Famous Lobster Buffet

The lobster was horrible. Couldn’t eat it. For $ 35.00 you get marginal crab legs. Don’t waste your money. Go to Mel’s in the casino. It’s great

Stop by there last week. For sure the worst place I have ever been to to eat. Place was dirty and lobster and crab legs way over cook and salty

Went for my 59^th birthday and I will never go back. The worst lobster I have ever had. They plopped down an over boiled poor excuse of a lobster on my plate. The meat was like rubber and hard to swallow. The rest of the buffet was sub par as well. My spouse can’t eat shell fish due to being allergic to iodine. However, we still had to pay full price for her. At $ 35 a head, we’ll stay with the tried and true steak houses.

This seafood buffet was not worth the money. Very little variety or selection. Seafood overcooked and chewy. Should consider charging way less money for the quality of food.

1 lobster per person is so annoying, kept coming back because the lobster is small. Lobsters were overcooked, hard and salty.
They charge too much for a child. kids only ate 1 – 2 piece of fried chicken.

If I could give this a –5 I would. The lobster was horrible! The first lobster I tried was so tough I couldn’t even cut it with a knife. The second one was still rubbery. The crab was so fishy. For 35.00 it was a huge waste of money.

If I could give –5 stars I would. What a HUGE disappointment the lobster was. It was so tough I couldn’t cut it with a knife. The crab tasted fishy. The clams were barely warm. We were looking forward to some lobster and didn’t get one that was any good. The fried chicken was good. But I don’t want to pay 35.00 for fried chicken. Trust me when I saw STAY CLEAR OF THIS PLACE. a waste of time and money!

Lobster was very disappointing, especially as it was supposed to be the star of this buffet. Salad bar and desserts were my favorite part of the meal but definitely not worth the price-​too many other great restaurants in Reno to go to over this buffet.

Awful food. I rarely write reviews and this one was worth one star. The staff was friendly but we didn’t pay $ 35 + tax for friendly service. It’s a buffet, focus on the food.
Lobster was dirty, rubbery, fishy tasting. Tri tip was very over cooked. The salad bar had wilted lettuce and old carrots that looked like they were sitting at the bottom of a refrigerator for weeks. The noodles were dry and the calamari & fried shrimp were over breaded. The clams and mussels were barely seasoned.
We were splurging on a «nice» dinner and instead ended up spending the whole dinner talking about how bad everything was. True disappointment, we will never be back for the buffet.

Decided to stop here with RV for night instead of going all the way to Reno. Saw sign for Lobster Buffet so thought we’d eat too. First off, you have to get a Player’s card so you can save $ 4. (One person can bring another person in.). Secondly, the guy behind the register took about 7 minutes per person to get them rung in, so even though there was only two other parties ahead of us, we stood in line for almost 20 minutes. And despite the longer line forming behind us, they didn’t open a second register.
We got to our seats and then checked out the buffet. Looked good. Whole lobsters, crab claws, a carving station with a tri-​tip roast, fried chicken, and a few other things as well as some chow mein with a few oriental dishes. I got a lobster and crab claws as well as a piece of fried chicken and tri-​tip. The lobster was way over cooked and chewy, the crab claws were hit/​miss since the first batch was just on the verge of being over cooked and the second batch was just right. Tri-​tip had a good smoky flavor but wasn’t tender and the piece of chicken saved the meal.
Hey, it’s a buffet so on my second round I got a few fried calamari (meh) and a salad from the respectable salad bar along with another small piece of chicken. Hubby also tried the salmon, «forgettable» is how he described it. We both tried the bread pudding for dessert. The caramel banana sauce saved it. Self-​serve ice cream was ok, although I have to admit the cream puffs were actually quite tasty.
The only thing that made this a two star instead of a one star was the server. He brought us drinks, refills, extra napkins and wet wipes. His busboy kept the plates moving, and they were both extra friendly.
BTW: we ate at Mel’s Diner which is also located in the casino and you need a player’s card as well as some coupon you have to print out from one of the kiosks to get the special price on the steak and egg breakfast they have advertised.

