As the story goes, Marco Polo brought noodles back from China. I don't remember any mention of him introducing Italian cuisine to the Chinese. Having sampled the Italian dishes at Marco Polo buffet, that certainly proves that he must not have. They obviously haven't mastered the art of good Italian cooking.

My husband & I recently had lunch at this fairly new Venice restaurant. I started on the Chinese side of the buffet & was delighted to find many old favorites like General Tso's Chicken & Cashew Chicken. I was sorry to see that they didn't offer Beef & broccoli, but the selection I did find kept me busy enough that I didn't notice. The General Tso's was wonderful, I even went back for 2nds of that. The barbequed pork was also great. I didn't care much for the cashew chicken, but no bother. The egg rolls were typical but good. The crab rangoon were folded a bit differently than what I was used to but they tasted pretty much the same although the wrappers weren't as thick making them a bit soggy.

Meanwhile, my poor husband started on the Italian side of the buffet, & after only 1/2 a plate became so sick that he was in no mood to even attempt the Chinese food. I assured him that it was good, not at all the disappointment he had experienced with the Italian, but his stomach was so upset he could barely stand to watch me as I enjoyed my Chinese dishes. After finishing my pleasant experience with the chinese food, I decided, against my husbands warnings, to at least taste the food that had made him so queasy. Although it didn't make me physically ill, I could certainly see why the restaurant would want to reconsider this portion of the buffet. It wasn't inedible or anything as awful as that, it merely tasted frozen. From the stuffed shells to the pizza, it tasted straight from the frozen food aisle. Not even the good frozen stuff like Stouffers or Red Baron, but more like the generic frozen food found at a grocery store...that's been sitting in the freezer for a while...a long while. The meatballs unfortunatly didn't taste frozen. I can handle most of the meatballs you find frozen at the grocery, but these tasted like someone tried to make them seem authentic Italian, & bless their ambitious litte heart, they failed miserably. One great thing about this place was the service. What service, it's a buffet? Well, EVERYONE at this place helps out, not only the person who took our drink order. Our glasses didn't even get half way empty that someone didn't refill it. The staff seems to stroll around the dining room looking for someplace to step in and offer help. We had several different people refill glasses & clear away plates for us. We NEVER had a used plate sitting on our table for more that a minute at most. It was wonderful! So, if you want Chinese food, give this place a go. If you are looking for Italian food, don't go to China.    [17 Sep 2001 11:24:02]

Food:    Service:    Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: General Tso's chicken, Chicken & Broccoli, BBQ pork, Vegetable lo-mein.

     ­Anonymous, Sarasota   

Used to be good
I have lived nearby, and been to Marco Polo several times over the past 7 years. I felt it was a place I could always bring my guests, or recommend highly without ever thinking twice. It was always top notch; no half empty pans, soggy food etc. Not the case anymore I'm afraid.

My fiance offered to take me out last night for my birthday, at a restaurant of my choice. Without hesitation, I said "Marco Polo". We hadn't been there since last year, and I wanted to make sure we were going to a place that was consistently good. We arrived at 6:45pm (on a Tuesday night). The place doesn't close til 9:30, so I fully expected the pans to be fresh & full, as was usual.
There was no one at the carving station/grill (as they advertise), even though I waited several different times. After finally getting one the the buss persons to slice me some roast beef, I spooned on some gravy that was brown water with congealed chunks floating in it; absolutely disgusting, and obviously sitting out for awile. The fried chicken(a favorite of mine) pan was NEVER filled the entire hour we were there, I had to settle for (2) 1.5" chunks. The pepper steak was never refilled, it was a half full pan of peppers and onions; all the meat had been picked out of it. The spare ribs were very tough, almost impossible to chew off the bone; that probably explains why that pan was full. Of all the different foods I sampled, I can say only 2 or 3 of them were hot & fresh. I could go on, but I will just say it was a tremendous disappointment. I did not complain or make a scene, since my girl was so excited to be treating me to dinner. I decided to never go there again.

After thinking about it today, I thought "My girl layed out her hard-earned cash for this meal, this is not right". So I called and spoke to the manager, expecting him to make good. He dimissed everything I said, very arrogantly, not apologetic at all.
I'm sure other people will swear by this place, just like I used to. I guess it depends when you go, or maybe they just stopped caring over there.    [07 Mar 2007 13:32:13]

Food:    Service: -   Ambiance:    Overall: 
Recommended Dishes: nothing great there anymore

     ­Ken in Venice