Which buffet is best??

[Wonderwoman1982]

I'm trying to decide on a buffet for our first day/night in the parks. It'll be my daughter's 20th b-day, and we do prefer a buffet, because there will be 5 adults, and 2 are very picky, this way everyone can get what they want.

I've made reservations for BOTH Chef Mickey's and also Hollywood and Vine.. BUT I'm reading all these comments about how horrible everything is at both places, and they're scaring me. Now I don't know where to go.

I guess my choices are Chef Mickey, Hollywood & Vine, that buffet in the Epcot center in The Land, Tusker House (but doesn't seem to have "normal" food for picky people?) and then the Crystal Palace.. Which place should I pick, and if you know, how much is it.. Looking for lunch or dinner. (Lunch is preferable, due to the cheaper price, but we'll take either)

 

[Eliza32]

Best buffet I know is Boma if you don't mind leaving the parks???

 

[WDWFANCBIIIME]

For food it is Boma by about 10 miles!!!

 

[Dizzytime]

Yes, Boma is the best buffet for selection and food quality. Love the African-style food there, but also plenty of great options for those that don't.
Wherever you go, sure hope you have a great time!

 

[MouseClubMama]

Best buffet for us was Trail's End at FW, the dinner buffet was surprisingly good. We celebrated my DGS birthday at the restaurant and it was wonderful; our server brought over a huge strawberry short cake with a candle for the birthday boy.
It is a very easy, and enjoyable boat ride away from the MK, and if you have an early dinner, you can return to MK for more fun.

 

[kastoney]

I'm not a big buffet fan in general but tusker house or Boma are your best bets. They do have unique African inspired items, but "normal" items too. Tusker also has characters.

 

[B-Ride]

Boma is the only buffet we frequent but to answer your question I would decide by location. If you are at DHS that day they Hollywood and Vine is the best choice. For Epcot or MK choose Chef Mickey.

 

[Tess]

We haven't done a buffet in years, but I remember we always enjoyed 1900 Park Fare especially at breakfast. If you are going in the afternoon or evening, I would go with Crystal Palace if you are at MK. Hollywood & Vine is notorious for its poor offerings and Chef Mickey's is meh. Then again, buffets at Disney are meh.

Frankly, there is no wrong choice for a buffet at Disney with picky eaters. If they are truly picky--I would not go to BOMA (although they have nice and varied selections there--not good for picky folk). I agree with the poster above that Trails End is a good choice for a reasonably priced and "normal" food choices. It will suit the picky folks and the price is better than the character meals. You should, however, allow plenty of time to get back and forth from FW.

 

[nkereina]

that buffet in the Epcot center in The Land

Are you referring to Garden Grill? If so, it's not a buffet. It is all you can eat but served family style. OK options but probably not great for the very picky.

What park will you be in that day? None of the buffets are worth going out of the way for IMO. If you'll be in MK, CP or CM are good options. Trail's End is also a good option. In AK, Tusker or Boma are your best bets. Both have ethnic/African type foods but have plenty of "normal" foods as well. For Epcot or DHS, it might be worth heading over to Cape May at the Beach Club. Hollywood & Vine is disappointing and the only buffets in Epcot I believe are in the World Showcase so they'd have more ethnic foods and not really cater well to the picky ones.

 

[PlutoFanClub]

We also disliked Hollywood and Vine - once we truly ate again because we couldn't find anything we liked for dinner there! We do love Tusker and I agree that they have "nonethnic" selections, too, so would think anyone could find something there. Biergarten has a nice selection though yes much is of German ethnicity of course (which we love). Have eaten at Cape May once as well but my son remembers it as "the place with the grouchy meat-cutting lady!" - the employees at this buffet are non-Disney I found out after (hired from outside Disney) so honestly, at least the night we went, it was not the typical atmosphere one would expect at Disney - made it feel like we were at a cattle trough or Luby's instead of on a magical vacation.

 

[Disneylover99]

I would either stick with Chef Mickey's for dinner or do CP for lunch.

 

[staceyrhood]

Another vote for trails end...our favorite restaurant on property

 

[OasterP]

I've heard trails end is great, but haven't been.

I would do 1900 Park Fare. Food is ok for a buffet, better than others, and the characters are fantastic.

I personally wanted to do Boma, but have picky eaters, so we didn't.

 

[mickeynut1]

I'm trying to decide on a buffet for our first day/night in the parks. It'll be my daughter's 20th b-day, and we do prefer a buffet, because there will be 5 adults, and 2 are very picky, this way everyone can get what they want.

