We have frequented this establishment for a long time. On our most recent visit we have noticed the quality has dipped a bit on the food and service. I was given a hard time to get my usual servings of steak during dinner time. I usually ask for two servings to avoid unnecessary trips back to the line. This time they had new staff handling the grill and there was no meet being cooked and had trouble when asked for two servings. The ice cream cones are still great at least. read more

Golden Corral - Buffets Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

I come here regularly because my kids and my parents love it here. But it isn't as bad as it's reputation or as the reviews here would have you believe. Granted, I am always here at 5:30pm (see comment about kids and grandparents, above). But the dishes are always clean, the staff always friendly and attentive, and the food is always fresh. This is a buffet that had its heyday in the 80s (I have memories of eating plates of chicken livers at one with my grandfather when I was 8 (not to worry, these are no longer served)). As long as you aren't coming here expecting a fine dining experience, you'll be fine. I recommend coming here if you 1) have kids. There's mac and cheese, cheap pizza, spaghetti, popcorn shrimp... and the beloved dessert bar with chocolate fountain, soft serve station, and cookie selection. No kid can resist. 2) are trying to feed the Boomers in your life. This is a time-honored restaurant for the 55+ crowd 3) are just trying to feed a crowd of picky eaters. They wIll find something to eat, even if they grumble at the dated ambience or the arguably unappetizing presentation. This particular Corral does a pretty decent job of cooking up steaks to order, and they are probably best known for their yeast rolls. Nothing is going to be the best thing you've ever eaten (but I don't think they've ever promised this either). Recommend, especially for large familIes, older generations, and others with realistic expectations. read more

Disappointing. How can you purposefully pack and give away 11 burnt unflavored Unbuttered tiny rolls??? Where are the giant white fluffy SOFT buttered rolls at? My hand is literally the size of a 12 yr old and these buns are still smaller. Paid for a dozen and only got 11. Was told to pick up between 3:10-3:20 and I got there immediately and still they were COLD and HARD. Such a scam. I would understand if they were busy but since their Togo parking spot was taken by someone who WAS DINNING IN , I had to go inside to pick up my order and saw there were only 3 families in the entire dinning area= y'all are not busy! Just gave me left over rolls . read more

Golden Corral - Unflavored burnt rolls - Buffets Near Me - Lakeland, Florida

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Not sure why this place is still on Yelp since it closed moths ago to make way for a new Aldi. The building has been demolished, so it done be gone now -- that's all folks! read more

My husband decided to have us try out the local Golden Coral nearer to us on 12/04/19 for dinner. I have not been to this South Florida Avenue location in Lakeland,Florida in years. We of course did the "all you could eat buffet." They had a good selection of food that tasted really great, plus the atmosphere, cleanliness of the place had really surprised me. I give the food an overall score of 4.3 since we could not get key lime pie that was showing up above the dessert bar on the banner. Our server Ms Lucia was very nice and attentive. She answered our questions and kept our drinks filled. She kept checking on us. Juan and I were totally grateful and blessed to have taken the time to reacquaint ourselves with this location instead of going to U S Hwy 98 N side. I give Ms Lucia five stars for her friendly, attentive service with a smile. This lady stayed very busy, however still paid attention to all of her guests. We really noticed!!! You know we gave her a 20 percent tip. read more

We have eaten at this Golden Corral for several years and it was consistently good. The past few times we ate there the food was subpar and today was awful. I felt almost Sick. The burgers were dry and cooked to well done the bottom of the bun was so hard I couldn't bite thru it. I really don't think we will go back again. read more

I am so tired of giving away my money to this place. They are horrible at restocking the items. They wait until the area is completly empty to start cooking the refill which does mot make sense especially on a sunday afternoon. We were there for about an hour and just when we were leaving was when they refilled the fried chicken taht we were not able to eat and the shrimp (could not eat this one either) had not been done yet. The pizzas.. Were empty for about 30 min and then they only made 1 and the place was full of kids waiting for it. Salad bar is always empty and the vegetables always look stale. Sincerly its the worst Golden Corral I have been to. read more

The food is so so. People wear mask under their nose. Manager wear one inside out. A COVID 19 hot spot in the making.

