Asian Buffet — Restaurant in Garfield Township

I checked the reviews of this restaurant before my wife and I went. I don’t go to Chinese buffets very often, but the comments seemed pretty positive, so we decided to try it.

We pulled into what I would describe as a giant strip mall. Most of the area seemed deserted. The GPS announced we had arrived, but I couldn’t see it. My wife saw it first, its sign hidden by the Big Lots store that sits right next to it.

The interior looks clean and nice. I would guess it’s a fairly new restaurant or at least recently remodeled. The tables were spaced out so you can easily walk around the seating area to get to the buffet.

They offered several islands with hot foods, a Hibachi grill, a small sushi bar, a salad bar, and some fruit and dessert, including prepackaged ice cream.

Based on the number of cars in the parking lot, I thought the place would be busier. They had plenty of empty tables, so the hostess sat us immediately.

The servers were friendly and prompt. They cleaned up plates as soon as we set them aside and brought water before we emptied our glasses.

As for the food, it was the normal fare. Everything tasted good, but for the price I guess I was expecting a bit more. The sushi, something I was excited to try, was OK. And that’s how most of the food was - just OK. I will say the egg drop soup was fantastic!

Their website lists the buffet as $17.99, so that’s why I was expecting something more. When we got our bill, it was actually $18.29. Had I not looked at the website beforehand, I think I would have been shocked when I received the final check.

The parking lot has plenty of spaces.

I doubt I’d return if we were back in the area. I’m glad I tried it so I know what they offered. If you’re really hungry for Chinese and like the standard fare, you’ll most likely enjoy...

This is the most varied and authentic Asian Buffet in Traverse City. I lived in SE Asia for several years and my husband is from SE Asia, so we're quite particular about Asian-styled food. It's a challenge to find decent ethnic foods in Northern Michigan, but this place takes it up several notches.

Other buffets and "Chinese" restaurants in Traverse City are often sugar and oil laden. The dominant flavor profile elsewhere is sweetness. At this Asian Buffet, there is a variety of flavor profiles and the flavors are more complex and nuanced.

The buffet is also varied and a good value for its price, especially compared to the pricing and offerings at other buffets in town.

In addition to the buffet, one of the features (which is included in the price) my husband particularly likes is the grill on demand. No one else (as far as I know) in TC does this, and at a reasonable price. You choose your vegetables and meat (offerings include everything from beef, to pork and chicken, to several types of seafood), put it all on a plate, and it's grilled for you with your choice of sauce. Fresh, and completely tailored to your tastes.

I'm a sushi fan, and while it remains a challenge to get decent sashimi anywhere in North America outside of major cities, their sushi is the best I've had in town so far: it's made to order, fresh, and a very good value for money.

If you want a quick lunch, you can also do a "to go" order, where you choose your food, and you're charged by weight. This is reasonable and a nice option if you don't want as much food for lunch.

They have plans to open a Korean-style BBQ grill in the same restaurant, and I hope they will do this soon. We'd visit even more often if they added this.

Finally, the service people are warm, polite,...

Deceptive Pricing and Rude Service at Asian Buffet My wife and I are first-time visitors to Traverse City, and our trip had been thoroughly enjoyable—until today. After researching local restaurants, we decided on Asian Buffet. Their website clearly stated lunch hours were from 11:00 AM to 3:15 PM, priced at $14.29 plus tax.

We arrived at 2:50 PM, well within the advertised lunch window, only to be informed the price was now $18.29 plus tax—the dinner rate, which supposedly begins at 3:30 PM. When I pointed out the discrepancy with their own website, the hostess abruptly dismissed it with a wave of her hands, implying their website couldn't be trusted and stating, "Oh website.... Lunch is until 3:00." My wife politely mentioned the current time was 2:50 PM, to which the hostess curtly replied, "we changing food to dinner now."

It's infuriating to encounter false advertising, feel misled, and be taken advantage of. This experience at Asian Buffet checked all those boxes and then some. A business is responsible for the information presented on its website, including prices and hours.

Needless to say, we walked out. We instead enjoyed a late lunch at Chick-fil-A, where we were treated with respect and saved around $30 by avoiding what many former customers describe as poor food quality coupled with disrespectful service.

My curiosity led me to other low-rated Google reviews for Asian Buffet, and the recurring themes were striking. Dissatisfied patrons repeatedly used words like "RUDE," "DISGUSTING," and "WORST." Based on our experience, I would confidently add "DECEPTIVE" and "UNCARING"...