Old Country Buffet
445 E Palatine Rd, Arlington Heights, IL, 60004
Old Country Buffet Menu
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Address :
445 E Palatine Rd
Arlington Heights, IL, 60004 - Phone (847) 255-0066
- Website https://locations.buffet.com/IL/ARLINGTON-HEIGHTS/0772/index.html
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Mon :11:00 am - 8:00pm
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : No
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : No
Good for Kids : Yes
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Casual
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : No
Outdoor Seating : No
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : No
Caters : No
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Chet M.
This place is good if you're a dude and real hungry. You could get some decent value for your $12. If you got kids, they will not get their $6.49's worth. My kids gave their mac n cheese a thumbs down. Better off getting them several things from McD's dollar menu. The best and most memorable items for me was their white white mashed potatoes and the dark brown gravy. Reminded me of the mash from those CPS hot lunches! Note- they hide their milk machines in the back drink station.
(3)Anil P.
The manager at this location is rude. The food is not flavorful and is bland. Children under 5 should be free, as most buffets are. I would rather eat Wendy's fast food which is more flavorful than this - in fact, they should get a chef to design the recipes of their menu and to train their cooks.
(1)Kathy S.
Haha! OCB, baby! They closed down the one in Niles/ Desplaines and my relatives drive out to the boonies just to get their unlimited buffet on! And you know what, this particular OCB is awesome. It's clean, it's big, and it seems to have way more selection then I've seen in the Lincolnwood or Niles location. Sometimes, a person just needs to pig out. Do it here.
(4)Ed Y.
I went there for lunch yesterday and I can tell they must be in trouble financially. The meat dishes was only one and it was in a cup with about 2 ounces of meat, a bunch of potatoes and gravey. Other than that it was chicken, fish or salads. I was very disappointed. I guess it will be Golden Corral for me now if I want to go to a buffet that has meat.
(1)Derrell S.
Decent for the price and all-you-can-eat. Great for when you don't feel like making dinner but want some variety.
(4)D J.
The sorbet machine was full of old, hard congealed parts in the sorbet. Making me think it was expired or had at least gone bad. We noticed before we ate it, or else we would have gotten sick. The food is terrible.
(1)Cynthia S.
Old Country Buffet is exactly what you would picture it to be: a second home. Okay, maybe not. Today was my first time in a while visiting this location and I will say that the reason I like OCB so much is because I have a lot of good memories of going when I was a small child (most likely because of the ice cream bar). Today I was able to enjoy a couple mini chicken sandwiches, along with some corn and mashed potatoes. My second plate was full of macaroni and to end my dining experience, of course I got frozen yogurt. As a few others stated, for the price of $8.50 a person and an extra ~$2.00 for unlimited drinks, you really can't go wrong. Not only do they have ice cream and assorted foods, they do offer breakfast and have a great salad bar. OCB is nice for those days that you really don't feel like cooking, but you still want a nice, "home-cooked" meal.
(4)Julie S.
Absolutely disgusting. It is so dirty that should've turned around and walked out. Repeatedly picked up plates, bowls and silverware that was dirty with caked on food. Gross. Portions of the food buffet were empty and never refilled. I was so disgusted thinking my silverware was contaminated that I hardly are anyway. It was filthy.
(1)John J.
Our favorite OCB was in Northbrook but it closed many years ago! Too bad. In rating this type of buffet, you have to look at value for money. The idea is you pay a fixed amount for basically an unlimited amount of food. Then you ask: is the food good enough to make it worthwhile? Usually it has been just good enough but not exceptional. Now, it seems maybe the OCB here changed owners because we did not like it as much in last 3 or 4 months as previously. Employees seem highly unmotivated. Last time, on a Sat night, no one even came to our table to introduce themselves as our server! The food was decent, like I said. The OCB is worth it IF you can get a discount coupon. Otherwise it is getting expensive, almost $25 for two for dinner, NOT including drink. But.... recenty we haven't even received any discount coupons through email. So we are disappointed at OCB latest version. We prefer something lke Sweet Tomatoes for the buffet experience.
