Sometimes a name can be deceiving. When I heard U-Like Asian Buffet was taking over for the space formerly occupied by China One on the west side, I thought it was going to be a gimmicky restaurant. But, I still welcomed a recent invitation to dine there, and I discovered a completely revamped establishment that takes food–and decor–seriously.
After chatting with Sunny, one of the co-owners, I understood why. His years of restaurant experience (mainly in New York) and attention to detail are evident, even in the bathrooms, which also are renovated.
The buffet ($8.95 at lunch, $12.95 at dinner) includes mostly the Chinese food you would expect–General Tso’s chicken, lo mein, dumplings, etc.–but also items like frog legs and crawfish, plus some American items and desserts, as well as a sushi station, a noodle station and hibachi grill. I’m guessing that’s why the price is a bit higher compared to other buffets.
Typically at places with all-you-can-sushi, you’ll find mostly vegetable-based sushi rolls. At U-Like, I was delighted to find more meat-based sushi, including dragon rolls (with eel) and salmon nigiri.
You can pick the ingredients you want to make a bowl of noodle soup or a mixed grill plate. I’m a big fan of pho, and that’s what I obviously chose. The broth was so good that I avoided adding Sriracha to it, like I normally would with pho. I would have eaten a second bowl if I wasn’t saving room for the rest of the buffet.
If you’re not in the mood for all-you-can-eat, you can order off the lunch or dinner menus.
Besides the selection, the other thing that would prompt me for a return visit is the sake bar, which is a new addition to the space. With all the businesses in the vicinity, it seems like it could do a mean happy hour, if you can get over the fact that you’re in a buffet restaurant. I sampled two perfectly chilled sakes, and I mention the temperature because too many restaurants mistakenly serve sake at room temperature.
U-Like Asian buffet is open every day for lunch and dinner.
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See more photos at our U-Like Asian Buffet Flickr album.
At the end of 2013, the owners of Cancun Mexican Restaurant shut down the operation and opened 
Let’s look at some of the other entrees, of which there are many. I don’t recommend the penne e pollo alla genovese ($10), only because there was barely any chicken in it. On the flip side, I enjoyed the big portions of flaky fish in the tilapia al limone ($12).
I was disappointed to see La Guanajuatence close, what with its salsa bar and delicious tacos. But just in a matter of weeks, 
Fortunately, items from the Authentic Mexican Dishes section were better prepared. I’m a fan of molcajete, which is a stone grinding bowl filled with pork, steak, chicken, shrimp and chorizo. I would rank Taqueria El Jalapeno’s version ($16.99) second to Cuco’s in Verona, mainly because the large petals of onions clumped together (which weren’t properly sliced) became filler over more meat, and the vast majority of the meat was chorizo; I would have preferred a better balance.
