The 10 Most Overpriced Buffets In America

The concept of a buffet is not only simple, but also suggests value for money. For a set price, you get access to all of the food you could possibly want, and you can eat as much of it as you're able to, before either your allotted time is up or your fullness stops you. On paper, this feels like a steal — but that's only the case if the buffet you're eating at is a quality one and doesn't cost you a month's wages. Sadly, that's often just not the case. It feels like the cost of some buffets in America has reached utterly wild proportions, and it's now not unusual to pay close to three figures for a meal, if not to fork out hundreds of dollars at the highest-end places. A lot of these joints just aren't worth the money.

It's probably no massive shock that a lot of these overpriced buffets are in the nirvana of all-you-can-eat restaurants that is Las Vegas. Over in Sin City, buffets like The Bacchanal and The Bellagio cost a huge amount of money — and what some customers have reported being met with is substandard food and bad vibes. However, overpriced restaurants aren't just exclusive to the gambling capital of the world, and joints in California and Salt Lake City have also been described as costing far more money than they're worth.

Do you like paying an absolutely extraordinary amount of money for a meal that just doesn't hit the spot? If so, then you'll love dining at Navio. Located at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, just west of San Jose, this restaurant demands an exorbitant price for its weekend buffet brunch, which it frames as a luxury experience where all-you-can-eat options are brought to your table. As of June 2025, this meal will cost diners an eye-watering $199, but diners who've eaten there claim the price can be as high as $249, not including drinks.

If you're willing to spend the price of a smartphone on a single meal, then you'd better hope that it's incredible. Well, while it may be good enough, it just doesn't justify its own extortionate price point. Multiple reviews have pointed towards how underwhelming the whole experience is, with cold, poorly cooked food and distinctly poor customer service on the side of the restaurant. "I ate at Navio and it was SO disappointing," said a diner on Reddit, with others pointing out that its main selling point is its view, but that it's still massively overpriced. Excuse us, but we'll save our money, thanks.

The Bacchanal, the world-famous buffet located at Caesar's Palace in the heart of Las Vegas, is a must-visit stop for plenty of visitors to the vibrant city. The buffet prides itself on its utterly wild size and selection of food: Spread over 25,000 square feet, it has over 250 menu items and a staggering 10 individual kitchens. With this level of choice and the sheer opulence of the place, it's no surprise that you have to pay a lot of money to get in. If adults wish to dine there from Friday to Sunday, it'll cost them $91.99 per person. That's before tax, too, and you only have 90 minutes to sample everything.

That kind of price might be justifiable if The Bacchanal had consistently five-star reviews and endless reports of out-of-this-world food. The problem, though, is that it doesn't. The Bacchanal suffers due to its 90-minute time slot, making everything feel rushed and frantic, and the food itself is pretty poor, with reports of cold pizza and rubbery, dry seafood. Check out any online message board and you'll find countless people calling it overpriced and pointing towards virtually any other buffet in Las Vegas as a better option. Frankly, we think we'll be giving it a miss.

Outside of buffet hotspots like Las Vegas, you can generally expect to get a more reasonable price for your experience, but that's not always the case. The Lucky H Buffet in Salt Lake City, charges a price that rivals some of the biggest buffets in Vegas. Located at The Little America Hotel, this buffet fashions itself as a high-end option, and its weekend specialty dinner buffets cost $59 per adult. For that price, you get a host of luxurious choices, including prime rib and crab legs. Sounds pretty decent, right? Well, you'd hope so for that amount of money — but it just doesn't quite live up to expectations. 

People who've dined at Lucky H Buffet have spoken of some serious quality issues, including metallic-tasting oysters, salad dressing that tastes like it came out of a jar, and tough, flavorless vegetables. Its star attractions of prime rib and crab legs have also been reported as not worth the cost, with dry steak and spindly legs that have barely any meat on them. Is it worth its high price tag? We don't think so.

There are dozens of Fogo de Chão locations around the country, and for good reason: The Brazilian steakhouse offers a different spin on the classic dining experience. Combining good old-fashioned buffet vibes with freshly cooked meat served right at your table, it's no wonder that it's super popular. If you go at certain times of the year, you can even try some seasonal menu items at Fogo de Chão. However, it can also be very expensive, and at its Manhattan branch, you can expect to pay an enormous amount of money. The Full Churrasco experience at the West 53rd Street Fogo de Chão costs a whopping $80 per person. Upgrade to its Indulgent Churrasco offer, and you'll pay $100 per head. Is it worth it? We're not sure. 

The Manhattan Fogo de Chão has been plagued by accusations of poorly cooked food and bad service, with people saying that access to the flagship offer — its meat — was limited because the waiters wouldn't come anywhere near their tables. Elsewhere, people have spoken of the staff being downright rude. "I had the absolute worst dining experience at Fogo de Chão in Manhattan, and I would not recommend it to anyone," said one unhappy customer on Reddit. "From the moment we arrived, the host and hostess were incredibly rude and dismissive." We're not sure it's worth the trip, folks.

Like many other buffets in Las Vegas, The Buffet at Bellagio frames itself as an incredibly opulent experience. Instead of getting just a few trays of food in a row, The Buffet is a sprawling affair with endless piles of crab legs, carved meat, sushi, and a host of world cuisines. With such a vast selection, you can expect a fairly vast price, and The Buffet certainly delivers on that front: Dinner on the weekend costs approximately $75 per adult, while the brunch option will set you back $55. Add an all-you-can-drink option to your order, and the price goes up even further.

