HomeTown Buffet

Weekend breakfast is great. I like to go to breakfast late so I can dabble in a little lunch as well!

Em, not a good place to eat. Paid dinner price for lunch time on Sunday. Most Chicken are not cooked.

darn, they’ve closed.
This was my saturday night dinner spot for years. I work weekends so I get home from work getting off at the UC BART station, conveniently walk directly across the street and enjoy their saturday night buffets which almost always included deep-​fried batter shrimp, and sirloin steak — which was pretty darn good.
I’m gonna miss Tracy the manager, Victor, Amador, and all her very pleasant & friendly workers…
If they’re reading this, I’m the «skateboard guy».

If you have any respect for your taste buds, you will go somewhere else — to McDonalds, even.
This place is a class act certified DUMP. There is a reason why they filed for Chapter 11 — their food is awful! When they first opened in the late 80’s, early 90’s, their food was pretty good. The restaurants were packed, the food was refreshed often, and they offered a good variety for the fairly reasonable price. Out of nostalgia, my husband and I decided to bring our kids to Hometown buffet (3 and 4 years old, respectively).
The food was not the great food of the 80’s. The food was barely warm, overcooked, and tasted nappy. The best thing there was the soft serve ice cream, which is not saying much because that is made from a premade mix. The food was so bad, in fact, that even my kids and husband (all of which whom will eat ANYTHING when hungry) didn’t want to eat.
We ended up leaving and going to Wingstop.

Filed for Chapter 11! Location closed indefinitely!

Cozy, But There’s Room For Improvement
I gave this location 4 stars in the past, but it’s gone downhill since 2010. Still, I feel more comfortable here than at any other location (it’s quite spacious and cozy inside).
Some Suggestions:
First off, the prices should be fixed for more than a minute. They’re more unstable here than Kim Kardashian’s marriage was. Lunch, for example, was recently $ 4.99, but is now $ 6.59. You also never know how much Dinner is going to be (just expect it to be over $ 12 with tax).
There shouldn’t be a separate beverage charge (you’re charged $ 1.99 more if you want something other than water). It’s just easier and better to charge one flat rate for meals. Customers who only want water save some money, but it’s easy to lie and get something else and not have to pay for it (different colored cups used to be given out, but not now). The whole thing is just lame and unnecessary (the receipt slips are marked up, but expecting the bussers to monitor customers is too much to ask). It also slows things down if there’s a line (I always want unlimited beverages, but I still pause for a second to think about it simply because I’m being asked to make a choice).
I had lunch here with my wife and parents on Monday.
The cashiers are friendly, but our cashier on Monday was also somewhat disinterested.
After your visit, you can complete a survey over the phone for a chance to win $ 1,000 (it doesn’t say on my receipt how quickly you have to call).
The receipt slips are useful. Have yours turned up if you’re saving your table, and turn it down if you’re completely done eating to indicate that the table can be bussed (the slips mention all this).
The Saturday Evening Post:
I love the framed posters here. They’re wonderfully old school, and they help to create a warm and inviting environment.
The restrooms are sometimes dirty, but the restaurant is kept pretty clean overall.
The food was hit or miss on Monday.
The strawberry jello was great.
The garlic bread (the pieces are long and thin) tasted fine, but was too crunchy.
The grilled cheese was worse. There wasn’t much cheese, and the bread was hard as hell.
The wedge-​cut fries were tasty and cooked well.
My mom didn’t care for the sauce, but I really liked the teriyaki chicken. I devoured the 2 pieces I had.
The meat was okay, but the small chicken strips (I think they’re made for kids) were overcooked.
The taco meat was greasy, but very good.
The rolls were soft and tasty.
My wife didn’t finish the huge drumstick on her plate because the meat was too pink.
The stuffing and mashed potatoes were solid, and so were the hard-​boiled eggs.
The cheeseburger sliders were great. I had 2 with some ketchup (there was a ketchup bottle at our table, but I also took some ketchup packets from the small condiment area behind the register). I would have added some mayo, but it’s not available here.
My mom was happy when I snagged 2 enchiladas for her (the tray was then empty), but my wife never got one (the tray was small, and I think it was only replenished once while we were here– we were around for over an hour).
My mom had 3 things for dessert (I’m not sure what), and finished them all off.
The label was in the wrong spot, but my wife liked her peach cobbler, and we both enjoyed our vanilla soft serve ice cream.
My mom swiped a bunch of straws, but no food this time.
My wife grabbed a damaged fork at first. I retrieved another one for her.
My mom and I avoided the ICEE machine. I wanted some Cherry Coke, though (I avoid drinks with caffeine and sugar most of the time), but it was out at both fountain machines (another customer was disappointed too).
The drinks that I did have (ex: Barq’s Root Beer; Diet Sprite Zero; Powerade Lemon Lime) were fine.
2 women bussed our table (they were both great). They worked hard and were friendly (the main busgirl was very cute too). We left a $ 3 tip behind (I would have contributed, but I didn’t have any singles– my dad tried to get change for a $ 20, but, in his words, he was told that he had to «make a transaction»).
The main parking lot is pretty big, but you may want to park at the back of the restaurant (by McDonald’s) when it’s busy.
My dad disappeared for awhile (he can be quite chatty). He found out from a guy that a bus driver he knew just passed away.
The food here is generally good, and the prices are okay, but bring coupons if you’re able.
It could be better, but this HomeTown Buffet is fairly solid.

