Hungry Buffet All You Can Eat — Restaurant in Ōtara-Papatoetoe

Had my sons birthday here over the weekend. The other reviews were appealing to me so I thought I’d book in last minute and see if they’d have us on such short notice. They were quick to reply via Facebook and I was able to get a table for 14 people. We arrived and it was warm in there after the cold we’d experienced outside beforehand. They were generous enough to take our sons birthday cake and put it in the fridge at the back while we ate and they also had 2 other cakes for other families who were celebrating their little ones in there too.

The food is really nice imo but I believe their beef pieces in ginger (if I remember correctly) had too much ginger which overpowered some of the other food we’d had on our plates. Their crab salad had a weird sauce or mayo in it that made it taste strong and kind of vinegary so I’d skip that unless you don’t mind a bit of a kick in there. Their dessert options are limited but there’s enough to choose from. Butter chicken was really good. They had manioke (cassava) in cream which surprised me but I had to get some and it was decent.

I recommend this place for a quick bite to eat or even if you wanna do a brunch/celebration. They can rearrange their restaurant to accommodate to your needs.

Only downfalls which are understandable as patrons yet annoying was that you only get 90mns to eat (although we stayed until just a few minutes after our time ran out) when buffets usually go for up to 2hrs elsewhere. There are signs around the place saying not to waste food. I know some people like to pile up their plates thinking they’ll eat it all but don’t because they’ve overestimated themselves but one lady was giving some of us dirty looks every time she had to take dishes from our table because it had food on top but that was all leftovers from everybody accumulated onto the top plate as we stacked them all together to make it easier for the workers to take. So just a side note there: don’t pack on too much food because you might get the death stare or even if you do, they don’t really mind it but don’t be too wasteful as they still need to feed others during the...

My partner and I just popped in off the road to eat here on his birthday 26th March 2025. It was our first time. I don't know about other people's experience with the Hunger Buffet Restaurant. We came in late in the afternoon and the lady that served us was so polite, she even allowed me to come in and just look at the Smorgasbord and look around first to see if I liked it. Upon looking first to see if I liked it we decided to eat there. I rate them five ☆☆☆☆☆ the food was perfect, it was fresh, the mussels were fresh the salad bar had a variety to choose from and the salads were fresh. The staff are also very friendly, the lovely woman at the counter is always asking customers if they are comfortable, is the food to our liking. She greets people at the door with a beautiful smile. My partner and I loved it here, we have decided to come back. I didn't find anything wrong with the food or staff. If I had to choose between Happy Days and Hunger Buffet, Hunger Buffet wins 5 stars for the food, the venue, and the friendly staff. But most of all the hospitality is thumbs up for me. My partner won't go anywhere to eat but the Hunger Buffet he loves it here. Everyone has different experiences at the Hunger Buffet but for me this place wins it. I put this place above "Happy Days" Hunger Buffet is #1 for me. Thank you to the lovely lady and her staff at Hunger Buffet for the hospitality, caring and kindness. My partner loves it...

Was just in for lunch today, the girls were lovely & friendly, I believe one was in training but I didn't have any issues with the service, there's ample seating, the decor is a bit dark as in no windows & maroonish coloured paint which makes the room look quite dark, the food area was well stocked, lots of Asian type dishes, stiry fry, butter chicken, fried rice/noodles, plain rice, lamb, beef, pork & chicken dishes, taro & ufi with coconut cream, creamy bacon pasta, good selection of salads, mussel, crab, pasta, seaweed as well as fruit salads, fruit platter, hot case with spring rolls, chicken nuggets, mini samosas, hot chips, breakfast sausages & fried chicken wings.

It felt like something was missing then eventually someone started playing some music & that definitely helped the atmosphere of the place 🥰

All in all, I felt the food was very good value for money, the food was so tasty which I loved! Water was lovely & chilled & didn't taste like tap water.

My only negative feedback is the food was barely warm in my opinion, you wouldn't expect it to be piping hot but warm enough to make you feel it's freshly made & not have you wondering how long it's been sitting there. Other than this, I have no other issues. If I could, I would've give half a star 🌟 to make 4 & a half stars.

I'll definitely be back though, & I look forward to trying out the dinner...