Amazingly Poor Chinese Buffet We just had dinner at the Ocean Buffet and it is definitely below average in practically all respects. The hibachi grill was downright scary - the zoned-out "chef" (that would be the guy with the in-ear headphones that doesn't speak to you - at all) mixed two raw eggs for another dish and then used the same spatulas (with the raw egg still on them - uncleaned) to finish turning over my already cooked order. The meat at the hibachi grill was the cheapest meat I've encountered at a restaurant - small, very red little bits that were almost entirely gristle - dog food perhaps - it was definitely not sliced steak. To make things worse, there is only one small row of actual Asian dishes - the rest of the place is a hodge-podge of deserts and fried American-style food (pizza, etc.). Honestly, there are more cookies, fruits, and salad-type dishes than entrees! All of the fruit was unripe so I held out some hope for the ice cream machine. Nope! The ice cream machine was spewing out grainy, slimy wet stuff that I suppose could be confused with ice cream. Looking for sushi? Don't come here - there were about four variations of California Rolls - that's it. There are substantially better Asian buffets in Dallas - Plano and Rockwall have much nicer and cleaner choices. Seriously, don't bother with Ocean Buffet. read more

Who knew there were so many ways to make chicken?! They should change the name from Ocean Buffet to Chicken Buffet because that's pretty much all they got. Ocean Buffet used to be my favorite Chinese buffet in the Dallas area because the food was always fresh, prices cheap, dining room was clean and the wait staff were attentive. But over the past year or so they've lost it somewhere. It seems Ocean Buffet is trying to please too many people at the same time. Meaning, when I go to Chinese buffet I want something Asian style..not macaroni & cheese, pork chops, mashed potatoes with a big old glass of Horchata to wash it down with. If you don't want that then pretty much all you have left over is chicken in some variation of sugary/salty goo. The sushi is the only thing A). Not made of chicken and 2). Not soaked till mushy in mystery sauce...so this alone is worth going for. Ocean Buffet is still my go-to place for Sushi and the wait staff are nice although sometimes just too busy. The atmosphere is anything but relaxing because of all the small screaming children of "Latin Descent" allowed to run around like they were at Chuck E. Cheese or the city park while their dead-eyed parents sit in total ignorance...or maybe that's just their parenting style. But that's not the fault of the restaurant ...I just had to get that out there. YES your kids ARE cute but OMFG. read more

They are very rude!! One of the waiters stood and stared at our table while we was eating!! And every time we asked him for something he ignored us and walked off!! Some of the food was cold by the time you made it back to your table!! Some of it was also old!! I highly recommend not going!! read more

This place is the definition of trash. I took my elderly grandparents for lunch and saw a sign that said that there was a senior citizen discount before 3:30 PM. As we sat down asked the waitress about the discounted price and about the time as it was 3 pm. She told me that everything was fine and the price on the sign was valid all day because of the holiday. I received the check and I was charged for 3 full price buffets. I did not eat; Only my grandparents ate... I returned the bill and told her to charge me for 2 senior buffets. She gave the check back and charged me for 2 full price adult meals. While I was waiting to speak to the manager, I saw another elderly person being charged double. She asked why it wasn't half price, she was told since it was NYE they charge different prices. This is a sham and these people should be ashamed of themselves for taking advantage of senior citizens. THE SIGN WAS STILL UP AND POSTED AT THE FRONT ENTRANCE! How hard is it to see that you made the mistake? Once I finally spoke to the manager, I told her that they should honor the sign as I specifically asked the waitress beforehand. The inept manager tried to tell me that "it is already discounted" although the price was clearly double of what was advertised on the door. The waitress played dumb and told the manager that she had told me a different price. It was a complete lie. The worst part was that the incompetent manager did not try to diffuse the situation at all! They basically had the attitude of "oh well, sucks for you." I stated that I did not agree with the price and felt that I shouldn't have to pay double. The waitress made the mistake and they should have eaten the price difference. I have no problem paying WHAT WAS POSTED ON THE DOOR for seniors. THIS IS FALSE ADVERTISEMENT. I asked the waitress before anyone grabbed a plate; The waitress never said anything about full price for seniors because of the holiday. THIS PLACE IS A RIDICULOUS SCAM RUN BY INCOMPETENT CALLOUS IMBECILES. These people have no idea what customer service is at all. THEY PRAY ON THE ELDERLY AND OTHERS WITH NO VOICE! I saw many elderly Hispanic people eating and I am sure they will scam them as well. It is a shame that businesses like this pray on those that cannot properly defend themselves. DO NOT GO TO THIS DISGUSTING EXCUSE OF A BUFFET. read more

