Yao buffet-sushi-grill in Asheville

Found this place on goggle. Drove up from Savannah, GA for a weekend wedding. This place is your typical Chinese buffet very good selection of dishes. Sushi was not as impressive good but not many choices. Service was very good and very clean. If you like this type of food and place you will not be disappointed!! I

Worst buffet Ive ever been to. Everything tasted awful and was cold. Wish Id check the ratingprior to visiting! I would give 0 stars if I could.Edit: ended up with food poisoning. Called the restaurant and reported. They didnt apologize or anything. They didnt even seem to be surprised. Told me they would have health dept call me. NEVER HAPPENED!

Food was dry and cleanness rate was low. Food was not fresh more like old and gross.

I love buffets but the food here is pretty bad. Really stale fried food even for a buffet.

Always decent food and the staff is really nice... we ear hear often. Worth every penny.

I came back to give them a second chance after a horrible experience a few weeks back. Used to love this place but the pice went up and quality way down. Most the food was old and cold. Which happens at buffets but more was cold than hot. But to top it off the service was terrible. I never once got a refill, I was past 5 times in 10 mins and nothing. Could I have asked ? Sure but since there was 7 people here and the waitress just sat in a chair watching the door I feel they could have helped. Don’t come here, it’s terrible especially with 2 other buffets in town that treat you better

I dont really like this type of food or restaurant.sp my opinion is skewed.BUT the server was attentive, it was clean and the buffet was stocked

While the wait service was kind and quick to serve, the food Quality was mediocre. It reminds me of restaurants that opened 15-20 years ago and were initially very successful and popular, but have since changed owners and quality has gone down.

Food was under cooked or over cooked bar was all but empty n unedable worse ever after eating there for many years I wont be back terrible experience the quality was way under par

It was ight. The food had been sitting out for a while and this wasnt one of those cases where its an awkward time to refill food it was 6 and they close at 9

It was so so. I was disappointed in the quality of the food and freshness. My waitress was very good though. We should have gone to Asiana on Hendersonville Road, because they are much better!

Outstanding Asian buffet. Btw... the pepper steak is the best I have ever had! Delicious!

Excellent Chinese buffet with lots of options. The sushi was really good too. The hibachi was a little overcooked but overall it was an excellent experience. Ive been twice and it was constantly good.

Time I got there theres nothing on the bar far as really having anything delicious to eat at that particular time for lunch maybe I got there late I dont know but still its a business of service. I will never go back to that establishment again Ive had some great times with him maybe this is one time that that they really not caring about their product and about the customer.

Used to love this place but… There was no new food at 7:30 pm and no food was brought out by the time we left at 8:10. It was $40 for two and they didn’t have any selections or new food for the a dinner rush? Empty trays and only 3 items in others. It also looked very old like it was from lunch? Btw big families were still coming in as we left. Very disappointed idk if I’ll be going back for dinner. Wait staff is always nice though!

The food quality has decreased since our last visit. Several items had been under the heat too long. Server did well keeping up with our large group

At early dinner there with partner March of last year. Horrible experience. No high end dishes. but mostly cheap old fried selections. No fresh food was put out. Dessert bar was a pity yet had the gall to charge for soda. I didnt eat at all. Remember when buffet at this location was top notch. What a comedown. Keep away!

What food I liked was alright I wish they had a little more variety like other types of steaks, but the rice blah no good

Im addicted to this place. Great selection of different types of food. Prices are always fair and reasonable. Love this place for a quick take-out. Beats fast good for about the same price.

They didnt have a adequate menu selection on the buffet they had no chicken wings they had no shrimp the food was cold and what wasnt cold was hard

The food was good here except we were there between lunch and dinner so most of the trays of food were empty they didnt really keep them full. Otherwise it was okay Ive been in better.

Quantity over quality. No flavor, most wasnt hot enough either. Place had nice decor but thats about it.

There are so many different things to eat here you cannot choose! It is difficult not to overeat because there are so many tasty treats that you just want to taste everything. Yummy yummy food.

