University Buffet

Their price is not as bad as some other buffet. Their food tastes the same as every other buffet, however I do feel like their food taste a little bit better.

Ordered food for delivery. I was waiting for about an hour for the food to come and finally the driver called me to let me know he was close. I had prepaid with tip for my food and was very excited for good food on a cold night.
However, the driver refused to come up to my apartment to and asked me to come down to him because it was cold. (It was 1 outside). I told him I didn’t want to come down to him because that would have defeated the purpose of ordering delivery and I didn’t feel safe walking up to some guys car. I asked he deliver the food as requested but he would not. Seems a little odd a food delivery man refuses to actually deliver your order.
Didn’t try the food, but will never try it. Appalled by how I was treated!

Pretty dead inside
The selection is lacking
I was not impressed
Like 98 Pounds Buffet, noticed a couple of plates that had not been properly cleaned with scraps of food on them. Not a whole lot there there at the University Buffet as compared to 98 Pounds. Just one station of entrees. One station of fruit and salad and one half station with appetizers.
Maybe if there were more demand here, the product would be fresher. I found the pork dumplings cold and overly crispy. The sesame chicken was kind of rubbery. The coconut chicken, the General Tso’s chicken, and the chicken balls were alright. Nothing spicy that I could find and there was not much to look through.
They did have a small sushi station, but I did not partake. None of it caught my eye. My Diet Pepsi seemed kind of off (maybe I am just too accustomed to Diet Coke).
If you are looking for an Asian buffet nearby, I would head down to Robert Street in West Saint Paul. Much bigger selection and better food. Also, way more crowded. Crowds are usually a good sign.

I was here a few times for lunch a couple years ago with workmates and thought it would be a solid choice for Saturday night dinner with my GF. The thing I remember most was the fresh and delicious sushi rolls with a variety of tasty ingredients sided with potent wasabi and pickled ginger. Yum!
My how times change.
If we hadn’t paid for dinner before taking a look around we would have walked out. It was 6:45 on a Saturday night and only a couple tables were occupied which should have provided a clue.
Turning from the cash register and walking in, we’re greeted by a promiscuously piled pile of yellow food supplier invoices sharing table space with ice cream garnishes.
Most of the food bins are nearly empty and stuff looks like it’s been in there for hours. The green beans, for instance, are completely wrinkled up like well-​worn shoelaces. Giant boxes of breakfast cereal, with some of the contents spilled out on the counter and floor, are on top of the light bar and adorn the sushi bar work area along with dirty sushi making equipment.
The dining room tables and chairs are clean and the floor is remarkably tidy.
We’re strategic about our selections taking food only from the fullest bins thinking it’d be the freshest. I’m not a food safety inspector but what I do notice is that the hot stuff is luke-​warm at best. The sushi rolls are room temperature. The cold stuff is pretty much cold and the ice cream frozen solid!
I had a chicken wing, mussels and clams, a couple meatballs, several sushi rolls, a teriyaki chicken skewer, and walnut shrimp I think they called it. And I tried some green beans, just because I love green beans. I wish I had not. We didn’t see any crab legs or shrimp. I topped off with the best part of the meal — a bowl of green tea and mint chocolate chip ice cream.
The food tasted OK but nothing was memorable enough to overcome some substantial deficits and warrant a repeat visit. I’d need to sedate my GF to get her back into University Buffet and she’s way less discriminating than I am…

My coworker and I walked in and right away one fella came and barked out «one minute, one minute!» We were waiting to be seated but the lady at the cash register impatiently yelled at us to pay her for two buffets… I guess you pay first. We would have know but the sign is tiny at butt-​height with customers standing in front of it. That lady was intense! I understand people get in a groove and work fast, but geez. Bark bark, drink, bark, bark. She almost steam rolled right into me while running to the kitchen window and LOUDLY screaming what they were out of… I mean LOUD.
The food was bland and very greasy. I decided the little pepperoni pizza would be something just to fill me up, one bite and it tasted like fish. Weird.
The bus boy dude was very sweet with our refills however. Probably won’t go back.

WOW I will never come here again. The food was cold and the seasoning was bland. We went around dinner time and it wasn’t busy at all and now I see why but I have to say looking around at the other tables everyone seem to be enjoying their meal o_​o. The biggest disappointment was the crab legs they were cold and tastless, the butter for the crabs sat next to the hot plate in a plastic container therefor it was cold also and neither one had any seasoning, yuck plain butter with plain cold crab legs is disgusting ruined my appetite. I gave it 2 stars because the waitress was extremely nice so ok if I’m in the area I probably would go back just because of the customer service lol and only if I’m not really hungry because the food was wack lbvs.

