Lin’s Grand Buffet
, Phoenix, AZ, 85035
Lin’s Grand Buffet Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Phoenix for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Phoenix for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Phoenix for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
Phoenix, AZ, 85035 - Phone (623) 846-2631
- Website https://www.linsrestaurant.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 9:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Private Lot
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Loud
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : No
Categories
Chinese Cuisine
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
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Angel E.
I was in the mood for sushi and this place was on Yelp under "cheap sushi" and had good reviews, so I tried it. I was not impressed. For being more than $10 a person I expected better food and better environment. There were many empty tables but they still made us wait in the lobby to be seated for several minutes along with others who'd already been waiting a while. Not sure what the delay was about. For the record, even when we were walking out there were still people having to wait despite even more empty tables. I was excited to be seated by the sushi window, thinking this will be great! But when I got my plate most of the sushi was gone. There were only 2 kinds available and the lady making it kind of scowled at me like I was the devil himself. I took a few pieces and decided to eat off the rest of the buffet while I waited for her to make some other type of sushi. There were a lot of people there with children, it was louder than I'd expected and had lots of food on the floor in the seating area because of all the children. Our waitress was doing her best to keep up with the messes and clearing the tables, but she had a tough time. She did take good care of our table though. She brought refills on our drinks before we needed them and cleared the extra plates. She was working hard. I've been to places like this and loved the sushi, so I was optimistic about finding great food. Tasted everthing that looked appealing from the buffet and the sushi and bakery windows as well as the dessert bar. I did not try the mongolian BBQ window. Of what I did taste, the food wasn't that great. I will not be going back. There has to be better Chinese buffets. Will post when I find them.
(2)Adrienne D.
If you enjoy a place where you dont know what you're eating and eating nothing but grease. This is the place for you. The food, or shoud i say foods were drenched in gease. It was very disgusting, my family and i are always sketchy about eating at chinese buffet's and this place reminded us why we never go to chinese buffet's. Sincerely, Disgusted with Lin's Buffet
(1)Nicholas M.
Worst place here. I wanted to go to a buffet and food was cold. The entire floor is trashed food everywhere. Restrooms are filthy toilet paper and paper towels trailed to the sitting area. I will not be returning here.
(1)Yaya H.
Didn't make it past the cashier. She was talking to her boyfriend on the phone and acted like we were bothering her so i complained about the poor service and left.
(1)Dave B.
I really hate cold buffet food. Nd today all items were cold. Maybe we arrived too soon after opening but we had to leave and I asked for a refund. I was given a gift card for a return visit which was nice.
(2)Ken T.
Christmas dinner here this year. Food was about what you would expect from a buffet. Huge selection and all pretty tasty. Very reasonably priced.
(3)Randy R.
This place is decent, considering the fact that it is a Chinese buffet. I like to come here on Sundays after church with the family. Some will like it, and some won't. Come down and give it a try.
(3)Kimberly L.
Lins is ok. They have a wide variety but they definitely need to work on their sushi. I appreciated the Mongolian grill but they put way too much sauce and I couldn't eat it. Next time I'll just omit the sauce. The service was excellent, very friendly and hard working. Overall it was a good experience. Ok to go once in a while.
(3)Ebony M.
Went to this buffet to see if it taste different from the one on Baseline and it does. The other one on Baseline is way better,more clean, and better customer service.
(2)Rand H.
It's sad to see this place following the trend we've seen with so many Buffets, especially Oriental Buffets, that have had great beginnings here in the Valley, only to slip down, down, down, & then finally close. :-O Lin's here hasn't closed yet, but it has now reached its third "down." Bummer! Here's the history: It's June 9, 2009 & Lin's here is finally open after a long construction period. I charge in through the front door to find a big, beautiful 3-section dining room & 112 food items out, plus sauces & dressings. They have hit the ground with everything right here... good service, all the food is out on time, the right temperature, delicious & kept stocked. They have seating for over 300, yet the place is FULL of cheery diners less than half an hour after opening time. 5 Stars! :-)) It's a year and a half later, Dec. 20, 2010. I have been here several times, but it's time for an Update. Being in a bad neighborhood (Maryvale) has already allowed for a run up of a lot of miles up on the building itself and the furnishings, but the service & food are still excellent. 4 Stars! :-) It's June 27, 2011. It's still ok, but the bathroom isn't right and a lot of the "hot" food is being served at or near room temperature, in violation of law & also making it not taste as good as it should! 3 Stars. :-| Now it's today, August 3, 2013. They've had over two years to restore this place to its original glory, but instead today I again find the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom hanging there empty. There's an air blower, but no way to get out the door without touching the dirty handle. There aren't any ass gaskets. The toilet paper isn't installed properly in the first stall I try. There is a waste basket sitting in both toilet bowls. (Forgotten there? Toilets out of order? Who knows.) Out in the dining room there is still SOME good to the place: * Table service from lovely miss with a retainer (sorry, I didn't get her name) is friendly and just right throughout my visit. :-) * Selection is still the same (good) at 112 items, plus sauces & dressings. * Some of the food is good, including the Shrimp Salad, the Mongolian BBQ & the fried Zucchini. = = = = = = UH OH! There were also more generous servings of "NOT OK!" :-O * A LOT of the "hot" food was either barely warm or absolutely room temperature, including the Won Ton Soup, ribs, french fries (yuk!) & much more. WHERE IS THE HEALTH INSPECTOR?? * I have been charged dinner price here at 11 AM on this Saturday, so I go to ask for a steak, which they feature today. The grill is already roaring hot but I am told I have to wait until TWELVE to get a steak put on it! :-O * I ask to see the Manager, to get myself a steak cooked. "He doesn't come in until 1 PM." WHAT??? NO WONDER THIS PLACE IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET! * A fly at my booth torments me throughout my visit. There was also at least one buzzing around the meat at the Mongolian BBQ! :-O * Many of the food items were not labeled. * The Mei Fun (rice noodles) were greasy, on top of being cold! :-O Hibachi up the street at Thomas has been slipping lately too, but China City at 53rd Ave. & Indian School would have been a much better Buffet choice in this area today! CORPORATE HAD BETTER GET NEW MANAGEMENT IN HERE & TIGHTEN THINGS UP SOON or next comes 1 Star & then this Lin's closes. We've seen this happen to so many Oriental Buffets here in the Valley. So sad; so sad! :-O Meanwhile, things are going much better at Lin's over on Baseline (so far), so I'll be going only there for my "Lin's fix" from now on until (hopefully) things get straightened out over here. (Folks, it's not promising.) ;-( Weekday Lunch Buffet: $8.59/$7.73 Sr. Saturday & Sunday: $10.89/$9.80 Sr.
(2)Amber G.
Everything was a mess. The plates the salt and pepper shakers were all gross. The baked potato was covered in dirt then cooked. Great almost 30$ (for two) for nothing. I had to ask for a fork because there was none in there place. The inside is a huge mess. Ugh what a waste.
(1)Lora R.
Hubby, son (11 yrs old), and I went here today. We have been to a similar establishment about a mile from it a few times, but wanted to give Lin's a try. So very sorry we did. These were our issues, not neccesarily in order: The sushi looked as though it was leftover from previous days, rice hard, vegetable pieces inside were brown. Service workers had dirty hands/fingernails. When hubby was at the grill where you get together what you would like them to grill up for you, the worker drenched the utensil (that patrons are to use to pick up raw fish) with raw fish and its water. Food was not great, not even good. We managed to find a few items that tasted ok, but it was definitely not worth the $43 we paid. And my stomach is upset as I write this, I feel nauseated.
(1)Roy L.
This place scores well on the standards for inexpensive buffets. The trick for all such places is to find which dishes you like and just eat those. My favorite dish here is the non-sauced salt-and-pepper pork ribs, always full-flavored, juicy, and tender.. Also good are the crawdads, cob corn, baked yam, fried zucchini, the Mongolian BBQ, the peel-and-eat shrimp, and the cold seafood salad. The sushi is fresh and good, but there is nothing beyond the standard rolls, at least not at lunch. Avoid the hot and sour soup, which is missing the prok flavor and wood-ear crunch. Most of the steam table stir fry dishes are unremarkable; they tend to be bland. The decor is attractive and we've never had a problem with service. There are huge crowds on the weekends, so if you're just trying the place out a weekday is better.
(4)Nick N.
My husband and I went to lunch here on his day off, arriving just as they opened at 11am. I first went to use the men's bathroom, which looked and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in days, though an attendant walked in with a broom, cleaning sprays and fresh rolls of paper towels just as I was exiting. On my way back to our table I noticed all of the dining room carpeting was stained gray-black and replete with small food particles/debris, as if it had been vacuumed with a vacuum cleaner with a broken belt. The buffet food on the steam tables was so-so at best, with many of the breaded chicken dishes so overcooked you could chip a tooth on your stir fry. The sushi was almost inedible, despite being freshly prepared, tasting like it was made from thawed frozen fish just about to turn. Neither of us tried the Mongolian bbq. Given the price of $12 per person for lunch with drink and tax, I have to declare that there are numerous other Chinese buffets around the metro area offering better food in a much cleaner setting. Thus, I can't imagine ever returning to Lin's.
(2)ERICH C.
Decent food, price a little high. Entire experience dulled a little by no military discount. Once seated and dining, nobody came by to refresh drinks, even after requesting refills; waiter/manager was just plain dismissive and rude. None of the buffet items were labeled. On top of all this, the no firearms allowed sign left this 21 year military veteran, concealed carry permit holder tuned off, vulnerable, and alienated in a state with constitutional concealed carry. That, and the gang graffiti carved into the front door told me that "we cater to dirt-bags." .....I won't go back....so sad.
(3)John W.
Well, the all you can eat dinner special is excellent in taste. But,, after eating the filet steaks off the grill, and 1 plate of enchiladas, I became really ill with food poisoning. So, about 6 hours later, I kneeled down before the porcelain goddess and gave her all that I had 8 times in a 36 hour period of time. Bad fever and stomach pains. My other issue is that Lin's is anti-gun and is right in the middle of the ghetto at 75th and McDowell. They have signage posted basically advertising that it's a great spot for those that have criminal intent. First time and last in there. I will not be supporting a restaurant that wants to infringe on my rights to be able to adequately defend myself from violent criminals. Like I said, it's in da' hood and not good.
(1)Fernanda R.
My kids and went there and the waiter brings us our drinks and asks if I need something else and I said we are okay thank you very much , and his response is you thank with your tip, he was very rude and had an attitude . And as we were there he didn't even bother to pickup our plates or give a refill on our drinks .
(2)Michael S.
Never are stocked with plates. The place is messy and the food is really bland. For a place that claims to have such a variety of food you would think there would be some choices. I can go elsewhere and spend at least $10 less and have a much better variety and overall dinning experience. Our waitress was pleasant though both in service and in looks.
(1)Erika Q.
It's disgusting to know I've been to this place a hand full of times but today was the last. Roaches walking on the food and throught the pans. I told one of the workers but all he did was smile at me. I'm reporting them to health inspectors.
(1)Katherine C.
I live less than a mile away from here and can see the red neon lights at night from my house. This restaurant is generally packed around dinner, so if you go there in the evening expect a wait. The price I guess is okay. The food could be better. It's basic Americanized Chinese in the buffet tables. They also have Mongolian barbecue set up in the back but I haven't tried it. I usually get some sushi which is located next to the barbecue. Generally I prefer a non buffet Chinese place because the food is usually better, but we do go there sometimes for convenience.
(2)Mayra M.
Overpriced, disgusting, and bad customer service are the three best words that I can use to describe this place. Visited it about a week or so with my son and it literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to bring us drinks. She practically acted like we were invisible. The plates, silverware, and cups were foggy and dirty. The food did not taste fresh at all. Do not recommend this place to anyone!
(1)Venita B.
I only do take out here because it is usually very crowded, and I'm not used to sitting in a Chinese food restaurant. The food is higher quality than most buffets. It's still salty sweet meat spice explosion, which American style Chinese food is supposed to be. The veggies are usually crunchy and there is a nice variety of options when you want something quick and not a burger.
(4)Amber B.
Usually I'm not a fan of Chinese buffets but after a disappointing buffet acurance else where decided to give this place a try and I enjoyed it. Lots of food and atmosphere wasn't bad either. I would most likely go here again if I got the chance.
(4)Tonya M.
This is probably one of the best chinese buffets I've been to. They have a lot of options, the food is always hot and tastes good, plus it's not too expensive. The only issues I have are the floors are always messy and it disgusts me when the servers sweep the floors, please start using a cordless vacuum! The deserts are out of a box and aren't very impressive. Also, It would be nice to see more non-meat entrees on the buffet.
(4)Julia L.
We've come here a few times and it's pretty consistent. If there's a lot of people, the wait is really never too long. The interior is really gorgeous with appropriate decor. There is a TON of food, and everything's good. There is authentic Chinese food, American-Chinese food, sushi, American, and Mexican food. I was actually surprised at how good the American food was. Seriously amazing buffalo wings!! The steak was good, but the sushi sucks. Another reason for the 4 stars is that although I was expecting to see a ton of running kids, but for some reason, this place has SO many kids. I almost tripped and dropped my food 3x in one day from little kids running around. Seriously though, CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN
(4)Gabriela R.
lins is honestly the most amazing buffet ever !! maybe if you guys stop being disgusting and making a mess it wouldnt be so dirty ! the food is great and for a very reasonable price ! :)
(5)Sherin C.
This place is disgusting. I dont think they even speak English there, I asked for a Coke and got a Dr Pepper. And asked if it was Coke and he just smiled at me...? Poor selection.
(1)Taric W.
There's an old idiom that reads "One's eyes are bigger than one's stomach". Whoever said that obviously ate at Lin's. I find the decoration to be tacky, but I must admit this is the largest buffet I've seen in years. Three rows of hot food...a row of desserts, fruit, and salad. But there's more. A sushi counter and a Mongolian grill! I'm going to be honest and say I haven't tried everything here. That would take at least 3 more trips. But I take note of the selection. It has every dish you'd expect at a place like this and more. Enchiladas, crawfish (seriously, WTF? And I mean that in a good way), or a pile of cooked mushrooms I wish I had room for. I wanted to devour everything here. Also, there's a full bottle of Sriacha at every table. What more could you ask for? Quite frankly, I can't readily name a Chinese buffet that's better than Lin's. It was so close to getting five stars, but it activated a couple of my pet peeves. I don't like condescending signs that read something along the lines of "Rules: Finish your food!" When my kung pao chicken was half peanuts, you're damn skippy I didn't clean my plate. Also, I hate not being able to get my own drink. It was 90 degrees out and of course I was going to be plenty thirsty. To be fair, service was fast, asking me if I needed anything every 5 minutes. All of that said, I don't think this place is worth that fifth star. I just have a hunch there's a better buffet in the valley. Fellow Yelpers--help me find it!
(4)Amoreena P.
when you go there ...watch out for the lady changing the fruit and salad station. They wear gloves, BUT, handles cleaning rag, then puts her same hands back in the food. NASTY and contaminating.
(1)Kim T.
