HomeTown Buffet

My husband and I ate lunch at HTB in Happy Valley yesterday. we had gone to Portland.3 hour drive from Redmond. We used to go to HTB and loved their food. We were shocked at how BAD the food was yesterday. They have gone down hill BIG TIME!
Lettuce at salad bar was turning brown, no honey mustard dressing, food was tasteless. they were out of BBQ pulled pork. server brought some out… no sauce and no seasoning; left it on my plate. They have ruined their desserts. apple pie was raw, tasteless apples and soggy underbaked pie crust. They used to have amazing bread pudding with white vanilla frosting drizzle… the one yesterday was dried out and had some kind of caramel drizzle that was awful.
We had a lovely waitress, but she had food splattered all over her Tshirt. it actually was stomach turning.
Restaurant décor looking tired and worn… very sad.
It is our plan never to grace their doors again.

The food is awful. Has no flavour! Or they all just taste the same… the desserts are too sweet like eating a bag of sugar. I would not recommend this place as fine dining!

Where do I start? The only positive was the hostess was nice and had a sense of humor. That being said, the rest of the experience was horrendous. Let’s start with the staff. The bus boy was constantly running people over with his cart and then being rude about them being in HIS way. Then, we have the «buffet manager» who looked, and acted, like she was tweaking. She was yelling commands, at the top of her lungs, in a Witch Hazel raspy voice and you could here EVERY SINGLE WORD. Okay, so it’s Hometown Buffet, I did not expect gourmet food, and I had a coupon, but it was nasty. The scrambled eggs were runny, the biscuits were stale and there was water that resembled gravy. The macaroni and cheese was cold, when I say cold, I mean refigerated COLD. NOTHING on this buffet was good. I have been here before and had a passable breakfast, after this experience… NEVER AGAIN.

Went to Home Town Buffet for the first time yesterday. My name place to eat. The Ham and the BBQ sausage were really GOOD. The people where Very Nice. Again my Best Place to eat know. Try It Is REALLY GOOD

We were there for dinner on Monday night. Overall I think the food wasn’t so good. Everything was either too salty or too sweet (the desserts). I tried the ham, the roast beef and the sausage at the carving station. The ham was ok, the roast beef was too dry and the sausage was too salty that I couldn’t take a second bite. The spaghetti noodles looked too dry so I didn’t even want to try it. The only good things that I like were the chicken pot pie and the taco bar, but the ground beef at the taco bar was too salty as well. I don’t know why everything in this place was so salty. I understand if some of the items were salty because the cook might be too generous with the salt, but in this case, everything I tried was too salty and I don’t think it’s good for anybody’s health to consume so much salt in one dinner. I tried the coconut cream pie and the cookie and cream cheesecake and these were so sweet that I had to abandon my desserts after a few bites even though I always love desserts. The only things I like at the dessert bar were the ice cream (but it was a bit runny) and the rice krispy bars. Those were decent and not too sweet. The service was fast and friendly. Other than that, the food wasn’t that great and I don’t think I would want to come back again considering the price I paid for the quality of food that I got.

We go at least once a week (82^nd street and Mall 205 locations), get coupons in email and weekly throw-​away ads, so cost is good. According to most of the comments, the only people who go there are fat and poor and have kids that are out of control. I don’t see that at all. I have 8 kids, Most are teens now but I never let a child under 12 serve them selves. I supervise so I appreciate it when other parents help their kids and don’t let them run around. There is almost always a birthday party going on, especially on the weekends. The food is ok to good but it is a low cost buffet so what do you expect? Plenty of choices. My 17 yr old daughter need to eat gluten free and has lots to choose from. I always bring a small zip bag and take home any meat or whatever I have left over. they will throw it away anyway. I do have some complaints, drinks are way too expensive, and now the individual servings are not very good. They get cold and dry out quickly. I am brokenhearted about the bread pudding, my favorite item until they started putting it in individual serving cups and added some other nasty topping on top and not enough of the original sauce. It’s dry and I dont like it anymore, it really was the reason I started going there. Also because with lots of mouths to feed we really do get our moneys worth. Teenage boys can eat a lot and In a traditional restaurant they never get enough. Also if you don’t like something you can discard it and go get something else, with no problems. The servers are friendly and quick to clean off your dirty dishes, the food is stocked quickly and if you ask you can get as much meat from the carver as you want. All in all, if you just want a family atmosphere, food that fills and as much as you can eat, this is the place for you. Look for coupons: «buy one dinner get another for $ 2» «Two dinners for $ 17.99» also lunch and breakfast coupons. Sign up and they will send them weekly to your email.

