Inside the World’s Biggest All-You-Can-Eat Buffet Where Truffles and a Seven-Tier Lobster Fountain Cost Under €70
Imagine mountains of food available at an all-you-can-eat buffet, times the variety by ten and add a seven-tiered lobster fountain. That's exactly what Les Grands Buffets in Narbonne, southern France, has to offer. It is the world's biggest all-you-can-eat restaurant and has become a must-do culinary experience for foodies with a bucket list. Les Grands Buffets first opened its doors in 1989 with founders Louis and Jane Privat at the helm and has since attracted visitors from across the globe. Diners pay a fixed price of €65.90 (£56.86) but need to plan ahead as reservations are usually made months in advance, with 3.5 million enquiries a year, the BBC reports. The impressive eatery can be found tucked away in the small French town, which sits on the Canal de la Robine and has a population of around 57,000. With 150 entrees, main courses and desserts there is plenty of food to go around. The website lists a variety of different buffets on offer, all included in the set price, including seafood, pâté en croûte and cooked meat and terrine. If seven-tiers of lobsters is your thing, Les Grands Buffets, in France, might be the restaurant to head to. It has a record-breaking selection of cheese on offer and charges €65.90 (£56.86) per diner, serving thousands of customers a year. There are four themed dining rooms set away from the main service spot and customers are sat at civilized white tablecloth settings. The menus list countless different options and there is a world record breaking amount of cheese on offer - 111 varieties, the most available in a restaurant anywhere in the world. What's more, diners can choose from nine varieties of foie gras and tuck into the gastronomic treat that is truffles, which were added to the menu last year. Les Grands Buffets is apparently the only all-you-can-eat establishment to offer the luxurious food item and even has a dedicated truffle station. The restaurant also claims to be the first eatery in the world dedicated to Auguste Escoffier. Known as the father of modern cooking, Auguste was a renowned chef and restaurateur in France. In honour of Auguste, Les Grands Buffets sets about preserving 19th century French cuisine, and has impressed thousands of people doing so over the years.
A World-Record Cheese Selection and Escoffier’s Legacy
A World-Record Cheese Selection and Escoffier’s Legacy The restaurant also claims to be the first eatery in the world dedicated to Auguste Escoffier. Known as the father of modern cooking, Auguste was a renowned chef and restaurateur in France. In honour of Auguste, Les Grands Buffets sets about preserving 19th century French cuisine, and has impressed thousands of people doing so over the years. 'I am deeply attached to traditional cuisine,' Louis Privat told the BBC. 'So I asked our chefs to focus on classic dishes: tripe, daube, snails.' He added: 'One day, I realised that all the recipes we were working with were recorded in Auguste Escoffier's Le Guide Culinaire.' The menus list countless different options and there is a world record breaking amount of cheese on offer - 111 varieties, the most available in a restaurant anywhere in the world. What's more, diners can choose from nine varieties of foie gras and tuck into the gastronomic treat that is truffles, which were added to the menu last year. Les Grands Buffets is apparently the only all-you-can-eat establishment to offer the luxurious food item and even has a dedicated truffle station.
Timed Dining, The Four Themed Rooms and Waste Management at Les Grands Buffets
Guests dine at set times, with lunch served between 12:00 and 16:30, and dinner begins at 19:00 until midnight. With 150 entrees, main courses and desserts there is plenty of food to go around. The restaurant's website lists a variety of different food sections on offer including seafood (pictured). There are four themed dining rooms set away from the main service spot and customers are sat at civilized white tablecloth settings. Each table is dressed with shining cutlery and glasses. A whopping 400,000 customers eat at Les Grands Buffets each year and the restaurant has thousands of reviews online. With a restaurant serving mountains of food a day at such a variety, it's hard not to wonder about the amount of waste. Surprisingly, it isn't too bad. Louis has calculated it to be 10kg a day, and at 1,000 customers per day it works out to be around just 10g per person of waste.
