5 Restaurant Chains With the Best All-You-Can-Eat Buffets, According to Diners
I love a good all-you-can-eat buffet. When I was a kid, I remember looking forward to a buffet experience, whether it was at a hotel, the local Hometown Buffet, or Souplantation/Sweet Tomatoes, one of my all-time favorites. In the post-COVID culinary world, it has become increasingly difficult to find a good buffet, but luckily a few exist. From budget-friendly to bougie, here are 5 restaurant chains with the best all-you-can-eat buffets, according to diners.
Golden Corral
Golden Corral, circa 1973, offers a wallet-friendly buffet experience with homestyle favorites. The chain is the only remaining major buffet chain after Hometown Buffet and Old Country Buffet shuttered locations during the pandemic. Golden Corral offers an endless breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet with over 150 food options, including liver and onions, pot roast, BBQ beef, roast beef, sirloin steak, cheeseburgers, short ribs, flatbreads, and an unlimited salad bar.
Cicis Pizza
Cicis Pizza is more-than-just-pizza buffet experience. Sure, it allows you to eat every kind of pizza you want in one sitting. But there are also sides, pastas, salad, and more. The cheap and kid-friendly eatery has a cult following that frequents the chain. “I friggen love CiCis, I go and pigout and just eat way to much pizza,” a Redditor exclaims.
Fogo De Chao
Fogo de Chão, best known for its all-you-can-eat churrasco, has a truly gourmet salad bar dubbed the “Market Table.” And, a lesser known hack? You can dine at the restaurant and get it without meat for half the price. “They have my favorite salad bar that I’ve ever been to,” a Redditor shares. “I go at lunch time and only get the salad bar. I think it’s called Market Table,” another adds.
Top Pot
Top Pot, a newer Korean-style BBQ and hot pot-centric spot, not only offers an all-you-can-eat hot pot soup or grilled meat experience, but there is an extensive hot bar selection as well. They have everything from dumplings and fried rice to jello and cheesecake, and all are consistently delicious. “Sauce bar HUGE. Had hot and cold bar too in addition to AYCE meats and veg. Definitely good place to go to experience Korean BBQ. On the pricy side but very worth it,” a Redditor says.
Pizza Ranch
Pizza Ranch is another pizza-centric buffet that offers more than just slices. Choose from fresh fried chicken, dessert pizza, and salads. “God, I miss pizza ranch. Pizza, fried chicken, salad bar, best soft serve. Cheap,” writes a Redditor. “I love the Pizza Ranch buffet. It’s the bomb. They’ve got a chill dining area, Wild Western theme with tables and booths and cozy lighting. They’ve got a sick buffet, they’ve got a big a** salad bar. They’ve got a skillet crust pizza that will blow your b**ls off. I stack my plate with pepperoni pizza, garlic pizza, cheesy bread sticks, potato wedges, fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, corn, cookies, ice cream. I’ll make a root beer float to top it all off,” another says.