Round 1, the Ceasars salad was on the wilted side, not so good. Otherwise round 1 was fair as a salad course.
Round 2, carbs and meat. The dressing was sweetish, I didn’t much like that. My chicken drumstick was nice, semi-​crispy outside, moist in the inside.
Round 3, I enjoyed the coconut cream pie, even the crust was nice.
And last, the vanilla ice cream cone was great. However, I foolishly put some chocolate sauce on top that turned out to be hot fudge. Oops, because it immediately melted the ice cream underneath and slid down the sides.

We are frequent vistors at the Eugene/​Springfield location. Always very pleased there. Today after dropping off a family member we decided to drive around and explore a part or Portland area we have never been to. We saw Hometown and knew thats what we were having for lunch. Cant go wrong. Good food, great price. Well we walk into an outdated décor funcky layout. Ruby at the register was awesome, very nice. Resturant had maybe 3 or 4 tables with people at them, being 11:20 they hadn’t been open too long. Well we go and start getting food. Everything looked ok. Some things you could tell weren’t so great. Well we sit down and start eating, well trying to eat. Food was either hard and too hot or cold and flimsy. We sat there a few minutes after our second round seeing as they had brought out new food. Well that didn’t help. Food was horrible. We were very upset at the exprience and were going to talk with the manager but she was on the phone and they started growing a line of customera. So we just decided to leave. We will never be returning to this location. Very very disappointed in this location.

Been to this Hometown Buffet a number of times as my hubby likes the variety of Salads and such. The last two times we went to have dinner were less than our moneys worth by far.
It was a Monday on one visit and a Tuesday on the other. Both times the place was packed with people and barely any food to be had. We overheard a busser say that they hadn’t been this busy in a while and that they were low on help.
I have worked in food service in the past and I can appreciate the serving staff being a little «OFF» by being short handed and busy. Once I can accept this but not twice in a row. The Roast Beef/​Ham cutting station had two very small pieces of meat that the Gentleman was slicing off of and everything else was low as well. We stood and waited to see if more was coming out but got tired of waiting and settled for some more salad.
I also think you need to rethink your labeling system as 40% of the items had no labels. If it looks like Mystery meat NO ONE WILL EAT IT if they don’t know what it is!!!
I think it is great that people bring their kids in to eat but I think that Adult supervision is required since no one should have to eat after a child has handled the chicken with their bare hands. This goes for all the foods.
That you now charge for drinks is ridiculous and perhaps you should have someone at the door relieving the three people that walked out with glasses when we were there. I’m sure that they could bring them back in, in a purse and thus avoid another charge for their drinks.
In all I don’t care for the cool food that is offered. Yes the Gentleman that Reviewed a few ahead of us was correct that it amazed him that you pass the Health department standards for holding food at Temperature that is safe to eat. I too wonder how you pass.

It is hit or miss for this particular Hometown Buffet. For the money, though, it is a pretty good deal, especially if you have a coupon. The people who work there are extremely nice and helpful. If you tell them something is out, they get right on top of it and have it replaced. So, nothing wrong with the service.
The food, on the other hand, can leave something to be desired. Sometimes it is really good and other times it can be really bad. For example, when they had steak, it was great! Really good for the price. Now that they have roast beef, that has changed. The roast beef is dry and leathery. Really hard to eat.
The fried chicken can be some of the best around when it is fresh, especially the breasts, but when it has been sitting there awhile it can be dry and turn into a glob of glue in your throat.
The salad bar is pretty decent. It has a fairly nice selection.
I can go on and on, but it is about what you would expect for a buffet. On some days it can be excellent and other days… not so good. Luck of the draw, I guess. I tend to think it’s better right when they open for lunch.
Oh yea, almost forgot about the breakfast buffet. That, my friends is awesome! When you factor in price with all you can eat bacon and eggs, amongst other items, it can’t be beat. They have an omelet station as well. Highly recommend the breakfast buffet if you are not on a diet.

