Woo Buffet & Restaurant Lounge

If you never in your life had Chinese food before, or seen things in colour. you’ll probably like this place. In fact, if you enjoy the colour white, this is the place for you.
You know how I ended up coming here? University girls. Question thought of, question answered. I don’t understand the idea of a buffet restaurant turning into a bar lounge, you’d have to be the type of person who matches their furniture to the colour of the white walls in their home. I went there with a academically gifted girl who’s priorities are completely misguided, and her trollop girlfriend who is just the worst possible enabler for any maturing young female. So I guess it doesn’t matter how I ended up here, but whether if I’m really living my life the way God intended me to.
What I liked about this place was the attentive bus-​person by the buffets that constantly maintaining the cleanliness of the table tops, and that there plenty of desserts to choose from, but the selection of food was just ordinary and far from plentiful. It wasn’t very Asian either.
To my horror, our waiter was a Man who I went to junior high with, and obviously he was gay. This wouldn’t be relevant if not for the horribly mannered trollop who insisted on questioning him on whether if he was gay. I begged her not to, but she did it anyway.
«Uh…yes I am, what a weird question.» The waiter who shall not be named said.
I apologized profusely, and he was cool about it. Great, now I’m obligated to leave a giant tip, and I didn’t even get my food yet.
The décor had me thinking that I accidentally walked into a 90’s rap video just prior to the ‘hoes’ showing up. Neon lights, white upholstery, and a panoramic view of Dundas Square which belonged in a magazine ad marketing domestic vodka to under-​aged teens. If this were a condo, it would house to the likeness of rappers such as Drake, but since I don’t like Drake. I’m not super swell about this place. The woman I was with questioned our waiter’s sexual orientation… GET ME OUT OF HERE!!!
I think I left a twenty dollar tip on a sixty dollar meal.
Woo, that’s got to be someone’s last name… or else the name just sounds sarcastic. WOOOOOOOO BUFFETTTTTTTT…

This location closed in December 2011.

WoW! What a waste of space in my stomach! I cannot believe I walked into this place several months ago on vacation for lunch because the ambiance and the restaurant’s appeal caught our attention. Maybe as previous Unilocaler’s mentioned, that this place was designed to be a strip bar… hey it caught my attention!
I can tell you that 99% of the lunch buffet was a rice, noodle, or fried breaded item. There isn’t anything really palatable per se. It was an awful experience to pay $ 15 for food that was not even worth it. We highly NOT recommend you stumble in here unless all you’re looking for is to stuff your faces with some type of oily starch just for the sake of filling up your tummies.
Woo, why are you so appealing to eye initially and all of a sudden when you sit down to enjoy it you turn around and say SIKE!

The first time I came here (about a year ago) I was blown away by the food, particularly the crab legs. This memory prompted a friend and I to try it out this weekend. The lesson I learned? Memories can be fairly deceiving.
The buffet itself was not bad… I only eat seafood and Woo offers a pretty wide variety of this food group. They even had lobster, which I was fairly impressed by. I have two problems with the buffet, however; firstly, almost everything is labelled incorrectly. I found this pretty annoying, having a dietary restriction. Second, I don’t find that the buffet itself has very much selection. I had almost everything I wanted to eat on my first plate, which shouldn’t be the case at a buffet.
My biggest qualm was with the added gratuity… I only had one cocktail and the buffet and my bill was $ 40. I found this to be absolutely ridiculous… why would I tip 30% when I am getting my own food? Being a student, I don’t think I would tip 30% EVER.
All in all, Woo is a good place to try once but I would have a hard think about going there again (actually I probably wouldn’t go again… there are many cheaper and better Chinese restaurants in that area).

I’ve kept other Unilocaler’s reviews in mind with each visit there…
Pretty amazing and unexpected that this place was originally designed to be a strip bar.
I finally visited their washrooms tonight, only their sinks stood out as being unusual.
As for food poisoning, I have always been spared from that, here.
— — — –
Thing is, I had Team Buy coupons going in. Coupons imply savings, no?
Service was good, but on weekends, there’s an automatic 30% Service surcharge. We had two beers and two bottomless ginger ales. Argh, even w/​the coupons, our total still reached over $ 50?!! That seemed like a joke to me. The mgr patiently explained it to us… And has had to explain to many times prior.
Location was fun/​good, service was good, prices were deceptive. Quality of food was okay at most. I hear they have a rockin’ dance floor…

I think this place has taught me to be very, very wary of buying these group buy deals for restaurants. They must have some reason for needing to use these websites in the first place. And man did this place have a good reason. Almost everything there was retch-​inducing. The curry fish balls, the curry puffs, the sweet tofu, the garlic pork, most of the sushi, the salad with only two kinds of dressing, the potato topped with bacon (how can you get this one wrong??), the unintentionally dehydrated carrots and celery, etc. There were a few decent dishes but that’s because I don’t think any restaurant could screw them up– broccoli, seaweed salad, salmon sushi, chow fun. The fish was decent too. Still most of the food was awful. I’d give this place one star if it weren’t for the good service and the nice atmosphere.
And a lot of the dishes were unlabeled!