You couldn't pay me to go back to this place. I've eaten at another Lin's location, and it was pretty good. This one, however, was DISGUSTING! The food was terrible...literally nothing the four of us ate was even passable as food, with the exception of the pizza, which my 15 year old said was "ok". My kids used the men's bathroom, and they were horrified by the kitchen smoke in there, which was so thick they could barely see...what they could see, however, was gang graffiti all over the walls and foul language on the bathroom stall doors. The tables were dirty, the servers were useless (we ended up just filling our own water glasses repeatedly and removing our own plates from the table). I've been to plenty of buffets around the country, and this was by far the most awful experience my family has had, from the food to the lack of cleanliness to the nonexistent service.
(1)Josh Y.
This place sucks. Period. I'm a big fan of buffet, and frankly this place is what makes people hate buffets. Never again.
(1)Nitti L.
Went there tonight, the food was OK, service was great, table was clean. They had pretty good business on a Friday night. Plenty of seatings, don't need to wait. Lots of dishes for you to choose plus Sushi bar and Grill. My only complaint is they don't have bean sprouts, stir-fried crabs, clams, and not enough vegetables, but they do have crawfish that I like. A little far away from me, but I will go back.
(4)Christine B.
Just tried this place out yesterday as I've been looking for a good Chinese buffet in the area. I just moved here a few months ago and wanted to compare it to places back home. I'm giving a solid 3 stars. This is probably the largest Chinese buffet I've been to. You pay upfront, so our lunch for 2 cost just over $22 with drinks, not including tip. Did not have to wait to be seated since they were on the ball about that. We were served our drinks right away and headed to the food. Our waitress was friendly. She came to our table about 3 times during our meal (for each refill we had on our drinks). My favorite selection was definitely the jalapeno chicken. It was way spicier than I had assumed it would be, so it was a pleasant surprise. I loved it. It definitely blew the other chicken out of the water. Most of the others I tried were somewhat bland. Not much flavor at all really. I've had better general tso's at most other places. The sesame chicken tasted just like the general tso's. Not much flavor. The kung pao chicken probably had even less flavor than the general tso's chicken. I'm not a fan of sushi so I can't comment on Lin's sushi without saying I didn't like it. I don't like seafood in general. Though, the salmon they served was actually something I enjoyed. The beef from beef and broccoli was okay. It was a little TOO tender, but some may enjoy it falling apart right away. I just like chewing my food instead of being able to just mush it down and swallow it. But not many complaints there.. The only other complaint I really have about the food was some of it was room temperature or cooler. But some was also very warm as they had just brought some out right before I grabbed it. They have various fruits set out in the dessert section, but the melon wasn't completely ripe so it was a little hard still. Also, it wasn't very cold. I like cold watermelon, and it was warmer than room temperature so I was a little disappointed. The pudding was cold and the ice cream was fine. I rate it 3 stars simply for the jalapeno chicken and friendly wait staff. Being seated quickly and the waitress keeping up on our refills. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre. I've been to way better Chinese buffets back home in Illinois, so it's nothing too special for my taste buds.
(3)Cherisse L.
I visited this place hesitantly, 11/2013, due to the reviews stating it had gone downhill and was pretty dirty. after scoping out the restrooms (washed hands), it didn't seem as bad, seeing that I have been to restaurants in 3rd world countries as well as hole in the walls in the USA. BUT BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! I and my friend got SEVERE food poisoning (and I am sure many others that day). Nausea, muscle weakness, the inability to focus and thus work and diarreahh and the whole 9 yards For your own health's sake, do not come here!!!! It is not worth it!!! I am vegetarian so I didn't even eat any meat and still got food poisoning. this is how unsanitary this place is! I will be reporting them to the AZ health board. I am from CA and am not sure how this place is still running as I read someone else had gotten food poisoning as well... maybe the health standards in as are just not as strict in AZ. this place needs to be shut down!!! I have never had food poisoning from eating out! as a side note, the plates were dirty. also, despite the food tasting decent and the building construction being neat, don't let that fool you as it did to me!!
(1)Missy M.
Absolutely Horrible Experience!!! On July 10 my family dined here, I regret it and won't return. Their exhaust system in the kitchen broke and the entire dining room was full of exhaust smoke. It is a health hazard to breath that and it is a fire hazard also. Their women's restroom was disgusting. Garbage overflowing, no toilet paper or paper towels. I have ate here several times but won't return after this visit. I wasted $35 on a un-enjoyable experience. The owner was present that night, He should have had the integrity of a business owner to close for the night.
(1)Laura F.
For a Chinese buffet....this is as good as it gets. The place is huge and is always packed. If you don't want to wait in line then go on an off hour or day. People have mentioned that the floor is dirty...but that's because there are so many people here at any given time (families with kids that drop food, etc) that its hard to keep up. I was never skeeved by the lack of cleanliness. Yes they do have a pan of hundreds of baby octopus which is kind of repulsive to me, but coincidentally they are my boyfriend's favorite. I just try not to look at his plate. And yes, the egg rolls are horrible, but luckily you have about a gazillion other things to choose from. Chinese spareribs, chicken on a skewer, sweet and sour chicken, soups...I have these as appetizers and by the time I'm done I'm too full to eat much of anything else. But I have sampled the main course dishes and they were all very good. They also have a Mongolian grill so you can choose your ingredients and have them cook it up for you. There are also steaks and a sushi bar too...all included. I would be surprised if you can't find something you love here.
(5)Daniel M.
the regular chinese food is the same as anyother place.the mongolian grill is what sets it apart from all the other places.
(4)Amanda S.
This would be that "worst dining out experience of all time" I mentioned in my last review. When you first walk in there is hope for the place. As you cross the threshold, however, you realize you were wrong. Very, very wrong. It was, again, $30 for us to eat and drink. Fine. Common for Chinese buffet. IF ANYTHING WAS EDIBLE!!!! The floor was filthy. The table was dirty where we were seated. We were told to go get our food first and when we came back it would be clean. How appetizing. Not only were all the selections WELL picked over, they were also cold, and tasteless. I was afraid to select anything, let alone eat it. All the silverware I pulled out of the cups was dirty. Not water-stained - but had FOOD still stuck to it. *shiver* As I walked around choosing my food (carefully) I stumbled upon the section of BABY OCTOPUS. Now, folks, I don't care what you eat... But I do not need to see 50 WHOLE DEAD BABY CREATURES. That was what pushed me over the edge. You can't have dirty floors, dirty tables, a dirty Mongolian bar area, serve CRAP CRAP CRAP skirt steak to my husband, have 100% cold picked-over food, and then have a TRAY full of dead baby grossness. Can't deal. Won't deal. I ate one sweet-roll thing, hubby picked his food over... and that was the end. I would not recommend this place to ANYONE.
(1)Mike C.
Lins is a one of my favorite Chinese buffets, there is lots of good food plus sushi,mongolian and bakery counter,When ever i have been there I always leave stuffed and happy with the food I stuffed myself with.They have a large selection of trays and they are not all 5 star but a lot of them are very good,so I just fill up on the ones i really like. So if you are looking for a good Chinese buffet Lins is worth checking out. s
(5)Julian G.
Had lunch with 35 of my closest friends today. The restaurant was very packed but we were still seated very quickly. There was a large selection of food. It all seemed very fresh. There was a continuous stream of employees replacing food or replenishing food at the buffet. I had no problem getting a new drink (I had 4 iced teas...). Employees were constantly clearing the table and making sure all was well. I only had one complaint.... lets just say the men's room was dirrrrty. Other than that good food, fair price.
(4)Jeromy H.
Mike C, Rand H. and myself were amongst the hungry folks waiting in line at opening time. We were quickly greeted and seated by one of their friendly hostesses. I had hot and sour soup, wanton soup and a side of the crispy crunchy accoutrements for starters. I had a sampler plate of the various Chinese buffet staples all of which were fresh and tasty. Then I put together my own Mongolian BBQ conundrum and watched as the chef cooked it to perfection. The desserts were standard Chinese buffet fare. As Mike C. said, " If you're looking for good Chinese buffet Lin's is worth checking out.
(4)Valeria S.
****ROACHES***** is all I am saying. I have eaten at Lins in the past and really enjoyed the food. I went today for the first time in about 6 months and it was the worst experience I have ever had at a resturant. It was dirty (not being judgemental-because only God can judge us) but the people look like they just climbed from under a bridge and didn't shower or comb there hair but just showed up to eat, the bathroom was filthy the toilet paper dispenser was broken, the sink was broken, a lady was walking around wiping her nose and grabbing plates.....I could go on an on about this place, but to top it off there was a ROACH crawling on the wall above us....Now that is just GROSS!!!! My suggestion for the owner is to shut the place down for a month fumigate the place, clean it up and raise the prices so that they can weed out the people that are collecting money on the side of the freeway. All money is not good money - I'm just saying!!!
(1)Lizzie F.
WORST BUFFET EVER! The place was disgusting and dirty, I had a feeling we would regret this after we got seated to our filthy booth. The food was terrible, my boyfriend and I ended up getting food poisoning from eating at this "restaurant". We will never be going back there again.
(1)Gina W.
This place was the definition of sub-par. Boring food, generic selection, packed and noisy, with pop music(American) playing over the speakers. First of all, the omissions: no dumplings, no dumpling sauce, no gyoza sauce, no sweet-and-sour sauce/sweet-and-sour chicken, no sesame balls filled with red bean paste, etc As for what they *did* have? The sesame chicken was tough and overcooked, the egg rolls were disgusting and inedible, and the Kung pao chicken was no where near spicy. The best that can be said of them was that their cream cheese wontons were good and the service was wonderfully attentive. Definitely never returning.
(2)Jacob A.
I hate chinese buffets. With that said, Lins is one step above the typical crappy chinese buffet, but only by one step. They have the Mongolian grill and steaks on order, and that's their saving grace. Oh, and the fried fish and shrimp is good too. Now for the bad. Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, go on a Sunday. And don't expect the Sunday crowd to speak English. And don't expect that same crowd to have any manners or etiquette. I stood in line for nearly an hour and four people just cut in front of me and when I confronted them they stared and said "no hablo". So then my buddy told them in Spanish, and they just stared longer. I ended up pushing them out of my way. The guy working the steak counter will refuse to get your steak cooked to your order if you don't ask in spanish, so learn how to say medium rare in spanish now. At this chinese buffet there are enchiladas on the buffet line. I tried them. Not a good idea.
(3)jon b.
So I went today, Wednesday at 1:30 or so. I was expecting a small run down place with like 6 people in it. The sign for Lin's is large, and the building is as well. It's not your average ghetto Chinese buffett. It's big. There were about 100 people there. (I didn't look at the pictures before I went.) I was very curious... So.. Three long buffet counters that have hot food, one that has cold, a sushi bar, and a mongolian barbeque. Impressive... So why one star? The food was barely edible. This is definately an example of America's love affair with quantity over quality. The good- Large Selection Egg Roll- edible- barely Bread roll- normal american- good Chinese Spare Ribs- decent Cool entry way and building Service was attentive The Bad: Sweet and Sour Chicken Seasame Chicken Spring Rolls (how can they mess this up??? - I couldn't eat them! I've had frozen ones that were bettter.) Shrimp and Chicken dish Rice Noodles Fish Lo Mein I don't trust sushi at $8 buffets, and I don't like Mongolian, so these may be the two items everyone raves about, but what I had was flat out gross. So I'm pretty hungry.. and I start trying a little of eveything. All of it was gross. But I'm like- this got a lot of 5 star ratings on Yelp, maybe the next thing will be good. No, that was nasty too, maybe the next? So I way over ate trying to find the food y'all were saying is worth 4 or 5 stars. If I was six years old, I would be so happy that I could get chicken nuggets, and pizza, and onion rings, and french fries, and egg rolls, and pudding, and ice cream. But I'm not 6- and this food was gross. For buffet I'd much rather go to China Garden on 19th and Bell. That has 1 row of hot food, but it's delicious. I'd even rather go to Mike Kwans Golden Coin - and that has a 1 star yelp rating. Did I mention that the food was gross?
(1)Carlos T.
First off. Phoenix is obsessed with chinese buffets. I mean seriously obsessed. Everywhere you look there is one. Second years ago I personally vowed not to ever go to one again because the food is soo low quality at a chinese buffet you are just better off going and paying 5 bucks for made to order food. So anyway after about 15 trips to homedepot across the street I saw this enormous building always packed to the brim with people. I was like damn this place must be seriously good to have a hour wait for a phoenix buffet. So I talked Carlos Sr. into checking it out. And I broke my years of no Chinese buffets. This place is not bad, but not great. The Sushi sucks. Below grocery store quality. They have a steak bar that serves low quality grilled steaks. Mongolian bbq made to order. Typical dessert and of course random Chinese hot plate to choose from. And a very so-so salad bar. The bathroom was so filled with graffiti I barely could find the sink or toliet. Seriously worst graffiti I have ever seen in a bathroom in my life folks. Worse than LA by far. But considering this place is only a few miles from Carl Hayden High School (the poorest neighborhood on the west coast of the united states) trust me it is folks I am in real estate, this can be expected I guess. Anyway. The food was not bad. But 10 bucks for dinner. You would have to be really really hungry to fork out that kind of money. Also 10 bucks without drink. So it comes to more with a soda. Seriously. There are better alternatives out there for a bang for a buck. later CJ
(3)Jason I.
We found this place through a giant billboard off the ten and while the billboard suggest wonders beyond our imagination I have to be honest. This buffet is not 5 stars. The food is good. Nothing too special. You can find the same exact buffet Chinese food at almost all low priced Chinese places. They seem to have more options then most which may or may not entice you to go here. What sold us was the Mongolian grill. But to our dismay you don't get to pick what sauces and the topping options are very limited. Also the meat looked liked it had been sitting there a while. The chef that cooked our plates through every sauce he had behind the counter on our dish which turned it into burnt blackness. They do have a sushi counter with "fresh sushi" I doubt its of a grade that wouldn't make you sick. I would avoid sushi at a buffet unless you are in Vegas. They have about 4 rows containing different type of rows. 2 and half are deep fried foods and the rest are just typical buffet stuff. The desserts are the same flavourless ice milk and semi sugar cakes you get at almost all Chinese buffets in the valley. The inside is pretty dirty the floors were a mess when I got there. Its kind of like they struggle to keep up. The buffet areas were clean though. Overall I would say this is a good bet if you want to gourde yourself as its only 25 bucks for 2 people. You can eat and eat and eat and be full all day. But other then that I would avoid.
(2)Catherine B.
So I decided to give this place a shot for lunch since eveyone who I know that has gone rants n raves about how good it is, well they are right!!! Its in a funky area off 40th St and Baseline but the cleanliness and freshness of the food was amazing...and so much to choose from. I typically DO NOT like ANY buffets but this one is exceptionally good and they will be seeing me back along with more friends:) A+++++
(5)C A.
