The Buffet

I came here one time for brunch a couple weeks ago around 9 and it was horrible because the food was cold and the variety of options was alright. There wasn’t much to choose from. I also came here last Friday for their crab buffet and I loved it. The crab was full of flavor and they were so big. It’s better to going during that time because you basically get your money’s worth. It actually really the only great thing about this place. Everything else is ok. I will definitely come back again for the crab buffet. The cleanliness of the place is good my server was ok. I asked her for hand wipes and she never brought them to me. The dessert was pretty good not too sweet which is a plus. That’s about it for this place there’s nothing really to talk about. Oh and if you want to go to the crab buffet I suggest you come early cause there is normally a long line. When I last went there was a 2 hour wait but we ended up getting seated in an hour.

Came here for the crab feed nite at $ 31.99. First time here and the food is pretty fair but what blows me away was the pleasant service we got from Desiree currently 8 ½ months pregnant. Will definitely be back.

This place used to be pretty hit or miss, but it has improved as far as consistency. It is a hair overpriced and sometimes they attempt to seat me in the «kid zone», but don’t have a problem when I request a more quiet seat.
I wish they’d bring back the hand scooped ice cream. As far as the «sushi» goes, I don’t know how people it, can’t really tell what’s in it. The pizza is good when fresh, but they often neglect it.
Sundays are arguably the best day, but it costs an extra $ 5. Haven’t been to one of their special nights like Crab or whatever, they’re around $ 30 a head.

Lisa M is the best server we ever had here for Sunday brunch. She is probably the best server we have had anywhere. Please TV give this lady a raise. Have her teach others what professional service is all about. She is attentive and insightful. She knows what you need before you do, she is a gem. If customers are lucky enough to get her– you are blessed!
If you you enjoy shrimp, mussels, clams, lox or herring you are in for a treat at Sunday brunch. I mix the shell fish with broth or asian veggies or pasta to warm them up and add a splash of lemon or chili oil.
Eggs and prime rib to order are also good choices. You can make your own huevos rancheros, breakfast burritos or a variety of fresh Benedict’s if you are inventive with mixing ingredients. Put some lox or shrimp in a veggie omelette draped with hollendaise. Enrich the sauce with a bit of butter and a squeeze of lemon. Think outside the chafing dish. Mix it up.
Still wish they had a raw bar of oysters. So good with champagne. Would also like cheeses Such as brie and blue for a fruit and cheese dessert. Warm breads would also be nice. Also, I’m sure they have some left over seafood from Sat night. Why not use some of it for Sunday. Today they had crab cakes. Not very crabby but a good start.
Mainly though-​Lisa M is amazing!

Our server was great. The food was meh… French fries were under cooked, breads were hard, pasta had very little sauce, sushi rolls lacked flavor, and the «fresh» fruit wasn’t fresh. The dining area was clean, and most of the food was stocked. Three stars for now. Hope they can step up there game. Not quite worth $ 16 per person. I’ll be back soon. Look for my next review!

It’s a very good buffet. I love their brunch on Sunday and they give 3 tickets per person (21 and over of course) for champagne or mimosas. They have huge selection of foods and dessert. And if you like seafood go in the buffet Friday or Saturday night… it’s the best. Really messy but so worth it. Customer service is good too.

This is the best «buffet» I have found! The prime rib and crab taste very good as most of the American food here. I have been only eating at Asian buffets due to they are cheap and you get a bigger selection but most Asian buffets leave me feeling full of cheap food and the other buffets hometown & coral are the same they all have left me feeling unsatisfied.
Pros: The wait staff at the thunder buffet were nice and helpful, there are not a lot of people crowded around any of the serving/​carving stations which was nice as they get a little busy.
Cons: The smell of the casino sucks.

