Grand China Buffet

First of all adjust your expectation, this is a Chinese seafood buffet that costs less than $ 15. Yes it doesn’t have the best food, but it’s not bad. The trick is to grab the hot food that just came out from the kitchen.
It’s your typical buffet, nothing super spectacular, but meets our expectations. They have:
— Mongolian bbq corner, you can choose beef/​pork/​shrimp and I quite like their sauce.
— sushi corner: accompanied with miso and edamame. It has the basic rolls.
— seafood stuff: steamed crab legs, fairly fresh, quite easy to pull out. Crawfish, fried shrimp, fried crabs.
— fruits and ice cream sections: fruits are quite sweet. There are four flavors of ice cream: choco, strawberry, banana and vanilla.

I used to come here with my coworkers because they liked this place. I guess I was the only one who didn’t really care for it.
I recently came back with one of my favorite friends for its $ 14.99 lunch. She sad it was pretty good but I had to disagree with her.
The food was not hot and nothing was good. I am pickier than any of my friends.
1 star!
Grand China Buffet is not yummylicious!

Now I remember why I haven’t eaten here in so long, it’s not good. Everything’s cold and flavorless. I didn’t care for the first words coming out of the hostess mouth being how much it costs, I can read. One positive thing I can say the Pepsi was so weak it didn’t taste like Pepsi and that’s a good thing.

Came here to celebrate the holidays with the family. Great food and service. Tried the fried frog legs for the first time — delicious tastes like chicken!

The food is nasty here!!! Do not come here! I will not come here again! Way too much fat on the meat and grease on the food!

This is a buffet, so I wouldn’t expect the quality to be super amazing. But I would say that it’s a pretty good deal with lots of variety for lunch at $ 9.45. Senior citizens get 10% off.
Dinner is a bit pricier at around $ 15, but then you get fancier dishes such as snow crab legs, baked mussels, fancy shrimp, etc.
I came with my parents on Friday at 4 pm for a late lunch, and we had the option of getting either dinner or lunch. We went with the lunch option, and there were so many things to eat that we didn’t feel that we were missing anything. The dinner dishes were clearly marked so we would know which dishes we could or could not eat.
I liked the plethora of seafood. The salmon was a bit too tough and dry, and the clams were surprisingly spicy. I liked the steamed white fish – not sure what kind it was, but it was pretty good. I also enjoyed a hot crab mix with celery and some other stuff that was served on a pretty orange clam shell.
The mini steamed bread buns and sesame balls were also delicious.
The salad bar and other desserts were a bit weak. Mostly canned stuff that didn’t impress me. But what they lacked in quality, they made up for in quantity. I definitely had enough to get my greens in.
And although it didn’t look like much, the cheesecake was excellent! Great flavor and good mouth feel. Totally creamy and delicious. The ice cream was also really good. Creamy and rich, 4 flavors to scoop yourself – no soft serve stuff.

The sticky floor, stale tasting foods, and mysterious item in the cup of water that they gave us sort of ruined the experience.
I usually have average to good experiences with Chinese Buffets, and as such, I decided to give them a try, since they advertised a banner on the window that I vaguely recall as Best Buffet in the South Bay, or something to that extent. Parking was plenty. However, I have to say, the food was disappointing. We came on a Saturday morning, and it seemed like we might’ve gotten leftovers from the day before. The crab meat was dry, the frog legs (which I was very looking forward to try), was dry and watery — a weird and somewhat revolting taste, and did I mention there was an unidentified floating piece of stuff in the water cup!!! We came here about a couple of months ago, so you can take that with a grain of salt, as their food quality might’ve improved. If I were you, I’d probably go to Kuma, which is not too far away, and have some quality sushi buffet if you’re into that sort of thing.
However, we must give credit where credit is due, The servers were very nice and courteous (that’s why I gave them an extra star), but at the heart of it, I wouldn’t come back again.

Sadly, this place doesn’t even deserve the one star rating. The quality of the food is very low and the taste just wasn’t there. The server was a bit slow to refill our drinks and remove plates. The food at the steam table wasn’t hot either (does it even work?!). The wall by our table was pretty dirty. Yuck. It took them 15 minutes to bring my check back to me. Never again!

