The Worst Buffets In The US, According To Customer Reviews

The buffet-style restaurant — be it one that offers American homestyle cooking, pizza, Chinese food, Mexican food, something else, or all of the above — is a polarizing concept. Buffets became an all-you-can-eat phenomenon because people appreciate abundance, variety, and value. Others find food that's been left out for who knows how long to be suspect, and that buffets are a classic example of the "jack of all trades, master of none" archetype. 

Among the worst secrets of all-you-can-eat buffets is that many shortcuts have to be made to turn a profit, and that can easily put the quality of the food at risk and tax operations. Small, independently owned buffets seem to be most at risk of falling into certain traps that make for a horrific dining experience.

Strategy tips for your next all-you-can-eat buffet visit may not apply to some particularly egregious buffets. These are probably the places to avoid, local legends for their poor quality, or a reputation for making diners ill, ensuring that there aren't a lot of repeat visits to go along with a withering review on an aggregating website. Nor do the buffet rules everyone should know seem to even come into play. According to diners on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other sites, these are the worst buffets in the U.S.

Fire and Ice, but doing business as FiRE + iCE, labels itself a buffet, but it's more of a Mongolian barbecue establishment. Patrons to the Boston location grab a bowl and fill it with different raw meats, uncooked vegetables, noodles, and sauces, and then pass it off to a staffer manning a grill, who cooks everything until it's fit for human consumption.

More than 180 Yelp users gave the loud, boisterous, and chaotic Boston FiRE+ iCE a one-star review on Yelp. "The dishes either were still dirty or sopping wet," one customer wrote on Yelp. "The food was mediocre. Everything on the buffet tables was mixed and a sloppy mess." Another Yelp reviewer complained about cold rice, and pasta and broccoli with an unpleasant texture. 

"All the raw meats and seafood are placed in a buffet style. Not sure how safe it is," warned a TripAdvisor reviewer. "If you have food allergies, don't come here." Another Tripadvisor user added: "Terrible restaurant. Dirty venue. Dirty carpets. Sticky dirty tables. Unappetizing sloppy presentation. Unsanitary conditions."

In 2020, Saddle Brook, New Jersey, all-you-can-eat spot Royal Hibachi Buffet acquired a modicum of exposure and notoriety when it was featured on "One Star Reviews," a Vice series that tests out the internet's worst-rated businesses (via YouTube). With stained plates and stomach-turning food, Vice's hosts suffered for their work, choking down foods from Asia and the Mediterranean region.

"If I could give this place a ZERO, I would, one customer said in a one-star review on Yelp. "The place was overwhelming, overstimulating, over packed, overpriced. Not a lot of food options." Another Yelp user added: "$30 a head for the garbage they served is an insult. Food is cold and not changed out." 

"When I got home, I had severe abdominal pains and diarrhea," one customer overshared on TripAdvisor. Others complained about the food's unpleasant tastes and textures, a lack of freshness, and mentioned that even the soda didn't taste good. 

China Buffet, which offers all-you-can-eat Chinese-American food as well as a selection of sushi, still continues to bring in enough customers to stay afloat more than eight years after an extremely unflattering Miami local TV news profile of the restaurant went viral. Its patrons must not be among the 13 million people who have seen a WPLG reporter confront the buffet's irate proprietor after a health department inspection resulted in a publicly available food safety report with 110 violations (via YouTube). Meats were both kept at too warm temperatures and stored on the moldy, greasy ground, fetid water hung out in sinks, and a broken toilet sat in the middle of the kitchen.

It doesn't seem like things have gotten much better at China Buffet since its moment of infamy in 2018. More than half of the Yelp reviews for China Buffet are of the one-star kind. "Shut down so many times with 546 violations since 2017," one Yelp user advised. "This is a PSA." 

"The chicken was burned, the food looked like it was there all day, the bread was all broken and dry," noticed another reviewer. "I will NEVER go back to this place, and if you value your life and money, steer clear," suggested another diner on Yelp. "Crabs were so small had to be illegal plus they smelled of ammonia. Food was not hot, will refer to food inspector," added another Yelper. "Stay away."

Los Angeles is one of the physically largest metropolitan areas in the U.S. and one of heavily populated, too. It's a dubious but still lofty achievement then for New Panda Buffet to rank as the worst-rated buffet in the whole of Greater Los Angeles. Haunted by reports of food poisoning, New Panda Buffet still manages to attract customers with its sub-$20 cost of admission and promises of Chinese food, sushi, seafood, and barbecue choices.

