The place is very clean. The food is very tasty and kept hot or cold for what you are eating. It's about $12.95 for the lunch buffet. They give you a plastic glove to use while you get your food. They also give you a plastic fork to use. I would come back again. Give it a try for yourself. read more

Magnolia Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

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Excellent food choices. I chose the cold seafood selections. Sushi, mussels and shrimp. Spouse chose seafood, vegetables and sides. Service was very good. read more

Good. Standard buffet options. Hot food and busy restocking during dinner rush. Nothing SPECIAL, so 3 stars, which means "It was fine. I'd go back." read more

Magnolias is a definite place to hit up when you want a great Asian Buffet. The staff is always kind and accommodating! The food ranges from American/Chinese to diner food ( french fries for instance ) so they have some of what everyone might want. They offer take out if you prefer that and it's by weight off of the buffet. It's all fresh and delicious every time we have visited. read more

Not very good. Lots of choices but I guess I am picky when it comes to Chiense food. I don't like dark meat and most dishes are made using thigh meat. I only went there because my granddaughter and her friend like it read more

Food was good and refreshed continuously! Best meal is their hibachi, best in Columbia so far! Service staff was good. I liked the decorative architecture of the interior and it was very clean! read more

First time there. This is a gem. The luncheon buffet was very tasty. Well-presented. The restaurant is sparkling clean. Hot food was hot. Shrimp were cold. And they have Pepsi! Servers were very friendly and attentive. Restroom was clean! Will return soon! read more

I would not recommend this spot. Food was cold, nothing I had was hot. My wife and I both were very disappointed. And 37.00 for lunch wow. Never again... read more

Super clean restaurant They requested to use mask while you're in the buffet provided gloves too. Restaurant is clean, food is good, bathrooms maybe need more attention read more

Easily the best Asian buffet in the Columbia area! Jasmine used to be the champ, but Magnolia smashes Jasmine and it's not even close. Great price for delicious food, that includes a great variety of sushi, a Hibachi type bowl that you create yourself, and a whole dessert section. I've been here close to 15 visits and have yet to be disappointed! This is also our go-to place for work lunches and other special events. Gotta have a game plan though so you don't tap out too early. I've seen people go too hard in the paint too quickly, then realize there is sushi and Hibachi, but don't have any room left. No worries though, more of a reason to come back. Highly recommended! read more

Your standard American Chinese buffet food... if you're looking for traditional Chinese don't come here. However if you enjoy the American Chinese classics this place is for you! read more

Magnolia has been amazing since it first opened, I'm always hungry and happy to come here for a good meal. The prices are reasonable and the service is unmatched. If you're looking for a place thats following Covid-19 regulations and has phenomenal food, this is the place for you. read more

The food here is fantastic. There is just about anything you would want. The food is always hot and fresh. So, why only 4 stars? We have been here maybe 4 times. You pay for for food and drinks first then they sit you at a table. The waitress we have had each time sucked bad. We have to keep getting up asking for our drinks. The food is that good. Thats why we keep going back. read more

This was probably not the best choice for a family dinner out. The decor of the place is good. The food? Not so much. I was disappointed that we had to pay on the way in, before we ate. Then, the weekend night rate is a little pricey. Then, the food was nothing special at all. Not worth the price in my opinion. Service was friendly if a bit inexperienced. read more

My wife and I decided to try this place out for the first time this past Sunday, November 4 2018. For the most part we were happy with our experience. Its a newly remodeled and opened restaurant so of course it was very clean and beautiful. There were plenty of choices on the buffet which meant, for me at least, I could not try everything... I sure did try though lol. The food is what you'd expect from a buffet. Somewhat bland but palatable. I wouldn't call anything flavorful but it was good. We got there just before the lunch rush which meant we could take our time selecting our food. As soon as the lunch crowd began to pour in it was a different story. It became a bit more difficult to get food without feeling rushed. In essence there is only two rows of buffet so that means a lot of waiting in line when its busy as well as lots of people just cutting in front of one another. Not the most relaxing atmosphere. One major problem we had was our waiter. He never cleared our plates nor refilled our drinks. In fact after we were seated I never saw him again or any other staff in our entire section. Not sure what that was about. They have a hibachi grill set up to where you select your food then they cook it. I was able to get a plateful of the buffet and eat about 75% by the time my wife got her hibachi and sat down. I didn't try the sushi bar but my wife said it was the best thing they had there. The price for two adults came to around $36.00 including drinks and 15% gratuity. A bit pricey for what you get. The last buffet i went to was about $24.00 for two adults and the food was better. All in all I'm glad we tried Magnolia buffet out but i doubt we will be back. The pricing, flow of traffic at the buffet and wait staff training really needs improvements. read more