I have never been to the Boomtown Lobster buffet simply because I am not a fan of seafood… boo me all you want! But, they started a $ 3.99 Prime Rib buffet in the same location (with player’s card) the line was really, really long to get in, about a half hour wait. Salad bar was good, waiters are great but then… another half hour line in the buffet line! I double plated it, don’t judge, they have Pizza, some sort of Mexican/​Chinese combo with too much salt, a burger and hot dog station well before you figure out what all that stuff is actually for and alas the prime rib! It was pretty fresh and almost perfectly done, I had about 10 minutes left to eat so I got to it! Chicken was too rubbery, Mexinese was too salty and as I was scarfing down my food I couldn’t help but to belly laugh at the guy in front of me in line who asked for his prime rib well done! Overall vote, I won’t be back, I can get just as full on prime rib for a few bucks more, miles closer to my house.

If you love waiting in line for over cooked lobster served with along a messy buffet line because no one that works here cares or management can’t manage their employees to clean the buffet line, then this place is for you. The buffet line looks like what my 2 year old does to her food if left alone. Yeah, not appetizing. Save your money and spend it elsewhere. If you really want lobster, take your money and get one large Australian lobster tail or a couple of maines in a steakhouse and have it served properly.

There is something fundamentally flawed about the feast-​or-​famine idea behind the all-​you-​can-​eat Lobster Buffet at $ 40 a pop ALL WEEKEND at *Boomtown Casino & Hotel in Verdi/​Reno, NV.
THE REASONING: This comes close to being the only option available for full-​fledged dining for gambling addicts locked down for the weekend. (Boomtown Casino is relatively isolated and dining alternatives are skimpy, ranging from 24 Hours Mel’s Diner, an «American Graffiti» knock-​off and Baja Mexican Restaurant. And if you are gonna count Market Fresh Deli serving pizza and salads, then I guess you have to count Peet’s Coffee, which is laughable. Boomtown Steak House next door is conveniently or inconveniently closed from Wednesdays to Sundays, which happens to coincide with the days the Famous Lobster Buffet is open.
This smacks too much of trying to cajole captive gamblers into forking over $ 30 to $ 40 for a single, mediocre meal. Unardoned greed on the part of the Casino owners if ya ask me. No other way to slice this mother******.
THE PROBLEM: The idea works only when a customer is in gluttonous-​gorge-​and-​engorge mode, which happens about once a month, if at all when it comes to seafood. And the other problem is that there is nothing particularly outstanding about this lobster buffet. Yeah, there is something to be said for all you can eat, but what if can’t eat it all because of the way it’s cooked?
THE INCONGRUITY OF GREAT STAFF: But I’ll vouch for the staff. They are really nice and attentive. And the Colombian coffee! Oh yeah don’t skip out on the Colombian coffee which pairs nicely with confectionery deserts treats. I was surprised to learn that the kitchen brews that coffee straight out of a bleepin’ bag! Blimey!
But is this enough to make me wanna come back? Naah, especially when one considers the casino’s barely disguised scheme to coerce captive gamblers into spending $ 40 a head on said lobster buffet.
GRATIS ADVICE: If you find yourselves under weekend lockdown @ Boomtown, please don’t hesitate to escape to *Burger Me gourmet burger joint about 5 miles towards Reno for a $ 10 gourmet treat of a burger. Add another $ 4 for fresh fries and a refillable well drink and you are all set. Certainly beats McDonalds, or the $ 40 ALL-YOU-CAN’T EAT Lobster Buffet @ Boomtown.
Burger Me is on Sharlands Ave by the Robb Ave. exit. I eat there … a lot. And the staff are super nice. Did I mention that Burger Me is a NON SMOKING JOINT. Cast the latter in life size fluorescent ligh because that MAY be the nub of the story here.
C-​Max ‘ere.
* Get more from my review of the Boomtown Hotel’s North Tower and Burger Me restaurant by clicking on the live link of my name at the top of this review.

