Gohan Buffet — Restaurant in Duluth

My review is on the basis of the following four points of consideration: food quality, service quality, dining environment, and cost, where you can dismiss all the 5-star ratings without written comments to be from associates and friends of the employer, which given reports of their other dishonest practices would certainly not be beneath them.

The food quality is mixed depending on the selection and maybe the day, where the freshest items are undoubtedly reserved for the weekends and the leftovers for the weekdays, which is typical and not really blameworthy, except their storage practices are questionable given the guest report of food poisoning from their oysters. The best selections worth the price you're paying are the Peking Duck, snow crab legs, prime rib, and dim sum. These were unequivolly top notch on the Sunday we went! The flip side is that the crab and duck portions are handed out by employees, where each person got a freshly steamed half crab (4 legs plus claw arm) which is a very fair portion size, but should not be confused with the crab legs stationed at the frozen seafood section which are of a lower quality and are self served, and the Peking Duck being most conservatively portioned to where they only cut tiny slices to unsuspecting guests to mislead them into thinking that's the portion limit when you're free to demand for more at the expense of maybe an evil eye from them. The duck legs, wings, and necks are kept in a side basket and are available for the taking, but are only replenished after the duck is depleted, so if you're there for the duck, it may be more cost effective to go to the place across the road to buy a whole Peking Duck for $40 which can feed at least three adults with a large appetite. Their exceptional prime rib was portioned more generously and what I would recommend you get if the above two should be unavailable rather than waiting, as there is a loose two-hour time limit that's enforced depending on traffic. Their dim sum is also phenomenal and of the same quality as the high end places! You probably won't be able to sample all the dim sum on a single visit due to the rotating availability and preparation time, so do get some 'cause they may not be available later. They had lobster upon opening, but was not available the day we went. All the rest of the food selections are common items found at other buffets in the area of equal quality at lower costs.

The drinks were the bottled Chinese teas and cupped fruit smoothies which tasted great but the MAJOR downside being that there was no self serving fountain drink dispensers like they have at their other location. I discovered mid-dining that their bottled teas contain HARMFUL CHEMICALS as plainly printed on the bottle labels which is pictured below. You have filters at home to AVOID these chemicals, but here you PAY for them!

The scenery of this place was VERY presentful and impressive to where the sights alone helped to improve our dining experience whenever we faced a disappointment, though this isn't the typical motivation for visiting a restaurant like this. We had no wait time because of the small party size, so if you have a large party, you could try splitting members to adjacent booths.

While the price of $42.95 per person is justifiable if their popular food items were more available, the tight regulations render the cost of an average visit go to mainly to the fancy visuals and amenities, which makes this place the choice for special occasions rather than regular visits. All this is necessary to maintain such a large restaurant, which is their Achilles' heel because the business will have to feed off of first-timer guests before having to significantly downsize, which according to recent reports is already happening, where the lunch menu has been ELIMINATED altogether and the crab leg portion reduced to just TWO LEGS per guest! It should be obvious to anyone that simply overpricing common items readily available within even a walking distance is not the key to creating a...

Went today (Saturday) sometime after 5pm before 6, and only a couple of parties were ahead of us so the wait was not long. By the time we finished eating, the lobby was packed.

Got to our table, it was wiped but not thoroughly cleaned as there was still a layer of sticky sauce on one corner of the table. The seats had hella crumbs on them, so we used a napkin to wipe it up ourselves. (Edited to add: According to my husband since he was the one to wipe them up, the seats were not just crumbs, they were actually sticky.)

We didn't receive any table service really (besides them taking our plates) while the table next to us was visited like 4 times. 🤔 I think we were supposed to be asked what drinks we wanted (we could see other tables all had iced water or soft drinks) but we were never asked. Didn't bother asking for water since there were drinks from the buffet. I enjoyed the thai tea (with crystal boba I think?). (Edited to add: According to my more observant husband, the table wasn't even set for us so he just stole the utensil sets from the next table.)