Alright, I’m writing this review as a protest to the recent change in their beverage policy: Charging separate, exorbitant prices for their beverage ‘service.’ To be fair, the food isn’t bad, all things considered, and the environment is clean, and the bus staff are diligent in their efforts to keep your table clear of completed dishes. All of that aside, they have hopped on a bandwagon that is quickly gathering momentum around the country: Charging $ 2.49 for a Coke. I, for one, will not support this practice with my patronage. What you do is up to you.

The quality can really vary and lunch is a much better deal than the dinner price. I know people deservedly bash this place. The workers try hard to keep the food coming out and the place clean. You’ll find the same clientele here as the folks who shop at WinCo and Walmart, so if that bothers you, be forewarned. It took me a while to get used to it. Just like the table manners of my fellow grade school classmates. I feel like I want to wear rubber gloves if I touch the same items some of the other folks have used. Though this restaurant is much better than some other buffets for cleanliness. I don’t know if they use a sanitizer when cleaning the tables, so watch out.

I’ve considered trying the buffet here for several years, not a big fan of buffet food, and finally decided to give it a try. I now remember why I’m not a big fan of buffet style dining and after dining here it will be many years before I even consider buffet food again. Most of the items I tried were barely warm, not sure how they pass inspections by the health department. The food was terrible, I believe hospital and probably jail food would probably surpass the food here. Most of the food Had little taste or tasted as though it came from a can or package and thrown together. To top it off, I couldn’t even eat the vanilla ice cream, it tasted like it was made with spoiled milk. I definitely won’t return here or recommend to anyone. You can fast food that tastes much better and probably better for you than eating here.

I’m upgrading Hometown Buffet (HTB) on SE 82^nd in what has always been Portland 97 266 in Clackamas County and is now considered Happy Valley. Right.
The food has gotten better. The people who work here, except for that initial upsell at the cash register, can be very nice.
Among the better items are more mini cheesecakes and additional desserts, some good soups (such as corn chowder, for one), and there are these small round casserole dishes with a whipped baked potato type thing that’s actually very good. As for the other stuff, it’s reliable.
I’ll admit it. I get those coupons and go here twice a month … once for breakfast on a weekend and once for lunch at another time. You will need to take a nap upon finishing your meal at HTB.

reset your expectations as you walk in the door.
this is not prepared to order food — this is an inexpensive buffet.
reset your expectations — you have been warned.
The trick to getting fresh food is to keep an eagle eye out on the folks restocking the food. When you see something you are interested in being restocked, then jump in and get some of what was just put out.
do this — and you will be pleased.
ignore my advice and you will likely have a mixed experience — sometimes you will get food that isn’t bad, sometimes meh and sometimes oh my gosh — this is awful.

Looks like all the seniors are here, which is a good thing because they get great discount, they seem to know each other well and they seem to be happy with the food and service. I didn’t find anything wrong with this place like other reviewers because I didn’t expect it to be amazing or anything. The food was «A-​OK» average buffet stuff.
If you put your expectation in your pocket and just go with «the amount you can eat» over something spectacular then you are at the right place.
***** Please let the senior cut in line and go first.

The food was okay. Nothing spectacular, but I appreciated the variety. I am a vegetarian and there was plenty for me to eat. The dessert bar is fun. I would like it more if there were more healthy options and less fried things.

What can I say? I love a good buffet.
Hometown Buffet is pretty great, actually.
Pros:
You pay upfront as you enter the restaurant, then eat and drink as much as you want.
If you decide not to eat everything on your plate and still go back for something else, no one gets upset with you. (I’ve actually had this happen somewhere else)
If you’re a curvy girl like me, you don’t have to worry that everyone is staring at you because a lot… ok, MOST of the people there are on the chunky side.
The waitstaff and friendly and helpful. Someone even visits table to table to offer fresh cinnamon rolls.
The food is kept appropriately hot or cold. Serving areas are kept clean and filled by the staff.
When a dish seems to be getting low, they rush to bring a full one so the buffet is always full of fresh, delicious food.
The layout of the food and seating areas works well, leaving ample room for people to maneuver around to get where they are going.
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Cons:
You have to pay separately for your drink, so a typical dinner ends up costing around $ 14
Occasionally you will find a hard, dried out edge on something that shouldn’t be. Bread, for example.
Since it is a buffet serving a mixture of things like taco fixings, pizza, fried chicken, salad, etc… you have to be aware that they don’t really specialize in any one thing, so the food isn’t outstanding in the way that you would expect, say like a Mexican restaurant. The flavors and textures are good, don’t get me wrong, but they are not 5-​star quality.
A lot of people have handled the serving utensils and possibly some of the food… kids aren’t always well supervised by their parents.
The dessert area is always sticky. LOL
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An anecdote from my last visit:
When my boyfriend and I sat down, the booths on either side of us were empty, but soon were filled with A) a couple of guys talking about recovery and addiction in very colorful terms that weren’t appropriate for all audiences.
And B) Then the booth behind us filled with a family including young children who thought it was great to jump up and down on the seat while facing backwards (towards me) and yelling, squealing, and shrieking very loudly with little parental interference. It wasn’t until I turned around and looked, that the parent told their child to sit down.
Later as we were leaving, a woman a couple of tables away was speaking very loudly to her dad, «Do you have your hearing aids in, Daddy?» He motioned «no». Then she asked him, again shouting, «Daddy, where are your teeth?» He opened his fist to show her a napkin with his false teeth wrapped inside.
I was soooooooooo glad I’d already eaten. That was really gross.

