Ate at buffets all the time when I was growing up, but I don't go to them that often anymore. I still enjoy the concept, but there aren't any great buffet places near me. Besides, my wife has a nut allergy, and it's difficult to trust food that is subjected to the hands of the general public when you have any kind of allergy.
I don't think there are too many good buffets out there any more. Maybe a few mom and pop ones, but mainstream restaurant ones? No thanks, I'll pass. I've only been to one consistently amazing Sunday brunch buffet at a restaurant in a nearby town that was local only to the town. Unfortunately, they went out of business after being in business for about 50 years. Bummer.
I am usually on a diet but I have no option when it comes to buffets because the kids love it. We normally arrive by 11am and exit by 2pm. That 3 hours of eating is gluttony already, hahahaaa. As they say, we always get our money's worth in buffets. Particularly the kids, they get about 5 or 6 servings of the entree, that excludes the salads, soups and desserts.
wow, 3 hours at a buffet that is a long time. I rarely go to buffets anymore because there aren't any good ones around here..and as you say, it can lead to gluttony. There is a brunch buffet in town that is kind of good. I might go back there again sometime. But yes, you can eat quite a bit at buffets for an affordable price.
My family like to eat out but we seldom go to restaurants offering buffet because some members of the family have very small appetites. It is more practical for us to order a la carte. On the other hand, when you ask my stand on this, well as the song goes, "Give it to me I'm worth it..." I eat A LOT. For sure, the volume of food I can eat will always exceed the price of the buffet. Lol.
All I can say is that if you're in the middle of nowhere in the south, look for a KFC. Chances are, there is a buffet attached to it, and boy, they have a great selection of foods. Fried and Grilled Chicken, lots of vegetables, and some stranger options, like sweet potato pie and chicken n' dumplings. As for other buffets, it depends on the selection. Bargain asian buffets can have an amazing range of cuisine, but if it isn't cooked properly, you will feel it later. There's a place called Hot n' Cold near where I live, and their food almost made me break out in a cold sweat and vomit. Wasn't a fun experience.
I'm not a huge fan of buffets. I find for the price you pay if you aren't a big eater then you don't get your money's worth. I have two kids who are not big eaters so I'd rather eat somewhere else that they can get something they really like. It seems so wasteful to go up and fill up a plate of food, not eat for whatever reason and just go back for more and more. The only buffets my family really enjoys are the ones at the resorts in Mexico as part of an all inclusive deal. You've already paid for the buffet and the breakfast at the Mexican resorts are amazing. We love the omelette bar.
I do like eating at buffets and where I live that is the most common type of restaurant, followed closely by fast foods. Where I live, buffets are usually more homemade foods that you cannot find in fast food or chain restaurants. So that is why I like it. Yes, I do agree with someone that said that the food stays there in the open for a while, but they do replace it every now and then if it is a good place. I just like the freedom to choose.
There are so many different dishes you can do with Ramen noodles. I agree they are cheap so good savings there. If you want to get adventurous try using it to make a faux pho. Cook the package according to the directions with about half of the seasoning package, then to the broth add lime juice, sugar and fish sauce and some siracha if you like the spicy heat. Top with thinly sliced flank steak, bean sprouts and cilantro or mint. If you don't want to go to all that trouble you can scramble an egg in the bowl and add that to the broth as it cooks and have a simple egg drop soup. You could also turn the noodles into pad Thai by adding fish sauce, peanuts, lime juice, green onions. While it's cooking drop in some shrimp to ramp it up.
Absolutely love buffets! The variety and never ending supply of food is just awesome! However it is true that some are a hit and miss, especially with the Chinese buffets. While they offer variety, I find that the quality varies between visits and sometimes the empty trays do not get filled regularly. For me, buffets are a treat and so I wouldn't mind spending a little more on the occasional visit for a good quality meal! However, the downside to all that is the aftermath! I usually leave feeling so bloated I am not even sure if standing or sitting is more comfortable
How can you go wrong with a buffet? My hometown has two Chinese buffets, KFC buffet, two pizza buffets, and a country food buffet. Yeah, I'm definitely not skinny due to those facts. I think you can save a lot of money with buffets just as long as they're not ridiculously priced. There's one place I really love and it's called Larry's Pizza. They actually carry around the pizza around the restaurant instead of you having to get up yourself. It's great, actually.
In the late 70's, early 80's, my folks were frequently taking us to buffets. We had mostly home cooked meals overall, but my parents were total mall rats as well, so we spent a lot of time hanging out at malls, plazas and department stores as well and would inevitably end up at a buffet of some sort. My parent's absolute favorite by far was a chain called York Steak House, which was in our local mall. The place smelled incredible when you walked in, they cooked everything over wood fired (maybe gas? it smelled good nonetheless) grills in the background as you were picking out your food. It wasn't a traditional buffet though. You paid for your order up front and told the cashier what type of meat you wanted, such as a steak or burger, and they would throw it on the grill as you walked down the rest of the buffet line and picked out various sides and deserts. By the time you got to the end, your steak/burger/whatever was done too. The rest of the food on the line was behind a window, and there would be cooks there who would hand you a portion of whatever you requested, such as stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc... so in that sense it was much cleaner than your more common self serve buffet.
