Valley View Casino is one of my favorite casinos in the area. Their buffet is easily one of the best in San Diego, especially the all-you-can-eat lobster nights, which are a big highlight. The atmosphere is lively and they even have live bands on some days, which adds to the experience. Service can be a bit slower during busy times, but overall it's still a fun place to visit. Helpful tip: you do need to be a card member to access the buffet, so it's a good idea to call ahead to confirm details before heading over. read more

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The Buffet at Valley View Casino is not a buffet in the traditional sense of grabbing a plate, perusing around at the hot food stations and serving yourself any portion you would like. I do miss that part of a buffet of visually seeing all the food offerings and taking a small portion for you to bring back to your table and seeing if it is good or not. The Buffet is a sit down affair. You get to the your table and are greeting with a bag of tostitos, guac and salsa. They take your drink order and then you order off the placemat menu at your seat. While the menu is extensive, food is such a visual experience in the sense of seeing what it looks like and knowing how big the portion is. When you order from the server, you get to choose from 4 items that will be all on one plate if it fits. The lobster tail is the star attraction and you are allowed one per order but you can eat as many as you want. Food quality was not that great and the lobster tails were really salty. I wish I was able to try other menu items but I was already full from the first order as you do not get a good sense of how big each portion they serve you. I believe the value is great for AYCE lobster tails and prime rib. I just wish it would return to a true buffet where you serve yourself. read more

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The menu changed although slightly. The required tip has gone up to $8 per guest. However, once we were seated, we waited nearly 45 minutes before a server came to take our table to take our order. This is still not a self-serve buffet. Despite this, the food was still decent. read more

The Buffet - New Menu as of 05/13 - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

You're crazy if you eat at buffets often. You have to be the healthiest person in your area. So much food. The main attraction is the lobster of course. Everything I've tried here is good. Service is great. It has a nice vibe but a bit noisy. The tip they collect when you pay before you are seated is now $7.00 per person but the waiters are usually on point. Still table service not a go get it yourself type of buffet since Covid. I sort of like it this way. When we get the lobster craving we come here. read more

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Horrible sales idea. Apparently you cant even eat here with a players card, but you need to be a tier-2 players card (red?) to be allowed to eat here. Apparently willing to pay over $55 isnt enough itself... read more

Came back here again because my cousin has a free buffet ticket. Seems like the food and service got worst. Our server Reign is kinda in her own world not even paying attention when we are ordering. Apparently you have to go in order: appetizer/soup then main course then dessert. Once you order your main course you can't go back apparently..... the service is so slow I can't tell you how long we had to wait for our food to come out. Even for something simple like water didn't get served to us after we asked TWICE. the lobsters aren't as juicy as before. The crab legs they cut in half and are dry. The s'mores chocolate brownie which is a new chef creation is so sad. Just because you put a marshmallow and small graham drizzle on the side does not make it good. Presentation is nice but food is poor quality. And to top it off so is the service. I really wanted my clam chowder soup but what ever. read more

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Waited 3 hours until our pager went off. Waited an additional 20+ minutes in line to pay and be seated. There is an automatic $7 charge per person, supposedly for gratuity. Our party of 5 was split and seated at two different tables, and we had different servers. At first, our server was friendly and quick to take our order for soup/salad and first round of entrees (the menu is the table placemat, and you get to choose 4 items per round). She never returned to check up on us while we were eating; and we kept trying to flag her down and get her attention. We ended up asking other servers for things such as butter and lemon for our lobster tails & crab legs. Those were very much needed, as the crab legs were pre-cut and DRY AF. When our assigned server finally got to our table, she said the kitchen was closing and asked if we still wanted to order food...duh of course we did. Food taste and quality is not as good as it was before. My sisters who were at an adjacent table had already finished eating and were waiting for me. An employee that had just finished clearing/bussing a nearby table, dropped her tray, and a dirty plate full of trash and food fell on my sister's back. My poor sister had some sort of food residue/remnants on her back & clothing. Though the employee apologized, we felt like she could have done more; but we did not bother to escalate the situation and decided to leave. read more

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Very interesting buffet, you have a server and order off of the menu. Then the items are brought to you. Some of the food was OK. The lobster was rubbery and did not taste fresh. The dessert items were my favorite, but I am just biased towards sweets. Honestly, I think this buffet is mid-tier and lack quality dishes. The appetizer for the table was a bag of tortilla chips with cheese/salsa... Definitely enjoy Morongo's buffet more! read more