If you decide to dine in tips are included inside of the pricing. They do not tell you that. The waiter did not come to refill drinks. Food was okay. I give it a 6/10. . Hibachi staff did not answer questions about which food was yours. He completely ignored you when you asked. Food was sat on the counter for everyone to grab. Toddler (2) year old are charged $5. They included tips in your pricing but never came to refill your drinks. read more

Magnolia Buffet is one of the best Asian buffet restaurants I have ever been to before. They have a wide selection of sushi (Which I indulged in) while also keeping up quality in the other departments of the buffet. Although it can be a little bit pricey, it was WELL worth it for me and my family to come in on Tuesday night. Some specific items I enjoyed were honey chicken and they also had some delicious shrimp options too. I DEFINITELY recommend this place for a casual weekend dinner spot!! read more

Everything on the food bars was half-full and ICE cold! Found myself following the girl bringing it from the kitchen! Even then, fresh food, ICE cold isn't my thing! DHEC should check temps on the buffet! Never seen this in SC! NC comes during the meal-time to insure compliance! Also, for nearly forty dollars I expect better! Then, the waitress told me they like cash tips! This indicates someone is evading taxs! Go elsewhere! read more

Food is very good and all done, but my 2 year nephew was charged as a adult and the server got a 20 dollar tip that was included and she didn't make sure our drinks were filled up and we had to ask to for our drinks and for her to clear the table. Food was good but how the tips and Age is set up has no type of sense. read more

There was a great variety of food here. No five stars because of the cold crab legs. There was all types of things on the buffet and everything was fresh and hot. I will return again. Friday and Saturday dinner is $15.99 and person. I'll come during the week for a cheaper price lol. read more

Sushi was good...this is why they received 2 stars Grill was ok. Hot buffet was cold, wasn't even luke warm and selections are minimal Staff needs to be more customer oriented. Spend your money somewhere else read more

Great service and food! We stopped by coming back from Hilton head. You do pay up front which I like. I suspect they did this bc people didn't pay! read more

Family of 4 enjoyed the weekend buffet with the seafood and ice cream for 15.99 + 2.99 for drink witch I think is a fair for the food it was fresh and good to us would be going again for the weekend buffet read more

For being in the COVID-19 it was a good buffet they had these croissant that was the bomb they was mini and sweet.

Pretty standard Chinese buffet. The service was good and the food was warm. The hibachi grill didn't really have anything that wasn't already on the cooked bar, but if you are the type of person who wants it made fresh it is a nice option. read more

11/3/18 Magnolia Chinese Buffet. Asian Buffet was well stocked with seafood. An the hibachi grill had multiple choices soices of meat and vegetables. The soup was not well seasoned and dis not have rice noodlea on hibachi.  The bar did not have a wide variety of choices. But the fried crab was excellent. read more

Magnolia Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

The place is nice and clean inside... the staff is friendly but the outside is horrible!!! Walking through the parking, it is full of trash I mean I walked over a dirty towel. If I wasn't there to meet my friend I would have speed off!!! The selection of food is ok but could be better compared to the buffets in the area. read more

I've been to the Magnolia buffet on a few occasions. I rated them a 3 out of 5 because I was there at prime time (5:30PM-6:30PM) on Thursday 7/11. While I was there, they refused to restock the oysters and/or made no effort to make any additional sushi. The sushi person was behind the counter, but, unfortunately did not restock the rolls or sushi or oysters while I was there. So much for the word buffet. Guess it's a way to get you to leave. read more

