Reviews of Big Marina Grill & Deli (Restaurant)

Amber Cederholm

It is so good. Do not go here for lunch if you are looking to have a light lunch. Very good food l, would be nice if it had food labeled.

Vincent Chen

Here's what I've learned from being a repeat customer for 8 years. This is my personal favorite restaurant. Which I'm hesitant to say, because I never in my life have been to the same restaurant more than 100 times as I have this place -Big Marina has the best Mediterranean food in Minnesota -They are quick if you order. Almost all the time food is fresh because of the high volume of customers. -Many food options. The grilled halal meat; kabob, lamb shanks, chicken etc is one of the highest ranking "bbq" in my book. -The hummus is absolutely the best in America. They should sell it for 3x the price of Sabra but in reality its half. -The food is inexpensive. And till this day. I wonder how they make money. But there's lines that go out the door. And around the corner, And I say "yeah that's why" -They have the hardest working guys whom I've known for many years. They're generous and hospitable. Though as a tip: be more outspoken and engage them. The restaurant is busy often and its wise to serve yourself. -The food is home food. Its comforting. A balance of starches, meats, and vegetables. Sweet desserts. A diner. A cafe. Morning or late evenings with family. It has something that many restaurants don't have ; character. PLEASE GO HERE. IF YOU LOVE FOOD, YOU NEED TO.

Darcy Frison

Very sub par. Things were warm, not hot. Everything tasted the same or blander. Not worth the money.

Debbi Kinaka

buffet style restaurant. OK food Middle Eastern. Appears to also have some takeout food but was able to get a menu.

Abdiwahid Hassan

Big Marina Grill and deli is the best Mediterranean restaurant in the twin cities. They have an amazing buffet, that has a ton of options and well worth your money. The customer service is a 10/10, they are really friendly and welcoming. As well as the environment being a lively and uplifting. There are many other options beside the buffet, as they have a menu. My family and I come to this place as least once a month, and we never leave without feeling a sense of happiness. I would recommend everyone trying to eat from Big Marina Grill and Deli.

DANA WILSON

We visiting the new location with family today. We were very disappointed to see that your food selection is more American than Mediterranean. Your previous location was much more authentic Greek food. The space for patrons is much to small. Tables and chairs to close, people were to close and so noisy that our family was unable to hear each other's conversation and we were sitting next to each other. The staff was very friendly but sadly we will not be back.

Joe Anton

Delicious food. Tasted fresh and homemade.

Mary Gill

It's a buffet and it's nice to try the different foods.

Kevin Krautbauer

Not a bad place. They have a pretty large variety of food on the buffet and most of it was pretty good. The meats especially were really good. The annoying thing though was that nothing was labeled so it was a bit of a guessing game as to what items here. It was also nice that the drink and dessert were included.

Brendon Daugherty

Awesome. Check it out. All you can eat and good quality

Woubee Ayele

Great Selctions of food, never run out of food and all you can eat for less than 15 including drinks and deserts.

Sohail Faisal

Love this place! Great food!

Benali Habbas

One of my favorite restaurant. Love their food. Nice pple & always great service.

Brad N

Delicious food, great selection and quality service! This is a family run business that gives back to the community. Highly recommend.

Chester McGill Jr

Good food and Great service

Ejbock5 b

The gyro meat is a amazing, the plates are a great deal(probably better deal than the Buffett). But, the service sometimes is only ok, but if you don't wanna be asked any question other than "what do you want to eat?" It's a great spot to eat.

Louis Dennard

Good food and plenty of it! Now this is a buffet.

Mohammed Abdul Muqeet

Decent buffet but pretty much repetitive stuff.

Brenda Ugoretz

Awesome Mediterranean foog. Great selection on buffet. Love their buffet to go.

Ana Purtle

The food is so amazing! I gave it 4 stars just because it gets pretty loud inside sometimes. Like kids are screaming..but seriously the food is so bomb. And they have a to go buffet option.

Sean P

Went here for the buffet and it was awesome. Great mix of different Mediterranean and mid east foods. Excellent opportunity to try several different food platters.

