Years ago a colleague introduced me to Market Creations on Stetson Avenue just off Michigan Avenue. The buffet selection was always top and the price was never one that left my wallet empty or my credit card balance gasping. Now that I work on the West Side of downtown, I was pleasantly pleased to discover that there is a Market Creations in Sears Tower.
Happiness.
The only drawback is that it packs out quickly. But that is okay. The food is still on like a light and the price isn't all that bad, still. There is a sushi bar addition to the cafe that I did not recall seeing at the Stetson Avenue location. So, now there is an option: American buffet or sushi. Â So glad for options near where I work that pander to my appetite and budget.
I come here every day for lunch for their salad bar. They have an awesome selection which gets replenished constantly. They have pretty much anything you could imagine putting on a salad and then some. I typically load up with a decent selection of veggies, eggs, bacon, sunflower seeds and chicken and my salad ends up being around $4. It's pay by weight so my trick is to keep a bottle of dressing in the fridge at work and add that when I get back to my desk.
I haven't tried anything else there yet but their hot station buffet looks appealing as well. I would imagine that can get a little pricey though. They also have quite the selection of sushi.
When you first walk in (if going around lunch time) it can look like it's packed. Rest assure the ladies at the check out are very speedy and get you in and out in no time. I've also eaten there a few times with my husband and we've never had a problem finding a seat.
Trust me, I was as skeptical as it comes when a co-worker incessantly pushed to try sushi from the Sears Tower buffet (I will not actual it as Willis). Â I finally ran out of excuses and gave into the pressure. Â I was floored by the quality, granted its not the best in the city (I reserve that status for Sushi Wabi - RIP...), it was still pretty damn good.
Sushi in the loop is hit or miss - you are either stuck with refrigerated pre-made CVS/711 type sushi or you walk out with a $18 tab still wanting more. Â There's a good variety of rolls (usually 8-10) that are laid out buffet style and you mix and match as you please. Â I usually walk out of there with a try full of monster sized rolls for around $11-13. Â Not the cheapest lunch in the loop, but a steal when you factor in the quality and amount you get.
It was lunch time and I was hungry but couldn't fingure out what exactly I was in the mood for. Â My friend wanted to try Market Creations and I had never been so I was excited to take a chance on something new. Â When I saw ALL the different kinds of sushi I was sold! And it was DELICIOUS! It's is just under $12/lb so it's a little pricey but it was great getting a variety of rolls to try! :)
Review Source:Just another of my inherent conflicts: I love a buffet. But I tend not to like crowds, lines or self-serve joints. Conflict resolved with this place. Located on the second floor of one of the world's most famous buildings is Market Creations, a spacious, well-organized, visually appealing and very modern room with cold and hot buffets, a traditional but beautiful salad bar, and a sushi/roll table. The food is well-presented and fresh and the access to it is relatively easy. Or it was this particular Friday before a holiday. We opted for the salad bar.
After living in New York, and finding these kinds of places on almost every block of Manhattan, I always wondered why Chicago never had them. There have been a few smaller version in the Loop, but Market Creations would make Daniel Burnham (AKA "make no small buffets") very proud. I guess its location in a classy and gleaming high rise with its sleek, chrome filled walkways would make it difficult to build a dive.
I understand there are several locations in and around downtown and the Near North Side, so you don't have to come to Willis Tower. But all in all, this is by far one of the best, reasonably-priced lunch options in the Loop. The Willis Tower renovation also provides a big outdoor terrace where you can take your lunch and sit in some comfort with entertainment weather-permitting. There was a jazz band the day we were here. And the indoor seating is not at all cramped either. You could easily accommodate a small group for an impromptu lunch. Especially good for those have-to-have-a-separate check types. That just happens naturally.
So I shall shelve my self-serve cafeteria biases and hightail it to Market Creations anytime I am yearning for a healthy lunch in the Loop.
Hey, it's not a five-star restaurant so I don't mean to confuse with the rating. Â But for a pay-by-the-pound lunch buffet you can't beat the quality. Â Just a quick story to relay on my visit the last two days.