They are building one of these near us on Baseline rd so we decided to try them out at the McDowell location first. The place is definately popular and crowded. The buffet selection was as expected and the food was good. Service was good considering the large amount of people eating. I am a big fan of sushi but the prepared selection was dismal. You can have some made to order but no one was around to take our order. Things got worse as my son needed to use the restroom. After seeing how awful the men's room was, I asked my wife to check on the women's room. She stated it was even worse. So sadly, we left our meal early just so we could get our son to a restroom. It certainly made us think twice about visiting this location again. We hope that we will have a better experience at the new location on Baseline once it opens.
(2)Jesus R.
good selection of food, an good price but service was horrible this time, he must be having a bad day, No Tip
(3)Swet T.
The best in Phoenix. The area is not so hot, but once you enter, you know you will have great service, and great food, all for a great price. I feel this place is the best for Asian buffet's in Phoenix.
(4)Dawn W.
I was introduced to this place a few months back, and have been a few times. We drive from Tempe (by ASU) to Lin's about once a month and feel the long drive is worth it. I love the Sushi here. There is always someone behind the counter making it fresh, so I watch to see what has just been put out. The "regular" Chinese food is ok. I have had better, but for a buffet, and less than $10/person it is good. It is interesting to look around because there is alot of unusual dishes that I am not as familiar with. Have seen lots of different octopus items. So, if you like unusual Chinese cuisine this is the place for you. There is a pizza bar, french fries, and chicken nuggets if your kids don't eat Chinese food. There is also a Mongolian grill, and a steak grill. Both of which I have not tried but plan on trying the Mongolian grill the next time I go. I have heard the lunch buffet is tastier than the dinner, but I have not been there for lunch. I noticed the floors were not very clean, and there were dishes on empty booths that had not been picked up. But, the buffets are very clean and I always see a worker bringing in new food or cleaning up spills. It is a large building and very crowded. So there is alot of noise. The bathrooms are very tidy and kept up well.
(4)Dana C.
Love the food.The service desk people are nice and friendly.Waiters are better then the waitress, If you ask me.The cook during the day sucks but the food after 4 o clock is delicious.There always busy, which i love that because that's how you know there food is yummy.For 2 people i pay 23.84 which is including tax with out a drink which isn't bad to be honest.They always put out fresh food.
(5)Ken S.
I did a drive by and decided to stop in. Like other people said it was crowded. I decided to wait a while and go back. When I went back it still had a nice crowd so I know the food was fresh. The interior decoration was standard restaurant. I thought the buffet isles were too close together and it made it difficult for two people to pass each other. (I am not large person) In addition to the chinese buffet there is also a shushi bar and mongolian BBQ. I am a chicken eater so I will only review the chicken, veggie dishes and desserts, but I will comment on the presentation. There was a lady preparing the sushi and the ingredients did not look very fresh. I have had mongolian BBQ and for the life of me I was unable to determine what the meats were. They were mystery meats and I stopped looking before it ruined my appetite. Now for the standard buffet. Most items were labeled but some were not so choose with care. Hot and sour soup had a nice flavor but I thought it was little salty. The chicken dishes were tasty. I tried the green beans and while they were tasty they were very oily. Lo Mein had a nice flavor, the rice noodle dish was very oily and lacking flavor. The spring rolls tasted like cardboard. Fried rice was mildly seasoned and had some flavor. Sesame chicken and Tso's chicken were very similar in flavor but tasty. Kung Po was very mild. Chicken and broccoli was tasty. The sweet baked deserts were awful and I couldn't really even finish one. The ice cream was ok. Almost every restaurant has good and bad dishes. This place is no exception. It is standard chinese food and edible. Same type food you get almost everywhere else but all in a single buffet. You can get some tasty food but you not will not like everything. I would go back again as there was enough variety to eat. Good? Yes. Great? No..
(3)B B.
WAY OVERRATED....It is HUGE but I found a hair in my food and I have been burping up what I did eat all day...It was $45.00 plus tip for 2 adults and 2 children....I WILL NEVER GO BACK!
(1)Grace R.
The restaurant is always busy with customers and the wait is long but the wait is worth it. We come here most the time. We love it! The buffet offers Sushi, Mongolian stir-fry and they would cook your steak on your liking. The buffet itself has a large choices of desserts, salad and of course Chinese food. A great place to bring friends and family from out of town and enjoy eating together.
(4)Kookie D.
This place is always packed!! For good reason. The place looks like a palace on the inside. Service is very fast. There is as much quality as there is quantity. Its priced right. I have been guilty of driving across town just to eat here! (I live by Tempe ASU campus) Also, I'd like to note that their ice cream is REAL ICE CREAM. Not the type that taste more like ice than cream. This definatley has real soft serve!! I LOVE THE SUSHI HERE!!
(5)Scott B.
my wife and i went there on new years eve. it was busy but not packed to the rim. the prices are great. the food was great and there so much to pick from. they have just about everything you would want. they had Chinese,sushi,steak, desert's cream, everything you ask for. i would totally suggest you try them . i know my wife will be back. and it is a very nice place too and the decor is great too.
(5)maryann c.
This is the best buffet that ive had in a long time..well worth the drive from and less than $10 per person..I love this place..lots of food & deserts to choose from..You need to make sure you go with a big appitite...
(5)Kenny G.
Dined here just this past Saturday evening and well let's just say that this place has officially managed to restore my faith in buffets. Typically I'd never go to a buffet, reflecting on that "tried one, tried em' all" mantra. NOT THE CASE HERE^^^^! My family totally peer pressured us into accompanying them to Lin's Grand Buffet and admittedly after the 4-5 hour drive out from So Cal, ....we were seeing mirages and envisioning Flintstone sized T-bone steaks appearing upon the side of the road... Walked into this place and GOOD GRAVY!!! I became vague and delusional from all of the food choices. There was a bit of a wait but it expired as we simultaneously paid upfront for the meal. Shortly thereafter we were seated and then it went down like four flat tires!!! Picture Ontario Mills Mall (if you're in Southern California) or the Minnesota "Mall of America". There's absolutely no way upon visiting you could ever fathom conquering each and every store within a one day visit. That was my sentiment here. I felt DEFEATED. From the salad bar complete with mussels and shrimp....down to the orange chicken, soups, teriyaki steak....then over to the Mongolian station which sits adjacent a steak preparer, whereas you can request your cut of steak and have it prepared to your liking. This place has EVERRRRYTHING!!!!! Seriously. Californians are getting so reamed....paying more for less. Nothing in So Cal has come close to this place well unless the name is followed by "casino" and even then, you're paying twice as much accompanied by the cost of parking. Hands down, I would definitely be willing to travel completely out of my way to come back here. I had 5 plates of food (and provided a star for each plate, lol) and left stuffed yet ....I still don't feel remotely as if I came close to sampling everything. This place is the TRUTH!
(5)Jen D.
Food was eh. The bathrooms were dirty and chairs falling apart. It has gone downhill fast since it opened. Probably won't be going back. Side note which really isn't the restaurant's fault, parents watch your kids around the buffet here. I have seen kids touching the food with their bare hands more than one occasion. Not cool.
(2)Bannon L.
I have long since thought that Lin's Buffet was the pinnacle of Chinese buffets. I have, and still would give its sister restaurant in Albuquerque 5 stars, however this must be the runt of the family. I seriously thought I was in for a good time, but I was quickly shown that I wasn't. My wifes Mongolian grill entree was burned, the sushi was warm, and most of the entrees were a mix of sogginess and saltiness. Dont get me wrong. I am usually a point and eat kinda guy, this was just harder.
(2)Jessica L.
My husband and I ate here today 2/5/15 the food was good as always we usually do take out but every now & then eat in today we dined in. Service was good. As we were eating our meal right in the booth next to the kitchen & between the buffet. We see a bug on the wall. Immediately we told our waiter who killed the bug & we left! I advised the girls at the front desk so I'm writing this in hopes she tells management and they get this issue resolved. I don't think we will be dining in for quit awhile much less eating here again.
(1)Armando L.
Carpet is dirty with trash and food stains. Sorry but tonight is the first and last time i am going here. Still looking for a great asian buffet spot in phoenix, i might try Jasmine tokyo in scottsdale next
(1)Sandra H.
Though they have a variety of food their wasn't alot i liked. The Sushi Was good though it was all rolls. My 8 year old is very picky and didn't like the food and only ate a small amount. I was disappointed since alot of reviews said it had great food.
(3)Chris A.
The food was ok. A good selection. But the bathrooms are disgusting toilet paper everywhere, shit smeared on the walls and toilets all clogged up. So nasty. Won't go there again!!! You can tell they don't clean their bathrooms.
(2)Jessica S.
This place started out well but has declined dramatically. In fact, I am pretty sure I got food poisoning the last time I went there. The last time I took my family there the food was under cooked. The smell from the food to the bathrooms was just bad. I found several plates and forks that did not look clean. I will never go back.
(1)Reese M.
This place used to be one of my favorite Chinese buffets. My family and I would frequent this establishment several times per month. I moved away to Ohio. Upon a visit back to Phoenix and to Lins Chinese buffet I was surprised to discover how much they've let this place get ran down. The appearance of the outside was enough to keep me away. Their edge of the parking lot was filled with tons of trash and sidewalks leading into restaurant was of dried stains everywhere. They really need to spend a day cleaning up outside picking up all the trash and power washing the sidewalks and parking lot. Then invest in making this a habit maybe weekly. Once inside the restaurant, they seemed short handed with waiting staff as there were plenty of seats available but we had to wait 20 minutes to get seated. The food was good, though. Unfortunately, the other aspects of what goes into a good restaurant were missing. Good food, dirty restaurant on the outside, understaffed on the inside. I will say though, our waiter, whom had half the restaurant, did a fantastic job.
(2)Skyler J.
I went on a Saturday night and it's pretty packed but no worries because this establishment is large enough. There is a wait though to be seated and you pay first and are given a number. Now let's get to the food.... I have to say their selection is outstanding like over 60 items to choose from including awesome stir fry. It's pretty much laid out as any buffet but one exception, very well organized! The staff is incredibly sweet and on top of things to ensure your visit is good. Don't mind other reviews check it out for yourself. I recommend Saturday because who knows how the other days are. Go around 5 pm and not after 7 pm.
(5)S L.
Not such a great place... Someone posted this on Facebook from their experience at this location and found a roach in their food! Gross... facebook.com/Jfashionn/v…
(1)Rand H.
It's sad to see this place following the trend we've seen with so many Buffets, especially Oriental Buffets, that have had great beginnings here in the Valley, only to slip down, down, down, & then finally close. :-O Lin's here hasn't closed yet, but it has now reached its third "down." Bummer! Here's the history: It's June 9, 2009 & Lin's here is finally open after a long construction period. I charge in through the front door to find a big, beautiful 3-section dining room & 112 food items out, plus sauces & dressings. They have hit the ground with everything right here... good service, all the food is out on time, the right temperature, delicious & kept stocked. They have seating for over 300, yet the place is FULL of cheery diners less than half an hour after opening time. 5 Stars! :-)) It's a year and a half later, Dec. 20, 2010. I have been here several times, but it's time for an Update. Being in a bad neighborhood (Maryvale) has already allowed for a run up of a lot of miles up on the building itself and the furnishings, but the service & food are still excellent. 4 Stars! :-) It's June 27, 2011. It's still ok, but the bathroom isn't right and a lot of the "hot" food is being served at or near room temperature, in violation of law & also making it not taste as good as it should! 3 Stars. :-| Now it's today, August 3, 2013. They've had over two years to restore this place to its original glory, but instead today I again find the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom hanging there empty. There's an air blower, but no way to get out the door without touching the dirty handle. There aren't any ass gaskets. The toilet paper isn't installed properly in the first stall I try. There is a waste basket sitting in both toilet bowls. (Forgotten there? Toilets out of order? Who knows.) Out in the dining room there is still SOME good to the place: * Table service from lovely miss with a retainer (sorry, I didn't get her name) is friendly and just right throughout my visit. :-) * Selection is still the same (good) at 112 items, plus sauces & dressings. * Some of the food is good, including the Shrimp Salad, the Mongolian BBQ & the fried Zucchini. = = = = = = UH OH! There were also more generous servings of "NOT OK!" :-O * A LOT of the "hot" food was either barely warm or absolutely room temperature, including the Won Ton Soup, ribs, french fries (yuk!) & much more. WHERE IS THE HEALTH INSPECTOR?? * I have been charged dinner price here at 11 AM on this Saturday, so I go to ask for a steak, which they feature today. The grill is already roaring hot but I am told I have to wait until TWELVE to get a steak put on it! :-O * I ask to see the Manager, to get myself a steak cooked. "He doesn't come in until 1 PM." WHAT??? NO WONDER THIS PLACE IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET! * A fly at my booth torments me throughout my visit. There was also at least one buzzing around the meat at the Mongolian BBQ! :-O * Many of the food items were not labeled. * The Mei Fun (rice noodles) were greasy, on top of being cold! :-O Hibachi up the street at Thomas has been slipping lately too, but China City at 53rd Ave. & Indian School would have been a much better Buffet choice in this area today! CORPORATE HAD BETTER GET NEW MANAGEMENT IN HERE & TIGHTEN THINGS UP SOON or next comes 1 Star & then this Lin's closes. We've seen this happen to so many Oriental Buffets here in the Valley. So sad; so sad! :-O Meanwhile, things are going much better at Lin's over on Baseline (so far), so I'll be going only there for my "Lin's fix" from now on until (hopefully) things get straightened out over here. (Folks, it's not promising.) ;-( Weekday Lunch Buffet: $8.59/$7.73 Sr. Saturday & Sunday: $10.89/$9.80 Sr.
(2)Amber G.
Everything was a mess. The plates the salt and pepper shakers were all gross. The baked potato was covered in dirt then cooked. Great almost 30$ (for two) for nothing. I had to ask for a fork because there was none in there place. The inside is a huge mess. Ugh what a waste.
(1)Bannon L.
I have long since thought that Lin's Buffet was the pinnacle of Chinese buffets. I have, and still would give its sister restaurant in Albuquerque 5 stars, however this must be the runt of the family. I seriously thought I was in for a good time, but I was quickly shown that I wasn't. My wifes Mongolian grill entree was burned, the sushi was warm, and most of the entrees were a mix of sogginess and saltiness. Dont get me wrong. I am usually a point and eat kinda guy, this was just harder.
(2)Kenny G.
Dined here just this past Saturday evening and well let's just say that this place has officially managed to restore my faith in buffets. Typically I'd never go to a buffet, reflecting on that "tried one, tried em' all" mantra. NOT THE CASE HERE^^^^! My family totally peer pressured us into accompanying them to Lin's Grand Buffet and admittedly after the 4-5 hour drive out from So Cal, ....we were seeing mirages and envisioning Flintstone sized T-bone steaks appearing upon the side of the road... Walked into this place and GOOD GRAVY!!! I became vague and delusional from all of the food choices. There was a bit of a wait but it expired as we simultaneously paid upfront for the meal. Shortly thereafter we were seated and then it went down like four flat tires!!! Picture Ontario Mills Mall (if you're in Southern California) or the Minnesota "Mall of America". There's absolutely no way upon visiting you could ever fathom conquering each and every store within a one day visit. That was my sentiment here. I felt DEFEATED. From the salad bar complete with mussels and shrimp....down to the orange chicken, soups, teriyaki steak....then over to the Mongolian station which sits adjacent a steak preparer, whereas you can request your cut of steak and have it prepared to your liking. This place has EVERRRRYTHING!!!!! Seriously. Californians are getting so reamed....paying more for less. Nothing in So Cal has come close to this place well unless the name is followed by "casino" and even then, you're paying twice as much accompanied by the cost of parking. Hands down, I would definitely be willing to travel completely out of my way to come back here. I had 5 plates of food (and provided a star for each plate, lol) and left stuffed yet ....I still don't feel remotely as if I came close to sampling everything. This place is the TRUTH!
