10 Best Japanese Buffets in Klang Valley

Nothing makes us happier than hearing the words ‘buffet’ and ‘Japanese food‘ mentioned in the same breath. We happily gorged ourselves silly to bring you the top 10 Japanese buffets around KL and PJ. Go for a delicious gut-busting feast!

Kampachi at Plaza 33 – Sunday buffet lunch

Those who look back fondly on Kampachi’s buffet (RM118++ for adults, RM68++ for kids) in the now-closed Equatorial Hotel can now enjoy their delicious spread again at Plaza 33. With four stations dishing out scrumptious Japanese delicacies, the buffet is as fantastic as ever!

Kampachi’s buffet doesn’t compromise on the quality of their sashimi, using the same cuts as their a la carte menu

Free-flow of fresh tuna, salmon, yellowtail, octopus, and cuttlefish will have sashimi lovers feasting to their heart’s content (and then some!) Served alongside the sashimi are platters of smoked duck with rich, smoky flavours and succulent seared salmon plus a variety of freshly made sushi, piping hot oden, fresh salads, and crispy tempura.

Sukiyaki, tempura, teppanyaki, and a selection of cooked seafood will be vying for your attention and tummy space

Teppanyaki is a not-to-be-missed item. Super fresh prawns, salmon, chicken, and beef remain juicy and firm after being grilled to a perfect char. If that’s not your thing, hearty sukiyaki is served in a bowl of raw egg for an even richer, smoother texture.

Creamy green tea and black sesame ice cream, wobbly pudding, sweet red bean jelly, and sticky mochi await you at the dessert table

With hot dishes like the ever-popular unagi and shishamo (pregnant fish), cap off the meal with Kampachi’s signature sticky mochi, creamy ice cream, or fluffy dorayaki for the perfect end to a satisfying feast.

Umai-Ya at Damansara Utama – Weekend buffet brunch

Enjoy an affordable and relaxed a la carte buffet (RM58++ for adults, half price for children under 140cm) every weekend from 11.30am to 2.30pm only at Umai-Ya’s Damansara Uptownand IOI Puchong Jaya branches. With almost 100 items on the menu, take your pick of favourites like sashimi, teppanyaki, nabemono, yakitori, soba and so much more. Place your orders on a chit and a delicious array of dishes will be served to you without ever having to leave your seat!

Umai-Ya in Damansara Uptown has a seating capacity of about 60 diners

Their butterfish sashimi stood out for its freshness, melt-in-your-mouth cuts of fish that didn’t even need soy sauce or wasabi to fully savour. Fish seems to be the way to go as the saba shioyaki (mackerel grilled with salt) was another favourite, its appeal lying in its delicious simplicity.

Clockwise from top left: grilled salmon, butterfish sashimi, ramen with tofu skin

To finish, a variety of ice cream flavours are on offer to satisfy the sweet tooth in you. Otherwise, Umai-ya makes things even better by offering complimentary free-flow beer to wash down all the food and to tide you over until happy hour. For something a little stronger, sake is available hot or cold at RM12 for 150ml.

Clockwise from top left: salmon sashimi, sizzling salmon in hot and spicy sauce, beef toaban teppan, and soft shell crab age

Eyuzu at Eastin Hotel – Weekend buffet dinner

With tables and chairs laid out against floor to ceiling glass panes looking out onto a Zen garden and several private rooms, dining at Eyuzu is a serene experience for small tables and large groups alike.

Help yourself to a tempting spread of fresh salmon, tuna, yellowtail, butterfish, and octopus

Start off with a wide selection of small plates from potato salad to salmon carpaccio and soft tofu to whet your appetite before really getting stuck in. Sushi and sashimi are plentiful but look out for their seared butterfish. Topped with crispy fried garlic flakes, the fish all the juicier, bursting with an added smoky flavour.

Each guest is provided with a clear seafood broth (bottom right) to cleanse your palate between all the sushi, cheese baked oyster, takoyaki, and much more

Tempura and teppanyaki dishes have to be ordered so you can be sure that they’ll arrive at your table freshly fried and piping hot.

