牛浪人 Wagyu Grill AYCE Barbeque, Sushi & Bar — Restaurant in Milpitas

I'm going to give it 5 stars for the quality of the food all around. There's some teething issues and things I'd change but they delivered on their promises. We had the diamond tier, which was a big splurge.

The portion sizes are pretty small which is excellent, they don't fill you up on one thing and if you like it you can just keep ordering more of the same or many different things without filling up too much on any one thing. Meats are thinly sliced. Sushi is 4 pieces. Perfect.

We ordered a portion of every meat to see what we liked the most. I think the servers and kitchen were a bit confused because we did lose some orders and didn't have dishes come for 27 minutes, and some confusion was had on what mean was what and I got sent the wrong things often, however, the staff was super apologetic and did their best to help. Not a big deal.

Here's the positives of what we found: -The best meat by far was the oxtail. They're cubed and extremely well marbled. -The a5 wagyu short rib is by far the best of the a5 cuts, it's outstanding. The a5 top round we didn't feel was that great or nearly as special as the short rib. There's many other cuts of wagyu and 4 of a5 wagyu but we preferred the short rib. -The beef bulgogi was super tasty. Sadly we got tired of all the unseasoned beef and this was one of the few if not ONLY marinaded beef item that provided relief. -The sushi is actually DELICIOUS. One of the freshest and best lion king rolls I've had. We loved the fried California roll too, and the ocean roll and house rolls were great. Whoever said buffet quality is tripping. These were freshly made, balanced well with rice and fish, and tasty. -The chicken karaage had no business being that good.. the chicken was so tender, with a PERFECT light batter crunch. Did not expect it to be this good I got it 3 times! -The tonkatsu was very very good, but the black garlic noodles were superb. So glad they have some soups to add variety. -Very attentive staff

Here's what needs work: -Not enough meat variety at all. Only chicken option is chicken bulgogi? Only one option of pork belly, and it's just plain pork belly? Why not offer more marinades? I get the focus is the wagyu but you can only keep eating so much plain beef. -Salad bar is pathetic. I love that you can get your own kimchi and such but it has like two salad options, one jello cup, one pudding, one mango cake, and one or two fruit choices? Really seemed weak. -Needs more variety in general for the price. The menu gets bland sort of quickly. Include drinks or something at $80. -Value at the diamond level didn't seem totally worth it. I've been more satisfied with meals from way cheaper places. Our go to, Goku, does kbbq and hot pot for $35 and we leave happier.

We figure this is a place worth visiting a few times a year max at the diamond level. It's pretty good and we did enjoy enough things on the menu, but not enough to keep...

For anyone new to this place, it was recently rebranded. What used to be Xian Steam Pot & Yakiniku is now 牛浪人 Wagyu Grill AYCE Barbeque, Sushi & Bar. With the rebrand came some small changes—digital fireplace dividers and updated wall décor—but overall the look is mostly unchanged. The new name feels like a move for better search engine optimization.

What has changed, unfortunately, is the menu. It’s smaller, with fewer and less appealing options.

If you’ve never been here before, it’s still one of the better AYCE BBQ and American sushi spots in the area. But for me, it feels like I had gold in my hands, and it was swapped for silver—at roughly the same price.

I had been a loyal customer of the old restaurant, easily giving it 5/5 stars, and I introduced everyone I knew to it, bringing all my friends here. What kept me coming back was the premium-tier AYCE oysters, the playful starter dishes with dry ice smoke for presentation, and even thoughtful details like steamed eggs served in an egg-shaped bowl. Those small touches gave the restaurant a unique, high-end charm. Sadly, all of that has been stripped away, replaced by a sushi menu that feels more like filler than value.

The new menu is heavy on American-style sushi rolls—California rolls and similar items clearly aimed at boosting profit margins. Great for business, maybe, but not appealing for customers who once came here for value, variety, and uniqueness.

That was their moat—the oysters, the unique dishware, the creative presentation, and the unbeatable variety. I haven’t seen another place offer oysters alongside BBQ and steam pot. It made the experience feel special and worth the price. Now, without those touches, it feels like just another BBQ restaurant with sushi—and there are plenty of those.

Usually, when I write reviews, I take a ton of photos of unique and creative dishes. This time, I struggled to find anything worth photographing.

The “premium” menu doesn’t feel premium anymore. It no longer delivers the same value, especially compared to what we used to get.

For me, it feels almost like a breakup. I lost what was once my favorite restaurant in the area. Like a fallen empire—once great, now in shambles. I understand running a restaurant is hard, and nothing good lasts forever. I’ve rated the previous restaurant 5/5. This restaurant is not as as good as before so I’ll still give this...

We visited on their very first day of opening for lunch, completely by coincidence after seeing the restaurant's name while driving to work. We decided to give it a try and were pleasantly surprised by the friendly service and quality of the food.

We ordered the $25 regular meal and tried to sample a bit of everything on the menu. Once seated, we ordered additional items via QR code, which was quick and convenient. The restaurant also offers a section with banchan options such as edamame, kimchi, salads, fruit, and mini cakes. The mini cakes reminded me of the lower-quality buffet desserts. I would have appreciated more savory sides.

Highlights included the shrimp, Australian Wagyu Steak, and the Australian Wagyu Top Round. We also enjoyed a variety of sushi rolls; however, I personally wouldn't rave about the sushi here, as it was comparable to buffet quality. The standout was the Dragon Roll!

I would have preferred the Golden California roll to be served without cream cheese, as I find it a bit overpowering, but that's just a personal preference. There was no mention of dairy in the roll which would have helped me decide on a different option. I also wish there was a way to customize the rolls as my partner doesn't eat cucumber and it was in almost every roll. We kind of expected this since it is AYCE.

At our table, there were three sauces along with salt and pepper—simple but sufficient for the dishes ordered.

Service overall was good; however, there was a mix-up when our first order was mistakenly sent to the wrong table, leading to a brief wait before we re-ordered. Our server was attentive and friendly, and we understood that it was their first day open, so minor hiccups are understandable.

We didn't try any alcoholic drinks, but I did notice they serve bottomless beer for $10.

Overall, a promising start with some room for improvement, especially in the sushi quality and menu variety. We look forward to...