Lighthouse Buffet

It was the best buffet I ever had in Los Angeles County. It has large amount of seafood. On Monday, 10/11/10, I was shock to find out it was closed. The cashier in near store said it has been out of business for about a year. Why? Does anybody know if it relocates or will reopen soon? Thanks. more

Wonderful food, excellent quality sushi, nice people, wonderful ambiance...Highly Recommended!!! My husband and i go there often and we are never disappointed. We often take friends there because of their great food. Pros: Prices, Food, Service, etc. Cons: I cannot think of any.. more

if i was a betting man i would go somewhere else. anyone know any good sushi places? my friend suggested Club Sushi........... Pros: none Cons: overprice more

Save yourself the time and money and go somewhere else. If you are dying to try this buffet, do yourself a favor and actually look at the food before you sit down. If I had, I would have turned around and left. This restaurant was disgusting, the food was terrible. I ate a peice of sushi that made me want to be sick. Crab legs? They tasted like they had been soaking in dirty water. I am never one to complain to a waiter about food which I SHOULD HAVE. I left this restaurant wondering what I spent over $60 on? I felt robbed. The buffett is $23 dollars a person plus drinks (which I think were overpriced) I can think a 100 other ways to spend that money. I you want sushi spend $23 on a couple good rolls instead of a huge heap of junk. Pros: Located off of the 3rd St Promenade Cons: Everything else about this place more

Amazing food. Great price for such a variety of seafood. I don't think it's even possible to eat this much seafood at home for the same price. Also got to love the fruits! They are so fresh and delicious. I don't understand how people can write bad reviews about this place. Overpriced? Last time I checked, eating sushi, shrimp, crab legs was not really under the cheap category, but somehow Lighthouse Buffet is able to maintain a decent price and put everything together under one roof. If you are looking for some cheap seafood, I'll suggest the Fillet-O-Fish at McDonalds or fish tacos at Rubio's (only on Tuesdays though!). Wrapping everything up, I love this place, it is simply fabulous and I love coming here with my family. I'm just afraid if I come here too much that I'll become overweight, because every time I come here, I leave overly stuffed. It's hard to control your eating when soo much food is provided with such great taste. Pros: Good price, TASTYYYY Cons: High chance of leaving over stuffed!! more

As far as Japanese seafood buffets, Todai still takes the cake. I've heard that Lighthouse was the "original Todai" way back when, but that's no e... more

As far as Japanese seafood buffets, Todai still takes the cake. I've heard that Lighthouse was the "original Todai" way back when, but that's no e... more

I had two friends recently move to santa monica, and they have begun to explore the surrounding restaurant options. One of my friends was really excited to find this all you can eat sushi buffet right near his house, and I agreed we should try it out. We went last night, and while the initial presentation looked appealing... the fun stopped here. Everything we ate was completely lackluster. I think people who praise the quality of this sushi probably don't eat decent sushi regularly, and mostly eat california rolls from Vons. All three of us basically made a joke of the experience, feeling like we lost a bet and were being forced to eat at least $23 worth of food to break even. They couldn't even get the vegetables right. The cauliflower seemed to have been steamed a few days ago and set out to get cold; soggy. Another review mentioned the lack of claw crackers for the abundant crab legs. Same in my experience; I had no idea what to do with them once I had them on my plate. All of the seafood smelled fishy. The best part of the evening was taking photos of each other looking very upset about the bite we are taking. Guess what? The beer was good. But I guess I attribute that to Kirin's bottling plant, and the manufacturers of the fridge that cooled it at the restaurant. If you like good value for the money, try going to Daichan, upstairs at the corner of Olympic and Sawtell. Its a revolving sushi bar with excellent prices. Pros: Its on the 3rd street promenade. It looks like it could be good Cons: lientery for $23 more

Me & my husband went there last night and our thought after dinner was 'It's not worth the money. Now that we've tried it, we probably won't go back'. We went there last night and the price has been raised to $23 and it's not worth the money. The quality of the sushi is alright, but the rest of the food was okay. The selection was pretty small. The decor is same as any Chinese buffet you'd usually pay $12 for. We went there because of a Food Network episode of "Top 5". According to the episode it was one of the top 5 "Bodacious Buffets" in the United States. Either that episode was extremely old or the person who put it on that list doesn't eat out much. Even though we saw the small buffet as we walked to our table, we thought it might taste better than it looks because we've trusted Food Network from past experiences. If you are in the mood for a buffet with good sushi and Asian food, like another reviewer said, go to Todai. It is about $5 more, but it's 5 times better in quality and looks than the Lighthouse Buffet. If you want cheaper options, there are 2 buffets in Torrance we like that are located in the same plaza. One is called Koji (Korean BBQ buffet that you cook at your table) and the other is called Grand World Buffet (Chinese Buffet). They are located in the plaza on the NW corner of Western and Carson. These 3 are definitely better than the Lighthouse Buffet in quality and value. Pros: Raw Fish Selection, Location Cons: Ambience, Parking, Quality of Food, Price more