When entering this restaraunt we’re always surprised by the kind of friendly service I honestly just don’t expect of a buffet anymore. We are constantly greeted enthusiastically and often by the owner, usually if it’s someone else the owner will still greet us at some point. The place doesn’t seem busy even when it is busy because of the huge seating area, and we have never waited too long for a beverage refill. The buffet food is vastly superior to the takeout or delivery, so I reccomend eating in or at the very least requesting food from the buffet when you call.
Flavors might be a bit toned down for the midwestern palate, but some of the staples are excellent, and if you’ve got a fussy eater or a dissenter in your group, the «American» food is consistently pretty quality– they’ve got pretty incredible french fries! We love the mongolian beef and the potatoes, and everything else is so consistently good it’s never hard to find an excuse to pile your plate high.
If you are there primarily for sushi, you might be happier somewhere else, but I mix in a peice or two every once in awhile and never have had any complaints about freshness or quality, but it’s not a sushi-​focused place.
Whenever we eat in, University Buffet can be counted on for a reliably delicious and friendly experience!

I ordered delivery via grub hub.
Food was good except they got my order wrong. I ordered the combination B which should have been sweet & sour chicken, egg roll, lo mein, and fried rice. I also ordered California rolls and wontons. What I got was general chicken, fried wontons, fried rice and California rolls. So I didn’t get the lo mein or the sweet & sour or the egg roll. I was a little disappointed. What I also hadn’t realized was that the wontons I ordered were beef and not cream cheese but that was a mistake on my part. The food I did get was good but it wasn’t what I had wanted so I couldn’t really eat any of it. Luckily for my boyfriend and his friends, they were starving and were more than happy to eat it.
Overall it was good but even though my delivery order was typed out and sent to them versus a phone call which has more margin for error, they couldn’t get it right. So I would recommend going to the buffet and not ordering.

We have a big family and we like to eat out a few times a month. When we want Chinese, we also want no MSG. University Buffet met that aim. It’s not super impressive as far as taste goes, but kids always like ice cream, right? It isn’t terrible food for a buffet. Everything has always been hot and tasty when we have been there.
We are big sushi buffs, so I wouldn’t recommend this place for that. The sushi bar is pretty lack lustre.
The staff is friendly and the place is clean despite the heavy construction going on outside on University Avenue.
Three stars because it’s just a buffet and nothing to write home about, though our experiences there are overall OK.

I’ll use any excuse to go to Little Mekong; I like all the restaurants I’ve been to on that stretch of Uni, and of course the Hmongtown Marketplace is close by too.
This buffet has above-​average Asian buffet offerings. My BF, who can’t tolerate much spice, was happy. They even had prime rib!
Everything we tried was fresh and hot. Even the sushi rolls were decent and I normally stay away from pan-​Asian buffet sushi, but these were just made and quite tasty.
I really like Hot and Sour soup and theirs is good. I mean really good. It actually has a kick to it and large chunks of tofu and lots of ‘shrooms, just the way I like it.
The baked flounder and salt and pepper shrimp were perfect. I could’ve eaten just the shrimp alone but they are messy little buggers when you have to peel them yourself. Who knew something so ugly could taste so good? It’s sad to look at their little eyes, so I avoid all eye contact.
The place was busy when we were there; there were a couple of large groups and yet the staff was on top of their game service-​wise. The wait staff were very friendly, filled our drinks and cleared our used plates promptly.
Really, this is one of the better Asian buffets I’ve been to, especially for the money. Super Moon in St. Louis Park has more items but they cost more too.
I don’t live that far from here, so I grabbed a take-​out menu, fully intending to pick up something to go one of these nights.
Two thumbs up. Little Mekong is where you need to go for Asian food in St. Paul.

I went to this buffet for lunch today. I rated it a 4 star because it would not be fair to the location if i gave it a bad revew because i did not get to try much of the food. I was still feeling sick from last night when i went and it seem the be the only place that picked up the phone right away when i called to see if they were open. I was so sick i could not get my money worth. I was only able to eat half a plate. I will return to this location to re rate the food.
The service was amazing. As i walked in i was seated right away by the host. I had sweat and sour chicken. The sauce was a bit runny but it tasted fine. I also tried the sushi but i was not able to taste it because everything i eat seems to taste like pizza and whisky. I hope to return to this location soon to give a accurate rating. But as i said the staff was nice and fast.

Here you will find a better than average all you can eat Asian buffet. There’s a decent selection of The Usual Suspects, along with some things not often found in the typical buffet (e.g. salt and pepper shrimp with heads on). A number of sushi selections (grocery store quality) and salad bar round out the offerings. I like that the servers are good about offering drink refills, and the space is clean and attractive.
If you want the real deal, head on up University to any number of other places. If you want a decent buffet, here’s your spot.

