Lin’s Grand Buffet

FOOD

Barbecue ribs and crispy chicken wings are two good reasons to look beyond the stir-fries at Lin’s. The operator names both as signature dishes, giving the buffet a substantial cooked-meat side beyond stir-fries. Ribs bring a bone-in barbecue option, while the wings supply a smaller fried preparation. They also explain the Chinese-American description: this is a broad buffet where American-style favorites are served alongside noodles and sauced entrées.

Chicken appears in several guises in the group’s current takeout catalog, including orange, sesame, jalapeño, sweet-and-sour, and chicken with broccoli. Several of those preparations have also appeared on the buffet in Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa. Orange and sesame versions take the sweeter, sauced route; jalapeño chicken introduces a pepper-led alternative. Chicken with broccoli shifts the emphasis toward meat and vegetables together.

The sweet-and-sour preparation deserves its own distinction from those glazed chicken dishes. At Mesa, a documented buffet example pairs the chicken with red and green peppers. The peppers add vegetables to the familiar sweet-and-sour combination. Specific buffet recipes can change, but the range of named preparations shows why it is worth reading the tray labels rather than treating all the chicken as interchangeable.

Beef with broccoli and peppered steak appear in the current kitchen catalog, along with sautéed string beans, mushrooms and a vegetable medley. These dishes give the meal a vegetable-and-stir-fry thread beside the fried items. Mushrooms and green beans can be interesting choices in their own right, while beef with broccoli keeps the vegetable and protein in one familiar preparation.

The Mongolian grill offers another way to combine ingredients. Rather than taking a completed entrée from a hot tray, you choose from the local station for a cooked-to-order dish. The grill is documented at Phoenix, Tucson and Mesa, giving this part of the meal a presence across several markets. Available proteins, noodles, vegetables and sauces depend on the local station. Choose the combination that appeals to you when you arrive.

Seafood and sushi form separate parts of the advertised spread. Lin’s current catalog names fried fish, salt-and-pepper shrimp and a seafood combination; fried shrimp and fish are also documented among buffet selections. Those everyday fish and shrimp choices are a better guide than expecting premium shellfish at every location. Sushi adds a chilled, rice-based option beside the cooked food. The exact rolls and fish selection should be read from the local counter rather than inferred from another restaurant’s photographs.

Rice, noodles and appetizers round out the picture. Fried rice, lo mein and mei fun are named in the current catalog, as are pork egg rolls, vegetable spring rolls and fried dumplings. The noodles offer two distinct forms instead of one generic side, and the wrappers give the appetizer selection its own variety. Fruit, salad and desserts complete the buffet categories advertised by the operator. Their rotating details are part of the local meal, rather than a fixed national dessert menu.