Pan Asia Buffet

We love coming to this buffet! It's our favorite in the area. They have salad bar, all the standard Asian buffet hot food, sushi, habachi, and desserts including a chocolate fountain and soft serve ice cream.

Dinner was about $25 per person and the price for kids under 12 was (I think) $1.69 per year old which I felt was fair.

Crab legs are only on Friday and Saturday during dinner.

Organized a Lunar New Year lunch for 30 here, it is a great place to have such events, and was happy to see that they are still in business.

The food is fresh and frequently replenished, the dining rooms are clean, and the wait staff is great. The price for weekday buffet lunch is reasonable and they offer a senior discount.

Comparing other similar buffets, this one is a stand out.

There are a few things that happened here that made me give a one star.

You would assume that this place is good based on how busy it is but the food isn't really fresh regardless... tastes like 2nd day microwaved stuff if you're into that. Stomach aches after going home FOR SURE.

Secondly, I was here with my family. Things were fine, food was mid but whatever. My dad was in the chow mein section trying to get some... and there was an older man just FIST DEEP grabbing the noodles with his bare hands. HIS DIRTY BARE HANDS. We let a server know and they didn't do anything about it. So on top of interesting customers...basic service and cleanliness is out the roof.

Yeah the food is better than the other buffet in town but you'll be dining in a tight space with sketchy people. If that's your vibe then this is the place for you.

"Hey Derek, we're eating at Pan Asia Buffet."

* Reads a one-star review from a Yelp friend *

Fool me twice, shame on yours truly I guess.

Early last year, I visited an AYCE seafood buffet in the LBC of the likes of Pan Asia. No joke, but the exact same situation happened. After being informed that we'd be eating there, I took to Yelp and immediately noticed a one-star review from a Yelp friend. Not wanting to mention it for fear of ruining others' appetites, I went through on the plan, but had my guards up. I was this close to giving one star, but was generous enough to give a second.

This time, the food was actually better that I almost thought about awarding a trio of stars, but there were some aspects that caused me to downgrade to the same level as the *other* seafood buffet even though one clearly had the better food options.

Case in point, better food doesn't always mean better rating, though it almost did in this case.

Pan Asia Buffet is on the northwest corner of where the 78 and 15 freeways meet. Parking isn't plentiful directly in front of the restaurant, but since it's a part of a ginormous plaza, you shouldn't have any trouble finding parking nearby. I simply parked on the other side of Center Dr and walked across.

After checking into the front desk and being taken to a table in the corner of the restaurant, I questioned if the room on the other side of the wall was a private dining room. I suspect it was private because I witnessed a customer with a remote control trying to change the channel on a TV there, but I can't say for sure.

The buffet bar runs the length of the restaurant from the ice cream all the way to the grill. The salad, oddly placed next to the ice cream, offers a good selection and was probably the freshest food I had there.

I tried the lo mein and baked salmon on my next plate. Neither was bad, but didn't really leave much of an impression, though the jalapeno (or serrano?) peppers packed quite a punch!

Once I dug into the Asian Cuisine, things started to get really heavy with a bunch of grease on each food item, but not much flavor to go with them. I did enjoy the baked scallop though, but everything else paled in comparison.

I also got some food from the grill and a second baked salmon, trying to see if any of the three bottles of sriracha on my table would do any good. A few drops didn't do any good, and I didn't want to overdo it.

The sushi in general wasn't really fresh, but was manageable when sprinkled with soy sauce. The pizza surprisingly wasn't bad with a flavor explosion of cheese here and there.

I wanted to take a quick break, and I did this by building a hibachi plate with some raw vegetables, noodles, beef, a swai filet, and an egg. After handing my plate to the hibachi chef, I watched him cook alongside a couple other customers' hibachi plates. However, even that didn't leave much of an impression.

As I was trying to cool off with a sip of iced water, the music abruptly changed to a Happy Birthday song so loud it almost felt like I was squeezed in between two speakers! A server came by with a small cake for a customer sitting at the next table over, and I was afraid with how loud the music was, everybody in the restaurant had their eyes towards me. I simply focused on trying to finish my plate. Queasiness level up.