To make a long story short:
+1 for 5 $ breakfast.
+1 for chocolate chip pancakes and slurpee machines (beverages cost extra, but c’mon. slurpees!).
–3 for everything else.
I went here this past Saturday for breakfast. Between 10am to 11am, you get an all-​you-​can-​eat breakfast for 5 $. Take your time because they transition to lunch at 11am, which means new selections :)
Okay, so why two stars? Because this place is pretty ghetto. Once you sit down, you’ll know what I’m talking about. The ambiance, the décor, the manager yelling at her employees. Wanna what’s REALLY ridiculous? They have an omelette station, but they only one have person running it with only ONE SINGLE SERVE PAN! You can imagine how impatient and frustrated I was when the lady in front of me ordered 5 omelettes.

TL;DR
Food quality has gone down the drain. Good customer service, cheap food, especially for lunch.
So I still remember the first time Hometown Buffet swarmed California when I was a kid, people use to form longgg lines just to get in. Now 18 years later no one even bothers coming.
I had a bogo coupon w/​purchase of 2 drinks (you can get this by signing up for their e-​mail listing) which made it out to be 14 dollar ish per person, really cheap dinner meal. I wanted to note that the person at the front was just very nice, iono how but she just was haha.
When I got in, we found a seat, which was easy, since it was virtually empty on a Tuesday. We went up to get food and there was the typical, really bad looking salad bar, fried chicken, mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, etc., etc.
I tried a little bit of everything and honestly, everything tastd pretty bad haha. I remember even coming here about 6 – 7 years ago and the quality wasn’t bad. Iono if it was just this location, but the food quality was just bad, and I didn’t even expect very much. The fried chicke nwas pretty dry, and the mashed potatoes tasted kind of funny. But the mac and cheese was good tho. The chinese stir fry, Iono how past reviews could have said it was a good, cuz it was HORRIBLE.
Overall the food was pretty bad. On the plus side they have an icee machine! But for the cheap meal, if you’re REALLY not picky, I guess it’s bearable. The dessert is also horrible.

I’ll cut to the chase here — you get what you pay for.
I stopped in here today looking for cheap lunch options — to be honest, we could not decide where to eat. The idea of a buffet with all sorts of hot delicious foods sounded good. I think the folks at Hometown kinda fall short when it comes to execution though.
Back to my first opening volley — HTB does have this going on for them. Lunch was under $ 6. Even if you opted for the additional $ 2 slurpee/​soda/​coffee unlimited beverage bar option, you’re still looking at unlimited food and drink for just $ 8. I challenge you to find another place that can match HTB’s paltry fee for lunch.
It’s been awhile since I ate here — everything looked very familiar. Rows of hot food stations, a large salad station, and a little dessert corner tucked away in the back (complete with 2 different soft serve machines).
Saladwise, they did a good job at providing a varied spread of healthful ingredients to make your own guilt-​free attempt at lunch. Lots of toppings an diced fresh veggies to load up on. The premade walnut mandarin orange salad was tasty.
The hot food stations were hit and miss. Hits would include freshly made deep fried chicken, mac and cheese, and the chicken veggie teriyaki stir fry (so good on rice). Misses were the spaghetti without meatballs, the dried out fish fillets (these are poached right? how can this be possible?), and the dreadful looking taco bar. The ground beef that I was supposed to put in my taco shell looked more like it came out of a can I’d open for Fido. The premade deep fried tacos didn’t look much better. Pass on the taco bar alltogether, folks.
Desserts were acceptable to good. The small cheesecake squares were tasty and light — same with the chocolate mousse cake. The chocolate soft serve was okay — nothing to write home about, and the orange sherbert soft serve was actually very good. The coconut cream pie kinda fell apart when I tried to get a slice. Puddings, cookies, and brownies round out the offerings.
Yes, Hometown Buffet is lacking in several areas — most notably in the hot food section… but the salad bar and the dessert station more than make HTB a good bet. Compared to $ 15 or $ 20 buffets, HTB would be left in the rear of the pack. But for $ 6? …All they want is $ 6 for lunch?
A very solid and respectable 3 outta 5 from me for HTB. They’re not aiming for the moon, and they do what they do fairly well. $ 6!

