It's a pretty good old-school buffet, similar to the Hometown Buffet that closed in SLO. I had Saturday lunch at 11:00. My server Martha was very polite and super on top of it. The place was pretty clean. The food: it's good, budget buffet quality. They had all the classic items: chicken, pizza, meatloaf. I was able to find tasty items till I was full. The hot grill items (burgers, pork steak) came out slowly but I wasn't super interested in them. My favorite item is probably the fresh fried chicken. The dessert selection was decent. The soft serve quality is a 6-- 0 being cheap watery junk and 10 being Strauss farms. For the price, it's not bad. I hadn't gone to a buffet in 5-6 years, and this experience didn't turn me off of them. I'd go there once every few months. read more

Golden Corral - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

It's a good place to go, for a huge variety of buffet foods. Many of the options are made fresh, especially all the salad bar items. The restaurant is kept very clean and our waitress gave us exceptional service. read more

Golden Corral - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Food: 3 - 4. Had a craving for a custom salad so I decided to come here. Came by around 3:40 pm on a Sunday. Place was busy. Pricing varies on weekdays and weekends with Fri/Sat/Sun dinner being the most expensive and weekday lunch being the least expensive. Salad offerings were good but I wish they had bacon bits. Food options were plentiful and mostly good. I enjoyed the meatloaf, fried chicken, fried shrimp, my custom salad, wings, fudge, chocolate chip cookies, hot fudge sundae, and Icee the most. Staff was efficient and cleared tables timely. read more

See all

This location is very well run, thanks to the GM Daniel, who is the most pleasant hardworking person in town. We've visited golden corrals all over the country (senior deals are great) and this buffet in Santa Maria feels like home to us! read more

Is it the best food in the entire world? Absolutely not. Frankly speaking, at around $30 per person, assuming you get drinks, you're not getting your moneys worth in terms of quality either. You'd probably get better food from a different chain. However, for the nostalgia, I love this place! I know I'm not the only millennial kid who went to Hometown Buffet as a kid on the weekends, or Thursdays for kids eat free days. If you know, you know! The ham was dry AF. Some items on their salad bar was questionable. Every single soup they served was disgusting. As were a lot of their plates. Generally speaking, hygiene could have been improved altogether. However, the customer service was actually pretty decent. Especially Golden Corral standards considered. Dessert bar wasn't bad! I actually really liked a lot of the things we tried. Though there was no hot fudge cake anymore. This truly was an out of the way experience we wanted to do because we wanted to relive our childhood. Would it be worth it to the average Joe? Nope. For us though, this was a great experience. read more

They have the best ham I've ever had. It's seasoned with brown sugar and maple. The steak was perfectly cooked and plenty tender. The shrimp were large and the flavor came through even with the breading. The Lobster was a tasty add-on and at a great price. The server was excellent. She asked if we needed anything several times. We were never without a refill on drinks or anything else. I will be frequenting Golden Corral regularly, even though I live far away, in Grover Beach. read more

Very uninviting with the mariachi music blaring, none of the workers can even speak English, I mean the ones that can work the front cashier, but the rest of the service staff spanglish at best read more

I love this place. Have had it 5 times now. It's always hot and it's always good and they're pretty fast at getting it served. Do you I've eaten inside once usually I just pick it up and take it home but my son is a hearty eater and we both got filled on the dinner for two and the prices are pretty good for less than 20 bucks. You can get a lot and their fries have got this seasoning on them. That makes them so good. read more

Mostly good, just prices went up a lot. Like the new Icee machine Better deal if you go end of lunch like 3:30 or so then you get dinner as well. Had ribs and they were making small steaks. Look for coupons in the crossroads adds. Much better deal. read more

Golden Corral - New prices July 2025 - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

The service was excellent- our wait staff checked on us several times through our meal. The food was good and a good variety. This restaurant appears to be smaller than other Golden Corrals and the food selections were more limited than others. read more