A year ago I gave this place 5 stars (heh… they STILL have the «Grand Opening» banner on the building.). I’m bringing it down to 1 for a couple of reasons, the main one is for serving tilapia sushi that I wouldn’t serve to a cat. Off taste, bad smell. That, though, wasn’t as bad as my interaction with the manager. When I pointed out to him the poor quality of the fish he said it was «sushi grade». I eat a LOT of sushi (see my other reviews). This was NOT sushi grade. Then he said he’d take it off the line. When I left there a ½ hour later, this miserable fish was still there. I sure hope I don’t end up with food poisoning from it.
The seasoning of the rest of the food seems to have been dumbed-​down for the Midwestern palate. Things that had been spicy before weren’t. They even had bland kimchi. Bland? You have to be kidding.
The only bright spot was the hot and sour soup. That was excellent. However, one good soup does not a restaurant make.
Avoid this place and head on down to Hibachi grill in West Saint Paul. If you’re going to go to a sushi-​roll and other place, that’s the one to head for.
Then again… if you crave spicy, forget about this stuff and just go to D-​Spot. You’re tongue will thank you!

This has to got be one of the healthiest buffets I’ve been to. There’s a load of fresh fruit including strawberries. I’ve never seen strawberries at a buffet before. You have items like flounder, salt and pepper shrimp and stir fried garlic mushrooms which means you can come here without getting bloated.
There are the usual fried items like sweet and sour chicken, chicken wings and General Tso’s. I must admit I had most of these on my first plate so I wasn’t being that healthy.
Parking is not a problem here since they have their own lot.
For $ 10 it was well worth the money, don’t expect the greatest tasting Chinese food it’s a buffet after all. It is however one of the best I’ve been to in the Twin Cities.

We have been trying to avoid the buffett style options lately, but when you are hungry and ready to bite someone’s hand off this will do.
Stopped in yesterday after missing lunch due to a bunch of excrucitiang meetings at work. I picked this place because of their grand opening sign even though it’s been open awhile, I knew the food was immediate and was in the mood for Chinese.
Very decent selection and a lot of food diversity. They have the run of the mill staples like every buffett, but also a lot of other options.
Garlic mushrooms were great as were their chicken wings which were pretty big and meaty. Egg rolls were kind of a snoozer, but their fried rice was good and so was the won ton soup.
Liked that they had the scoop yourself ice cream and it was pretty good ice cream. Cookies and Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Strawberry, Green Tea and some other. None of the typical soft serve stuff.
Not bad. Has parking and the staff is very attentive.
Will probably venture back the next time I’m ready to bite someone’s hand off.

Okay. So the food tasted like any other buffet. Nothing too fancy. Yes, they have crab legs, sushi and other sea food items but the price is a little steep.
Here’s my thing. There should be two prices. One for those who eat sea food and those who don’t. I am not a fan of sea food and basically go to the buffets to eat two plates of fried rice, some chicken and broccoli and an egg roll or two. The only reason that I go is because many of my family members like buffets. This place is not the only place that raises it prices when there is a sea food option, but it just bugs me. Plus when we were there they had run out of crab legs for a long period of time. Only to bring out a small pan for the waiting customers.
The ambiance is absolutely beautiful. It is extremely clean and the young lady clearing our table did an excellent job. One nice thing is that a drink is included in the cost.
I probably wouldn’t go again, but it wasn’t a horrible experience. If you like paying high prices for sea food, that you don’t eat and may have to wait for then this is the place for you.