But then come the regrets. "Flies buzzing around everywhere and the food tastes like it's been sitting out all day. Workers get mad when you don't finish but the food is just that bad that it's hard to even get a few bites down," recalled one diner in a one-star review on Yelp. "This was such a bad experience. The food looks like it has been touched with BARE hands," wrote another Yelp user. My 6-year-old child literally got food poisoning and started vomiting everywhere."

Popular food vlogger Daym Drops is usually an agreeable but fair restaurant critic. But when he reviewed Berlin, Connecticut's Imperial Buffet — because it was the lowest-rated all-you-can-eat place in the personality's home state — Daym Drops was moved to disgust, anger, and profanity after his meal.

The vast majority of Yelp diners who reviewed Imperial Buffet rated it a one-star establishment, on account of its poor service, questionable business tactics, and low-quality food. "I was charged $32 for a buffet that claimed to have crab legs and oysters on Sundays, and yet had no crab legs or oysters on Sundays," claimed on customer on Yelp. Others have also complained about the lack of crab legs.

"The food is terrible it taste like someone vomited and mixed it with all the food," a diner declared on Yelp. Another complained about there being a hair in the food. Others mention undercooked food, rubbery seafood, and a lack of freshness. On TripAdvisor, one customer complained about an unpleasant smell, while another mentioned the bad food and rude staff. 

When in Las Vegas, one can go the distance at the Caesars Palace buffet, an opulent affair, or spend almost the same amount of money for the disappointing and downmarket buffet down the road at Circus Circus. Well known for being one of least expensive and most rundown casino resorts on the Vegas strip, the family-friendly Circus Circus's lowly reputation extends to the Circus Buffet. It's not at all extensive, and focuses on kids' meal fare like mac and cheese, corn dogs, and chicken fingers. And from the sound of many of the nearly 300 one-star Yelp reviews of the Circus Buffet, that's about all it serves. 

"This is the worst of the worst cafeteria food. Flavorless slop. No variety. They only offer slimy baked chicken, chicken strips, pulled pork, and pulled chicken (that appear to be the same) and corn dogs for meat choices," complained one Yelp reviewer. "They really have a lot of nerve charging what they do." How much does it cost? "$75 for undercooked rice, bland chicken. It was all flavorless and gross," explained another diner on Yelp. Another complained about the lack of choice at the salad bar.

"Not fit for a dog to eat!!!" declared one diner on TripAdvisor. "The food was disgusting. Grey fried chicken, dried out potato gratin, cold mixed vegetables. I could go on," wrote another TripAdvisor reviewer. One customer also complained that there was lipstick on their coffee cup.

If one finds themselves on a trip to the musically-themed Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Tulsa, Oklahoma, grabbing a meal without leaving the premises means choosing from one of a limited series of options including a fast food-style food court, a diner, a steakhouse, and The Eatery, a buffet. The website copy leads future guests to measure their expectations, promising "no fuss" but also "a menu that plays all the hits." While The Eatery does serve a number of Italian, Chinese-American, seafood dishes, and hand-carved meats through a combination of cafeteria, buffet, and ordering methods, the food is reportedly of low quality, strange texture, and odd smell and taste.

"Expensive as heck for what you get. HORRIBLE food! Greasy & terrible selection!" said one diner on Yelp. "Fried chicken was DEFINITELY fried. Like rock hard fried." Another Yelp reviewer agreed, writing, "Over priced for what is offered. Food is meh and servers aren't happy to be there [...] Food is mostly underspiced and tasteless."

Historically, Reno has served as the more budget-friendly version of Las Vegas, its glitzy state-mate, and it follows that "The Biggest Little City in the World" is lousy with that dining option that's both bountiful and seemingly value-oriented: the buffet. While several of them are lousy, according to customers, King Buffet is the lousiest of all. The restaurant trades primarily in Americanized Chinese dishes, but it's also oddly proud of its spaghetti.

King Buffet boasts literally hundreds of one-star reviews on Yelp, so the consensus is that it's a buffet to skip. "The food tasted like it has been made the day before," observed one diner on Yelp. "The sushi did in fact have pickles in it," revealed another Yelp reviewer, "but it was actually the best thing the buffet had to offer." Another Yelp reviewer went further, saying: "This was the worst food I've ever had. The buffet dishes don't have any labels, so if you have any allergies, you are at risk."  Another complained about cold food and a lack of choice.

"I don't know that I have ever had a worse experience at any restaurant," Daniel S. said on TripAdvisor. "They need a complete overhaul or to be shut down completely. I am not being hyperbolic. PLEASE, FOR YOUR SAFETY, DO NOT EAT HERE!" 