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This was not a true "buffet". After checking in we had to wait almost two hours. When we were texted to show up with our entire party of four, we had to wait another half an hour. Our drink orders were taken before being seated at the table. Upon arriving at the table we were served tortilla chips, guacamole and salsa. Not a very pleasant presentation with the chips still sealed in the packaging. We had to place your order four items at a time with a server. Our server was Jose. The ambiance was decent with big screen televisions showing random food items on the menu. On the screens were featured such dishes as lobster tail, prime rib and osso buco. And then randomly butter, ice tea and cookies. The lobster tail was tough and salty. So salty that I didn't even use the butter. I ordered white meat for the fried chicken and it was almost inedible. Although it was nicely seasoned, it was super dry as if it were sitting under a heat lamp for hours. Being it was lunar new year they had several "Asian Inspired" on the menu. The char siu BBQ looked pale and lacked flavor and seasoning. The gochujang glazed Korean smoked pork ribs were the opposite. Too much seasoning and salty as well. The same with the dynamite wings. The dim sum basket tasted blah. The dumplings and shumai were overcooked. I could have gotten better and fresher Chinese food at Panda Express. Disclaimer: I rarely eat at Panda Express haha. The other items were not even worth writing about. Valley View please step up your game with "The Buffet" otherwise I would rather go to the Black & Blue Steakhouse or Patties and Pints. Or better yet I would Harrah's which is less than ten minutes away. Harrah's has Hell's Kitchen and far superior dining experiences. read more

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WOW... I had been wanting to try this buffet since they opened in 2001. Since covid they have changed their style to all you can eat served by a waitress. We had a great time. most SHOCKING was they had soft shell crab... I have NEVER seen this at a buffet before. DELISH!... I liked how they had an option to grill the prime rib. the crab didn't look the freshest, but it was pre sliced so really easy to eat. While I understand the waiter service which is covid friendly and probably helps with portion control... for us it was kinda the opposite... the portions were way too big... we had ordered mac and cheese and the bowl was soo huge when we only wanted a bite. The Creme Brule didnt really have a crispy top... but the warm cookie with ice cream was the BEST! read more

Misleading. Seriously rename this to something else. This is NOT a buffet. Long wait times for a salad. A salad! And I asked for rare prime rib. What is this? Mandatory tip? No wonder, service is bad. Good ambiance though. read more

The Buffet - "rare" prime rib. - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

All the food was delicious. I ordered so much food and enjoyed each dish. The food was well flavored and service was fast. The staff was very friendly and helpful. This is the Buffet to go to!! read more

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If I could give it negative starts I would! It's not a buffet style, which is disappointing. We were on the waiting list took 1.5hrs. Then waited in line and another 30mins to get a table. Then waited about ten minutes (I timed it with my phone) just to get a drink order. Then waited about 15 minutes just to order food and our drinks haven't arrived. It was just a shit show. One of the servers just threw down the lava cake, and was told that the kitchen will be closed in 20 mins. Food was cold due to long wait times. Never got my second order of drinks, only had a plate and half to eat cause the restaurant is closing. And the food not to par being the best. The best of what? The BEST of wasting your time. Felt rush to order, service was shit. The tip is already included on the ticket. Never ever coming back to this buffet. The Casino itself was good, the staff helpful. If you want crappy food , long wait times then this is for you. read more

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I went here in December 2023 and am just now getting around to writing this but yes very memorable experience. Not sure if it's bc of Covid but it's not a help yourself buffet. The waiter comes to your table and takes your order for each round. Service can be slow especially because the buffet is always packed but the waitresses try their best to get your food hot. There's some rules to ordering that I can't remember but there's a few things that were amazing. Lobster tails Alaskan crab Soft shell crab Beef birria Peanut butter cookie Pistachio ice cream read more

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We checked in at the Buffet Host at 4 pm. We were informed the wait to get the text to stand in line will be approximately 2 to 2.5 hours. At around 7:30 pm we got the text to stand in line. We all had to be present to stand get in line, which took 1.5 hours. At 9 pm (5 hours later), we finally sat down to eat. You can only order 4 items at a time. At 9:20 the water and sodas arrived. At 9:45 the first order of lobsters and steak arrived. They were room temperature. I ordered sides of mash potatoes and mushrooms, which arrived around 10 pm after I already finished eating the main course. Maybe they are not so quick to deliver food right away because we already paid the mandatory tip collected when we paid for dinner. They also forgot some of the food we ordered and forgot to refill our drinks, which we had to keep asking someone to bring to us. Needless to say, this was the worst experience I ever ha read more