Val Ortega

Used to be better when the old man was alive. The pea soup you will not find anywhere else. From the meat fingers to the gyro meat all with a different taste and take. The sambusas are tasty as will as the variety of salads and sauces. Missing from the past is the natural Mango juice and the massive amount of vegetables used to spice up the food. Now you might get lucky to find a sauteed onion in your food.

Ali Hassan

Best Halal restaurant in the Twin Cities. I always go with the cheeseburger, Chef's Plate, or the buffet. Service is always amazing, quick, and excellent.

Bretaina success

Food is sooo freakin good.

Pamela Sullivan

Great gyros combo plate! Pepsi now instead of coke.

Fuk'Copyright claims

The best place to bring your family, co workers to dine in and socialize. While some of the foods are flavorless, there are condiment sauces and seasonings on the table and or even at the buffet table to adjust it to your liking.

Eric Schoenthaler

Giant gyros. Solid buffet. Love it!

Shae Johnson

This place has some seriously yummy food. Kinda crowded though, and no names on the food..

felipe garcia

Very good Mediterranean food

Jorge Rodriguez

Food is horrible but I will give it 1 star for the good clean clam play.

Shane Lourey

Best middle eastern buffet around. Love it!

Amedicine Vlogs

Wow the food was the BEST AND AMAZING ESPECIALLY THE GOAT MEAT PLUS THE STAFF CUSTOMER SERVICE WAS THIS BY FAR THE BEST PLACE TO GO FOR BUFFET WILL DIFFINITLY RECOMMEND

Monief Mohamad

Very nice food, and nice service

Arie Sudharta

Mid eastern food at mid west. Great buffet offer with reasonable price

zaira arshad

Delicious food, buffet style and most of them are Middle Eastern great recipes. If you want to save more on your meal budget, come between 11-2 PM on weekdays.

Fraxion

The food tasted great! I loved it

Ahlaam Omar

We recently ordered to go meal for two and it was the worest experience. We got good poisoning. We were sick for more than four days. I also discovered that the food was leftover. The hummus has falafel in it. Stay away from this restaurant. Since the owner passed away, it hasn’t been the same and they are serving leftovers!

Logan Q

Friendly place, tasty, excessively large gyros

Julie Vertina

Walleye Plate Outta this World! Fresh ~Not Greasy...Best I have Had in a Long Long Time..and they do it PERFECTLY!! Excellent Buffett with So much to offer! GYRO..Oh so Much...could Not eat All! So REASONABLE on prices for family or singles/couples. Casual atsmophere..Large Large portions..absolutely Loves this place..excellent Baklava and More!

Ahmed Bashir

Good food and delicious and family friendly

YOU GOT PAINT? 123

This place is excellent. Buffet is delicious. Gyro meat is the authentic Gyro type meat and they have rib of lamb also.

Raquel Griffin

The gyro sandwich plate was mostly meat with very little salad, served with fresh, hot fries; all for a reasonable price. The buffet has many items including American fare as well as Mediterranean. This food is well made, fresh and maintained hot on the buffet. The family staff is hard working and courteous. The only thing I would recommend would be labels for those who aren't as familiar with the food.

Nee Y

First time here. Not a bad selection. Everything seems fresh and clean. The food is very filling. It is a self serve buffet place. The waiters were very prompt. We went around 11am. It is very busy, but no wait time. They constantly make sure their food is fresh and filled. Walked in and was greeted. You just walk in, get your food and drinks, and enjoy. It's very family friendly atmosphere. I recommend bringing your family for some good food. We love Mediterranean food and this place is a great find. Definitely will bring my kids with me next time.

maymuna nasir

The food is good and service is really nice I like it

muktar jihad

The staff is great. They are very respectful. It is clean. I think some foods are gone or they are available on certain days. I am not sure. Overall, thumbs up

Angie Gurung

Decent food. Seems to have declined a bit

Yusra Farhat Ullah

So much to eat, such less cost! Love their buffet! There's food from several different African countries. Samosas are great. Loved the myriad varieties of breads and pilafs. Lamb was too good and all the seafood is just amazing. So many different kinds of salads and desserts! And if you don't want to eat all of that, fill a box with what you need and pay by the pound! Great place for get together or quick lunch bevause everything is already cooked and you don't have to wait for entree even though entrée options are also available.

more moretiger

The buffet is deloucies th food is cooked well no raw meat and the fish is amazing

Reyansh Bridges

Awesome and fresh food, I love the vibes this spot has, and the workers were kind. I will surely visit here next time.