I have been able to try the various locations In Arizona and Florida and this one is one of the best so far. The associates were polite and our waitress always was a step ahead in filling our drinks, cleaning our table, taking dishes, and asking to get us anything we wanted. Exceptional customer service. The food was hot and looked fresh. Some I have been to had old and nasty food out, but not this location. We ate for $8.99 per person. We chose this because my wife wanted a salad and she was impressed. She usually dislikes Golden Corral's because of past experiences. The restaurant and bathrooms were amazingly clean. I was quite impressed with this location and may pop in from time to time. Thank you for operating with professionalism and making the food look the same in your restaurant as it is on TV :). read more

Somehow my wife and I have never been to a Golden Corral before we moved to Florida six months ago. We stopped in for the first time a few weeks ago and I have to say, it's one of the better buffet restaurants we have seen. It was clean, inviting, and had a pretty big selection of everything from salads to meat, pasta and desserts. We will definitely be going back, and trying their breakfast buffet as well! Edit 4/1/12: We went back for breakfast last month and enjoyed the selection for breakfast as well! read more

After a long hiatus, I was pleasantly surprised. Huge lunch variety, everything kept warm, lots of fine flavors. So much so, you want to skip the salad bar, potato bar, and nacho bar. Perhaps some foods too salty for my tastes. Tons of desserts. Servers great about emptying your dirty dishes. I'm not a big fan of buffets and "pigging out" but this place will suit these diners well. 10/18/12. Revisited. Still has an extensive number of hot items. The supper prices is now $14 which is pretty steep for my--can't do it justice. I had many fresh salad items. A great piece of melt-in-my-mouth rare steak (salty). Yum pot roast. Nice tilapia. Great fried chicken. Most vegetables overcooked but flavorful. No one available to cut the pork loin on my pass by. Chocoloate fudge, brownies, cake, bread pudding. Blueberry pie was ice cold (I'd like warm). Desserts extensive and all good. Pepsi products. Great servers keep up with your drinks and plates. Still earns 3 stars, perhaps 4 but for costs..... read more

For what it is, it's pretty good. Food is generally pretty fresh and staff is friendly. One warning: DO. NOT. GET. THE. BREAKFAST. BUFFET. Everything on the breakfast buffet tastes like a solid block of butter and if you eat anything there, consider your day effectively ruined and pretty much plan on taking at least a year off your life. Other than that, this is an average American style buffet. We go there occasionally. read more

It's open now; open for food poisoning...caveat emptor- eat at your own risk! If the food doesn't kill you, you might instead be trampled in a crowd of hungry fiends closing in from all sides at the disorganized baked potato bar. By the way, the service is terrible- our waitress was chatting it up on the phone at the booth next to us for half an hour. Hope she had free nights and weekends! read more

I was working construction on the road right next to the restaurant and called to make a to go order. While on the phone the girl put me on hold to go ask a question, took my order and told me it would be about 20 minutes. When i went to pick up the order after standing in line for 10 minutes she then told me the manager said they cant take orders over the phone so I could go thru the line and get what I wanted. I clearly didnt have time for that which is why I called the order in. Needless to say I did not get the food I had come in early to be able to get. Very disappointed read more

This place had dirty bathrooms, dirty tables, and dirty dishes. My husband didn't want a plate because it had a stain on it an the waitress tried to clean it with her hand and put it back in the stack for someone else to get. The steak was very rare and it was bleeding a little bit. The chicken and shrimp and ice cream was probably the only thing good read more

This is definitely a default when it comes to dining out. If you and your spouse can't come to a consensus; meat, poultry or seafood, this popular restaurant has it all, at least for the most part. I've been dining at Golden Corrals across the country for more than a decade. Some are better than others. The best is in Ocala, Florida, where my sister and niece live. The worst was in Raleigh, North Carolina, where I almost demanded my money back. So, here is the Golden Corral gamble; try it out. I've discovered the best time is the dinner hour; 6 p.m.- 7 p.m. The food is fresh, especially the fried chicken and the mac and cheese. This location has a great meat server who goes out of his way to please. The salad bar is so-so and one day, we watched an irresponsible parent allow her child to stick his finger in the chocolate fountain (desert bar). Also, when we dined there too late (8 p.m.), my wife complained about the meatloaf being too dry. Okay, in all fairness, not everything is perfect at the corral. I'll take the bad with the good because at the end of the day, I can count on gorging myself with several helpings of steak and fried chicken, while not spending a fortune. Sorry, cardiologists, but we carnivores tend to crave this food. Enjoy. read more

