Not all buffets are bland, all-you can-eat extravaganzas for seniors. These spots will inspire you to pile your plate high with tasty ethnic eats.
Garden Buffet
5347 N. Lincoln Ave., 773-728-1249
Scenario: Think Big Bowl Korea but set up in a VFW hall. The huge room features a fountain with swimming koi and turtles, and each table comes equipped with a central charcoal pit for cooking your own meat. 11 a.m.-11 p.m. daily.
The damage: $18.99 for a dinner Korean BBQ buffet and all-you-can-eat sushi. Soft drinks included.
Take seconds: The marinated beef and spicy red pork are tasty classics. Of the traditional Korean BBQ sides (called chap chae), standouts include the seaweed, pickled bean sprout salad and kimchi (spicy fermented cabbage). From the sushi bar, stick with the salmon and tuna.
Skip it: The so-so California roll is just offered to fill you up, and if the night’s chap chae includes what looks like tiny shreds of beef jerky, it’s actually crunchy baby anchovies. The fish taste will linger.
Insider tip: Even though they say they’re open until 11 p.m., they start taking apart the buffet by 10 p.m., so nix the idea of late-night dining.
Juana’s
2406 S. Western Ave., 773-523-4166
Scenario: The colorful restaurant is like a big Mexican rec room, lined with bright red carpet and decorated with random paintings and posters. This is one of the best buffet values in town. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. daily.
The damage: $4.50 for a dinner buffet of more than a dozen salad bar dishes and around 16 traditional hot Mexican standards.
Take seconds: The Southwest-style black bean and roasted corn salad is yummy, and the fruit is always fresh. If they have it, don’t miss the roasted pork with tomatillo sauce or the chicken mole in dark brown sweet poblano sauce. Most of the time there’s also fixings for beef fajitas including grilled peppers, tomatoes and onions with fresh tortillas.
Skip it: The pasta, typically spaghetti, is a nice gesture to vegetarians but bland.
Insider tip: If there’s a specific Mexican dish you’re looking for, call ahead, and Juana will tell you which night she’s serving it.
Tatra Inn
6040 S. Pulaski Ave. 773-582-8313
Scenario: Sweet owners Adam and Mary Natanek have kept this South Side Polish mainstay alive for 30 years by serving Eastern European classics with consistency. The name refers to the mountain range bordering Poland and the Czech Republic, which is depicted in oil paintings on the wood-paneled walls. It’s a super-casual spot to grab a beer and fill up on no-frills home cooking, where everything is made from scratch. 11:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Tues.-Thurs.; 11:30 a.m.- 9 p.m. Friday; noon-9 p.m. Sat.; noon- 8 p.m. Sun.
The damage: $9.95 for dinner buffet, $13.95 on Fridays when crab legs are offered and $11.95 on Saturdays and Sundays when strip steaks are added. Bread basket, soup, appetizer (fried shrimp, steak kebabs, cheese sticks) and dessert included.
Take seconds: The homemade potato and cheese pierogis are worth-it artery cloggers, surrounded by diced onions and swimming in butter. The house-cured baked ham at the carving station is tasty and tender, and the broasted chicken (looks like fried wings and legs) is greaseless and flavorful. Tasty cabbage rolls are stuffed with nutmeg-dusted ground meat and rice thick with tomato. The salad bar is loaded with tons of fresh veggies and fruit, but don’t miss the tangy celery salad with finely minced apples and red onions (it looks like cole slaw but should be labeled). Don’t miss the light-as-air cookies made with phyllo and filled with strawberry or apricot jam.
Skip it: The thinly sliced beef and mushrooms in brown gravy is so-so, and the stuffing is a bit mushy.
Insider tip: During the week, when it’s slower, potato pancakes are made to order from the kitchen, so ask for this dish when you sit down. Same with fruit-filled pierogis and sweet cream blintzes. Also, grab a to-go menu when you leave; it’ll tell you what should be on the buffet each night of the week.
Arya Bhavan
2508 W. Devon Ave. 773-274-5800
Scenario: The walls are decked with women’s saris, each for sale. This purely vegetarian kitchen is one of the few Devon restaurants to offer a buffet on weekend nights, and the only one for a meatless spread. 11:45 a.m.-3 p.m. Tues.-Sun.; 5-9:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun.
The damage: $9.99 dinner buffet Friday-Sunday; $6.99 lunch buffet Tuesday-Friday.
Take seconds: The spicy sambar soup is excellent, with chunks of stewed eggplant, carrots and potatoes and the fragrant chana masala of tender chickpeas in a cumin-clove sauce is one of the best around. The mataar paneer (peas and cheese) is somewhat sweeter than some versions but still tasty. Mini uttapam (rice pancakes) are made fresh on the buffet’s griddle. For dessert, don’t miss the sweet carrot halva and honey-soaked galub jamon.
Skip it: The lentil cardamon paste is blah and gritty, the “pickle,” as it’s called, is a strange mix of sour and spice that can ruin your palate for the night.
Insider tip: Don’t worry when you don’t see naan, it comes fresh from the kitchen to order. Also, a few times a week they serve what they call “Indian Sloppy Joe,” a delicious blend of spicy chopped veggies served on a hamburger bun. It’s worth the call ahead to plan your trip.