(2)Brandon D.
Haven't been to an OCB in quite a while but was thoroughly disappointed when I decided to give it another shot. The food was old and stale. Tasted like processed fake crap with no real substance. No real variety here. Salad was wilted at best and the dressings were warm along with the salad. Fries were mush. But there's always dessert, right? WRONG - only one flavor of ice cream works. One flavor doesn't have a handle to dispense ice cream and the other two are out of order. Not to mention the whole dessert area smells like garbage. Plus there are no bowls for ice cream. Just stale cones. All of the cake plates are old and warm. Bathroom had paper towels all over the floor and smelled like shit. Overall one of the worst buffet experiences I've ever had. Don't go here if you have another option!
(1)Dawn W.
We were there on Thursday and it was very good. Steaks cooked to order were tender. Hot food was constantly coming out. Definitely will be back
(4)Amanda D.
Got dragged here by friends. Horrible food, slow cashier people, 2$ up charge for drinks are you kidding! This place is a joke never coming back!
(1)Ed P.
It's a Monday night at 7:30pm and decided to get dinner at OCB. What a mistake! There's an hour left before closing time but that's no excuse! I picked up a plate and the back of the next plate below still had food on it. I picked up the next 3 plates with the same result. Either the dishwasher sprinkled some water on the plates and deemed it clean or decided to shove aside a pile of dirty dishes to be taken back out to be reused. Before I realized who he was, a 50ish - 60ish gray-haired gentleman whom I am going to assume was the manager quickly disappeared to the back kitchen with a length of paper register tape in his hand around 7:55pm and no name tag. If this OCB closes down like the other surrounding OCB's... (ie. Niles, Vernon Hills, Northbrook & Rolling Meadows all closed) it would be no surprise. My recommendation to you is to skip this place and go elsewhere.
(1)Barbara B.
I stopped in for lunch last week because I had a very good experience at dinner a couple weeks before. I was extremely disappointed with the food at lunch. Every vegetable I tried was over-cooked and tasteless. As far as entrees, there was chicken, chicken, chicken, and more chicken. There was a pulled pork dish in a little pan, but it was covered with some kind of sauce that I was told was kind of spicy. I passed. There was nothing on the carving board. Even salad dishes were disappointing. The broccoli and bacon salad did not seem the same as I had at dinner. It was very dry. The only pasta salad available had seafood in it, which I don't eat. And the mac and cheese is one of the worst I have ever tasted. I left a lot of food on my plate, which I hate doing, but it wasn't worth eating. At dinner, I had very good service. At lunch my table wasn't cleared once. But the attendant did point out to me that I changed tables. Actually, I set my coat down in a booth next to the drink machine so I could get a drink and then I found a table. I thought it very strange that she would point that out to me. I really doubt I will ever go back for lunch and I'm hesitant to try dinner again after that experience.
(2)Craig S.
Wrong day to go to a marginal restaurant. Went after a day at the museum. Turned out to be kids eat free Thursday, buy one, get one coupon day and Spring Break. Result - a line out the door and screaming kids EVERYWHERE. Food stations were backed up, steak line was 25 people long, and kids were spilling food all over the place. I am a parent, and I could NEVER let my kids act the way these kids acted. The parents (most of whom did not speak English) paid no attention to their kids and were busy trying to fill 3 plates each - for themselves. The dessert station was so gross that the health dept would have shut it down instantly if they had seen it. No attempt was made to clean up the mess while we were there. I have been here before - always because my kids wanted it - and I have never liked this place. Drinks are NOT included in the prices and food is marginal at best, dirty, undercooked and cold at worst. Avoid this place.
(1)evie p.
We've been going here for years and have always enjoyed it. But something is going on-we assume the place is in financial trouble. They've cut way down on the food at lunch. More and more of it seems to be in these little dishes that don't look a bit appetizing. The 'grill' section is closed-nothing there. The waitresses and cashiers are wonderful, but, as far as the food, it is not what it used to be and doesn't seem worth the price unless you can fill up on soup and salads. Too bad, as it used to be a great place.