TIP: On the weekends, come in around 10AM or 10:30AM for breakfast and then stay for when the buffet turns into lunch food at 11AM. Easy brunch buffet! This might work between other mealtimes too.
TIP #2: Don’t put too much on your plate at once. Of course, this is a general rule at all buffets. Pace yourself and you will be able to eat through every single island there.
SPECIFIC FOOD TIPS:
— The pancakes will improve in texture and retain heat better if you pop them in the toaster. Grab a few, pop em in, go grab some other food, and then come pick your pancakes up.
— Most things are either brown or white – chicken strips, mashed potatoes, etc. etc. Stick to the salad bar if you want healthier fare.
— Condiment rack is in the back – there’s all types of hot sauces, BBQ sauces, mustard, ketchup, sriracha, etc.
— There are sugar free desserts! Not that I was looking for them (I swear!) I was at the dessert bar and I asked the lady on the other side what this nondescript cookie was, and she said it was sugar free. No other flavor, just… sugar free. It was weird. Be sure to ask to make sure if you’re on a special diet.
The food is nothing special. The quantity is under your control, so if you feel sick after eating here, that’s on you because you probably ate the fried chicken, then a slice of pepperoni pizza, then made tacos at the taco bar, then inhaled some red and green jello, then had a slice of pumpkin pie before filling a dish with soft serve and topping it with sprinkles. And all of that was washed down with Coke and Sprite.
For those looking for healthier choices – you won’t see the calorie count posted here like at Fresh Choice, and the salad bar is a little sad compared to Fresh Choice or Sweet Tomatoes. No fresh fruit. More toppings than salad staples (think buckets of bacon bits, fried wonton strips, and blue cheese crumbles but wilted spinach and lettuce selections). But it’s okay in a pinch, and you can definitely eat your money’s worth of salad here.

The worst HTB I have ever been to. The food was DRY and rock hard. You’ll have to drag me to get me to come back.

Last time I went, the mac n cheese was super runny and nothing tasted alright. Besides the French fries. Also, it’s overpriced for the food they serve you. No thank you!

Oh Hometown Buffet where to begin!!! First off let me tell you that my stomach is churning at the thought of writing this review, but I have to Unilocal about it and hopefully management will read these reviews and do something about the condition of this place? In my dreams right.
We came here for dinner on Saturday and oh dear God, we will Never Ever Ever return. I decided to visit the restroom prior to going to the buffet and wash my hands. When I walked in, I noticed that the bathroom is a dump, tissue everywhere, USED, yes you read right USED sanitary napkins on the floor and to top it off, there was vomit all over the end stall. I have been to my share of clubs and lemme tell you to imagine the worst bathroom you have seen at a club and quadruple it. I started dry-​heaving and hightailed out of the restrooms to find my family and tell them I could simply not eat there. People always say to imagine the conditions of the kitchen based on the cleanliness of the restrooms.
I didn’t even bother to let management know because I told my husband to drive me home immediately because I needed to throw up.
MINUS 10+ STARS
I WILL NEVER RETURN, AND HAVE BEEN MAKING SURE TO TELL MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS NOT TO EVEN BOTHER GOING EITHER!