Coco and I came here for our 4 year wedding anniversary. We’ve been here many times with her family though it’s been almost a year. The place is delightfully decorated and truly enjoyable though neither of us are fond of the incorrigably long lines and lingering cigarette smoke the pillows the air. They’ve boosted the price up from $ 25 to $ 30/​per person and our discount used to be $ 5.00 off each but now it’s only $ 3.00 off (we’d need to gamble more and we still by my Dad’s old $ 20 rule) But gambling likely is the only way to boost your rewards card, unless someone can tell me different. Anyway, we even got a little time with her mom and stepdad but they arrived as we finished eating. For us it was all about the crab. (they stopped serving Dungress Crab 2 years ago, so you better like King or Snow crabs) I also enjoy a good slab of steak strips and variety of meaty, veggie, and fruity foods. The desserts are a bit lacking in genuinely sugary delectable goodness (yes I’ve had far better desserts and ice cream so hopefully this can be improved soon enough) But being a fair judge this buffet gets 4 out of 5 stars!

Love the free champagne
And the delicious food !!!
The waitress are mean and looks like the hate their job !!! But the food makes it all good

The crab in this place is like the best in the world, for the common middle American. The place is all you can eat which is the holy grail of restaurants. You can’t beat the variety of food that comes with the price of a rev lobster dinner. Snow Crabs and Alaskan Crabs they taste, amazing with tarter sauce so throw your butter away, unless it’s kerrygold grass fed butter.
I would marry and deliver the baby of whoever started this buffet, because it’s that amazing. Just offered surrogacy for a crab claw with tarter sauce this is why it’s a MUST GO!!!

I don’t usually frequent buffets but this one has been one of the better ones in Sacramento, especially since I only come here on Friday for Crab Feed ($ 29.99). You can get at least 10% discount from membership card. The biggest downside is the amount of waiting you have to do (at least 1 hour HOLY COWS). If you come early, the wait might be more bearable. It just takes a while to sit people because everyone and their mom (literally; it’s always a huge family) come here to feast on crabs.
Are the crabs worth it? NO… they were crabby! Oh my I’m so punny. The serious answer is it’s up to you! If you are like my parents, who love love love seafood, then you’ll probably like this deal a lot! All the Asians be like oh my gawd such good deal I go eat 1 000 000 crab feet. No seriously people pile chunk and chunk of crab on top of each other. This is possibly so they can share with their family so I’m not judging. My dad does the same thing. And that’s why the eating experience is endearing to me. My family and I take turns breaking the crab and retrieving the crab meat for each other. We all wait for my dad to make his special hot sauce + lemon + pepper + more hot sauce dipping sauce to dip and double dip and triple dip in the sauce plate. It’s interactive and crazy and loud, so it’s a perfect environment to get stupid and have fun with the fam. Also, you can ask for your own plastic bibs to wear while you feast!
Besides the crab, I usually get the nigiri here. They have Korean sushi style rolls, mackerel, tamago (egg), and unagi nigiri (eel). The Asian food section has all your basic-​Panda-​Express-​like-​not-​so-​Chinese Chinese food like vegetable chow mein, shrimp fried rice, assorted stir fry dishes, potstickers, and shiu mai. You can make your own bowl of phở too because they lay out all the ingredient and give you the option of beef or chicken broth. I’ve been told that both are that good though… One thing for sure, don’t bother getting the crab and coconut soup. It’s downright disgusting and so pretentious that it doesn’t even know what it pretends to be. DO get the clam chowder but be warned, some days, that can suck too. This is my biggest pet peeve here: the quality fluctuates like no other! There are a lot beer battered fried options like fried shrimps, fish, and onion rings. It doesn’t taste like they use old oil but we all know that any fried food in a buffet is a scam to deter you from getting your money’s worth.
General tips for buffet:
— avoid carb heavy dishes (forget your stupid chow mein or pasta)
— avoid deep fried dishes
— avoid drinking a lot water
— calm down your salt intake (so you don’t drink too much water duh)
I usually do all of the above so I have room for my favorite meal of the day after dinner: dessert. The dessert here is probably the best thing about this place. On summer months, their watermelon is top notch! Juicy, sweet, and never soggy. But what I love most is the chocolate variety, notably the chocolate fudge cake, the chocolate cup, and the chocolate pie. The chocolate dessert served here is not one of those cheap and stale ones from generic dessert boxes. It’s all very rich and fudgy and thus delicious. Try them all. You won’t regret it. On certain Fridays, they also have COTTON CANDY and CREPE stations. I hate to hype anyone up so I’m just going to say it like it is: both are not that great but A+ for effort. And no, there’s no Nutella crêpe just chocolate sauce ones.
I always enjoy my time eating here because I love how much my parents love it. It always sets up for a fun night out bonding with the family. I hope the same for you too!

