ISLAND BUFFET RESTAURANT — Restaurant in Nangang District

Heard this is one of the "must try" buffet avenue in Taipei so I booked. Its very popular and paying a deposit is necessary to secure a table.

On arrival just before the restaurant opening at 11:30am, I was shocked at the massive crowd queing outside the restaurant, numbering at least several hundreds. There were also tour groups that organize eating trips to have their meals here. I had to register and assigned a table.

The buffet spread is absolutely massive and has everything from Japanese to Chinese to western. It's like 2 to 3X the size of typical buffets I had in Singapore and far more diners. Long queues were formed at popular counters like the seafood selection. While the food was mostly tasty and good, and all freshly prepared in the "live" kitchen counters, some of the more premium ( ie expensive ) food like lobsters and grilled foie gras were missing. The seafood counter did had a reasonable selection of fresh prawns, mud crab, clams and snow crab legs though. Ebi Tempura, pan fried scallops and fresh oysters were also on the menu. Drinks like various fruit juices and even wines were included but the wines served were cheap and of inferior quality.

Service cant be great as there are so many diners so forget about any personalized service. Also the chefs that manned the counters can be rather impatient and they will not entertain any special requests. The atmosphere as I mentioned is chaotic due to the sheer number of diners. In fact, one has to be careful while holding plates of food so as not to accidentally "bang" into someone.

Overall, for around NT$3100 per person, its quite value for money considering just food only and only if one can eat a lot to make it worth. My problem is with the ambience, it's simply too crowded and too noisy, like eating in a massive canteen with tables closely packed together. Its simply not condusive to have a relaxing meal. So I don't think I...

Atmosphere is good, nothing special except being located inside a 5 star hotel. Service is OK, but somewhat disappointing. Talked to one of the cooks in charge of the grilled lamb chops section and asked for a portion. The first one obviously didn't understand my request, so he called the attention of the other cook. The second cook still didn't understand the simple request and just started offering everything available on the grill till I'd say yes. A simple order for a portion of grilled lamb chop and you struggle? What's your excuse? The request was plain and simple. "Can I have one portion of grilled lamb chops, please?" And we ended up playing a guessing game. I was expecting that you'd at least know what you're offering in your own section. What else is there to say? You charge for a NT$2,000 price tag per meal and your crew can't even speak BASIC English that is directly related to what he's / their supposed to be providing in that section? Let's write a blog about this and make it GLOBAL. Try to match your price tags with acceptable service, food quality and professionalism (no matter which section you are handling). That's what is expected when you're inside a 5 star hotel and not just in any night market stall anywhere around the city. Oh, and the food? Would seafood and meat really taste any better or different when served in massive quantities? You do know that it's really a challenge to balance quantity and quality aside from cost control. Unless you're a first timer in this field. Don't think that the world is flat and no one understands the basics of the food and...

I’m an overseas visitor who has dined at buffet restaurants around the world. I’d planned to visit ISLAND BUFFET since last year and finally made it on 25 September 2025, coming all the way to Nangang specifically for this restaurant. They were fully booked—which I completely understand given the hype.

What I don’t understand is the attitude. As I was flying out the next day, I politely asked the receptionist if I could take a quick look at the buffet for future reference. The answer was a flat refusal—no effort to accommodate, no alternative, just a rigid “no.” It felt needlessly strict and, frankly, arrogant.

At comparable or even pricier places like A Joy at Taipei's 101, staff consistently show hospitality first. A two-minute peek costs nothing and builds goodwill; here, the message was clear: if you’re not dining today, you don’t matter. That arrogance overshadowed any reputation they might have.

Note: The photos I posted are from A Joy, for comparison—not ISLAND BUFFET. A Joy regularly features high-end items such as: Wagyu A5, O-toro sashimi, Giant scallops, Lobsters, King crab. This place might have more variety, but I don’t think they offer better quality than A Joy. Given the arrogance I experienced at the door, I have no reason to find out.

I won’t be returning. I’ll stick with A Joy, where guests are treated with respect from the moment they arrive. Plus, the view from 86th floor...