I was excited to come to this buffet hearing about the All You Can Eat Lobster which is not a bad value — $ 31.80 with a players card per adult.
What can I say about this place… The first lobster I had was okay. The second lobster was rubbery and over-​cooked. The third lobster, even after de-​shelling had some kind of sediment in it. Not pleasant, and that was the end of that. These should be cleaned a little better.
Then I tried the crab. Was this crab farmed in the Salton Sea? So salty… the brine was way over salted… But the garlic butter helped. Hey, I wanted to get my money’s worth.
The saving grace of this place was the calamari and deep fried breaded oysters… Money with the sauce.
Now if you’re looking for other meats or types of food… The selection is rather scant. They don’t have much to select from so be ready for a seafood mostly meal.
Another big issue was cleanliness: like the lobster… dirty. The spoons for desserts next to the dessert plates were among the dirtiest I have ever seen. Soooo dirty. I have posted a picture. After seeing this, I lost all appetite.
Now the staff was good — the cashier was gracious and kind! And the drink server was very kind, calling the ladies in the group honey (in a sweet way) and hooking us up whenever he saw our drinks empty or empty. He also took plates off and removed the shell bucket when full. At many buffets, the service isn’t this attentive… So overall, the service was pleasant.
Food: 1 star — pretty disappointed
Cleanliness: 1 star (negative 5 if possible)
Service: 4 stars — solid for a buffet in this style
Overall: 2

This was awful. Lobster and crab were overcooked to the point of rubber. Pizza was awful. Salmon had no flavor and other seafood did not look good at all. Not very many choices. Stopped at McDonalds on the way home since my husband wanted to «get the taste of the buffet out of my mouth.»
Not worth the price at all and will not be back. Should have known something was wrong when we didn’t have to wait. Not really even worth one star.

This is a typical eat until you are sick buffet with lobster. We came here just after opening on a Saturday (They open at noon). We got a members’ card to get a $ 4 per person discount bringing the price down to around $ 33 per person. Within a several minutes, the initial line disappeared and we were promptly seated. The waitress was excellent, and was prompt on ensuring our drinks were filled and clearing plates and the bucket used to dump the shells, and bringing a nice pile of napkins. With just two of us, we were seated near the side wall. It made the meal more intimate than I would otherwise expect in a casino/​buffet.
They only allow one lobster (whole — with claws) at a time, but they will serve snow crab clusters with the lobster, and you can make as many trips as you want (as in drop the first one on your table and go back, repeat …). The server was friendly and it appeared that everyone had training on customer service — a pleasant experience.
After getting our first shellfish fix (along with some clams and mussels), we started cracking. The lobster was warm and very juicy. My wife even got a bowl to save the juice as she cracked, later putting the juice on rice as additional flavouring. They had crackers, but no picks (use the crab ends if you want, or don’t bother — you can get more). At first, I couldn’t find the drawn butter, but later discovered that it was at the meat counter, away from the seafood. Probably better anyway, otherwise the butter might have filled me up and provided even more fat than the lobster.
The taste was surprising. The shellfish was warm and fresh. The crab clusters were also moist and tasty. They were much better than the usual cold, bland, dry chalky stuff I recall at other casinos. We ended up eating 7 lobsters between the two us, along with 7 crab clusters (2 — 3 whole crabs) as well as the other faire. Didn’t recall the deserts, but by the time I went for some, I was already overstuffed.
If we are in the area at the right time on Fri/​Sat/​Sun, presuming we are very hungry and not already lobstered out, then we would not hesitate to go again.

Food is okayyy. nothing spectacular. Wife loves lobsters so i took her here. endless lobster. buffet was a tad expensive as well for their selection and taste. but since my wife likes it, i’m giving them 4 stars.

Its been a while since we have gone. Good lobster, fair price.

Came here on the way to Tahoe. Not worth it unless you are starving for lobster.
FOOD — 3*** — highlights were lobster, fried oysters, chow mein, clam chowder, tri-​tip (that looked like prime rib), and fried calamari. Dessert was extensive. Big portions, would’ve been nicer if the portions were more sample sized. Lots of sauce options as well.
RESTAURANT — 3.5*** — our server Rigo was awesome! He was so sweet and attentive. Thank you Rigo! Casino & Buffet doesn’t compare to the las Vegas glamour but oh wells. Didn’t smell any smoke while eating so it was okay. Restaurant was a bit dim.
PRICE — 3*** — for the discounted player rate it was okay. I only ended up eating 2 lobsters bc of all the other food I was trying to stuff in my belly.

