Buffets are booming: Four of Melbourne's best all-you-can-eat restaurants (plus one to avoid)
In the years since the pandemic, all-you-can-eat buffets brimming with fresh seafood and premium cuts of meat have gradually regained momentum, as diners grappling with cost-of-living pressures look for bang for their buck. Buffets are back – and booming.
'When COVID hit, obviously everything shut down, and buffets were one of the last things to come back, because of the general feeling towards shared food,' says Steven Beaumont, executive chef at the five-star Grand Hyatt Melbourne.
The Hyatt's 'Living Grand' buffet, at in-house restaurant Collins Kitchen, is one of the most expensive and extravagant all-you-can-eat options in Melbourne. When the buffet relaunched for Sunday lunches post-COVID, appealing largely to families, it was a sleeper hit. It's since become so popular that the hotel has added a Friday night buffet to draw in a younger demographic.
Those diners have likely seen it on TikTok, which is partly responsible for the buffet resurgence. Influencer videos featuring buffets in Koreatown and Chinatown – and the queues they create – garner tens of thousands of views. There's even a dedicated social media acronym, 'AYCE', to signal all-you-can-eat dining options.
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Previous SlideNext Slide Contemporary$$$$ The Hyatt's 'Living Grand' buffet, at in-house restaurant Collins Kitchen, is one of the most expensive and extravagant all-you-can-eat options in Melbourne. When the buffet relaunched for Sunday lunches post-COVID, appealing largely to families, it was a sleeper hit. It's since become so popular that the hotel has added a Friday night buffet to draw in a younger demographic. Those diners have likely seen it on TikTok, which is partly responsible for the buffet resurgence. Save for the commanding seafood tower of oysters, prawns, crabs and (sometimes) Moreton Bay bugs, this one is all about quiet luxury with sashimi on ice and made-to-order options. And for dessert? A pancake and waffle station and a chocolate fountain, no less. Buffet aside, Collins Kitchen's a la carte menu is all about locally sourced, flame-grilled meats, from a signature wagyu tomahawk to slow-cooked American-style brisket.