Decent buffet that Thunder VaLLey Offers. It doesn’t exactLy stand out too much compared to other buffets. The seLection of foods are a bit smaLL compared to other buffets but the quaLity of food is good.
The Buffet offers:
–SaLad Bar/​Carb Area
–Asian Station (with sushi, chinese cuisine)
–ItaLian Station (pizza, pastas)
–American Station (ham, prime rib, turkey,+ sides)
–Mexican Station (tacos, Spanish rice, fajitas)
–Dessert Station (pies, cakes, cookies, + fuLLy equipped with soft serve machine)
–Seafood (shrimp, crab)
Customer service is aLways on point. The empLoyees are friendLy and aLways seen with a smiLe. Thank You for aLways putting your best forward even when things can get super backed up and hectic. You guys are the MVP (s)!!!

Long story short… I vomited on the way home.
The full version: service 4 stars, as our server was doing her best to buss the tables while providing drinks to an unimaginable number of diners.
Now for the food… if that is what you choose to call it. Umm… yuck! Besides the plethora of untouched items such as the whole tilapia and the lacklustre salad bar… I found the spring rolls to be rock hard and inedible. 98% of the food was covered in sauce. The prime rib was 50% fat and completely unseasoned. The only edible food was the potato salad and the dessert. Though I braved a few bites of prime rib and a minute plate of salad, I was overcome with nausea within 10 minutes of leaving. I think we will eat at the food court next time as it may be a better option in terms of quality and hygiene.

Located in Thunder Valley Casino on the west side of the casino. I usually come here on Friday’s when it’s Crab Feed night. If I have a craving for crab, this is my go to spot almost every time. Obviously the restaurant with a name of «The Buffet»… it’s a buffet. For $ 30 on Fridays, you can enjoy all the crab you like. But wait… they serve more than crab. OHHHH AHHHH. Yes folks they have Asian, American, Mexican, and Italian food. Let’s break it down.
American:
Prime rib
Mash potatoes
Corn on the cob
Fried chicken
Rotisserie Chicken
Green beans
Fried fish
Popcorn Shrimp
Plus more
Asian:
Fried rice
Chow mien
Potstickers
2 kinds of soups
Sushi
Phở
Short ribs… Korean Style!
Shrimp
Plus more
Mexican:
Tacos
Rice
Fajitas
Italian:
Shrimp alfredo
Pizza
Meatballs
Fish
Plus more
From right to left as you enter the buffet the order is Asian, Italian, American, Mexican and desserts. These are some of the main items along with crab. They serve 2 kinds of crabs which are king crab and snow crab. They have melted butter if you would like to dip it for flavor and lemons for extra flavor. Double fisting crab is awesome! The salad bar is visible as you enter the buffet… but I just ignore that station. Fruit and bread are located with the salad bar. They have various desserts which includes cakes, pies, cookies, brownies, fruit tarts, éclairs, cream puffs, and ice cream. They also have a station in which a dessert chef is there to serve loaf bread with fruit toppings. And if you are lucky there is a cotton candy machine for kids to get hyper all night.
Service isn’t too bad here. I haven’t had any bad experiences with the staff. The servers will get drinks and refills consistently and will trade out clean buckets after you fill it up with crab shells. You may tip them at the cashier or you can wait until the end.
My tip is to arrive here early. Lines can get super long and the wait time can go up to 2 hours. So at a minimum be there 1 to 1.5 hrs before the desired eating time. If the lines are long, there is a mini bar near by to enjoy a drink while you wait.
This buffet is worth a try. Depending on the day, they have different themes. Enjoy!