Trust me This place really didn't look like much from the interstate but it is definitely really good. I lives close by this place for about a year before I get there to try it and I got to admit if I'm craving some good Chinese buffet this would probably be the first place I'd go. read more

I had a craving for sushi and this was the only place open, unfortunately. Suffice to say, I've had better sushi from the deli section at Super Target. The other dishes were either cold, not very good, or both. The only thing I enjoyed was the spicy chicken, but I won't coming back for it anytime soon. read more

Not bad, decent food where some items are a hit or a miss. Majority were a miss for me, but we wanted something different. Service is great and I love the ship chandelier. read more

I would not say its the best for the 1st I went. But better than the few I have seen on Yelp in the Garland area.

I come here sometimes and most of the time its okay. If you come for lunch you spend roughly $10 with a drink. I've been here sometimes and the food was fresh, other times not so much. read more

Short answer, don't waste your money or time. Long answer, they have an abundant selection of items, but they seem to have problems with food quality and preparation. Their Chinese traditional items were fairly limited to deep fried breaded chicken based dishes, or overcooked beef dishes. I had the "black pepper chicken", a dish that is normally not made with battered chicken, and it barely tasted like it had any pepper on it at all. Plus it was absolutely swimming in a greasy "sauce". I also tried the beef and broccoli, lackluster but passable. They had an odd "crab meat and cheese" dish that uses imitation crab and barely any cheese. It was okay, but strange. Their lo mein and mei fun were fine, though they used very thin noodles for the lo mein. The sauteed green beans were an absolute disaster. Overcooked to mush in too much soy sauce and too little garlic, and they hadn't even bothered to trim the ends off the green beans. In fact, several still had stems attached! At the end of my meal I decided to try a few of their desserts, and those missed the mark as well. The watermelon was overripe and mushy. They had bananas with that red glaze over them like many Chinese buffets do, but nearly every banana had blackened and bruised. The chocolate pudding was average and out of a can. And I didn't think it was possible to screw up a simple Jell-O, but they did! They used far too much gelatin and too little water, making it stiff and rubbery. Then the sprinkled granulated sugar on top after it set, which does nothing but make the gelatin strangely crunchy. If you want something the kids can bounce around, or need an eraser, this gelatin will do the trick. But as a dessert its simply inedible. I think part of the problem is they serve EVERYTHING in full hotel pan quantities. So they make an enormous amount of food without much care to seasoning it properly or making it consistent. And then it sits on the line until someone takes the last of it, or it becomes inedible. Heck, they even have TVs, but there's nothing to watch but the AT&T U-Verse screensaver pictures. And they have music, but it's streamed music played over loudspeakers, so you hear ads that say "click on the banner ad above". So no, I won't be back, even with a coupon. read more

Clean,very affordable,friendly staff,and good food. So far this is the best tasting Chinese food place I've had since moving here to Texas. Nice variety to choose from and tastes like I expect the dishes to taste,flavorful. Thus far before eating here,every where else just tasted bland and too dry so I am relieved to have found a great spot with good food! read more

