Buffet 101 Cebu: Luxurious or Affordable?

What is Buffet 101?

Buffet 101 is an all-you-can-eat restaurant chain under Grand Resto, the mother company that also manages the chain of Yakimix restaurants here in the Philippines. It offers the widest selection of Filipino, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Western cuisine.

Located in  City Time Square in Mandaue City, Cebu (just across Parkmall), Buffet 101 prides itself on having the biggest buffet spread in Cebu, and even in the whole Philippines.

According to its Cebu owner, Robert Chua, the buffet restaurant has a food spread of about 145 meters and a dining area that can accommodate 580 people – with two function rooms reserved for private gatherings. With a total restaurant area of 1,500 square meters, it truly is a massive dining place like no other.

The extremely high ceilings, intricate lightings, marble floors, and luxurious furnishings give off that Instagrammable five-star hotel vibes, at an affordable rate.

Also check: Chikaan Il Corso: Homecooked Goodness by the Sea

Buffet 101 Price

Buffet 101 has one of the most reasonable buffet prices in Cebu. For less than P1,000, you can already feast on mouthwatering international cuisines. You’ll get more bang for your buck! 

However, the kids’ buffet rate might be a little unreasonable. (I was shocked when we were told that we had to pay for the full adult price for our 8-year-old son who stands at 4 feet. And all I can remember was him eating only spaghetti, a slice of chicken, and a cupful of gummies and ice cream. Oh well….)

Here’s the list of Buffet 101 Cebu updated buffet rates.

Buffet 101 Menu

There are more than ten labeled and unlabeled stations at Buffet 101, which serves familiar and international dishes that will please both adults and children. It offers a variety of food combinations, including finger food, pizza, pasta, grilled seafood, yakitori, Japanese hot pot, European comfort food, and more.

Below are some foods they serve in each station:

• Sushi, Sashimi, and Maki Rolls
• Chinese Viands
• Carving Station (Beef)
• Carving Station (Pork)
• Tempura Station
• Seafood Area
• Dessert Station
• Salad and Appetizer Atelier
• La Boulangerie Atelier (a huge variety of bread)
• L’Epicerie (variety of cheese and cold cuts)
• Filipino Atelier
• Korean Atelier
• Thai Atelier
• North Indian Atelier
• Japanese – Sushi and Sashimi Atelier
• Japanese – Hot Japanese Atelier
• Chinese – Chinese Wok Atelier
• Chinese – Steam Baskets Atelier
• Chinese – Pecking Duck Oven Atelier
• Asian Noodles Atelier
• French Stove Atelier
• Wood-Fired Oven Atelier
• L’Ecailler Atelier (some cooked seafood)
• Churrasco Atelier (for meat lovers)
• Rotisserie Atelier
• Chocolaterie
• Creamery (different ice cream flavors)
• La Patisserie (a variety of French pastries)

Some of these foods may not be available as they change their menu every 4 days.

Buffet 101 Review: Our Experience

An all-you-can-eat dinner sounds like the best way to celebrate a birthday. But it wasn’t what we initially planned for our daughter’s birthday. After all, driving around Metro Cebu on a rainy Friday sounded less exciting.

The Place

Then we decided to give Buffet 101 a go after doing some research. The facade wasn’t an eye candy as I expected it to be; it was under repairs and it look a tad dark.

Upon stepping inside, the entrance lobby is quite narrow, but the high ceiling does the job to make the place look spacious. 

And when we were ushered to the dining area, all of my not-so-good first impressions about the place were gone. I was taken aback by how huuuuge and lavish the place was.

Sophisticated lighting and chandeliers adorned the high ceilings making the whole place well-lit. Different food stations were wrapped around the place and countless numbers of tables and chairs were neatly arranged all throughout.

The place is indeed huge compared to other buffet restaurants that we’ve been to – no doubt about that. However, the downside to it is that there’s little room left to move your chairs. And if you have toddlers and kids with you, the aisle section is a bit cramped for us to move around. 

