The Water Margin - Gunwharf Quays, Portsmouth

I found out about this restaurant through a friend and was instantly attracted when i heard the words 'all you can eat'
That is literally what it is. For ?6.50 each, me and my two friends at plate after plate of food. Most chinese dishes you could think of are in the buffet menu and you just take as much as you want. This is a nice restaurant with good music and a general nice atmosphere. You go up and eat as much as you can then when you are done just go get another plate. No need to take your old plate back, that will be cleaned away the instance you finish it! The buffet also includes desert which consists of various jelly flavours including coconut, a range of ice creams and banana and apple fritters. We were asked to leave because we were still finishing out plates after the lunchtime buffet closes at 3 o'clock. An amazing deal with amazing food. You really cant go wrong!


Unless you dont like chinese food!

The Water Margin is a buffet chinese restaurant, with some of the best tasting chinese food i've tasted!

I've always been reluctant to try to Water Margin because from the outside looking in, it always looks incredibly packed inside.

Tonight when we went to go there, it looked very busy from the outside, but in actual fact once you're inside it seems incredibly spacious.

The atmosphere is almost like a canteen, and half the restaurant is for smoking, and the other half is non-smoking.

Sundays - Thursdays the price is ?12.80 per person for adults.

Fridays and Saturdays, the buffet costs ?13.60 per person. Nice spacious restaurant with a canteen atmosphere to it, which makes you feel really relaxed and comfortable.

Friendly staff happy to assist you.

You don't get stuck with just one plate all night, as you help yourself to plates at the buffet area, and as soon as you're finished eating that round of food, the waiter or waitress will almost immediately take away your plate.

The food is amazing! Usually at chinese buffets you can help yourself to a small selection of food which has been sitting there most the night, but at the Water Margin the food is constantly being refilled, and the choice on offer is huge.

Four different buffet areas seperate Starters from Main courses and deserts. The first area is full of starters such as cripsy duck and pancakes and seaweed, satay chicken etc. Then you have a vegetable counter which is full of cucumber, spring onion and other healthy things to put in your pancakes. There is a large area for the main dishes which hosts a large variety of main dishes such as special fried rice, steamed salmon in black bean sauce, lemon chicken and loads, loads more. There is a counter for fresh fruit, and even an ice cream buffet. It's also worth mentioning that dishes such as satay chicken and lemon chicken do not have the sauce already placed on top, and you must add this yourself, which is great for those who dont like particular sauces, or if you want satay sauce on your noodles or whatever.

Another great thing about the service at the Water Margin is that you can have various meats and vegetables cooked fresh by the restaurants chefs - simply pick a Sirloin Steak and peppers etc and take them over to the chef, and he/she will cook it right there in front of you!

All of this for just ?12.80 per person! Drinks costs about the same as any other restaurant in the Gunwharf Quays vacinity, and a pint of coke is ?2.20 which is fair i'd say.

There is a large bar area where you can go to buy more drinks if wish to.

There is also a lunchtime buffet which is about half the price of the evening buffet, but not having been to the lunchtime buffet, I cannot say if the range of food available is the same.

Being in the Gunwharf Quays Area there is loads to do after your meal, such as bowling, a cinema, or you could simply watch the boats coming in and out from the balcony.

A taxi rank near the exit of Gunwharf Quays is convenient if you need to get a taxi home, or if you're too full up to walk it off. With such tastey food at a great price, you may just visit the Water Margin every week! One of the best restaurants in Gunwharf Quays, especially if like me, Chinese food is your favourite food. With such great food and great prices, you'd be mad not to give it a try, it's a really great restaurant which is always busy, which tells you something itself!

A group of us went to this restaurant recently. If you are a big eater then obviously "all you can eat" is a major attraction. There was a long, slow moving queue as soon as we walked in the front door. When we eventually got to the food counters it was pretty much a case of every man for himself with crowds of impatient customers jostling for limited space at the counters. When you go to sit down most tables only seat 4 and even with just 4 people space and elbow room are very limited. On the occasion we were there the tables were dirty and piled with all the detritus of previous diners. The atmosphere in the restaurant is very much like a school canteen. The staff we spoke to were rude and offhand. It is very pricey for what you actually get.

The plates supplied are very small so even a frugal eater such as myself had to go back up to the food counters and queue again. Avoid this awful place.It is very expensive with average food and cramped, uncomfortable tables. If there are 2 or more in your group you will get better food, service and value by going to a good Chinese restaurant or takeaway.

i went to the water margin last year on the 19th May for my 17th birthday with a group of my friends and my sister i thought i would try some mussels unfortunately i got really ill. The staff need to make sure that the food is well heated and not left out for too long i also know some other people who have gone there and got ill. i am really put off and don't think i will being coming again. Not good.

the water margin is the best restaurant in portsmouth i have been there loads of times and will continue goin there it is great i love all the food and it all taste fresh the food was quick to get you were able to see it being cooked and it looked and tasted lovely there are none

You have to visit the water margin, its an absolute must try place and once you go you wont stop visiting. The food is amazing.Dish upon dish..all cooked freshly although as we arrived at 2pm and they close the session at 3..after a while they began to run down of some dishes.Swiftly replenished we tried about everything we could manage .The small boy with us could not believe the endless ice creams..A jug of filtered water and glasses for 3 quenched our thirst at a reasonable ?1.50.Staff cleared the table as fast as we finished a plate with no need to take a dirty plate back to the buffet. some chinese bloke attacked me with a samurai sword NICE!

