Family feasting Trio delivers well-balanced, hot meals

Mr. Alton Dorsey
December 2, 2009
Margarette Jones
December 4, 2009
Mr. Alton Dorsey
December 2, 2009
Margarette Jones
December 4, 2009

With Thanksgiving and Black Friday in our rear view mirror, the mad dash to Christmas has begun. It is time to get the tree set up, hang up the kid’s stockings, and mail out the holiday cards to loved ones near and far.


It is also the time to start Christmas shopping. Dragging the kids from store to store with long check out lines does get them hungry and needing a break. There are some restaurants that will satisfy their hunger with a variety of foods and is easy on the parent’s pocketbook.


If you are shopping in the Houma area this season, there are a few local spots that cater to large families with ease and offer a variety of menu items to make even the most discriminating teenager happy.

This month’s review is a comparison of Piccadilly, Ryan’s and Golden Corral. All are casual cafeteria-style restaurants in Houma. All three are similar with a mostly self-service dining room offering a large selection of items ranging from soup and salad, meats and vegetables, desserts and even hot fresh bread.


Drinks are not included in any of the prices quoted and must be ordered additionally.


This style of establishment is relaxed and convenient as diners either serve themselves at the buffet bars or order from the a la carte serving line. Buffets are traditionally all-you-can-eat and a la carte dining is when diners pay for each item individually. Both offer fast service with a wide variety of selections.

The first is Piccadilly Cafeteria, which offers the only a la carte serving line.


There are daily lunch specials starting at $4.99 that includes one entrée selection, two sides, and bread. There are other center of the plate items that range from $6.49 to $8.99 that also includes two sides and bread.


Some excellent items are crawfish etouffee, roast beef with au jus and the blackened fish. The sides are seasoned well and delicious, of which the carrot soufflé is my personal favorite. The entrees are also seasoned well and there is a varied menu each day that covers meat, fish, shrimp, chicken and pork items.

The second is Ryan’s restaurant, which is a buffet restaurant with a varied menu that is different at lunch and dinner. Friday night offers seafood on the buffet with a bit higher charge of around $13 for all-you-can-eat fried and boiled shrimp, fried catfish, and sirloin steak cooked to order.


The lunch special pricing through Christmas is $4.99 for lunch during the week with a $3.99 specially priced all-you-can-eat soup and salad deal.


During dinner, you can get a sirloin steak cooked to order. Ryan’s, in the past, offered ribeye steaks and T-bones but this location has gone strictly to offering only the sirloin, which is included in the dinner pricing with the mega bar.

Ryan’s also offers breakfast for $4.99 on the weekend until 10:30 a.m. The lunch selections included baked fish, fried pork chops, meatloaf, fried chicken, a variety of vegetables and hot rolls.

They also offer salad, pasta, potato and taco bars. I found the vegetables were under-salted consistently, but the meats where flavorful and juicy.

The staff members were pleasant and available for drink refills and coffee service.

The third choice is Golden Corral, which also offers an all-you-can-eat buffet for one price. The lunch price is $7.39 and dinner is $9.79 that includes a sirloin steak cooked to order. They also offer breakfast on the weekend for $7.39.

There is an extensive selection of items ranging from pot roast, slider sandwiches, Asian inspired recipes, mac and cheese, smothered green beans and desserts.

This was my least favorite of the three. I didn’t find anything that I tried that I thought was unique.

My waitress spoke to me as she sprinted by in the dining room and it was not even busy.

I also went to wash up in the restroom and there was a paper sign that designated “MEN.” The women’s restroom was the same. It did not send a very good first impression.

Overall, Piccadilly is my top choice because of the varied selection of meats and seafood offered every day. I found all their food to be seasoned well and unique to Piccadilly. It is not a buffet but the portions are large and ample to be totally satisfying.

Each of the three restaurants has subtle differences so they can remain unique, but all feed large and small groups alike with ease. All were easy to get in and out of without any waiting around.

If you want a better alternative to fast food while finishing up your Christmas shopping this December, give one of these locations a try.

Piccadilly Cafeteria in Houma offers families well-balanced meals on the go. Ryan’s and Golden Corral offer local favorites with their all-you-can-eat buffet deals.