Budget buffets with big flavours

Diners who crave the abundance and variety of buffets without paying more than $40 have plenty of choices.

- Hedy Khoo

Instead of the standard international offerings, some restaurants specialize in fare that one does not usually associate with buffets – Spanish tapas, Peranakan classics and traditional Thai dishes.

Several restaurants offer spreads with tighter menus, shorter seatings and sharper weekday deals. But there is no compromise on taste. Think wagyu beef sliders, roast ayam buah keluak and freshly sliced sashimi.

Across the island, nine restaurants are showing that affordable, all-you-can-eat dining can be satisfying.

Buffets, at their core, remain a communal way to dine – a format that continues to resonate with Singaporeans.

"We offer diverse, affordable buffets because we believe sharing a wonderful meal together should be accessible for every occasion," says Ms Bonnie Wong, 36, chief executive of Creative Eateries, which operates Suki-Ya and Sarai Fine Thai.

At Sarai Fine Thai, a weekend lunch buffet goes for $39++ an adult, while Suki-Ya's hotpot lunch buffet starts at $22.90++.

Over at The Winery Tapas Bar in Chijmes, Mondays mean two hours of free-flow tapas at $39++, including indulgent bites like suckling pig tacos.