Bangkok - Buffets
by greengrasser@yahoo.com

My hotel did not offer a free breakfast buffet. Even if it did, eating it everyday would have become boring and waking up early enough to eat breakfast would have been a chore. I like a big meal during the day so as to avoid a slowdown at night which hits me after a big meal. So, eating a large lunch seemed like a solution.

I do not like to eat in a restaurant. I order, I sit alone and wait as much as 30 minutes before my meal is served and I can eat. One solution is buffet. No wait, a variety of selections. There are admittedly a few possible drawbacks. Food cooked may vary from under-cooked to over-cooked, since food may be sitting in a pan anytime from a minute to an hour or longer. Fellow diners handle the same serving spoons/forks could pass undesirable germs; although, the risk is probably very low. You could get fat or fatter, since there is supposedly no limit on how much you can eat.

Some hints on dining on a buffet. Avoid going at the last hour of a buffet because eateries tend not to refill the empty pans. Ask what is included in the price for the buffet, such as pastries and drinks. For example, a coffee might cost extra. Be careful about asking for water. Drinking water should be served automatically without an extra charge, but a request for drinking water might result in being served bottled water, which will cost extra.

With cautions and hints in mind, below is my list of buffets in Bangkok as of October 2007. The order is by neighborhood and by low-to-high cost. Nearly all the information came from daily newspapers and signs in front of eateries. Note that I list the word "net" after the price in baht (B) when known. Otherwise, without the word net, assume you should add 17 percent (7 % VAT or tax, and 10% service) to the price.

In a major city like Bangkok, there are undoubtedly other buffets not on my list. Fee free to add your contributions.

SUKHUMVIT.

1. Det 5 restaurant, Soi 8, www.det-5.com. Evening buffet, Fri, free.

2. Regency Park Hotel, Soi 22. Palm Court. Noodle buffet, B110 net.

3. Nana Hotel, Soi 4. Lunch buffet, Mon-Fri, 11 am - 2:30 pm, B180 net.

4. Grand President Hotel, Soi 11. Cafe 11. Lunch buffet, Mon-Fri, 12 pm - 2:30 pm, B224 net. Sun, B424 net.

5. Ambassador Hotel, Soi 11. Lunch dim sum buffet, B329.

6. Majestic Grand Hotel, Soi 2. Lunch buffet, B350 net. Dinner surf and turf buffet, B590 net.

7. Stable Lodge, Soi 8. Lunch Scandinavian buffet, Fri-Sat, 12 pm - 3 pm, B350. Evening buffet, Fri and Sat, 6 pm, B350.

8. Windsor Hotel, Soi 20. International and Chinese buffets, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, B399. Japanese buffets, 11:30 am - 2:30 pm, B429.

9. Novotel Lotus Hotel. Lunch dim sum buffet, B465 net. Dinner buffet, B465 net.

10. Amari Hotel, Soi 5. Peppermill. Lunch buffet, 12 pm - 2:30 pm, B683 net.

11. Imperial Queens Park Hotel, Soi 22. Lunch buffet, B660. Dinner buffet B760.

12. JW Marriott Hotel, Soi 2. Lunch vegetarian buffet, B720. Dinner buffet, B1,190.

13. The Landmark Hotel, Sukhumvit, near Soi 6. Lunch buffet, Mon-Sat, B889. Brunch, Sun, B1,290. Dinner buffet, Sun-Thur, B750. Dinner buffet, Fri-Sat, B850.

14. Westin Grande Sukhumvit, Soi 19. Wines of World buffet, B890. The Med. Dinner French buffet, B1,100.

SILOM - SURAWONG - RAMA IV.

1. The Oriental. Lunch buffet, B1,060.

SATHON - WIRELESS.

1. Plaza Athenee Bangkok. Dinner buffet, Mon-Sat, B1,200; with Ruffino wines, B1,880.

RATCHADAMRI - RATCHAPRASONG.

1. Central World mall, 6th floor. Nobu Shabu. Sushi buffet, B219, limit of 70 minutes.

2. Central World mall, 7th floor. Yum Cha by Grand China. Dim sum buffet, B269.

3. Central World mall, 6th floor. Nobu Shabu (2nd outlet). International buffet, B319.

4. Central World mall, 6th floor. Sizzler. Unlimited salad bar, B169 plus cost of an entree.

5. Central World mall, 7th floor. Fuji. No buffet. (About two years ago, I heard that this restaurant chain had buffets. But, this outlet did not have a sign in front advertising a buffet.)

6. Holiday Inn Bangkok. Cafe G. Lunch buffet, B590. Dinner buffet, B690. Brunch with sparkling wine, Sun, B790.

PRATUNAM.

1. Baiyoke Sky Hotel, 222 Rajprarop Road, 79th floor. Stella Palace. Chinese buffet, Sat and Sun, 11 am - 2 pm, B400 net. Dinner buffet, B490 net.

2. Century Park. Cafe at the Park. Dinner buffet, B575.

CHINATOWN - LAN LUANG.

1. Grand China Princess. Coffee shop. Lunch buffet, B290.

RATCHADAPHISEK - RAMA IX.

1. The Grand Ayudhya. Buatong. Lunch buffet, B320.

2. Radisson. Coffee shop. Lunch buffet, B400. Dinner buffet, B480.


Keep on mowing.
GreenG

If i start to get bored with having breakfast, then i just go and have a load of fruit of a morning, its healthy and Thai pineapples are so sweet.

So are thai girls and they are less fattening!

Impressive bit of research; surely you're a Lonely Planet kinda guy!

Let me add that the Marriott's Sunday brunch is a thing of beauty for about 1200THB. They have Western food, Thai food, Japanese food and Malay food.

Thanks for the truly comprehensive study. Another approach is food courts in the malls, of which MBK is perhaps the most comprehensive. You can get your fill of a huge variety of cuisines for a coupla bucks US.

The mall at the opposite corner from NEP of Sukhumvit & Soi 4 is a convenient alternative for Nana/Dynasty/Majestic dwellers. You buy a load on a credit card, use it at select food booths, and can either get a refund for the unspent balance, or use it on subsequent visits. MBK uses Monopoly money, with the same refund policy.

Nana breakfast buffet, free if you stay there and decent quality.

Bourbon Street - Sukhumvit soi 22 (Washington square) Tuesdays Mexican buffet. I believe it's 350 baht and it's pretty good.