Nevada is a large state, and there's room for two unrelated and almost objectively bad buffet restaurants with the same name. Unrelated to King Buffet in Reno is the King Buffet in Carson City. It's the kind of place that spends very little money on promotions and customer care; it doesn't have a website, while its Facebook page features its printout of buffet prices with all of the many price increases instituted over the years crossed out and rewritten. Like the other King Buffet, this King Buffet serves gloopy, gloppy, sauce-laden Chinese-American takeout favorites which don't seem to be anyone's favorites after this restaurant gives those a try.

"One of the worst Chinese buffets I've ever had," a Yelp user wrote in one of the myriad one-star reviews for King Buffet. "Messy — dirty — bland — basic / not a good selection," said another Yelp reviewer, while a third expressed concern that the food was not served at a safe temperature.

"This place is quite cheap but the food is really gross," warned a diner on TripAdvisor. "We tried almost everything and there is very little flavor. The broccoli beef and general chicken is the worst of the lot — just tasted old."

For more than a decade and a half, the people of Rockford, Illinois, have found themselves drawn to City Buffet. There's lots of Chinese-American food to choose from, along with sushi and sesame donuts. One of its biggest attraction is probably the king crab legs.

The crab legs don't seem to justify a trip to the restaurant, however. Most Yelp reviews for City Buffet are one-star reviews. "I wish could give 0 stars, it was overpriced and disgusting," wrote one Yelp reviewer. "Never felt so disappointed eating out. "Food is dry, old, and I found a bug in my fish," said another on Yelp, with another complaining about a general lack of freshness, and sushi with a hard texture. "This place was quite possibly dangerous to eat at," wrote another diner on Yelp. "What scares me was the seafood." 

"The last 2 times we had foreign objects in our food," said one diner in a one-star TripAdvisor review. Others complain about a general lack of cleanliness, and that the food had spent too long under heat lamps.

In 2024, Yoki Buffet made the jump to area legend status in Cleveland, Tennessee — but not in a good way. When local health authorities inspected the shopping center-based buffet, it tallied so many violations that the eatery scored a lowly 33 out of 100, the worst in recent memory. Among some of the restaurant sins: Meats were left out at unsafe temperatures in the kitchen while out on the buffet floor, and there was a high probability of parasite infection in the seafood, while parts of the food bars weren't outfitted with sneeze guards

As the majority of its Yelp reviews are one-star reviews, it's almost universally objective that Yoki Buffet isn't a great place to dine. "I recommend no one should eat there unless they want food poisoning from old rotten food," wrote one Yelp reviewer, while another complained of a lack of cleanliness and an unpleasant odor. "The staff has been rude on more than one occasion and the food is way too expensive for how mediocre it is," said another diner on Yelp. "There was literal mold on half of our food items," noticed one diner on Yelp. "There was bugs and the food was uncooked, my son unfortunately got food poisoning from here," alleged another reviewer.

A strip mall in Medford, Oregon is home to the New Tin Tin Buffet. Replacing the original Tin Tin Buffet, which burned down in 2014, the New Tin Tin Buffet claims to be a treasured eatery in the community while also proclaiming itself to be the only Chinese-style buffet around.

There apparently aren't many redeeming qualities for the newer and not necessarily improved New Tin Tin Buffet. "Food was gross, atmosphere was dark and gloomy. I felt sick after eating here, and puked up all the food once I got home," wrote one diner in a one-star review on Yelp. Another complained that their food was cold, and that they were given incorrect bills.

"They do not care about quality. Everything was dried out. On top of that the place was trashed!! It looks like they haven't cleaned in days!!" a diner wrote on Yelp. "I spit food into a napkin," revealed another customer on TripAdvisor. "It tasted like dead fish smell. My chicken stir fry was ice cold." Another TripAdvisor reviewer complained: "The worst buffet I have ever been to," and hoped they didn't get sick afterwards.

The restaurants profiled and called out here probably won't ever appear on lists claiming to be the ultimate ranking of all-you-can-eat buffet chains because by and large they aren't chains. These are independently owned, and, for the most part, obscure restaurants outside of their cities. So, to find the list of candidates for the dubious title of "worst buffet in the United States," The Takeout scored Reddit boards focusing on individual cities and their food scenes, and cross-referenced the buffets mentioned that stood out as particularly terrible against lists of bad area buffet restaurants on Yelp, TripAdvisor, and other user-generated aggregators. 

The buffets judged to be the worst are the ones that repeatedly showed up throughout the research process, and which garnered a preponderance of one-star or otherwise very low ratings. Why those buffets got such poor reviews from real people who ate there seems to be a mix of poor food quality, value, employee attentiveness, appearance and edibility of the food, and the number of citations received from local health departments.