Let’s be honest: the phrases “all-you-can-eat” and “buffet” don’t exactly scream gourmet cuisine. That’s no problem at these Big Apple-based restaurants, where the satisfied clinking of silverware drowns out any other noise. Save your appetite (and any attitude) for the best all-you-can-eat buffets in Manhattan, New York.
Churrascaria Plataforma
Restaurant, Brazilian, $$$
Image courtesy of Churrascaria Plataforma
Carnivores can’t rave highly enough about Churrascaria Plataforma, a Brazilian steakhouse serving the city’s heartiest buffet. Switch your personal dining card from red to green to welcome waiters carrying cuts of sirloin, lamb chops, filet mignon, and more. A tip for our vegetarian readers who find themselves at Plataforma: a salad bar, cooked veggies, and addictive Brazilian cheesy bread make for a delicious (and surprising) steakhouse spread.
A standout star of the Theater District-adjacent Restaurant Row, Becco owes its fans to its popular pasta buffet served every day of the week. Three types of rotating specialty pasta are prepared daily at Becco, where unlimited portions of linguine with Long Island clams, artichoke ravioli with fresh marjoram sauce, and orecchiette with sausage and broccoli rabe are enjoyed alongside even more plates of Caesar salad or mixed antipasto.
Nom Wah Tea Parlor has been a New York City favorite since 1920, but the Chinatown dim sum spot only became a popular buffet destination back in 2016. That was when local culture authority Thrillist outed Nom Wah’s “unadvertised, unlimited dim sum” buffet, offered exclusively to groups of 10 or more. For $55 per person (this includes unlimited beer and wine), you and nine of your hungriest friends can enjoy endless refills of New York City’s favorite dumplings and more.
In the restaurant-packed East Village, Sigiri manages to stand out. Not only is it the area’s sole Sri Lankan restaurant, but Sigiri’s black pork curry, string hopper kottu, and Sri Lankan fruit cordials are a few of the best dishes in the neighborhood. Best of all, Sigiri is BYOB, allowing you to spend less money on hops and more on hoppers.
The last surviving Manhattan location of this Indian chain is a classic for East Village eaters thanks to its popular lunch buffet. Seven days a week, Brick Lane Curry House ladles out unlimited scoops of chicken tikka masala, saag paneer, tandoori chicken, plus all the rice and naan you need in order to clean your plate.
At brunch at the Upper East Side’s Maya, “bottomless” doesn’t just refer to drinks. The spot’s all-you-can-eat weekend brunch affords you two hours of unlimited chicken tamales, huevos rancheros, barbacoa tacos, Mexican-style donuts with chipotle caramel, and much more. While you’re there, you may as well also take advantage of Maya’s endless guava mimosas and tequila-spiked aqua fresca—twist your arm, we know.
The spread at Jams in Midtown proves that buffets can be classy. Located at 1 Hotel Central Park, the restaurant’s weekend brunch features individual granola cups, Kossar’s bagels with smoked salmon, cream cheese, and cornichons, triangles of avocado toast, and Insta-worthy desserts, including mini-éclairs and tarts.