You can choose what goes into your teppanyaki but the glutton in us just wanted all the seafood, meat, and vegetables

Pile up on the unagi or slurp up their noodles before heading to the dessert table for some freshly made dorayaki or selection of cakes, mochi, and even ais kacang. With a varied selection of delicious Japanese foods for RM118++ for adults and RM59++ for children, Eyuzu makes for a comfortable option for all-out eating.

With Japanese staples like mochi and a whole host of sweet treats to complete a delicious meal, what more could we ask for?

Hanare at The Intermark – Sunday afternoon buffet

With the freshest seafood sourced from the famed Tsukiji market in Tokyo, diners can be rest assured that they’re getting the best at cosy Hanare at The Intermark. At the sashimi counter, you’ll be greeted by a mouthwatering sight of salmon, maguro (tuna), kanpachi (yellowtail), oysters, amaebi (shrimp), mongo ika (cuttlefish), and even the luscious chu-toro (medium fatty tuna, limited to three pieces per guest).

Pile your plate high with thick, luscious cuts of sashimi with one hand while holding perfectly done grilled meat in the other

Hanare’s teppanyaki station is a popular stop in the buffet. Using ingredients like tiger prawns, plump scallops, and Australian wagyu, these quality meats are grilled to juicy perfection.

If you can’t choose which ingredients you want in your teppanyaki, the solution is to have them all!

The sumptuous buffet is priced at RM148 per person (an extra RM28 will get you free flow sake and draught beer). Although pricey, Hanare spares no expenses in bringing diners the finest ingredients for the best Japanese buffet dining experience. Appetisers, noodles and a selection of hot dishes are available too.

Xenri in Wisma Elken – Sunday buffet lunch

Hidden along Old Klang Road, Xenri lies quietly waiting for the hordes of hungry patrons that’ll inevitably throng the restaurant every Sunday afternoon for a gut-busting buffet session. You’ll find the usual suspects like sushi and a selection of sashimi which includes the popular salmon, smooth butterfish, firm tuna, and chewy octopus.

If there’s one superpower we need, it’s a bottomless stomach to fit all of Xenri’s delicious sushi rolls | Picture courtesy of Xenri

Crunchy tempura vegetables and prawns accompany a spread of cooked Japanese favourites like chawanmushi, sukiyaki, teppanyaki, and even garlic fried rice. Not-so-Japanese dishes are on offer, too, and were no less delicious like the cheese-baked oysters.

Freshly shucked oysters and fresh prawns are all part of the spread | Picture courtesy of Xenri

For a decent spread of good food at only RM55++ per head, we can see why Xenri draws the crowds that it does. However, with a rather cramped layout, be prepared to fight the crowds before really getting stuck in the delectable buffet.

Genji at PJ Hilton – Weekend buffet

Be it dinner on Saturday (RM109 for adults, RM56 for kids) or lunch on Sunday (RM99 for adults, RM49 for kids), Genji’s Japanese buffet is sure to please. Their cold counters are home to an array of fresh seafood from thick cuts of tuna and salmon to octopus and prawns. While you can never get enough of sashimi, fill up on carbs at their sushi corner with crunchy soft shell crab maki, always a crowd favourite.

Eat-all-you-can sushi and sashimi?! It’s like a dream come true!

We suggest heading straight for the grilled salmon bellies at the teppanyaki station. With thick slabs of fatty salmon positively bursting with rich flavour, they’re packed with proteins and Omega 3. Delicious and good for you too!

Have your juicy grilled salmon with hearty sukiyaki because, why not? The possibilities are endless!

While you’re waiting for your teppanyaki, pile up on Genji’s excellent tempura dishes which tend to run out fast. The vegetable tempura’s batter was lightly crisp encasing greens that still retained a slight crunchiness.

Make your own meal by pairing cold noodles with scrumptious prawn tempura

Other hot dishes tend to get overlooked at Japanese buffets but we loved Genji’s braised sliced chicken in ginger sauce. Melt-in-your-mouth meat swimming in a sweet-savoury broth, their cooked dishes demand your attention as much as their sashimi!

Jogoya buffet restaurant at Starhill Gallery

With everything from classic Japanese favourites to a variety of Chinese and Western dishes,Jogoya’s extensive buffet spread ensures that there is something for everyone. While there are the usual sashimi, sushi, and teppanyaki, what you want to have here is their huge selection of premium seafood.

