TEMPORARY COVID-19 CLOSURE - Market Buffet Casino Niagara (Western/International)

Update: 2021-Aug-20 - This location remains closed post-lockdown even though opening is now permitted, and it is unknown if and when it will ever return. I am therefore removing it from the active list, and will follow up periodically and restore it when it returns to AYCE status.

Casino Niagara Market Buffet is located in Casino Niagara at 5705 Falls Ave. in downtown Niagara Falls. There is much less lineup and it is much quieter than the similar Grand Buffet at the nearby Fallsview Casino that we reviewed earlier, and has plenty of booth seating, as well as a view of the falls. As with Fallsview, it is highly recommended to register for a free Player's Advantage Card in the casino, as you will immediately receive discounts: Lunch is $21, $24 without the Player's Advantage Card, dinner is $24, $29 without the card. And also similar to Fallsview, AYCD pop and tax are included in this price and since diners pay first no tipping is expected. Assuming 15% tip and 13% tax, this makes lunch the equivalent of $16.16 with the card and $18.46 without, and dinner $18.46 with the card and $22.31 without, including on weekends and holidays.

The roast beef itself was not bad (Mishy liked it a lot) although it needed a little more flavor, and au jus filled in nicely, but skip the gravy! The roast beef's gravy was terrible, with little savour and a strange caramel flavor I could not identify. It didn't really resemble gravy in taste, and may have been the worst gravy I ever had at least at an AYCE.  Salisbury steak au jus d'oignon was excellent and formed into steak-like pieces. Herb-roasted chicken was delicious, moist and had good spicing. Grilled chicken thighs have a very tasty BBQ sauce that Mishy adored; I liked them as well. Italian sausage was not bad, but a bit more generic than Genoa. Seared salmon was not as good as Fallsview's but still not bad; needed more spicing. Shiu mei pork shrimp balls were quite good. Spring rolls were excellent, better than some Asian places. Bok choy was very good with a good texture, not over-steamed, and had a light buttery sauce. Chicken vegetable stir-fry unfortunately had a burnt flavor so it was not enjoyable at all; I would recommend to skip this and the roast beef's gravy for an enjoyable meal. Beef chili was good but would have have preferred it to be a little hotter; however it has to appeal to everyone of course. Tomato cabbage soup with beef was quite unexpectedly good; the flavors were well-balanced and blended. Clam chowder was good but missing something.. savoury?

Pepperoni pizza was nice and cheesy, not dried out as with some other AYCE pizzas. Potato salad was good with subtle deal hints in the dressing. Penne tuna salad was mislabeled as broccoli bacon, but good nonetheless. Crab salad was delicious and tangy. Basa with tomato sauce salsa was definitely needing those included lemon wedges squeezed onto it, as they brought it to life. Mashed potatoes were excellent au jus. Meatballs were sort of flavorless and the sauce was the generic orangey tomato sauce found in Chef Boyardee… I would skip this as well. Tomato penne pasta sauce was much better and actually tasted of tomato. For dessert, only chocolate and vanilla ice creams are available but there are plenty of toppings, caramel is good. Crème brûlée was not authentic but still delicious and it was nice they had it. Butter tart squares were good and very similar to Fallsview's; I think they are made at the same place. Sticky toffee pudding is a bit too sweet but tasty.

All in all, as with Fallsview, with the AYCD pop and included tax/tip prepay this is a good value, with the caveats of skipping a few of the items (for me the roast beef gravy, chicken vegetable stir-fry and meatballs.) Other than those, I did have an enjoyable lunch, and I overall slightly preferred the offerings here.

Rating: 7-7.5/10