BEWARE
The food in this place is just OK. But the manager is sort of a prick, sort of commenting when we asked for hot tea –I guess because it was free back then– instead of a cold sugary drink –that they charge for.
Immediately, they started to charge for their teas.
Lately, I’ve been noticing overcharges every time we eat there. Food with water is $ 9.50 at lunch between the week, plus 9% tax –around $ 10.36-, but the guy charges us $ 11.00 each, as if taxing us for not buying drinks from him.
Last time we told him about the overcharge, telling him what the price is supposed to be. He said it was right because of taxes. ARE YOU KIDDING ME?
I know those 64 cents he’s screwing us with are petty change, but hey, it’s my petty change, not his!!!
On the other hand, it’s the lack of principle and attitude from this petty thief that really bother me more. Doesn’t he have enough with our business? What a stingy crook!!!
I just wanted others to know. Always make sure the price is right when paying at the cashier.
On a second thought, I wouldn’t doubt he’s using poor quality products just to earn a little buck.
I feel one star is too much for this place. I will definitely avoid it when there’s a better Chinese buffet close to the area.

Ridiculously expensive for tasteless, low quality food and service!
I came on a Friday night for dinner because I remember this place being good a few years ago. Things have changed completely, and not for the better! I wouldn’t even pay $ 2 for their best dish here. It is like junk food, but bland.
1. When I informed one of the employees that their ice cream machine wasn’t working, he gave me the nastiest look, shrugged, and mumbled something at me while walking away. (What the fuq?!)
2. A foul smell was emanating from the kitchen. It smelled like… old food left inside a sink? The kitchen is right next to the sushi. Many employees were standing in front of the kitchen door and facing out toward the restaurant. I don’t know what the employees were doing there, but maybe they were trying unsuccessfully to block out the smell with their bodies.
That was a really scary find and I lost my appetite.
3. Trust your fellow Unilocalers! You won’t be treated like a valued customer here. Wasting my time and money to be dissed and fed less-​than-​mediocre food was a complete mistake; I regret coming here for such a bad experience to kick off my weekend.

Things have been so good lately that it warrants another update ! On the dinner buffet (which is also all day on weekends and Holidays) Here are some of the best things to get (at dinner only)
Crab Legs — steamed, tender and succulent, good size, and great with drawn butter (to be found next to the corn on the cob)
Coconut Shrimp — large shrimp in a sweet and creamy coconut sauce.
Beef Short Ribs — thin cut, very flavorful. This seems to be cooked (or finished) on the grill top, and taste much like short ribs which have been roasted or served «pot roast» style They aren’t in a sauce because they don’t need one.
Pork Spare Ribs — baked very tender and moist, with their own natural flavor and lightly sauced on top with a mild, slightly sweet, tangy Hickory BBQ sauce. They are worth getting a little messy, but are not thickly coated w sauce or sticky.
Orange Chicken — fried and glazed with a sweet orange sauce — a nice indulgence !
Sushi and Sashimi –good variety (especially for a «Chinese» place) Very fresh, colorful and flavorful.
Mongolian BBQ — you choose from many fresh ingredients (and add herbs and seasonings or sauces of your own choice) including vegs, beef, chicken, shrimp.
Shrimp and Vegs — medium shrimp cooked just right, along with a variety of vibrantly colorful fresh vegs cooked to a perfect «crisp-​tender» The shrimp abound in this dish !
«Salt and Pepper» whole, head on shrimp and «Salt and Pepper» Crab — the kind that looks like a gloved hand.
Cheesecake — plain and simple, but oh so delicious ! Whatever diet I’m on gets completely ignored for this one ! Especially nice with the perfectly ripe and sweet strawberries, or with other fruits — and there is always a good selection of fresh fruit in season as well as some canned specialties like loquats, lychee nuts, mandarin oranges.
There are also some oddities for those with adventurous tastes — Fried Frog Legs, Squid, Baby Octopus, Clams, and Mussels. You will also find Crawfish — a beautiful sight for fans — they appear to have both chili peppers and bell peppers and a light sauce.
You can explore this rich and varied dinner buffet for a very reasonable $ 13.99. Have fun !

The orange chicken was surprisingly pretty good. The staff, on the other hand, lacked a sense of professionalism. I guess you can’t really expect awesome customer service at a buffet. Staff was quick to remove plates and replenish food, however I didn’t see a waitress come around with drink refills (or water) not even once. If they weren’t removing plates from tables, then they were standing in groups watching you eat. The dessert selection was decent, but I suggest staying away from the cheesecake. It had this unusual mushy texture to it… as if it had been nuked in the microwave or allowed to sit out for hours and hours in the heat.

