A man by the name of MulletReview, who is attempting to eat at every Chinese buffet he can “until he gets food poisoning,” has handed out his first five-star rating after 87 days of the challenge.
The viral food reviewer on TikTok visited Grand Buffet in Knoxville, Tennessee, for the latest installment of his ongoing series, where he tries different Chinese buffets and rates the experience.
Despite the restaurant holding a 3.5-star rating on Yelp at the time of his visit, he quickly found something that set it apart from the other locations he has tried.
Rather than its Chinese food alone, it was Grand Buffet’s similarities to Golden Corral that caught his attention.
The restaurant offered everything from sushi and crab rangoons to steak, hamburgers, chicken nuggets, spaghetti and meatballs, mashed potatoes and gravy, mac and cheese, and chicken livers.
Reviewer calls Grand Buffet a five-star Chinese buffet
MulletReview repeatedly compared the Knoxville restaurant to Golden Corral throughout his visit, even questioning whether the location had previously been one of the chain’s restaurants because of its layout.
“This is a Golden Corral disguised as a Chinese buffet if I’ve ever seen one,” he said while touring the restaurant. It wasn’t long after the video was posted that locals confirmed his thoughts; it was indeed a former Golden Corral.
He paid $32.74 for two people before loading up several plates with a mix of Chinese buffet staples and American comfort food.
The reviewer praised several of the more unexpected offerings, including the spaghetti and meatballs, which he said were “actually really f**king good,” along with the mashed potatoes and gravy.
“This sh*t is goated. This is Golden Corral all day, baby,” he said.
Not everything received the same praise. He described the crab rangoons as “poorly made” and “very tiny,” while calling the hamburger average. However, he was impressed that the buffet offered a hamburger at all, along with steak and other items he hadn’t encountered during previous stops in the series.
“It’s like the best parts of Golden Corral and the best parts of Chinese buffet all in one,” he said.
By the end of the visit, the reviewer rejected Grand Buffet’s 3.5-star Yelp rating and awarded the restaurant the first five-star score of his 87-day challenge.
“Does the Grand Buffet in Knoxville, Tennessee deserve three and a half stars? No, this is a five-star buffet,” he said.
“This is a Golden Corral disguised as a Chinese buffet. Has all the good parts of the Chinese food and all the good parts of Golden Corral. And then they just kissed and made whatever the f**k this is.”
Grand Buffet isn’t the only unusual buffet to attract attention online. A KFC location previously went viral after customers discovered it offered an all-you-can-eat buffet packed with the chain’s fried chicken, sides, and other menu items.
The rare KFC buffet surprised viewers, with many unaware that any of the fast-food chain’s locations still offered an all-you-can-eat option.
