Buffets/salad bars

[seema]

Which are the best buffets/salad bars - in terms of quality, variety, and value - outside, and also inside, the theme parks?

 

[BonnieA]

Best salad bar/buffet going (in my opinion) is Sweet Tomatoes on I Drive, near Belz.
If you are a meat & potatoes type of person you might not feel the same way. But if you like fresh salads & soups (some pasta & baked potatoes thrown in) you will love this place.

 

[Gillian]

Sweet Tomatoes - YUM! Just don't fill up on salad. Save room for soup! And bread. And pasta. Okay, so it's not really as healthy as it sounds at first, but it is really good.

If you've never been there, when you go in you get a plate & a try. You are funneled past a salad bar, and at the end you pay & get drink glasses. Then you sit & can go to the other part of the buffet, where they have 3 pasta dishes, several soups (including chili), baked potatoes, breads & pizza. It's all very good and kept fresh. There are a few choices for dessert. Nothing fancy. My friend likes to put the chocolate cake in a dish & make a sundae! They have toppings.

 

[rfriend]

We just got back Monday and to be honest, we did not eat at any buffets. The best food we had was at the Olive Garden. With that unlimited salad & breadsticks, plus a large dinner it was a good deal. My DH, me and our 5 year old DD, could eat for under $25.00.

 

[seema]

What are the good buffets - with salad bars, meat, soups, other entrees, desserts etc? - eg Golden Corral, Ponderosa, Sizzler?

Are there buffets with non-American type food - ie Italian, Mexican etc?

 

[Goofyzgurl]

Oh, Gawd another vote for Sweet Tomato!!! I luv eating there that and Angels, but Angels is over $20 per person so we only do Angels once a trip.

 

[disneysteve]

Somehow, I've never heard of Sweet Tomato. Sounds like our kind of place. Where exactly is it? What do they charge?

Steve

 

[BonnieA]

If you want to know the locations of the Sweet Tomatoes restaurants in Orlando (and around the country) go to www.sweettomatoes.com

They also have complete menus on the site of what they are serving.

 

[Big V]

Sweet Tomatoes! MMM Good!

 

[DianeV]

We tried it a couple weeks ago when we were there and liked it. If you are looking for a buffet where you are not going to go away feeling overfull and heavy with food this is the place.

My husband in particular tried a couple different soups they had and said they were very good.

 

[BonnieA]

Guess you wanted some other buffet options instead of us all raving about Sweet Tomatoes. OK, I've been to the Golden Corral on 192 it was...well... a Golden Corral, edible, nothing extraordinary. They are all the same except here it was more crowded. I've been to the Western Sizzlin for breakfast (don't go!). I've also been to other breakfast buffets that were standard breakfast fare (Sizzler, Ponderosa).
Inside the park I would have to vote for the Buffet at Akershus in Norway. It is a very good value. There is a lot of cold fish on the buffet but you can find many other items if you are not a fish lover (I don't care for cold fish myself). They have great salads, breads & cheeses. The hot buffet has varied items.
I also enjoy the Hollywood & Vine in MGM. Last time I went they had a really yummy prime rib. And the desserts were very good.

 

[seema]

Yes, I did want some info on other buffets, besides Sweet Tomatoes. I thank you for the info.

Are there any good buffets in Magic Kingdom, or in the WDW resort hotelS? Any good buffets, on or off WDW property, with non-American (ie ethnic) foods?

 

[disneysteve]

Originally posted by seema
Are there any good buffets in Magic Kingdom, or in the WDW resort hotelS? Any good buffets, on or off WDW property, with non-American (ie ethnic) foods?

MK had Crystal Palace. It has been closed for renovation - not sure of the reopening date. Was a Pooh character meal. Good food. Better value for lunch than for dinner.

1900 Park Faire at Grand Floridian is very good. Also a character meal.

Boma at Animal Kingdom Lodge is wonderful and very unique. First of all, you get to visit the hotel which is a treat in itself. As for the food, there is a strong African influence and you will find many dishes served no where else but Boma. They also have a station for kids food (mac and cheese, pasta, hot dogs) so the little ones who aren't quite as adventurous will be satisfied.

There's also Chef Mickey's at the Contemporary. Character meal. Pretty standard food choices as I recall.

Steve

 

[cdrn1]

Boma at AK. It was EXCELLENT. Interesting flavor combinations, like a chili-cilantro vinagrette (sp?) and a wonderful chowder-type soup, very good vegetable dishes, amazing desserts. I can't wait to go back.

 

[BonnieA]

About ethnic buffets...
I know there are many, many chinese buffets along 192. The ones on the west side of Interstate 4 are higher priced than most of those farther away toward Kissimmee. Also you can find discount coupons in most of the tourist guides.
There are Indian & Thai restaurants in the area but none with a buffet that I know of.

 

[AJKMOM]

If you look back through this forum, you will see that the buffets (both on-property and off) have a lot of bad reviews. There have been entries where people have even gotten sick. Most on-property have been deemed too expensive with not so great food. Off-site, not many that are very good.

 

[dgaston]

I feel like I'm always posting about Trails End at Ft Wilderness. This is a nice break from MK. It's a boat ride away, serves American food at reasonable prices. It's very nice.