Seafood buffets promise oceanic bounty, but not all deliver on that salty sea dream. Some leave you wondering if the fish swam away before hitting your plate, while others truly deserve standing ovations for their spectacular spreads.
I’ve waded through butter sauce and cracked countless crab legs to bring you the honest truth about which seafood buffets to skip and which ones deserve every penny of your hard-earned cash.
1. Capt. Jack’s Family Buffet (Panama City Beach, FL)
Ahoy, disappointment! Capt. Jack’s talks a big game with pirate-themed décor that’s more impressive than what lands on your plate. The crab legs? Cold, waterlogged, and requiring the strength of Poseidon himself to crack open for the tiny morsel inside.
Their shrimp tastes like it took a detour through the freezer section of a discount store before arriving at your table. Even the hushpuppies – the one thing that’s hard to mess up – somehow emerge from the kitchen with the density of cannonballs.
2. Seafood World (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Brace yourself for the most ironic name in the buffet universe. Seafood World should be renamed ‘Seafood Wasteland’ after you taste their lukewarm offerings that seem to have been sitting under heat lamps since the Clinton administration.
The ‘endless’ crab legs arrive pre-cracked – not as a convenience but because they’ve dried out so thoroughly they’re splitting on their own. Their signature seafood casserole contains mysterious chunks that could be fish, could be chicken, or could be something scientists haven’t classified yet.
3. Jimmy’s Seafood Buffet (Kitty Hawk, NC)
Highway robbery has a new address, and it’s Jimmy’s in Kitty Hawk. For prices that suggest you’ll be dining alongside mermaids and Neptune himself, you’ll instead get seafood that tastes like it was caught in a puddle behind a gas station.
The ‘famous’ crab legs require archaeological tools to extract any meat, while the fried options seem to have absorbed more oil than the Exxon Valdez spilled. Their clam chowder could pass for wallpaper paste with suspicious chunks floating aimlessly.
4. Mordecai’s Seafood Buffet (Springfield, KY)
Kentucky isn’t exactly known for its coastline, and Mordecai’s proves exactly why that matters. Located hours from any body of water larger than a puddle, this place serves seafood with all the freshness of a forgotten gym sock.
The ‘catch of the day’ was clearly caught months ago, frozen, thawed, refrozen, forgotten, discovered again, and finally microwaved before reaching your plate. Their crab legs have the texture of cardboard soaked in salt water, while the scallops could double as hockey pucks.
5. Coeur d’Alene Casino Seafood Buffet (Worley, ID)
Talk about a real gamble! This casino buffet takes bigger risks with seafood than most people take at the blackjack table. Idaho and fresh seafood go together like sunbathing and snowstorms – it just doesn’t work.
The salmon tastes suspiciously like it swam through a chlorinated pool before landing on ice that melted days ago. Their ‘signature’ seafood pasta contains exactly three microscopic shrimp per gallon of gluey sauce. Even the cocktail sauce tastes defeated, as though it’s given up on improving anything it touches.
6. Royal Fork Buffet (Sioux Falls, SD)
Landlocked South Dakota tries its darnedest to bring the ocean to the plains, and fails spectacularly at Royal Fork. The ‘seafood section’ consists of fish sticks that would make Captain Birds Eye jump ship and shrimp so tiny you’ll need a magnifying glass to locate them on your plate.
Their crab legs arrive pre-cracked because they’ve been frozen, thawed, and refrozen so many times they’ve developed structural fatigue. The clam chowder contains approximately three clams per gallon, swimming desperately in a sea of flour-thickened milk.
7. Tokyo Seafood Buffet (Houston, TX)
Houston, we have a problem – and it’s called Tokyo Seafood Buffet. This identity-confused establishment can’t decide if it’s a Japanese restaurant, Chinese buffet, or American diner, resulting in seafood that’s as muddled as its concept.
The sushi looks like it was rolled by someone who learned the technique from watching a YouTube video at 2x speed. Their hot crab rangoon filling has the consistency of library paste with occasional stringy bits that might be crab… or might be the string that held the packaging together.
8. The Nordic (Charlestown, RI)
Holy mackerel! The Nordic isn’t just a buffet – it’s a religious experience for seafood lovers. This Rhode Island institution serves lobster so fresh you’ll swear it winked at you before taking a butter bath. Their clam cakes? Crispy golden orbs of happiness that would make Neptune himself shed a briny tear.
Unlike chain buffets, The Nordic focuses on what New England does best – simple, perfect seafood preparations that let the ocean shine. The chowder achieves that mythical balance of creamy richness without overwhelming the tender clams dancing through each spoonful.