This review is mostly for the family that owns Yao and Asiana. I have worried for several years on how to talk to you all about Yao as this restaurant is closer to where I live than the Asiana.Before Covid both restaurants were the best Chinese buffets that I have ever been to in North Carolina and Tennessee. I always compared the others to your restaurants and felt proud that AshevIille had the best Chinese restaurant in two states. Unfortunately, I cant say the same anymore. The quality of Yao has gone down. I want to ask you to PLEASE raise the price of your buffet and return to the quality of food that I used to boast about to people. I know raising the price could be the death of the restaurant, but I am sure that low quality food will kill a restaurant quicker. I am willing to pay a higher price for food that is of good quality. I have known this family for years and started eating there when it was the Szechuan Palace across the parking lot. The owners family are wonderful people and I would never bring this up if I didnt care about this family and restaurant. If others agree with me, please post here also to let them know that we would support having to pay more for exceptional food. Thank you family of Mr Yao.

Its a nice place, plenty of parking. Good selection for the buffet, no hot mustard, chilli sauce etc. No ice cream. The soup was pee warm We both thought the food was only on the warm side, not hot. The salad bar and dessert offering were good. Pricing for the buffet was $12.99 per plate, ice tea $2.50. this was my second time, similar issues. I think Ill try a different place the next time

The food is subpar. Very nice and clean but the food has no taste. Really bland. Sushi was decent though.

We visited Yao on a Monday night which apparently is a usual slow night there. Surprisingly the buffet wasnt full of long sitting semi-warm food.They really did keep smaller portions on the bar! My only complaint is that they didnt have the food labeled. For me this made my selection process a little more difficult but I did figure it out of course. Haha

One of the better Asian buffets Ive been to in quite a while. The food was very good the place was very clean and the decor was quite nice. If I lived closer I would come back often.

Yao buffet was very good. Amazing variety, & most all was delicious. Cauliflower, not so much, but crab Rangoon & pepper steak were excellent. $15 for salad, appetizer, dinner and dessert is pretty darn good!

Steak was sour, told them they tasted it and with a sour look themselves they said its not sour. Bad meat can give you food poisoning, one bite was enough to make not chance it, they left it on the bar.

Place is like win or lose. At all times it can be bad and good. When they arent busy you either get old food or get plenty food with great service. Same with when they are busy. Really slow service with plenty fresh food. Still like going there with the family bad or not

Very good buffet. Theres a salad bar, sushi, a ton of entries and sides (including classic American options like pizza or french fries), soups, sea food, dumplings, fruit, and a pretty wide range of desserts. The hibachi is also fast and delicious, and the staff are always friendly.

Wow! Let me say first and foremost that I am not a Chinese food lover, but this place is so far the best Ive found. Im a dumpling(gyozalover and theirs here was great. They were streamed and I prefer fried, but still delicious. Lots of options, especially for younger kids. My 11 yr old son isnt a fan, like me but hes more picky. He ate here fine and more then he usually does when we eat out. The only item I had an issue with was the ranch dressing. I like a thinner, more runny dressing and theirs was really thick, like pudding consistency. We paid around $12 a person. There was 4 of us and it was under $60 total. Definitely give this place a try. Worth the price and we all left full!

I had hibachi grilled steak with veggies and noodles. Along with a variety of sushi, sashimi, dumplings, and ribs. I started it of with a seafood curry.

Dont listen to the Karens. This is the best buffet around Asheville, and Ive tried them all for 20 years. This place is #1, followed by twin dragons in Brevard #2, then shogun buffet #3, then asiana #4. All are very close and all are very good, but this one, everything I got was good. No complaints at all. Each item was high quality, and $14 for dinner 2022.

Nothing is fresh food nasty my kids said it was nasty they want Macdonalds instead don’t waste your time or money

Food was great and they have plenty to choose from. Staff is polite and attentive. Very clean throughout.

I LOVE this buffet. It is everything you want in a grand buffet.Food - Delicious, heartily stocked, and freshAtmosphere - Pleasant and calming with plenty of seatingServers - Prompt to bring drinks and take dirty dishesI definitely recommend this if you have the appetite for it.