Don't eat there. Just Don't. Sad and sorry and woefully inadequate. Maybe it's just the location because the one in Bakersfield I just might recommend. We went there for the 4 o'clock steak and bake and we were righteously disappointed. The steaks were thin, very thin and fatty and the baked potatoes were just plain awful. If you can't make a baked potato right , then you need to close down your shop and perhaps start selling something else besides food. We spent $45 to eat there and we're so sorry we did . So don't just don't eat there. read more

Let me paint you a picture: I walked in hungry. I left questioning every life choice I've ever made--but in a good way. Golden Corral didn't just feed me... it baptized me in ranch and rebirthed me as a full-time buffet believer. The service? Fast, friendly, and somehow psychic. The second my Dr Pepper hit the halfway mark, BAM--refill. I drank so much I think I legally qualify as a fountain soda now. The food selection? Biblical. It was like Noah's Ark but for entrees. Two of every kind--mac and cheese, fried chicken, mystery casseroles that slapped harder than your grandma on Bingo night. My plate looked like it was curated by a sleep-deprived toddler with a credit card and no supervision. In other words: perfect. The steak guy? A king. A prophet. The Gordon Ramsay of the grill line. He cooked my steak medium rare without even asking--as if he knew I was tired of eating hockey pucks at sad chain steakhouses. Bravo, Steak Shaman. Bravo. Now let's talk salad bar. Fresh. Crisp. Ranch so good I considered asking it to prom. You don't expect leafy greens to be the highlight at a buffet, but here I was, considering a second trip before dessert. Minor ding? The sweet potatoes were more "meh" than "mmm," but hey, when your yeast rolls are fluffier than a cloud made of angel tears and butter, I can forgive a lot. Final verdict: I came. I saw. I conquered eight plates and shamed my ancestors. Golden Corral, I love you. Never change (except maybe those sweet potatoes). Would I go back? Already Googling locations within a 100-mile radius. read more

not a bad buffet, steak was good, fish was also good. i really enjoyed bourbon chicken. food could have been a little hotter but hey its a buffet with warmers. i did like all the salads and the chocolate cake was really good. Martha was our server and what a gem, keeping out table cleared and our ice tea filled. all staff was very nice. read more

Fine food, extensive buffet array of good food. Food displays kept filled, clean. I went with 8 friends, seating was able to accommodate all comfortably, together. No reservation at supper time, very busy. read more

Food was great! Loved the homemade rolls, multiple selections and service! The berria tacos slightly crispy with lots of cheese and whitefish was seasoned perfectly. They were the best I've had anywhere! My favorite was the yummy bread pudding. I will be back!! read more

I don't understand why this place has a three star rating. Every time I've come in I've always been greeted and welcomed by the person in the front. For the most part the servers that refill your drinks and take your dirty plates are pretty quick. You might every once in a while get a slower server but most of the time they're pretty quick and on top of it. They smile and they're friendly too. The food area is always clean and I watch them constantly wiping things down to keep them clean. The food is relief often to prevent it from running out. The steaks you can ask for how you like it is the best. You can't beat the quality and price you pay for unlimited steaks. The flavor is really good and it's juicy too. I also like the fried shrimp, it's crispy, hot, and much larger than some other places that advertise jumbo shrimp. Best part is it's all you can eat! They also have wings which are hit or miss sometimes is crispy and delicious and sometimes it's just ok. They have a whole Mexican section, salad bar, fruits, dessert area, and country cooking like fried chicken, fried okra, meatloaf, and seafood options. They also always have chicken soup, clam chowder, and cream of broccoli. Something for everyone! If you're looking to fill up on good quality food without going broke this is definitely the place to go. read more

See all

Thanksgiving dinner at the Golden Corral in Santa Maria. They were super busy and the staff was doing an awesome job! First time I had been to a GC in several years. Lots of food choices, plus the traditional Thanksgiving items you would expect. Nice restaurant. Big and clean. read more

My family member went to this Golden Corral location (by themselves) waited in line for more than 30 minutes (to claim there Veterans Day deal). Cashier workers made a big scene in front of everyone waiting in line saying they couldn't claim there Veterans Day deal. My family member was so embarrassed and had the worst experience at Golden Corral in the Santa Maria location ( if I can rate this location I would give it no stars) The workers need to be trained better and be more professional because that is the only Golden Corral in the central coast location. read more

