Royal Buffet Houston Chinatown — Restaurant in Houston

Like many others, I was initially not impressed at first, I went here for their grand opening instead of my usual spot and felt it was lackluster and was mediocre. I left unsatisfied and was ready to give this place a bad review

It was similar to a cafeteria style buffet which I didn’t like and the entrance was confusing. My husband, however, really liked it and insisted we come back tomorrow with my niece and brother. I figured that they didn’t have everything down in the beginning and decided to give them another chance. My husband even offered a few suggestions to the employees…. and to my surprise, they took it in. The entire atmosphere did a complete 180. The food was a lot better and lunch prices got cheaper. For $20 a person, we got a lot for our money and they also changed to a self serve! I figured they were still maneuvering their first day which is understandable and I’m really impressed with their changes. I highly recommend their braised dish varieties like fish and eggplant which was something new they added. The layout is confusing, there is only one opening. My husband was a big fan of their dim sum and pho soup. The pho soup is really delicious for a buffet. If you like seafood, their variety is pretty diverse. I will be back to update for dinner, hopefully it will still be worth it.

UPDATE: I came here again on Sunday at noon which has all day pricing and wanted to try a little bit of everything. Both their crawfish flavors are exceptionally well done. As for drinks, I recommended their Thai tea, a little sweet but very good. We usually skip the cold bar at buffets, but I was surprised by their cold bar variety. It wasn’t worth it in the beginning but they have gotten much better in quality and variety since opening. A lot of the one star reviews came from people who first dined in here and had a bad experience, they have gotten much better and I’m anticipating for better. Overall, it was a pleasant experience and I...

Dine in Sunday evening 4/27. This place has an integrity problem. Came in and made eye contact with the host, they looked at us for a few seconds, and from how slow it was and how bad the reviews are, you would think guests would at least be welcomed in a friendly manner...I had to be the one to first say HELLO-first red flag...

and it gets worse....I am most upset about watching a host, tall Chinese guy with a texas A&M hat wipe his hands with a napkins, and then place the used napkin on the window...YOU WORK HERE, and actively making the place messier for the bussers to clean?????? Unbelievable. The bussers were so polite and were very diligent in cleaning, and this jerk couldn't be more clueless. The bussers were the most competent part of the restaurant. I came here to see if i could reccomend it to my family, but will never recommend and never come back. I was not going to post a review, but this really made me upset seeing how inconsiderate this guy was to his coworkers. He should be fired, since this action shows that he cares NONE about this job or the restaurant. Also went to texas a&m and he brings shame to the school wearing that hat.

Food is not changed out enough, most items are either overcooked or the flavor is not good. Sushi had spoiled fish, and i had to spit a piece out into a napkin. Nothing special about the selection. No hand sanitizer in the dining room, no gloves available which is important since your guests are eating and locking their fingers...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Absolutely Worth a Visit!

I recently visited Royal Buffet in Houston’s Chinatown, and I honestly think it deserves a lot more love than it's getting online. The buffet offers a wide variety of dishes, and everything I tried was fresh and well-prepared. The restaurant itself is huge and beautifully decorated, providing a very comfortable dining experience.

Compared to other budget buffets in Houston, Royal Buffet actually stands out — they have items you normally wouldn’t find elsewhere at this price point, like shaved ice, shrimp dumplings, sea snails, and even sashimi (salmon and tuna!) available during dinner. The quality and variety you get here for around $20 is really impressive.

I know the restaurant faced some harsh criticism when it first opened, partly because of the higher prices, but they have since adjusted them, and now I believe it offers great value. Definitely better than many other lower-end buffets around town.

If you’re looking for a fresh, spacious, and more upscale buffet experience without breaking the bank, give Royal Buffet a try. One visit was enough to change my mind completely — the current low ratings definitely don’t reflect the real quality...