I thought the reviews were wrong but they are not. I took my daughters and neices there to celebrate my childs bday .. i enjoyed the food but when it was time to leave me and my friend were accused of sneaking a 3rd person in and they were trying to charge us for an extra adult and extra kid. Instead of the staff recognizing their mistake they were very arrogant and the ladies who seen us enter pretended not to know what was going on. The big out of shape lady at the register laughed at us the whole time and basically jus said oh the waiter said he seen a 3rd adult with yall. N continued to laugh instead of apologizing for being wrong. Mind you we were the ONLY black people in there and all of this hold up im front of the kids and other guest. I was humiliated i had my money and was willing to pay but didnt want to pay for extra people that WERE NOT THERE! When i asked if this is how they treat all their customers the cashier just shrugged her shoulders. I was supposed to go back with my sis bc i enjoyed the food but after the checkout experience i will never go back my business is not appreciated here and i do NOT recommend them to anyone read more

As far as buffets go, this one has it together. Food is hot, sodas are fizzy. Sushi is quite good. The hibachi grill cook expects tips (as does the waitress, of course), so a $9 buffet ends up costing $13 or so. For that price, I'd get a batter quality of food elsewhere. My favorite food here is the Dragon Roll. I've asked twice, and all I can find out about their ingredients is, "It is ground beef, put on a special machine to make the beef smooth." Huh? Scary answer. I just wondered what the seasonings were! Still- it's the best Chinese buffet around the Garland/Mesquite area. read more

The food was nasty and tasteless I had the chicken and some of the pieces where burnt and the hibachi I'm hilly allergic to shellfish and when I got hibachi the guy was mixing the food and a lot for shrimp got in my food it is dirty don't come here read more

Went 8/11/18 must say was petty good not sure if I was just hungry but the bf loved the crab legs I loved the shrimp besides them not having lemonade who don't have lemons for shrimp but okay everything was else was pretty good clean and the restrooms were not smelly except for a white bucket under the sink??? Idk maybe plumbing issues oh our waiter never came to check on us to ask if we were okay and if we needed anything else just made sure our drinks filled and that was it ran by so fast did not give me a chance to even ask for anything read more

All you can eat crawfish!!! That alone for the price is amazing. Unlimited sushi (of course nothing too fancy) The dishes aren't drenched in grease to make you eat less like every other asian buffet I've been to. They do have a grill where your can choose ur fresh ingredients and they'll grill it up for you (unfortunately, its very hard to find the person supposed to be working it most of the time). Some of the food is a bit dry or not as seasoned as other places. There are other buffets with more options, but this isn't small at all. For a buffet, this is the best I've found. My only real complaint is that the grill is almost never manned. read more

Not bad of a place to go by an get some sushi, Price isn't bad ether compared to the other places near by. read more

Terrible food, dirty restaurant. Waste of $10.99 plus tax. Everything on the buffet was greasy and tasteless.

Really good service, food is above average compared to other buffet places, couple of things that sets them apart from other Chinese buffets is better quality meats, Mongolian grill, desserts is really good, and their Ice cream doesn't have sugar crystals in them like most other Chinese buffets have. Sushi is ok nothing great. I would go here again. $11.50 for dinner buffet is a ok with me. read more

Ocean Buffet - Sushi Bars Near Me - Garland, Texas

Chinese buffets are a hit and miss. This buffet is borderline- "better to be missed". Usually I judge a Chinese Buffett by the cleanliness, quality and variety of food. For me, buffets that make at least one dish really well and at the very minimum have many standard quality dishes are hits. This place did not have one dish that I found well made nor delicious. I will not be returning, nor "making the long drive here" like another user wrote because it's just not worth it. read more

Very Dirty and nasty.. Horrible service and I'm surprised the the health dept, has not shut them down,

This was pretty good for a buffet. The veggies and fruits seem really fresh and 95% of the food did too. My only complaint is that the chicken is mostly dark meat. The restaurant is clean and while the tables and booths seem a little dated the rest of the place looks brand new. We were so impressed we thought they must be a new place (read: temporary good quality) so we were astonished to hear that it's been there for several years. It's totally worth a try! We'll go back for sure. read more

