The Buffet

Now It's now been a little while since I've been to "Reno" because of the current situation at hand, but I been having this review waiting for such a time. Downtown Reno is changing, and with it some things that I've loved has come and gone. And when staying at a Casino/Resort a main part of the attraction is not just the slot machines and bars, "Food" is a big incentive. I personally like eating where I stay. With the now closure of "Flavors The Buffet" in the Silver Legacy, that leaves just "2" buffets in Downtown Reno (Not speaking for the buffets at Atlantis & Peppermill which is Midtown), "Carvings Buffet" inside Harrah's (See my review) and " The Buffet" inside Eldorado. Now I'm going to let you know why in my opinion, "The Buffet" is the one, hence the name.

"The Buffet"
Location - Eldorado Reno
Food - Various
Price - $29.22

The Buffet:
So I actually had the chance to go to Reno back in March and lucky me it was before the current shelter in place. I went Sunday the 9th I had saved my appetite just to visit "The Buffet" after reading some reviews and decided it was where I wanted to go. This buffet serves breakfast, lunch and dinner and have different prices and themes for the offering each day. Sunday happens to be the "Mexican Buffet" for the Dinner hours and based off your membership level, the price varies. For me being a basic member, the price was $26.99 which comes out too $29.22 with the added tax.

If you're not too familiar with the Eldorado, this buffet may be kinda tricky to find, but lucky for me throughout the years I've always known where it is.... although this time happened to be my first ever visit. Just up the escalator, past the wishing fountain and "Roxy" and you'll see this establishment. So "Mexican Dinner" night at a Casino Resort, sounds good right? Well, it was delicious. Usually at buffets you kinda get what you pay for, if you're a regular at a particular one you like, then you know. This was my first time here and I loved the menu and the offerings. The stand out dish for me was the "Chile Verde" which was made with spare ribs and captured everything I like about this dish in general. They had other fair that I sampled, but I did also partake in BBQ ribs, which was tender and amazing mushroom ravioli accompanied by the mushroom sauce....yes. even though it was "Mexican Dinner" night, they did still have Prime Rib and other carving table options and Asian Food offerings. All which were delicious and I did partake in some dessert. Cool thing about this buffet although I didn't get any because my lactose sensitivity, they have housemate gelato here. It looked great, perhaps next time when I have my lactaid with me.

In Closing:
I would recommend "The Buffet" to anyone looking for a great place to eat with an array of options. If you're a member of the Eldorado Resorts (Eldorado, Silver Legacy, Circus Circus) "One Club" card program and have one of the various different card levels your discount could be greater. I personally consider this place my buffet of choice from now on. I personally can't wait till the nation opens back up, of course in a timely mannor, and I can go back to the "City of Reno" and when I get hungry...."The Buffet" will definitely be on my places to eat list.

Since we have lived in the area, my wife and I have tried many of the buffets and restaurants in the casinos, however, we had never been to the Buffet at the Eldorado. We noticed on a billboard this week that Silver Legacy, Eldorado and Circus Circus are now offering a 20% discount on restaurants to locals. We decided to check out The Buffet at the Eldorado.

It was Sunday a little after 4pm and they had just opened for their Sunday Mexican dinner buffet when we arrived. There was a short line that moved pretty quickly. As we waited, we could see the menu which appeared to include a wide variety of options beyond what we would consider a Mexican diner buffet. In addition to the Latin specialty area, there were many salad options, hot soups an Italian pasta station, pizza, fried chicken, corn on the cob, a carving station with brisket, turkey, keilbasa and prime rib. They also had an Asian specialty area. There is also full dessert area.

We were seated very quickly after paying and it did not appear to be very busy. We seldom go to a buffet on a Sunday night but were very pleased that it was no comparison to a Friday or Saturday night experience.

My wife and both went to check out the options and grab a plate. We filled our plates with various options and returned to our seats. We each sampled two plates worth and went back to check out the desserts.

Both my wife and commented how different an experience this was from the other buffets. We were very impressed.

We would recommend checking out The Buffet at the Eldorado.

$34.99 per person
What can I say? This was the only buffet available at the time we wanted our meal duribg our visit. For $34.99 per person kind of meal, I expected more. A lot of their food items aren't fresh (as expected in a buffet). I'm not a fan of seafood... and even if I am, I don't really like their seafood options... just don't do it. I wasn't satisfied, and I wouldn't settle for this (again) just because their customer service is great or just because this is the only buffet open at the time of my visit. I can vaguely remember what is on their dessert table, but definitely use your appetite in that section. That's where you'll get your money's worth.