Despite working just down the street from this place, I had never been, so when my coworkers invited me out, I was game. I’ve been in the Life Square building and eaten at most of the establishments there, but Woo’s has never been on my radar. Probably for good reason.
When my coworker said «buffet» I was all in. We made a reservation (definitely do this) and we got there early and waited for our party. The place looks pretty cool, various kinds of bar glasses lit up from underneath, white leatherish chairs and simple tables.
Right off the bat, I have low expectations for service because its a buffet-​style restaurant. Service at these kinds of places is below average because all the service that’s required is for drinks and clearing dishes. Our server though was incredibly inattentive, even when we wanted the bill he couldnt be found, so that was annoying.
And then there was the food.
First off, it looked really nice when we walked up to the buffet area. Upon closer inspection, there were some major things wrong. First off, a massive chunk of the buffet was incorrectly labelled. Having an allergy to crab and lobster, I know that this kind of food usually has many dishes having crab, so I was a little concerned to try some of the unusual looking dishes for fear that I would blow up like a balloon and end up in the hospital. I stuck to what I knew; my first plate was mostly empty by the time I finished it. I tried dumplings and samosas (which were odd… almost could have passed for dessert) and veggies. I stayed away from the sushi because most of it was fish and I wasn’t taking any chances.
I tried as much stuff as I thought would be safe but there was quite a bit that was left on my plates: the beef ribs were TERRIBLE, there were about 4 noodle dishes and only one of them was any good. My coworker tried the herring and said it was a disaster and most people left stuff on their plates. Dessert was an ok experience, but vanilla and chocolate jelly? I had to try the chocolate jelly (I mean, how often do you SEE that on a menu!?) and it tasted like nesquick… the dry kind. Gross. The ice cream was hard as a rock and at least half of the plates were dirty and ALL of the cutlery at the buffet bar was dirty as well.
Quite frankly, if the thing that your staff has to focus on is clearing dishes, making food for the buffet and restocking CLEAN dishes and cutlery, this place gets a massive FAIL. Overall, its a crap place to go to eat. Go to Jack Astors and have a decently predictable lunch there, or venture out of the Life Square building and head north to find a few other all you can eat places that have better ratings than here.

In my culture woo refers to sloppy, unscientific thinking. Uncritically accepting ghosts, anti-​vax claims, hair analysis for supposed mercury toxicity, using a poor understanding of quantum mechanics to shore up your belief in ESP… well that’s Woo. Anyway, I’ve wanted to try Woo Buffet for some time on name alone. First, as I said it has «woo» in the name and that makes me giggle like a high school boy hearing your nun teacher saying «ejaculation» (which is actually a not dirty Catholic term the non-​laid non-​laity use
). Second it has the word «buffet» in it which pleases that area a couple hand lengths above my groin.
Mmmmm. Buffet.
I don’t know if Woo means anything to CUTE! Chinese Girl but buffet to her means spending two hours eating desserts. I don’t know where she puts it, either.
TeamBuy voucher in hand we hit the Woo Buffet at the crack of 11:30 am. It wasn’t quite open. And many of the dishes weren’t out yet on the tables. And I found what looked like a long pubic hair on our table. And another weird black short hair on the plate. Sigh.
I do like their plates, however. They are big and long. Ready to unload a full and dirty load right in your mouth. But, man, the kitchen staff need to shave themselves down there.
The food is about the quality of a three star Vegas hotel buffet. Great if you’re comp’ed as part of your dingy cigarette ash and semen stained room but you don’t want to pay full price for this. No way.
Being Sunday morning they had a selection of dim sum. The pork tasted like something died in my mouth although CUTE! Chinese Girl had seconds without complaint. So maybe I just don’t have a correct attitude. The shrimp were pretty good although all vanished on my second trip.
I’d bumping things up one star because the service is quite good, attentive, and friendly. Everything about this place says someone invested a lot into it (fixtures, lighting, mood, Yonge street side patio) but has walked away from it and it’s running merely because the people there want their jobs.
This place could be so much more and might well have been so much more when it opened a couple years ago.

Woo, while lacking quality food. constantly draws me in.
Woo is a buffet after all, and I have rarely had a «oo this is so quality» experience at a buffet (I come to eat large quantities only). However, if you are looking for a night of serious eating, you could do a lot worse than Woo. After all, it has a great location (especially if you have plans for a movie) and at least it tries to be trendy with it’s décor.
My favorites at Woo: dim sum, (terrible) sushi, and of course, more fried noodles than can possibly be good for me.