We recently started getting comp buffets and we like the food and service for the most part. This evening at the end of our meal I ordered coffee and I let Isabel our server know that I also wanted an ice cream cone after my coffee. She seemed annoyed that I didn't want it with my coffee. I realize she is busy but she has passed my table 3/4 times and has not made any eye contact. I am certain that she is avoiding me. Another lady just came by with a drink I did not order but at least she checked on me and my cone is on its way. read more

Long gone are the days where you can truly enjoy the buffet/all you can eat experience. With that being said, this is as good as it gets in terms of being as close to the experience as it was pre pandemic. Hosts, wait staff and servers work diligently and are very friendly. They do need to bring in more staff though as it is the elephant in the dining room. Food is still good just missing a few items that I used to love. Like the avocado halves with lemon or lime or even the chilled crab legs and last but not least, the oysters! Regardless, this place is still worth the visit. Las Vegas Style Dining where you definitely like a VIP. Kudos to Juan, Jin, JJ and Thalia for the excellent service. As well as the rest of the crew we didn't see or interact with since they make the magic work from behind the scenes. I'll be back for sure. Win, lose oe draw - I feel like a winner the moment I leave the buffet. read more

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Good food, friendly attentive staff. Carving , pasta stations, raw bar and smoked salmon all good as are desserts with chocolate fountain and soft self serve, Salads and veg are just ok read more

Came for the first time since it reopened after the pandemic. Both my parents & I got food poisoning and sick literally right after we were done eating. Don't think I'll ever eat at this buffet again. It use to be so good years ago when you can serve yourself. I recommend Patties & Pints much better. read more

I've been coming to Valley View Casino and The Buffet for many years. I remember when we could self serve, or pick our own food. Since the Pandemic, Valley View Casino has restricted guests from picking the food, but having servers do it for them. Guests can only pick 4 items at a time for each plate. Starters, Main Course or dessert. It does not matter. 4 items per round (plate). I think the Prime rib and Alaskan King Crab legs are the stars of the buffet, but I also have a liking to Clam chowder soup. The creamy soup with the right amount of spices and numerous clams and potatoes and is really good. I also like having my soup with a bunch of soup crackers. The desserts are good. You can have Pie slices of Apple, Cherry, and Pumpkin. also Cookies, Creme Brulee and Jello. But I think their top Dessert Item is the Ice Cream. My Favorite is their Black Cherry ice cream. The cherry is perfect not too sweet and not bland. Just right. You can have ice cream in a bowl, or cone (with a bowl) or with sundae toppings. The Buffet at Valley View Casino and Resort is good, but I do wish we could pick our own food. Other recommended Items: Mac and Cheese, Seafood Pastry, Roasted Cauliflower read more

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According to my check in, I had been here 32 times, but combine with all the previous times I went before I got on Yelp, it was probably countless, and I already mentioned all the pros and cons of the food quality with the service, after an incident last month, I wrote my lengthy feedbacks to the casino, they responded to it and agreed that there should be some changes, I am glad they did, I am very thankful now for how they treated my uncle grandpa and me, shout to to the buffet staffs Jackie, Chris and everyone from the team. We will visit here again and again. read more

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A whole new way to Buffet they turned a Buffet to an All you can eat. Fascinating..the future has arrived pricey for a Buffet that is an order your plates restaurant 49 dollars plus 7 dollar tip. The atmosphere is the same casino type area the servers are prime order the Maine lobster is delicious. read more

The Buffet - A whole New way to Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

The variety of dishes was excellent and the flavors were very satisfying. The tables were spaced well apart from other guests, and I felt it offered better value than the famous high-end buffets I've tried in Las Vegas. read more

I've come to this buffet at least 3 or 4 times now. My homie always gets comps so we roll together with other friends when they can go. You just have to pay $5 each to tip the servers. I never ate here pre-covid but back then you were allowed to help yourself to the buffet line. My first time here was probably some 3 months ago. At that time, you were seated after you paid and then they have the employees serve you. The menus are laid out on the table for each person. You can order up to 4 items at a time. The server then brings you what you want and you just keep ordering that way until you can't hang anymore. Personally, I like that they serve you and would prefer they keep it going this way even after covid. The selection here is pretty good. They always have a variety of appetizers and entrées, as well as desserts and drinks. The one thing that you can't get here is alcoholic drinks. You have to buy it at the bar and then bring it with you inside the buffet area. I'm knocking off a star for that alone because... #AlchiLife! One time we went with my homie's parents. His mom happens to be a black card holder and with that comes privileges. There's a separate line for black card holders that gets you in faster than the regular line. They also get specialty items on the menu that are not available to regulars. That was a neat experience! My faves are the oysters, shrimp cocktail, Alaskan king crab legs, lobster tails and the prime rib!! It's always cooked to perfection and soooooo good with the au jus! Sometimes if they are short staffed, you'll have to wait a good while to get your food. I think the first time I came, it was just the 2 of us and we waited a long time to get our food. The next time when we had a party of 5, there were more servers so we got our food faster. My last visit was for my birthday and our server was so gracious and took the time to make me a special birthday cheesecake! It was divine!! Thank you, Angela!! Servers are wonderful here and are very friendly. They try their best to be quick but with all of the patrons they get, you have to be patient. I recommend coming here if you have time to spare and want a good variety of food. I've not really had any of their pastas but I might indulge next time! The food is always delish and the guac and salsa that comes with the bag of Tostitos is amazing and always fresh!! Give it a shot & enJOY!! ;) read more

