Overall, I would give Mr. Hibachi Buffet high marks as a chain Chinese buffet. Â Although a far walk from campus (if you're ambitious, it's located on 3rd street, about a 10 minute walk east from Target/2 minute drive) when compared to favorites like Mother Bear's or Ami, anyone with a car and a quarter tank of gas can get there and back, no problem.
I really liked the ambience at this restaurant - it was neat and clean, above and beyond most buffet standards that I am used to. Â The lighting was a little on the dim side for me, but given that it was as open to families in jeans as it was to couples out for a date, I can accept the lack of lighting. It's not easy to accomodate for everyone's tastes. Â The service was excellent and attentive; beyond the prompt drink refills and removal of plates, our servers were smiley and conversational, even with the rush of the Saturday night dinner crowd. Â I did not get a chance to check their hours, but it seems to be a lunch/dinner restaurant, and would be open at those times of the day.
While the food at Mr. Hibachi is not exactly ethnically-accurate Chinese food, it is a very high quality of American-style Chinese food in an all-you-can-eat setting. Â For $11.29 plus $1.59 for a re-filled drink, you can have an enormous buffet dinner (lunch buffets are slightly cheaper, and so are childrens' portions). Â There are a plethora of options: coconut shrimp alongside General Tso's chicken and sticky white rice (which was just the right amount of sticky deliciousness); tangy, sweet crispy chicken soaked in teryaki sauce; a full American-style salad and fruit bar (with tamarinds!); spicy chicken with chilies cooked so hot that you could smell the spiciness wafting off the plate; and well-stocked desert and Hibachi/sushi bars. Â I even saw spicy-cooked fillets of some sort of fish among the huge array of food - eight buffet-style heated tables' worth. Â Although I had a fair sample of quite a few things on my plate, the crispy chicken and white rice were most of my meal. Â As a college student only familiar with American-style Chinese food, I thought this dish was prepared to a really high standard. I liked its indulgently sweet, tangy sauce so much I went back for a second plate! Â Â
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I'm a big fan of this place. I think it's the best Chinese buffet in Bloomington by far. It is a little off the beaten path (for those of us centered around the university), but it's worth the trip.
The variety of food in the buffet is unmatched in my opinion. It's a nice touch that there actually is hibachi (included in the price) if you want it. I tend to go for whatever else is around. I haven't had any complaints about the food. It's your standard Chinese buffet cuisine--incredibly unhealthy for you but oh-so-delicious. I found the egg rolls to be better than some of the other buffets in town.
Its price is probably the best part. It really isn't that much more than some of the buffets in town (actually cheaper compared to some). It's cheaper during lunch time (ends at 3) and definitely a steal. Though more expensive in dinner, I still think it's well worth your money if you get several plates.
The service is generally decent. They clean empty plates quickly and for the most part they don't get in the way of your conversation with family/friends. Courteous and polite (most of the time). This is probably one of my favorite spots in Bloomington because it tastes great and the price is right. (Check for coupons in the mall magazine that comes to your house too!)
This is my go-to weekend place. Their buffet offerings are plentiful, and the price is right (I think it's only $8ish most days). Despite the ho-hum appearance of the exterior, it's actually really nice on the inside - one of the better decorated Chinese buffets I've visited. The staff are friendly, too.
Obviously, Mr. Hibachi doesn't hold a candle to the ethnic spots on 4th Street, but it's a good option for large groups who want a lot of food. Come hungry!
While visiting from California, we ate here on New Years Eve. Â Very good buffet. Â 10 buffet tables, and seating around the perimeter. Â Wide variety of food- sushi, hibachi, Chinese fare, salads, desserts, soups, many entree choices. Â Fresh food, hot, very good service. Â We were pleasantly surprised, we were not expecting much from a Midwest buffet, but it was very good. Â I'd go back there again.
Review Source:I'm not prone to hyperbole. With that said, this is easily the worst Chinese buffet I've ever been to, and I've been to my fair share. It's a vey nice and clean place, but the food quality is the worst I've had at a buffet..a category where the bar is already pretty low when it comes to quality. Â The sushi is slimy. The standard Chinese fare is sub-standard. The crab legs are over-cooked in the same nasty water all day. My tea mug was full of spider webs and the waiter seemed annoyed when I asked for another one. Needless to say, I wont be back.
Review Source:If you're going to a Chinese buffet, it should probably be this one. Most of the others in the area are....shitty.
They keep the food stocked and hot as hell (steam pumping out of the tables is a good sign). It's quite busy, so that's a good sign... they have to keep putting fresh stuff out.
Chinese buffets are, by definition, awful, awful plcaes. Â Surprisingly, Mr. Hibachi is not awful. Â OK, yeah, it has pudding and Jell-O with marshmallows and cheese sticks and the other stuff typical to bad Chinese buffets, but it also has a lot of other stuff that is surprisingly not bad -- the fried rice and crunchy chicken were actually quite good. Â And they have sushi, which is pretty OK, and a hibachi. Â The selection, by the way, is enormous.
Review Source:Been here a few times. Â It's good, but not great. Â Mr. Hibachi is definitely taking advantage of the new buffet paradigm where they offer sushi as well as non-Chinese fare like roast beef, cheese sticks, etc. Â There's a huge range food, so if you have picky eaters or have a large group this is a fairly good place to ensure everyone finds something they'll like. Â It suffers from the usual buffet disadvantages...loads of MSG, food quality depending on how much turnover there is. Â There's definitely better Chinese and Sushi to be had, but for a huge buffet it's not a bad choice.
On a side note; being a college town, there's a definite delineation between "townies" and folks here just for the University. Â I felt like I was finally a fully certified Bloomington townie when I was directing someone here by referencing a long-closed business. Â "Mr Hibachi?" Â "Yeah, it's in the old Ryan's Steakhouse location."
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