I came during grand opening day since it opened in the neighborhood and I have to say that the money could have been better spent elsewhere. Since I came in Sunday it was 13 dollars a person not including drinks so it was a bit steep but if the food was good it'd be worth it. It wasn't worth it. Everything tasted of msg at the hot bar and not even a little. While I will say it's edible, you can pay the same about for better quality at a take out restaurant and still have plenty of leftovers for another meal. It was busy since it was the opening day so I expected better quality. I moved on to the sushi and seafood bar and that was about what I expected from a buffet, but unlike other establishments they didn't have condiments for the sushi. There was wasabi and ginger but no spicy mayo or soy sauce... which while might not be an issue for most it just makes the comparison between buffet places worse. But that's just the food, the experience was also pretty bad. While everything looks new and clean, I don't expect that to be that way for long. At the habachi, the person next to me noticed a piece of plastic in his beef that he thankfully noticed before it was cooked. The waitresses didn't pick up the excess plates the entire dining experience, and on top of that I also witnessed a family being sat down at a dirty table that wasn't wiped down from the previous guests that sat there. This might be just a staffing issue but it's hard to ignore. If this is how it is opening day, then I worry how it'll be the following days. read more

One of the best buffet spots on this side of town. Highly recommend for a large party. Food isn't special but is always warm and ready unlike some others around here. Place is clean and staff is friendly. read more

This place is a great addition to the area! The restaurant is large and there is usually no wait. My husband and I went on a Friday night and were seated right away. Be aware that you have to pay before eating. So if you're paying with a card, then is the time to add a tip. I can see why they do that but I'd rather experience the service before I tip. The customer service is on point. The lady at the cash register was very sweet and even asked if my husband was OK since he had a cast on his hand. Our waitress said it was her first day and she was great. She kept our drinks full and plates cleared. The food is your typical Chinese buffet fare...fried rice, lo mein, sweet and sour chicken...On the weekend, there is seafood. I was pleasantly surprised to see crab legs. They were a nice size too! I thought I'd give them a try and they were delicious! Magnolia only serves cold crab legs. I couldn't stop eating them. There is also a nice selection of sushi. I don't like it but my husband and nephew do. They said it was high quality. Nephew ate a ton of it and definitely got his money's worth. There's also a hibachi grill. Just put your selected vegetables on one plate and meat on another. Hand it to the chef and it will be cooked in front of you. The dinner price is $15.99. Definitely a good deal, especially if you eat sushi and crab legs. read more

Magnolia Buffet - Delicious crab legs! - Chinese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

The waitress we had was amazing, but the food was not that great. It was not the best buffet. There were crab legs on the buffet, but they serve them cold. Not as many options as you would expect. read more

The crab legs are served COLD!!!!! Oh noooo who does that???? Had to get a refund, couldn't even eat them. One had a little ice still in it. Steam the crab legs or take em off the menu, idiocy. read more

I love this place. The food is delicious and guaranteed to leave you satisfied . Its clean...they keeps the food stocked. The seafood taste fresh. read more

Not a bad buffet. We were happy with the choices available. I was also suprirsed by some of the choices avaialble such as fried crab legs. Overall, I will be back again, whenever I feel the need for a multitude of various Chinese dishes. Place is newly remodeled so the atmosphere is real nice also. read more

Magnolia Buffet - Mongolian grill - Chinese Near Me - Columbia, South Carolina

Pretty bad for a buffet. Sushi bar tasted horrible. It felt like the fish had been sitting for hours. Fish should be soft, but this tasted hard. Teriyaki chicken tasted slimy, probably old chicken they tired to hide in a sauce. No one enforced facemask or gloves. Saw people not using, and staff not saying anything read more

Like their variety of foods. Really enjoy the coconut shrimp. And the hibachi grill. Staff is always friendly and hard working. The only thig I'm not a fan of is the change of price on weekends. Not worth double price seeing that you can get the same things at any other Chinese buffet. The price should stay the same. read more

Beautiful interior right when we walked in. Payed around $30 for two adults in the beginning - super convenient and didn't have to wait for the bill at the end. The buffet was well stocked and had lots of delicious fresh food, my wife particularly enjoyed the made-to-order hibachi. Sushi was also great. Both of us thoroughly enjoyed the buffet, we will come back! read more

Completely overrated place!! The price is EXTREMELY high. The food isn't all that good,, I tried the oysters over ice,, I felt like I smelled them in the air before I even tasted them,, and as I suspected,, they had gone bad read more

First time but will not be my last. I really enjoyed the food. Went for lunch and was pleasantly surprised. The food was fresh and hot. Friendly service. If you are on the northeast side definitely try them out. You will not regret it. Lunch is $8.99. read more