[REVIEW] Buffet 101 Restaurant Mandaue City, Cebu

It's a huge restaurant! Me and my friends arrived around 630PM one Saturday early October this year. I was really worried that we won't find a seat. To my surprise though, the area is so big that it can accommodate a weekend evening crowd. We easily found a place for our group. I'm taking about Buffet101 International Cuisine, a buffet restaurant located in City Time Square Mall, Mandaue City.

The facade of Buffet101 International Cuisine in Mandaue City, Cebu

So here's a quick review for those deciding whether to eat there or not. Oh by the way, the review is relative to other buffet restaurants I have tried in the past 10 years that I have been here in Cebu City. I have tried Marco Polo Hotel Dinner and Breakfast, Radisson Blu Dinner, Harolds Hotel Dinner, Yakimix Lunch, and Tokyo Table Lunch to name a few.

I would review the restaurant in these criteria: Food Quality, Food Choices, Ambience, Service, Location and Parking and Value for Money. Five stars is perfect, one star is poor, while 3 star is average (mediocre)

Food Quality (4 of 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✯

Roast beef is the best in Buffet10. Image by amagnawa

Food quality is great! Their roasted beef is the most tender I have ever tasted and it suits my taste. The shrimp tempura is also the best. Most of the food are prepared really well especially in the Japanese section. 

Japanese Maki of different flavors. Image by amagnawa

One complaint that I have though is that their roasted pork is bland and tasteless. Other that that, most of the food that I tasted didn't disappoint me. Well, their salad area needs a lot of improvement.

So, overall, food quality is great but Marco Polo Hotel Restaurant have my 5 stars in this category. Their food quality is just superb!

Food Choices (4 of 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✯

Food choices is great too. I saw and tasted Filipino, Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Indian, Mediterranean, Mexican, American, and European foods. The Japanese and Chinese sections were particularly impressive. There's also sweets, juices, cakes, soda, tea and coffee for desserts and drinks.

Basmati fried rice. Image by anagnawa

Ambience (3 of 5) ⭐⭐⭐✯✯

The ambience is "okay" overall. It looked a little bit crowded but it's well lighted with ceiling decorations adds to the extravagance of the place. But overall, this is just an average restaurant and at par with Yakimix and Tokyo Table.

The Japanese section of Buffet101

Service ⭐⭐⭐✯✯

The customer service is good. The front desk is welcoming and they entertained their guests in a friendly manner. The staff is also attentive to the requests of the customers. The service is pretty quick especially when you request something to be prepared such as shakes.

Location and Parking ⭐⭐⭐✯✯ 

The location is hard to find for first time visitors especially if you won't ask the guard of the City Time Square which can be hard to see at night. The parking is small too considering the crowd that they are serving. There's an adjacent building for parking but can be a little inconvenient to park in the upper floors. 

Value for Money ⭐⭐⭐⭐✯

The price for the buffet varies depending on when during the day and week your visit is. For lunch, the price is 499 Pesos from Monday to Friday, 699 Pesos on a Saturday and 799 Pesos on a Sunday or a holiday. Dinner is 799 Pesos across the board. All of these prices are subject to 5% service charge. Senior Citizens 70 years old and above enjoys a 50% discount. Children below 3.5 feet in height enjoys Free food while children below 4.5 feet in height enjoys 399 Pesos discounted price.

There's also a special discount for a person whose birth date is on that week. If that person brings along with him two paying adults, then he or she can enjoy the food for free.

Conclusion (3.5 of 5) ⭐⭐⭐⭐✯

With the quality and the vast choices of food, Buffet101 here in Cebu is a nice and enjoyable place to go. It's a little pricey but when you're hungry and with some good friends, it's easy to forget about it. Well, until you see the bill. But seriously, you may decide to have this once a year. I'm talking about a single person or a couple without children working on a typical office job. Well, of course, anyone can go here if they have the money. But in my opinion, those with children and working as a typical employee, you may spend your money in cheaper but nonetheless good options.

For other occasions, I would recommend going to Lantaw in Busay or in Cordova for great Filipino cuisine and stunning ambience. In my opinion, they offer better overall experience.