My first time: Sunday lunch.
It was over 90 degrees out. We were debating over a Mexican place or the buffet. We saw a vinyl banner proclaiming, «$ 4.99 soup and salad» so we went in. The air conditioning was delightful to a few weary back-​to-​school shoppers like us. By the time we got to the register (because there were no hints about what lunch might cost), I would have paid almost anything to stay in the air con. $ 10 plus $ 2 for a drink.
Seating was ample, even with all the Sunday church crowd. There were lots of kids running loose so look out for that. They have ICEEs on tap, something like three flavors, one of which is Raspberry Lemonade. People all around us had those.
We did a preliminary swoop to check everything out. I saw an employee stocking/​cleaning the large salad bar area (+1), a condiment area with A1, Tapatio, Cholula, etc (+1), a long dessert bar (+1), a DIY taco/​fajita/​nachos area (+10) and I was feeling like I could get my $ 10 worth.
First trip: potato cheddar soup and a DIY taco. Pretty delicious. And everything tasted pretty fresh. I love that I could pile as much pico de gallo (or anything) as I wanted (honestly, if no one is looking, I eat it with a spoon in restaurants, I *LOVE* pico!). The only meat choice was ground beef (meh).
Second trip: salad bar and garlic bread (the bread was hyper-​heat-​lamped, beyond repair). Salad was good. They had a greek style salad, regular greens, Caesar greens as bases for all the fixings.
Third trip: MEAT PLATE (roast beef, ham, fried chicken, bbq pork & some mashed potatoes). The ham was really good. I’m not sure how differently one place can prepare ham from another but this ham was great! What I thought was prime rib was actually roast beef and somewhat tough. But they had boiling hot au jus and horseradish to go with it so I just told myself it was prime rib. The guy working the meat slicing was friendly. I love mashed potatoes at a buffet. I don’t know why it’s different but they always taste awesome. These were good and there were two gravy options.
And then I had a dessert plate. The dessert area was a little messy (a product of all the kids running wild, I’m sure). Soft serve was good but sauces were low/​empty and the «clean» bowls we first pulled out were chocolatey. At least, I’m telling myself that was chocolate. Cheesecake was fluffy, like a Jello No Bake, maybe? Very heavy on the almond flavor. Soft chocolate chip cookies, fudge, carrot cake. Tons of choices though.
I probably guzzled about 2,000 calories down my gullet. But it was good. In general, I feel like buffets are a waste because everything on the buffet is only mediocre. Nothing is really great. This place was a step up from that. Not fantastic, but actually pretty decent food. I would return, esp if there was actually prime rib some night of the week.

This former Old Country Buffet location has morphed into its sister brand Hometown Buffet, keeping the ghettoness in check while the fattest people in Clackamas scarf their guts out at this all you can eat eatery.
Hometown is almost exactly the same in other locations, though the parking can seem a bit limited here since it shares spaces with the other strip mall businesses next door. Prices are still decent and while customer service is good, I’ve noticed the manager sitting around a little too often.
The food selection is pure Americana, though the buffet layout makes the place seem a little smaller than it is. The food will be mediocre but this is no way around it, this is HomeTown Buffet after all. My favorite time is the breakfast buffet, where they now feature customized omelets. When struggling to find eateries that can have food ready faster than McDonald’s, look no further than this stomach expanding buffet.