Mouthwatering Buffets in San Antonio

Hacienda Vallarta

★★★☆☆ 3.2 (175) • $$

"I must admit I have a serious aversion to buffets. I never understood their mass appeal nor their popularity. In my experiences with them it is always a thousand food sides( salads, mash potatoes, pastas, rice and vegetables. ) next to two meats. Always accompanied by impatient patrons tailgating behind you with tongs in tow. Offset by piles and piles of desserts I somehow never get to sample, no matter how big my appetite is. However, in my next culinary adventure with Chef Don B. he suggested trying Hacienda Vallarta's buffet. Needless to say it's not hard to twist my arm with a good tortilla or great company.Again ever the wise sage Don emphasized getting there early. Arriving here by 11 am but leaving by 2pm I saw exactly what he meant. But let me rewind my review back to the beginning as a person who rewinds a cassette with a pencil. Basically you pay up front which around is $13 bucks for the lunch buffet, 15 for the dinner one not including a drink. You take your ticket to a table and a server brings: drinks, utensils and removes all plates after you are finished with them. In San Antonio there are not alot of Mexican buffets. I do remember the one at Pancho's on Marbach Road.As with all buffets your first go round is meant to survey the different stations to strategize your next serving. Here there is: picadillo, carnitas, enchiladas, beef fillings for tacos, beans made with lard, chicarones, small gordita tortillas, toppings etc. Not to be outdone along the other side is a small selection of Chinese and American Food. And across the room there is a section for desserts: flan, banana pudding, churros. You get the picture. Yes patrons maneuver around the different stations like a school of hangry fish. The thing is food is spread out leaving space for patrons to reconfigure their food strategies.Before I go on the service was impeccable. Our server went above and beyond. I would leave to fine tune my buffet strategy only to find my glass filled with another drink. In my opinion if you're wanting to sample different Mexican foods this is the way to go. The food is good. For example the picadillo and beans are greasy, right up my alley. The tortillas are thick but you have to request for them: flour or corn. And Don was right. By 1 pm. the place, which is pretty vast was brimming with patrons. Music in the background playing was Norteno, Regional Mexican which matched the fast paced but laid-back vibe. After the 100th plate I finally tapped out.Hacienda Vallarta on Bandera Street heading towards Leon Valley is a good intermediary if you want to sample Mexican Foods. The food is good, the service is excellent and the price is right. I saw construction workers, out of towners, ladies doing "Girl Talk" and everyone else in between. But food is always better in great company I'm learning. Next stop, "Hole in the wall" Chinese cuisine. Any suggestions?"

China Harbor Buffet

★★☆☆☆ 1.9 (75) • $$

"Why all the super bad reviews? It's a Chinese buffet. You're not going to get gourmet food. You're there for quantity. We had several plates of food (not the filled to over-flowing like most folks). Come on people, you can go back for seconds, thirds, etc. The buffet is the usual appetizers of spicy wings, spring and egg rolls, Rangoon, dumplings, bbq ribs. Entrees include bed and broccoli, spicy chicken, crab legs, fish, shrimp, etc. The surprise was that the sushi was not bad. Fresh-tasting. Give them a try."

Spice Fine Indian Cuisine

★★★★☆ 3.9 (553) • $$

"To start off the service is great! Greeted with a smile ! I'm always nervous about the spice because I can't handle it much anymore and they had a weekend buffet happening so I opted for that so I could try a little of everything. I can never eat much in one sitting but I went ahead and paid the $18 because it was my first time here. I tried a little of everything up there and it was wonderful. Served with warm Naan bread of your choice - I got the Garlic (literally the best I've ever had! ) My daughter went for Level 4 Butter Chicken- (levels are 1-5). She loved it. She said the spice was right on. The serve water in the fancy wine glasses (nice touch lol). The inside is nicely decorated with some wonderful Indian influence music playing. The vibe was wonderful. The cook even came to ask how we were doing. Over all- this will be a place we return too!!"

Lin's International Buffet

★★★☆☆ 3 (277) • $$

"A big variety of food. Desserts, vegetables, fruit, seafood, Chinese food, chicken, salads, it's a buffet. Staff is busy cleaning up and serving drinks."

