Tradewinds Buffet

Is there a NO STAR rating?! NEVER GOING BACK AND DO NOT RECOMMEND! Horrible, racist workers.
Went there last Thursday because family wanted to, for some of us, it was our first time. Three-​hour long wait, but whatever, everyone’s hungry and most wanted seafood.
We had a group of 6. Once we finally got through the line and PAID, we were instructed to step out of the line and stay against the wall to wait since our group was bigger than typical. As we were waiting to be seated, the men figured it was the perfect time to use the restroom.
The greeter or host, who was a much much older White lady, approached us very rudely and asked us for the rest of our party and insisted that we would not be seated until our entire party was present. Okay, that was rude and disrespectful… WHY THE FK WOULD YOU PUT THE BATHROOM BY THE ENTRANCE IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO LET PEOPLE USE IT ONCE THEY’VE PAID!!! She apparently didn’t see us as people with integrity (or perhaps it was the color of our skin, god knows) and had the audacity to ask the men if they paid when they came out the bathroom… we were like, well, how else did you expect us to get through all of that if we didn’t? We tried to brush it off.
When we were finally seated, we were then asked to show proof that we paid. WTF?! Again, for some of us it was our first time! While everyone else kept their receipt, my uncle threw his away when he went to the bathroom. The cashiers didn’t warn us to keep it, they just said we were «GOOD TO GO.» So that’s when we figured we had enough. My brother openly expressed his frustration and disappointment at the quality of customer service (or the lack thereof) and I piggy-​backed off of it, expressing how rude we were treated on our way in. The waitress seeing that we were all overwhelmed with disbelief at this point said that she would «let it go» and that we didn’t need to show proof. However, the manager then approached my brother (instead of my uncle) and demanded proof of payment. When my brother responded, «Well, how the hell did you think I got in here?!» Manager didn’t even try to de-​escalate the problem, instead she threatened to get security on us. My brother’s girlfriend then pulled out their receipt and then my uncle clarified that he was the one without proof.
Luckily, my uncle paid with his credit card (so he was able to prove payment) and he was the calmer one of the group so he was more than willing to go back up to the cashier’s desk with the manager to verify payment.
All in all, $ 30/​person for a 3-​hour wait, sh*tty customer service and over-​salted food. My brother was so consumed with anger and disbelief after the whole ordeal, he hardly ate a thing. We should’ve just demanded a refund and went next door.

The buffet is newly remodeled. I am waiting in line with my husband and have been waiting for 30 minutes. There are three clean tables that have been open for the last 20 minutes. There are also countless other tables that have been vacated and left dirty for quite some time. The wait staff, the seaters, and the manager are all walking passed these tables without stopping to clear. All this while there are nearly 2−½ rows of patrons waiting to be seated. What a waste of time for an overpriced, mediocre meal. Finally, we are the next to be seated and it’s been over 45 minutes. I’d say take a pass on this one. My husband did say the blueberries are good.

The new Tradewinds has opened. It has a steely metallic feel that looks just like a lot of other casino buffets. They have added more seating and unlike the old layout all of the tables are OK for ambiance. (The old buffet had an area in the back with all the charm of a grade school lunchroom, including the bad fluorescent lighting).
The food is about the same with the addition of some items that will appeal to kids – corn dogs, chicken nuggets etc. The deserts, previously their weakest area, has improved with gelato and crepes.
But the real problem, and it is a BIG problem, is that they have tried to create an open sidewalk feel. So the front of the restaurant is open to the smoke filled — slot machine jingling casino. You have to get at least half way into the space to not smell smoke.
The food area feels more cramped and indeed some of the kitchen staff were complaining about the tighter work space. Also we were left wondering what effect the new remodeling will have on crab night. Will more seats reduce the 1 – 2 hour wait? Are there places to spread the crab legs around, like they used to have, to avoid long lines at the crab pans? Will the crab legs be as good? If indeed the answer to these questions is YES, then I will rate Thursdays 3 stars. But on a non-​crab night it is a solid 2 stars.

Horrible… absolutely horrible! We stopped in there shortly after they reopened (after the remodel). We arrived about 8:50pm and they still accepted us. Beginning around 9:10pm, they started shutting down things. Items were not marked, food SUCKED, service SUCKED. We complained to the manager on duty and he gave us two complimentary buffets (but NOT valid for Thursdays). We gave it one more try. Again, items were not marked, food was cold, not enough of a variety, after waiting over 10 minutes, server finally came over and took our drink orders and then after waiting 15 more minutes, I finally went to the beverage bar and got our drinks. Server only came by once to remove dirty dishes — had to move the others to the other end of the table to get them out of the way. Food was awful… at best and WAY too salty… which is NOT good for people with health issues. Will NOT go back. I would rather go to the sandwich shop or the other reasonably priced sit down restaurant (Currents)… or even the place where you can get a burger with fries. What a HUGE waste of $$ and time. I will be asking for our $$ back!

Newly remodeled but now it’s more uncomfortable and harder to get around in. Variety of food is awlful. Seems like they are trying to be more like old country buffet instead of a high end buffet. Even with coupons it’s just not worth it. Chili tastes like it was from a gas station. The new rotisserie chicken is set in a warmer to dry out until it inedible. Just skip it and order pizza!