Shane Bennett

Awwwwwwesoooome!!! To the max Great food good good good I just mean damn good. And prices are awesome to for what is laid at your face.

Muhammad Bin Shorieri

This is a fully self service buffet. You enter the restaurant and find the seats yourself. All food is halal in here. Don’t expect anything fancy here because you got what you paid for. Overall, the food are great and there are a lot of options available. Definitely will come back if I am in the area

Tom Smertneck

Have always appreciated the hard work and diligence and skill these folks deliver in their daily buffet of fresh Mediterrean and American dishes. Their Gyro sandwich with tabouli salad is enough for two. And, one can always order ala carte from their menu.

Sawsan Al Qadi

The variety of the dishes and the team are very pleasant and helpful

Wes Erwin

Good food and service. Worth the visit

Chris Halverson

Large multi cultural buffet spanning from the Middle East to the Mediterranean to American (chicken, Mac and cheese, etc). Food is always fresh. Large dessert case with multiple types of baklava and other sweets (included in the buffet). Also has a great gyro special with a huge gyro and a ton of fries. Staff is very friendly. Can accommodate groups.

Lallchan Ramnarine

Great food friends staff.

Vahid Raboodan

What you would expect out of a Mediterranean/middle eastern buffet. Pretty decent food, nothing to exciting.

Tariq Hussain

This place has never ever disappointed me. People are nice, food variety is good and mint tea makes for a nice appetizing meal.

Josh Pusch

The buffet was okay but pricey. The food wasn't that spectacular.

Cody Haar

One of my favorite spots in town. You can’t go wrong.

nosha kadhim

God bless all the staff in this restaurant they are working so hard to make all the costumes appropriate the food Thank you

H Ismailov

The food is really nice

Teonna Jordan

I just love this place. My husband and I eat here all the time.

Katie Therese

This is a good buffet to eat at. It has a peaceful atmosphere

Kevin Shaw

Excellent! Great quality and service! Location is weird though

simone harris

I absolutely love the chicken gyro the taste of the chicken is like no other place. Yum yum

Robert Knox

Beautiful lunch and dinner buffet reasonably price $$

Abdullahi Moussa

Great food clean and tasty

tanto tanto

Needs a serious deep cleaning and rehab. Food is good and flavorful.

MzSy Bella

The buffet is GREAT! Offering a variety of Mediterranean / Greek dishes that are delicious! Make your own Gyro, a couple different soups, salads, 3 different types of rice, chicken, and so much more. Offering desserts, which includes soft serve ice cream and cookies. Non-alcholic beverages are included with buffet too. Child friendly. Prices are very affordable and coupons can be found on Google, prices are reduced for children as well. The staff is friendly and family owned. Clean, comfortable, and casual environment. I definitely will be returning and so will my group!

M Monkey

Food had hair on it. Don't eat there.. foods are always on open, that's like eating dirt. Save your money try holy land.

Dave Shark

it’s way better place to go than a fast food. great food here i enjoyed it alot and sure you will too!

Jamal Omar

Excellent place to Dine. Price also reasonable.

Can Cinbis

If you like middle eastern food, this is a great place to go. Buffet has a lot of choices that could satisfy meat lovers as well as vegetarians.

Abdul-Muhaymin Muhammad

A definite must if you eat out often. Great Buffett, affordable and it's right on central in Columbia Heights. Many Muslims there which is very welcoming, everyone should try it out. The foods well made also, never had a bad meal here. 5 stars!