(2)C. Benjamin W.
Maybe there is something to filling a plate full of a dissonant meal of nearly every type of fried animal, topping it off with a little macaroni and cheese, grabbing a suicide cocktail from the soda fountain and sitting down with the family in an overcrowded dining room over the sound of cascading plates and elderly patrons comparing today's shrimp to last week's. Maybe there is something, and the beauty of it is lost on such overly critical measures of "taste" and "quality" and "cleanliness." If nothing else, trying to saw through a rubber-tree-tough strip steak as you wonder whether you should say something about the father showing suspiciously violent tendencies toward their children at the dinner table is one experience that most "good" or "clean" restaurants can't offer for one reason or another. Long live the OCB.
(2)Adele S.
Nice new decor but it's still Old People Buffet to me. Food is questionable, we don't go here as much because our 7 year old has developed gourmet tastes (meaning she would rather eat sushi than pizza) Nothing really stands out, though it's one of the few places I can get barbecued beef ribs...for some reason, just can't eat pig anymore....feel...so...guilty! Salad bar at this location has always been fresh, soups lacking. I'm giving three stars because it's cheap and it's edible most of the time and you can try a lot of things.
(3)Jimmy B.
Where can you bring a 3 yr old and a 1 1/2 yr old and actually get them to eat? OCB!!! Ok, not the best place in the world, but for the variety and the price, you just can't beat it. Now these aren't my kids, but a very good friend of mine and there were three adults and 2 kids totalling less than $28. The kids were able to eat fruits and vegetables, corn dogs and have chocolate milk while the grown ups got to have the same plus some pretty decent tasting fish, potatoes and other assorted meats and veggies. Maybe not the ideal place to eat, but here you don't have to worry about your kid fussing, screaming, kicking, biting, smoking (maybe I am going off on a tangent - and if you're kid is smoking then shame on you) :-p Anyway, I have been to a few OCB's in my life and I must say that this was one of the better tasting and cleaner restaurants. Too bad they can't have soemthing like this at Ruths' Chris or Maggiano's. Mmmm.
(2)a w.
I used to really enjoy this place as a kid. Mainly because you get to make your own sundaes here and you can eat dessert at any time -- at the begining of your meal, at the end, or even in the middle. But now this place is not so appealing anymore. Its very reasonably priced for the amount of food they lay out, but most of the food seems processed and is not that great. But I still do enjoy their salad bar and it is a quick, cheap, and filling option for lunch sometimes.
(3)Julia B.
I did not like any of the food here! I felt like I was in a cafeteria! The staff was not very helpful nor friendly. Save your money and eat at fast food before you go to this place!
(1)Dennis M.
Everything was old and nothing was stocked. There was no steam coming out of any food. It sad to say the best thing to eat there were the cheap salads. Nasty and a waste of money. My girlfriend got food poisoning after eating here. I suggest going to the Olive Garden in the corner. On top of that the restaurant was dirty and all the food stations messy. This is my first review on yelp. You guys want a real Ocb go to the one in Rockford.
(1)Rick K.
We've been to this OCB a dozen times for lunch and dinner. Usually the food is passable but my 10yo son loves to make his own tacos and ice cream desserts, so we probably go every 4-5 weeks. We hadn't tried the weekend breakfast menu until last Sunday, Father's Day, and I doubt we ever will again. Aside from the salad bar which was consistent with later-day offerings, I wouldn't suggest any of the typical mass-produced breakfast fare. The English muffins were tougher and as thin as drink coasters. The poached eggs seemed to be swimming in some type of gelatinous white slime. The bacon was undercooked for my liking but the sausage links were actually spicy and passable. I would have thought there would be some type of hash browns or au gratin potato dish but the closest they came were potato (??? maybe???) cakes that look the same as Arby's version. About the only thing meriting 2-stars would be the omelet station but that's about it. I'll save Sunday brunch for other diners but for me, OCB definitely blew it for breakfast.
(2)Allison L.