I've had the hot buffet maybe 10 times now but on Tuesday and Wednesday of this week they had chicken wings labeled "MC Wings". Â I had no idea what I was going to discover. Â I'm a foodie, so it takes a heck of a lot for an "oh my God" reaction from me.
These were the cracker-crispiest pieces of chicken I have ever had. Â I figured they were done in Korean Fried Chicken style, but as much as I've wanted to try it I have never been able to. Â Fantastic-went back a second day in a row to get them again.
The second day I made it a point to find the chef and tell him these are the best wings I have ever had-no comparison. Â He did tell me that they are twice-fried, Korean style. Â And he seemed truly thrilled to hear someone tell him how good his food is. Â That's the kind of guy you want cooking for you. Â Great place.
This place is by far my favorite lunch spot in the loop! For less than $7/lb you get an amazing variety of Asian/American/fusion choices! And they constantly update their hot food items. I have tried and loved the shrimp cake, lemon flavored glazed tilapia and some very tender and fresh veggies!
Sushi is now around $11/lb, a bit pricey but think this way: nigiri costs the same as maki or other "prolly made of fake crab and all rice" rolls, AND you don't need to order 6+ pieces (as you would in a restaurant) to try one kind. I have yet to try their sushi but my friends absolutely loved it.
There's also a full salad bar at around $6/lb. For what I saw, there are a lot of stuff to choose from as well.
The line moves extremely fast and I have always been able to find a seat during lunch hour peak.
Not a bad place for lunch with friends or coworkers. There are lots of options for any taste and the food is all of a decent quality. Many people are fans of the sushi bar and the hot lunch options regularly change. The prices are by the pound so if you get some heavy and dense food you can be surprised at the checkout. Not my first choice for lunch in the loop, but one that most people will generally accept happily.
Overall:
Lots of options
Reasonable Prices
Sushi Bar
I love Market Creations! Â As someone who has a daily hankering for Chinese food, this spot is a blessing for me. Â Coupled with having freshly made sushi every day, I am head-over-heels in love with this place! Â The sushi comes in extra handy now during Lent. Â :-)
The food is very fresh and always being filled or replaced w/ a new batch.
I have yet to try their extensive salad bar or their stir-fry area.
Market Creations has something for everyone. Prices are subject to the weight of the food you choose....
Anyone that works in the Loop should try this place!
Probably one of my favorite places to go to for lunch. It's very convenient for people who work downtown such as myself. I've brought a few of my co-workers here and they have become big fans of the place.
Both the cafeteria hot food and sushi are pay per pound. The sushi, I believe is a dollar more than the cafeteria food.
-Food-
The cafeteria section has a lot of choices and they actually have a nice selection of fish. Their menu changes daily and they actually post up their daily menu on their website <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.marketcreationscafe.com&s=3f074e42c497467d61ee1285d9026ab333df216e4a16638bd4d70c9e11e8019a" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://www.marketcreatio…</a> which I find extremely awesome and convenient! I absolutely love the calamari they have. About 40% of the cafeteria section is asian cuisine while the rest is more american cuisine.
The sushi is good and comes in smaller pieces to provide more variety per pound. The rolls are decent but redundant, not much variety. This is probably one of the cheapest places to get your sushi fix.
-Service-
The cashiers are very quick and get this busy place rolling. Expect nothing more than your standard 'Hi', 'Bag?', 'Thank You's.
Remember, look on their website if they are featuring the calamari. If they are: GO. GO QUICKLY!
For those days when you want a variety of choices, or just tired of the same old same old, this is the place for you.
They have a hot food bar, a salad bar, a sushi bar, and a stir fry bar. Â I never liked sushi sitting around under hot lamp, so i've never tried the sushi bar. Â A lot of colleagues though swear by it. Â That the sushi is easily the best of any Loop sushi places. Â I'll take their word for it. Â I do frequent the hot food bar quite frequently. Â There is one side with 'Western' style food, and the other side with Asian style food. Â The items are usually different from day to day, so it's almost always a surprise to see what they have that day. Â It ran the gamut too. Â So you can pig out with mac & cheese, or have a nice piece of fish with steamed veggies. Â My personal favorite is the fried chicken wings. Â When it's sauced, it is sweet sticky goodness. Â When just simply breaded, like today, it is in an agressive salt and pepper batter. Â Beware though, the fried items tend to be over salted. Â
People have had opinions about the weighing system. Â Well, do they do it any other way at similar establishments? Â $6.79 a lb is pretty good. Â I think Whole Foods charges as much. Â I think too that with this format, you really can control how much you eat. Â Of course with all the choices around, the tendency could be to just keep piling it on. Â But it's completely up to you.
