Koywan Buffet — Restaurant in Altamonte Springs

This place used to be great pre-pandemic but no longer :/

Apparently they've done away with their cheaper lunch prices, without any kind of indication or warning of any kind. What used to cost $30 for two people during dinner hours, now cost $40 for two people during lunch. Even though lunch hours still have restrictions on what they serve, and the food quality itself has sharply declined. The whole point of coming here for lunch was to enjoy what food they offered during those hours for a slight discount, instead of $30 for dinner it would be around $20 for two during lunch, but they now charge more for lunch than what they used to during dinner :( It seems a bit predatory to withhold this information until they hand you the bill, especially since they used to have several signs on the door and front counter indicating the difference in prices... Had we seen a notice or a sign on the door to let us know that the cost has been changed to always be set at dinner prices, we wouldn't have dinned here for a "cheap" lunch. On top of the unbeknownst price change, the quality has taken a nosedive. What used to be fresh & quality buffet food has now reduced itself to stale, cold, and extremely bland options. The sushi tastes and looks like it was made the day before, whereas they used to make it as customers were walking around & we would be able to see the chef at work. Even just the sushi rice taste stale now :/ the hibachi, while also nowhere near as good as before, is still the best part about this place, but by no means is it worth $20 a person. One last thing, they still have mandatory covid restrictions in place. Even if you're fully vaccinated. Which is a huge bummer considering the state mandates have been lifted, but what can you do. They make all patrons wear both a mask & gloves, they now only use paper plates, plastic silverware & plastic cups. It really brings down the atmosphere, and the justification of paying to eat out, when every single little thing is now low-class, sub-par quality.

Overall, this place has gone downhill. Even though the quality of the food, the quality of cleanliness, and the quality of their overall atmosphere has heavily gone down -they still charge more now than they ever had before.

What a shame, this place used...

Biggest issue: We left at 9:45 when they closed at 10 and we had to walk through a completely dark dining room (the one adjacent to ours) and over a tile floor completely drenched in soapy water to leave the restaurant. Every square inch of non-carpeted floor in that place was completely covered, incredibly slippery, and there was not a single "wet floor" sign. That must be a massive insurance liability (which I have several pictures of) and I nearly slipped on my way out. Apparently their version of mopping involves creating a lake in the middle of their restaurant while customers are still there and having a team of guys push all the water into the parking lot with a broom. It would've been safer if I used the emergency exit by walking through an even darker dining room.

That was the worst of it, but there's more. We got there just after 8:30 when they close at 10 and there was practically nothing left and they clearly had no intention of replenishing anything. Some of the sushi was warm. We were told before 9:30 that it was last call, so I went to get another plate and brought it back to the table when I realized I had forgotten to get some soy sauce, so I went back up to the buffet and returned to find my full plate had been taken away. Shortly after that they started cleaning which was incredibly loud and made it impossible to enjoy the short remainder of my meal.

I have pictures and video of all the wet floors if it would interest Koy Wan's insurance company or the...

I came on a Sunday late afternoon around 4pm and the place was only moderately full for it's very spacious size. I immediately thought the worst. The waiting area wasnt the cleanest although I did not notice any foul odor like some of the other reviewers mentioned. The buffet looked good from afar and smelled even better. The sizzle of the hibachi combined with the smell of all the foods was actually part of the atmosphere I really enjoy at the buffets that feature the hibachi. We were seated immediately and a drank order was taken at that time. Before I could get myself up and to the buffet our waitress was there with our drinks and a smile. The food on the hot buffet was delicious and very fresh. The seafood was great although the lobster left quite a bit to be desired. I wouldn't mind if they took that off the buffet and replaced it with something else. Lobster is one of those foods that need to be done right or not done at all in my opinion. The cold bar was full of options that were not just the same salad bar items that you see everywhere else. Sushi was appetizing and the hibachi was amazing. The man running the hibachi was friendly, smiled and paid attention to who he was serving as well as their wants and questions. The dessert portion wasn't anything elaborate but definitely sufficed with all the best of the basics. The service was also friendly, fast and effecient. All in all my experience was great and I would absolutely recommend this to friends, family and anyone...