At first when you hear about a buffet you expect a big selection of foods and prices between 30-70$ but when you enter it is 90-200$ me and my party spent 1,000$, they're machine was rigged and charged my friend triple how much they should of charged, we did not notice till the end.
I will admit I may be a picky eater but even the older fellows agreed with me and my friend, they were almost out of everything and the food was extremely cold!
To be honest the employees were very nice to us-Like we were celeberties. This included being checked on every couple minutes, giving us special food but it was not for what you think. When our party was leaving we were asked to pay based off service, that was 90-150$.

My family enjoyed this buffet. Very friendly staff, and great food choices. The meat options were very plentiful and juicy, and my favorite.

The small lasagna made me drool. I had 5 of em. Steaks were tender. The roast beef was very tough, the only one That was a task for me to chew and cut.

The staff always came by and made drink choices clear from the start. Very attentive in clearing our empty plates.

The only thing I wished: Ice cream served in cones instead of ugly foam cups. Also offer whipped cream. More topping flavors . The other little deserts were awesome. And I saw no option of any sea food during my visit, but I could have overlooked it. This changed would make it 5 star for me.

3 stars - good for the price.

Price was cheap

Service was good

The picture was my last plate. The rice and pork were good.

Most of the food was average.

We did try just about everything. If we eat here again we would skip the items we know we didn't like that still looks bad. We would eat all the good food stuff next time.

The picture is my last plate of what I thought I liked the best.

Good - rice, pork, mashed potatoes

Average - all the pasta, veggies

Needs improvement -
Tofu soup was bad. Whatever soup base made it impossible to finish. It looked like egg drop. Tofu was fine.

Carving station. We tried brisket and ribs. Both were badly burnt. We could eat a tiny bit of unburnt meat on the inside. The outside was completely burnt. How can you serve this? Quality control? We shouldn't have to point this out. We skipped the rest of the carving station.

Egg roll was all batter. Nothing inside.

Overall it was good for the value. Maybe with a little quality control it would be better.

Just so y'all know...no need to bring your big waist pants...the buffet is still closed. Sad day indeed.....

I was shocked to walk up on Superbowl Weekend at noon and find no line. In fact there was a sign out front assuring people they were actually open even though the Buffet was virtually empty.

WHY? Might start with the piss poor attitude of the staff. I presented my basic players club card for the $3.00 discount.The cashier said it was outdated. I left my party there and went on my way to find the players club. Got a new card. Upon returning to the buffet the new cashier informed us that there is only discounts offered to "higher" guests. I guess that means more important that us. I asked why the other cashier didn't bother to tell me it would be a waste to bother getting a useless card since we are NOBODY, she said she did not know. There are no senior's discounts for my parents, no first responders discounts, no locals discounts and nothing but attitude for having the audacity to ask. The manager happened to be at the desk and only showed her own disgust for us asking about a local discount.

How did they get a second star? Some of the food is still good. We did find several choices old and sitting around in the warmers too long since it is not busy.
Most of the waitresses and cooks have been around for the last 10 to 20 years that we have been coming here and bad management is not their fault.

What did the Eldorado teach me today?

They don't want your business unless you engage in losing your butt in the casino. No problems, there are local businesses dying to serve us in exchange for our hard earned money. Message received clearly Carano family and Eldorado management we won't bother coming back.

Harrah's is one who embraces locals because we live and work in the area 365, 24/7.

Good service, friendly, made this enjoyable.
Omelette station very good.
Fruit - cantelope not ripe, pears were good.
$20 is expensive though and $33 for dinner.

Potatoes were cold and ...ehhhh.
It's a buffet, people say it's the best in town? Only due to the desserts

Ok - dessert station is top notch, on par with any top bakery. Do not miss this hidden corner.

The Buffet at El Dorado Reno is an average casino buffet in a new wrapper. This is not always a bad thing especially when you are looking for a good experience when exploring downtown Reno. The Buffet is located at the El Dorado Casino among Virginia Street downtown. Parking is available in the area.

The Independence Day menu was a standard weekday dinner with a basic option of food. They have a pho bar and a lot of salad options. The roasted meats were plentiful, but limited to sausages, Turkey, and regular roast beef. I opted for a traditional American meal of fried chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn on the cob, and dessert.

The chicken was pretty good with a nice brine and tasty crust. They have real mashed potatoes with good gravy and fresh corn in season. This made for a nice classic meal. Although they lacked Apple pie for dessert, I made due with cobbler, pecan pie, and watermelon.

The Buffet is pretty decent for the area, but there are now superior options if you are willing to drive. Otherwise you can still get a good value in downtown Reno without much hassle.