We have the Swedes to thank for our very American tradition of all-you-can-eat buffets. The smorgasbord, first called the brännvinsbord, was offered as a feast of finger foods to traveling guests in the 16th century, experts say. Some form of this persists in many modern hotels and motels: What better way to recover from a red-eye flight than over a breakfast of limitless made-to-order omelets, bacon and home fries?
The appeal of a buffet – apart from an invitation to overeat because the cost is usually the same for one plate or five – is its infinite possibilities, the removal of having to make hard choices. Cambridge and Somerville perform that role on a broader scale, since the two cities offer options whether you’re looking to belly up to a buffet of meat, an old-fashioned comfort brunch, East Asian staples or a lunch of Indian food.
We’ve compiled a list of all the buffets we could track down, each with all-you-can-eat fare and a few that offer additional ways to indulge.
European
Confusion may ensue from the mix of sophistication and stuffing oneself. But you give into gluttony in the handsomest of surroundings.
Batifol
Breakfast classics and french pastry options for those with a sweet tooth. Signature foods: Goat cheese and prosciutto bruschetta, crumble aux pommes, beignets.
Hours: Saturdays and Sundays, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pricing: $38 for adults; $19 for kids 7 to 14; free for children up to 7
291 Third St., Kendall Square, Cambridge (617) 945-0345
Café Saint-Germain
Unlimited French tapas if everyone at the table participates, with a bunch of classics – cheese, escargot and frites – at home among nearly 20 options with something for everyone, from sauteed wild mushrooms to beef sliders and poutine. Signature foods: Coq au vin and potato duchesse (chicken, bacon and mashed potato), escargot tartine and champignon (the snails and mushrooms come with baguette and garlic butter) and the entrecôte (a peppery seared beef sirloin)
Hours: Mondays and Tuesdays, 4 to 10 p.m.
Pricing: $42
118 Beacon St., Kirkland Village in Ward 2, Somerville (617) 764-0171
Brazilian
The best places for bang-for-your-buck plates of meat. Churrascaria consists usually of large chunks of meat slow cooked over wood or charcoal on giant skewers that are walked around a dining room and carved off upon request. The most common advice from the pros is to skip the salad bar and sides as mere distractions from the pursuit of worrying your cardiologist with plate after plate of meat, meat, meat.
Gauchão Brazilian Cuisine
An unpretentious setting for carnivores to dig in. Signature foods: Brisket, beef sirloin, black, pinto and refried beans, sweet plantains.
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. (Friday until midnight; Saturday starting at noon)
Pricing: $22 for meat by the pound or $45 for adults; $22 for kids 5 to 12
102 Broadway, East Somerville (617) 625-6100
Modelo’s Market Cafe
Traditional Brazilian fare with some hot vegetarian options. Signature foods: Grilled chicken, grilled fish, beans, rice, fried plantains.
Hours: Daily, 5:30 to 9 p.m.
Pricing: $18 per person or $14 by the pound
501 Medford St., Magoun Square, Somerville (617) 625-2868
Oliveira’s Steak House
Think meat. At its best, Oliveira’s is an authentic skewer experience with attentive servers that’s satisfies without having to trek to a Fogo de Chão to pay more. Signature foods: Beef rib, pão de queijo, cheesesteak.
Hours and adult pricing: Monday to Friday before 10:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., $46; dinner, weekends and holidays, 4:30 to 11, $57 for adults
Other pricing: $30 for kids ages 6 to 11, or $16 for meat by the pound or to-go
120 Washington St., Inner Belt, Somerville (617) 764-0455
East Asian
East Asian style buffets paved the way for the all-you-can-eat scene in Cambridge, with Joyce Chen bringing her “Original Chinese Buffet” to the Cambridge Highlands from 1958 to 1971. The Tokyo Restaurant opened near Fresh Pond in 1988 and went on teasing people with signs of a buffet long after it closed in the early 2000s. Now a serve-yourself Japanese barbecue spot in Harvard Square holds down the fort.
Gyu-Kaku Japanese BBQ
Japanese yakiniku served in an interactive, shared dining experience, with 90-minute limits and a couple of other restrictions: Everyone at a table has to order the same level of experience, and unfinished food will be charged to your bill at their à la carte prices. Signature foods: Umakara rib eye, pork belly, shishito peppers, prime kalbi short rib.
Hours: Daily, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Pricing: $54 for 45 items ($27 for kids 6 to 12; $40.50 for seniors); $64 for 65 items ($32 for kids 6 to 12; $47 for seniors) $74 for 80 items ($37 for kids 6 to 12, $53.50 for seniors)
16-18 Eliot St., second floor, Harvard Square, Cambridge (857) 259-6666
Mexican
Mexican buffets and all-you-can-eat deals are rare in Massachusetts compared with the other cuisines on this list. They offer a chance to break free from the standards, sample the new and see if you add favorites – you’ve already paid, so once you’ve enjoyed some carnitas, try the Buffalo cauliflower or corn esquites.
Mestizo
All-you-can-eat tacos at a canal-side restaurant with Oaxacan-inspired cuisine, a bar full of specialty Tequilas and, on the regular menu, salsa made at your table. Eight kinds of tacos are part of this deal, including the expected meats and vegetables but also shrimp, swordfish with a jicama slaw and, for an extra $1, steak. Many visitors consider Mestizo tacos to be on the small side, which is only a problem with this deal if the service is slow. Signature foods: Shrimp tacos. (If you’re ignoring the all-you-can-eat tacos, go for the birria ramen.)
Hours: Sundays, 4 to 9 p.m.