We used to go there almost every week with my parents, and the food was reasonably edible when the bald guy was manager — he was very friendly, and while I’ve never been a big fan of Hometown Buffet food, he made the dining experience fairly enjoyable.
Things went downhill fast after they put some angry fat old woman in charge. At first, she changes the pricing by separating the dinner from the drinks, which we actually thought was good because we drink water with meals. But later on she made up some rule about parties of six having to buy drinks (which we never saw posted anywhere). When we asked to split up the check because we didn’t want to buy drinks, she accuses us of lying to her. About what?! We never said we weren’t together, and c’mon, it’s a buffet — it’s not like they had to do any extra work.
When we complained about being called liars, she said we were free to go somewhere else, which we promptly did. And we’ve never gone back.

Hometown buffets just a low quality buffet, but its definately worth it since theres no other buffets in this general area. I definately loved the drink bar (i remember where you didnt have to pay extra for a drink).
The mashed potatoes here use to be made with real potatoes — now it tastes like watered down powdered potatoe mix.

Because of a real nice coupon sheet inserted in our daily newspaper, my fiancé, my soon-​to-​be stepchildren and I went to visit Hometown Buffet for dinner. There was a long line that night. However, the awesome cashier did a real nice thing: she let everyone in to find their tables and asked the payers to just stay in line for paying. I thought that was awesome. There were seniors with their canes and walkers and they went to find tables in order to not stand for long. That was really a good move.
All-​you-​can-​eat plus a drink, I only paid less than $ 10 for myself. That was a great coupon deal! My fiancé paid for regular adult price plus drink with two free kids for less than $ 14. That was not bad either. We easily found a table and went around to scope out the food.
They have a real nice salad bar. Fresh greens and bits of bacon! You can never go wrong with bacon. They also had different kinds of dressing to choose from. I was in salad heaven! Their main courses were plenty for what I paid for. I loved their crispy fried chicken, the grilled steak and coconut shrimp. They also have a bunch of good desserts: pies, cakes, cookies and ice cream. Lots of drink selections too. Great plus to have milk and chocolate milk available for the kids.
For a real cheap cost, their selections were good. I just don’t understand why people here bitch about not having enough selections. Come on, if you want more selections, go to a more expensive restaurant.
All I can say is that the kids loved it. We will definitely go back for more.

They never have enough selection for me, I end up eating the same thing every new plate. I still go here once in a while when friends want to and recently im not feeling the new price change. Yes its cheaper, but paying for a soda makes it the same price.
I would say the best thing about this restaurant, is the bathrooms. I wouldn’t mind (and I did this once) put my ass on that toilet after getting full.

I cannot believe I went here! It has been about 12 years since I last went to a Hometown. I swore i would never go again, but I went because a friend wanted to go. I’m such a great friend right?
It’s your standard buffet. Nothing special. They have a lot of fried food… surprise surprise. I love the icee’s there and they aren’t fake slushies but REAL icees! with coke and cherry flavors! It’s so great! I did feel sick after eating there… but that might be because I stuff myself. whoops!
The staff was so so, food was never empty and it
as fairly clean. The bathrooms were clean so that was a plus!
Price is right 9.99 for dinner and 5.99 for breakfast or lunch. It might be fun to go for breakfast one day.
A good deal for someone looking for quantity over quality.

I’ve been forced to eat here on many occasions and it’s always a drag. The food is generic and tasteless (think frozen food dishes). It’s a flash back to elementary school cooking. If you’re looking to feed many, on the cheap and don’t care about the impression you leave; Hometown Buffet has you covered.
The good:
–Salad & fruit bar
–Staff
–Parking
–Senior discount
–Child discount
The bad:
–Poor food selection.
–Tons of junky carbs. Spaghetti, macaroni & cheese, rice, mash potato, baked potatoes,
French fries, bread, pizza (I just named a good 60% of the menu).
Unless you are a soccer mom (HOT!) and you have a van full of hungry kids (who will drown everything in ketchup) give another place a shot –trust me you are not missing out.
Based on my weekly (FORCED) visit. :(

The place is alright, great food but the people are not so friendly. The environment is decent, nothing fancy.
They have an ICEE machine 3 Flavors :) & Cappuccino Machine 3 flavors.
I went here on Saturday, you can stay as long as you please! (without dirty looks!) and i had my laptop with me there (No one said anything other people even had their laptops!
Every like 45 min a chef would come around and serve you something that is not out yet.
Waiters&waitresses would coe aroun and collect your plates and utensils.
⁴⁄₅.