We came specifically to Boomtown for this Lobster buffet. The Lobster Buffet is available Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays and I’m told there’s usually a line. We came on a Sunday at or three in the afternoon. Not peak hours at all but yes, there was a short line. I can only imagine the line during peak hours. You’ve been warned.
Prices are about in line with other buffets I suppose. ~ 30 dollars for a grownup, with a discount available for those who sign up for the players club. Do it, its free of course. So is buffet worth the price? If you like lobster and are going to gorge on lobster… yeah…it could be. You are regulated to one at a time, which is a perfectly reasonable practice. The reason why it gets a low rating is because of the rest of the buffet. It’s just not inspiring at all. The fried shrimp was just a bucket of fried batter. The meat is dry and chewy. I stuck to the fried fish which was ok, as long as it came out fresh. There were crab legs too which were about the same caliber as the lobster. If you are into the seafood, this place would be ok, but even then it’s not like the quality isn’t top notch. Otherwise, just go somewhere else. Service was excellent though, the waiters were constantly busing the tables and managed the chaos well. Kudos to them!

Worst ever! The butter came out of a gallon jug like the kind they use for popcorn! We decided the only thing we liked was the croutons! I will never go back!

I have a love hate relationship with this place. About 70% hate, 30% love. Basically on the weekends this place is a buffet that serves all you can eat lobster.
Their lobster here is good. It’s still in its shell and good. Sometimes it can be over cooked but it’s all you can eat so who can complain. This is the one reason I continue to go here and probably the only reason everyone else does. It is the only reason I will give two stars. The lobster is good but most of the time it’s not worth it.
I only know of one other buffet that has all you can eat lobster. It’s Jackson Rancheria Resort and Casino in California and I go there fairly often. Boomtown can take a lot of pointers from them. Boomtown’s customer service here is trash. If you come to the Boomtown buffet on the weekend the wait is usually three hours long. Which isn’t unexpected BUT the way it’s set up and the wait system is just terrible. They make you form a line and stay in the line for all three hours. There’s a ton of people standing outside the buffet and sitting around everyone and piling up. It looks terrible and it is terrible. At Jackson, they have a set up waiting system with a return time so you can go gamble or do whatever you want to do instead of standing around in line. Then once Boomtown finally lets you in, they make you pay to wait again. They make all these people pay and make them stand INSIDE of the buffet. I’m talking like 30 people standing around in the buffet blocking the entrance and exit. Last time I was here the manager or whoever was yelling at us to all get back and I happily said «What do you expect? You’re making us all pay and stacking us in here like cattle. There’s no room.» I don’t even want to think of the fire safety violations that are happening with this practice.
Then, this place has been understaffed literally every single time I’ve eaten here. Every time we come here there’s at least 5 tables open with 100 people standing in line. Then there will be like 3 tables that need to be cleaned. I put no blame on the servers. They can’t help it if they have to do everything on their own b/​c their so understaffed. I don’t think management realizes by adding more staff this place would be more efficient and would be able to seat people faster. B/​c they’re so understaffed here, your lobster buckets will not get cleaned till its spilling over and you drink refills won’t get refilled. The servers here need help and management won’t give it to them. It’s so bad that they literally run out plates. We’re at a buffet. How do you run out of plates? Probably b/​c there’s not enough people cleaning them so it takes longer.
Also, this place is dirty. A lot of the plates are dirty, the floors are dirty, the tables are dirty and the food serving area is dirty. The other foods that aren’t lobster are not good, but who really cares b/​c who comes here not for lobster?
Overall, it’s up people if it’s worth going through terrible service and wait times for ayce lobster. Personally, I won’t be coming back here and just sticking to the more amazing version (and cheaper version) at Jackson Rancheria.