That's a lot of money to spend on a meal, and so it's not unreasonable to expect it to be amazing. Sadly, The Bellagio's reviews are just way too patchy to promise an experience that's worth the high cost you're paying. Multiple people have reported having an awful experience at The Buffet, noting that its food is overcooked and burnt, its plates aren't clean, and that the staff just don't seem to be very happy there. "This place is alright, not worth the price," said one succinct but telling review on Google. We don't need telling twice.

If a restaurant calls itself "The Grand Buffet," what do you expect from it? It's not unreasonable to hope that it's pretty grand, right? Sadly, at this buffet in Reno, that doesn't quite transpire. On first glance, The Grand Buffet does seem to fulfil its name: Its cavernous, luxurious-looking dining hall promises a pretty fancy experience, while its multiple stations and world cuisine options give its diners a huge amount of choice.

Choice doesn't equate to quality, though, and at $52 per person for a weekend meal, that's what you probably want. It's just not what you get. The Grand Buffet boasts a pretty poor 2.9 rating on Yelp, and diners have spoken of stale food and a strange lack of choice. The overall experience, it seems, is resoundingly mediocre. As for whether it's worth the cost, customers seem to agree with each other that it's not. "We've tried it a couple of times over the last 7-8 years, most recently about 2 years ago, and it wasn't worth it," says one (former) diner on Reddit. "I wouldn't call it bad, but it's not great either. It's definitely not worth the price."

There are expensive buffets, and then there's Mila. This Miami restaurant prides itself on offering a luxurious experience, and its Sunday brunch is perhaps the most luxurious of them all. There are different packages for its Buffet Experience, and the cheapest one is $95, which gives diners access to bespoke non-alcoholic drinks but no alcohol. Include booze and the price will soon skyrocket: Its most expensive package is $320 per head, and comes with the iconic Dom Perignon champagne. Wow.

Things better be out of this world if you're paying hundreds of dollars for a meal, right? The thing is that no matter how hard Mila tries, it just can't shake the feeling of being overpriced. "I classify Mila as the prime example of Miami's overpriced 'experiences'," said one person on Reddit. This sentiment was echoed by another Miami local and fellow Redditor, who dubbed Mila as "too superficial and overpriced." It may have a good location, but the cost of its food just doesn't justify that, unfortunately.

One of the flagship buffets in Las Vegas, the simply named Buffet at Wynn goes pretty big. This buffet has an enormous 16 kitchens offering food from every corner of the globe, and it even has its own patisserie to finish your meal off with some pastry and cake options. As is standard with Las Vegas buffets, it also allows you to upgrade your meal to an Ultimate Buffet Experience, which gives you access to lobster prepared tableside. It all sounds pretty costly — and guess what? It is! Its Daily Gourmet Seafood Dinner costs $79.99 (before tax), and its Ultimate Buffet Experience costs around $175. Wild.

It's probably no surprise, folks, that we're gonna tell you that it isn't worth it — but we'll tell you why all the same. The Buffet has been dubbed a tourist trap by people who've eaten there, with individuals pointing out that much of the food is overcooked and oversalted. As far as cost goes, it's on the higher end of the spectrum for Las Vegas buffets, but there's just nothing that special about it. One Reddit commenter put it succinctly (and brutally), saying, "The $80 offer is ripping you off by about $50 whereas the $175 option is ripping you off probably $125." That's a pretty damning indictment.

It's no secret that buffets inside hotels are often pretty expensive, and Cafe Sierra at the Universal City Hilton doesn't buck the trend. This L.A. eatery offers an upmarket seafood buffet with whole lobsters, sushi, shrimp, and crab legs on the menu. Just make sure you save up before you go. To indulge in this buffet, you'll have to pay a staggering $139 per adult, and that's excluding any alcohol. You'll even have to pay $45 for your kids (and if you've ever tried to convince a small child to try and eat lobster or crab legs, you'll know that it's probably a waste of time).

For that price, the food would have to be utterly exceptional, but people who have eaten at Cafe Sierra have said it's anything but. The snow crab has been described as salty and inedible, while the other seafood offerings can be overcooked and difficult to eat. The buffet currently boasts a 3.4 rating on Yelp, which doesn't exactly speak to its superior quality. Both the Cafe Sierra and the other food options at the Hilton it's housed in are reportedly pretty mediocre, despite being super expensive.

Pampas, located at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, takes a slightly different approach to the Las Vegas buffet. This restaurant is actually a churrascaria, where servers parade around the dining hall with skewers of cooked meats that are shaved off tableside. To accompany these, customers also have access to an extensive buffet of salads, roasted vegetables, and charcuterie at the Market Table & Hot Side Bar. It's a slightly fancier experience and service style that demands a slightly higher price point, and at $66.99 per adult for dinner, it is definitely a higher price point.

You may expect a pretty quality meal for that price, but you may not get it here. It appears that Pampas has gone downhill in recent years, with customers discussing how it has lost a lot of its appeal. Its meat seems to be suffering in quality, and the service has lost its charm. Its salad bar, meanwhile, just doesn't have very good options. "Stay away from Pampas!" said one person on Reddit in a comment that's admittedly a little older, but which seems to ring true with a lot of people's experiences.