7 Chains with All-You-Can-Eat Buffets, Ranked From Basic to Best

If an all-you-can-eat buffet doesn't make you nostalgic about the past, did you even have a childhood? Some of my most fantastic childhood dining memories involve endless food experiences: hotel breakfast buffets, pizza lunch buffets, and good old Hometown Buffet, which was connected to my local mall. During my 20s, we often frequented Souplantation and Sweet Tomatoes, which seemed like a healthier buffet alternative. My kids also love a good buffet. They regularly reminisce about the extensive and gourmet buffet on the Celebrity Beyond cruise we took in 2023, which served food until late night hours. And, they begged incessantly to hit the breakfast buffet every morning during our recent vacation at the Wyndham Grand Rio Mar in Puerto Rico. No matter your age or income level, there's something magical about buffets, and everyone should be able to experience it. Here are seven all-you-can-eat buffets ranked.

Golden Corral

If you want a wallet-friendly buffet experience with homestyle favorites and then some, hit your local Golden Corral, which has been around since 1973. The chain fills the void left behind by Hometown Buffet and Old Country Buffet, which started closing up shop during the pandemic, offering an endless breakfast, lunch, and dinner buffet with over 150 food options, including BBQ beef, roast beef, sirloin steak, cheeseburgers, short ribs, flatbreads, and more.

Cici's Pizza

If you can't choose which toppings you want on your pizza, head to the Cici's Pizza buffet. The cheap and kid-friendly spread offers more than just slices, including pasta, sides, and a salad bar.

Pizza Hut

If you are lucky enough to live near a Pizza Hut with a buffet, head on over and relive your youth. The Pizza Hut website maintains that the buffets offer all-you-can-eat "Original Stuffed Crust®, breadsticks, wings, and more. The biggest complaint about it? Redditors wish more locations offered one.6254a4d1642c605c54bf1cab17d50f1e

Pizza Ranch

Pizza Ranch is a Midwest favorite serving up more than just slices in the buffet. Favorites include fresh fried chicken, dessert pizza, and salads.

Top Pot

Top Pot, specializing in Korean-style BBQ and hot pot, is a quickly expanding chain that my kids are obsessed with. While the main draw is the all-you-can-eat hot pot soup or grilled meat, which you cook yourself at your table, the restaurant has an extensive hot bar selection, from dumplings and fried rice to jello and cheesecake.

Shady Maple Smorgasbord

While Shady Maple Smorgasbord isn't a chain, we couldn't resist including it. The Pennsylvania Dutch mega-buffet is internationally famous and beloved for its scratch-made comfort foods, lots of impossible-to-beat daily specials, and country charm located in Amish country.

Fogo De Chao

If you can splurge, head over to one of the best gourmet salad bars in the country at Fogo de Chão. While the Brazilian steakhouse is best known for its churrasco, with waiters carrying around slabs of deliciously marinated and cooked meats, the salad bar, aka the "Market Table," is actually my favorite part of the experience. I recently went and feasted on everything from Caesar salad and lots of food, like Crispy Chickpea Kale Salad, Greek Salad, Sesame Black Bean Pasta, Beet Tartare, Quinoa Tabouleh, and smoked salmon and cheeses. And, even if the full experience is out of your budget, you can feast on just the salad bar for about half the price.