3.5 stars.
I was pleasantly surprised with the quality and taste of this place. Most buffets (especially those with various cuisines) aren’t very good, but Grand China Buffet’s was pretty good. There’s lots of space and lots of food. The décor has more of a Chinese restaurant look and the tables, chairs, etc. were standard. Staff was somewhat friendly and was about the bottom-​line. Staff was great about clearing your plates. One huge gripe I had was that you had to ask for a knife.
There are typical Chinese, Japanese (even tepantaki), American, seafood, etc. food. Most like 75−80% of the things I tried were pretty tasty and cooked well. They were great about refilling the food. Generally, the food area was clean and organized in logical groups. The crab was extremely popular. People were watching it like hawks! I wasn’t able to partake in the dessert because I stuffed myself with the other stuff.
There was plenty of parking too. I’ll probably come back here if I’m around the area. haha

As a veteran Unilocaler who’s been around the block a few times, it’s a rare, almost special occasion that I award an establishment with 1 star.
The place has to be very special to deserve such a rating, and The Grand China Buffet is just that.
To start, the food is disgusting. I’m not talking borderline edible, I’m talking straight up I’d rather go eat out of the dumpster than eat at this place again. Food can’t get any crappier than this, I guarantee you.
Next up is the service. The servers were attentive and came around to clean up the plates and refill drinks, which was good, however I couldn’t get over the sight of one of the servers digging deep into the depths of their ear, pulling out the catch, examining, and going back in for more. Absolutely sickening.
As the «Grand» in their name would suggest, they had something special in store for me, which they saved for last, their bathroom.
I walked into stall #1 and was surprised by what looked to be human droppings on the side of the toilet,. One would expect for droppings on the floor at a restaurant to be fresh, as if somebody just did the deed, and staff didn’t get a chance to clean it up yet, but no, this was dried out turds that have been sitting there for sometime. My first instinct was to pull my pants down and drop some alongside what was already there, to teach the establishment a lesson for serving such inedible food. My logic was if enough people dropped on the floor they might get the idea that something was wrong with the food that they were serving.
Stall #2 surprisingly did not have droppings on the floor, however it seems some poor soul was sitting on the toilet and may have had an episode of explosive diarrhea so bad that somehow a streak of what looked like to be fecal matter, was smeared alongside the wall (please see attached picture).
With this, I think I’m done with Asian buffets for good. I’ve never been to one that’s impressed me or made me think to myself «wow, this is actually pretty good». These places are either edible or shit-​tastic, this particular one falls into the latter category, almost literally.

Quantity v. Quality. Like most buffets, they chose quantity. The only thing good about this place is the sweet and sour soup. The chicken wings are a hit and miss. I didn’t dare try 80% of the food here. There was something fried that was labeled crawfish but looked and tastes like frog legs. I’m surprised for an Asian buffet, about half of the food isn’t Asian. They advertised lobster on the weekends but it’s chopped up beyond recognition you can’t even get any meat. And if someone hogs all of it, they don’t refill the tray as fast as they do with the other food. No one touches the salad bar. Sushi is horrible.
Décor needs… well they need one. Definitely needs cleaning.
Service is okay. Nicer than expected of an Asian restaurant.
Parking is amble as it is part of a plaza.

Went there tonight, was going to grab some Phở but felt hungrier than usual, buffet it is!
Big mistake.
We came there around 8:45, and wut duh heo, they’re closing already? It says 10:00pm on the outside. Thing is, we didn’t know they were closing until we sat down. Clever little William Hung in the front had us pay first.
They did not bother to restock food that had ran out already. Employees were just standing, chatting, laughing, sitting and watching us out in the dining area. Telepathically telling us to hurry the hell up and leave, mind you it was only around 9 at the time.
We were not done eating, but already, they started covering the food. Removing some trays and spoons. Like what the hell, we aren’t done yet assholes. One of the ladies in charge told us to, I guess just get what we want, and pretty much do not go onto the floor since they’re cleaning. I needed subtitles to understand her but anyways, we told her that they’re suppose to be closing at 10. We paid our money and should be able to take our time and just eat and enjoy. Complained that there were no crabs, and bravo, she brought us a plate from the back.
So we were eating the crabs, and damn, all eyes on us. Like it was a crime that we were there eating. I’m not sure if Unilocal allows you to cuss on here, but damn, fuck this buffet. Been going here for the longest, since I was younger, and tonight is the last.