Mohammed Oumer

Good customer service

Ron Motley

Lots of food but only average taste

Livin' LaVietia

We were very excited to try this place out for the first time after reading the reviews, that was a mistake. Well we stayed for 30mins and really tried to keep an open mind. Normally small hole in the wall joints have pretty good food. Well this place should have retired with the original owner it seems like. Food was absolutely a no and questionable I might add. During our 30min sitting random food was just being piled on and mixed into the old food. Ie; different chicken dishes being dumped into into one pan to make room for some other random garbage. Re fried cocktail shrimp being dumped into the under cooked broccoli pan and and list goes on. My husband rushed home because he needed to throw up. Bottom line there are other places very close by with real foos that are 100% better. Or if you're looking for a buffet there is a great one a hop and skip away for the same price. Honestly a Greek place that doesnt offer a real Greek salad on their buffet or feta cheese? This kitchen needs a surprise inspection. I normally never write reviews but this one was a need.

Justin Johnson

Best way to describe big Marina's is a hidden gem.

Allison Marshall

Came here on a whim with family. My mother surprisingly loved it and the food was really good. The atmosphere could be better and a little more welcoming, but the food was amazing.

m hk

I used to love this place. Haven't been for two years and things have changed. The atmosphere has always been faux cafeteria, but the food used to be very good. What a disappointment. The tabouli is still good, the falafel were cold and dried out. The yiachni ? (Traditional potato dish) was spot on. Not sure of the name, since nothing is labled. There was also a rice dish with sweet fried onions that was spiced correctly. Everything else? A complete miss. Milky, watery Mac and cheese. Watery tasteless saffron rice, weird watery chili Mac. Everything lacked flavor, save the dishes I mentioned that I liked. And the service was even worse. I asked a woman if the samosas were vegetarian, she seemed angry and told me I would have to poke a hole in one and find out. She was the person putting the food out. When we asked for our table to be wiped down, the guy who did was also surly. Free parking. But who cares. They can take down that City Pages best of award from 2013, because that is not the restaurant I visited last night!

E J

A solid buffet with a variety of middle- eastern choices including gyro meat, bread, hummus and falafel. A great place for lunch or dinner.

Todd McDade

Loved it ! Friendly staff. Great selection. Freshest Buffet ever. Food was changed out before it got old .tons of rice dishes.. We will be back !

abid tajamal

Great food and variety. Staff is personable and friendly.

C Bowen

Certainly a place worth visiting, the food is great and well prepared, the rates are reasonable and it is constantly clean there. Keep up the good work.

micah w

A few friends and I get the family platter for get togethers. AMAZING deal! And delicious. Feeds 6 of us adults. Here’s a pro tip: get the family platter and meet up with your friends and family at Dangerous Man Brewery. I have never seen more looks of envy than when we have done this ;)

Jakob Boyer

The place serves big dishes and for affordable prices. welcoming owner. Kudos.

Kevin West

Foods good and the people are nice.

Kastle

Authentic great food...they do it right

Seasonofthewoods MN

Decent place, poor sweets options

Verna Steward

Food was good. Staff friendly and professional.

Anthony James

If you read one review on this site this should be the one. I don't know who owns Big Marina Grill but they went on Amazon.com and bought tallest ladder ever because the only way this food could be so good is because it was literally bought down from the HEAVENS. Their lamb: so juicy. Their chicken: so tender. Their beef: filled with crack because I am addicted. Their falafel: kissed by angels. Their buffet? Hands down best in the Twin Cities. And don't even try and order their big platters and expect to go away hungry. I was in tears, begging the Lord as to what act of righteousness did I commit to be blessed with such good food. I will return when my full stomach is empty again.

Ramatu Sesay

Really inexpensive. It will be nice to have and all female section for those customers who don't want to be mixing

Preston Stone

I had hear great things about this place, so take this with a grain of salt, but my experience was really not good. I wasn't really acknowledged when I came into the restaurant. The open table I sat at still had food on it from the last people who were there and the food quality was medium to poor. There were veggies that I couldn't bite through and fruit that was soggy. On the positive side they didn't allow me to tip.

Hafeez Maqbool

Great food at very reasonable price. The place is clean and staff is courteous.