The Food & Drinks

My family was kinda the picky eaters (especially my in-laws), but I heard nothing but praises for Buffet 101 Cebu’s wide array of food.

Whether you’re a die-hard meat lover or seafood lover,  you’ll have a lot to feast on. From roasted beef, lechon, chicken inasal, to fresh shrimp, oysters, salmon, scallops – the option is limitless.

As for your Asian food cravings, Buffet 101 Cebu serves dimsum, varieties of sushi, and more. They also serve popular Filipino dishes like bulalo, and kare-kare, to name a few. 

Craving greens? Don’t worry, they do have the best-tasting veggie main courses, sides, and salads on display. And my favorite of them all is the baked broccoli with cheese which is over-the-top delicious. I’m not even a cheese fan, but that one is for the books!

They also serve a good variety of kid-friendly dishes like spaghetti, French fries, mashed potatoes, nachos, fried pork strips, fried chicken, and a whole lot more.

But I think what kept my kiddos coming back for more was the candy station which has full of kiddie munchies like gummies, marshmallows, and sprinkles, to name a few.

For the drinks, you’d never settle for one as you have a couple of juices to choose from, sodas, draft beer, coffee, tea, and even wine.

And it wouldn’t be a complete dinner without desserts. You can choose from bite-sized pastries and “kakanins”, ice cream, popsicles, macaroni salad, and halo2x (which you can assemble based on your liking). My favorite probably would be the mango cheesecake.

Buffet 101 Cebu truly lived up to its name as having the biggest buffet spread in the metro. However, as a bread lover myself, I find the choices pretty underwhelming when you compare it to Vikings or Cafe Bai. 

For the drinks, I’d say Vikings has a wider variety as they have more drinks to choose from (last time we went there they even had milktea, and my favorite cucumber lemonade). But overall, Buffet 101 food tastes good (and my family would affirm that).

The Service

I know that working in the hospitality and food industry is a very challenging one (coz we used to own a food franchise), especially during peak days. The place gets crazy busy and employees were pulled into different directions just to be on top of everything. But I wasn’t quite impressed with Buffet 101’s service. 

Sure, the food gets refilled on time (kudos to that!), and the birthday dancers were graceful. But I never felt that welcoming vibes from their crew, especially those at the customer service counter. From the moment I called their number for reservation, up to the time we requested our bill – I’d say that they need to work on their customer service skill. And it wasn’t just me; there were also other guests who complained at the counter at that time. 

Buuut, I’d like myself to believe that they probably just had a very long day and that was just one of the rare instances of bad service.

Buffet 101 Cebu Video

How to Get There?

If you are bringing your own car, you can get directions by using Google Maps or Waze. Just type Buffet 101 Mandaue. And it’s easier to spot since it’s just across Parkmall. 

If you are commuting from Cebu City, take a jeepney going to SM City Cebu (Mabolo), and from there take another one with a route code of 01k which is bound to Parkmall.

Tips

Already planning to dine at Buffet 101 Cebu? Here are a couple of tips that we want to share with you for a better experience.

• Call in for a reservation a day or two ahead of time. They do accept walk-ins, but if you want guaranteed seats and to avoid a long wait, making a reservation is ideal.

• When you call in for a reservation, it’s worth asking customer service if they can assign you to a table with less traffic and ample legroom (especially when you have kids with you). I found quite a few of them while I was strolling the place and wished I’d known it sooner. 

• If you’re planning to take good photos and videos to share online, I highly recommend that you come in early. It’s waaay efficient (and less awkward) to stroll around and take out your camera when there are only a few people queueing at the food stations. 

• To avoid long queues and delays upon checkout, I recommend paying ahead once your assigned crew does the final headcount and tallying.

Buffet 101 Picture Compilation

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Nearby Dining Spots

There are plenty of dining options in this area, and below are a few of them:

• Dagdaks Bar and Restaurant
• Happilen Diner
• Bris.ket Steakhouse and Restobar
• Dae Ga Unlimited