Ichigo Ichie Buffet — Restaurant in Sanford

UPDATE 09/18/23: I still do not understand the 4 star rating with ROACHES, BUGS, CLEANLINESS AND HORRIBLE FOOD still being an issue. If you read many of the reviews here and from other sites you will read about the ROACHES, BUGS, HAIR IN FOOD, ETC. I have read all the new reviews and they always say they are going to fix the issues but do not. (End of update) THIS IS MY ORIGINAL REVIEW - First and foremost, on my way out saw two ROACHES scurrying around on the floor. If you see roaches out in the open like that with people walking all around you know there are plenty more. There was a review from about four months ago and they saw a roach on the actual buffet. Second, the food, not so good, in my opinion. Tried quite a number of things and just not good or I should say, good enough. The egg roll was soggy and too much dough which was chewy and not enough filling. The rib I had had barely any meat on it and it had fat on it. The fried shrimp was a bit greasy and too much batter. The fried fish was decent but tough dough around the edges. The best thing I had was the chicken that was for the sweet and sour. The sauce, though, was like water. Tried a stuffed mushroom and whatever they stuffed it with was light and airy and a bit sweet. The mushroom itself was a little too hard, not cooked enough. The crab Rangoon was pretty bad. The filling was too sweet and it was just creamy. The wanton shell was soggy except for the edges which were hard and chewy. And the food was lukewarm. I've eaten at enough buffets - you can achieve warmer food. I tried some desert pastries and the were a hit or miss. The bathroom was in pretty rough shape and extremely dimly lit. It was old and just gross. In a previous review they mentioned the bathroom being gross so the mngt is aware. In fact they are aware of many of the issues but I guess it doesn't really matter to them. People keep coming and paying so draw your own conclusion. The place itself, like others have said, needs to be redone. Everything old and tired looking. Our waitress was nice so that was good. I just don't understand all the 4 and 5 star reviews. I tried to like but just couldn't. And again, what I can't get over was the roaches!!! Yuck yuck yuck. Oh, and if you look and read some of the 4 and 5 star reviews, to me, a number of them seem bogus. Perhaps added by friends or family to help and try to keep the overall rating up. And a lot of them show the words "local guide" after their name. What is a local guide ? Do they get free meals and their pics they leave are not from their actual visit. You can tell - everything is pristine. These are the most bogus reviews. FOLLOW-UP:. was just curious to see if there were any more reviews since I visited 4 months ago. Mine is still the first review but I noticed some of the reviews previously written now show a more current time frame then when they were first written. I know this because I remember reading them that night I wrote my review perhaps they want to make it look like the place is gotten better since...

We've been searching for a really good Asian buffet for a few years in central Florida, and sadly the search continues.

The food at Ichigo Ichie was on a par with most of the $10-12 buffets we've experienced so far, which is nothing to write home about. The restaurant would have rated a solid, mediocre 3 stars based on the typical food quality and friendly service, but the atmosphere left a lot to be desired, knocking it down a star.

We entered the restaurant through an odd foyer that was a large empty room except for a few candy machines and some trash on the floor, which didn't make a good first impression. The hostess was friendly and attentive, and walked us past the buffet to seat us in a side room off of the main dining area. The overall feeling was a bit dim and dingy.

Normally on a buffet I'll take a single sample of each dish and then go back for seconds on what I liked. Unfortunately there wasn't anything worth going back for a second taste. Most of the dishes were very basic, under-seasoned, and tasted like they came prepackaged from Restaurant Supply and heated up on site. The one exception on my plate was the green beans. They still had a nice snap/bite, as a good stir-fry should, and weren't overcooked, mushy and wrinkled from sitting like on some buffets.

Neither of us tried the hibachi, but the items to select from had a good variety and looked fresh. We might have had a better dinner if we skipped the buffet and just went for the hibachi, but after our experience tonight, we'll never know.

The Good: Friendly staff. Cheap for the amount of variety. Buffet items refilled regularly (only one empty dish when I made my rounds) Some items on the buffet cooked/reheated well, meaning that some of the cooks in the kitchen take pride in doing a good job. Tables kept clean even if the floors weren't.

The Bad: Typical cheap buffet food quality. Atmosphere not appetizing. Trash and food on floor.

The Ugly: Wait staff stood around doing nothing, watching tables while food and sauces stayed on the floor around the buffet during our whole dinner. Obviously nobody in management has ever heard the phrase, "Time to lean, time to clean."

The Recommendation: Put some seats in the entryway and keep it clean. Make it look inviting. Clean the floor around the buffet tables. Everyone on staff should be responsible to pick it up or clean it if they see it. Add a signature dish or two made fresh in-house to distinguish yourself from other "assembly line" buffets. Instead of spending money on the giant billboard advertising in Longwood on 17-92, spend that money on the appearance of the restaurant and better food. Word-of-mouth advertising is worth more than any billboard.

The Verdict: Would not go back again. Better than Panda Hibachi Buffet on 436, but not as good as Koywan Buffet on 436, or even as good as Giant Panda Buffet on Colonial Dr. Definitely not a date night destination. Good as a cheap Asian alternative to Golden Corral for quantity...

My granddaughter was all excited about having her 11th birthday here. I felt sad for her because this place was a huge disappointment. 6 maybe 7 of us in the party of 11 do not eat shellfish or pork. The options for us were limited to pepper steak, sweat n sour chicken and chicken on a stick. There was no pepper steak on the buffet and the sweat n sour chicken and chicken on a stick was gone before half of our party made it to the buffet. My granddaughter got the shrimp which had huge black veins still in it. She tried several items but in the end just ate sushi. At no time did anyone from the restaurant mention her birthday or wish her happy birthday. This is not a place for large groups or to have a birthday party. I had the salad bar which had quite a few options but the carrots were dry and brown and the tomatoes were translucent and mushy. The dressing was runny and a low quality that I wish I had not used. By time I went back to the buffet there was no pepper steak and only two dried out pieces of chicken on a stick. I am not a fan of sweet and sour chicken but the last 8 pieces were the only option left to me. I also took the two chicken on a stick but left it on my plate. I also tried one of the rolls but it tasted like old grease and I left it on my plate. I did enjoy the tapioca pudding and the banana pudding. The Chocolate puddling tasted like something out of a tin can. My wife tried several of the other deserts but said the were awful and left them on her plate. The buffet was 16.99 and the drinks were water down and were an extra charge. The sweat tea tasted old and was not drinkable. Over 20 dollars a person and poor quality food. The men’s bathroom had a foul odor and was not clean. One of the urinals was missing and a trash can was placed in front of the open plumbing. I was very disappointed and will not recommend this...