Pass by this place to and from work daily. Asked some of my friends and coworkers if they had tried it. Got some good reviews and figured We wold give it a try. Went on a Sunday evening and it was packed. Mostly Hispanic families with their kids. Have tried other buffets and not found one I could say that I would try again. This one was good. I mean you can only do so much and they did a decent job, had enough customers that the food was fresh. They have a good selection and the price is great. Not the best but not bad. The one thing that did suck was their deserts but what can you expect right? I will eat there again but you should check it out. read more

We went on a Monday night it wasn't busy at all. The Habachi Grill had food all over the counter top. I thought this can not be sanitary. The peaches at the fruit area were dark around the edges. I wonder how old they are. The soft serve ice cream had old discarded ice cream cones sitting in the tray in front of machine. The floors were sticky. I said a prayer over my food in hopes that I don't get sick. I am seriously considering contacting the city to find out what's their health inspection score. It's sad because when they first opened it was very good and clean. Don't think I'll be coming back. read more

The place is very outdated and dingy. I only went there for lunch because my friend was craving Chinese food, but I was grossed out the entire time and just ate out of courtesy. They never bothered to refill the fried rice pan and everything I ate was bland or just tasted old. The fried fish was too fishy to even enjoy. I will definitely not go there to eat again! read more

Large space with lots of seating. There's a large variety of food with a sushi bar. The food was not great, it lacked flavor and the labels were wrong on some items. Drinks were flat and when we asked for new drinks the server argued with us. The women's restroom was very messy. There was paper on the ground, sinks were dirty, and the stalls were written on.The experience got better once a new server came, he was very friendly. read more

Hubby, my son, & I decided to try this place. Hubby saw an ad on tv for it. We had no idea that it was a new place and when we arrived we found it was their grand opening. (On a Sunday right after church) The place was packed but the wait was only 15 minutes or so. The dining rooms are pretty good sized & the staff seemed to handle the large turn out very well. The biggest problem we had was trying to decide where to start & then not having stomachs that were big enough to try everything. There's no way to remember everything we tried but I can say that I enjoyed almost everything I tried. The Hibachi wasn't as good as I hoped. While is was tasty, it wasn't seasoned the way most hibachi is so I was a bit disappointed. My hubby, who loves sushi, stated that it was good. I know I enjoyed the crab rolls. Needless to say, there's something for everyone. They also do catering & have a take out menu. We will definitely be visiting again but next time we go, I'm going to make sure I can spend the rest of the day lazying around because after all that food, we were worthless for the rest of the day! read more

It hurts me to see that only 6 years ago I gave this place FOUR stars. But now time has obviously taken it's toll and it seems the owners have lots of issues they need to work on. Food quality has to be a joke now. Over seasoned frozen chicken, dried and flavorless wings, sushi such a shame. Nothing new in 6 years, how about finding a new chef?.... The entire menu is the same as it was 6 years ago but the flavor just when to the toilets. Condition of the building up keep has really dropped down to the nasty. Bathrooms are graffiti everywhere. Could be prevented if you put someone on restroom duty and watch verse so many waiting staff. Carpets are nasty now, like a 3rd world country hotel room where your feet stick to the floors. EEEW Need better dishwashers, every other plate has crap on it. It appears these folks are lost by the lack of above. read more

The food quality has downgraded a bit since it's first opening, but overall still very good place for american chinese buffet.