(5)Jen D.
Food was eh. The bathrooms were dirty and chairs falling apart. It has gone downhill fast since it opened. Probably won't be going back. Side note which really isn't the restaurant's fault, parents watch your kids around the buffet here. I have seen kids touching the food with their bare hands more than one occasion. Not cool.
(2)Sandra H.
Though they have a variety of food their wasn't alot i liked. The Sushi Was good though it was all rolls. My 8 year old is very picky and didn't like the food and only ate a small amount. I was disappointed since alot of reviews said it had great food.
(3)Chris A.
The food was ok. A good selection. But the bathrooms are disgusting toilet paper everywhere, shit smeared on the walls and toilets all clogged up. So nasty. Won't go there again!!! You can tell they don't clean their bathrooms.
(2)Jessica S.
This place started out well but has declined dramatically. In fact, I am pretty sure I got food poisoning the last time I went there. The last time I took my family there the food was under cooked. The smell from the food to the bathrooms was just bad. I found several plates and forks that did not look clean. I will never go back.
(1)Lora R.
Hubby, son (11 yrs old), and I went here today. We have been to a similar establishment about a mile from it a few times, but wanted to give Lin's a try. So very sorry we did. These were our issues, not neccesarily in order: The sushi looked as though it was leftover from previous days, rice hard, vegetable pieces inside were brown. Service workers had dirty hands/fingernails. When hubby was at the grill where you get together what you would like them to grill up for you, the worker drenched the utensil (that patrons are to use to pick up raw fish) with raw fish and its water. Food was not great, not even good. We managed to find a few items that tasted ok, but it was definitely not worth the $43 we paid. And my stomach is upset as I write this, I feel nauseated.
(1)Dave B.
I really hate cold buffet food. Nd today all items were cold. Maybe we arrived too soon after opening but we had to leave and I asked for a refund. I was given a gift card for a return visit which was nice.
(2)Ken T.
Christmas dinner here this year. Food was about what you would expect from a buffet. Huge selection and all pretty tasty. Very reasonably priced.
(3)Randy R.
This place is decent, considering the fact that it is a Chinese buffet. I like to come here on Sundays after church with the family. Some will like it, and some won't. Come down and give it a try.
(3)Kimberly L.
Lins is ok. They have a wide variety but they definitely need to work on their sushi. I appreciated the Mongolian grill but they put way too much sauce and I couldn't eat it. Next time I'll just omit the sauce. The service was excellent, very friendly and hard working. Overall it was a good experience. Ok to go once in a while.
(3)Ebony M.
Went to this buffet to see if it taste different from the one on Baseline and it does. The other one on Baseline is way better,more clean, and better customer service.
(2)Fernanda R.
My kids and went there and the waiter brings us our drinks and asks if I need something else and I said we are okay thank you very much , and his response is you thank with your tip, he was very rude and had an attitude . And as we were there he didn't even bother to pickup our plates or give a refill on our drinks .
(2)Michael S.
Never are stocked with plates. The place is messy and the food is really bland. For a place that claims to have such a variety of food you would think there would be some choices. I can go elsewhere and spend at least $10 less and have a much better variety and overall dinning experience. Our waitress was pleasant though both in service and in looks.
(1)Erika Q.
It's disgusting to know I've been to this place a hand full of times but today was the last. Roaches walking on the food and throught the pans. I told one of the workers but all he did was smile at me. I'm reporting them to health inspectors.
(1)Katherine C.
I live less than a mile away from here and can see the red neon lights at night from my house. This restaurant is generally packed around dinner, so if you go there in the evening expect a wait. The price I guess is okay. The food could be better. It's basic Americanized Chinese in the buffet tables. They also have Mongolian barbecue set up in the back but I haven't tried it. I usually get some sushi which is located next to the barbecue. Generally I prefer a non buffet Chinese place because the food is usually better, but we do go there sometimes for convenience.
(2)Mayra M.
Overpriced, disgusting, and bad customer service are the three best words that I can use to describe this place. Visited it about a week or so with my son and it literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to bring us drinks. She practically acted like we were invisible. The plates, silverware, and cups were foggy and dirty. The food did not taste fresh at all. Do not recommend this place to anyone!
(1)Venita B.
I only do take out here because it is usually very crowded, and I'm not used to sitting in a Chinese food restaurant. The food is higher quality than most buffets. It's still salty sweet meat spice explosion, which American style Chinese food is supposed to be. The veggies are usually crunchy and there is a nice variety of options when you want something quick and not a burger.
(4)Roy L.
This place scores well on the standards for inexpensive buffets. The trick for all such places is to find which dishes you like and just eat those. My favorite dish here is the non-sauced salt-and-pepper pork ribs, always full-flavored, juicy, and tender.. Also good are the crawdads, cob corn, baked yam, fried zucchini, the Mongolian BBQ, the peel-and-eat shrimp, and the cold seafood salad. The sushi is fresh and good, but there is nothing beyond the standard rolls, at least not at lunch. Avoid the hot and sour soup, which is missing the prok flavor and wood-ear crunch. Most of the steam table stir fry dishes are unremarkable; they tend to be bland. The decor is attractive and we've never had a problem with service. There are huge crowds on the weekends, so if you're just trying the place out a weekday is better.
(4)Nick N.
My husband and I went to lunch here on his day off, arriving just as they opened at 11am. I first went to use the men's bathroom, which looked and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in days, though an attendant walked in with a broom, cleaning sprays and fresh rolls of paper towels just as I was exiting. On my way back to our table I noticed all of the dining room carpeting was stained gray-black and replete with small food particles/debris, as if it had been vacuumed with a vacuum cleaner with a broken belt. The buffet food on the steam tables was so-so at best, with many of the breaded chicken dishes so overcooked you could chip a tooth on your stir fry. The sushi was almost inedible, despite being freshly prepared, tasting like it was made from thawed frozen fish just about to turn. Neither of us tried the Mongolian bbq. Given the price of $12 per person for lunch with drink and tax, I have to declare that there are numerous other Chinese buffets around the metro area offering better food in a much cleaner setting. Thus, I can't imagine ever returning to Lin's.
(2)John W.
Well, the all you can eat dinner special is excellent in taste. But,, after eating the filet steaks off the grill, and 1 plate of enchiladas, I became really ill with food poisoning. So, about 6 hours later, I kneeled down before the porcelain goddess and gave her all that I had 8 times in a 36 hour period of time. Bad fever and stomach pains. My other issue is that Lin's is anti-gun and is right in the middle of the ghetto at 75th and McDowell. They have signage posted basically advertising that it's a great spot for those that have criminal intent. First time and last in there. I will not be supporting a restaurant that wants to infringe on my rights to be able to adequately defend myself from violent criminals. Like I said, it's in da' hood and not good.
(1)Amber B.
Usually I'm not a fan of Chinese buffets but after a disappointing buffet acurance else where decided to give this place a try and I enjoyed it. Lots of food and atmosphere wasn't bad either. I would most likely go here again if I got the chance.
(4)Tonya M.
This is probably one of the best chinese buffets I've been to. They have a lot of options, the food is always hot and tastes good, plus it's not too expensive. The only issues I have are the floors are always messy and it disgusts me when the servers sweep the floors, please start using a cordless vacuum! The deserts are out of a box and aren't very impressive. Also, It would be nice to see more non-meat entrees on the buffet.
(4)Julia L.
We've come here a few times and it's pretty consistent. If there's a lot of people, the wait is really never too long. The interior is really gorgeous with appropriate decor. There is a TON of food, and everything's good. There is authentic Chinese food, American-Chinese food, sushi, American, and Mexican food. I was actually surprised at how good the American food was. Seriously amazing buffalo wings!! The steak was good, but the sushi sucks. Another reason for the 4 stars is that although I was expecting to see a ton of running kids, but for some reason, this place has SO many kids. I almost tripped and dropped my food 3x in one day from little kids running around. Seriously though, CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN
(4)Gabriela R.
lins is honestly the most amazing buffet ever !! maybe if you guys stop being disgusting and making a mess it wouldnt be so dirty ! the food is great and for a very reasonable price ! :)
(5)Sherin C.
This place is disgusting. I dont think they even speak English there, I asked for a Coke and got a Dr Pepper. And asked if it was Coke and he just smiled at me...? Poor selection.
(1)Scott B.
my wife and i went there on new years eve. it was busy but not packed to the rim. the prices are great. the food was great and there so much to pick from. they have just about everything you would want. they had Chinese,sushi,steak, desert's cream, everything you ask for. i would totally suggest you try them . i know my wife will be back. and it is a very nice place too and the decor is great too.
(5)maryann c.
This is the best buffet that ive had in a long time..well worth the drive from and less than $10 per person..I love this place..lots of food & deserts to choose from..You need to make sure you go with a big appitite...
(5)Taric W.
There's an old idiom that reads "One's eyes are bigger than one's stomach". Whoever said that obviously ate at Lin's. I find the decoration to be tacky, but I must admit this is the largest buffet I've seen in years. Three rows of hot food...a row of desserts, fruit, and salad. But there's more. A sushi counter and a Mongolian grill! I'm going to be honest and say I haven't tried everything here. That would take at least 3 more trips. But I take note of the selection. It has every dish you'd expect at a place like this and more. Enchiladas, crawfish (seriously, WTF? And I mean that in a good way), or a pile of cooked mushrooms I wish I had room for. I wanted to devour everything here. Also, there's a full bottle of Sriacha at every table. What more could you ask for? Quite frankly, I can't readily name a Chinese buffet that's better than Lin's. It was so close to getting five stars, but it activated a couple of my pet peeves. I don't like condescending signs that read something along the lines of "Rules: Finish your food!" When my kung pao chicken was half peanuts, you're damn skippy I didn't clean my plate. Also, I hate not being able to get my own drink. It was 90 degrees out and of course I was going to be plenty thirsty. To be fair, service was fast, asking me if I needed anything every 5 minutes. All of that said, I don't think this place is worth that fifth star. I just have a hunch there's a better buffet in the valley. Fellow Yelpers--help me find it!
(4)Amoreena P.
when you go there ...watch out for the lady changing the fruit and salad station. They wear gloves, BUT, handles cleaning rag, then puts her same hands back in the food. NASTY and contaminating.
(1)Kim T.
You couldn't pay me to go back to this place. I've eaten at another Lin's location, and it was pretty good. This one, however, was DISGUSTING! The food was terrible...literally nothing the four of us ate was even passable as food, with the exception of the pizza, which my 15 year old said was "ok". My kids used the men's bathroom, and they were horrified by the kitchen smoke in there, which was so thick they could barely see...what they could see, however, was gang graffiti all over the walls and foul language on the bathroom stall doors. The tables were dirty, the servers were useless (we ended up just filling our own water glasses repeatedly and removing our own plates from the table). I've been to plenty of buffets around the country, and this was by far the most awful experience my family has had, from the food to the lack of cleanliness to the nonexistent service.
(1)Josh Y.
This place sucks. Period. I'm a big fan of buffet, and frankly this place is what makes people hate buffets. Never again.
(1)Nitti L.
Went there tonight, the food was OK, service was great, table was clean. They had pretty good business on a Friday night. Plenty of seatings, don't need to wait. Lots of dishes for you to choose plus Sushi bar and Grill. My only complaint is they don't have bean sprouts, stir-fried crabs, clams, and not enough vegetables, but they do have crawfish that I like. A little far away from me, but I will go back.
(4)Christine B.
Just tried this place out yesterday as I've been looking for a good Chinese buffet in the area. I just moved here a few months ago and wanted to compare it to places back home. I'm giving a solid 3 stars. This is probably the largest Chinese buffet I've been to. You pay upfront, so our lunch for 2 cost just over $22 with drinks, not including tip. Did not have to wait to be seated since they were on the ball about that. We were served our drinks right away and headed to the food. Our waitress was friendly. She came to our table about 3 times during our meal (for each refill we had on our drinks). My favorite selection was definitely the jalapeno chicken. It was way spicier than I had assumed it would be, so it was a pleasant surprise. I loved it. It definitely blew the other chicken out of the water. Most of the others I tried were somewhat bland. Not much flavor at all really. I've had better general tso's at most other places. The sesame chicken tasted just like the general tso's. Not much flavor. The kung pao chicken probably had even less flavor than the general tso's chicken. I'm not a fan of sushi so I can't comment on Lin's sushi without saying I didn't like it. I don't like seafood in general. Though, the salmon they served was actually something I enjoyed. The beef from beef and broccoli was okay. It was a little TOO tender, but some may enjoy it falling apart right away. I just like chewing my food instead of being able to just mush it down and swallow it. But not many complaints there.. The only other complaint I really have about the food was some of it was room temperature or cooler. But some was also very warm as they had just brought some out right before I grabbed it. They have various fruits set out in the dessert section, but the melon wasn't completely ripe so it was a little hard still. Also, it wasn't very cold. I like cold watermelon, and it was warmer than room temperature so I was a little disappointed. The pudding was cold and the ice cream was fine. I rate it 3 stars simply for the jalapeno chicken and friendly wait staff. Being seated quickly and the waitress keeping up on our refills. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre. I've been to way better Chinese buffets back home in Illinois, so it's nothing too special for my taste buds.
(3)Cherisse L.
I visited this place hesitantly, 11/2013, due to the reviews stating it had gone downhill and was pretty dirty. after scoping out the restrooms (washed hands), it didn't seem as bad, seeing that I have been to restaurants in 3rd world countries as well as hole in the walls in the USA. BUT BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! I and my friend got SEVERE food poisoning (and I am sure many others that day). Nausea, muscle weakness, the inability to focus and thus work and diarreahh and the whole 9 yards For your own health's sake, do not come here!!!! It is not worth it!!! I am vegetarian so I didn't even eat any meat and still got food poisoning. this is how unsanitary this place is! I will be reporting them to the AZ health board. I am from CA and am not sure how this place is still running as I read someone else had gotten food poisoning as well... maybe the health standards in as are just not as strict in AZ. this place needs to be shut down!!! I have never had food poisoning from eating out! as a side note, the plates were dirty. also, despite the food tasting decent and the building construction being neat, don't let that fool you as it did to me!!
(1)ERICH C.