Byron White

Food delicious enjoyable great dinning environment

Scott Swartzendruber

Went for a lovely lamb shank and none available - as I was leaving, I asked about the lamb shanks and was told they would be out in 5 minutes ☹️

Ronnie Teare

Awesome buffet! A wide variety of choices. Very impressed.

Russel Catherson

I have always loved coming here, I have never had a bad experience. Always friendly and excellent food!

jl hatlen linnell

Friendly clean and affordable. Food isn't a-list but it is fresh, warm, and tasty. It's good comfort food and my wife and I always leave happy.

Olimjon Khamidullaev

! Nice place ! Foods are alhamdulillahh! Price is in average ! Good luck !

Jamal Ahmed

Very good Tea

Nick W.

Pretty good gyros, sometimes there great then other times there just ok. Never tried there buffet but it looks good and clean.

Jessica Ramoo

Food is good but often busy to the point it's hard to get around the buffet.

No name

Decent food and filled me up fast. Although it does get busy and crowded but It wasn't a big issue.

Walt Skidmore

Not the best food you can get, but Mediterranean buffet? Yes, please!

Adnan Karim

Love the food and love the place! I gave 4 stars because the place could be cleaner and have better seating arrangement. I usually always go during the buffet hours, so not sure how it is otherwise. But during those hours it gets pretty crowded and congested. The wait staff is awesome and very friendly! Their food is amazing. The shanks, ribs, and kabobs are awesome!

Ahmed Thabet

The Gyros are AMAZING

Wesley Fair

Lamb was great, and buffet is bomb just needs more space to sit and eat but the service makes up for that. Oh and the bathroom was kinda nasty, water was literally everywhere.

Jesse Brueshaber

I love this place. Buffet is simple but all dishes are good. Price is fair.

Cherie Setala Reyes

The best buffet, ever

Jeremy Walls

Does not appear to be a welcoming establishment. Was refused service.

Ucherbelau Allen

Good gyros, friendly staff

D G

Racist occasionally. Wonderful occasionally. Foods amazing or mediocre. Very crazy place to eat but I'm not going to stop

R N

While the food is ok, the place is really run down. Chairs with cracked padding, wobbly tables, the dessert cabinet doesn't close easily and is often left open due to the difficulty in closing it. I also have to watch the plates and utensils as they are dirty and I often find stuck on food. The place could really improve with some simple fixes and replacing old and worn items.

Balaji Suresh

This restaurant is being full most of the times. I believe they like food very much. As an Indian, it didn't taste well to me. But I see people love to eat many varieties. Value for money.

Sam Khubs

Hope this place will stay like that in a 100000 years One of my favorite places in minnesota

Abdallah B

Amazing good food. Gets crowded weekends and ramadhan

Kacee Berthold

Great buffet, excellent service...really good/ different selections.

T N

Quite a bit of a variety of food... mainly all medateranian cuisine, Egyptian from what I could tell, but with the variety of different hybrid dishes, it's really hard to pin down. Food and variety is good but as with any buffet, one has to make sure about dinner and lunch timing to get stuff fresh. Prices are fair. The atmosphere does kind of have a cafeteria feel about it... kind of a walk down memory lane. So, Will I recommend it? well, yes... but I would not recommend muscles or some of the other sea critters. They are usually way over cooked and not really cleaned, definitely not their cup of tea... but beside that there is enough to satisfy a palette or two..

Monica Xiong

Love the food. I go here occasionally for the lunch buffet. There's a good variety and its quick and easy.

Roma Brutskiy

Perfect for catering for a party with a wide verity of Mediterranean food.

Ron Fisher

Really good buffet, Mediterranean and middle eastern food. It's a great change from Chinese. Plus theres the normal kids buffet food like spaghetti and mac and cheese, so everyone will have something to eat.

Brandon McCarty

Delicious falafel! Very reasonable price.

Rami Hritani

Delicious, as simple as it

Karen Griffin

Best Greek buffet, staff is amazing good food also

Noel Nix

Decent selection on the buffet for the price. Delicious gyros with fixings! Lots of other different meats, too. Some American food too for less adventurous tastes. Went once and then made trek all the way from St Paul to go again the next week.