This is one bad Chinese buffet and I’m surprised it hasn’t gone under. I’ve first came to Woo’s when it opened and the heavy hitters wanted to try it since it was one of the few AYCE Chinese food establishments in the core and it’s close to my home. For those who are old like me, you may recall a Chinese buffet chain called Abacus who I would give a similar rating (they had several locations around the city including one in the Eaton Centre that closed back in 2002 – 2003?).
When Woo’s first opened back in 2009, they had better quality, selection and service. Individual lobster (one per person) plus roast beef was offered. The quality was decent but 4 stars at best. I would have given this place a 1 star but it’s not that bad so 2 is about right and don’t say I didn’t warn you. You also need to arrive early cos they start closing the buffet when the crowd dies. One of the pitfalls of a buffet house and it’s a vicious cycle… fewer customers = food that sits under heat lamps which may leave you wishing you never chose this place.
I’ve been here a total of 5 – 6 times for both lunch and dinner on different celebrations for friends (never my choice and last time was in late 2010) where the quality/​selection has been dropping to the point that Manchu Wok has better bang for the buck and I never eat there being Chinese with the authentic stuff not that far away. I’m assuming they cater to younger people (who haven’t developed taste buds), tourists and desperate movie goers. If you’re stuck with a bunch of starving heavyweights who don’t care about quality and selection, then this might do the trick otherwise go to the Mandarin or get real Chinese food in Chinatown.

OMG, don’t eat here! The food is horrible. My hubby & I went on a Saturday afternoon. The place was messy with food all over the floor. And when we hit the buffet, the food wasn’t too fresh. I went to the ladies room to freshen up & the washroom stank of cigarette smoke & one stall was out of order. Also very dirty. I was afraid to touch anything & I’m no germaphobe. After leaving our stomachs didn’t feel too good. I didn’t eat too much so other than an aching stomach I was fine. Hubby was not so lucky & had diarrhea. Eat here at your own peril. LOL.

My boyfriend and I decided to try this place out because we bought a coupon on teambuy that gave us a $ 12 lunch for 2 there. (Yea cheap i know!) Well Woo was pretty much the shit, and not in a good way. I think for the people who paid regular price, they are mainly paying for the décor not so much the food or customer service.
First off, the hostess and waitress weren’t exactly the friendliest. They weren’t rude, but it would be nice for them to at least smile you know? Now for food, I was VERY disappointed. I understand that I went there for lunch time, but the selection was EXTREMELY tiny, hardly fit for a buffet. In terms of food quality, I don’t see how it is any better than China Buffet King, and frankly I rather go to Mandarin. It’s cheaper, has more food, and better quality. Everything was greasy too. I’d rather go to Manchu Wok if I wanted some greasy Chinese food.
Overall, I was really looking forward to going to this restaurant only to be left disappointed. I can’t even name ONE item from the buffet that was memorable, or at least yummy. The only reason preventing me from 1 starring this place is the fact that I only paid 12 bucks, so i feel less ripped off. Never gonna return.

a bit expensive for a buffet. about $ 25 on the weekend and $ 16 or something of this kind on the weekdays.
buffet has lots of food including japanese (sushi), chinese (dumplings), korean (some of the appetizers), european (tiramisu and stuff) and even american (french fries). anyway.
not a bad variety of food for vegetarians but I would want more veg sushi. lots of desserts and fruits. and I think they even had ice cream (but I was too full to fit any of that into me).
service. was hard to find anybody who could tell me if the dishes were 100% veg (no fish sauce etc) but otherwise fast cleaning of the table and quick bill delivery.
was funny to see that the DJ is located at the bar. the music was good.
it also turns into a dance club at the night time (no idea where do they move all the tables) and I think I’d like to come here for some dancing (cover $ 10 with a guest list, $ 15 at the door)
I also think they have a patio… but it might be just an illusion…