This might have been the worst meal of my life. Everything I tried was awful most of the meats were cold and fatty, the service was ok but would rather eat prison food,
Oh yeah let’s not forget they are charging a premium price for that crap, well over twenty dollars. Please fix this problem and hire a chef that is involved and knowable.

Went to the Seafood Day «Thursday» at this restaurant. The Crabs were big, fresh and sweet. The oysters are okay and the smoked salmon are delicious! The dessert isle had many selections. The waiter service was good and the soda was refilled quickly. I rated it a 3 because the butter dipping sauce for the crabs tastes more like oil than butter. In addition, the other food selections were just a BLAH!

Ate here because we had an event to attend at the casino. Fairly disappointed. Very old décor and the food is nothing to go out of your way for; boring selection. Fried chicken, mashed potatoes, pot roast, mac and cheese, nothing special like you’d expect from a casino buffet. Desserts were pie, pie, pie or ice cream. Dull, boring, and not worth eating at. Place needs to be knocked down, rebuilt, and modernized.. .with a new cooking staff that can produce more than frozen/​boxed foods. Only good food this Saturday night was the prime rib.

They send us coupons for BOGO on the buffet– so we go about once every 2 months. Plus then I get to play my slots. For about 5 minutes. Until I lose $ 20 and The Man drags me out of there.
Anyhow, the buffet.
Very big, lots of selection.
They have:
Salad bar with all the usual suspects plus some mixed salads, pudding, and bread.
A soup station with 2 kinds of soup.
«New Orleans» station with shrimp and fish of various kinds.
«Southern» station with fry bread, pot-​roast, au grautin potatoes.
«Asian» station with build-​your-​own-​stir-​fry, rice, egg rolls, short ribs, etc.
«Mexican» station with enchiladas, mini tacos, and inexplicably, baked potatoes.
«Heartland» station with mashed potato, ribs, spaghetti, macaroni, mini corn dogs.
«Meat» station with ham/​prime rib/​etc depending on the day.
«Dessert» station with soft-​serve, toppings, brownies, and dozens of cakes/​pies.
Serve yourself, waitstaff will bus tables and bring you drinks. Pepsi products. But a surprising selection of «diet» pop, like Diet Sierra Mist and Diet Dr. Pepper, instead of just Diet Pepsi. Also, milk, tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and juices.
Highlights:
Soups
Pot roast and veggies
Mashed potatoes
Prime rib if you get the right piece– and use the creamy horseradish.
Build-​your-​own-​stir-​fry
and… LEMON MERINGUE PIE.
Seriously. Dat Pie.
Best Lemon meringue I’ve ever had. I’m always tempted to ask if I can just buy a whole pie, instead of admittance to the buffet. Fluffy but sticky meringue, tart but not too tart lemon, buttery graham cracker crust.
Want to hear a really sad story?
Once upon a time, The Man and I went to Treasure Island Tradewinds Buffet because we had a coupon. We got there, and I noticed that there was no lemon meringue pie on the buffet. I asked the dessert lady, who said they were out. So I didn’t get any pie and I cried the whole way home. The End.
Worth going if you are already there for an event or weekend trip– or if you have a coupon. Otherwise, probably wouldn’t make a special trip if I had to pay full price. Unless I really wanted that pie.

Most of the food is cold and you have to ASK for beverages. The broasted chicken is a highlight. Baked potato isn’t bad. My sister liked the salmon.
Dessert actually redeems this buffet! Really excellent cream puffs (I put hot fudge on mine). Also tried caramel brownie with toffee and caramel… Very good!

Went here for the first time for my bday weekend. Had to try the buffet right? Got a room and since we were going to be drinking that night, We decided to go to brunch instead of dinner. Anyways they had the best french toast I have ever tasted in my life, the strawberrys were fresh, the texture was on point and OMG I miss them dearly, wish I lived closer. I will definitly go again. I didn’t give it 5 stars because I didn’t try everything (i was stuck on the french toast) and I hated the décor oh and the chocolate milk didn’t tast too good, the waitress couldn’t even tell us what brand it was or where it came from… other than that i am looking forward to trying dinner cause brunch was umm umm good!

I’m a little embarrassed to be writing this review, but anything for the sake of Unilocal.With nothing to do on a Thursday night (and missing the Wednesday night Seafood buffet at Mystic Lake the previous night) we somehow ended up at Treasure Island unintentionally and unplanned of course for their seafood buffet night. A quarter of the way into gorging ourselves with crab legs and raw oysters, prime rib and mashed potatoes with gravy, I started to fill a little uneasy with myself as I saw the room full of overweight Americans (myself probably included). I thought of the current events and the food shortages around the world and here I was cracking open my fourth plate of crab legs. Then my little mind started to ponder where the idea of buffets came from. And how my poor college self can afford the luxury of stuffing my face so when others go for days without little or no sustenance. All thoughts of starving children were lost as I discovered the ice cream sundae stand and the different varieties of cheese cake they offered. In all actuality, the novelty of seafood buffet wore off quickly when you realize it boils down to only crab legs and low grade buffet food. Ashamed and quite full later I managed to win back the expenses (buffet for 2 $ 50 and gas there $ 20ish) and more in black jack.