The ambiance is like a large Sunday afternoon dinner. There is a huge variety of food and everyone can find something they like. My favorite is the fried chicken. Service is very good. read more

I've been going to Golden Corral since it's opening. Admittedly most for take out or to-go orders. It's a little pricier this way; but I never really have time to stay and I don't typically eat seconds. It is the best of the best food; and choices closest to home cooked meals. The chicken, the baked fish, the steak, the corn bread, the rice, the beans, the salad bar, all the veggies, and I'm sure I'm missing other food I've tried is very delicious! The service is outstanding, the manager is just a pleasure, the delivery service is worth the wait. I really give it a 5 star for a reason. They take pride in their presentation If you haven't had a delivery from them, you're missing out! Love this place, especially when I want more of a home cooked meal, in lieu of fast food. read more

This is by far the worst buffet we have ever been to! When Hometown closed we were quite disappointed because there was something for everyone's taste (and it wasn't 1/2 bad. The same can't be said for Golden Corral. Not only do they have a poor selection of food, it tastes terrible. The food is bland and everything tastes the same (as if it is all cooked on the same appliances that are never cleaned). It was so bad we wouldn't even go back years later to give it a 2nd chance. It would be like throwing money out the car window! Save your money and your taste buds. Unable to post with no stars so I had to give it 1. Could be used for the speed of the line upon entering. read more

Though is was crowded, our family came around 1:00PM and didn't have to wait more than 20 minutes in line on Thanksgiving. It's been a while since we ate out on Thanksgiving and that was since Hometown Buffet closed. The buffet was a bit disorganized with the people in line, but everythi.g was clean and plentiful. The Thanksgiving feast was awesome, with the sirloin steaks being the surprise that we didn't expect. The variety of options and tastnastiness of the fried chicken, yeast bread rolls, salad options, and deserts on a day we didn't want to cook was suitable and adequate for the price per person. Will definitely attend again next Thanksgiving. read more

Golden Corral - Meals - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

When i RomeXXX ...I mean Santa Maria... "The tacos here are better than you expect. The chicken is really good and there is fresh salsa w cilantro" "Bread pudding alone worth price of admission" The sirloin was pretty darn good too. All in all some very tasty dishes here. read more

Improvements - I would ask that the front of house staff that greet customers ask if its someone's first time to Golden Corral. This way they can know if they need to instruct a visitor on how everything works with the buffet service. Some of the food was well.... what I would consider heat and eat or microwave quality. With that being said there are some standout items. Pot Roast in my opinion is exceptional. It was tender and well seasoned with chunks of fat that just melt in your mouth. The following items were all very good and I could find myself coming back for them: Classic Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes with Poultry Gravy, Hush Puppies, Green beans. Mexican bar was less than appealing in its appearance as well as taste. Items like the Mexican rice was just simply not good. There are so many great Mexican restaurants in California. Golden Corral if you are going to do a Mexican bar it needs to really be good or just commit those resources to something else like Asian style dishes or more seafood options. Things like Gumbo or Jambalaya in my opinion would be a better fit with the brand and experience. Pies and other desserts along with the soft serve machine is really nice. Salad bar is pretty expansive and well done in my opinion. Conclusion - For the price I paid $15.99 plus tax for the buffet I think its a solid 5/5 simply for the Pot Roast and Fried Chicken with the salad plus desert bar. I cant make all that food for that price. So its a solid value proposition that outweighs any of the shortcomings like the Mexican bar and lacking seafood options. read more

We were very impressed with the appearance the second we walked in the door. It was very clean and set up different from other Golden Corrals we have been to. However, it is also a fairly new restaurant and I'm sure that's the reason. We were there during an off time so very few people were inside. Our server was excellent. She brought refills and took dirty plates away timely. The food was good. Others complained about it being over salty. We did not find that. Most of the food was fresh, hot and very good. One thing I really did not like was the setup at the salad bar area. There are two rows filled bowls. Unless you had very long arms it was difficult to get to the second row of food items in the bowls. Thus, the safety of the tilted shields were worthless because you had to bend down to reach the items in the back dishes. That was really, really difficult but I'm sure it was planned to have low usage of the more expensive items such as their imitation crab salad. read more