First of all I been going to this place almost every time I go visit Santa Monica. I always tell myself that I'm going to try something new, but for some reason this buffet place keeps dragging me back. One thing to be mentioned is that they have very fresh and tasty sushi and also a decent variety of food. Their shrimp plates are definetly to die for. The service is also very comforting. The waiters and what seem to be owner of the restaurant always delightfully do their best to make their customers satisfied. Overall it is a great restaurant that it is located at a great place with a great price. VERY RECOMMENDED!! more

I've been to many Japanese style/sushi/seafood buffet restaurants. And honestly, i have to say this is one of the WORST buffet i've ever experienced. I went w/ my friends on a saturday night to try it out cuz it's located at a prime location (next to 3rd st. promenade). The dinner price of $21 isn't too bad for a seafood all-you-can-eat. But i was so disappointed at the selections. i don't think there was any beef dishes. there were only 2 dessert choices, carrot cakes & some cheap overly-sweeten puddings. I found myself kept going back to the sashimi station cuz there was really nothing else left that looked appetizing. Most of the dishes looked cheap and tasted unfresh. I will definitely not recommended this restaurant to anyone. You might as pay $6-7 more for better selections of Japanese sushi buffet like Todai or Onami. Seriously. Pros: great location, close public parking for $3 Cons: poor selection of food, overpriced more

My friends and I were at Third Street this weekend and we decided to try this place after seeing it on the Food Network a little while ago. Definitely exceeded our expectations! Good sushi for a decent price - and not a bad selection either. There was a good variety of other food too, if you're not in the sushi mood. As another reviewer mentioned, I noticed they offer crab legs, sashimi, and other additions for dinner, so I'm definitely headed back sometime soon. The only downside was that they didn't have too much dessert-wise, but after all I ate, I didn't have much room left for it anyway. more

I've been here several times, it's a great place to bring friends and family...especially if they eat a lot. The sushi is definitely fresher than any other buffet(Todai) I've ever been to. As some reviewers mentioned, some of the food is not the healthiest, but it is an all-you-can-eat buffet, and I would rather prefer paying twenty dollars for hearty food than carrot sticks and water. Not necessarily the best restaurant in the world, but it's great if you want sushi and seafood before you walk around Third Street Promenade. Pros: Quality sushi for the price, decent selection. Cons: The place could use an update. more

My favorite is the Mussels on half shell with cheese sauce and the all you can eat snow crab legs. There is usually a group just waiting for... more

I really like this place. i have been coming here for a long time. The staff is always friendly and the service is good. You get a lot of food for the price. it is all you can eat. sushi as well as cooked food. The buffet has a good variety of sushi and it includes a small salad bar and deserts and fresh fruit. If you go for dinner they add items to the menu such as crab legs.It is righ next to Third Street Promenade so its in a great area and its easy to take a stroll afterward and do some shopping! Pros: good selection, good service more

Lighthouse is one of my favorite places to go for a lunch. It is what it is PEOPLE... it is not going to be a five star sushi dinner. It is a sushi lunch buffet... with great sushi. It is no Koi, Blowfish, or Roku, but it is definitely quality sushi for an awesome price. GET THE SUSHI SUCKERS AT THE CASHIER COUNTER. I recommend the pink one. Pros: Costs NO $, great variety Cons: just a lunch buffet.. more

The food is a bit bland, but it's all you can eat, so it is a great place to bring teenaged boys. You'll find a pretty big buffet. I like th... more

This buffet sushi joint offers a lot of food. If you leave hungry it is your own fault. However, the sushi is not world class. It was adequ... more

i went to lighthouse buffet on 3/30/07 only to find it closed - due to a certain rodent infestation! what i found to be kind of shady was the sign that clearly stated why they were closed was hidden, so you couldn't tell WHY they were closed. this is really disappointing as i have eaten here in the past and enjoyed it very much. and now, i wonder if they have always had this problem?? more

Saw this place on Food Network's Top Five International Buffets and was wholeheartedly deceived. The service is alright but the food quality and variety were seriously lacking. I can find better quality sushi at Ralphs, and I at least get more options. How this place managed to receive an 8.5 AND be featured on the Food Network while the sushi is so sub-par is well beyond me--obviously they spend more money on padding their score and advertising than on the actual food. Not Recommended AT ALL! Pros: Prime location close to other restaurants, so you do not have to eat here Cons: Poor choices and poor quality for the money you pay. Also, the crowd of homeless folks outside and eating in the restaurant did not help the ambience. more