Thai O Cha

★★★★☆ 4.3 (143) • $$

"If you like authentic Thai food this is the place to come in dine. I usually eat the Tom kai gai every time I order this it reminds me of Thailand. When i would visit every September. I've had the curry and pad Thai both are very delicious. Then end the meal with warm sweet rice and ice cream."

Deco Cafe Filipiniana

★★★★☆ 3.8 (83) • $

"The wife and I were looking for a place for lunch on a Thursday afternoon, specifically hoping to find something interesting and different. We did a quick Yelp search for Filipino food and found Deco Café Filipiniana near where we were at. From its exterior in a non-descript strip mall, Deco Café Filipiniana definitely didn't have much curb appeal. However, the magic was in its food and hospitality of the family-run restaurant.While my experience level with Filipino cuisine was extremely limited, I was not afraid to try something new. Since we came on a weekday, it was menu service. We were informed that they offer an AYCE brunch on the weekend. I ordered the Spicy Sisig ($10.99). I asked for water, but it was only available by the bottle ($1). True to its name, it possessed a nice but not overpowering or aggressive spiciness mostly coming from the thinly sliced fresh chiles scattered atop the sizzling hot pig offal and served with an over easy egg and a side of rice. The dish was an explosion of flavors across my palate. I came away happy with my choice.Deco Café Filipiniana perfectly fit our criteria for something interesting and different. It would be a place I'd gladly return. For my money and desire to try more dishes, though, it would be for their brunch."

China King Buffet

★★☆☆☆ 1.9 (91) • $$

"$15 for a very limited and sad selection on Sunday. This was at one time a fairly clean and decent Buffett. Those days are far behind it. I actually saw folks look at the food and leave. I stayed for one reason. There isn't another buffet for miles."

Grand Buffet

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (59) • $$

"Grand Buffet is great for Sunday's with the fam! My boyfriend's mom loves the crab legs, but I'm still learning how to eat them lol. I love getting their crab rangoons and the pepper steak!! My boyfriend always gets the ribs and shrimp and we like to get some chicken. Their sushi is also fresh and they have a good variety. My favorite dessert is their jello!"

Tandoori Grill Indian Cuisine

★★★★☆ 4.1 (66)

"We went tonight to try this place out. They close at 8 and I had read online they were open until 9, so when we walked in at 7:40 I felt so bad. They were accommodating and pleasant and welcoming. Such a nice vibe!We got vegetable samosas, garlic naan, chicken tikka masala, chicken korma and a mango lassi. The food was so good. The samosas had a nice heat to them and the sauce was excellent. The chicken dishes were good but my favorite was the tikka masala. So rich tasting. Both dishes came with rice. I tried to get good photos of the menu. They have a fresh prepared buffet at lunch daily. Such nice owners and staff. So glad to see some good food coming to this area.Stop in to eat!"

M.Y. Chock Dee Oriental Market

★★★★☆ 4.3 (334) • $

"Who would have thought converse texas would have a filipino gem hidden! The service is great, it's clean, the food is authentic, and there is a market! Truly felt like i was eating at one if my lolas house's."

India Taj Palace

★★★★☆ 4.1 (327) • $$

"Location:The restaurant is located in Stone Oak off Heubner road in a shopping center with an Indian Market, Jersey Mikes and Pizza Hut. There are a lot of parking in this shopping center.Food:They offer a lunch and dinner buffet and you can order a la carte of lunch/dinner entrees. We tried the lunch buffet and were delighted of the variety of options from vegan dishes, chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, tandoori chicken, chili chicken, meatball curry, pakoras, mushroom masala, curry pakoras, samosas, goat curry, salads, chutney, desserts (gulab jamun, khir, semolina cake and mango custard), two types of rice/biryani; basmati and vegetable. My favorite entrees are the chicken tikka masala. A basket of garlic naan bread was complimentary and given when our drinks came in.Price:Lunch buffet price is $14.99 per adult. There is a kid's menu and it's priced $9.99 and under. Ambiance:There is ample seating in the large restaurant. It is tastefully decorated to reflect their culture. The buffet line is at the back of the restaurant. Service:Service was great. Foods were constantly refilled in the buffet line and waters were promptly refilled. Overall, I would be back again. I'm curious to see if the food options are more extensive for dinner. I would love to see plain naan bread at the buffet line."

Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (24)

"The restaurant is really small but it's cute and mighty most of your favorites are here. The restaurant is very casual we went during lunch it was cute lots of seniors everywhere so it's just a sweet little buffet, the serves were kind and attentive and fun I'll definitely be back again."

Tulsi Fine Indian Cuisine

★★★★★ 5 (1)

"I came here twice on weekdays for the lunch buffet around 11:30 am and was the only customer. The selection of dishes was ample and had both vegetarian and non vegetarian dishes such as paneer curry, chicken korma, chicken biryani, samosa, and chana masala. The gentleman who was my waiter advised that one should visit later for fresher dishes (anytime after 1 pm). Overall, I'd highly recommend anyone looking for authentic Indian dishes that don't lack in spice."

Susie's Lumpia House

★★★★☆ 4.2 (172) • $$

"Wow... This is another one. I thought I already reviewed. Oh well...My son and I decided we wanted to try Filipino food a few weeks ago. It is one of the few cuisines we had yet to eat together. I had only had it once with my dad about 12 years ago, shortly before he passed. Neither Dad nor I liked the food we had, so I never sought it out again.My son and I narrowed our list down to three different restaurants, and ended up choosing this one because of the buffet. We like to go to buffets when trying new things, because we can try more dishes.The people running Suzie's were really friendly. One of her sons was taking care of us and explaining what everything was. I took a little bit of almost all of the dishes on the buffet.I liked some of the things I took, but in all honesty, they were all so salty, that I couldn't really distinguish any different flavors. Nothing excited me in any way. The only thing that we both really liked were the chubby little sausages. I could have eaten a plate full of them and left happy.I did like the lumpia and pancit noodles. They did not seem to suffer from the attack of the salt shaker that the cooks succumbed to with everything else. I guess a plate with lumpia, pancit, and sausages would have been ideal.I really don't have anything else to say. We kind of decided that maybe we just didn't like Filipino food all that much and scratched it off of our future list of ethnic dining."

King Buffet

★★★☆☆ 3.1 (444) • $$

"For starters the ey open at 11 am so be there early for fresh delicious food , for 2 adults buffet and drinks was almost $50 We arrived by 11:20 am and Everything was fresh the salads are so great and food is good fried chicken I enjoyed every bite and service is excellent the waiters were attentive the cashier and everyone stop by to check on I not many people so we enjoyed a good conversation and time there"

Chopsticks Chinese Restaurant

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (324) • $$

"I know to some people maybe a buffet isn't for them but I liked this place. My parents loved it growing up and as a kid I wasn't a fan or Asian food but luckily they have kid options like nuggets, pizza, fries, ice cream, jello! So I was happy for that because we took our toddler and baby. I liked that I was able to eat a bit of everything, sure it's a little pricy but if you have a good stomach I think it's worth it. I will say the crawfish lacks flavor for my taste but still liked the options. My hubby liked that he was able to get steak done to his liking."

Dragon Buffet

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (27)

"I don't understand any of the negative reviews. The wait to get in was kind of long, but it moved fairly quickly. This is a relatively new restaurant so I'd expect a longer wait than other more established businesses. Once we got through the door and checked in / paid at the register, we were directed to some chairs nearby. It didn't take long before we were escorted to our table - maybe 30 minutes for the entire wait. The cost was also shockingly affordable considering other buffets in town charge significantly higher prices. The buffet is a good size and has such a variety of options. We loaded up our plates more times than we can count and were satisfied with every last bite. The food was always fresh and hot and the lines didn't take too long to get through despite how busy it was at the time. I can't remember all the food we ate, but I know we liked the Chinese chicken, Rangoon, egg rolls, soup, crab legs, lobster Mac & cheese (though it was VERY lobster-y) and everything else we tried. The ambiance is similar to most of their buffets, in my opinion - nothing special or fancy, but definitely not a "G.C." vibe. (not that there's anything wrong with that place)We will certainly be back again"

Lin’s Seafood And Sushi Buffet

★★★☆☆ 2.6 (5)

"I went in with high expectations since a friend had said great things about the restaurant, but found it lackluster and without any real standout dishes. Sushi was decent, shrimp was good/great, and the crab a touch salty. We did not try the ramen bar. The star of the night for us was the steak, it was nicely cooked. You pick out your own steak and put it on a plate for the chef to cook (browning is normal oxidation and it'll take about 5 minutes.) Their desert options were ok, with a standout ice cream scoop your own cart. The restaurant was extremely clean, have recently been opened. Service was average and they have you tip at the counter before you are seated. There were lots of tables open on a Thursday night. Overall an average Chinese buffet, with a hefty proportion is seafood and sushi dishes."