Why 3 stars? Â Something different or surprising every day. Â Beats the same old doldrum with what's for lunch.
The best buffet style lunch place in the city. Lot's of variety and the choices change daily. All food, vege's and fruit are very fresh. The food is well cooked and absolutely delicious. It's by the pound so watch out or you'll leave with a big bill. Come after 2:00pm and it's only $5.50 per pound.
ps. Awesome sushi and breakfast too
I'm still trying to figure out a way to beat their food by the pound pricing system. Â Any tips? Â They always make me stop lifting it ever so slightly when it's on the scales. Â
It's nice to be able to get yourself exactly how much of whatever it is you fancy that day, but the appeal doesn't carry much farther for me. Â The salad items are fresh enough, the hot foods are decent, and it's better than your average buffet, but it's still a buffet. Â It will always cost just a little more than you expected when it comes time to weigh in. Â
I came here for a mid-afternoon lunch on Christmas Eve two years ago when I was scheduled to stay later than everyone else in the office. Â I felt sorry for myself and ate about two pounds of my feelings.
Best sushi lunch in the Loop! Their sushi buffet is fresh with tons of options! And if you go after 2pm, it's cheaper. (I think half price, but I don't remember).
I changed them from a 5 star to a 3.
They stopped doing the 1/2 priced sushi at 2. It became too popular.
Also, at exactly 2:01 all the employees take all the good sushi for themselves and the rest it left out at the salad bar.
Bummer. :-(
I love the buffet...not so in love with it being by the pound pricing though. Just means I have to have a little control! haha. I love the Chinese food, sushi, stir fry bar and the salad bar. I love creating fun salads (my fave is greens + strawberries + chicken + raspberry vinagrette + walnuts = yummm!).
The fruit on the salad bar is typically very fresh, a small container of fruit is usuallly around $5. The other day i got a regular size container of chinese food (fried rice, two wings, 2 crab rangoon, orange chicken and two other small scoops of something) for $13. Was definitely enough food for 2 meals, or one very looooong spaced out meal at your desk. haha gross....
I work across the street and go here when I can afford to....
Market Creations is one of the freshest, tastiest food per pound places Downtown Chicago, located in the newly renamed Willis Tower (formerly Sears Tower...BOOOO!).
Located on the second floor of the lobby, Market Creations serves a WIDE variety of sushi, Chinese, American and salad options. Â The dishes are very tasty and everything is kept fresh throughout. Â I have heard they have breakfast there too, but I have yet to make it there for that.
My favorites there...the Chinese and sushi sections. Â Stir fried string beans, shrimp toast (One of my favorite dishes, and I have been told they have it here...but I never seem to get my timing right to try it! Â argh), chicken wings (in a tangy sweet sauce that is AMAZING!), and crab rangoons. Â The sushi section has a great selection of maki pieces that are spectacular!
Oh...and if you can, get there before noon. Â This place gets PACKED any time past noon...so get there early, or you might have to bring it back to your office for consumption.
Finally, this place is not cheap, but worth the money. Â I will always pay more if the quality and taste of the food make it worth my while!
I'm torn....3 stars, or 4? I'm sorry, I had to kick back to 3, even though I eat here for lunch 3-4 times a week. I'd do 3.5 if I could.
I work in the Sears Tower (nope, won't call it the Willis Tower), so it's convenient to just run downstairs and grab lunch. There's an American/Asian buffet, a sushi bar, a stir fry station, and a salad/fruit bar. I've never tried the American food or stir fry, but I imagine it's decent based off the rest of their food.