Pricing: $27
10 Broad Canal Way, Kendall Square, Cambridge
The Painted Burro
The Mucho Monday means bottomless, smaller portions but endless orders from among appetizers, salads, tacos and enchiladas sections bought to the table, with entrées, sides, desserts and drinks added to the bill at a la carte prices. A Bottomless Brunch also focuses on tapas-size plates but is time-limited – diners can get all they can eat within an hour and a half, with sides, desserts and drinks not included. Signature foods: Tacos, including the birria, blackened mahi mahi and gulf shrimp; and for brunch, churro pancakes.
Hours: The Mucho Monday is all-day (on Mondays only, of course), and the Bottomless Brunch is Saturdays and Sundays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pricing: $29 for the Mucho Monday; $18 for the Bottomless Brunch
219 Elm St., Davis Square, Somerville (617) 776-0005; and 32 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (857) 259-6455
American
The breakfast and brunch legacy of U.S. hotels and motels dates back to at least the 1930s, and it lives on daily at Nubar and on Sundays at Henrietta’s Table, which adds a seafood focus to the standards. That means the Mount Vernon Restaurant & Pub has been around long enough to see the trend start and goes even bigger for a Thanksgiving Day buffet.
Henrietta’s Table
Upscale brunch that welcomes larger groups. Signature foods: Raw oyster bar, jumbo shrimp, smoked salmon, made-to-order omelets.
Hours: Sundays, 12:30 to 3 p.m.
Pricing: $79 for adults; $30 for children 12 and younger
1 Bennett St., at the Charles Hotel, Harvard Square, Cambridge (617) 661-5005
Mount Vernon Restaurant & Pub
Comfort food for sweet and savory brunch lovers. Signature foods: Prime rib, turkey, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, pancakes, home fries.
Hours: Sundays, 10:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Pricing: $20
14 Broadway, Somerville (617) 666-3830
Nubar
Serviceable but less than luxurious breakfast in a quiet, attractive restaurant at the Sheraton Commander Hotel. Signature foods: Made-to-order omelets, breakfast meats, fresh fruit.
Hours: Daily, 7 to 10:30 a.m.
Pricing: $30
16 Garden St. No. 3, at the Sheraton Commander Hotel, Cambridge (617) 234-1365
South Asian
Most brunches of Indian and Middle Eastern classics come with naan or other breads served straight to the table, and rice is not just a side dish: Biryanis are meals on their own. That means a diner can fill up easily even before getting to main dishes, which can also be heavy – little samplings can go a long way here. And while buffets are likely to be calibrated for the average diner, newcomers should watch out for spice.
India Pavilion
Speedy lunch of regional Indian staples. Signature foods: Saag paneer, chicken curry, tandoori chicken, veggie pakoras.
Hours: Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Pricing: $16
17 Central Square, Cambridge (617) 547-7463
The Kebab Factory
Indian and Middle Eastern Cuisine of mostly kebabs and curries. Signature foods: Chili chicken malai kebab, tandoori chicken kebab, paneer pakora.
Hours: Daily, noon to 3 p.m.
Pricing: $16
414 Washington St., Somerville (617) 354-4996
Masala
Relaxed Indian and Nepali lunch. Signature foods: Palak paneer, chicken tikka masala, garlic naan.
Hours and pricing: Monday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for $18; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. for $20
1127 Broadway, Somerville (617) 718-0703
The Maharaja
Classic Indian eatery with large windows for people-watching. Signature foods: Salad, samosa, naan bread, rice, vegetarian and meat-based entrees.
Hours: Daily, 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Pricing: $22
57 JFK St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (617) 547-2757
Grocery stores
Convenient, for sure, but not necessarily cheaper than a sit-down meal. A single takeaway container can take you easily to the $20 to $25 range, and if this is coming home there will be questions of shifting and reheating that may defeat the pleasure of the indulgence.
Brothers Marketplace
Simple hot bar, salad bar and sandwich counter with options for all three meals. Signature foods: Barbecue ribs, meatballs, chicken Parmesan
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Pricing: $13 by the pound
1 Broadway, Kendall Square, Cambridge (617) 804-2700
Mineirão One Stop Mart
This could go under the Brazilian category were not this compact lunch counter within a market packed with products from home, many of them hard to find. There’s a hot bar for orders, a salad bar for self-serve and a refrigerated section with desserts. Signature foods: fejioada (a stew of meat and black beans, served on the weekends) and farofa (a side dish of toasted cassava root flour)
Hours: 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Pricing: $13 by the pound
57 Union Square, Somerville (617) 625-0022
Whole Foods
Hot bar and salad bar mixing comfort foods with international foods such as chicken tikka masala and chimichurri pork carnitas, with grumbles that quality is down since Amazon bought the chain in 2017 and ended onsite cooking. Signature foods: Mac and cheese, barbecue chicken, grilled vegetables, full salad bar.
Hours: 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily
Pricing: $12 to $14 per pound, depending on location
45 Beacon St., Ward 2, Somerville (617) 945-0345, 115 Prospect St., Mid-Cambridge, Cambridge (617) 492-0070; 200 Alewife Brook Parkway, Cambridge Highlands (617) 491-0040; 340 River St., Cambridgeport (617) 876-6990
Wholesome Fresh
More than three dozen options in a global gourmet shop, from chunk fruit and salad fixings to entrees and sides across a variety of cuisines – lime salmon, fried rice, pastas, tofu and plantains can all be jumbled together in your takeaway container. The menu is the same all day, but breakfast is at the deli counter from 8 to 11 a.m. Signature foods: Shrimp, which can be had three or four ways every day, and chicken tenders
Hours: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily
Pricing: $14 by the pound
60 Church St., Harvard Square, Cambridge (401) 270-2233
About The Author