GET A PLAYER’S CARD BEFOREHAND to receive a discount!
Preferred members receive 10% off
Gold 15%
Platinum 20%
Presidential 25%
Elite 50%
Seniors (over 65 years) $ 2.00 off
Most people come during Fridays and Saturdays for;
–Crab Feed Fridays (3:30PM-11:00PM, $ 29.95 adults and $ 16.99 for children between the ages of 5 – 12, under 5 years it’s FREE, includes both snow and king crab)
–Prime Rib and Snow Crab Saturday NIGHTS (4:00PM-11:00PM, $ 27.99 adults, $ 16.99 for children 5 – 12 years, and FREE for children under 5 years).
The Buffet also offers specials during the week including;
–Monday-​Saturday Brunch (9:00AM-2:30PM, $ 11.79 adults, $ 6.79 children 5 – 12 years, free if under 5 years)
–Sunday-​Thursday All American BBQ (running from May 31-​September 7^th from 4:00PM-9:00PM, $ 15.79 adults, $ 8.99 children) offering pulled Pork, tri-​tip, fried chicken salad, and BBQ Chicken Wings.
–Sunday champagne brunches (9:00AM-2:30PM, $ 16.99 adults, $ 11.99 children 5 – 12 years, and free for those under 5 years)
Although this buffet offers patrons a wide variety of food options — overall quality is unfortunately compromised! We came on a Saturday excited to try their prime rib and snow crab and left disappointed after realizing the only decent thing there were the desserts — definitely NOT worth the $ 27.99 price tag! The prime rib was on the dry side and, since most people did not care to eat it, the turnover rate was rather slow (they were still serving the same slab of meat when we left ~two hours later). The snow crab wasn’t fresh either as we found ourselves spending more time trying to crack legs versus eating actual crab. (Kitchen staff should consider pre-​cracking legs for customers to minimize messiness). The crab meat wasn’t juicy at all so we opted against eating seconds.
Other options include;
–An Asian section with your typical chow mein, potstickers, shu mai, broccoli beef, and phở/​noodle soup station (Panda Express tastes better!!)
–Italian section serving less than desirable pizzas, meatballs, marinara chicken, and fettuccine pasta
–Spanish station with «make it yourself» tacos, burritos, and fajitas (compared to other stations this was one of the better ones but that’s not saying much…)
–American food options like french fries, mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, turkey, and chicken (nothing too great here either)
–***Dessert section with pies, cakes, cookies, cotton candy, crepes, soft serve ice cream, bread pudding, fruit tarts, sugar free options, and much more! (BEST part of the buffet in my opinion!)***
–Salad bar with all the fixings plus chicken noodle/​minestrone soups, fruit bar, bread buns, and random bagel options (not the freshest fruit and salad offerings so I was too scared to try it!)
Servers were nice and attentive as our waters were always topped off and plates always taken away in a timely manner.
Overall, AVOID THIS BUFFET! Food is less than palatable and there are much better options within the casino like Red Lantern, Fat Burger, and High Steaks.

It’s good.
I was happy they had steamed brocc, which wasn’t over done! Score!
Also, the dessert selection did have sugar free and low carb options, love that!
Novelties:
— Individually wrapped Nathan’s hot dogs
— Baked potato bar
— Cheese sauce next place logistically next to broccoli.
Only $ 14.53 for rewards card holders in Sundays!

Came here on a Tuesday night for my brothers birthday. It was slow so there was no line. I have been several times since opening and I must say each time is just mediocre. It is just a notch above Hometown Buffet. Not a lot of flavor in their items and half of it is always dry and very bland. I am also not fond that they auto charge a 10% gratuity for large parties. Its a buffet! not much other than drinks is there really a need for service. They could nix that entirely if they had a drink station.
Anyway I also came on Friday Crab night last week. The line was only about 10 mins at 6pm and still about 15 mins when we left at 730. If you are a green or black card then you get front of the line preference. Yes it did go up in price but they also added King Crab as one of the options when it used to be Snow and Dungeoness only. I recently saw King at $ 18.99 a pound so when you think about that, the $ 30 is worth it IF you like King and I love King. Wish they had the crab zippers and crab forks though. They are much easier to open with that versus the cracker. Service was better and our waitress picked up our plates quickly. Didnt have much of the other food and filled up on crab. Oh they had a fresh cotton candy station that they never had before. I love freshly spun cotton candy but it was blue and some funky flavor so I passed. Just do the regular traditional Pink please!
Regular buffet is just okay but the crab buffets are worth it if you like crab.