Trying to get in on a Saturday or Sunday. 2 hour wait is just too long. Reading the reviews it seems it is not worth the wait.

My boyfriend and I waited in line for an hour to eat here today. We were extremely disappointed! The seafood has been frozen too long. Some of my calamari clearly had freezer burn before it was fried, the salmon was very bland and had a «fishy» taste, the «steamed» vegetables were very cold, the desserts had clearly been refrigerated too long and were too cold to eat, the crab legs were decent but not worth the price! The lobster can also use more seasoning. The only thing I was pleased with was the staff, they were friendly and quick to pick up our used plates. We won’t be coming here again.

Enjoy you large Crawdads: They clam Maine Lobsters, most come from Canada, they have there import bands around there claws.
They are mass cooked some are good, lots of over cooked and cold from sitting there. they have very little else to offer on the buffet
Service is like any other buffet, they clear your empty dishes and bring drinks.
One the weekends you know when the buses have shown up from the Bay Area, large herd going to get their fill of Crawdads.
If you must — — have fun

I loved that there were other seafood options like crab legs, oysters, mussels and clam. The lobsters weren’t fabulous. The prime rib was dry. They have a decent salad and dessert bar. Our server was very attentive. Price is $ 35 per adult.

The lobsters and crab legs were pretty good for a buffet. We stopped by for lunch and really enjoyed the number of lobsters we ate. I’d would recommend this place for a lobster fix.

Had dinner here last night: went specially for the all you can eat lobster. All the other seafood here is salty. Lobster can you some seasonings. We really didnt tried anything else. Had 4 lobsters myself trying to win a «who can eat the most lobster» competition and felt sick after. Dessert were not good, poor quality.
3 star for the experience, other wise a 2.
$ 36 per person

$ 35.99 for the lobster buffet ($ 31.99 if you have a players card, $ 17.99 if your over 42″ tall & under 11 years old. $ 7.99 if there under 42″ tall and children 0 to 1 years old free.
Really over cooked food. Everyone that work there are retired senior citizens. Crabs legs suck just shows that it’s all not fresh at all. They serve all the same stuff as the 3.99 Thursday buffet. Does that tell you about quality. There trying to charge Hard Rock, Bellagio, and Ceasars Palace pricing.
Wake up Boomtown this is not Vegas. Get better quality food if your going to charge that price. I mean you can get better quality at Red Lobster for that price and it not all you can eat.
So start doing better. Still haven’t change quality in 10 years. Let see if you can in the next 10 years.

I guess the Famous AYCE Lobster Buffet is lost to me? Granted, there really wasn’t a line when my family and I arrived here, so we were checked in pretty quick. Paid $ 68 for my husband and I to come eat here. I was thinking that because it was AYCE, the lobster was about to be hella good. But I’m sad to say that the lobsters weren’t that great. It was hella dry that I only ended up eating ONE lobster and just ate my fill in all the crab legs they offered. The waitresses/​bussers try to work as fast as they can to clear tables, so kudos to them.
At least their dessert was good. I mean it’s really the only thing that saved this, besides the crab legs. I wouldn’t want to come back here even if my family paid for me. It really just wasn’t worth paying $ 35 per person. By the time my family and I left, there was a huge line waiting for the buffet, so we got there at a good time (I think it was about 630pm?) on a Saturday night.

Here’s what you get for $ 36 bones
100 person line with a 1 hour wait
2 people at the register taking your cash for the 100 people waiting in line
1 hostess to seat the hungry
2 – 3 minute wait –stand in line again– to get ONE lobster
1 person serving the lobster
The driest, toughest lobster you ever chewed!
Recommendations — grab a margarita for a $buck at the restaurant next door while you wait in line.

