Chinese Hot Pot Buffet ( 重慶火鍋 ） — Restaurant in Edmonton

My entire family and friends got food poisoning. I noticed that the tongs on the buffet line weren’t changed out for the entire duration we were there (2 hours). Which fine whatever but when they have a system to grab raw meat and raw fish with the same three tongs and the cross contamination is inevitable for the 6 or 8 raw meat/seafood balls right next to each other that’s not good… especially when I see a customer using ONE set of tongs as his personal tong for the entire raw and cooked side of the buffet I was shocked.… I quickly avoided that tong and realllllly tried to overlook it. Having a tong for EACH individual selection on the entire buffet line would prevent cross contamination because you give the customer that option to cross contaminate when you only provide a few tongs per section with 6 or more options to grab from.

That quickly reminded me about temperatures and food and safety…. Not one single worker was checking raw food temperatures or wiping down contact areas… they need to have raw meat and seafood as ordered items ONLY to the tables this would help avoid cross contamination and it would be refrigerated and made to order, and then up the amount of frozen and veggies and selection on the buffet with new varieties to fill the area. Remove the seafood and salads also from the dessert buffet and add better desserts in that area they were quite disappointing…. I don’t understand why there are blurred lines like this. Shrimp right next to fruit. Also separate the fruit instead of one mixed platter. You could tell it was sitting there far longer than it should’ve because fruit after a while of being mixed it takes on the taste of whatever It’s mixed with.

The quality of the meat was not good at all. It tasted old and freezer burned. The sauces were watered down purposely. You could see the sauces separate.

Also my god that communal disgusting bin of water for the ice cream scoop was white like milk it had not been changed out for the entire duration of our visit. The Ice cream area was extremely unsanitary… the sliding doors were sticky from everyone touching them with the ice cream scoop which is fine I guess it’s a buffet, but why wasn’t the area being wiped down and water and scoop replaced? You can see the ice cream marks on the inside of the glass doors from customers bumping into it while trying to scoop out ice cream … And when they were cleaning I noticed that the rags being used were filthy.

We will NEVER be going back EVER. If I could give negative stars I would. This was quite upsetting because I brought my family to try something new. At $40 a person because they automatically add a 15% gratuity for tables even though it’s a buffet……. It is absolutely not worth the money. I’d rather go to the other places without buffets. I wouldn’t be surprised if someone called in a health inspector and they didn’t pass....

Nice facility and ambiance. Service is almost non-existent. We saw the server three times. Once when our order was taken. Second time when our water was dropped off and third time when our extra order of meat came. Our water never got refilled. Our dishes never got removed (just kept piling at one corner) and one of the guests that were with me reached the bottom of their pot without anyone coming to refill. We needed extra napkins for such a long time but couldn’t find anyone to help. Then we had to look for someone to get the bill and pay for it. So service was subpar and from my observation there was only 2-3 actual servers doing it all which is not much considering how big the restaurant is so I don’t blame them per se. I think the owner can invest more on servers to better the customer experience. Definitely another 2-3 servers would be nice. This is a consensus that was made amongst a group of people that have recommended the place to me from work. I was told “don’t expect much from the service but the food isn’t bad”.

On another note, got the buffet but yet they charge extra $2 dollar for some flavored water that is a necessity to having this hotpot to begin with. So odd. Not like I can have hotpot without it. To me this is kind of a lie to the customers that the buffet is a $37.95 when in fact it’s more like $40. It should just be included in the price of the buffet instead of having extra charge for it. It just makes the customer feel blind sided. Yah sure it’s $2 but it added up to $6 extra dollars for 3 people.

We came mid day and found some of the food at the buffet a little old looking and crusted over. Some stuff like a rice, spring rolls, and onion cakes (common dishes) were not very fresh. I would say about 50% of the items there are okay.

One last note. I found the glasses to be quite dirty and scuffed which really ruins the nice ambience of the facility as a whole. This also goes for silverware. The plates were okay.

Overall I can see the owner(s) of this place cutting corners to save $$. Like the inaccessible of napkins, charging extra for flavored water, lack of servers, charging extra for food waste (I do agree with this), and not letting customers sit for more than 2 hours. This last point is frustrating since service is so slow it kind of isn’t fair to the customer when you are waiting...

If You Want to Be Treated Like Livestock, This Buffet Is the Place for You!

Our experience at this buffet was not only disappointing but outright insulting—an unexpected letdown, especially in Canada, where hospitality and respect are generally held to high standards. The evening began with us ordering 10 portions of beef, but to our surprise, we were served just one tiny plate. When we pointed out the issue and ordered another 10 portions, the staff then brought out three huge plates and casually mentioned that seven more of the same size were "in the back." This inconsistency felt more like a mockery than a misunderstanding, and it completely soured the mood.

But that wasn’t the end of it. When the manager finally stepped in, while maintaining an outwardly professional demeanor, their response only added fuel to the fire. They blamed the incident on "new staff" and, instead of addressing the clear disrespect and inconsistency, questioned why we were being "serious." This dismissive and condescending attitude was the tipping point. Frustrated, we expressed our dissatisfaction and questioned if we were being discriminated against, especially since we chose this restaurant over others, expecting a pleasant meal. Instead, we were treated with such disregard that it felt like punishment for our choice. It was as if they had thrown a mess in our faces, said "sorry," and then asked why we were upset.

To make matters worse, the situation only improved when we started livestreaming, which seemed to pressure them into action. The lack of genuine accountability, coupled with the audacity to criticize our reaction after such poor treatment, made this one of the most disrespectful dining experiences we've ever endured.

No customer should ever feel dehumanized or ridiculed while dining out. This level of unprofessionalism and lack of respect is simply unacceptable. We hope this restaurant takes serious steps to reflect on its approach and begin treating its customers with the dignity they deserve. Dining out should be a pleasure, not an...