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Terribly overpriced used to be one of the top buffets for casinos now it's the worst they don't give you any kind of discounts in any restaurant or food court item why you're here gambling my wife and I and family will never come back to this casino. Customer service is horrible. read more

The chicken is Dry the lobster was good the clam chowder was also very good the service was great.thank you. The prime rib was raw but they brought us a new one much better. read more

As it was quite busy on a Sunday night, we waited ~4 hours from the time we put our name on the waiting list. This buffet is different from others in that it is more restaurant style where you place orders in rounds (unlimited), choosing up to 4 items at a time per person, and staff brings the food to your table. Service was consistent throughout and we were able to place orders/ receive food in a timely manner considering how busy it was. Food was overall satisfactory, but nothing memorable. Large selection so I was able to enjoy my picks and nibble on other varieties chosen by my family. Though a very few items were a miss, my standouts were the lobster, soft shell crab, beef birria, pistachio baklava, and black cherry ice cream! Get that lobster on every round to make it worth! I wouldn't go out of my way for the buffet, but it was still an enjoyable dining experience with the varieties of foods. read more

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I can barely write this review because I am SO FULL! First time to the buffet at Valley View casino, and it did not disappoint! I am a fan :) This buffet is now served to you, in the form of ordering up to 4 items per "round" not counting soup and salad (I ordered a Caesar, but my family ordered the seafood bisque, which they all loved and said had a lot of seafood in it!) I started my entrees with garlic lobster fried rice, shrimp tempura, salmon and mac n cheese. Round 2, crab Louie and desserts, Boston cream cake, black cherry and strawberry ice cream. All 4 items came on the same plate, smaller but perfectly sized portions especially if you plan on trying a lot of things. Pace yourself! You'll need to to get through this extensive menu, which is also displaying on the TV screens throughout the restaurant. Garlic lobster fried rice was just right! Light flavor, good sized pieces of lobster throughout with cubed carrots and not fried too hard. Shrimp tempura came with 4 pieces, lightly fried in batter and delicious. I thought the sauce was way too sweet (very tangy/pineapple-y) but the shrimp is enjoyable without it. Salmon - my favorite part. This salmon is served over a bed of quinoa, a nice light glaze on it, absolutely full of flavor and the perfect portion to finish with room. Mac n cheese - cavatappi in a thick, creamy cheese sauce topped with crunchy breadcrumbs. For you cheese heads like me, it is more of the Velveeta type than cheddar, but it is hearty and I'd order it again. Crab Louie - Another fav I wasn't expecting! This dish is plated so intentionally I had to take a pic. Gently shredded crab atop avocado in a small circular stack, surrounded by drizzles of sauce and split cherry (?) tomatoes. Almost too pretty to eat. Boston cream cake - Mmmm... Sweet tooth was feeling mild tonight and this hit the spot. Topped with a dark chocolate frosting, and fluffy cream between two slices of buttery soft cake accented with a swirl chocolate straw is now permanently on my order list from here. Not reviewing the ice cream because I had no room left and didn't finish it! Ordered a scoop of each: black cherry, strawberry. Also good, real milk ice cream. I also took pics of everyone else's food and labeled what it was for reference so, take a weekend night, an empty stomach and try this place out! read more

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For those who haven't been back since Covid, they've changed to ordering system: You choose what you want via the food mat/menu and the waiter/ess will take your order. Food ranges from Lobster to sushi to pastas and everything else. Sometimes the lobster tails you get don't look the most fresh, but if you aren't picky, it all still tastes good anyways. After about the 3rd round, you're about done. Overall, pretty clean and spacious. Only catch is that in order to dine there, you have to have a next tier card. If you don't play enough, you aren't allowed to dine sadly. read more

