San Diego County
Pauma Bay Cafe

Pauma Bay Cafe

777 Pauma Reservation Rd, Casino Pauma, Pauma Valley, USA, 92061, San Diego County, United States

Cafe • Cafés • Coffee • Cheese


"I 'm going to agree with the overall rating of 3.5 stars, but I 'm going to give the chef the extra half-star for the creative menu items at the very small casino buffet/cafe or whatever it really is. We had seen posted signs throughout the Valley Center and Escondido area for the Friday Surf and Turf Buffet for $39.95. We figured that was actually a pretty good deal considering we had recently eaten at King 's Fishhouse in Carlsbad at the price of $80 where the wife and I shared a crab dinner yet it had no turf . When we got inside the casino (we have been here maybe twice before, in 20 years), and asked where the buffet was. No one seemed to know about any buffet. They kept replying back to us and pointing, over there is the cafe . I had to repeat, b u f f e t , and say it slowly. I really felt like a jack ass for having to say it twice to two different people working in the casino. The second person said, The cafe is all we got , so we headed there, in the back-left of the casino floor. We were seated rather quickly as the dinner crowd stacked up fast in the line just behind us. We got there just in time. We were briefly greeted by a very busy server as the place was just beginning its very busy dinner service. She dropped off our napkin utensil rolls and asked us to get started on the buffet and she will be right back to take our drink order. At first glance of the buffet I found some great looking vegetables including some tasty asparagus that was slightly overcooked but very acceptable. Good too. The deal with the seafood or surf was the limit of two 4oz (with tail on) portions of lobster tail. That was fine because there was plenty of other seafood and turf stuff like bone marrow, 13-hr smoked brisket, prime rib and even lamb chops. I thought the flavors were pretty tasty except for the lamb as it was served with green mint jelly. As I asked my wife, Do you know why people serve mint jelly with lamb? She replied, Yeah, cause they don 't know how to make lamb . Anyways, hit me up for an awesome lamb recipe served with mint chimichurri that got me an award in culinary school. My wife didn 't care for anything this evening. I think she was just not impressed around the whole buffet thing; but in conversing her, I found she actually thought the lobster was ok, as I did too (reminded me exactly like Navy lobster). She also complimented positively on a few items she had, but absolutely was not impressed with any of the turf selections or the lobster Mac-n-cheese. We now know what they do with the leftover lobster. I liked most of what I ate, and I was trying to hold to a mostly Keto diet. The salad bar could use some simple vinegar and oil because the Italian dressing was not pleasant. I like that the Chef was creative with a buffet menu. I can 't say we 'll be back because neither of us like driving the 76 or Cole Grade Rd at night to get there and back home, and the overall quality of the buffet was just about that . . . a buffet. Dicks"

The Grove Buffet

The Grove Buffet

777 Pauma Reservation Rd, Pauma Valley, USA, 92061, San Diego County, United States

Soup • Cafés • Buffet • American


"Free buffet w/ Casino Pauma Player 's Club registration Mon American Tues Mediterranean lunch, Lobster dinner Wed Asian Thurs Latin Fri Seafood lunch, Surf Turf dinner Sat Brunch, BBQ dinner Sun Brunch, dinner Visiting Casino Pauma for the first time, a tiny little casino amongst a large orange grove, we received free buffet passes with Casino Pauma Player 's Club enrollment. Being Sunday before noon, the buffet was set up for brunch. After some hot n ' heavy slot action, we cashed out took a break for some food. Not being a novice to casino buffets, having frequented Valley View 's San Manuel 's many a time, I found the Grove Buffet to be, like the casino, quaint. Smaller than a Hometown Buffet, I tried to find the most appealing options I could find prime rib, eggs benedict, huevos rancheros menudo. Conclusion the Grove Buffet does the job, but not in a spectacular fashion. I found the food choices to be limited, and lacking in inspiration. After picking through the salad bar, I went back to the same trays again again. Service was good. Our attendant was friendly quick with refills on our included beverages. The dining room has a good amount of seating, with a faux orange tree serving as a canopy for guests to dine under. The Grove buffet is in the rear left of Casino Pauma. You get what you pay for. The old adage applies here. The Grove Buffet is cheaper than other neighboring casinos, a plus, but that comes with a cost of it 's own choices that hardly titillate the senses. I 'm glad registering for Casino Pauma Player 's Club gave me the opportuniity to try the The Grove Buffet for free, but I 'd be lying if I said I 'm looking forward to coming back w/o the free buffet perk."

Plaza Grill

Plaza Grill

Barona Resort Casino, Lakeside, 92040, United States Of America, San Diego County

Meat • Grill • Drinks • Sandwiches


"Our first visit to the Barona Casino was a good experience. There was a massive amount of parking lot space, plus a multi-story parking garage. On the second floor of the parking garage, the elevator will open into the casino on the second level, where the area is a world of slot machines. Our goal for this trip was to try one of the casino's four restaurants. On the casino’s floor, is a Buffet area where the price of a ticket is $44.95 a person. On the floor, one level below the casino are three of the restaurants, an Italian a Steakhouse, and the Plaza Grill. After viewing all the menus, we decided to select Italian. However, the Italian Steakhouse doors don’t open until 5:00 PM. The Plaza Grill begins service at 4:00 PM, making our destination choice easy. When we entered and selected an open table, a waiter appeared with menus and an offer to get us drinks. Right after we ordered our drinks, the waiter said he would be right back and would bring us our chips. Chips? Chips weren't a selection but are considered part of the Grill's customer service. Our drinks and the unknown chips arrived in about 5-minutes. The chips in a basket are freshly made crinkle styled potato chips, with a side bowl of onion dip. These chips were a pleasant surprise in taste and presentation. We didn't wait for much more than 10-minutes for an order of Lobster Roll and a Sliced Roasted Turkey Sandwich to arrive. The Lobster Roll with French fries, coleslaw, and a large dill pickle slice arrived and filled a large dinner plate. The meal looked just like the menu image, and it elevated my partner’s need to see how it tasted. The Sliced Roasted Turkey sandwich with Bacon laced Potato Salad. The size of this sliced turkey sandwich on wheat bread filled a 10-inch dinner plate. I had experienced a sandwich that large. This sandwich and the potato side item will be enough for three more pleasant lunches (see attached image). Their lobster roll can be served two ways. For this meal, it was ordered cold. If the option were to get the lobster meat warm, they would have heated the lobster in warm butter. My partner reported the sandwich was good, but it had too much Mayonnaise. The excessive amount of Mayonnaise reduced the lobster taste. If you go and select the lobster roll, tell the waiter not to use a lot of Mayonnaise. Would we go back? The answer is yes. For us, the drive is ~40 miles one-way. Our waiter was Caesar. He was attentive, quick, and the answered question with enough details that the food matched what he said. He was also patient and pleasant when we spoke. If Caesar is an example of how all the others in their staff provide service, if this restaurant were closer, we would visit often."