Golden Corral - Seating inside - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

See all

Not much to say but it's OK. Not bad for what you pay for. FOOD: Some foods were a hit and some were a miss. Typical American buffet with some Mexican-American section. Nothing out of the ordinary. This visit most of the food I've tried were pretty good. Fried chicken with the gravy was surprisingly great. Meatloaf was moist and tasty. The salad greens were crunchy and not wilted. Hush puppies were great. The only thing I tried that was a miss was the burger sliders. The bread was tough and dry and the patty was bland. Other than that, I was satisfied with the food during this visit. SERVICE: We were checked in right away, no lines but it was also in between lunch and dinner time so dead hours. The server got our drinks quickly and kept checking in on how we are doing. Very friendly staff. AMBIENCE: The high ceilings and bright lights are a nice touch. It doesn't feel too suffocating with all the smell of the food and heat lamps on. The tables were clean and so were the floors. The plates and utensils were also clean which is a huge plus. The serving area where the food trays are were constantly being wiped down so that was very nice to see. If you're looking for simple eats and couldn't pick whether you want one of everything then this is not a bad place to go to. For the price you pay it fills the stomach and satisfies some cravings. Is it fancy? Absolutely not. Nonetheless, it is still great for families, big parties or solo. You get an unlimited appetizer, entree and dessert all for $15-20 ! read more

This location is not only huge but clean. It was one of the cleanest restaurants I had been to. The food was good and fresh. They have so much food. read more

Only open for 4 days G.C. is doing a great job. Yes it's a buffet and set up as so, but during these COVID times they have limited seating and will serve you when you walk up to the buffet to get food. That will change as the pandemic ends and you'll be able to serve yourself. Until then, be patient, kind and remember there are others who are waiting to be served too. The staff is friendly and efficient. They know their stuff and are happy to help you out. The restaurant and restrooms are clean and the buffet was always full on my visit. For a buffet the food was good for the weekend price of $21.99 for an adult. We will be back and hope the quality of this establishment stays the same. read more

Golden Corral - Newly Opened - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

Food was alright. The only problem was the hostess named Kim, has a rude and unprofessional attitude and made it obvious she hates her job. Although I did appreciate our server Yang, she was great had a positive attitude and was working the whole time keeping herself busy. Overall experience 4/10 probably wouldn't come back. read more

So I was told this is the Walmart of Buffets and going there will usually make you feel better about yourself. I will have to say that is 100% true. For $20 a person, it's really not that bad. Everyone that we dealt with was very friendly, no issues there. The place could have been a little cleaner. We were taken to our seats and gave them our drink ticket. It took about 15min before our drinks came out. One of the knives was still crusted with nastiness even though it was in a "sanitized for your safety" pouch. Gross. The food was surprisingly good. Not great. But it was good for the Walmart of buffets. Everything was fresh, hot, not dried out. I'm so used to going to Asian buffets, it was just weird seeing only orange chicken. The ribs were really good, popcorn shrimp, mashed potatoes. I was just really surprised. I went in thinking it wasn't going to be great. I guess this is a place where you go once and you're good for the rest of your life. I don't plan on going again that I've experienced it. All in all it was a decent experience. read more

Came here on a Monday for lunch around 11am. Place wasn't very busy. The front counter cashier was not very friendly. Seemed hesitant to answer any questions we were asking her. The food was decent tasting, even if some of it looked like it had been sitting out for a while. We were on vacation and honestly regretted choosing this restaurant for lunch after we ate and left. Probably won't go back to a Golden Corral after this experience. Best part was the bag of cotton candy we took home with us. read more

See all

Clean and friendly place. Wide variety of food that was served fresh. This place exceeded our expectations. I feasted on Prawns, chowder, garden salad, Texas toast, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roast beef, roasted chicken, tacos, nachos, and a slice of carrot cake for dessert. Easy parking, nice sized dining room and our waitress made sure that our table was kept clean... I wish we had one of these in San Jose... we will definitely be back the next time we're in the SLO / Santa Maria area... read more