Food? No Idea? Party Scene? Wooooooooooooooo!
Never ate at this place, probably never will eat here b/​c I’m not a fan of going to a chinese buffet. Plus if you are d/​t why would you go here when you have so many other options for chinese food over at Spadina.
If you’re looking for a place to party this is the place to go. My friends and family are regulars here every friday night for a couple of reasons.
–One, we like to party.
–Two, the music is sick; all old skool hip-​hop, r&b and reggae mixed in with a little new school.
–Three we know the DJ so we will always come out and support and we love what he spins.
–Four drinks are pretty cheap, mind you we buy on average at least 2 bottles and split that b/​w almost 20ppl a night sometimes more, it comes out to less than $ 10 each.
–Five the crowd is mixed, in race (asian and black mostly, some white), and ages (21 – 30).
–Six dress code is simple, just no hats or runners.
–Seven, decent cover, $ 15 at the door $ 10 if you’re on guestlist.
I have also partied here on a Saturday night, however the music isn’t as good as Friday’s in my personal opinion. It’s the same concept but they play some dance/​techno/​pop music. Not the biggest fan of those types of music, when they play it that’s my cue to go to the washroom, relax, or get a drink.
This has been the place I have gone to party for almost two years now, I’ve brought some of my family from the states here and they had an absolutely great time. Mind you that has to do with one big reason and that’s the music, courtesy of DJ Kariz and J Class. We (my family and friends and I) don’t go to a club b/​c of cheap drinks, or the fact that everyone parties there, we go b/​c of the music and as long as those two keep spinning at Woo my family and friends will always be partying there. The moment they leave to go to some other venue, Woo will be out of roughly 30 plus party regulars.
Items to definitely get:
— I dunno never ate here

We didn’t go here for the food, but for the lounge.
It was alright. I’m not a big clubbing person to begin with so this is similar to my other clubbing experiences; loud music, lots of people and expensive drinks. $ 32 for 4 raging bulls? Really?
I’m surprised that we had some room to dance though. Most times you’re rubbing elbows with the next person and people trying to get through just ram right through you.
Extra star for the heated lamps on the patio. I’d consider coming back here in the summer.

Well worth the lunch price.
pan-​Asian buffets.

Having watched the entirety of Jersey Boys (It’s really good! Go see it!) and returning to downtown Toronto, my cohorts and I were famished; positively ravenous; voraciously craving eats but what to do when you’ve got a large group of indecisives?!
Looking up we see the neon sign that is Woo.
BUFFET TIME!
So many choices and so much food (though, not piping hot); it was enough to woo us (ahahaha bad pun D; soz. It really needed to said). The mushrooms were incredibly juicy… chewing down on one was like a burst of water. The tandoori chicken tasted like Coca Cola (avoid!). Sushi was standard. Everything else was pretty much standard. Oh, but the coffee desert was good!
I actually thought it to be a stripper joint with the trippy mirrors + stairs and neon lights. Other than that, inside is pretty nice. I’d come back to visit again if accompanied by a large group of indecisives.

Not the worst of pan-​Asian buffets, but not the best either. This wannabe-​trendy joint is perched atop 10 Dundas West (Metropolis) right across from AMC. It was a fairly busy Friday night but we were seated right away by a cute tartlet in half a dress. (Check.) The food selection resembles that of Mandarin; sushi, typical buffet Chinese, some Dim Sum, and for no reason whatsoever, butter chicken. You could do better for $ 25, but if you’ve got a movie to catch it’s not a bad option. The service was great, i.e., ME.
Obligatory Title Pun: WOO-dn’t recommend it to everyone.
Menu Readability: Not quite applicable.
Need to mention: Instead of a basin, the sinks in the washroom consist of a hidden faucet and a flat white slab the size of an unfolded newspaper. Now I’ve seen everything.
What this place teaches me about myself: I see the dress as half-​full, not half-​empty.

Woo was originally intended to be called Woo-Woo’s and open as a 70’s themed strip club. The licensing fell through at the last moment, long after the designers and contractors were applying the finishing touches. Okay, that may be entirely fictional, but its the most plausible explanation I can come up with.
Occasional shards of garish light slash through the dark interior. Do you want the table lit for spot dances or one of the many others gloomy enough for surreptitious masturbating?
The food is arranged around what was surely meant to be the main stage. Fortunately, the brass polls have been removed. Unfortunately, the food is what you might expect from a strip club: all of it vaguely tastes and smells fishy. This might explain why the sushi is actually quite good while everything else is quite, quite bad.
Mango salad is drowning in a horrible tasting sauce. Spring rolls with pork and shrimp are abandoned after one bite. WTF is that flavour? It’s horrid. The main hot dishes are all swimming in sauces looking tired and nasty. Ribs are dry, but not intentionally dry. Har Gow is okay, but Sui mi is — you guessed it — fishy tasting.
Cheap speakers mounted in the low ceilings ensure you don’t miss a single Nickleback lyric. Are you still hungry?

This place reminds me of East China Buffet in Flushing, NY… but a crappier version. They do offer a lot of variety in Japanese food and Chinese foods. I liked the fact that they offered a roast pork sticky rice wrapped in a bamboo leaf. The sushi was okay, but the Tuna tasted very fishy. The buffet was okay, but I don’t think it was worth the money. I’ve experienced better in NY.
The food was blah but the décor was really nice. I liked the ambiance.