I sampled a bunch of stuff from the buffet. Honestly it was all mid or not very good, I feel like I've had better at cheaper buffets. The stir-fried noodles had like no flavor. The crab rangoon was disappointing. The green beans were good (acceptable) but in a normal/average way, as in, I should expect them to taste fine and they did but they weren't amazing or anything. The peking duck buns were disappointing, although maybe it's because my duck was mostly fat and tasteless. The fried breaded chicken wings were not bad, very crispy, but obviously I'm not going to an Asian buffet to eat fried chicken wings.

The star of the show was definitely the crab legs. I enjoy crab legs, so I was looking forward to them and they were meaty and easy to remove from the shell. They were good and I was full after about 2 clusters so I don't think I ate enough to make it worth $40+ ($50+ with tax & tips), and my husband doesn't like crab legs enough so he didn't even eat any.

The restaurant is very flashy and mostly appealing in terms of design, but there are some really weird and random choices of decor, specifically the giant silver spinning top thing(?) in the lobby (it's ugly... should have done a fountain or something), a random austronaut holding a ball/globe(?), and some large cylindrical vases filled with colorful plastic balls (ah yes, very aesthetic...)

I was initially gonna give it a 4, because I did enjoy the crab legs, and the large banner said it's still in soft opening, but someone informed me that it's been months since the soft opening and they just haven't taken down the sign yet. After considering everything, I think 3/5 is fair, since everything was mid except the crab legs and those aren't worth $50 alone.

I do want this place to succeed, so I hope they improve their food's taste and quality to make it actually worth the price. Right now, it's just a flashy restaurant with mediocre food; you can get better tasting food at cheaper buffets and probably find crab legs elsewhere too.

If you haven't been, it's probably worth trying at least once to form your own opinion, but this is my experience and I don't think I will go back unless they...

A Promising Buffet with a Strong Asian Focus But Service Standards Need Fine Tuning

When visiting a buffet, variety is the name of the game. At Gohan, the culinary experience initially meets that expectation especially for those with an appetite for Asian cuisine. Approximately 75% of the offerings reflect Asian culinary traditions, from crisp fried bites to flavorful dim sum. For guests needing a lighter option after heavier fare, the inclusion of pho is a welcome surprise, and it truly tastes as if it were served from an entirely different restaurant, in the best way.

The sushi, notably, appears to be of premium quality perhaps the highlight of the spread. Guests will also appreciate the range of beverages included in the buffet price, with bottled drinks, oolong tea, and various soft drinks readily available.

However, after the third or fourth plate, the illusion of abundance begins to thin. The variety while initially exciting reveals itself to be somewhat limited in breadth, especially for those seeking a wider international selection.

Where Gohan begins to lose its edge is in the service, which currently feels inconsistent. During our visit, we were fortunate to be served by Ramses, who delivered truly outstanding service. Refills arrived promptly, often before glasses were empty, and we were provided with napkins and attention without the need to ask. Ramses’ professionalism was a standout, rivaling that of high-end establishments.

Unfortunately, the overall service culture did not match his level of excellence. Early in our visit, we overheard staff discussing a prior table that had failed to leave a tip. While servers have every right to feel disappointed in such situations, openly airing these frustrations within earshot of patrons comes across as unprofessional and can create an uncomfortable dining atmosphere.

It’s also worth noting that our initial server, before Ramses took over, may have been inexperienced. Plates were left uncleared for long periods, and attention to our table was minimal. Though the restaurant is currently in its soft-opening phase, professionalism and discretion should not be considered optional.

There’s also a cultural element of hospitality that seems to be lacking. In a test of attentiveness “a fallen fork” the response was indifferent, only retrieved after a direct request and with noticeable reluctance. Small moments like these, while seemingly minor, affect the overall guest experience.

Final Thoughts: Gohan shows clear promise. The food is fresh, competently prepared, and offers a pleasant cross-section of Asian dishes. If you’re visiting for the cuisine alone, you’ll likely leave satisfied. However, if service quality is an important part of your dining experience, it may be worth waiting until the team tightens its standards and aligns its service culture with the restaurant’s culinary ambitions.

Ramses is a standout, and if you’re lucky enough to have him as your server, you’re in good hands. Still, the broader team would benefit from additional training in hospitality and discretion. With some polish, Gohan could evolve from a solid buffet into a...