How Hungry Are You? Fill Up On Melbourne’s Best Buffets

Cost of living keeps creeping upwards and onwards, and most of us practically have the words “value for money” tattooed on wallets to stop unnecessary spending.

That’s where the humble buffet comes in, with endless plates and infinite options to make you feel like life isn’t so bad. 

Of course, as any buffet pro knows, there are tactics you need to master. Avoid too much bread and dips. Always load one plate with food you would never usually eat in such quantities. Lastly, always remember to leave room for dessert.

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So, here you go: the best buffets that can be found in Melbourne for 2025.

Citrus

252 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North

$25 for an all-you-can-eat feed sounds a little too good to be true in 2025, but Citrus is here to be a most delicious salve. Drinks and desserts do cost a little extra, but a good mango lassi will always be worth it. Dishes include hot buttered fish with peppers, yellow-lentil curry, beef and lamb curries, biryani, and crunchy papadams to top it off. You’ll probably need to be rolled out the door but it’s worth it. 

Conservatory

Level 1/8 Whiteman Street, Southbank

It’s definitely one of the more expensive breakfasts you’ll see on this list, but with the amount of choice you get, it’s a no-brainer. Expect to get back for plate after plate of hashbrowns, sausages, breads, cheeses, cold cuts, yoghurts, fruit, waffles and pancakes. There’s a chocolate fountain to dip strawberries in, there are omelettes to order, and basically every way to serve an egg possible. Conservatory is open for a buffet lunch and dinner too, but the breakfast has a special place in our hearts. 

Okami

Various Locations

This isn’t a buffet in the traditional sense of you getting up to load your plate – instead, table service is at your beck and call. $39.80 will get you everything at Okami, from grilled chicken karaage, to a mini katsu udon curry. Yakiniku beef is served piping hot, as is the spicy Ika, stir-fried squid strips and vegetables with a spicy honey sauce. Of course, sushi and sashimi is on offer, and we’ve never been ones to turn down unlimited nigiri. 

Ssam KBBQ

Various Locations

An unlimited Korean BBQ buffet sounds like a good idea to us. Platters of fresh seafood await you, including prawns, calamari and octopus, plenty of varieties of kimchi, quails eggs, and giant bowls of fried chicken. We’d be remiss to not mention the crown jewel of Ssam Korean BBQ – the barbeque. Grilled right in front of you, we have no doubt you’re going to get bang for your buck. 

Gaijin

135 Commercial Road, South Yarra

South Yarra fusion restaurant Gaijin runs all-you-can-eat sushi and sashimi nights Monday to Friday, and they’re a southside smash. The best thing about sushi is that it’s just vaguely healthy enough for you to justify eating several kilos of the stuff. Mix it up with kingfish sashimi, agedashi tofu, prawn tempura hand rolls and Baked Dynamite: a California roll topped with diced scallops, crab sticks, spicy mayo, teriyaki sauce and green onion.

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Melba

1 Southgate Avenue, Southbank 

This is probably one of the more luxe buffet options you’re going to get, all enclosed in the gorgeous Lanham Hotel. Melba has no less than six ‘cooking theatres’, crispy pork belly with cinnamon apple sauce, harissa rotisserie chickens, char-grilled to-order lamb cutlets, a team of sushi chefs, Tasmanian oysters, peking duk pancakes, a huge selection of cheeses and desserts – and we haven’t even scratched the surface. If you’re going to shell out to eat at Melba, do yourself a favour: eat a light lunch. It’s a crime here to eat fewer than 10 plates.

Crossways

147 Swanston Street, Melbourne

If you’ve never been, you’ve probably passed this place 100 times, but if you know, you know. You’ll find Crossways up some innocuous stairs on Swanston Street, and waiting for you at the top is arguably the best $9.95 you’ll ever spend. Beloved to broke students everywhere, Crossways’ mains are all vegetarian, vegan-friendly and wheat-free.  Every day of the week brings a new selection, which ranges from red kidney bean curry to satay vegetables with tofu. Dessert is also on the menu, so save room for the halava and sticky date pudding. 

No35

25 Collins Street, Melbourne

Image credit: No35 | Supplied

Of all the buffets in Melbourne, The Sofitel’s No35 at least wins the best view. There’s a panoramic 35th-level vista over the CBD, and that’s excluding the breakfast menu. Made-to-order omelettes, pancakes, waffles and endless other options mean there’s something for everyone. This is your time to go heavy on the hash browns: crispy, golden and re-filled to your heart’s content.

Kitchen Workshop

8 Whiteman Street, Southbank

Their lunch menu is surprisingly good value for how cheap it is. $39.90 will see you fed and watered by Kitchen Workshop, which boasts a fish fajita station, a salad bar, unlimited prawns, a roast counter and an extensive dessert selection. And because the Crown team know we’re suckers for a good deal, unlimited coffee, tea and soft drink are always available when you visit.

David's

4 Cecil Place, Prahran

David’s is a main stay of Prahran, and their bottomless yum cha is not for the faint of heart. There are two all-inclusive sittings on Saturday and Sunday (pro tip: Saturdays also includes BYO). Revel in all the prawn & pork Shu Mai, salt and pepper calamari, Xiao Long Bao, San Choi Bao, and peking duck you can manage. Vegans and vegetarians aren’t left out in the slightest, with an entirely vegan menu available too. 

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Image credit: Gaijin | Griffin Simm