Decent food, price a little high. Entire experience dulled a little by no military discount. Once seated and dining, nobody came by to refresh drinks, even after requesting refills; waiter/manager was just plain dismissive and rude. None of the buffet items were labeled. On top of all this, the no firearms allowed sign left this 21 year military veteran, concealed carry permit holder tuned off, vulnerable, and alienated in a state with constitutional concealed carry. That, and the gang graffiti carved into the front door told me that "we cater to dirt-bags." .....I won't go back....so sad.
(3)Valeria S.
****ROACHES***** is all I am saying. I have eaten at Lins in the past and really enjoyed the food. I went today for the first time in about 6 months and it was the worst experience I have ever had at a resturant. It was dirty (not being judgemental-because only God can judge us) but the people look like they just climbed from under a bridge and didn't shower or comb there hair but just showed up to eat, the bathroom was filthy the toilet paper dispenser was broken, the sink was broken, a lady was walking around wiping her nose and grabbing plates.....I could go on an on about this place, but to top it off there was a ROACH crawling on the wall above us....Now that is just GROSS!!!! My suggestion for the owner is to shut the place down for a month fumigate the place, clean it up and raise the prices so that they can weed out the people that are collecting money on the side of the freeway. All money is not good money - I'm just saying!!!
(1)Lizzie F.
WORST BUFFET EVER! The place was disgusting and dirty, I had a feeling we would regret this after we got seated to our filthy booth. The food was terrible, my boyfriend and I ended up getting food poisoning from eating at this "restaurant". We will never be going back there again.
(1)Gina W.
This place was the definition of sub-par. Boring food, generic selection, packed and noisy, with pop music(American) playing over the speakers. First of all, the omissions: no dumplings, no dumpling sauce, no gyoza sauce, no sweet-and-sour sauce/sweet-and-sour chicken, no sesame balls filled with red bean paste, etc As for what they *did* have? The sesame chicken was tough and overcooked, the egg rolls were disgusting and inedible, and the Kung pao chicken was no where near spicy. The best that can be said of them was that their cream cheese wontons were good and the service was wonderfully attentive. Definitely never returning.
(2)Jacob A.
I hate chinese buffets. With that said, Lins is one step above the typical crappy chinese buffet, but only by one step. They have the Mongolian grill and steaks on order, and that's their saving grace. Oh, and the fried fish and shrimp is good too. Now for the bad. Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, go on a Sunday. And don't expect the Sunday crowd to speak English. And don't expect that same crowd to have any manners or etiquette. I stood in line for nearly an hour and four people just cut in front of me and when I confronted them they stared and said "no hablo". So then my buddy told them in Spanish, and they just stared longer. I ended up pushing them out of my way. The guy working the steak counter will refuse to get your steak cooked to your order if you don't ask in spanish, so learn how to say medium rare in spanish now. At this chinese buffet there are enchiladas on the buffet line. I tried them. Not a good idea.
(3)jon b.
So I went today, Wednesday at 1:30 or so. I was expecting a small run down place with like 6 people in it. The sign for Lin's is large, and the building is as well. It's not your average ghetto Chinese buffett. It's big. There were about 100 people there. (I didn't look at the pictures before I went.) I was very curious... So.. Three long buffet counters that have hot food, one that has cold, a sushi bar, and a mongolian barbeque. Impressive... So why one star? The food was barely edible. This is definately an example of America's love affair with quantity over quality. The good- Large Selection Egg Roll- edible- barely Bread roll- normal american- good Chinese Spare Ribs- decent Cool entry way and building Service was attentive The Bad: Sweet and Sour Chicken Seasame Chicken Spring Rolls (how can they mess this up??? - I couldn't eat them! I've had frozen ones that were bettter.) Shrimp and Chicken dish Rice Noodles Fish Lo Mein I don't trust sushi at $8 buffets, and I don't like Mongolian, so these may be the two items everyone raves about, but what I had was flat out gross. So I'm pretty hungry.. and I start trying a little of eveything. All of it was gross. But I'm like- this got a lot of 5 star ratings on Yelp, maybe the next thing will be good. No, that was nasty too, maybe the next? So I way over ate trying to find the food y'all were saying is worth 4 or 5 stars. If I was six years old, I would be so happy that I could get chicken nuggets, and pizza, and onion rings, and french fries, and egg rolls, and pudding, and ice cream. But I'm not 6- and this food was gross. For buffet I'd much rather go to China Garden on 19th and Bell. That has 1 row of hot food, but it's delicious. I'd even rather go to Mike Kwans Golden Coin - and that has a 1 star yelp rating. Did I mention that the food was gross?
(1)Carlos T.
First off. Phoenix is obsessed with chinese buffets. I mean seriously obsessed. Everywhere you look there is one. Second years ago I personally vowed not to ever go to one again because the food is soo low quality at a chinese buffet you are just better off going and paying 5 bucks for made to order food. So anyway after about 15 trips to homedepot across the street I saw this enormous building always packed to the brim with people. I was like damn this place must be seriously good to have a hour wait for a phoenix buffet. So I talked Carlos Sr. into checking it out. And I broke my years of no Chinese buffets. This place is not bad, but not great. The Sushi sucks. Below grocery store quality. They have a steak bar that serves low quality grilled steaks. Mongolian bbq made to order. Typical dessert and of course random Chinese hot plate to choose from. And a very so-so salad bar. The bathroom was so filled with graffiti I barely could find the sink or toliet. Seriously worst graffiti I have ever seen in a bathroom in my life folks. Worse than LA by far. But considering this place is only a few miles from Carl Hayden High School (the poorest neighborhood on the west coast of the united states) trust me it is folks I am in real estate, this can be expected I guess. Anyway. The food was not bad. But 10 bucks for dinner. You would have to be really really hungry to fork out that kind of money. Also 10 bucks without drink. So it comes to more with a soda. Seriously. There are better alternatives out there for a bang for a buck. later CJ
(3)Jason I.
We found this place through a giant billboard off the ten and while the billboard suggest wonders beyond our imagination I have to be honest. This buffet is not 5 stars. The food is good. Nothing too special. You can find the same exact buffet Chinese food at almost all low priced Chinese places. They seem to have more options then most which may or may not entice you to go here. What sold us was the Mongolian grill. But to our dismay you don't get to pick what sauces and the topping options are very limited. Also the meat looked liked it had been sitting there a while. The chef that cooked our plates through every sauce he had behind the counter on our dish which turned it into burnt blackness. They do have a sushi counter with "fresh sushi" I doubt its of a grade that wouldn't make you sick. I would avoid sushi at a buffet unless you are in Vegas. They have about 4 rows containing different type of rows. 2 and half are deep fried foods and the rest are just typical buffet stuff. The desserts are the same flavourless ice milk and semi sugar cakes you get at almost all Chinese buffets in the valley. The inside is pretty dirty the floors were a mess when I got there. Its kind of like they struggle to keep up. The buffet areas were clean though. Overall I would say this is a good bet if you want to gourde yourself as its only 25 bucks for 2 people. You can eat and eat and eat and be full all day. But other then that I would avoid.
(2)Catherine B.
So I decided to give this place a shot for lunch since eveyone who I know that has gone rants n raves about how good it is, well they are right!!! Its in a funky area off 40th St and Baseline but the cleanliness and freshness of the food was amazing...and so much to choose from. I typically DO NOT like ANY buffets but this one is exceptionally good and they will be seeing me back along with more friends:) A+++++
(5)C A.
They are building one of these near us on Baseline rd so we decided to try them out at the McDowell location first. The place is definately popular and crowded. The buffet selection was as expected and the food was good. Service was good considering the large amount of people eating. I am a big fan of sushi but the prepared selection was dismal. You can have some made to order but no one was around to take our order. Things got worse as my son needed to use the restroom. After seeing how awful the men's room was, I asked my wife to check on the women's room. She stated it was even worse. So sadly, we left our meal early just so we could get our son to a restroom. It certainly made us think twice about visiting this location again. We hope that we will have a better experience at the new location on Baseline once it opens.
(2)Jesus R.
good selection of food, an good price but service was horrible this time, he must be having a bad day, No Tip
(3)Swet T.
The best in Phoenix. The area is not so hot, but once you enter, you know you will have great service, and great food, all for a great price. I feel this place is the best for Asian buffet's in Phoenix.
(4)Dawn W.
I was introduced to this place a few months back, and have been a few times. We drive from Tempe (by ASU) to Lin's about once a month and feel the long drive is worth it. I love the Sushi here. There is always someone behind the counter making it fresh, so I watch to see what has just been put out. The "regular" Chinese food is ok. I have had better, but for a buffet, and less than $10/person it is good. It is interesting to look around because there is alot of unusual dishes that I am not as familiar with. Have seen lots of different octopus items. So, if you like unusual Chinese cuisine this is the place for you. There is a pizza bar, french fries, and chicken nuggets if your kids don't eat Chinese food. There is also a Mongolian grill, and a steak grill. Both of which I have not tried but plan on trying the Mongolian grill the next time I go. I have heard the lunch buffet is tastier than the dinner, but I have not been there for lunch. I noticed the floors were not very clean, and there were dishes on empty booths that had not been picked up. But, the buffets are very clean and I always see a worker bringing in new food or cleaning up spills. It is a large building and very crowded. So there is alot of noise. The bathrooms are very tidy and kept up well.
(4)Dana C.
Love the food.The service desk people are nice and friendly.Waiters are better then the waitress, If you ask me.The cook during the day sucks but the food after 4 o clock is delicious.There always busy, which i love that because that's how you know there food is yummy.For 2 people i pay 23.84 which is including tax with out a drink which isn't bad to be honest.They always put out fresh food.
(5)Ken S.
I did a drive by and decided to stop in. Like other people said it was crowded. I decided to wait a while and go back. When I went back it still had a nice crowd so I know the food was fresh. The interior decoration was standard restaurant. I thought the buffet isles were too close together and it made it difficult for two people to pass each other. (I am not large person) In addition to the chinese buffet there is also a shushi bar and mongolian BBQ. I am a chicken eater so I will only review the chicken, veggie dishes and desserts, but I will comment on the presentation. There was a lady preparing the sushi and the ingredients did not look very fresh. I have had mongolian BBQ and for the life of me I was unable to determine what the meats were. They were mystery meats and I stopped looking before it ruined my appetite. Now for the standard buffet. Most items were labeled but some were not so choose with care. Hot and sour soup had a nice flavor but I thought it was little salty. The chicken dishes were tasty. I tried the green beans and while they were tasty they were very oily. Lo Mein had a nice flavor, the rice noodle dish was very oily and lacking flavor. The spring rolls tasted like cardboard. Fried rice was mildly seasoned and had some flavor. Sesame chicken and Tso's chicken were very similar in flavor but tasty. Kung Po was very mild. Chicken and broccoli was tasty. The sweet baked deserts were awful and I couldn't really even finish one. The ice cream was ok. Almost every restaurant has good and bad dishes. This place is no exception. It is standard chinese food and edible. Same type food you get almost everywhere else but all in a single buffet. You can get some tasty food but you not will not like everything. I would go back again as there was enough variety to eat. Good? Yes. Great? No..
(3)B B.
WAY OVERRATED....It is HUGE but I found a hair in my food and I have been burping up what I did eat all day...It was $45.00 plus tip for 2 adults and 2 children....I WILL NEVER GO BACK!
(1)Grace R.
The restaurant is always busy with customers and the wait is long but the wait is worth it. We come here most the time. We love it! The buffet offers Sushi, Mongolian stir-fry and they would cook your steak on your liking. The buffet itself has a large choices of desserts, salad and of course Chinese food. A great place to bring friends and family from out of town and enjoy eating together.
(4)Kookie D.
This place is always packed!! For good reason. The place looks like a palace on the inside. Service is very fast. There is as much quality as there is quantity. Its priced right. I have been guilty of driving across town just to eat here! (I live by Tempe ASU campus) Also, I'd like to note that their ice cream is REAL ICE CREAM. Not the type that taste more like ice than cream. This definatley has real soft serve!! I LOVE THE SUSHI HERE!!
(5)Amanda S.
This would be that "worst dining out experience of all time" I mentioned in my last review. When you first walk in there is hope for the place. As you cross the threshold, however, you realize you were wrong. Very, very wrong. It was, again, $30 for us to eat and drink. Fine. Common for Chinese buffet. IF ANYTHING WAS EDIBLE!!!! The floor was filthy. The table was dirty where we were seated. We were told to go get our food first and when we came back it would be clean. How appetizing. Not only were all the selections WELL picked over, they were also cold, and tasteless. I was afraid to select anything, let alone eat it. All the silverware I pulled out of the cups was dirty. Not water-stained - but had FOOD still stuck to it. *shiver* As I walked around choosing my food (carefully) I stumbled upon the section of BABY OCTOPUS. Now, folks, I don't care what you eat... But I do not need to see 50 WHOLE DEAD BABY CREATURES. That was what pushed me over the edge. You can't have dirty floors, dirty tables, a dirty Mongolian bar area, serve CRAP CRAP CRAP skirt steak to my husband, have 100% cold picked-over food, and then have a TRAY full of dead baby grossness. Can't deal. Won't deal. I ate one sweet-roll thing, hubby picked his food over... and that was the end. I would not recommend this place to ANYONE.
(1)Mike C.
Lins is a one of my favorite Chinese buffets, there is lots of good food plus sushi,mongolian and bakery counter,When ever i have been there I always leave stuffed and happy with the food I stuffed myself with.They have a large selection of trays and they are not all 5 star but a lot of them are very good,so I just fill up on the ones i really like. So if you are looking for a good Chinese buffet Lins is worth checking out. s
(5)Julian G.
Had lunch with 35 of my closest friends today. The restaurant was very packed but we were still seated very quickly. There was a large selection of food. It all seemed very fresh. There was a continuous stream of employees replacing food or replenishing food at the buffet. I had no problem getting a new drink (I had 4 iced teas...). Employees were constantly clearing the table and making sure all was well. I only had one complaint.... lets just say the men's room was dirrrrty. Other than that good food, fair price.
(4)Jeromy H.
Mike C, Rand H. and myself were amongst the hungry folks waiting in line at opening time. We were quickly greeted and seated by one of their friendly hostesses. I had hot and sour soup, wanton soup and a side of the crispy crunchy accoutrements for starters. I had a sampler plate of the various Chinese buffet staples all of which were fresh and tasty. Then I put together my own Mongolian BBQ conundrum and watched as the chef cooked it to perfection. The desserts were standard Chinese buffet fare. As Mike C. said, " If you're looking for good Chinese buffet Lin's is worth checking out.
(4)Reese M.
This place used to be one of my favorite Chinese buffets. My family and I would frequent this establishment several times per month. I moved away to Ohio. Upon a visit back to Phoenix and to Lins Chinese buffet I was surprised to discover how much they've let this place get ran down. The appearance of the outside was enough to keep me away. Their edge of the parking lot was filled with tons of trash and sidewalks leading into restaurant was of dried stains everywhere. They really need to spend a day cleaning up outside picking up all the trash and power washing the sidewalks and parking lot. Then invest in making this a habit maybe weekly. Once inside the restaurant, they seemed short handed with waiting staff as there were plenty of seats available but we had to wait 20 minutes to get seated. The food was good, though. Unfortunately, the other aspects of what goes into a good restaurant were missing. Good food, dirty restaurant on the outside, understaffed on the inside. I will say though, our waiter, whom had half the restaurant, did a fantastic job.