We go to this location about once every two months, always hoping it might get better. Seems to be going downhill if anything. And WHAT is so difficult in getting the name tags to match what is being served (when they bother placing any tags at all)? Does the staff not even recognize what they're serving? Seems like this has always been a problem at OCB's and it would be such a simple thing to fix. Used to prefer the one in Deerfield, but that one's gone, followed by the one in Vernon Hills. Unless some changes are made, this one will probably follow suit. When we have time to make the trip, we often drive 5 times as far to Golden Corral instead.
(2)Patty D.
gross.
(1)Judy L.
Started going to this location after the Vernon Hills OCB closed. I like it. It has good variety of food. I don't eat red meat so I can only comment on the shrimp and salmon that I have. The Salmon is great but the shrimp is often over cooked and hard as a rock. I like the salad bar, good variety. For the money you really do get a lot. Good desserts but the coffee was like mud and undrinkable. I switched to tea. As long as it is not a night there are tons of kids it can be a good place. I tend to avoid family type nights when kids are everywhere and being loud. I also think OCB should offer different knives other than steak type. I hate to see kids running with these. The rolls are a bit weird. I wish they had more of a variety of breads. We usually go on Friday or Saturday nights. We always leave a tip. People should leave tips here even though it's a buffet. I wish they would change the serving spoons more regularly to cut down on germs. We go about twice a month.
(4)Gloria B.
I take my 93 year old mom here and she LOVES it. She always says she has no appetite until she gets there. I'm a vegetarian, so I can always find good basics, green beans, corn, cole slaw, etc. My mom loves their mac and cheese and we both love their cinnamon rolls, dinner rolls (the BEST!), and their warm peach cobbler with ice cream for dessert. I'd say the food is good basic cooking. Not for gourmets, but great for the average person. The staff is hit or miss, sometimes (like today) they're attentive. Other times no one comes around to clear plates. I'd say for the money, it's a good place for families with varied tastes.
(4)Gregory B.
The server kept butting into our conversations, telling us he was our family, this was his church, telling us all about his personal life and plans in detail and forcing a huge plate of unwanted desserts on us. He either has a serious substance abuse problem or mental illness or both. No, he was NOT merely being friendly, eccentric, trippy or fun. He was creepy and scary and needs help. I hope management gets him that help. The food was good.
(3)Patricia D.
We've gone to this location several times. We always come when we have coupons. The food is always good, and they have a great dessert selection. We enjoy going here for a nice hot meal! And Megan, the host/cashier, is very pleasant, and sweet.
(4)Jay K.
Went here tonight. As buffets go it was not too bad. My mother and uncle pigged out pretty good. I just felt sick.
(3)Drew W.
Really wanted to rate this a 2.5.... Went on a Sunday night (President's Day Weekend) for what we thought would be a quick bite post shopping excursion. Were they busier than normal because of the holiday? Maybe, but it shouldn't have been a suprise. Waited 20+ minutes in line. This after walking next door to Marshall's to give it a few minutes to calm down. Saw a lot of groups give up and walk out, preferring not to wait. Would be understandable if the place was full, right? Nah, tables sitting open the entire time we were there. Jimmy on the cash register was clueless and at points down right rude. Obviously needs to find another line of work as this one is so "overtaxing" for him. Staff in general had no sense of urgency. And kind of clueless as well. Gal was stocking butter pads to the max on the food line while there were zero plates to Guests. Guy working the grill ( with bandaid on his chin) was "too cool for school" and had way more attidtude than culinary aptitude. Thanks for doing me a favor by serving me buddy (at least the ay you see it). Restrooms were trashed. Soda stations barely stocked. No ice in one, no choclate milk available. All in all, not the best showing.
(2)Jean P.
We mainly go for lunch between 1-3 on a weekday and meet 2-4 friends there. The servers are always friendly and pick up used dishes as soon as possible. If they're really busy, the plates can sit there a bit. If you go for a Sat. or Sun. night dinner, there may be a line to the cashier. Usually, it moves at a good pace. Have not been disappointed in the food at all.
