Kumi Buffet — Restaurant in Milwaukie

One of the better buffets I've been to. Maybe the best Asian buffet I've had. I wanted to try out the one in Pioneer Square for years but never did.

The variety and sheer number of choices for supper was staggering. A majority of the customers were Asian themselves. A good sign of authenticity and quality.

I wanted to try everything but decided one medium high plateful was adequate for this time.

And food trays were clean with good presentations, especially the sushi display with preparer manning the serving station for special requests. I tried a ready made salmon avocado roll with a crisped exterior and soft creamy inside. Asparagus beef was a pleasant surprise considering I thought it was the more common and cheaper beef with green beans. Butterflied shrimp was a perfect panko style breading unlike the doughey tempura that's too thick most of the time (and I love beer batters) I even tried a small slice of plantain since it's since I cooked one in high school that I had my one and only grilled banana.

The seafood was good and plentiful with several types of crab (which I skipped this time) fish, oysters and frog legs that I also saw but didn't try. The General Tso's/Tao's chicken is my test dish for new restaurants, and theirs was the second best of the places I've tried. But others may prefer it to my first choice (the Ambassador karaoke club on Sandy)

It's a buffet, but servers bring your drinks and bus your dishes and check on anything you may need. Maybe it was just my lucky night but they were so attentive they responded to my subtle motion and eye contact right away. As someone who long ago in a gastro-galaxy far away has had the pleasure of serving, these attendants must take pride in their level of service provided.

I actively engaged with every employee in my proximity and every single one was professional, and more importantly, courteous and friendly. I even had a few laughs as I talked with a manager and hostess before leaving.

I wished them great success, and made sure to tip my attendants a few dollars even though not everyone does at "buffets".

It was worth it.

And so was my...

This was hands down the worst dining experience I’ve ever had. My family and I went to the restaurant in the afternoon, and it wasn’t even busy. I headed to the buffet to grab some food, picked up a sticky rice chicken, and closed the lid like usual. As I was walking away, a staff member stormed over, yanked the lid open, and snapped at me for not putting the tongs back. I was caught off guard but quickly realized I’d forgotten. I immediately apologized and said, “Sorry, I forgot.”

But here’s the part that blew my mind—she didn’t just stop and move on. No, she kept going. She started yelling at me, not just about the tongs but even dragged my family into it! I was stunned. I asked her, “Why are you treating a customer like this? I made a small mistake—does that mean you can insult me and my family?” But instead of calming down, she doubled down, got even louder, and acted like she was completely in the right.

At this point, I was shaking with anger. My family was upset too, and I couldn’t let it slide, so I went to the front desk to speak with the manager. And what did they say? The boss came and tried to brush it off, telling me, “Oh, she has a habit of talking to herself.” Seriously? Are you kidding me? Someone “talking to themselves” doesn’t look you dead in the eye and keep yelling after you respond. It was such a ridiculous excuse, and it made the whole situation feel even more insulting.

We asked for an apology of that staff , but they didn’t even bother. By then, we hadn’t even started eating, but there was no way we were staying after all that. The manager didn’t charge us for anything, but honestly, it wasn’t about the money. The damage was done. We felt humiliated, disrespected, and furious.

I can’t believe a restaurant like this exists. If they treat people with this kind of hostility, how can anyone enjoy the food? This experience was so disappointing, and I just hope no one else has to go through...

By far one of the more expensive buffets in the Portland area, but that to be expected. A seafood and sushi buffet is always going to be more expensive than standard.

We visited on a Sunday, 5 people total, for a 45th year wedding anniversary.

The Good: Staff were attentive and courteous. Overall the environment was clean for a high turnover dining space. Nice and cool on a hot day. Good Selection Baked Scallop was done well Spicy Shrimp was done well Fresh (emphasis on FRESH) Fruit was good, canned stuff was 'meh'. Egg Drop Soup was spot on. Prime Rib - Just don't get an end piece. Seared Salmon Nigiri - Just get it fresh and warm, once it cools it looses something. -Chocolate/Tapioca Pudding - Cause you really shouldn't be able to screw that up, and this was definitely acceptable. Ice Cream was good, don't let the doggie serve pack fool you.

The Bad: Mens room had the odor that it needed attention and for some time... General Tso Chicken was too sweet, no heat Gyoza had a strange taste to the pork. Pork ShuiMai had the same issue as the Gyoza, probably a brand issue. Salt and Pepper Shrimp also had a strange after taste, like it was old. Philly Roll had something with the Cream Cheese that just wasn't right. Peach Bun had an essence of peanut butter when it was red bean paste. Lobster Tail was rubbery and fatty tasting Cheese Cake was not properly defrosted

The Ugly: Red dessert cake will definitely set you taste buds off if you are sensitive to the additive in red food coloring. Halibut with Black Bean Sauce was too much of a challenge to get any meat out of the bones Butter Cookies were wet tasting, not buttery Pizza tasted just like the cardboard box it came out of -Cream Puffs were too dry

Overall, it was ok. If you do a taste testing round first and then dig in, you'll have a good time. Just be prepared for an average of $24.00 a...