The salad bar is a little boring, but like I said, I go there 3-4 times a week, so maybe I'm the one that's boring.
Their sushi is generally good, but it's been a hit or miss experience for me. If you go around 12:30, the sushi looks icky, but if you time it right and get there when they put out fresh rolls, you're money. (I suggest going around noon or after 12:45 if you want to avoid the mad rush.) No, it's not the best sushi, but I'm not a snob and can settle for slightly above mediocrity when it means I don't have to go out in the rain to get lunch and I can be back up at my desk (against my will) in 10 minutes.
Pretty amazing that you can get roast turkey, gravy, mac n cheese, sushi and crab rangoon all on the same plate.... and its all so delicious (eaten separately)! Â It's a buffet inside the Sears Tower and you pay by the weight of your food. Â Everyone can find something they like. Â They are always changing up the dishes and the sushi is always fresh. Â
Great value for the Loop.
Quick, freshly made sushi located in the SEARS tower. Â I like! =) Â They have an abundance of food selections. Â Moderately priced. Â But I like this place because you can get your food quickly and get to spend more time socializing with your lunchmates. Â
It's a Loop lunch location, so as I always say, get there early or get there late to avoid the lunch rush hour.
I love this place because its a buffet.. granted its done by the pound. Â However, I can get as much or as little of anything as I want. Â The buffet has 3 sections: sushi bar (sushi is priced differently), asian/american bar and fresh fruit/salad bar. Â
I tried the sushi bar for the first time a few weeks back and thought that it was pretty decent. Â They have a nice selection of maki and nigiri and surprisingly, you can get quite a few pieces for 1 lb. Â The sushi is fresh because they have a lot of people coming in during lunch. Â No maki really stood out in my mind but I would definitely go back to satisfy a sushi craving.
I like the Chinese/American bar a lot because one side is full of american-chinese food (Think orange chicken, fried rice, beef and broccoli, etc etc) and the other is comfort america (think mac and cheese, turkey, mashed potatoes, etc). Â I like how i can get a few pieces of orange chicken, chicken wings, some stir fry veggies with fried rice AND a side of mac and cheese. :) Â
i haven't tried the fruit/salad bar yet... it all looks fresh so i will definitely try it one day when i'm feeling for something lighter (maybe no mac and cheese and instead i'll have some fruit.....maybe...)
The four star rating is relative as a lunch buffet.
I do really like this place. Â The food is good, the variety is good, the taste is good. Â The price is not unreasonable. Â It's not cheap, but for the area and what you get, it's not unreasonable. Â My only real complaint is that at the peak of the lunch hour the line can literally snake clear around the buffet and out the door of the restaurant into the hallway.
This is kinda three places in one. Â There's the sushi place, where you can order pieces or pick it up from the sushi buffet. Â There's the customer stir-fry area, where you can get your food made to order (might be sandwiches there, too). Â Then there's the main buffet area. Â I usually get the main buffet, sometimes the sushi, but haven't done the other area yet.
Part of the reason I love the main buffet is that they have well-prepared western food and then also some more-authentic-than-Panda-Express Chinese food, too. Â Sure, they have orange chicken like Panda Express, but they also have salt and pepper shrimp, fish steamed with ginger and scallions, and garlic baby bok choy, all pretty darn healthy for a buffet. Â On the western side they have roast turkey, roast ham, usually one or two other varieties of fish, mashed potatoes (that are, surprisingly, awesome), mac and cheese, stuffing, and other items. Â It all tastes good and, despite being cafeteria style is nicely prepared.
