Buffet restaurants in South America
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A
La Rueda
Good tenedor libre (all-you-can-eat buffet) offers a variety of salads alongside tasty parrillada grilled over coals in the window. Ordering a drink is mandatory with the buffet, which includes dessert.
reviewed
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B
Fon Restaurante
The lunchtime buffet at this vegetarian restaurant has mostly Chinese dishes, with a few local favorites such as ensalada rusa (Russian salad) and empanadas thrown in. It’s not gourmet, but it does the job.
reviewed
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C
Parraxaxá
Festive decor and staff in police and cangaceiro (outlaw) outfits spice up your meal at this fun Northeast-themed restaurant. The self-serve food is a cornucopia of tasty Northeastern dishes – carne de sol (salted beef), macaxeira (a type of cassava), baião de dois (a spicy rice, beans and cheese dish) and grilled meats – with good salads, too.
reviewed
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D
Do Campo
This new restaurant's R$10 all-you-can-eat lunch buffet – not per kilo – is one of the best deals in town, especially considering the quality of the spread, including grilled meats, stewed veggies and pasta. Knock on wood it's a permanent feature, but even if the prices go up, the classy setting and lively nighttime bar would still make this a worthy stop.
reviewed
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E
Casa D’Italia
The rodízio (smorgasbord) concept works perfectly well for Italian food: instead of skewers of meat, waiters rotate by with dishes of lasagna, pastas with red or cream sauces, and of course pizza of all sorts, including chocolate and banana pizzas for dessert. It’s all-you-can-eat, but don’t get greedy: you pay extra if you leave anything on your plate.
reviewed
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AFA Bistrô D’amazônia
The name has changed but this unassuming bistro remains one of the best per-kilo lunch spots you’ll find in the Amazonia. The city’s professional classes pack in for fresh and original salad combinations, tender meat and fish dishes, and irresistible desserts. Sundays feature frutas do mar (seafood) and the price jumps to a hefty R$40 per kilo.
reviewed
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La Floresta
A great place for pitchers of fresh lemonade and all-you-can-eat buffets of pork, chicken and salads, served in a lovely, leafy garden with a large swimming pool. Local families stream in on weekends when the atmosphere is particularly lively. It’s a bit out of town, so get a taxi here – the staff will call one for the return journey.
reviewed
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La Selva
During your visit, this restaurant will get talked up so much you’ll fear the worst, but it’s actually quite OK, with a decent buffet of hot and cold dishes, and all-you-can-eat parrillada. The information kiosks dotted around the complex sometimes give out vouchers offering a substantial discount.
reviewed
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F
Mister Quilo
The tinted doors conceal a huge and perpetually busy dining area, with three levels, air-con machines blasting and a bevy of blue-shirted waitresses hustling to keep up with drink orders. Diners queue up for a large self-serve spread, including fresh grilled meats, pastas, and desserts.
reviewed
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Petisco
A popular hang-out spot at night, when they set up tables on the sidewalk facing the plaza. The per-kilo lunch spread is simple and reliable, and includes an ice cream bar. You can also order grilled beef kebabs with rice, or big cheap prato feito (plate of the day).
reviewed
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G
Caffé Restaurante
Come here for the excellent lunch buffet. A wide selection of mains – from shepherds pie to fried fish – and a slew of sides and a refrigerated case full of succulent desserts are served in a nice and cool dining area. Popular with professionals, but perfectly affordable.
reviewed
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Fortín
Well located near the old hotel (now the medical center of the Parque Nacional Iguazú), this offers a decent buffet spread with fairly mediocre parrilla choices. It’s the closest acceptable lunch spot to the falls walkways. It doesn’t appear on park maps.
reviewed
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Restaurant Nova Opção
A budget self-service Brazilian restaurant with buffet food by weight. Most of the entrees are heavy meat and potato dishes, but it sometimes has a few tasty vegetarian options. When the heat drives you to drink, revitalize with an enormous fresh juice.
reviewed
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Rincón Brasileiro
Brazilian food served by the kilo - it's a feijoada (pork and bean stew) lovers' dream. There are delicious salads and desserts such as guava mousse, all eaten in a working man's warehouse space while watching kitsch Brazilian TV channels.
reviewed
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H
Viena
In a bright, ground-floor of the enormous Conjunto Nacional building, this winningly straightforward café offers a fine lunchtime buffet with the freshest ingredients, plus an evening all-you-can-eat pizza special with excellent salad bar.
reviewed
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I
La Vida Verde
Assess your mood by one of the 32 quirkily sculptured emotional 'faces' on the wall - 'satisfied' is how you'll feel after this eating experience - delicious daily buffet of Chinese vegetarian delights (although they bend the rules a bit).
reviewed
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J
La Gondola
Facing the plaza across a busy intersection, this smaller per-kilo place offers outdoor, fan-cooled or air-con dining areas, in addition to the typical per-kilo options: pasta, potatoes, roast chicken, grilled beef, rice, beans etc.
reviewed
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K
Restaurante Oásis
This longtime favorite in Guajará-Mirim can be counted on for a tasty, well-prepared lunch buffet, including fresh grilled meats. The airy dining area gets some street noise, but is still a pleasant place for a midday break.
reviewed
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L
Dona Lucinha II
The sumptuous buffet here features 50 traditional Mineiro dishes daily. It’s fairly touristy, and prices have climbed thanks to the owner’s publication of a best-selling cookbook, but the food is still outstanding.
reviewed
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Restaurant Lili
Lunch is by weight (per kilo R$19), while dinner is R$7 per plate at the same self-serve buffet – a chance to hone your stacking skills. Pickings are reliable, if uninspired. Located near the tourist office.
reviewed
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M
La Pagoda
Anybody familiar with the all-you-can-eat scene in Argentina won’t find too many surprises here, but the food (Argentine and Chinese) is fresh enough – get there early – and there’s certainly plenty of it.
reviewed
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Nutris
A good self-service eatery with a decent assortment of vegetarian dishes, Nutris also serves a few chicken and fish dishes.
Restaurants and bars and accommodations also line the waterfront area.
reviewed
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N
Cerros Nevados
Every Argentine town has at least one gut-busting tenedor libre; Bariloche’s lays it on thick, with plenty of parrilla items, pastas, salads and fiambres (cold meats).
reviewed
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El Dragón
This palatable all-you-can eat buffet is as authentic as Patagonian-Chinese gets, with staff playing mah-jongg at spare tables in their off-hours. Meals are a bargain but drinks can be spendy.
reviewed
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Refúgio da Louca
This relaxed, airy and attractive spot offers up a health-conscious buffet including grilled fish and savory salads, as well as versions of the classic Brazilian meat-rice-and-bean meal.
reviewed