For a buffet, i'm used to there being some variation in quality between items, but at this place the food was all over the map. The hot and sour soup is tasteless and watery. I'm really amazed that a chinese place can get this so very wrong. I usually cringe when someone says "sushi at a buffet", but this sushi is the best buffet sushi I've had. They had multiple types of rolls, and even had some eel, salmon, tuna, and octopus nigiri sushi. Of course, as expected with buffet sushi the fish was tiny and very thinly sliced, but it tasted fresh. The tiny rolls were good as well, and put together nicely. Then I tried multiple chicken dishes and they were all bad. The chicken was extremely chewy and at times I felt like I was fighting just to chew enough to swallow. So with that bad experience out of the way, I tried some mongolian beef and fried shrimp. The beef was good, and i was pleasantly surprised at the texture of the beef given how bad the chicken was. The shrimp was over-fried, with too much batter overbearing on the shrimp. The string beans and broccoli were both fine. Most of the veggies mixed with any of the dishes I had were ok. For Dessert there were multiple options, and I had a cookie and small cake. They were both fine. I did not try the hibachi but it looks interesting. Service was good and attentive. The price for Saturday lunch was $9 a person after tax. With better chicken and hot and sour soup(which are buffet essentials for me), this place would be a 5 star buffet. Of course, it's still a buffet so you should always be wary. read more

I came here a few months back when I was in Texas. First, I have to say that the ambiance is great and it is clean and decent. Second, I know I have to say it but there is more variety here in this buffet than any other. They do offer a huge variety of foods and the price is certainty worth it. I came here with my uncle and he told me that the seafood is great. However, I do not generally do seafood, but I guess a good recommendation from someone I trust should be good enough, right? In any case, this place is decent and good for a buffet and I would come here! read more

It should be noted that during the Health Department Inspections for Dec 19-23rd, 2011, Ocean Buffet scored a 38 which is almost 25 points below failing for food safety. This info can be found on the Garland Health Department website. Proceed with caution! read more

We had not been to the Ocean Buffet in a year and decided to go today. We went early so the food would be full and fresh. The quality and selection of what was offered was not the same as in previous visits. The service was beyond bad to the point of us having to literally physically hunt down our server. The food was not refilled and there were many empty hotel pans throughout the sections. The food in general was bland at best. The sushi USED TO BE wonderful (for a buffet) there but not anymore as it was all veggie except for one kind of roll. I don't know if the owners have changed or they just cut food cost but we will not return as there are plenty of other wonderful choices especially for the price of what was offered. And again = the service (or lack there of) is enough to go elsewhere. Don't go! read more

This is a big buffet. Location is good. Service and environment is ok. However, I feel the food is not tasty. The expensive food are always empty, and they refill it really slow... I won't be back. read more

So I feel like playing Russian Roulette with my intestines, yet another buffet close to a freeway exit with bad frontage in an area past its prime. Yes the prices are cheap, but you get what you pay for. The stir fry dishes consist of cloyingly sweet sauces coating tiny bits of meat encased and tempura batter. I didn't feel like tempting fate enough to try the sushi. read more

This place is terrible . Stay away. They don't replace the food on time even waiting for 1 hour for specific plate. They never replaced it. It's no cheap either so save your money and go somewhere else. read more

Ocean Buffet has almost everything you can eat: sushi, some lo mein noodles, everything. I recommend this Chinese buffet to everyone. I'd also like to recommend the baby octopi to everybody. read more

I went in the afternoon between 2 and 4. The advertisement I received said there were over 200 items made fresh daily. I figured I could find at least ten that tasted good. I found two that were ok. The pot stickers and boiled shrimp were ok. The other items I tried were almost inedible. My opinion, skip this buffet. There is a reason it is inexpensive. read more

I will never ever ever eat at oceans buffet in garland again. We all sat down and dinner was going good. Food wasn't great but it was good. Then a visitor of the insect species decided it wanted to join us for dinner. We got up, informed the manager and they did nothing. Asked us to pay for a meal we really didn't get to eat. We paid anyways bc I wasn't in bitch mode I just wanted to be away from there. Drove one block and had to pull over. Without too many details lets just say everyone got relieved of their dinner. Now I'm hungry and nauseous. Like I said never again. read more

As far as buffets go it is ok. Huge selection. Have I had better...yes. Have I had worse...yes. It is close to my house so very convientnt.