(2)Skyler J.
I went on a Saturday night and it's pretty packed but no worries because this establishment is large enough. There is a wait though to be seated and you pay first and are given a number. Now let's get to the food.... I have to say their selection is outstanding like over 60 items to choose from including awesome stir fry. It's pretty much laid out as any buffet but one exception, very well organized! The staff is incredibly sweet and on top of things to ensure your visit is good. Don't mind other reviews check it out for yourself. I recommend Saturday because who knows how the other days are. Go around 5 pm and not after 7 pm.
(5)S L.
Not such a great place... Someone posted this on Facebook from their experience at this location and found a roach in their food! Gross... facebook.com/Jfashionn/v…
(1)Jessica L.
My husband and I ate here today 2/5/15 the food was good as always we usually do take out but every now & then eat in today we dined in. Service was good. As we were eating our meal right in the booth next to the kitchen & between the buffet. We see a bug on the wall. Immediately we told our waiter who killed the bug & we left! I advised the girls at the front desk so I'm writing this in hopes she tells management and they get this issue resolved. I don't think we will be dining in for quit awhile much less eating here again.
(1)Armando L.
Carpet is dirty with trash and food stains. Sorry but tonight is the first and last time i am going here. Still looking for a great asian buffet spot in phoenix, i might try Jasmine tokyo in scottsdale next
(1)Nicholas M.
Worst place here. I wanted to go to a buffet and food was cold. The entire floor is trashed food everywhere. Restrooms are filthy toilet paper and paper towels trailed to the sitting area. I will not be returning here.
(1)Yaya H.
Didn't make it past the cashier. She was talking to her boyfriend on the phone and acted like we were bothering her so i complained about the poor service and left.
(1)Angel E.
I was in the mood for sushi and this place was on Yelp under "cheap sushi" and had good reviews, so I tried it. I was not impressed. For being more than $10 a person I expected better food and better environment. There were many empty tables but they still made us wait in the lobby to be seated for several minutes along with others who'd already been waiting a while. Not sure what the delay was about. For the record, even when we were walking out there were still people having to wait despite even more empty tables. I was excited to be seated by the sushi window, thinking this will be great! But when I got my plate most of the sushi was gone. There were only 2 kinds available and the lady making it kind of scowled at me like I was the devil himself. I took a few pieces and decided to eat off the rest of the buffet while I waited for her to make some other type of sushi. There were a lot of people there with children, it was louder than I'd expected and had lots of food on the floor in the seating area because of all the children. Our waitress was doing her best to keep up with the messes and clearing the tables, but she had a tough time. She did take good care of our table though. She brought refills on our drinks before we needed them and cleared the extra plates. She was working hard. I've been to places like this and loved the sushi, so I was optimistic about finding great food. Tasted everthing that looked appealing from the buffet and the sushi and bakery windows as well as the dessert bar. I did not try the mongolian BBQ window. Of what I did taste, the food wasn't that great. I will not be going back. There has to be better Chinese buffets. Will post when I find them.
(2)Adrienne D.
If you enjoy a place where you dont know what you're eating and eating nothing but grease. This is the place for you. The food, or shoud i say foods were drenched in gease. It was very disgusting, my family and i are always sketchy about eating at chinese buffet's and this place reminded us why we never go to chinese buffet's. Sincerely, Disgusted with Lin's Buffet
(1)Missy M.
Absolutely Horrible Experience!!! On July 10 my family dined here, I regret it and won't return. Their exhaust system in the kitchen broke and the entire dining room was full of exhaust smoke. It is a health hazard to breath that and it is a fire hazard also. Their women's restroom was disgusting. Garbage overflowing, no toilet paper or paper towels. I have ate here several times but won't return after this visit. I wasted $35 on a un-enjoyable experience. The owner was present that night, He should have had the integrity of a business owner to close for the night.
(1)Laura F.
For a Chinese buffet....this is as good as it gets. The place is huge and is always packed. If you don't want to wait in line then go on an off hour or day. People have mentioned that the floor is dirty...but that's because there are so many people here at any given time (families with kids that drop food, etc) that its hard to keep up. I was never skeeved by the lack of cleanliness. Yes they do have a pan of hundreds of baby octopus which is kind of repulsive to me, but coincidentally they are my boyfriend's favorite. I just try not to look at his plate. And yes, the egg rolls are horrible, but luckily you have about a gazillion other things to choose from. Chinese spareribs, chicken on a skewer, sweet and sour chicken, soups...I have these as appetizers and by the time I'm done I'm too full to eat much of anything else. But I have sampled the main course dishes and they were all very good. They also have a Mongolian grill so you can choose your ingredients and have them cook it up for you. There are also steaks and a sushi bar too...all included. I would be surprised if you can't find something you love here.
(5)Daniel M.
the regular chinese food is the same as anyother place.the mongolian grill is what sets it apart from all the other places.
(4)Jessica S.
This place started out well but has declined dramatically. In fact, I am pretty sure I got food poisoning the last time I went there. The last time I took my family there the food was under cooked. The smell from the food to the bathrooms was just bad. I found several plates and forks that did not look clean. I will never go back.
(1)Kenny G.
Dined here just this past Saturday evening and well let's just say that this place has officially managed to restore my faith in buffets. Typically I'd never go to a buffet, reflecting on that "tried one, tried em' all" mantra. NOT THE CASE HERE^^^^! My family totally peer pressured us into accompanying them to Lin's Grand Buffet and admittedly after the 4-5 hour drive out from So Cal, ....we were seeing mirages and envisioning Flintstone sized T-bone steaks appearing upon the side of the road... Walked into this place and GOOD GRAVY!!! I became vague and delusional from all of the food choices. There was a bit of a wait but it expired as we simultaneously paid upfront for the meal. Shortly thereafter we were seated and then it went down like four flat tires!!! Picture Ontario Mills Mall (if you're in Southern California) or the Minnesota "Mall of America". There's absolutely no way upon visiting you could ever fathom conquering each and every store within a one day visit. That was my sentiment here. I felt DEFEATED. From the salad bar complete with mussels and shrimp....down to the orange chicken, soups, teriyaki steak....then over to the Mongolian station which sits adjacent a steak preparer, whereas you can request your cut of steak and have it prepared to your liking. This place has EVERRRRYTHING!!!!! Seriously. Californians are getting so reamed....paying more for less. Nothing in So Cal has come close to this place well unless the name is followed by "casino" and even then, you're paying twice as much accompanied by the cost of parking. Hands down, I would definitely be willing to travel completely out of my way to come back here. I had 5 plates of food (and provided a star for each plate, lol) and left stuffed yet ....I still don't feel remotely as if I came close to sampling everything. This place is the TRUTH!
(5)Jen D.
Food was eh. The bathrooms were dirty and chairs falling apart. It has gone downhill fast since it opened. Probably won't be going back. Side note which really isn't the restaurant's fault, parents watch your kids around the buffet here. I have seen kids touching the food with their bare hands more than one occasion. Not cool.
(2)Sandra H.
Though they have a variety of food their wasn't alot i liked. The Sushi Was good though it was all rolls. My 8 year old is very picky and didn't like the food and only ate a small amount. I was disappointed since alot of reviews said it had great food.
(3)Bannon L.
I have long since thought that Lin's Buffet was the pinnacle of Chinese buffets. I have, and still would give its sister restaurant in Albuquerque 5 stars, however this must be the runt of the family. I seriously thought I was in for a good time, but I was quickly shown that I wasn't. My wifes Mongolian grill entree was burned, the sushi was warm, and most of the entrees were a mix of sogginess and saltiness. Dont get me wrong. I am usually a point and eat kinda guy, this was just harder.
(2)Chris A.
The food was ok. A good selection. But the bathrooms are disgusting toilet paper everywhere, shit smeared on the walls and toilets all clogged up. So nasty. Won't go there again!!! You can tell they don't clean their bathrooms.
(2)Reese M.
This place used to be one of my favorite Chinese buffets. My family and I would frequent this establishment several times per month. I moved away to Ohio. Upon a visit back to Phoenix and to Lins Chinese buffet I was surprised to discover how much they've let this place get ran down. The appearance of the outside was enough to keep me away. Their edge of the parking lot was filled with tons of trash and sidewalks leading into restaurant was of dried stains everywhere. They really need to spend a day cleaning up outside picking up all the trash and power washing the sidewalks and parking lot. Then invest in making this a habit maybe weekly. Once inside the restaurant, they seemed short handed with waiting staff as there were plenty of seats available but we had to wait 20 minutes to get seated. The food was good, though. Unfortunately, the other aspects of what goes into a good restaurant were missing. Good food, dirty restaurant on the outside, understaffed on the inside. I will say though, our waiter, whom had half the restaurant, did a fantastic job.
(2)Skyler J.
I went on a Saturday night and it's pretty packed but no worries because this establishment is large enough. There is a wait though to be seated and you pay first and are given a number. Now let's get to the food.... I have to say their selection is outstanding like over 60 items to choose from including awesome stir fry. It's pretty much laid out as any buffet but one exception, very well organized! The staff is incredibly sweet and on top of things to ensure your visit is good. Don't mind other reviews check it out for yourself. I recommend Saturday because who knows how the other days are. Go around 5 pm and not after 7 pm.
(5)S L.
Not such a great place... Someone posted this on Facebook from their experience at this location and found a roach in their food! Gross... facebook.com/Jfashionn/v…
(1)Jessica L.
My husband and I ate here today 2/5/15 the food was good as always we usually do take out but every now & then eat in today we dined in. Service was good. As we were eating our meal right in the booth next to the kitchen & between the buffet. We see a bug on the wall. Immediately we told our waiter who killed the bug & we left! I advised the girls at the front desk so I'm writing this in hopes she tells management and they get this issue resolved. I don't think we will be dining in for quit awhile much less eating here again.
(1)Armando L.
Carpet is dirty with trash and food stains. Sorry but tonight is the first and last time i am going here. Still looking for a great asian buffet spot in phoenix, i might try Jasmine tokyo in scottsdale next
(1)Nicholas M.
Worst place here. I wanted to go to a buffet and food was cold. The entire floor is trashed food everywhere. Restrooms are filthy toilet paper and paper towels trailed to the sitting area. I will not be returning here.
(1)Yaya H.
Didn't make it past the cashier. She was talking to her boyfriend on the phone and acted like we were bothering her so i complained about the poor service and left.
(1)Amber G.
Everything was a mess. The plates the salt and pepper shakers were all gross. The baked potato was covered in dirt then cooked. Great almost 30$ (for two) for nothing. I had to ask for a fork because there was none in there place. The inside is a huge mess. Ugh what a waste.
(1)Lora R.
Hubby, son (11 yrs old), and I went here today. We have been to a similar establishment about a mile from it a few times, but wanted to give Lin's a try. So very sorry we did. These were our issues, not neccesarily in order: The sushi looked as though it was leftover from previous days, rice hard, vegetable pieces inside were brown. Service workers had dirty hands/fingernails. When hubby was at the grill where you get together what you would like them to grill up for you, the worker drenched the utensil (that patrons are to use to pick up raw fish) with raw fish and its water. Food was not great, not even good. We managed to find a few items that tasted ok, but it was definitely not worth the $43 we paid. And my stomach is upset as I write this, I feel nauseated.
(1)Dave B.
I really hate cold buffet food. Nd today all items were cold. Maybe we arrived too soon after opening but we had to leave and I asked for a refund. I was given a gift card for a return visit which was nice.
(2)Ken T.
Christmas dinner here this year. Food was about what you would expect from a buffet. Huge selection and all pretty tasty. Very reasonably priced.
(3)Randy R.
This place is decent, considering the fact that it is a Chinese buffet. I like to come here on Sundays after church with the family. Some will like it, and some won't. Come down and give it a try.
(3)Kimberly L.
Lins is ok. They have a wide variety but they definitely need to work on their sushi. I appreciated the Mongolian grill but they put way too much sauce and I couldn't eat it. Next time I'll just omit the sauce. The service was excellent, very friendly and hard working. Overall it was a good experience. Ok to go once in a while.
(3)Ebony M.
Went to this buffet to see if it taste different from the one on Baseline and it does. The other one on Baseline is way better,more clean, and better customer service.
(2)Fernanda R.
My kids and went there and the waiter brings us our drinks and asks if I need something else and I said we are okay thank you very much , and his response is you thank with your tip, he was very rude and had an attitude . And as we were there he didn't even bother to pickup our plates or give a refill on our drinks .
(2)Michael S.
Never are stocked with plates. The place is messy and the food is really bland. For a place that claims to have such a variety of food you would think there would be some choices. I can go elsewhere and spend at least $10 less and have a much better variety and overall dinning experience. Our waitress was pleasant though both in service and in looks.
(1)Erika Q.
It's disgusting to know I've been to this place a hand full of times but today was the last. Roaches walking on the food and throught the pans. I told one of the workers but all he did was smile at me. I'm reporting them to health inspectors.
(1)Katherine C.
I live less than a mile away from here and can see the red neon lights at night from my house. This restaurant is generally packed around dinner, so if you go there in the evening expect a wait. The price I guess is okay. The food could be better. It's basic Americanized Chinese in the buffet tables. They also have Mongolian barbecue set up in the back but I haven't tried it. I usually get some sushi which is located next to the barbecue. Generally I prefer a non buffet Chinese place because the food is usually better, but we do go there sometimes for convenience.
(2)Mayra M.
Overpriced, disgusting, and bad customer service are the three best words that I can use to describe this place. Visited it about a week or so with my son and it literally took 15 minutes for our waitress to bring us drinks. She practically acted like we were invisible. The plates, silverware, and cups were foggy and dirty. The food did not taste fresh at all. Do not recommend this place to anyone!
(1)Venita B.
I only do take out here because it is usually very crowded, and I'm not used to sitting in a Chinese food restaurant. The food is higher quality than most buffets. It's still salty sweet meat spice explosion, which American style Chinese food is supposed to be. The veggies are usually crunchy and there is a nice variety of options when you want something quick and not a burger.
(4)Roy L.
This place scores well on the standards for inexpensive buffets. The trick for all such places is to find which dishes you like and just eat those. My favorite dish here is the non-sauced salt-and-pepper pork ribs, always full-flavored, juicy, and tender.. Also good are the crawdads, cob corn, baked yam, fried zucchini, the Mongolian BBQ, the peel-and-eat shrimp, and the cold seafood salad. The sushi is fresh and good, but there is nothing beyond the standard rolls, at least not at lunch. Avoid the hot and sour soup, which is missing the prok flavor and wood-ear crunch. Most of the steam table stir fry dishes are unremarkable; they tend to be bland. The decor is attractive and we've never had a problem with service. There are huge crowds on the weekends, so if you're just trying the place out a weekday is better.
(4)B B.
WAY OVERRATED....It is HUGE but I found a hair in my food and I have been burping up what I did eat all day...It was $45.00 plus tip for 2 adults and 2 children....I WILL NEVER GO BACK!
