Big Bold Beautiful Buffets

Few people can pass up a good buffet. All that food, all the variety, and all you can eat. And are my choices for San Diego’s best.

Azul

1250 Prospect St., La Jolla

858-454-9616

One of La Jolla’s secrets, is the lunchtime, Tuesday thru Saturday buffet this restaurant with a spectacular view serves. You start with fresh, crusty bread, a selection of garlicky middle eastern dips, grilled veggies, salads, and a hot entrée. This is a place for a leisurely lunch, where you nibble on great food, overlooking the great unobstructed view of La Jolla cove. A million dollar view, but just twelve bucks for this delightful buffet

Thai Cafe

4722 Clairemont Mesa Blvd., San Diego

858-270-8303

Probably the place Mrs. Eater and I go to most often when we feel the need for a buffet. The nearly consistent crowds mean this delicious food turns over often, giving you fresh, hot Thai food as good as the single meals made by many Thai restaurants. They serve Pad Thai, and Pad se yu noodles, and an incredibly tasty sautéed shrimp dish. The larb chicken is a cold salad made with hot spices and fish sauce that’s a personal favorite, but the best bets here are the curry dishes. The Red, and Yellow Curries are good enough to make your toes curl, making this six dollar lunch or eight dollar dinner buffet one of the best bargains in town.

Fairouz Cafe and Gallery

3166 Midway Dr., San Diego

619-225-0308

Want a little culture with your buffet? Then Fairouz is the place to go. Owner Ibrahim Al-Nashashibi is the multitalented owner of this Middle Eastern Buffet. Ibrahim paints, sometimes in the restaurant, and the walls are covered with his entertaining art. The buffet features classic tabouleh, hommos and babaganough, a barbecued eggplant with garlic and lemon dish. Many salads and marinated vegetable dishes I’m unfamiliar with. But that’s the beauty of this six dollar lunch buffet ( a bit more for dinner) , you get the chance to try dishes you otherwise might miss.

Greek Town

345 West Main St., El Cajon

619-441-9708

One of the newest buffets in town with classic Greek dishes done well, and all you can eat. Everything from lemon chicken to spanikopita, to pastitsio, grape leaves, lamb shanks, skewers of marinated meat. This vast buffet features over fifty items, and costs seven bucks for lunch, and eight for dinner.