Uncle Willy's Buffet — Restaurant in Burnaby

Sick and tired of reading all the reviews about people who compare this place to 5 star restaurants they have eaten at. Look, lets be real here, first off the price is $16 for all you can eat...what exactly did you expect to be eating at that price? World renown sushi rolls?, braised duck garnished with lemon zest and escargot? Cmon give me a F'n break. Yes the place is ancient...this location has been around since i was a kid entering Nelson school just down the street. That was 30 some odd years ago. So ask yourself this? How the hell do you think this place has been around for over 30 years? Well its definitely not because of the eating utensils or the lovely decor.

Ill tell you why its been around for that long. Its because the food is decent and priced at a price point to make it affordable for us the customers to enjoy. The worse thing you can do before you enter is think you are going to be seated at the most exquisite establishment and be eating top notch 5 star rated food. Go and order 2 drinks from Cactus club, your bill will come up to $16 right there. So enough of the "I cant believe the plates are plastic!" BS, or the bathroom looks like its from the scene in Trainspotting. You get what you pay for, and if you can swallow that concept first...well then you might actually not mind this place.

What to expect: come in and see some old people. A few senior homes in the area and locals who have been coming since the dawn of time lol! all which have the same things in common as the other younger generation who come here and that is...sometimes we feel lazy and don't feel like cooking...so instead of buy $16 dollars worth of ingredients to make spaghetti at home, we come here and buy ourselves an all you can eat. Who doesn't like getting their moneys worth? That's exactly what this place gives you...food which you will end up getting your moneys worth out of. Shoot i can eat $62 worth of chicken easily if i wanted to here.

Food is decent. And yes you will find a few dishes you actually enjoy eating. Salad is salad as far as im concerned, same with chicken and roast beef. You can opt for Rotisserie chicken, or fried both of which are okay. Sometimes the rotisserie chicken is a bit dry, but nothing worse then if you were to attempt cooking it yourself at home. Dont like it? man up and drink some water with it. Fried chicken is good to me. and all the mains, are edible and some are even tasty. Desserts are nice. I only go with the ice cream and chocolate sauce, and then i eat that with the Brownies. Yup ill say it...i love the brownies at Uncle Willys!!!! Whoa the first person in 35 years to write a review and say they actually love something at Uncle Willys lol!!

So yes lets reiterate. Gordon Ramsey and Bobby Flay aren't part owners and not working in the back cutting up the cucumbers or checking the temperatures on the rotisserie style chicken. You will not find hostesses or staff like you will see in the Keg, or Earls, or Cactus Club, you will not be pleased with every dish they serve, or the food placements, lighting setups, washrooms toilets, parking availability, seating materials or the goddamn plastic F'n plates!!!!

But what you will find, is average people eating some average food from a place that has been doing it for a very long time. Food is nice is you remember what you paid to eat it. The moment you forget that concept is the moment your nit picky bottom should no longer or never again eat at this establishment again. Come here and after a long days work, when your too lazy to cook and your only have $16 dollars in your wallet, or when you have $289 dollars in your wallet and taking your family of 4 out for a Saturday night, whatever the case, enjoy the price, then the food, have some dessert, crack some jokes with your coworkers or family members, pay your bill, burp in the parking lot, buckle your seat belts, drive home and relax! The world is gonna keep turning, and uncle willys is going to keep catering to locals and loyals just as they have been doing for the...

I already knew this would be an old timey, country-style buffet. Food style is 90s-00s. I’ve dined in old school buffets like Bonanza, Foody Goody, and even Pizza Hut’s lunch buffet. I’ve also had the luxury to feast in Las Vegas buffets, including The Palms and The Bacchanal - the largest ayce buffet in sin city.

Staff were all smiles. Had virtually the entire restaurant to myself for the first hour. Tables and booths were spacious. The floor and washrooms were brightly lit. There’s even 6 gacha machines and 3 classic gumball type machines, with 1 filled with rubber balls.