I have found my new post-workout office lunch place! Â A coworker of mine kept telling me how great this new place is and of course, I expected to be let down with all the hype. Â Not the case. Â
For some reason, the first 2 times I walked in, I was completely oblivous to the sushi bar. Â (It's to your immediate right. Â Don't be like me.) Â Even with this in mind, I was thrilled with the hot food and salad bar. Â Of course, the cost is determined by weight, so mashed potato lovers like me kind of lose in this case. Â If you can resist the mounds of mashed potatoes and glistening mac and cheese, you're okay. Â They have lots of other choices and the kitchen staff keeps a close eye on the levels, so there's always a piping hot batch immediately to follow. Â
Then on the third visit, I turned my head. Â Holy molies, how could I have missed it considering the sushi section's main wall is only made of TRANSPARENT GLASS I have walked past?!? Â The price is somewhere a bit over $10/pound, but believe me, a pound of sushi is a lot of sushi. Â Because of this sushi option, I have been able to have healthy lunches for around only $5 a day. Â They usually have at least four types of fresh nigirizushi and I'm always a sucker for the salmon. Â It's surprisingly fresh and tasty for a sushi bar. Â They also have a lot of large slices of rolls that are covered with sauces, but I prefer my sushi pretty naked.
So the reason I'm so excited is because it's on the way back from the gym to the office for me. Â It's sometimes challenging finding a good clean protein source after a tough workout that isn't slathered in sauce or extra empty carbs in the Loop. Â To have one within a block of me AND along the path AND accept credit cards for those embarassing moments when you realize that you don't have $4.92 cash? Â Heaven.
The food is pretty fantastic here and I don't have any gripes.
The pricing is somewhat reasonable since it is based on weight. Â They raised the sushi prices not too long after opening which was disheartening. Â Stay away from heavy items that would be insane to pay almost $7.00/lb. for anywhere else like mashed potatoes and cottage cheese. Â Items like these weight too much and will jack up the cost of a small lunch.
My real gripe here is that the cashiers are rude, rude, RUDE! Â They are constantly screaming, "Next please!!!!" Â I know they are trying to get as many people through the door as possible, but when the customer hasn't even put their change away, got everything in their bag and left the register, they are screaming for the next customer... Â For example, once I was behind someone and the cashier started screaming ,"next please!" Â I casually walked up behind the customer already at the register to wait patiently while they gathered up their things and the cashier screamed it again, "NEXT PLEASE!" Â I said, "I will wait a moment until this person is finished" and the cashier then held out her arm beyond the customer standing there and said, "it's fine!" very rudely and wanted to take my lunch to weigh it in. Â I still waited. Â She was then very rude to me the rest of the transaction.
They seriously need to iron out the customer service skills. Â
Other than that, it's a pretty decent lunch choice. Â That is, if you have $10-12 to spend every day on lunch and a beverage.
BUFFET is one of my Favorite Words, & Sushi is one of my friend's Favorite words, so we were both happy, she travels East a lot, & she said it was the best sushi she'd tasted in the Midwest, we ate in the hall overlooking the lobby (nice & can't wait to eat in the RED room inside) with only ONE trash can, & it was between 2 tables, so people were tossing trash over this guy's head
i wish there would have been someone directing traffic
it's per pound but i spent less than $11
I used to work in the Sears Tower and this was always my first choice for lunch. Â The salad bar and chinese food are really good. Â The sushi is also good (much better than you would expect for a buffet). Â It's a little pricey, but you pay for what you get and you get good food.
The lines can get really long though.
A perfect lunch destination for anyone in the vicinity of Sears Tower. Far better than an average cafeteria, a pretty impressive array of food options - hot, cold, everything in between. I've developed a habit of making a beeline for the sushi bar, where I ignore everything on the menu and invariably get a nice, healthy custom vegetarian roll.
Even though the place gets quite crowded, seating's a plenty - sit inside and look out at the bustling streets below or pick a table outside and watch the interior art work over lunch.
Had a great leisurely lunch with a couple of co-workers here today and just for a brief hour -with talk ranging from work stories to diaper changing experiences, rather than discussions of layoffs and the state of the economy - life felt normal!
A la votre pour a normal lunch and a normal life! Grace a MC!
I spent most of college shying away from the food that was served in our cafeteria, so I was leery about trying Market Creations. Â But, this place is not your average cafeteria. Â They have an amazing salad bar; tons of toppings, pasta/ tuna/ chicken/ egg salads and marinated veggies (artichokes, beets and mushrooms); a variety of Chinese and American dishes; made to order stir-fry, as well as freshly made sushi. Â
I cannot begin to tell you how dumb I feel for staying away from this place-- everything is so good!  The Chinese food is really tasty-- most of it isn't too healthy (orange chicken, wings, fried rice), but if you're looking for a healthier option, the stir fry is perfect.  They have  lots of fresh veggies and brown rice--you can even get it with tofu.  And even though  I was leery of the sushi, it was surprisingly good-- I like that you can try just a couple of pieces, rather than having a whole roll. Â
Admittedly, I've had better sushi at other restaurants, but nonetheless, Market Creations is one of the best additions to the Sears Tower in a long time.