You have to visit the water margin, its an absolute must try place and once you go you wont stop visiting. They have a excelent selection of food, there staff is fantastic always busy collecting dirty dishes, so that your next helping can be on a clean plate and anything you tryed for the first time but you were'nt really keen on can be cleared away. The Water Margin has a seperate section were you can pick up raw fish or noodles then you give them your plate full at the counter were they will cook it infront of you and cook it how you like it. Can't stop eating! Fantastic this place will always be recomended by me FANTASTIC.

We had read and heard a lot about the Water Margin, so decided to give it a try on a very busy lunchtime Really large selection of dishes, all freshly cooked and replenished. Helpful waiting staff who never stand still, always clearing used dishes, cleaning tables or sweeping up - some of us are very messy eaters with chopsticks! A very good selection of sweets, including fruit, ice cream, jelly and fritters. Only one I can think of is the high price for drinks The day we were there the restaurant was crowded with office staff and Chinese. That's always a good sign for me. We'll be back!

Went to the Watermargin with a group of 9 friends, and they were happy to seat us all within 10 mins, which was impressive. Good selection of food, all fresh and plentiful. Excellent service with waiters taking your plate the second you got up for more food!! Also can make your own, and it is cooked infront of you. Drinks a tad pricey, but as the meal is such good value it worked out about ?15 a head (incl drinks).
The make your own had a large queue, and wasn't necessary as the other buffet food was superb.
They may go out of business if me and my friends go there too many times - we ate A LOT! Fabulous, great for large group of friends, maybe not so good for romantic meal out as you would be going back and forth all the time.
Am planning to go back within the next week

Got to be my most visited restaurant of all time. We come almost every Thursday tea time, after weight watchers weigh in day! Perfect if your really hungry and want to eat straight away.

Perfect venue for parties, work nights out etc. as the staff can cater for large groups. Also it makes it easier when it comes to that usually awkward part of paying at the end as everyone pays the same for the food. If you come early on Friday or Sat evenings, sometimes you are given a time limit if the table is pre-booked for a large party later on.

You may think some of the dishes are a little bland, (especially if you like spicy food) so ensure you ask the waiter for the Salt, Pepper, Soy and chilli sauce. It's available but you wouldn't necessarily know as it's not on the table. Always Busy, and always full of chinese eating which is a sure sign that the food is authentic and to a very high standard.

the food here is fantastic-even the children try a little of everything-fantastic value for money-one of the few places where you can order jugs of water to accompany the vast choices of dishes available-the hospitality is second to none great place to visit for lunch or dinner any bad reports must surely be coming from disgruntled restuarant owners due to water margins popularity

If you've never been to the Water Margin, go! Even if you're not a fan of chinese food you'll be sure to find lots of dishes you'll love. The vast selection of dishes, fantastic service, and of course, all you can eat!! The drinks are pretty over priced and there's no-one to tell you when you should really stop eating! Don't listen to stupid rumours about the Water Margin. Try it!

I love Water Margin and the Buffet idea is great. I can keep going up for more! Yummy food- i love duck pancakes! There's not chicken in pastry balls-like the prawn balls but chicken! Great food best in town but Tangs does the best take away!

Please do not believe the gossip regarding Water Margin - all the rumours are completely false. On behalf of Gunwharf Quays Centre Management, I can confirm that Water Margin has never been closed by us nor has any evidence been found to support the gossip. Please call the Senior Environmental Health Officer for Portsmouth who will confirm the above.

The recent rumours regarding skin cats and dogs in the freezers were absolute nonsense! An insult to common sense, malicious and generated from jealousy. Please don't believe in groundless and vicious rumours. Water Margin has never been closed and still serve food of the highest quality using fresh ingredients everyday.

I have heard so much about the watermargin so i thought i would give it a try with my friend.
It was great and i really enjoyed it The staff are so friendly and polite.They food is lovely and you can eat as much as you like .If you love food and eat a lot like me then you would enjoy it.There is so many different dishes on offer and there is more dishes in the evening but the lunch time one i think is just as good.There is never empty dishes on the counter they are always topping it up. The buffet should maybe go on a bit longer i went in at 1oclock and we just had anough time as it stops at 3oclock. I think its the best chinese restaurant ive been in.its fantastic

This was the first time i had gone to the water margin and i thought it was fantastic!
It is a chinese restaurant with great deals, me and my friend went on 15/01/05 for a treat as we have done well at school, we totaly pigged out! The service is superb and the staff are really friendly. I find that normaly when you go to a chinese restaurant that most of the staff are english but not in the water margin, being the staff are all chinese it gives a very authentic atmosphere. the music is cool and there was never an empty food container at the buffet it was always full. I also noticed that when they refiled the containers they always mixed the new batch in with the old so the the old food at the bottom was eaten at the same time. Even the cooks wore gloves when chopping the veg.
I think that the buffet should last longer than 3 o'clock. apart from that there is nothing wrong with it and i could go every weekend. I think it is the best restaurant at gunwharf. I got there at 1 o'clock at it was half full but then again that was in the smoking area, as the time went on it began to fill so if i were you go at 1! (hint, hint)

I shop at Gunwharf weekly and always bemoan the resturants, never having been upstairs! My cousin told me about the lunch time buffet at the water margin. The food is amazing.Dish upon dish..all cooked freshly although as we arrived at 2pm and they close the session at 3..after a while they began to run down of some dishes.Swiftly replenished we tried about everything we could manage .The small boy with us could not believe the endless ice creams..A jug of filtered water and glasses for 3 quenched our thirst at a reasonable ?1.50.Staff cleared the table as fast as we finished a plate with no need to take a dirty plate back to the buffet. there are none that I can see The best Chinese I have ever found..very cheap for a lunchtime treat or just to eat resonably.We spotted many business men munching away and doing the pudding run!!