You don’t often see full-sized crabs just laying there waiting to be snapped up

Begin your seafood feast with juicy yabbies (freshwater crayfish) which you can have stir-fried or grilled teppanyaki-style. Cooked on the spot, you’ll be gearing up for seconds before you know it.

The sizeable yabbies were the star of the show at our dinner

But first, cleanse your palate with the seafood dobin mushi (clear seafood soup served in teapots) before heading for their succulent grilled prawns and silky-smooth chawanmushi.

The grilled prawns were seriously huge

Also, be sure to look out for their choice items to really get your money’s worth. For instance, we had their Chilean abalone which was especially delicious braised, bringing to the fore its briny flavour in a rich, umami sauce.

Munch on dainty sushi in between your heftier orders

In the desserts department, Jogoya’s delectable selection of Haagen-Dazs and New Zealand Natural ice cream is more than enough to end your feast on a sweet note.

Their prices vary with time and day. On weekdays, lunch is RM82++, dinner RM92++, and supper RM82++. On weekends or public holidays, lunch is RM88++, dinner RM98++, and supper RM82++.

Zipangu at Shangri-La – Sunday buffet brunch

Cosy and comfortable, Zipangu’s sumptuous Sunday buffet brunch is the perfect weekend indulgence.

Not only do you get to indulge in delicious food, but you get to dine in style in Zipangu’s polished interior

Expect the freshest at the sashimi counter, with the usual suspects like tuna, butterfish, octopus, cuttlefish, and salmon. Sushi is freshly made and you can put in your order of hand rolls to ensure they get to you with the seaweed still crisp.

The best part of the sashimi and sushi counter is that the offerings are consistently fresh

A wide range of cooked Japanese favourites are also laid out to tempt your tastebuds. Their sukiyaki was a hearty option with a sweet broth while unagi lovers can savour the premium item as much as they appetite can handle.

Sweet tooths will be all over their extensive selection of sweet treats but if you’re too full up with food, the classic macha ice cream is to die-for.

Suki-ya Japanese steamboat buffet restaurant

Offering something a little different on the list, Suki-Ya’s steamboat buffet is so popular that the restaurant limits every table to a two-hour dining period. Serving quality shabu-shabu, their vegetables were fresh and crisp while their other items like sausages and fishballs were springy to the bite.

Pile on the vegetables, it’ll make your broth sweeter and richer

What really draws the crowds is their free-flow of meat. Trays of thinly-sliced chicken, lamb, and beef are continuously brought to your table. A quick dip in the hot broth yielded a tender bite with no gaminess.

The two compartment hot pot adds some variety to enjoy your fresh paper-thin meats with

The hot pot itself is separated into two compartments that lets you choose two out of four different types of broth – shabu shabu, sukiyaki, miso, and kimuchi – to savour. For a more authentic experience, the restaurant offers a raw egg dip at every table. It added a creaminess to every bite of food, making for a richer mouth-feel.

Suki-Ya can be found at three hot locations, namely Mont Kiara, Pavilion KL, and Kelana Jaya’s Paradigm Mall.

Tao at Sunway Giza – Buffet dinner

While Tao may not brand itself as a Japanese diner, their Japanese-influenced fare and a selection of Japanese food can more than satisfy all your cravings. Available for dinner daily, diners can pick and choose from a buffet spread or order unlimited amounts from an a la carte menu.

If this isn’t enough Japanese food to tempt you with, then I don’t know what will

Make the buffet worth your while and pile on delectable fresh oysters, chewy abalone slices, and rich smoked duck. Tempura and teriyaki are available too, as are freshly made sushi. Their maki rolls were topped generously with juicy egg roe and their seared salmon and unagi nigiri were incredibly addictive. Good thing, then, that it was unlimited!

A salmon maki topped with even more salmon? Yes please!

Other goodies like all-time favourite sashimi and baked oysters and scallops with cheese are on endless supply. With an extensive spread that includes more than just your usual Japanese fare, Tao’s buffet is an affordable RM55.80++ per person.