(1)Grace R.
The restaurant is always busy with customers and the wait is long but the wait is worth it. We come here most the time. We love it! The buffet offers Sushi, Mongolian stir-fry and they would cook your steak on your liking. The buffet itself has a large choices of desserts, salad and of course Chinese food. A great place to bring friends and family from out of town and enjoy eating together.
(4)Rand H.
It's sad to see this place following the trend we've seen with so many Buffets, especially Oriental Buffets, that have had great beginnings here in the Valley, only to slip down, down, down, & then finally close. :-O Lin's here hasn't closed yet, but it has now reached its third "down." Bummer! Here's the history: It's June 9, 2009 & Lin's here is finally open after a long construction period. I charge in through the front door to find a big, beautiful 3-section dining room & 112 food items out, plus sauces & dressings. They have hit the ground with everything right here... good service, all the food is out on time, the right temperature, delicious & kept stocked. They have seating for over 300, yet the place is FULL of cheery diners less than half an hour after opening time. 5 Stars! :-)) It's a year and a half later, Dec. 20, 2010. I have been here several times, but it's time for an Update. Being in a bad neighborhood (Maryvale) has already allowed for a run up of a lot of miles up on the building itself and the furnishings, but the service & food are still excellent. 4 Stars! :-) It's June 27, 2011. It's still ok, but the bathroom isn't right and a lot of the "hot" food is being served at or near room temperature, in violation of law & also making it not taste as good as it should! 3 Stars. :-| Now it's today, August 3, 2013. They've had over two years to restore this place to its original glory, but instead today I again find the paper towel dispenser in the bathroom hanging there empty. There's an air blower, but no way to get out the door without touching the dirty handle. There aren't any ass gaskets. The toilet paper isn't installed properly in the first stall I try. There is a waste basket sitting in both toilet bowls. (Forgotten there? Toilets out of order? Who knows.) Out in the dining room there is still SOME good to the place: * Table service from lovely miss with a retainer (sorry, I didn't get her name) is friendly and just right throughout my visit. :-) * Selection is still the same (good) at 112 items, plus sauces & dressings. * Some of the food is good, including the Shrimp Salad, the Mongolian BBQ & the fried Zucchini. = = = = = = UH OH! There were also more generous servings of "NOT OK!" :-O * A LOT of the "hot" food was either barely warm or absolutely room temperature, including the Won Ton Soup, ribs, french fries (yuk!) & much more. WHERE IS THE HEALTH INSPECTOR?? * I have been charged dinner price here at 11 AM on this Saturday, so I go to ask for a steak, which they feature today. The grill is already roaring hot but I am told I have to wait until TWELVE to get a steak put on it! :-O * I ask to see the Manager, to get myself a steak cooked. "He doesn't come in until 1 PM." WHAT??? NO WONDER THIS PLACE IS GOING TO HELL IN A HAND BASKET! * A fly at my booth torments me throughout my visit. There was also at least one buzzing around the meat at the Mongolian BBQ! :-O * Many of the food items were not labeled. * The Mei Fun (rice noodles) were greasy, on top of being cold! :-O Hibachi up the street at Thomas has been slipping lately too, but China City at 53rd Ave. & Indian School would have been a much better Buffet choice in this area today! CORPORATE HAD BETTER GET NEW MANAGEMENT IN HERE & TIGHTEN THINGS UP SOON or next comes 1 Star & then this Lin's closes. We've seen this happen to so many Oriental Buffets here in the Valley. So sad; so sad! :-O Meanwhile, things are going much better at Lin's over on Baseline (so far), so I'll be going only there for my "Lin's fix" from now on until (hopefully) things get straightened out over here. (Folks, it's not promising.) ;-( Weekday Lunch Buffet: $8.59/$7.73 Sr. Saturday & Sunday: $10.89/$9.80 Sr.
(2)Nick N.
My husband and I went to lunch here on his day off, arriving just as they opened at 11am. I first went to use the men's bathroom, which looked and smelled like it hadn't been cleaned in days, though an attendant walked in with a broom, cleaning sprays and fresh rolls of paper towels just as I was exiting. On my way back to our table I noticed all of the dining room carpeting was stained gray-black and replete with small food particles/debris, as if it had been vacuumed with a vacuum cleaner with a broken belt. The buffet food on the steam tables was so-so at best, with many of the breaded chicken dishes so overcooked you could chip a tooth on your stir fry. The sushi was almost inedible, despite being freshly prepared, tasting like it was made from thawed frozen fish just about to turn. Neither of us tried the Mongolian bbq. Given the price of $12 per person for lunch with drink and tax, I have to declare that there are numerous other Chinese buffets around the metro area offering better food in a much cleaner setting. Thus, I can't imagine ever returning to Lin's.
(2)ERICH C.
Decent food, price a little high. Entire experience dulled a little by no military discount. Once seated and dining, nobody came by to refresh drinks, even after requesting refills; waiter/manager was just plain dismissive and rude. None of the buffet items were labeled. On top of all this, the no firearms allowed sign left this 21 year military veteran, concealed carry permit holder tuned off, vulnerable, and alienated in a state with constitutional concealed carry. That, and the gang graffiti carved into the front door told me that "we cater to dirt-bags." .....I won't go back....so sad.
(3)John W.
Well, the all you can eat dinner special is excellent in taste. But,, after eating the filet steaks off the grill, and 1 plate of enchiladas, I became really ill with food poisoning. So, about 6 hours later, I kneeled down before the porcelain goddess and gave her all that I had 8 times in a 36 hour period of time. Bad fever and stomach pains. My other issue is that Lin's is anti-gun and is right in the middle of the ghetto at 75th and McDowell. They have signage posted basically advertising that it's a great spot for those that have criminal intent. First time and last in there. I will not be supporting a restaurant that wants to infringe on my rights to be able to adequately defend myself from violent criminals. Like I said, it's in da' hood and not good.
(1)Amber B.
Usually I'm not a fan of Chinese buffets but after a disappointing buffet acurance else where decided to give this place a try and I enjoyed it. Lots of food and atmosphere wasn't bad either. I would most likely go here again if I got the chance.
(4)Tonya M.
This is probably one of the best chinese buffets I've been to. They have a lot of options, the food is always hot and tastes good, plus it's not too expensive. The only issues I have are the floors are always messy and it disgusts me when the servers sweep the floors, please start using a cordless vacuum! The deserts are out of a box and aren't very impressive. Also, It would be nice to see more non-meat entrees on the buffet.
(4)Julia L.
We've come here a few times and it's pretty consistent. If there's a lot of people, the wait is really never too long. The interior is really gorgeous with appropriate decor. There is a TON of food, and everything's good. There is authentic Chinese food, American-Chinese food, sushi, American, and Mexican food. I was actually surprised at how good the American food was. Seriously amazing buffalo wings!! The steak was good, but the sushi sucks. Another reason for the 4 stars is that although I was expecting to see a ton of running kids, but for some reason, this place has SO many kids. I almost tripped and dropped my food 3x in one day from little kids running around. Seriously though, CONTROL YOUR CHILDREN
(4)Gabriela R.
lins is honestly the most amazing buffet ever !! maybe if you guys stop being disgusting and making a mess it wouldnt be so dirty ! the food is great and for a very reasonable price ! :)
(5)Sherin C.
This place is disgusting. I dont think they even speak English there, I asked for a Coke and got a Dr Pepper. And asked if it was Coke and he just smiled at me...? Poor selection.
(1)Kim T.
You couldn't pay me to go back to this place. I've eaten at another Lin's location, and it was pretty good. This one, however, was DISGUSTING! The food was terrible...literally nothing the four of us ate was even passable as food, with the exception of the pizza, which my 15 year old said was "ok". My kids used the men's bathroom, and they were horrified by the kitchen smoke in there, which was so thick they could barely see...what they could see, however, was gang graffiti all over the walls and foul language on the bathroom stall doors. The tables were dirty, the servers were useless (we ended up just filling our own water glasses repeatedly and removing our own plates from the table). I've been to plenty of buffets around the country, and this was by far the most awful experience my family has had, from the food to the lack of cleanliness to the nonexistent service.
(1)Amoreena P.
when you go there ...watch out for the lady changing the fruit and salad station. They wear gloves, BUT, handles cleaning rag, then puts her same hands back in the food. NASTY and contaminating.
(1)Scott B.
my wife and i went there on new years eve. it was busy but not packed to the rim. the prices are great. the food was great and there so much to pick from. they have just about everything you would want. they had Chinese,sushi,steak, desert's cream, everything you ask for. i would totally suggest you try them . i know my wife will be back. and it is a very nice place too and the decor is great too.
(5)Kookie D.
This place is always packed!! For good reason. The place looks like a palace on the inside. Service is very fast. There is as much quality as there is quantity. Its priced right. I have been guilty of driving across town just to eat here! (I live by Tempe ASU campus) Also, I'd like to note that their ice cream is REAL ICE CREAM. Not the type that taste more like ice than cream. This definatley has real soft serve!! I LOVE THE SUSHI HERE!!
(5)Adrienne D.
If you enjoy a place where you dont know what you're eating and eating nothing but grease. This is the place for you. The food, or shoud i say foods were drenched in gease. It was very disgusting, my family and i are always sketchy about eating at chinese buffet's and this place reminded us why we never go to chinese buffet's. Sincerely, Disgusted with Lin's Buffet
(1)Missy M.
Absolutely Horrible Experience!!! On July 10 my family dined here, I regret it and won't return. Their exhaust system in the kitchen broke and the entire dining room was full of exhaust smoke. It is a health hazard to breath that and it is a fire hazard also. Their women's restroom was disgusting. Garbage overflowing, no toilet paper or paper towels. I have ate here several times but won't return after this visit. I wasted $35 on a un-enjoyable experience. The owner was present that night, He should have had the integrity of a business owner to close for the night.
(1)Laura F.
For a Chinese buffet....this is as good as it gets. The place is huge and is always packed. If you don't want to wait in line then go on an off hour or day. People have mentioned that the floor is dirty...but that's because there are so many people here at any given time (families with kids that drop food, etc) that its hard to keep up. I was never skeeved by the lack of cleanliness. Yes they do have a pan of hundreds of baby octopus which is kind of repulsive to me, but coincidentally they are my boyfriend's favorite. I just try not to look at his plate. And yes, the egg rolls are horrible, but luckily you have about a gazillion other things to choose from. Chinese spareribs, chicken on a skewer, sweet and sour chicken, soups...I have these as appetizers and by the time I'm done I'm too full to eat much of anything else. But I have sampled the main course dishes and they were all very good. They also have a Mongolian grill so you can choose your ingredients and have them cook it up for you. There are also steaks and a sushi bar too...all included. I would be surprised if you can't find something you love here.
(5)Daniel M.
the regular chinese food is the same as anyother place.the mongolian grill is what sets it apart from all the other places.
(4)Taric W.
There's an old idiom that reads "One's eyes are bigger than one's stomach". Whoever said that obviously ate at Lin's. I find the decoration to be tacky, but I must admit this is the largest buffet I've seen in years. Three rows of hot food...a row of desserts, fruit, and salad. But there's more. A sushi counter and a Mongolian grill! I'm going to be honest and say I haven't tried everything here. That would take at least 3 more trips. But I take note of the selection. It has every dish you'd expect at a place like this and more. Enchiladas, crawfish (seriously, WTF? And I mean that in a good way), or a pile of cooked mushrooms I wish I had room for. I wanted to devour everything here. Also, there's a full bottle of Sriacha at every table. What more could you ask for? Quite frankly, I can't readily name a Chinese buffet that's better than Lin's. It was so close to getting five stars, but it activated a couple of my pet peeves. I don't like condescending signs that read something along the lines of "Rules: Finish your food!" When my kung pao chicken was half peanuts, you're damn skippy I didn't clean my plate. Also, I hate not being able to get my own drink. It was 90 degrees out and of course I was going to be plenty thirsty. To be fair, service was fast, asking me if I needed anything every 5 minutes. All of that said, I don't think this place is worth that fifth star. I just have a hunch there's a better buffet in the valley. Fellow Yelpers--help me find it!
(4)Josh Y.
This place sucks. Period. I'm a big fan of buffet, and frankly this place is what makes people hate buffets. Never again.
(1)Nitti L.
Went there tonight, the food was OK, service was great, table was clean. They had pretty good business on a Friday night. Plenty of seatings, don't need to wait. Lots of dishes for you to choose plus Sushi bar and Grill. My only complaint is they don't have bean sprouts, stir-fried crabs, clams, and not enough vegetables, but they do have crawfish that I like. A little far away from me, but I will go back.
(4)Christine B.
Just tried this place out yesterday as I've been looking for a good Chinese buffet in the area. I just moved here a few months ago and wanted to compare it to places back home. I'm giving a solid 3 stars. This is probably the largest Chinese buffet I've been to. You pay upfront, so our lunch for 2 cost just over $22 with drinks, not including tip. Did not have to wait to be seated since they were on the ball about that. We were served our drinks right away and headed to the food. Our waitress was friendly. She came to our table about 3 times during our meal (for each refill we had on our drinks). My favorite selection was definitely the jalapeno chicken. It was way spicier than I had assumed it would be, so it was a pleasant surprise. I loved it. It definitely blew the other chicken out of the water. Most of the others I tried were somewhat bland. Not much flavor at all really. I've had better general tso's at most other places. The sesame chicken tasted just like the general tso's. Not much flavor. The kung pao chicken probably had even less flavor than the general tso's chicken. I'm not a fan of sushi so I can't comment on Lin's sushi without saying I didn't like it. I don't like seafood in general. Though, the salmon they served was actually something I enjoyed. The beef from beef and broccoli was okay. It was a little TOO tender, but some may enjoy it falling apart right away. I just like chewing my food instead of being able to just mush it down and swallow it. But not many complaints there.. The only other complaint I really have about the food was some of it was room temperature or cooler. But some was also very warm as they had just brought some out right before I grabbed it. They have various fruits set out in the dessert section, but the melon wasn't completely ripe so it was a little hard still. Also, it wasn't very cold. I like cold watermelon, and it was warmer than room temperature so I was a little disappointed. The pudding was cold and the ice cream was fine. I rate it 3 stars simply for the jalapeno chicken and friendly wait staff. Being seated quickly and the waitress keeping up on our refills. Other than that, it was pretty mediocre. I've been to way better Chinese buffets back home in Illinois, so it's nothing too special for my taste buds.
(3)Cherisse L.
I visited this place hesitantly, 11/2013, due to the reviews stating it had gone downhill and was pretty dirty. after scoping out the restrooms (washed hands), it didn't seem as bad, seeing that I have been to restaurants in 3rd world countries as well as hole in the walls in the USA. BUT BUYER BEWARE!!!!!! DO NOT GO HERE!!!!! I and my friend got SEVERE food poisoning (and I am sure many others that day). Nausea, muscle weakness, the inability to focus and thus work and diarreahh and the whole 9 yards For your own health's sake, do not come here!!!! It is not worth it!!! I am vegetarian so I didn't even eat any meat and still got food poisoning. this is how unsanitary this place is! I will be reporting them to the AZ health board. I am from CA and am not sure how this place is still running as I read someone else had gotten food poisoning as well... maybe the health standards in as are just not as strict in AZ. this place needs to be shut down!!! I have never had food poisoning from eating out! as a side note, the plates were dirty. also, despite the food tasting decent and the building construction being neat, don't let that fool you as it did to me!!