Salad - leaves were crisp and moist, side veggies were crunchy, croutons appear to be made from chopped up whole wheat bread Perogies - filled to the brim with potato and skin wasn't thick Steamed corn - has a nice pop to it Cornbread - soft, sweet, large crumbs, like eating a coffee cake. I prefer this to the dessert cakes. Spaghetti - cooked just right, soft with chew, and not dried out Fries - tastes more like sliced potatoes than fried fries, soft with skin on Chicken meatloaf - extremely tender and soaked up the gravy like a sponge. My piece was intensely salty, as if it had a whole bouillion cube in it. Salmon - tender and flaky, would’ve been better if there was a dill or lemon flavor Chicken soup - very dominant black pepper flavour, followed by chicken flavour, and bell peppers. My portion rivalled hot & sour soup spice level. Tomato soup - sour, tangy, hearty. Pretty sure this should be labelled minestrone soup. It has all the vegetable components, including diced potatoes, beans, and celery. Celery still had some crunch and potatoes were chewy. Spring roll - nice and crunchy skin with cabbage and carrots inside Sweet & sour pork - sweet & sour and a tad chewy. Tastes like what you’d get in a takeout place Fried noodles - toasty and flavoured with soy sauce. Thankfully not filled with cabbage Fried rice - looks ordinary but has wok hei flavour. The grains are separated and are a little firm. Exactly how I like my fried rice Stir fry vegetables - big pieces of crunchy carrots and zucchini, mild black bean and pepper flavours Plain rice - was dreading the “old rice” smell, but not here. Grains are med-long with a bloated appearance. Medium tender. Soft enough to eat by itself and sturdy enough to soak up sauces Vegetable curry - very mild curry flavour that gets stronger with each bite. All the vegetables retained their texture Mashed potatoes- so smooth with a standard potato flavour Beef gravy - light on flavour Bbq chicken - fall off the bone with a light smokey barbecue taste Fried chicken - anyone remember when KFC’s extra tasty crispy line came out? It’s like that but crispier and without the 11 herbs and spices. The meat portion is incredibly soft and cooked right to the bone. I taste no seasoning. Not even the cooking oil. Just chicken meat. If there was a flavoured sauce or a seasoning shaker, this would be one of the best fried chickens I've ever had. Desserts Carrot cake - a bouncy sponge that would pair well with a hot drink. Very mild flavour. I taste the baking soda more than anything Cheesecake - it’s smooth and tastes of cream cheese. Very filling Cream puff - odd texture from the choux and I think the whipped topping is the soy based one. Not sweet and not milky tasting Cobbler - my piece was dry. Would’ve been nicer to have more fruit inside Apple & rhubarb compote - best dessert of all. Both apples and rhubarb retained their crunch. The sauce tasted like brown sugar and cinnamon. Went nice with the cobbler. Rice pudding - I believe this is the same rice as the plain rice. I would’ve enjoyed either cinnamon or more sweetness to it. Still good. Jello - standard orange jello cut into big chunks Fresh oranges - juicy, sweet navel oranges Fresh cantaloupe - sweet and a pleasant way to end a meal

There is no wow factor here. It is old school comfort food. Those who grew up in the 60s-90s would be most familiar. If you're expecting a feast for the eyes and helicopter-servers for $20,...

I've been coming here for about 14 years. I purchased 1 shake, 2-3 iced teas for almost every meal. I tip them. Last night I went to purchase a meal. I ran my card through the P.O.S machine several times & it was declined. I showed the young Oriental man the evidence of the card balance, & the balance was more than sufficient, to cover the balance. I stated that something is wrong with the machine. The iced teas were aleady made. I purchased 4 iced teas. I spoke to Austin over the phone, he didn't even recognize my voice, like I did his. He stated, that he believed me., but could do nothing about it. I suggested that I could email, or text the evidence to his phone. I requested, if he could contact the partners for approval. He is part owner, as well as Susan. I requested to speak to her, but it was not possible. I said I'll just bring cash tomorrow, that was declined. I travelled far to eat & drink. The Iraqi man(bus boy) delivers excellent service. I could not believe this. I've given them thousands in business over the years. Sometimes I come multiple times a week. I'm usually the last customer to leave. This review was very difficult for me to do. The workers claim, they do not know how to make the shakes, & the iced tea. Susan has told me, that she has trained all staff to make these beverages. Very disappointed. I went to another business, & the card was approved for both purchases. Austin said over the phone, if he was there he would of approved it. He was there last night. The guy that was there told Austin that there was a customer here, without giving him my physical description. Austin indicated, he sid not know who I was. I told him, I was the last customer who left last night. Susan was there. Susan is another owner partner as well. I've seen there family, I've spoken to Austin personally countless times. I told the young Oriental man, do you want to risk losing a customer. I told him I'll give my business elsewhere. Give the workers raises. A meal & beverages on the house, would be the right way to respond to this situation. I returned the next day & spoke a young Oriental, who indicated, that she will check, to determine if Austin or Susan is there. She said, they are not there. Then Austin walks in. I spoke with him about giving me a meal on the house. He said, only 1 iced tea because he was not there that night. I showed him the approved receipts from another business. So I showed them the balance of the card, as well as the approved receipts. They are not convinced, that something was wrong with their...