Typical buffet style food. Food is okay. Is somewhat expensive and would rather spend that kind of money at a nice sit down restaurant. Staff was friendly. read more

It is not clean and smells. The kitchen had pots and pans right on the floor. Wait staff had dirty aprons. They are friendly though. We went there because we like variety. We drive to Zephyrhills. It is much better. read more

Yes, it's a buffet, but it is one of the best buffets I've ever been to. If you can't find something you like here there's something wrong. Steak is fresh and grilled to your liking and it is so good. Add some chicken, meatloaf, ribs, ham, turkey... and don't forget the amazing salad bar with tons of toppers. Romantic dinner, no. But if you want a little of everything or have fussy diners, then this is definitely the place to go. Very clean and staff are friendly. Don't see it, ask, and your waitress will be happy to get it for you. Oh, don't forget to save a little room for one of many delicious desserts as well. All of this for under $20, with discount pricing for kids and seniors. Try it out today! read more

If you plan to go to a Golden Corral in Lakeland, the one on 98 is the best one. Golden Corral on south florida is not the best. The dishes were all dirty as well as the silverware. Had to keep digging deeper for the cleaner ones. For the expensive prices, there is barely any variety of food. I will not be returning! read more

Excellent restaurant. Have steak, brisket, shrimp, chickens, various vegetables, pizza, desserts, etc. Food was well prepared and a bargain for the price. My family has eaten here for many years and always have been satisfied with their great food and service. read more

This place is a total a waste of a money! Please don't waste your hard earned money on this place! The all you can eat beef is tough as leather and medium rare any way you slice it! read more

Golden Coral does a great job for the price. I've been to many buffets that cost 5 times more than Golden Coral and the food was worse! My advice for any buffet especially the cheaper ones is to get there as soon as the food is out. Everything is hot and fresh and the buffet is well stocked and clean. The longer it sits and the more people plow through things get slopped up. The vegetables are tops and the salad bar is great. Steaks and entrees are very good especially for the price. I go often and don't know how they keep their prices so low. read more

I must say.... You cannot go wrong for dinning here. You have a very large selection food, salads and tons of desert to chow down from. I recommend going here, especially if you have a large family. read more

This location underwent a complete remodel and is now owned by the same company that owns the 98 N. location. Really bright and modern decor, very clean, and some different menu options than you normally see at a buffet. Very impressed! read more

The moment you walk through its "what do you want to drink". No friendly greeting, food not rotated!! Do NOT get the shrimp tacos I feel sick from the bleach taste they had- seriously pathetic for 30.56 for two. Disappointment! Best thing was the gummy bears. read more

Food was old. There was cleaning going on while people were getting there food. I don't enjoy smelling cleaning products while I am trying to get my food. Much of food was burnt, old, seriously dry, or had no flavor. Pancakes were horrible and tasted nasty. Also, there was no syrup except sugary flavored water. The rice was burnt, old, and hard as a rock. No more. My money is good and I want my food to be good. Manager makes too many excuses for workers when customers are the one paying the money. Only reason they get one star is because they are open and Yelp wouldn't let me choose no stars. read more

Went here a couple days ago. The food was amazing! Everything was fresh and the the place was very clean. From the time we stepped into the place we were met with smiling faces. Our server Hope was no exception. She was great and always there if we needed her but she knew what we needed before we did. Best server I have had in a long time. If you want to eat anywhere, I would totally suggest here,even dessert is included!!! read more

This was my second and last experience here. I walked into screaming kids running all over the place with no supervision. After going to get a roll first and grabbing a dirty greasy set of tongs I decided that was enough. I sometimes wonder how often this place is inspected by the health department, somehow I think it could never be enough. read more

are fav buffet the only thing is bring cash if you want to tip thats the only issue we ever have.

generally we do not like buffet food. it is never hot . we have been to a dozen golden corrals and most often very pleased . but this one in lakeland was the worst....nothing was above luke warm and I mean nothing. there were 4 of us and no one was satisfied. I see now why there were only a couple dozen families in the place. read more