My wife and I ordered take out from Golden Corral for Thanksgiving 2022. We were pleasantly surprised. The turkey was moist and tasty. My sweet potato casserole was delicious. My wife also liked her mashed potatoes and gravy. The dressing was acceptable. Based on this experience, we ordered the same meals for Christmas - BIG MISTAKE. Our Christmas dinners were god-awful. They were easily the worst meals we ever had in our life, and we're both over 70. Instead of slices of breast meat, as advertised, we got the dregs of their carving plate. This consisted of chunks of gristle and rubbery meat that taste funny. It was inedible. Luckily, the rest our meals were okay. read more

Golden Corral - Don't believe what Golden Corral advertises. - Buffets Near Me - Santa Maria, California

I feel that every Golden Corral is different. I've gone to one in Oxnard and was the best buffet I have been to. But this one, however, is more like the Hometown Buffet that used to be in town. The food is nearly identical as the one they had there. Might be due to the being the same owner/manager, but it would be nice to have more international variety. The food can be hit or miss, but I feel they've been getting better recently. And the service depends of the individual helping out. I feel the front cashiers get more stressed and it is sometimes apparent. And the ladies who clean tables have to do a lot! Shoutout to Alysha for being great despite helping picky and "needy" patrons. Ambiance is great with good mix of music from every era. read more

We have been there around 6 times since open & we have always had a great experience, the food is amazing, better quality than other buffets in my opinion. The service and ambiance was nice & still looks new. Haven't had a bad experience read more

Golden Corral...a fairly new restaurant in Santa Maria. Some things were STELLAR...the CUSTOMER SERVICE. First contact was Sandra at the register, who was professional, funny and always smiling (under her mask). Our Table Attendant was prompting in providing every "service". Then there was Fred Afiade...one of the Owner/Operators, who was very gracious. Introduced himself to me on the dining foom floor...walked me back to my table to meet the "fam" and visited again, to check up on us during the course of our experience. Some things were HIT/MISS...the Food. Best strategy here is one piece or spoon full on the plate first, and if you like it...go back for more. Lots of choices here. Our "likes" included: the Steaks (grilled up for you while you wait) which had a VERY TASTY, grilled flavor 5/5 (ya...get this, cooked to order), the Meatloaf 4/5, the grilled veggies at the Fajita/Taco Station 4/5, the Ribs (good flavor) 5/5, the Shrimp (crispy, not greasy) 4/5, the Fish Fillets (crispy, not greasy) 4/5. Our "dislikes" included: the Brussel Sprouts (water logged), the Pizza (hmmm...just not the desired quality, looked good though), the "Grilled Chicken" pieces (pretty dried out). The Dessert selection was large and pleasing to the eye, but again...was a HIT/MISS situation. The WINNER (and we collectively "tried" almost all all of them) was the Chocolate Cream Pie. The LOSER, and this was unanimous, the Bread Pudding. Value is something I look for in the dining experience and even though you can't take anything home here, the amount of selections in offerings were substantial...so the "bar" was met. All in all, we were happy to have patronized this restaurant because on this occasion, in this Yelper's opinion, the Golden Corral in Santa Maria truly earned this "highly recommend" 4 Star review. read more

See all

Not only do they have a variety of food to choose from, but the customer service from the floor manager and the cook manager is second to none!!! This restaurant on Bradley rd. in Santa Maria Ca. is always clean and the servers are always cleaning and the food is always freshly made!! in short, I would recommend it this Golden Corral to everyone!!! Which is why I gave it 5 stars!!! read more

Very clean well managed location. The variety of foods included several beef, poultry and seafood items as well as fajitas, steak, great salad bar and plenty of deserts. It is fairly priced for the quality and for being a buffet. All restaurants have increased in price. Staff frequently clean the buffet and are attentive. Senior discounts and children's prices read more

I always order from here and eat in the restaurant. Greatest food ever! #foodie #foodporn #nomnom

The food was amazing and the steak was perfectly cooked medium rare and the chicken was juicy and the shrimp its was so good and and the ice cream it was so good and they had different flavors all in all you should go here read more