(4)Alina B.
The price was great. I'm not sure what everyone keeps complaining about, but if your looking for 5-star food maybe you should pay more & visit Ruth Chris or Morton's.. Come on guys, this is a Buffet for less than $10 bucks.. There is a saying, "you get what you pay for" My experience was great. I had the mac & cheese, steak, orange chicken, squash, etc... The steak was delicious. It was juicy & well seasoned. I'm from San Diego and wish we had something of this type of restaurant.
(4)Jerry B.
quality food and very clean!!!!
(5)Danielle S.
I have never heard anything good about OCB, and they were right. This place is cheap, but it's absolutely disgusting. Even their pancakes were gross. Everything has to be fried or completely unhealthy. Nothing looks fresh. It's great if you are old....but besides that.....I'll never go here again.
(1)Sherwin C.
Used to be very good but has been going downhill the last 2 years. Good choices seem to be diminishing and replaced with simple dishes I can cook at home. Many items are heavy handed on the salt and items that are supposed to be crispy or crunchy don't quite reach that level. The food isn't bad but it's not good for its price.
(3)Shailesh J.
nothing great ....of so many menu items the only thing worth having was salad and coleslaw.. its quite basic food..its a reasonable dining option if you are on budget ...
(2)Lashell D.
A typical Old country Buffet but not very clean not that any of them are but the worst part was the taste of the water which made the coffee awful. There was two water coffee areas so i went to the busier one in the front and it was at least bearable. The one in the back was not drinkable. I was just really disappointed because the outside looks like a newer location in a strip mall, but that ends when you step through the door. If you want an awesome experience go to the HOMETOWN Buffet in Janesville, WI.
(3)A P.
Food is dead. Terrible! Drinks not included. Makes Burger King around the corner a better choice. You can also get fresh and great food for about the same price at Olive Garden across the street. Blan food, potatoes made from a box, sauces are watered down, stuff is old. Pizza has no pizza taste and out of microwave. Nasty! I made the mistake of eating there so you don't have to.
(1)Al S.
Overall OCB isn't a bad choice for the money. It's clean, well stocked, and had a nice assortment of food for everyone. The grilled chicken was tasty, as was the fish. I also enjoyed the salad bar and it's wide variety of choices. Lot's of good fruit and desserts. I will definitely return with my wife. Best to get there on the early side, as they sometimes can run out of certain items.
(4)Rawlins R.
Disgusting... Yucky yuck yuck. Saturday night after having a few drinks with friends in the burbs I thought it would be a good idea to wake up and go get brunch. I suggested OCB. What a mistake. I don't know if I was confused or if the last time I was here I was a child but this place is pure junk. This doesn't even fit the hangover cure meal that I was looking for. We should have just gone to Original Granny's. There are so many better places to go than here. No no no
(1)Michael C.
Our favorite OCB was Niles, and that closed. So for many a time we were going to the one on Lincoln avenue. We finally stopped going there. It was getting dirty and it's very dark inside. It just felt OLD. Today, Easter, we decided to try the one in Arlington Heights. And it was very nice! Their special was Prime Rib, and it was excellent. Since it was the holiday, I'm sure they raised the price a few bucks. We had nowhere to go, so we tried it. The selections were very good and, as always, the salad bar was fresh. We will probably make this one some place where we might go often.
(4)Mike J.
When we first walked in, we were welcomed by a nice employee. We then got our seats ad started eating. The food was not that good. The mashed potatoes were very salty and the ground beef was very dry. For dessert i got a brownie in fudge. It had a strange taste to it so i put it to the side and grabbed something else. As i walked to the ice-cream machine, another person was trying to get vanilla ice cream out of the machine. It wouldnt come out at all, so i grabbed some cookies instead. The snickerdoodle cookies were nice an soft. But the chocolate chip cookies were hard and very bland. After we ate i went to the mens restroom. As i walked in, a strong unpleasant odor filled the room. The floors were dirty and the mirror was dirty too. I would not come here again.
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