Buffet City

★★★☆☆ 3 (85) • $$

"So, my husband went to service an alarm system at the restaurant & was greeted by Mr. Mike Liu of the establishment. My husband was shown appreciation with Mr. Liu offering a FREE plate- to go once he was done with the system! I was VERY surprised with the act of kindness on Mr. Liu's part as he did not have to do that. My husband bought the plate home and we actually shared the LoMein, Egg Rolls, and Sesame Chicken he chose. LET ME TELL YOU: The LoMein was delicious! The noodles weren't overly cooked and slimy (as I've had and ran across from other places) and THE SESAME CHICKEN WAS ON POINT! I usually get the orange chicken when ordering Chinese because EVERY place (HERE in SA; the sesame chicken is always too spicy for me) BUT THIS IS DEFINITELY THE SPOT FOR SESAME CHICKEN (if you've been looking for a Non-spicy sesame plate) I told him we'd definitely have to dine-in one day after I FINALLY FOUND (The Place- with the perfect tasting SESAME- Hands Down!) I'm impressed with the Food & VERY IMPRESSED with the wonderful Act of Kindness my husband endured today. That speaks volumes about the management & staff! THANK YOU BUFFET CITY & I HOPE THIS ESTABLISHMENT CONTINUES TO THRIVE WITH GREAT & COMPASSIONATE STAFF ABOARD; ACTS OF KINDNESS SHOULD ALWAYS BE RECOGNIZED & I'M ALWAYS GRATEFUL TO MEET PEOPLE LIKE MR. LIU! Thank you again & GO CHECK THIS PLACE OUT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY - Food was DELICIOUS & I'm sure you'll have a great customer service experience with someone like Mr. Liu leading staff!"

Lin's International Buffet

★★★☆☆ 3.4 (235) • $$

"Service is good, the staff is friendly, they have a good variety of Asian food, plus some steaks, sausage and pizza. The place is family friendly with a good atmosphere to take the family."

El Coqui Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.4 (128) • $$

"Food was delicious. My husband brought me here, as he has ate here with a few of his co-workers for lunch, and wanted to bring me here to try the food. This is my first time coming here, and definitely won't be the last. As mentioned the food was delicious. We came on a Friday during lunch time, and you have the option to either order through a set menu, or eat whatever is served at the buffet, which is $12.99 for all you can eat. Both my husband and I opted for the buffet, and I'm glad we did. I got the seafood rice, Puerto Rican rice, beans, fried tilapia, and fried sweet plantains, which were all delicious. My husband got the same and some other pork options they had, and he enjoyed them all. The only thing we ordered from the menu were the empanadillas (2 chicken and 1 beef) and tostones, which came with a green sauce. Both were good, however I wasn't a fan of the green oil sauce that came with the tostones, so we ate the tostones by itself, which was still good. *Note that the food being served at the buffet changes every week -- this is what I was told by the gentleman at the register.Ambiance was good. Service was great! Very welcoming and friendly. Parking is a little tight, which was the only downside, but nonetheless, I would definitely recommend giving this place a try."

Lin’s International Buffet

★★★☆☆ 2.9 (208) • $$

"Location:The restaurant is located off the I-35 in Selma.Food:They offered a variety of American Chinese food, Pho (Vietnamese soup), garlic bread, pizza, steak, sushi and desserts. Almost every sushi roll had cream cheese!?! I was hoping for more nigiri and hand rolls. The steak was tough. They had buns and shumai but they were not great. Many of the food items lacked flavor.The best food item was the pho. The broth was good. The second item worth getting is their cooked shrimp. The shrimp is a great size! I did like their large selection of ice creams they offer.Cost:You pay first and then you're seated. They offer a 10% discount on adult buffets for Military. Kid's prices vary depending on their age. Drinks are separate from the cost of the buffet price. Dinner prices are more expensive than lunch.Overall, I would not return. I had higher expectations for this buffet but was extremely disappointed in the price, quality of food and variety of food."