Well worth the price if you sign up for Boomtown’s player’s card and also their lobster bucks email list. The coupons say cannot be combined with other offers, but you can. It’s pretty much why the line is so long, the cashier goes through all of your coupons that are stacked and she’s on top of it.
Once inside, it’s not the biggest buffet, but you can still get your fill. Of course you go for the lobster, which is very hit or miss. You get one whole lobster per plate at a time, but they have lobster claws that you can load up your plate with right next to it.
The rest of the food is just okay. Pizza and fried chicken for the kids to eat, and the typical stuff you see at most other buffets with a carving station of ham and beef, fried chicken, fish, noodles, veggies, soups, and a salad bar. The dessert bar has different cakes, cream puffs, fruit, cobbler, fresh whipped cream, and soft serve ice cream.
Definitely worth it when they stack the coupons, especially if you are staying at Boomtown.

Finished tough mudder and drove directly here. The lady named monique was super nice and funny.
She actually gave us a discount and was super welcoming .
Service was good. People were friendly and didn’t mind me going for seconds and thirds lol
I love lobster but hate the price but here I can eat my heart out without denting my wallet. Another thing I also enjoyed was the fried chicken, tri tips, and the dessert .
I wish you were closer to me but then again perhaps this is for the best lol

So this is the famous lobster buffet where you can stuff yourself silly with the mounds and mounds of bright red lobster carcasses. Since lobster is the main event, there’s a limit of 1 per customer at a time. Once you grab your crustacean, you simply drop it off at your table and queue up for another. Since its mass produced, the quality nose dives to almost a D rating. Most lobsters are too tough from overcooking, has a funny taste because the lobsters are elders, or a combination of both. You’ll need lots of melted butter and lemon wedges to enjoy the meat slightly. Or you can be like me and bring some Asian sweet chili sauce from 99 Ranch.
Try not to pay full price for it since its pretty steep. Try using your player’s card deals, coupons, or comps to reduce the price.

I went to the Boomtown Famous Lobster Buffet for the first time with my inlaws over the weekend. The one thing they kept telling me before we arrived was to manage my expectations. The Famous Lobster Buffet is mass cooked lobster and a lot of it. That’s it. Don’t expect perfectly cooked lobster, since they are cooking lobster of various sizes and need to have cooked lobster at all times. They don’t cook the lobster with any seasoning and some of the lobsters will be overcooked. You will need butter.
With that in mind, most of the lobster was not overcooked and it was indeed whole maine lobster. It’s normally $ 34 a person, which is pretty pricey for what it is, since the quality of the food overall is not great. We had a living social voucher that got us in for $ 17, which was the right price to really enjoy the buffet. Its not worth going to unless you have a pretty substantial discount. I understand that if you put your name on the lobster club mailing list, you can get some pretty good discounts from time to time. On to the food!
The lobster is whole maine lobster, cooked plainly. You get one whole lobster at a time, but you can get as many claws as you want. They put loose claws and they remove the really big claws from the whole lobster and put them in the claw bin. The lobster is sometimes rubbery and dry, but for the most part it was cooked within an acceptable range. Stock up on the butter, because the lobster is pretty bland. The lobster is also not cleaned at all, so if you get the whole lobster, keep in mind that you will need to work a little. Just think of it as part of the experience and have fun. Get messy and enjoy the flying lobster parts at your table!
The rest of the food not good, but it was edible. The day we went, they had pizzas that I didn’t try (they didn’t look very good), fried calamari (decent), clams/​mussels (ok and buffet quality), boiled red potatoes, pot stickers (ok), bok choy (kind of weird), ham (didnt try but looked awful), turkey (looked awful), and tri tip (over cooked and about the quality of hometown buffet). They had some other hot items that I can’t recall. The salad bar was pretty basic and the produce was not particulary fresh.
I didn’t really hit the dessert bar, but I had a few tastes off my wife’s plate. It was pretty standard buffet level dessert. Typically I stick to soft serve, because soft serve is pretty tough to mess up. The soft serve was exactly what you would expect, which was fine with me!
I had a good time with the lobster buffet. I wouldn’t go out of my way to go for just the lobster buffet, but If I was on the way back from Reno and had just won, I might stop by. Or, if I had a pretty big discount, I might go if I had some business at least sort of nearby. Its actually fun pigging out on lobster as long as you know what to expect.
I ended up stopping at 8, since its a pretty long drive back to Sacramento.