Eat your heart out: The buffet is back, and it’s better value than ever (plus tips to get the best bang for buck)
Food influencer Sydney Food Boy shares his top tips. Plus five all-you-can-eat meals for every budget.
Despite predictions that the buffet would disappear post-COVID, all-you-can-eat restaurants are booming as Sydneysiders perceive them to be value for money dining options.
The renaissance is never clearer than at weekends, when thousands of diners descend upon buffet restaurants from Barangaroo to Blacktown, booking out lunch and dinner services, waiting in line for up to three hours, and filming TikTok videos that go on to accumulate millions of views.
Freshly shucked Appellation Sydney rock oysters are the number one drawcard at Crown’s all-you-can-eat restaurant Epicurean, where more than 37,500 are downed each week.
“That’s about 150,000 a month, and a couple of million each year,” says culinary director Sarah Briegel. “A man once consumed 61 oysters in one sitting, by himself.”
It’s a sharp turnaround from COVID times, when fears of viral transmission and tight restrictions took self-serve buffets off the menu and saw national chain Sizzler serve its last slice of cheesy garlic bread.
James Sun, managing director of all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue chain Butcher’s Buffet, says buffets’ bounceback is driven by value-conscious diners in their teens and 20s.
Since the first Butcher’s Buffet opened in Strathfield in 2020 (and copped a $5000 finefor failing to adhere to COVID-era restrictions), it has expanded to more than five locations with more than 50 dishes available each service.
“I own a la carte restaurants as well, but it’s the buffets that are more popular at the moment because people’s spending has come down,” Sun says. “They want one set price, with no surprises at the end.”
At a time when inflation has pushed the average household grocery bill up by $1924 a year, according to research by price comparison site Finder, an unlimited supply of restaurant-quality food has become an increasingly attractive value proposition.
“Economically, buffet restaurants just make sense,” says 26-year-old content creator Kevin La, better known on social media as Sydney Food Boy. La has built a strong following of more than 250,000 people across TikTok, Instagram and YouTube for his budget-friendly food recommendations.
“Especially if you can eat your money’s worth – that’s what it’s all about!”
At Butcher’s Block, that means an unlimited number of premium cuts of high-grade Wagyu beef for as little as $36.90 a head at lunch, or $46.90 a head at dinner.
How to get the most bang for your buck at a buffet
As a food blogger around town, Kevin La (Sydney Food Boy) has built up a wealth of buffet experience. He approaches buffets strategically to maximise the return on his spend, without filling up too fast or feeling uncomfortably full at the end. These are his top tips.
The seafood counter should be your first port of call for fresh, high-quality produce. For La, that means loading up on sashimi and oysters, items that would usually attract a high price tag at an a la carte restaurant.
“It’s all about looking around and seeing what would cost you the most outside the buffet – things like lobster tail and crab legs that you might not usually order,” he says.
Forget the stomach-fillers
Overindulgence is a common problem at buffets, and La is not immune. But he’s learned to stay away from fried food and filling side dishes such as “the noodles you could get at the takeaway shop outside for $10”.
“Look, we’re not there to fill up on rice and potatoes,” La says.
Consider the cut (and how you’re going to cook it)
Premium cuts of meat are the primary drawcard at all-you-can-eat Japanese and Korean barbecue buffet restaurants, where diners can cook unlimited slices of wagyu meat for as little as $29.90 a head at La’s favourite buffet, Itzsan Yakiniku (Eastwood, Lidcombe).
“I keep going back because it’s so cheap, but you get the same cuts, the same marbled meat, that’s supplied to much higher-end restaurants,” La says.
Butcher’s Buffet director James Sun says inexperienced diners often waste the meat by overloading the grill, causing it to cool down and stew, rather than sear.
Don’t overload your plate
Each year Australians waste about 7.6 million tonnes of food, accounting for about 3 per cent of the country’s annual greenhouse gas emissions.
To curb their contribution, many buffets impose a “leftover” fee (usually about $15 a head) for diners who fail to clean their plates.
“We’ve found it encourages people to think twice before grabbing excessively and wasting food,” Sun says.
Five buffets to try, for every budget
Ikwhan Cafe, Pyrmont
Pay as you wish
What: All-you-can-eat Malaysian cuisine (think roti canai, dhal curry, nasi lemak and chicken noodle soup) and non-alcoholic drinks for a price of your choosing. This offer asks diners to “pay from the goodness of their heart”, and is available every Sunday from 11am to 8pm.
Where: Shop 2, 27 Murray Street, Pyrmont, facebook.com/ikhwancafesydney
Dookki, Sydney
$34.80 a head for 90 minutes
What: An international all-you-can-eat hot pot buffet chain serving tteokbokki (Korean rice cakes) with a selection of house-made sauces, dumplings, seaweed fries and fried rice. General manager Gi Gyung Go says most of his customers are aged between 10 and 25.
Where: Level 1, 116 – 120 Liverpool Street, Sydney, dookkiaus.com.au
Butcher’s Buffet, Strathfield
From $39.90 a head at lunch, or $46.90 a head at dinner for 90 minutes
What: An all-you-can-eat Korean barbecue buffet, with more than 50 dishes including premium cuts of meat (to cook over the grill) and hot food such as fried chicken and seasonal desserts.
Where: 11 Parnell Street, Strathfield, butchersbuffet.com.au
Epicurean, Barangaroo
From $65 a head for breakfast, $98 a head for lunch and $130 a head for dinner
What: As one of Sydney’s most popular hotel buffet restaurants, Epicurean is known for offering high-quality seafood, meat, and a wide variety of hot dishes from Filipino, Indian and Chinese cuisines, with expansive views across Sydney Harbour.
Where: Crown Sydney, level 5, 1 Barangaroo Avenue, Barangaroo, crownsydney.com.au/restaurants/epicurean
Restaurant Hubert, Sydney
From $165 a head
What: The French restaurant, recently visited by celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, offers a fortnightly buffet as part of its Magnums and Movies promotion. The price of admission includes a movie screening, free-flowing magnums of wine, canapes on arrival and an intermission feast of braised beef cheek, roasted heirloom carrots, buttered greens and chocolate cake.
Where: 15 Bligh Street, Sydney, swillhouse.com/venues/restaurant-hubert
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Bianca Hrovat – Bianca is Good Food's Sydney-based reporter.POPULAR ON GOOD FOOD
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