Crazy Buffet — Restaurant in Oak Ridge

TL;DR: Finally a buffet where the servers don’t hold you hostage for more money and the food is good, especially if you like sushi, hibachi or pho! Yes they make pho! Unfortunately when we were there the hot bar was hit and miss with some things being overlooked. Still very worth a visit!

All the details: If there’s one thing Orlando has a lot of, it’s Chinese buffets. Sadly, many of them have very lackluster ratings and for good reason. So when I finally saw a Chinese buffet with a 4 star rating, I had to check it out for myself and I dragged my husband and mom along for additional feedback.

First off, you pay (and tip) ahead of time so you don’t have to worry about rude or greedy servers holding you hostage for more money.

Secondly, the place was clean. They had servers in the floor who were constantly cleaning and tidying up the food area and seating area.

Third, they were also very quick to remove dirty plates and were friendly and quick to bring refills.

The only somewhat bad thing was the food. They had a wide variety of amazing looking food, but it was hit and miss. Anything fresh like the sushi/sashimi, fruit/desserts, hibachi or pho station was excellent. However, several items from the hot bar were very overcooked or tasted slightly off. It wasn’t enough for us to say we won’t be back, after all maybe they were having an off day.

Overall, if you’re looking for a Chinese buffet where you won’t feel like you’re being held hostage for more money, give this...

11/16/24: For a Chinese Buffet, I give them a 4 stars in Central Florida. I have been to three different Crazy Buffet locations. Not sure if they are all under the same franchise or not.

It's my family's first time at this location today.

Pros: The steamed fluke fish is soft and tender.

They make my favorite version of hot and sour soup here, not too sour, not too salty, but just right and hearty too. The broth isn't too starchy like most other hot and sour soups I have tried.

Clams- I really like the cooked clams here. The sauce has a savory flavor. I ate at least 30 clams and none had sand in it.

Fried salted blue crabs: My friends and I really liked it. The crab's meat is very meaty and dense this time.

There's so many selections to choose from.

Based on my observations, the food is piping hot, and since it's crowded, the cooks do refill the hot trays often. This makes the food fresh since they have to refill frequently.

Fried salted jumbo shrimp tasted good and firm.

This place can accommodate large groups of 5 to 12 people.

Cons: Atmosphere: Very crowded and loud for a Saturday dinner night.

Soy milk is bland and tastes uncooked. For those home chefs who are used to making soy milk from scratch at home, the bland soy milk here tastes like uncooked powdered soy milk and it's just gross.

My husband likes sashimi but the sushi chefs NEVER refill the sashimi tray the whole time we were there for...

One of the worst places to eat and it’s not only because of the food. This people are all about their money and not customer satisfaction or service. I understand due to COVID they changed all their utensils and plates to plastic, but I expect a decent quality plastic wear. How many of you have had there lips cut by the spoons? Not only that I had to stand up 3 times for my waitress to bring me a drink because she was barely seen even though her “section only had 3 tables occupied. An hour into dinner they started rushing you to leave a tip and exit. I don’t like leaving tips on cc because these places tend to be owned by people who will ask for a cut of the waitresses tip and exploit them. Some also have to wait for the transaction to clear and god knows what story they hit the employees with and short them on their hard earned tips. But one thing I absolutely hate is a waitress demanding tips. If I have to look for you for the most basic task( check on my beverage) you have no sense in doing this job. If they want to be cheaper all they have to do is put the soda machine outside to make it “self serve” because at this point you’ve managed to cut down the hours of the dishwasher by having disposable plates so might as well fire your waitresses because all they serve is soda and expect a 15-18% for just pouring drinks. This is why the buffet on IDrive is untouchable. Better taste food, better service and way nicer place. PS the...