Pretty good for buffet food!
I went here on a whim (and also because my boss was paying) for lunch this past Friday. The place is clean and has a few places for you to sit down.
I pretty much had some of everything: the coconut sole, the ginger sole, cashew chicken, turkey, honey ham, crab rangoon, shrimp fried rice, orange chicken, and the chicken stir-fried noodles. I thought that I had kept everything close to a pound but apparently i'm not a good judge of weight: the final weight turned out to be 1.91 pounds.
Everything was pretty good. Not the best, mind you, but pretty A-OK. The crab rangoon and the coconut sole were great, while the fried rice was below average. Everything else falls in between.
I haven't tried their sushi bar yet (not a fan of it), but the buffet is a safe choice for eating in the Loop. I would not mind stopping by again.
This place is pretty awesome. The food is fresh and tasty. They have a ton of options to choose from. There is a salad bar, a hot food bar, a stir fry station, lots of soups and a sushi area. The Chinese food is really good and the salad bar is really clean and fresh.
I walked out of there both yesterday and today spending less then $6 for lunch. Yeah, if you get a ton of food it will be pricey but if you portion control, you should be fine.
For what it is, I give it 5 stars. I dont remember being this excited about a lunchtime loop place since I moved here. The orange chicken is awesome, try at your own risk.
I LOVE Market Creations, a/k/a the Sears Tower Trough. Â I agree with the other posters that the sushi is mediocre. Â But I love it for the hot buffet. Â They have a whole turkey out there every day and it is TASTY. Â They have steamed sole every day and it is TASTY. Â And they have a variety of healthy veggies every day. Â So if you are watching your calories, as I am, this is all a very good thing. Â
It is true they also have alot of gloopy "Chinese" dishes. Â These are tempting but I try to stay with the low-cal options and have done very well. Â
Now you're probably waiting to hear the best part and here it is! Â If you dine in, you can actually RETURN what you don't eat! Â That's right - if you have leftovers, you can just bring them up to the cashier, who will weigh them and give you a refund for the unused portions! Â So, really, how can you go wrong?!?!
I am eating sushi now as I type. I know, classy. Just like this place, which is right next door to work for me.
Stumbled upon it by accident (was looking for Augustino's, which is on the same floor). I saw sushi through the glass windows and got really excited because there are no sushi places close by (that I know of). Of course I had to investigate. Lo and behold: "Sushi, a la carte, $9.95 / lb"
Are you joking? Seriously, they have nigiri (sashimi with rice) priced at the same rate as rolls - insane. I would be shocked if that doesn't change within the next couple of months, but for now, go and take advantage. I went a little before 1, so late in the lunch rush, but I imagine if I'd gone before 12 I could have had my pick of the litter.
In short:
2 Salmon Nigiri
2 Hamachi Nigiri
3 pieces of Dragon Roll
2 pieces of some crazy "roll"
Add tax/tip
Yeah I'd expect to pay about $20 for that at any reasonable / average sushi place in Chitown, probably more (let's be honest).
How much was my lunch? $8.95. I kid you not. (they did NOT charge me for wasabi/ginger, but I would have been pissed if they had tried.)
Clarification: I'm not saying the sushi here is Nobu quality, or even Japonais quality...but I just tried the salmon nigiri. Bomb. tender and the flavor is great. I gave up on finding fresh yellowtail in Chicago comparable to LA, but it was surprisingly okay. I'd recommend coming here for the nigiri only, as it's pretty hard to "water down" (as they clearly do w/the rolls by putting imitation crab in instead of tuna, salmon, etc.)
