The Grove Buffet - San Diego County

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.

Over the past 10 years, this buffet has been a favorite of ours. The food quality has been consistently good, even though the variety has has not been as great as at the other casino buffets. We also liked the ambience with big windows and great views of the surrounding mountains from this beautiful Pauma Valley location. The service has also been way above average. They had prime rib and fresh whole baked turkey (i.e. white and dark meat) every day along with great home-made soups and a fresh salad bar. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago they started cutting back. The first thing to go was the fresh whole turkey and then the prime rib was discontinued. At the same time prices increased. They added specialty days (with specialty prices) with lobster on Fridays, did away with the soft-serve ice cream and continued to jack-up the prices. Last night when we ate there the only thing that was on a par with the 'good ol ' days ' was the soup and salad bar. The brisket that has replaced the prime rib was way over-cooked and dry and tasted like it had been carried over from the previous day as did the other main dishes. It 's obvious that management has changed and they 've decided to try to make a profit on the buffet, unlike other casinos that use the buffet to draw in the gamblers, which in turn subsidizes the buffet. It 's with a sad heart that we 'll be saying good-bye to gambling at Casino Pauma and then eating at the once-wonderful Grove Buffet.

For what it is, there is no real complaint here. Inside Casino Pauma, a small Indian casino, it is clean and nicely kept. Large views of the neighboring orange groves makes for a nice experience. While selection was limited, in proportion to the property, and geared heavily towards Mexican fare, it was all fresh and cooked well. Not your typical casino buffet, but it fits well in this environment and is well done.

Well went today for the new Tue night Lobster buffet. What it was a Italian night with those small but tasty little lobster, you only get one small crustacean at a time. They do have large chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail and chilled oysters. The rest was Italian food a few different pasta, ravioli, dried out chicken parmigiana with no marinara sauce anywhere no spaghetti no meatballs they had leg of lamb, wow nice no wait a minute it was dry over cooked not good. I know it's a little out of the way casino ,but come on folks, at least try. Some of these food network chefs would have a field day critiquing this place. The soup was good, Turkey/rice . Friendly staff. Got a 15 dollar foot credit which was the only saving grace.

This is a tiny buffet but offers delicious food at a reasonable price. For the two of us the total amount was $21...great value. Today was Italian food. Asparagus was good, mushrooms were great, salmon was moist and delicious, pasta was delicious, desserts were ok, service was good. Each day is culturally different...Asian, Mexican, American bbq, etc. A must visit for an out of the way casino.