With the meniscus of my iced water nearly reaching the bottom of my cup, I was hoping for a refill, but didn't see a single server offer any. When I got my last plate, consisting of fruit and jello, I walked by a server and asked for a refill, telling him I was sitting in the far corner. Instead of coming by with a pitcher of water, he simply came by with a new cup of water. Better than nothing, but unfortunately, too little too late as I was already starting to feel queasy.

The fruits didn't really taste fresh either. I was hoping they could salvage my appetite and give me the willpower to try at least a bowl of ice cream, but nope. I got way too hot, and I felt really stuffy. Even when I tried to pace myself, I just couldn't take it anymore and had to leave. Oddly enough, once I left, I felt a rush of fresh air from the vent directly above. Maybe if I sat closer to that vent, I would have felt better, but who knows?

The interior looked pretty nice and upkept. I also did see a server with a consistent smile on her face when clearing tables. The servers were very attentive at retrieving used plates, but I wish they paid more attention to when customers need a refill on water. I thought they would have at least offered, but didn't realize they don't until it was too late.

As with any AYCE buffet that offers a plethora of options, Pan Asia is no different at spreading themselves too thin. With a focus on quantity over quality, I don't foresee a return visit. Or if I do, I have to be more selective in the food I choose. I didn't even get to try the soups either. Maybe that would have been a better choice.

After coming here after all the lock downs and restrictions, I have to say that the service and the food got better.
There was not a wait to be seated, and the COVID protocols were still in place, which did not take away from the experience.
The only thing that was lacking was servers bringing or asking to get refills.
I recommend that if you miss buffets come to Pan Asia

This place is absolutely fantastic. The hibachi where you get to choose what you have in your noodle dish and then add some nice steamed rice is awesome. The sushi is delicious and so are the soups. And then the desserts, they have a fried donut with cinnamon and sugar that I dip into the banana pudding for the tapioca. Also fresh slices of pineapple.
I don't know why they have 2 1/2 stars. Is undeserved.

Pretty average Asian buffet. The sautéed mushrooms, grilled squid and baked mussels were decent, but everything else were not that interesting.

The service was good.

Would've given this place 4 stars, but had upset stomach after eating.

An Asian buffet, complete with a hibachi grill. Other favorites include the salad bar, sushi bar, assorted dishes like orange chicken, beef & broccoli, stuffed mushrooms, baked clams and fish.

For desert they have soft serve with assorted toppings, fresh fruit and a chocolate fountain.

It's self serve, aside from drinks. Out host had water out immediately and then asked for drink orders.

They're great for groups. We were here for a 14 yo birthday, there were about 20 people in our party.

Four stars for good food and good times.

Knocking a star for cleanliness. Overall the buffet was clean... it was all the little things like the cleanliness of the child seats, bathrooms, and floors.

As buffets go, this is the nicest in the area. The food is thought out and nicely prepared. They have a grill option where you pick the raw ingredients, but I have not tried that. The food is overall good with all dishes being the typical popular Chinese foods.

Service is friendly and quick. They seat you and bring your drinks out. The place is also reasonably quiet.

Been looking for a good Chinese buffet and of course standards aren't always high at these kind of places. I saw that some of the reviews said they were really rude here but honestly, as someone who has traveled all across Asia, it's pretty normal for restaurants not to be super nice or what not to you. It's not authentic and in Asia they don't work for tips because they don't accept free money like that. So when I face rudeness at an Asian restaurant is doesn't bother me as long as the food is good.

The spread at this place had so much! They had a hibachi grill, the sushi selection was so fresh! Actually all the seafood was fresh! The rolls too! The chicken wings were nice and crisp! Perfect! The meats were okay I thought the octopus was over cooked a bit but still good. And the desert was delicious! They all tasted super high quality. The marshmallow I dipped in the chocolate fountain was magical! So delicious and fun! Their ice cream was also really good with a great variety of topping!

10 out of 10 will be back!