Fill up at Onami Seafood Buffet

For those who Japanese food, and those who simply adore seafood, visiting Onami is like winning the lottery. The massive Mission Valley buffet restaurant, unlike similar smorgasbords, maintains a clean, pleasing upscale vibe that only amplifies the appetite. Fortunately, Onami offers enough fare to fill even bellies like bowlfuls of jelly. The buffet goes on, and on, and on. Even when the restaurant is packed, the dishes magically remain full—of course, there are plenty of spells being cast in the expansive kitchen.

A little over twenty bucks buys you more options than you could possibly undertake. The sushi bar alone offers dozens of selections, ripe and laid out for the picking. Although the rolls and nigiri aren’t cutting-edge, they’re decent enough, much better than what’s available at other all-you-can-eat places. Salmon skin, Philadelphia, soft shell crab and spicy tuna rolls are tasty, though ordinary, choices.

But sushi isn’t all, although it’s the reason many return patrons keep returning. There’s a pasta machine churning out hot noodles on command. There’s Alaskan snow crab legs by the icy cluster, barbecued salmon, spicy chicken wings, mussel soup, calamari. There’s even baked lobster tail, slung out steaming by hollering chefs. There’s even a good salad selection. But above all things, force yourself to save room for dessert—Onami’s are absolutely incredible, ranging from tiramisu to green tea ice cream to chocolate-dipped strawberries. Unfortunately, filling your pockets is not allowed.