The Buffet at Thunder Valley used to be an incredible place in the mid 2000’s when we were crazy with house flipper cash and cheap food prices, but then budgets crashed and food got expensive again. This killed the surge in gourmet buffets and many of the stars had to both raise prices and kill overall quality. Unfortunately, the Buffet at Thunder Valley is now a shadow of its former glory.
My 3 star rating is really 4 stars for the King Crab legs on Friday night and fresh cotton candy. Everything else has slipped to 2 star quality. The buffet was remodeled which was needed, but the main problem is not the nice facility or friendly staff. Their food options are just not there anymore. I still prefer the Asian section with decent appetizers to eat while in line for other options. The carved meats were dry and bland — except for the salty crust. Other options were also bland and boring.
The Friday Crab Feed has always been the best option — especially during Dungeness Crab season. No Dungeness this year, but the temporary addition of King Crab was really good. Stick to the featured items and you will enjoy it; everything else is just not worth it.

We paid $ 15.95 per person for dinner (Monday dinners starting at 4 pm). A few years ago I used to occasionally swing by with coworkers for lunch during the 9 – 5 job. Pleasantly surprised that it didn’t change much. Beers are overpriced $ 5 for a bottle of Heineken but it is to be expected to spend some moneys at casinos. Food was great! You have your Asian, Italian, American food plus delicious deserts … by the photo I posted alongside you can see you’ll be more than tempted to pile up as much as you can. I’m giving it 5 stars because the food was fresh, flavorful, and plentiful. Service was wonderful (I even came up to the manager on the floor to let him know how attentive and great our waitress was — not for a moment was my water or decaf coffee low).
If you’re feeling in the hungry mood for great food at once with a restaurant feel this place!

As I entered Thunder Valley Casino and Resort last night, I decided to try «The Buffet.» This is my second visit to this place since last spring 2014. It may be similar to your local Chinese buffets and HomeTown Buffet in the Sacramento neighborhood, but this place has the foods you want to grab a plate and much it on. I haven’t got a chance to try the seafood dinner night (both on every Friday and Saturday nights), so I go for the basic buffet deal for $ 15. BTW, if you have a rewards card, you can save 10% off! The wait can be very long, but be prepare to get there early to get the best seats available.
Now onto the food test, there are variety of foods to choose from American, Chinese, Italian, Meat-​Lovers, Mexican, dessert, salad bar, etc. I started my first plate with the proteins (chicken, beef, seafood, etc.) The chicken fajitas that I chose is closely tasty, yet flavorful to eat. The steak however, is totally dry and bland which left out the flavor of the steak. The salmon filet is also not flavorful at all, and closely bland. Finally, the cod tasted very good. It has the flavor of the salt which absorbs the cod very tasty. Not bad after all.
Next, onto the second plate, the rice pilaf is alright for me as well as the homemade mashed potatoes with turkey gravy. The fried Chinese style prawns is much average. It has the ingredients right, but it left out the saltiness of the shrimp, yet it’s quite tasty for my taste buds. Lastly, the taco meat is very delish! It has much more flavor because of the seasoning. A huge win for the taco meat!
Finally, my lasts plate, I might pass the goody desserts, so I brought a slice of watermelon and two slices of oranges. Good fresh fruits; no complaints!
The service can be a hit-​n-​miss. Some friendly, some not. During the dining experience, the waitress has done a great job serving unsweetened iced tea for me if it’s drinkly half! I highly give this lady a huge applause for that reputation!
In the end, «The Buffet» at Thunder Valley Casino and Resort is a good buffet site that every tourists and visitors will experience the whole variety of foods. I might be back someday to try the seafood dinner night.