can say is that they have gone more fancy and expensive esp the regular menu. But it seems like the norm for all restaurants in San Diego (the expensive part)...so it is what it is. Light lunch was what I was shooting for so lunch special it is. It came with one soup, one rice, an egg roll, one floret of broccoli (gotta get your veggie!) and whatever dish you prefer from lunch special menu. I ordered shrimp and tofu, hoping that it'd be a good high protein and low-ish calorie option. And I was right. The dish was relatively light. Sauce not over powering. I could decide how much carb I wanted. Definitely a good option when you want to stay relatively healthy in a Chinese restaurant. I guess it'll be my regular dish from now on at ma-sadao! read more

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We came here with a group of friends to celebrate Chinese New Year. The food was delicious. Service was very good. It is better if you can speak mandarin. I give it 4 stars because the sitting arrangement was odd. We still had a great time. read more

Ma-daSao - Lamb soup, pork belly with bean curd, duck, eggplant in garlic sauce, salad, beef and vegetables. - Shanghainese Near Me - San Diego, California

What a Surprised Lunch we have, walk in and noticed the completely redesign interior of this place. And it is truly looks nice, the chairs and tables and the cutes little bowl of lunch food, they have soup, chicken, beef, tofu and seafood. So it is very convenient as you walk in they will assigned you a table then, there you go grab your dishes, the red rice is so good and it is not good to waste, so if tour with somebody just get 1 because they are filled up. Before we leave we swing by again at the food counter and I noticed some new items we don't have initially, so we all said, next time... lol... Its AYCE for $19.99, ALL YOU CAN EAT, well don't fall asleep at your work after. read more

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Been going to this restaurant for a few years now. Used to be Mr Holy Gao and served fairly decent sichuan cuisine. It's been Ma-Dasao now for a few years under new management and they recently changed their service to provide not only à la carte but a set of cooked dishes cafeteria style so you can pickup two dishes, a soup and rice for $15. The serving size is decent and a good value. The food is also tasty although they toned down the spice level quite a bit to appeal to everyone. I enjoy eating spicy fish there and the premade dishes cafeteria style lacked quite a bit of spice that the dish ordered from the menu had. Nevertheless this makes getting a quick lunch easy as the foods already there and ready to enjoy. read more

Ma-daSao - Spicy fish, king Pao chicken with soup and rice - Shanghainese Near Me - San Diego, California

Instagram short videos kept showing up in my feeds about this dim sum place recently under new management. So we went for the Saturday dim sum AYCE for $25. Everything was lukewarm at its best. Radish pastry was underbaked. Wonton in chili oil was barely seasoned. Sesame balls were hard not chewy. The concept is novel but the quality certainly needs improvement. My party was not impressed and felt that we could have gotten better and hot Chinese dishes from Panda Express. read more

If you are looking for real authentic Chinese food this is it with out going to convoy. Sorrentovalley/mira mesa/la jolla/utc have crap chinese food. This is THE best chinese food in these areas. The food is 4.5 out of 5. The price is reasonable. The service is reasonable. Lot of folks outside of asian cultures always expect great dining services but great asian restaurants don't have good services but the food is bomb. And service here was actually good so idk what people are complaining about. You always always always give review by food strictly when it comes to asian restaurants. The more beat up and rude they are the food is probably better and you still go because it's that good. read more

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This place is formerly Mr. Holy Gao and is located in a nondescript strip mall in Sorrento (I think near Gravity Heights). This is my mom's new favorite lunch place and it is native Shanghainese lady approved. The menu, like most Chinese places, is a blend of different regional cuisines but I think the Shanghainese stuff is what they specialize in. The hits: -The spicy braised beef noodles (super ample portion, huge chunks of beef. Noodles could be a little more al dente though) -The yellow croaker (a type of fish) wontons. So delicious and savory and has a great broth. If you love fish (esp. fishier types of fish), get it. We've come back twice for this. The just okays: -The Singaporean chicken rice. Good portion, but the sauce and chicken are kind of bland and underwhelming. - The tiny Shanghainese wontons are just like what we ate in Shanghai (tiny pork wontons with filling the size of your thumbnail in savory clear broth) but they are a bit pricy for the portion. Looking forward to trying more dishes here. There are also some private rooms to host bigger parties, which is pretty nice. read more

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It is with rare occasions that I find a restaurant that illuminates an ambiance of warmth and comfort. Absolutely amazing food and gave me the opportunity to sample an assortment of genuine chinese cuisine by a family-run restaurant. This is a must try that feels like home Prices: $19.99 All you can eat from 4:30-8:30 AND $14.99 1 Soup 2 Dishes from 11:00-2:00 read more

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$63 for two people for all-you-can-eat, so it was not as good a value as it first appeared. The food quality was questionable, and nothing was labeled, so I had no idea what was inside the dumplings. You are supposed to be able to order extra items through your server, but our server never came to the table, and I had to ask someone at the register instead. The food was also quite oily, which made it hard to eat much and did not justify the price. We will not be coming back. read more

Fantastic! Excellent food and top notch customer service. This is our new favorite lunch spot!

Changed format to a AYCe with small dishes ...$20 u get in line grab whatever small dish they have available and eat it up ..had some tofu ,shrimp , chicken and beef dishes ..servings are smaller portions so u can try pretty much everything ...taste was nonexistent ...selections were scarce compared to a Chinese buffet ..in general a Chinese buffet tastes better than this with 10times the amount of available items ...one and done for me read more

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Online so many people said is good, so I went to have a try, very disappointed, the taste is like American Chinese food style, not authentic Chinese food, will not go there again. read more

If you live in SD then you know how hard it is to find good Cantonese food! This place has a great variety of Cantonese dishes. Many of them reminded me of my grandmothers cooking growing up! 10/10 experience and for the price and AYCE? Wow such a steal! Service was quick and dishes came out quickly! Ambience was modern! Parking was easy in the parking lot! I'm most definitely coming back! read more

Imagine I'm Charlie Brown and my niece is Lucy and the food is the football. Yep, she did it again. I am expecting a traditional southern Chinese tea lunch. We go to a not-southern-Chinese restaurant, Shangahiiese in fact. Stopped eating half way through again. Overall, I found the food lacked flavoring, saucing. This was particularly true of the won ton soup and the baby bok choi with mushrooms. Ordered salt and pepper shelled shrimp, easy on the heat. Came out hot, freshly fried but the coating was crisp but hard, not light and flaky. bit too salty, too. Liked the fried tofu in a garlic sauce that had a sweet taste to it. Imagine, the carnivore liking the vegetarian dish best of all. Told my niece never again. Got in the car and went to my reliable Chinese tea lunch place for a to go order of some dim sum. Finally. Satisfaction. read more

I don't usually review but today I had to. I was there for lunch with co workers, food was good, the Kid came twice to refill water, brought me a Dr Pepper, it was good. I asked for the tab and a lady charging the tab came to our table, she was nice. So I paid and the option for tipping came up. I gave the kid $5, the lady then turned vicious, she asked me " did you not like the food" I said yah it was good. Then she said, then pay the full tip amount, when their menu says tip is optional, but I looked at her kinda confused, then she tosses the fortune cookies on table almost knocking over my water cup and walks away! She tells the kid serving us something, gives him my receipt and he comes over. I asked him,"is $5 bucks is not cool" and he said it's fine and thankful, shook his hand and headed out back to work. I've been there 3-4 times and never have we experienced that. But food was good but watch out for that lady, nasty!! 2 stars because of this person, not the way to treat clients. read more