Buffet Square — Restaurant in Winnipeg

Although I know it is not 'fancy', I always enjoy the food here and no one has amy excuse for going away hungry. The atmosphere and décor are pleasant, and the sound level ranges between a reassuring buzz to a sometimes annoying blare if very packed, as it often is on holidays and many weekends (for those sensitive to sound, try asking for a booth if you can: the hostesses are usually very accommodating). The serving staff are prompt and polite, somewhat harried on busier nights and never hovering. In terms of the food, there is a nice variety of typical Mandarin dishes that gets changed up throughout the week. Standards include the regular house soups (Wonton, Hot and Sour, Beef Consommé and seafood), a large salad bar, a good-sized sushi bar, and a lovely selection of sweets with cakes, tarts, frequently tortes and slices, 4 kinds of jello and from 6 to 12 different flavours of ice cream. There are two rows of heated self-serve stations for the entrées which usually feature chicken balls, beef and noodles, spicy pork, vegetable rolls spring rolls, fried rice, mixed vegetables, crisp chicken, fried chicken, French fries, a black bean dish and chicken gaiding. Offered on different days are their wonderful lemon chicken (which I thoroughly recommend), and various pork, beef, crab and vegetable creations. Special occasional offerings include varied seafood (e.g. mussels), breaded veal, and a wonderful crisp roast duck. The restaurant can accommodate virtually any size party and I once saw 2 sections closed off for 2 very large groups, something to keep in mind if you are planning an event for a large group and need a nice space with good food. Pricewise it is quite reasonable. Drinks are paid for separately and alcoholic beverages are available. The buffet itself is at different set prices for lunch and dinner, for adults and children, Thursday through Sunday (more expensive: as are holidays) and Monday through Wednesday. There is a seniors discount. Even without it, a full adult meal without alcoholic beverage comes to just under $20 on average. A great place to go with friends or family for a filling...

Had an overall mild selection

Chicken balls were very tasteless and hard. They were old but maybe over cooked. Sweet and sour sauce was nice and wasn’t powdery.

The server took a while to bring water. I had ordered a green tea and the bag was in the pot of hot water when she brought it which i don’t like as by the tome I got to it the tea had over steeped. Plates were cleared quite quickly, i was very impressed!

Sushi was pretty good for the limited selection. The wasabi was a little soft almost liquidy but had a very nice sharp bite to it. The ginger was a little old and hard to plate but had a very nice flavour.

The mixed vegetable dishes were cooked well but had a lot of thick sauce that was very plane coating them. Makingvthe dishes almost tasteless.

The sweet and sour pork had a good crunch and was very tasty.

The hot and sour soup had a great mix of spice and tartness. I had some wontons from the wonton soup and the meat was kind of plane and the wrap was slimy.

Veggie bar selection is limited but they did have cottage cheese which I’m not use to seeing other places. The pasta salad was soft and creamy, needing some seasoning. The garden salad was just lettuce but they had 5 different dressings to choose from.

There were 6 or 7 kinds of ice cream. I got the mint chip that tasted good but had a chalky texture. Tiger tale and mocha ice creams were very tasty.

Over all a good price for your money. I highly recommend this place if you are on a budget but if you are willing to spend a little more other places are...

Just ok. Pricing is on the cheaper end especially for dinner hours, but you pay for that in reduced food quality and limited variety. The only real standout items were the lemon chicken and crispy chicken, everything else was just average, some subpar. I can accept that you are effectively paying to sit down and eat catered Chinese food, but when things like the dessert selection consist primarily of store-bought box cookies and bear paws you have to wonder if the tradeoff is worth it. Might be worth the lower price for some if you are trying to pay $20 to eat all of your meals for the day in one sitting, but if you are looking for a one off dinner for a rare occasion I would say you're better off biting the bullet and trekking down to St. James to go to Ye's Buffet, even if you have to wait for a table there. One thing I will say is they have a pretty decent selection of soups here which most buffets don't bother with. If that's your jam you might find this to be a silver lining that brings you back. It's also unfortunate that you have to pay extra for soft drinks but the prices are low enough that it wasn't a big deal for us.

Beyond the food, while the overall atmosphere is a bit dingy and the aesthetic is quite drab and overdue for a makeover, the dining room is quite large so you likely won't ever be stuck waiting long for a table like you often are at Ye's and I had no issues with the wait staff and...