If complacency is the fodder of mediocrity, I write this update as a friendly tap on the shoulder to let the Grand China Buffet know, they were once consistently good, but the off nights are becoming a bit more frequent then the exception to a rule.
The problem is, and I get it, since it is a low cost buffet option, that if there’s not enough customers eating inside, there’s no reason for them to put out new, be it different or be it fresh, food. So, what you end up with is a lot of food sitting in the steam trays and heat lamps, and all of the good things once featured are depleted or picked through.
The day I went for dinner, glaringly missing was a few items like the Snow Crab Legs. Also, the Roast Duck was all the bony pieces. The won ton soup was not refilled, so was just a pot of broth and loose egg noodle skins. The steamed white bao buns were actually becoming hardened and petrified. So, you end up with the sloppy seconds and scraps they wait for customers to finish off of an influx of more customers to come in and eat before refilling ”em.
I know food is a huge overhead, and they don’t want to waste. Generally, this is a good enough place for the money.
My advice is… if you see the place is empty, before going in, and even if it’s not, you should first scout out the lay of the land. Ask them if you could see the food first, then do a quick walk around, and if you like what you see, then sit down, dine and dig in. If you feel it’s looking a bit lackluster, there’s the China Buffet (roughly the same price) up the street (turn left onto PCH) and the Vegas Seafood Buffet (a little more expensive) down the street @ Del Amo Mall, so you do have Chinese AYCE Options.
I hope the Grand China Buffet survives and can have enough patronage to consistently have fresh diverse food everytime all the time. They tout having 150+ items, I didn’t count ‘em, but I sort of doubt it, or at least the 150 items aren’t all top notch, and I’d rather see quality than quantity, personally.
I hope to update this review back up to * * * if not maybe * * * * upon my next visit.

Sometime during the 90’s the idea of a Chinese food buffet started and the concept has now become a firmly entrenched part of the American dining experience. From New York to Texas to California, independently owned Chinese food buffets are everywhere. Saucy stir-​fried Chinese food, apparently is ideally suited for good keeping in buffet style steam trays. Grand China Buffet is a good example of the rise in popularity of Chinese buffet restaurants.
Grand China Buffet is a fairly large restaurant. They have booths along the perimeter of the restaurant and then long communal (beer hall like) tables in the center. There are six central buffet counters and separate manned sushi and mongolian bbq counters. They have a very large variety of food ranging from fried chicken wings, pizza, orange chicken to more traditional Chinese broccoli beef, kung pao chicken. They also have some seasonal seafood items like black bean oysters, clams, crawfish, and various fish entrees. For their more expensive dinner service they also include large crab legs, walnut shrimp, coconut fried shrimp, BBQ short ribs and roast beef. For dessert they have a variety of cakes, cookies, puddings, cheese cake and a soft serve ice cream.
I went for lunch and the price was very reasonable at $ 8.99. The dinner price is $ 13.99. I thought that the food was a reasonable quality, but nothing stood out as exceptional. They have been open in Torrance for over 10 years and the restaurant seems to have some deferred maintenance items that seem standard for family owned Chinese restaurants. Overall, I was satisfied with my meal but was not particularly impressed by anything.

Are you looking to eat as much «Asian» food as you possibly can? Then this is the place for you. The prices are kind of high, but the variety is good (sushi, made-​to-​order stir fry, Chinese, dim sum, crab legs, salad, fried foods). Just don’t be expecting something fresh and tasty. This is definitely quantity over quality.
If you don’t know what you’re getting yourself into immediately upon walking in the door, you haven’t lived life enough.

Came here with my family for lunch after hearing such great things about it from my parents. $ 13.99 for adults and $ 9 or $ 10 for kids, it seemed like a good deal.
The buffet is pretty big. Lots of choices. The perfect place for the asian food lover. They have Chinese, Japanase, American (limited). It includes the popular items such as orange chicken, beef and broccoli, spring rolls, cream cheese wontons, crab legs, etc. They also have 3 or 4 types of sushi and a selection of seafood items.
The one thing I really enjoyed was the Mongolian BBQ station. You can pick your raw items such as meat, shrimp, noodles, onions, bell peppers, pineaple, bean sprouts, etc. and they will cook it all up for you with sauces, etc. right in front of you. It was very delicious. Definitely the highlight for me.
They also have fruit, salad, jello, desserts, different sweet asian buns. Nice selection. I’d probably come back if I was in Torrance and in the mood for asian food.
One thing I did not like. it smells fishy when you walk in. I’m not a fan of seafood so that was a turn off. Other than that, it was a decent place.