Tin Tin Buffet — Restaurant in Boston

I have eaten at Tin Tin Buffet in February, March, April, July twice, and August 2025. I do appreciate when tour buses are in the parking lot because you know that the food will be plentiful and hot. But even without tour buses, the food is consistently good. This is my go to place for everyday Chinese and Chinese-American food in the Allston-Brighton area.

There are a variety of chicken dishes including Chinese American Kung Pao Chicken and/or General Tso's Chicken, sometimes salt and pepper chicken, or other breaded chicken. The American traditional Fried Chicken is very good, crispy and never greasy.

I only remember one or two beef dishes, Beef & green beans, beef with mixed vegetables.

But I am a seafood fan and I counted three or four shrimp dishes, including an amazing one with crawfish, huge mussels, and shrimp. They always will have two or more fish dishes, I had salmon, steamed whitefish with lemon, and fried battered fish.

The variety of desserts are good. sometimes they will have custard and or tapioca pudding. They will always have citrus fruits that is the traditional Asian dessert. once I spotted a day 5 gallon container of ice cream in the freezer next to the entryway to the bathrooms. but the ice cream had melted and it was more like soup. When I went in August 2025 they had no ice cream, so I think the freezer was broken.

Review from February 2025: In February 2025 I was fortunate enough to be there as 3 tour buses were pulling in which means that all the food will be very freshly cooked and not sitting around in the steamer trays for long. There was more than enough room for them and the usual crowd. They must have been expecting the buses because the food because the food was coming out fresh, fast, and furious.

I actually tried the fried chicken and it was very good, on par with KFC, not greasy at all but the pieces were small but it was a buffet so who cares? I also had the onion rings which were crunchy. I had the steamed fish, shrimp and veggies, noodles, Shanghai baby bok choy, General Tao's chicken, dumplings, and egg rolls. All very good!

I did notice the lack of seafood besides shrimp and fish. In the past they used to have steamed mussels in sauce and small clams but that was years ago,...

Fun inexpensive buffet but don't expect miracles. After testing a number of Chinese all-you-can-eat buffets between North Shore & MetroWest I stumbled on this unassuming establishment. The pricing is 20-50% lower than most dedicated buffet restaurants. There are 5 stations, including 1 dessert table & 1 with salad fixings & fruit. Selections, however, seem to fit a theme. The usual lunch assortment includes 3 soups, 3 rice dishes, 3 noodle dishes, dumplings, a handful of other apps, about 14 entrees, mostly chicken, some shrimp/fish & 1 pork/shrimp meatballs, 1 quick-fried green beans. The shrimp in seafood dishes are cooked well but fake-crab is overcooked. Rice & noodles are usually overcooked & lacking flavor. Chicken always comes roasted, fried strips, fried wings, oyster-sauce fried wings, teriyaky, szechuan, General Gau's. 2-3 entrees vary. Shrimp are in chow mein, "seafood w/vegetables" & "scrambled egg". Soups are "meatless" (not vegan). Most sauces lack seasoning other than salt and/or sugar. The best dish by far is dumplings, as they're closer to wonton style, with thin dough wrapper, freshly made. An uncommon buffet dish is fried smelts, lightly battered, with head & egg sack intact. Other fish is usually swai & I found those dishes inedible. Desserts range from honeydew to canned pineapple to mini-cakes & cookies, nothing to write home about. But I can justify the price just with dumplings, soup & dessert UPDATE: After several nearly identical experience (including dinner), this week was a distinct bright spot. Rice & noodles are handled better, not overcooked, fried fish is no longer a hard dough nugget, and vegetables in most dishes are no longer limp. Hopefully a sign of permanent improvement. If so, well...

I was always a fan of the Buffett, but last time we went the prices were higher. but that was ok since the Buffett was well stocked with a good variety. we went of fathers day and there was a sign up "Holiday special" 19.95. with a lift of food for that price, I assumed it was a particular dish you would ask for. because all the other prices were listed below it. My bill came it was for 19.95 each, I questioned the bill and was told "Holiday"! The buffet was scarce, not the usual variety, cold, not much at all to choose from considering they were trying to call it something special. The waitress came dropped napkins and tea on table never seen her again, until she laid the bill down, the person i asked about the bill was not her it was another waitress. Last i always leave cash tips and pay at counter. Now the waitress appears at counter to watch me pay i put a line through the tip part and everyone staring at me? i said problem? Girl points at tip on slip. I said i left it on the table and if you came by once in awhile you would have seen it. I looked over and some one else cleaning table, i said there goes your tip. How rude it was to follow me to the register and point at tip on slip Your food sucked and place is a dump now NEVER again it takes a lot for me to put a restaurant on the list of NO GO ...