The Best All You Can Eat Deals in Los Angeles

During the week, the lobby of the Hilton Hotel Los Angeles/Universal City looks like any other hotel lobby. But on the weekends, guests have to navigate through a maze of plate-holding local buffet seekers at Cafe Sierra's prime rib and sushi stations. Pros will go straight for the crab, raw oysters and lobster thermidor at this Vegas-style buffet. Prices are higher for the holidays, so if you can wait until January, stuffing your face will only cost $50 on Fridays and Saturdays, and $46 on Sundays.

Often the best all you can eat Korean BBQ place is the newest AYCE Korean BBQ place, as young restaurants try to impress with lower prices and higher quality meats and side dishes. But if you want to splurge on quality meat at a spot that's been consistently great for years, Oo-Kook is where you want to fire up your grill. For $26 you get to pick from a 26-item menu which includes black angus short ribs and "kobe" marinated bulgogi, while the gigantic shrimp offer a nice change of pace. Really want to win the game? Go for lunch, when the price drops to $20.

Every good Israeli-style falafel joint should have an excellent pickles and salads bar, but Hummus Bar & Grill ups the game by bringing them to your table Korean-style, like panchan. For $10 ($6 if you add it to any entree) you get unlimited servings of 10-12 of their mezze, including chopped liver, egg salad, babaganoosh and tabouleh. And their fresh baked laffa makes it worth breaking the standard "don't eat the bread" buffet rule.

Even though Fogo de Chao is a chain, if you want AYCE Brazilian-style roasted meats, sliced tableside right off the spit, this is where you're going. The trick is to go for lunch, where you get the same enormous salad bar and rotating spits of assorted beef cuts, lamb chops, pork ribs, sausage and bacon wrapped meats as you do at night, but for 40% less ($35.50). If you're really smart, you'll visit during dineLA Restaurant Week, when the prices drop to $25 and $45.

Artesia’s Pioneer Boulevard is packed with Indian AYCE buffets. For tandoori chicken and saag paneer, you'll want to hit up Ashoka the Great. But for something truly special, make your way to Rajdhani for their all-you-can-eat vegetarian thali - think: Indian bento box. Servers circle the restaurant, refilling your tin tray with fresh pakoras, roti, puri, papadum, dal, rice and an assortment of other Gujarati specialties. Dessert and a salt lassi are also included. At $15 it's a bit pricier than most of the other buffets in the area, but you've never had anything quite like it.

It's safe to say the cheap seats in right field at Dodgers Stadium are by far the most dangerous seats in Major League Baseball. Not for drinking or fighting, but the fact that one ticket gets you a seat plus all-you-can-eat Dodger Dogs, nachos, peanuts, popcorn, and soft drinks. Tickets for groups of 20 start at $30. At that price, the game is just added value.

Learning to stuff your bowl to the brim and above at one-and-done Mongolian BBQ is an acquired skill. So finding an AYCE version of one of these stir fry factories is not only a buffet lover’s dream but also a major stress reducer. The best one is Big Wok, where pork, beef, chicken and lamb are offered alongside noodles, and a choice of almost 20 different veggies. You'll try your best not to eat the warm and chewy shaobing (sesame bread), but you'll fail. There's also rice and a make-your-own sauce bar as well, but no pressure there either. You don't have to get it right the first time.

However you feel about vegan cuisine, there are four words that instantly improve any 100% meatless, cheeseless, and eggless restaurant: all-you-can-eat. And nobody proves that better thanRahel Ethiopian Vegan Cuisine, whose $10 lunch buffet is one of the best in the city. The buffet has at least eight dishes on any given day, each with their own unique flavor. The magic they work with lentils is impressive.

If there is a perfect Chinese food buffet in Los Angeles, we have yet to find it. But King Buffet, located on Western Avenue in Hollywood, is the best you're going to find in a central location. The large lunchtime crowds ensure that the food is at least fresh-ish, while the weekday $9.99 price tag makes it easy to get your money's worth. If you're a big fan of crab you'll want to hold out for dinner, when the price goes up to $14.99.