Buffet restaurants and all-you-can-eat menus have become incredibly popular in recent years. Offering unlimited grub for a reasonable fixed price and often serving a variety of different cuisines, they’re a great choice for families or large parties. Those with an insatiable appetite can refill their plates as often as they like and those who prefer a little taste of everything, can get just that.
In Yorkshire, we’re lucky enough to have quite a few of these all-you-can-eat restaurants scattered about. You’ll mainly find the bigger buffet restaurants in the cities but some of Yorkshire’s smaller independent eateries, are following suit and offering this popular dining concept to their customers.
Here’s a list of just some of our favourite all-you-can-eat options in Yorkshire…
Red Hot Leeds
The Light, 44-48 The Headrow, Leeds LS1 8TL
Formerly part of the Red Hot World Buffet chain, Leeds Red Hot continues to offer a multi-cuisine buffet experience to the people of Leeds. With space for over 300 diners at a time, it’s a great option for birthdays or other special occasions. On the extensive menu, you’ll find signature dishes from some of the world’s most loved cuisines including Chinese, Indian. Mexican. Italian and Japanese. Once you’ve had your fill of savoury dishes, you can help yourself to their desserts which include cakes, ice creams and a chocolate fountain – which is always a big hit with the kids!
To eat here will cost you just £9.99 for lunch and £13.99 for dinner. Children under the age of 3 eat for free and children under 10 eat for half the adult price.
Vaqueiros
1 Micklegate, York YO1 6JG
This exceptionally good Brazillian steakhouse and street food restaurant in the centre of York, offers unlimited amounts of delicious meats for a fixed price. If you’re a dedicated carnivore then this place is a must! The attentive staff will keep returning to your table with fresh cuts of meat until you signal that you’ve had enough. To do this, you simply turn your provided card from green to red. With tasty offerings like Pork Belly, Fillet Steak and traditional Brazillian sausages being delivered to your table at regular intervals, you won’t want to flip that card too soon!
To accompany the succulent and perfectly seasoned meats, there are a range of side dishes you can help yourself to on the authentic Brazillian salad bar. Don’t be put off if you’re a non-meat eater though! They also offer a lovely selection of vegetarian risottos and pasta dishes.
The set price for the Vaqueiros rodizio dining experience is £25.95 Monday to Sunday. If you dine between 4pm and 6pm Monday to Friday, you can eat for the early bird price of £20.95.
Aagrah
4 Saltaire Rd, Shipley BD18 3HN
This award-winning restaurant chain has made quite a name for itself over the years. Known for their deliciously authentic Kashmiri cuisine, they now boast an impressive 12 restaurants and most of these are in Yorkshire. The first Aagrah restaurant opened in Shipley in 1977 but their beautifully decorated restaurants can now be found in places like Skipton, Bradford, Doncaster and Leeds.
At the Shipley restaurant, they serve Aagrah’s legendary evening buffet 7 days a week. For just £15.95 for adults and £10.95 for children under 10, diners can help themselves to 3 courses of Aagrah’s most popular dishes. Kids under the age of 4 can eat for free!
Fazenda
Fazenda in Leeds is another excellent rodizio restaurant. If you are yet to try this style of dining then Fazenda is the ideal place try it. Much talked about amongst locals and attracting diners from across the county, this superb Brazillian restaurant offers mouthwateringly good meats, creative cocktails and impressive customer service. It’s super stylish inside and offers stunning views onto the nearby canal too. Definitely the perfect venue for a romantic dinner!
At Fazenda, lunch will set you back £20.50 on weekdays and £24.50 on weekends. Dinner is £25.50 for the non-meat menu and £34.50 for the standard menu. The food here is really something else so you won’t be disappointed. Head to the sides bar for salads, cheeses, breads, continental meats and hot side dishes and then wait at your table for the staff to bring you skewer after skewer of freshly cooked meats. A truly fantastic all-you-can-eat restaurant!
La Fiesta
45 Doncaster Road, Armthorpe, Doncaster, South Yorkshire DN3 2BU
La Fiesta is an intimate contemporary restaurant in Doncaster serving traditional Spanish cuisine. On their menu you’ll find all those flavoursome dishes that bring back fond memories of holidays in the Spanish sun, as well as a few surprises.
This is a small, independent restaurant so you won’t be met with long queues at their all-you-can-eat buffet, which is now available every day! The buffet here is a Tapas buffet so expect small, individual portions of authentic Spanish favourites like Tortilla, Paella and Calamares Fritos. Initially, you can choose any three tapas and then you can return for another two dishes as often as you like. Unlimited cibatta bread is also available on request and you’ll definitely want some to mop up any leftover sauces and spices.
All-you-can-eat tapas costs £17.95 Monday to Thursday and £21.95 on Friday and Saturday. Children aged 12 and under can eat for £11.95 but are limited to three tapas dishes.
Panda Mami
19 Bridge Street, York YO1 6DA
Pandi Mami opened their first buffet restaurant in Chester in 2016. Ambitious and determined to take a substantial share of the market, these guys have plans to open at least 30 restaurants by 2022. You’ll find their York restaurant on Bridge Street and no doubt many more will pop up across Yorkshire towns in due course, should the concept remain as popular as it is now.
There’s something for everyone at Panda Mami and the 180+ dishes they serve daily, are all selected by their award-winning chef. For £8.99 at lunchtime or £14.99 at dinner, you can help yourself to unlimited courses of Chinese, Indian, Italian, Thai, Sushi, Teppanyaki and a traditional British carvery. Kids under 150 cm tall can eat for half the adult price.
ChaoBaby
Meadowhall Shopping Centre, Sheffield S9 1EP
ChaoBaby have two banquet restaurants – one in Manchester and one in Sheffield’s Meadowhall Shopping Centre. Unlike most of the big buffet restaurants, these guys offer just one cuisine and do they it phenomenally well. All the food here is served by experienced Thai staff and is made using the freshest of ingredients. Thai food has soared in popularity and a good Thai restaurant can easily convert a fan of Chinese cuisine into a die hard Pad Thai fan.
If you’re new to Thai food then this is the pefect way to introduce yourself to it. With numerous dishes available, you can sample a little of everything during your quest to find your favourite Thai dish. After a day of retail therapy in Yorkshire’s favourite shopping centre, why not pay a visit to ChaoBaby and awaken your senses with the aromatic aromas and flavours of seriously good Thai food? It costs £13.95 for adults and £6.95 for kids on weekdays. At the weekend, the cost is slightly higher with adults costing £15.95 and kids £7.95.