Serg Dane

Cozy atmosphere, good food

Nader Elsayed

Great place for eastern food, good service, good stuff.

Sitra Salhe

It is okay. Their food selection is good but some of the food they had was too salty.

I L Toles

Great food.

MY Mulla

Good food and good customer service. Buffet is good too..

Gojjam Tutlam

The food is awesome you should give it a check, man so delicious, it also a buffet Restaurant

ANDAR farhan

Wings and fries good, and everything else

ML Tube

Great Middle East food selection and great taste. Poor layout... It's okay restaurant.

mumina mumina

Best Mediterranean food with lots of varieties and their good customer service was excellent!!

Bill Newsom

One of my favorites for specialty meals!

Julie

The Walleye was Excellent so reasonably priced..just Perfect! Best Place for Walleye folks! Meditarian food, Gyros~ so much to offer with exquisite buffet

Miss Jackson Jackson

Nice, clean environment with courteous staff to answer your questions about the menu even when it was busy! Healthy choices choices of breads abd soups! I liked it alot

Sahal Dirie

Been coming here on and off for YEARS. One of the best value buffets in Minnesota! Love the kofta, rice, and breaded fish! Always hectic especially on the weekends, but is always a family friendly and welcoming atmosphere. Being family owned gives this place a big plus also.

Send It Minnesota

The quality of the food and cleanliness needs attention asap. I will never go back.

Jamila Bechar

Best food and best service.

Ethel Chinander

Excellent buffet. We go there on a regular basis. Hamburger or cheeseburger is also a great choice.

Alphonzo WilliAMS

Food was really good and wholesome. Reasonably priced as well.

Lin Brown

First time there, great buffet and the desserts were delicious!

Dawna McLaughlin

Very diverse mix of people, great food and friendly staff. I love this place!

Tahmena Ferdous

It was too crowded on the day I went there. Staff members could barely keep up. The food was mostly good, but I couldnt find the chicken that I came back here for. I never got the ice cream I wanted to try. Otherwise I like how its affordable.

Mohamed Aden

Nice and good food but crowded and kids below five should be free!!

Daisy May

Food service very good

Kevin K

Best Halal buffet in the city hands down!! The food here is always fresh and flavorful

John Kendall

A great place to eat. This is a buffet style restaurant. Very ecilptic food choices. Buffet offered lots of choices of different styles of food. Food was excellent and people were enjoying themselves.

Ik O

Great place for buffet to many I mean to many choice . Its really the best place with so many varieties and a awesome customer service as well.

AJ Johnson

Food is good, but seating is often reserved even though it is a buffet. On a busy Saturday night at dinner time, over half their seating is reserved and staff is rude.

Clair McCann

You get what you pay for here. The food is decent and cheap, with huge portions. I would not recommend ordering off of the menu as the service is non existent, but if you choose the buffet or take out I'm sure you'll be happy. Knocked down a couple more pegs for being generally dirty, and serving olives with the pits inside.

Mustapha Ibrahim

Good Mediterranean HALAL buffet. Variety of protein (fish, beef, chicken, goat) salad, fruit & wide collection of desert. Overall Friendly staff & quality food; good for groups, family & meal dates.

Khalid Abdl-Haleem

The buffet food was good, given that it was cooked in large quantities. The atmosphere was a little wild. The restaurant could deal with some new seating and tables, and I new layout.

Real 1018

This was the first time we went here and the last. I was very disappointed at our choice to start off the person that welcomes you is very unwelcoming. He had an awful attitude and did not address this with respect. But all those things can be look forward if the food wasn’t even more awful. It’s super cold because they choose not to keep it warm the appropriate way. Mac & cheese was literally noodles and water without salt. I honestly suggest don’t waste your money here it’s really not worth it you’re better off going to holy land and actually enjoying your food and calories. Go at your own risk

William Reynolds

Came to leave a review, already had. Still five stars. This place is amazing. Tons of amazing food. If you like Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern cuisine, it doesn't get any better. Real casual family atmosphere. Makes me smile the whole time I'm here. Buffet, take-out, catering, it's all very worth it.