9. Bacchanal Buffet (Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, NV)
Forget the slot machines – the real jackpot in Vegas is hitting the seafood station at Bacchanal. This isn’t just a buffet; it’s an aquatic fever dream where king crab legs longer than your forearm glisten under perfect lighting, waiting for your eager crack.
Sushi chefs with serious credentials craft perfect bites right before your eyes, while the oyster selection rivals anything you’d find on either coast. Their lobster bisque contains chunks so generous you’ll wonder if they’re showing off (they are, and we’re here for it).
10. Captain George’s Seafood Restaurant (Virginia Beach, VA)
Knock me overboard and call me soaked – Captain George’s doesn’t just serve seafood; they celebrate it! This maritime paradise boasts crab legs so meaty you’ll develop forearm muscles just from cracking them open all evening.
The Chesapeake-style crab cakes contain approximately zero filler and 100% lump crabmeat, held together seemingly by wishful thinking and a prayer. Their scallops are seared to perfection – caramelized on the outside, tender as a love letter on the inside.
11. Original Benjamin’s Calabash Seafood (Myrtle Beach, SC)
Forget everything I said about Myrtle Beach’s other seafood joints – Benjamin’s is where locals hide from tourists who don’t know any better. This Calabash-style heaven serves up lightly battered, flash-fried seafood that makes you question why you’d eat fish any other way.
The 170+ item buffet sounds overwhelming until you realize every single thing is executed with surprising attention to detail. Their deviled crab might cause religious experiences, while the flounder is so fresh it practically gossips about other fish it knew back in the ocean.
12. Cafe Sierra at Hilton Universal (Los Angeles, CA)
Plot twist! The best seafood buffet in LA isn’t by the beach – it’s hiding in a Hilton near Universal Studios. Cafe Sierra’s weekend seafood extravaganza would make any ocean deity nod in approval while simultaneously making other hotel restaurants weep with inadequacy.
Their lobster – yes, whole lobsters – aren’t just for show; they’re sweet, tender, and abundant. The snow crab legs require minimal effort to extract maximum pleasure, while the raw bar features oysters that taste like they were harvested hours ago.
13. 100 Sails Restaurant & Bar (Prince Waikiki, Honolulu, HI)
Mahalo, seafood gods! 100 Sails doesn’t just serve Hawaiian seafood – it tells the entire Pacific’s story through food. The poke station alone features six varieties so fresh you’ll swear the fish jumped straight from ocean to plate, sacrificing itself for your happiness.
Overlooking the harbor, this buffet incorporates Japanese, Filipino, Chinese and native Hawaiian influences, creating seafood dishes you won’t find anywhere else on earth. Their garlic shrimp will haunt your dreams in the best possible way, while the crab-stuffed mushrooms disappear from the buffet faster than tourists burn on Waikiki Beach.
14. Crab House All You Can Eat Seafood (New York, NY)
New Yorkers aren’t easily impressed, which makes the perpetual line outside Crab House all the more remarkable. In a city where space comes at a premium, this place dedicates precious square footage to mountains of snow crab legs that taste like they were plucked from icy waters this morning.
Unlike many buffets that use quantity to mask quality, Crab House focuses on doing fewer things exceptionally well. Their garlic butter sauce should be illegal in at least 40 states, while the clams casino would make an Italian grandmother nod in solemn approval.
15. The Buffet At Wynn (Las Vegas, NV)
Steve Wynn might be controversial, but his seafood buffet is unanimously elected to the Shellfish Hall of Fame. This isn’t just eating; it’s performance art where Alaskan king crab legs larger than your forearm share the spotlight with lobster tails that would make a mermaid jealous.
The sushi station features fish so fresh it practically has a pulse, while the oyster selection rotates based on what’s pristine that day. Their seafood paella achieves that elusive socarrat bottom crust that Spanish grandmothers fight over, studded with shellfish that snap with freshness.
16. Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet (City of Industry, CA)
Forget what you think you know about Asian buffets – Umi rewrites the rulebook and then sets it on fire with a blowtorch. This San Gabriel Valley phenomenon serves sushi that would make Tokyo chefs nod in approval alongside crab legs that require their own zip code.
The seafood-packed udon soup contains entire underwater ecosystems in each bowl, while the made-to-order sashimi features fish so pristine it practically sparkles. The price-to-quality ratio breaks economic models and will leave you questioning why you ever paid more elsewhere for inferior seafood.