I wish I took photos but I was too busy eating! Overall the food is really good, by buffet standards. The pad Thai was my favorite (no spice though - still really good)!! We came during a time when it was busy enough for them to be consistent in bringing out fresh food, so I think that helped with the quality of the food. The dessert bar was pretty basic but still decent.. They have good variety and tasty food, definitely worth trying out. We will be back.

DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY! We got here around 3:”” on a Saturday. The restaurant was not clean, the food was ALL old and dried out. They were horrible at refilling drinks. We asked for them to bring fresh food out, and literally waited like 40 minutes for them to start to bring edible items out. When they did, rice and noodles were so burnt tasting you couldn’t eat them. They were out of egg rolls at a Chinese restaurant. You should leave a buffet full- but we all left hungry and praying we didn’t get sick from what we did eat! Don’t worry: they serve you your check immediately- that’s about it!

I really enjoyed the egg drop and sweet n Sour soups , salt n pepper prawns, and strawberry Ice cream with Oreo cookie crumbs...

We went on a Monday which seem to be a slow day for them. No hostess just sat where ever we wanted. The food was old even though lunch just changed over to dinner. I did not see crablegs or froglegs some reviews did say on weekends only. They are probably right. The service from the staff and the owner were good from our interactions with them. Our waitress did just get us drinks and disappeared; however, if you needed help the staff responded. The food got refill while we were eating so they do make fresh food as people come in. The sushi was fresh not hard, buffet was refill with new food, and the chicken pho noodles were the best Ive had for a buffet. Even the Pad Thai tasted like actual Pad Thai from a sit down restaurant. They had some items that I was surprised to fine at a buffet including Vietnamese Springs Rolls, Taro Buns, Tum Yum Soup, and a whole ice cream topping section with ice cream already souped for you in a bowel. They have lots of vegetarian choices too. All in all, they run a business and cooks to the demands and needs of the customer. It was a pleasant experience. I took one star for the old food but fresh food was good and place is clean. Personally prefer this buffet over Asiana in Skyland. Covid precautions is a plus! Glad there is a decent buffet on this side of town in convenient location too.

This was the most horrible experience I have ever had. The food was horrible!! I am not returning. The food was dried out lime it has been there all day. No one ever attempted to refill the empty sections. Gross!!The server never looked at us or spoke to us. She got our drinks and walked away until she brought our ticket. I couldnt even get her attention. The pictures are flattering compared to the taste.

If you never hear from me again then youll know ive died from food poison/sticker shock. Food had looked like it had been in the pans since they opened. Place was completely trashed I think the bathrooms was the cleanest part of the restaurant. What happened? I used to love this place. Price was no better for lunch because I was charged the dinner price. They insisted I came at 330 but it was more like 2:45.

Awesome buffet! Food was fresh and hot!! Loved all of the different varieties of soup.

A very nice American Chinese food buffet with tasty versions of all that you would expect. There is also sushi and a hibachi grill that is fresh and delicious. The restaurant is also pleasingly decorated and clean with kind staff.

I love it I have to say that this is what all buffet restaurants should be like everything is goodI would definitely recommend it

First Time dining here. The restaurant was clean, open, and inviting! We received immediate attention once inside the doors. The host was pleasant and directed us to a table. The food was good; I stay very basic with food selections; no seafood or fish for me. My husband took advantage of the large selection of entrees and he went back for seconds. We will return to Yao Buffet Sushi Grill on our next visit to Asheville!

A "5" one day and a "3" on another day! They have no idea how to make Pho, do dont bother with it. The fried blue crabs were good but needed sharp knives and crackers to manage the claws. Nice selections of Chinese and Asian dishes with enough standard American fare to satisfy the traditionalist is your group. Very friendly and helpful staff.

This is a really nice place to eat Chinese food and enjoy specious seating area and friendly staff. Except most often the cashier almost never smiles, not sure why. The food options are great, sushi bar, BBQ grill, salad bar, meats, seafood, soups, noodles and dessert. We enjoy eating here a coupe of times a month. I recommend it to anyone looking for good variety of Chinese food options.