I've made reservations for BOTH Chef Mickey's and also Hollywood and Vine.. BUT I'm reading all these comments about how horrible everything is at both places, and they're scaring me. Now I don't know where to go.

I guess my choices are Chef Mickey, Hollywood & Vine, that buffet in the Epcot center in The Land, Tusker House (but doesn't seem to have "normal" food for picky people?) and then the Crystal Palace.. Which place should I pick, and if you know, how much is it.. Looking for lunch or dinner. (Lunch is preferable, due to the cheaper price, but we'll take either)

We've never eaten at Tusker House, but have had dinner at Chef Mickeys, H&V, and Crystal Palace (and also Garden Grill, if that's the one in Epcot you are talking about) and out of those choices, my choice would be Chef Mickeys. We had a horrible experience at Crystal Palace as the food was lukewarm at best, some items were under cooked/raw, and the restaurant itself was not very clean. We thought Garden Grill and H&V were ok, but neither one was spectacular to us. As far as Chef Mickeys, we have gone there many times over the years and have never had a bad experience. With all of that said, if you are looking for any suggestions outside of the choices you mentioned, I do agree with some of the others about Boma. We love Boma as it's one of our favorites and is a must do for us every trip. Good luck with your decision.

 

[robndani]

Boma or Tusker House (chicken, rice, cornbread, salads) or Hollywood and Vine. They have awesome food for a Disney buffet. I lved the seafood Mac and cheese!

 

[heehee611]

We loved the character experience at Chef Mickeys breakfast, but the food wasn't anything to write home about. We were going to try the dinner this coming trip, but decided not to after reading the bad reviews. We actually LOVE Hollywood and Vine. We thought it was some of the best buffet food we had, and my kids loved it for the characters (they are currently 3 and 7). We loved Crystal Palace as well, thought the food was excellent.

We're trying Tusker House this coming trip because I've heard such good things about it.

 

[jenjersnap]

With your qualifiers, I would choose Crystal Palace or Tusker House.

 

[David42301]

Ohana isn't a buffet but they serve 10 different items which are all higher quality then most of the buffets mentioned (although some like Boma stand out). Think about Ohara and wait for a table next to the window or the fire. Unless this thread is for breakfast... I can't remember now

 

[SouthJersey]

I'm trying to decide on a buffet for our first day/night in the parks. It'll be my daughter's 20th b-day, and we do prefer a buffet, because there will be 5 adults, and 2 are very picky, this way everyone can get what they want.

I've made reservations for BOTH Chef Mickey's and also Hollywood and Vine.. BUT I'm reading all these comments about how horrible everything is at both places, and they're scaring me. Now I don't know where to go.

I guess my choices are Chef Mickey, Hollywood & Vine, that buffet in the Epcot center in The Land, Tusker House (but doesn't seem to have "normal" food for picky people?) and then the Crystal Palace.. Which place should I pick, and if you know, how much is it.. Looking for lunch or dinner. (Lunch is preferable, due to the cheaper price, but we'll take either)

Chef Mickey's is disgusting. You'll see some good reviews, but then again some people love old country buffet

Based on food, cleanliness and atmosphere (not location, character, ease of access)

Boma #1
1900 Park Fare #2

 

[TheRustyScupper]

OUR WDW CHARACTER MEAL & BUFFET RANKINGS (*rev: JUNE 2014*):
Results are listed from best to worst

Best Food (quality first, then variety):
. . . Tusker House
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Garden Grove
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Cinderella Royal Table (since new menu)
. . . Chef Mickey's

Best Character Interaction (time with guest first, then friendliness):
. . . Tusker House
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Ohana
. . . Garden Grove
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Chef Mickey's
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Crystal Palace (barely enough time for a photo)

Best Atmosphere (surroundings and ambiance):
. . . Cinderella Royal Table
. . . Tusker House
. . . Akershus Royal Banquet
. . . Ohana
. . . 1900 Park Fare
. . . Garden Grill
. . . Crystal Palace
. . . Hollywood & Vine
. . . Cape May Café
. . . Garden Grove
. . . Chef Mickey's


NOTE1: Results are listed from best to worst. Overall, Tusker House wins due to best
food and the length of time the characters stay at each table. A close second is 1900 Park
Fare. By far, Chef Mickey's is the loser, due to mediocre character interaction and almost
terrible in quality. The very distant second worst is Cinderella Royal Table, due to brief
time at tables for characters and the new menu.