(1)Amanda S.
This would be that "worst dining out experience of all time" I mentioned in my last review. When you first walk in there is hope for the place. As you cross the threshold, however, you realize you were wrong. Very, very wrong. It was, again, $30 for us to eat and drink. Fine. Common for Chinese buffet. IF ANYTHING WAS EDIBLE!!!! The floor was filthy. The table was dirty where we were seated. We were told to go get our food first and when we came back it would be clean. How appetizing. Not only were all the selections WELL picked over, they were also cold, and tasteless. I was afraid to select anything, let alone eat it. All the silverware I pulled out of the cups was dirty. Not water-stained - but had FOOD still stuck to it. *shiver* As I walked around choosing my food (carefully) I stumbled upon the section of BABY OCTOPUS. Now, folks, I don't care what you eat... But I do not need to see 50 WHOLE DEAD BABY CREATURES. That was what pushed me over the edge. You can't have dirty floors, dirty tables, a dirty Mongolian bar area, serve CRAP CRAP CRAP skirt steak to my husband, have 100% cold picked-over food, and then have a TRAY full of dead baby grossness. Can't deal. Won't deal. I ate one sweet-roll thing, hubby picked his food over... and that was the end. I would not recommend this place to ANYONE.
(1)Mike C.
Lins is a one of my favorite Chinese buffets, there is lots of good food plus sushi,mongolian and bakery counter,When ever i have been there I always leave stuffed and happy with the food I stuffed myself with.They have a large selection of trays and they are not all 5 star but a lot of them are very good,so I just fill up on the ones i really like. So if you are looking for a good Chinese buffet Lins is worth checking out. s
(5)Julian G.
Had lunch with 35 of my closest friends today. The restaurant was very packed but we were still seated very quickly. There was a large selection of food. It all seemed very fresh. There was a continuous stream of employees replacing food or replenishing food at the buffet. I had no problem getting a new drink (I had 4 iced teas...). Employees were constantly clearing the table and making sure all was well. I only had one complaint.... lets just say the men's room was dirrrrty. Other than that good food, fair price.
(4)Jeromy H.
Mike C, Rand H. and myself were amongst the hungry folks waiting in line at opening time. We were quickly greeted and seated by one of their friendly hostesses. I had hot and sour soup, wanton soup and a side of the crispy crunchy accoutrements for starters. I had a sampler plate of the various Chinese buffet staples all of which were fresh and tasty. Then I put together my own Mongolian BBQ conundrum and watched as the chef cooked it to perfection. The desserts were standard Chinese buffet fare. As Mike C. said, " If you're looking for good Chinese buffet Lin's is worth checking out.
(4)Valeria S.
****ROACHES***** is all I am saying. I have eaten at Lins in the past and really enjoyed the food. I went today for the first time in about 6 months and it was the worst experience I have ever had at a resturant. It was dirty (not being judgemental-because only God can judge us) but the people look like they just climbed from under a bridge and didn't shower or comb there hair but just showed up to eat, the bathroom was filthy the toilet paper dispenser was broken, the sink was broken, a lady was walking around wiping her nose and grabbing plates.....I could go on an on about this place, but to top it off there was a ROACH crawling on the wall above us....Now that is just GROSS!!!! My suggestion for the owner is to shut the place down for a month fumigate the place, clean it up and raise the prices so that they can weed out the people that are collecting money on the side of the freeway. All money is not good money - I'm just saying!!!
(1)Lizzie F.
WORST BUFFET EVER! The place was disgusting and dirty, I had a feeling we would regret this after we got seated to our filthy booth. The food was terrible, my boyfriend and I ended up getting food poisoning from eating at this "restaurant". We will never be going back there again.
(1)Gina W.
This place was the definition of sub-par. Boring food, generic selection, packed and noisy, with pop music(American) playing over the speakers. First of all, the omissions: no dumplings, no dumpling sauce, no gyoza sauce, no sweet-and-sour sauce/sweet-and-sour chicken, no sesame balls filled with red bean paste, etc As for what they *did* have? The sesame chicken was tough and overcooked, the egg rolls were disgusting and inedible, and the Kung pao chicken was no where near spicy. The best that can be said of them was that their cream cheese wontons were good and the service was wonderfully attentive. Definitely never returning.
(2)Jacob A.
I hate chinese buffets. With that said, Lins is one step above the typical crappy chinese buffet, but only by one step. They have the Mongolian grill and steaks on order, and that's their saving grace. Oh, and the fried fish and shrimp is good too. Now for the bad. Don't ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever, go on a Sunday. And don't expect the Sunday crowd to speak English. And don't expect that same crowd to have any manners or etiquette. I stood in line for nearly an hour and four people just cut in front of me and when I confronted them they stared and said "no hablo". So then my buddy told them in Spanish, and they just stared longer. I ended up pushing them out of my way. The guy working the steak counter will refuse to get your steak cooked to your order if you don't ask in spanish, so learn how to say medium rare in spanish now. At this chinese buffet there are enchiladas on the buffet line. I tried them. Not a good idea.
(3)jon b.
So I went today, Wednesday at 1:30 or so. I was expecting a small run down place with like 6 people in it. The sign for Lin's is large, and the building is as well. It's not your average ghetto Chinese buffett. It's big. There were about 100 people there. (I didn't look at the pictures before I went.) I was very curious... So.. Three long buffet counters that have hot food, one that has cold, a sushi bar, and a mongolian barbeque. Impressive... So why one star? The food was barely edible. This is definately an example of America's love affair with quantity over quality. The good- Large Selection Egg Roll- edible- barely Bread roll- normal american- good Chinese Spare Ribs- decent Cool entry way and building Service was attentive The Bad: Sweet and Sour Chicken Seasame Chicken Spring Rolls (how can they mess this up??? - I couldn't eat them! I've had frozen ones that were bettter.) Shrimp and Chicken dish Rice Noodles Fish Lo Mein I don't trust sushi at $8 buffets, and I don't like Mongolian, so these may be the two items everyone raves about, but what I had was flat out gross. So I'm pretty hungry.. and I start trying a little of eveything. All of it was gross. But I'm like- this got a lot of 5 star ratings on Yelp, maybe the next thing will be good. No, that was nasty too, maybe the next? So I way over ate trying to find the food y'all were saying is worth 4 or 5 stars. If I was six years old, I would be so happy that I could get chicken nuggets, and pizza, and onion rings, and french fries, and egg rolls, and pudding, and ice cream. But I'm not 6- and this food was gross. For buffet I'd much rather go to China Garden on 19th and Bell. That has 1 row of hot food, but it's delicious. I'd even rather go to Mike Kwans Golden Coin - and that has a 1 star yelp rating. Did I mention that the food was gross?
(1)Carlos T.
First off. Phoenix is obsessed with chinese buffets. I mean seriously obsessed. Everywhere you look there is one. Second years ago I personally vowed not to ever go to one again because the food is soo low quality at a chinese buffet you are just better off going and paying 5 bucks for made to order food. So anyway after about 15 trips to homedepot across the street I saw this enormous building always packed to the brim with people. I was like damn this place must be seriously good to have a hour wait for a phoenix buffet. So I talked Carlos Sr. into checking it out. And I broke my years of no Chinese buffets. This place is not bad, but not great. The Sushi sucks. Below grocery store quality. They have a steak bar that serves low quality grilled steaks. Mongolian bbq made to order. Typical dessert and of course random Chinese hot plate to choose from. And a very so-so salad bar. The bathroom was so filled with graffiti I barely could find the sink or toliet. Seriously worst graffiti I have ever seen in a bathroom in my life folks. Worse than LA by far. But considering this place is only a few miles from Carl Hayden High School (the poorest neighborhood on the west coast of the united states) trust me it is folks I am in real estate, this can be expected I guess. Anyway. The food was not bad. But 10 bucks for dinner. You would have to be really really hungry to fork out that kind of money. Also 10 bucks without drink. So it comes to more with a soda. Seriously. There are better alternatives out there for a bang for a buck. later CJ
(3)Jason I.
We found this place through a giant billboard off the ten and while the billboard suggest wonders beyond our imagination I have to be honest. This buffet is not 5 stars. The food is good. Nothing too special. You can find the same exact buffet Chinese food at almost all low priced Chinese places. They seem to have more options then most which may or may not entice you to go here. What sold us was the Mongolian grill. But to our dismay you don't get to pick what sauces and the topping options are very limited. Also the meat looked liked it had been sitting there a while. The chef that cooked our plates through every sauce he had behind the counter on our dish which turned it into burnt blackness. They do have a sushi counter with "fresh sushi" I doubt its of a grade that wouldn't make you sick. I would avoid sushi at a buffet unless you are in Vegas. They have about 4 rows containing different type of rows. 2 and half are deep fried foods and the rest are just typical buffet stuff. The desserts are the same flavourless ice milk and semi sugar cakes you get at almost all Chinese buffets in the valley. The inside is pretty dirty the floors were a mess when I got there. Its kind of like they struggle to keep up. The buffet areas were clean though. Overall I would say this is a good bet if you want to gourde yourself as its only 25 bucks for 2 people. You can eat and eat and eat and be full all day. But other then that I would avoid.
(2)Catherine B.
So I decided to give this place a shot for lunch since eveyone who I know that has gone rants n raves about how good it is, well they are right!!! Its in a funky area off 40th St and Baseline but the cleanliness and freshness of the food was amazing...and so much to choose from. I typically DO NOT like ANY buffets but this one is exceptionally good and they will be seeing me back along with more friends:) A+++++
(5)C A.
They are building one of these near us on Baseline rd so we decided to try them out at the McDowell location first. The place is definately popular and crowded. The buffet selection was as expected and the food was good. Service was good considering the large amount of people eating. I am a big fan of sushi but the prepared selection was dismal. You can have some made to order but no one was around to take our order. Things got worse as my son needed to use the restroom. After seeing how awful the men's room was, I asked my wife to check on the women's room. She stated it was even worse. So sadly, we left our meal early just so we could get our son to a restroom. It certainly made us think twice about visiting this location again. We hope that we will have a better experience at the new location on Baseline once it opens.
(2)Jesus R.
good selection of food, an good price but service was horrible this time, he must be having a bad day, No Tip
(3)Swet T.
The best in Phoenix. The area is not so hot, but once you enter, you know you will have great service, and great food, all for a great price. I feel this place is the best for Asian buffet's in Phoenix.
(4)Dawn W.
I was introduced to this place a few months back, and have been a few times. We drive from Tempe (by ASU) to Lin's about once a month and feel the long drive is worth it. I love the Sushi here. There is always someone behind the counter making it fresh, so I watch to see what has just been put out. The "regular" Chinese food is ok. I have had better, but for a buffet, and less than $10/person it is good. It is interesting to look around because there is alot of unusual dishes that I am not as familiar with. Have seen lots of different octopus items. So, if you like unusual Chinese cuisine this is the place for you. There is a pizza bar, french fries, and chicken nuggets if your kids don't eat Chinese food. There is also a Mongolian grill, and a steak grill. Both of which I have not tried but plan on trying the Mongolian grill the next time I go. I have heard the lunch buffet is tastier than the dinner, but I have not been there for lunch. I noticed the floors were not very clean, and there were dishes on empty booths that had not been picked up. But, the buffets are very clean and I always see a worker bringing in new food or cleaning up spills. It is a large building and very crowded. So there is alot of noise. The bathrooms are very tidy and kept up well.
(4)Dana C.
Love the food.The service desk people are nice and friendly.Waiters are better then the waitress, If you ask me.The cook during the day sucks but the food after 4 o clock is delicious.There always busy, which i love that because that's how you know there food is yummy.For 2 people i pay 23.84 which is including tax with out a drink which isn't bad to be honest.They always put out fresh food.
(5)Ken S.
I did a drive by and decided to stop in. Like other people said it was crowded. I decided to wait a while and go back. When I went back it still had a nice crowd so I know the food was fresh. The interior decoration was standard restaurant. I thought the buffet isles were too close together and it made it difficult for two people to pass each other. (I am not large person) In addition to the chinese buffet there is also a shushi bar and mongolian BBQ. I am a chicken eater so I will only review the chicken, veggie dishes and desserts, but I will comment on the presentation. There was a lady preparing the sushi and the ingredients did not look very fresh. I have had mongolian BBQ and for the life of me I was unable to determine what the meats were. They were mystery meats and I stopped looking before it ruined my appetite. Now for the standard buffet. Most items were labeled but some were not so choose with care. Hot and sour soup had a nice flavor but I thought it was little salty. The chicken dishes were tasty. I tried the green beans and while they were tasty they were very oily. Lo Mein had a nice flavor, the rice noodle dish was very oily and lacking flavor. The spring rolls tasted like cardboard. Fried rice was mildly seasoned and had some flavor. Sesame chicken and Tso's chicken were very similar in flavor but tasty. Kung Po was very mild. Chicken and broccoli was tasty. The sweet baked deserts were awful and I couldn't really even finish one. The ice cream was ok. Almost every restaurant has good and bad dishes. This place is no exception. It is standard chinese food and edible. Same type food you get almost everywhere else but all in a single buffet. You can get some tasty food but you not will not like everything. I would go back again as there was enough variety to eat. Good? Yes. Great? No..
(3)maryann c.
This is the best buffet that ive had in a long time..well worth the drive from and less than $10 per person..I love this place..lots of food & deserts to choose from..You need to make sure you go with a big appitite...
(5)Angel E.
I was in the mood for sushi and this place was on Yelp under "cheap sushi" and had good reviews, so I tried it. I was not impressed. For being more than $10 a person I expected better food and better environment. There were many empty tables but they still made us wait in the lobby to be seated for several minutes along with others who'd already been waiting a while. Not sure what the delay was about. For the record, even when we were walking out there were still people having to wait despite even more empty tables. I was excited to be seated by the sushi window, thinking this will be great! But when I got my plate most of the sushi was gone. There were only 2 kinds available and the lady making it kind of scowled at me like I was the devil himself. I took a few pieces and decided to eat off the rest of the buffet while I waited for her to make some other type of sushi. There were a lot of people there with children, it was louder than I'd expected and had lots of food on the floor in the seating area because of all the children. Our waitress was doing her best to keep up with the messes and clearing the tables, but she had a tough time. She did take good care of our table though. She brought refills on our drinks before we needed them and cleared the extra plates. She was working hard. I've been to places like this and loved the sushi, so I was optimistic about finding great food. Tasted everthing that looked appealing from the buffet and the sushi and bakery windows as well as the dessert bar. I did not try the mongolian BBQ window. Of what I did taste, the food wasn't that great. I will not be going back. There has to be better Chinese buffets. Will post when I find them.
(2)