What happened to the actual buffet at the Valley View? Post Covid they went down and now it's not even a buffet. It's a shame that they have to serve you instead of you being able to enjoy the buffet. Last time we went there was months ago, rude rude server, food was awful, I basically ate nothing but a few pieces of asparagus or whatever it was, service was horrible. We used to go there every weekend but no more. Won't go back and won't even bother. I'd rather eat at a restaurant than this buffet. The name is super misleading. It's not a buffet. Yikes read more

We enjoy coming here. The food is really very good. Not great, but very good. The lobsters are small but the good thing is, you can order as much as you like. (Two at a time) The service is fast and accurate. We have always had a good experience when eating at this buffet. The staff is friendly and kind. They make good suggestions when needed. If you are in the area, you should try it. Just try not to lose too much money on the way in. Hard to do. Enjoy! read more

The Buffet - Menu - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

This buffet is absolutely tasty and it's good to be able to see one of the rare buffets that is open during COVID-19. I like the changed format for the sit down style where are you choose from the menu at your table. It's nice that the server will take your order of four items at a time, but the problem is that most of the time it takes a while for them to bring the food up. But then again it is kind of nice to pace yourself for a Buffet With how slowly the food comes out. Too bad for them that it's not faster because they should be able to turn over tables more quickly and more efficiently. read more

The Buffet - Asparagus, lobster, Chile relleno - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

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Visit #2 to the "New way to Buffet" at Valley View Casino and wow - what a difference! Everything was much quicker tonight, and our server JJ was incredible. Moving fast and making sure we had everything we needed. He was doing everything a good waiter should. I noticed more people paid attention to us this time, meaning drinks delivered super fast, food was brought to us quicker, and our table was cleared before dessert was delivered. The also seemed to be limiting the number of people waiting in line, but it caused people to bunch out before the rope. We're not still good at social distancing ourselves while waiting, read more

The Buffet - Menu as of 9/4/20 - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

I only came here for the free buffet my sister invited me. This was my 4th times. It's not worth the $42. Everything salty. Everytime I came, food never tasted right. This time soo salty. I sat alone while my party left to play. I waited to order my ice cream. I waited for a long time until finally I can order my vanilla ice cream..20 mins. read more

The Buffet rules are idiotic. Waste of time to wait in line for the cashier to tell us you need a players card to eat here. Not only that, you need a higher tiered players card to eat here. 'We don't take red tier(lowest), must be higher tier.' Wtf kind of casino discriminates for a buffet? You're making money regardless. So silly I will never come here again. On top of that the wait is 4 hours. Don't waste your time. Go somewhere else. Wish I could give 0 stars. read more

Ambiance: None Very loud, not all bad as some laughing and having a great time Service: only one word... Exhalent Food: Lobster, Crab legs are great. Hot and miss on crab Louie mash potatoes, shrimp and scallops. Also tried the coconut shrimp read more

Been here many times for the lobster buffet. Whenever I dined here the line is not too long. I remember not wanting to eat the lobster as I preferred crab legs instead. The lobster tails do look a bit small and I remember once when i did not like the taste. The crab legs on the other hand is cut open for you and more desirable for me. The selection of food is good but nothing great. Also, not too many choices on the hand carved meats. When i was there last, There was Prime Rib and sausage. Possibly it's the timing and they were getting more meat. Now, our server, meh, I've had much better. He barely came around and our plates were stacking up. When I asked for something from him he had a funny stare. If you're in the area give them a try. For me, I'd go elsewhere. read more

The Buffet - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California

Immaculate facility to include the restrooms and parking lots. Excellent site security. Delicious foods. The buffet is adjacent to the none-smoking wing of the Casino. Customer-service oriented staff. A highly recommended place to visit. read more

Unfortunate for new comers to Casino your money is no good to eat at the buffet unless you are a upper level card holder. You are turned away for being new to the casino or have recently returned to it with prior status and are now a lower level card holder. The buffet is not 5 star and I personally have not experienced this anywhere before. It's truly a shame a lot of people were being turned away from having a meal. I'm very curious how newcomers getting this kind of experience at this establishment are likely to return. So for anyone who plans on eating at the buffet in this casino. Think again before you head out. Unless you have visited before and have spent a chunk of your wages and are upper level cardholder. Good luck. I hope this is helpful to someone... One star was given because I couldn't post it with No star! read more

It's a 50/50.. service not so good unless you're lucky. I'm here with me wifey sitting for 15 mins for a dessert order I could've gotten myself. 10/16 @ 2015hr Food hasn't changed much, too oversized portions; thought buffets were little here and there. Just got my ice cream.. whaddya know.. it's wrong. Wish they could just bring back the old way like Vegas. read more

The Buffet - Ice cream with NOT the Strawberry Sauce.. had to order on the side - Buffets Near Me - Valley Center, California