I’m giving out 4 stars instead of 3 because this is a buffet. As is always true, it is better to spend $ 10 on one dish, than $ 10 on the buffet. But as buffets go, this one is better than an average Chinese buffet, so I would feel bad giving it only 3 stars.
First off, there is a sushi bar. It is not great sushi, but it is ok. Mostly rolls. They had some shrimp and salmon nigiri, but only 2 – 3 pieces at a time to encourage other selections. The wasabi was heavily diluted. Normally a lint-​sized piece of wasabi will get my eyes to water and maybe a cough or two. I was able to spread it on my rolls like peanut butter and had no reaction.
The benchmark of a Chinese buffet to me is always the General Tso’s chicken. The most Americanized of all chinese food, but a tasty staple of all buffets. They make a good GT chicken.
The rice pudding was excellent and they had real ice cream. Most of the flavors were gross kid’s flavors, like cotton candy and other bright blue, neon green and hot pink colors, but they did have a good cookie’s and cream flavor for the adults.
Another highlight was the octopus and calamari cooked in ink, which is a nice deviation from the deep fried foods on most buffets.
All in all, this buffet is better than the average buffet, but still buffet quality. So the benefit of coming here is if you are in a rush or want to completely stuff yourself silly. It was a very quick process. We were greeted, paid the bill, seated, had our drink orders taken, and were walking through the buffet within 1 minute of entering the restaurant.
Our plates were cleared immediately and our drinks were promptly refilled. The cost of your drink is billed into total. During lunch it is about 10 buck and 12 bucks at dinner or on weekends.
There is free parking in the attached parking lot.
Buffets are great for people watching. I love sitting in awe watching people eat their weight in coconut fried shrimp. When it is busy, it is fun watching people instinctively turn to the animals that we all are and cut in front of people to get the last scoop of Mongolian beef or the coveted 2 pieces of nigiri on the buffet.
As a person, one of my guiltiest pleasures is watching others have a freak out moment. On my visit to the University Buffet this weekend, I received a healthy dose of schadenfreude when what appeared to be a college-​educated lesbian went totally ape shit because there were no crab legs on the buffet.
She kept pacing around the restaurant talking to herself very loudly. She kept saying, «Where are crab legs? I came here for crab legs. We have been here for a half an hour and not once has there been a single crab leg on this buffet. I really wanted crab legs for lunch, but now I am nearly full and have not had any crab legs. Is this their scam? Do they lure people to this buffet with promises of crab legs, only to feed them chicken lo-​mein and sweat and sour pork. I’m really going to freak out if I don’t get some crab legs soon. Is someone in back cooking crab legs right now?»
She went on for several minutes talking loudly enough for everyone within 20 feet to hear her, but not addressing her concern to anyone affiliated with the restaurant. I stopped filling my plate and stared at her from a distance, with a smile as this women had a melt down. Even a day later, I sit here with a shit-​eating grin on my face, enjoying the misfortunes of others.
Am I a bad person?

OMG, a buffet where I don’t even have to leave the city. It’s on the same level as Great Moon is SSP. Everything is so fresh. I was eating the fish, and I never get that at a buffet. Potatoes that usually are swimming in grease, were as light and golden as it gets. Macaroni salad and crab salad both mayo based were just right. Melted cheese on mussels, were delicious, and I hate mussels. Can’t even remember what else I had, there’s such a variety. Every review being a 5 star under any other conditions would be a plant. Not in this case, this place sparkles. A very convenient location, kind of away from everything. Across from the McDonalds on Marion and University. Do I hear regular.

My husband and I went here today for a late lunch after work. I was quite impressed with the buffet selection. There was a wide variety of sea food, including clams, prawns, squid, and crab legs. Everything I tried was quite tasty! The sushi was delicious, and the kimchi was spicy and crisp.
We will be making this a frequent stop for dinner after work. The price for two people was a little over $ 25 and was well worth it!
I will highly recommend this restaurant to everyone I know.

University Buffet is the best Asian buffet you will find in St. Paul, MN. They also have a Sushi bar. I am not a fan of Sushi, so I cannot comment on it. I visited them for dinner (cost a little over $ 12 with tax, including drink) and thought it was great. The place is brand new and very clean. I will be adding pictures. But, I was so excited to eat the food that I forgot to take pictures of it. However, I did get a picture of the Hot and Sour soup. The fried rice was good. I believe it was either egg fried rice or veggie fried rice. They also had Lo Mein and rice noodles. The General Tso’s Chicken was good. The Mongolian Beef was the best I have ever had with a great flavor. They also had chicken and broccoli as well as jalapeño chicken (non-​breaded chicken). The egg and Shanghai (spring?) rolls were good. The cream cheese won tons were not the best I have ever had, but they were above average. There was also a good selection of fruit and salad as well as other options like prime rib, buffalo chicken wings, teriyaki chicken, tons of shrimp (cooked and chilled), fish (forgot what kind) that looked good and much more. I liked it so much that I am going there today for lunch with a group from work. Lunch buffet is a little over $ 9 with tax, including drink. Desert includes bar and cookie type treats as well as ice cream (self serve, scoop it yourself) with toppings. This is **real** ice cream.
In short, this place is well worth the visit and price.
I am putting one dollar sign for this resturant because lunch is under $ 10. But, dinner is a little more than $ 10.
University Buffet is located at University Ave and Marion in St. Paul, near the capital, in the Hmong Professionals Building.
UPDATE (1÷6÷2011): Just went to University Buffet with a group from work (~12 people). Everyone liked the food. Several people loved the sushi. One said about the sushi that the tuna was outstanding!