Also, they've got an a la carte thing going on the other side with other types of food, i.e. "Chinese food" (i.e. Panda Express equivalent), but I don't foresee myself going there for anything but the nigiri.
So recap: 3 stars for the absurdly high quality/price ratio, but only 3 stars...for the average "quality" of the fish.
keeping it at 3 stars. Â Went back today, tried the sushi buffet (when everything was fresh), and it was ok. Â I think the personally made rolls were better. Â What irked me was with the high price they were charging, they also charged for wasabi and ginger. Â Come on folks. Â I didn't try the hot buffet, but it looked much better and better stocked than last time.
In a pinch when I forget my lunch or am too lazy to travel far, I would go again, but it wouldnt be my first choice.
The Sears Tower has never been a building filled with abundant lunch options (ahem, Corner Robbery & Venice Caf were literally the only two options for the past year!) so, this review might be based off of my past year of famine. However, I've always wanted a healthy salad bar type option in-house and Market Creations has pleasantly surprised me.
I'm digging on the stirfry currently. Lots of fresh veggies - and they'll prepare it however you want (Steamed tofu? No problem! Half the sauce? Certainly!) I haven't had the sushi so I can't speak to that, but everything else seems reasonable, clean and fresh. Plus, they serve breakfast in the morning - an omelet station!
Ever since the place opened a couple of weeks ago, I've been tempted to try it. Â Especially since it makes the entire area by the elevators I use every day smell of Chinese food (and when they're closed, it smells of tortilla chips from Salseria across the way). Â Anyway, I wandered in to investigate one day, and while they do admittedly have some decent-looking options, the pay-by-the-pound concept means overpriced foods.
Luckily, I got to try it out because I wasn't paying for it. Â My supervisor rewarded me for working a 14.5-hour shift by buying lunch there the next day. Â I, of course, went straight for the sushi.
First of all, if you're going to make maki rolls and name them after things that aren't the list of ingredients, you need to print what the ingredients are! Â A "spicy tuna roll" would most likely contain tuna and something to make it spicy. Â A "spider roll" or "rainbow roll" can at least be found in common sushi bars and maybe you've got a photographic memory and you'll know what's in it - or you've likely had one before and while you can't remember what's in it, you do remember you liked it. Â However, a "Texas Roll" and "Las Vegas Roll" give no clue as to the ingredients - especially when placed side-by-side and look EXACTLY THE SAME before investigating a cross-section piece.
So upon grabbing one or two of pretty much every roll up there (again, I wasn't paying!) I grabbed some soy sauce and wasabi and headed to the group so it could be paid for. Â I think it was about $12 for my by-the-pound sushi, and it wasn't filling enough to be considered $12 worth of sushi. Â It also wasn't good.
The rice was bland and dry, like you'd sadly expect would happen when you leave a roll sitting out on a tray for extended periods of time. Â The other issue with a sushi buffet is how long the food is sitting in the temperature "danger zone". Â I can't say for certain it was my sushi from this place, but I spent the next few days with mild-food-poisoning-type symptoms that should not be mentioned in such a public forum.
All-in-all, the food isn't that great (at least the sushi area), not a great price, and it was extremely crowded (though we went during a standard lunch-hour time). Â The prices are probably better on average than Salseria, but Augustino's is better quality for the same price (and that's not saying much). Â Plus, business men in suits + cafeteria trays = awkward atmosphere, in my honest opinion.
It's nice to have a new place to eat lunch, and I like the fact that I can grab a little taste of lots of different things. Â The place itself is clean and bright, and the salad bar is better than average.
I was intrigued by the sushi, but should've known better. Â The first day I went, there was absolutely nothing left on the buffet and I didn't feel like paying $12 for a roll, so I got some noodle dish and a salad. Â The next day, I got there earlier and tried some unagi, and spicy rolls. Â Despite the appearance of being freshly made, the sushi was bland and didn't taste fresh at all. Â I wouldn't get it again.
The Singapore noodles and other Asian dishes that I tried were tasty; other offerings include old-school lunchroom fare like turkey pot pie and mashed potatoes with gravy (I was nostalgically tempted, but skipped it.)
All in all, not a bad place if you can't decide on lunch.
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