Best All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants in Ottawa

Sometimes you just want to eat until you can't eat anymore. Ottawa's all-you-can-eat scene is smaller than Toronto's, but the city and Gatineau still have solid options across cuisines — a 100-dish Chinese buffet in Kanata, order-to-table AYCE sushi in both Kanata and ByWard Market, unlimited Korean BBQ on Somerset West, and a casino buffet just across the river in Gatineau.

Here are the best all-you-can-eat restaurants in the Ottawa-Gatineau region right now.

Top All-You-Can-Eat Restaurants

1. Mandarin Restaurant — The 100-Dish Buffet

Mandarin Restaurant in Kanata is Ottawa's biggest all-you-can-eat buffet, full stop. Mandarin is Canada's best-known AYCE chain, and the Kanata location runs the full playbook: more than 100 dishes rotating through Chinese classics, a live sushi counter, a carving station, pizza, made-to-order noodles, a massive salad bar, and a dessert counter with cakes, tarts, and ice cream.

It's the kind of place families book for birthdays, graduations, and Mother's Day. The dining room is big, bright, and chandelier-lit, and the rotation keeps even regulars coming back. With a 4.8-star Google rating across nearly 10,000 reviews, it's also Ottawa's highest-rated buffet.

Must-try: General Tso's chicken, live-rolled sushi, carvery roast beef, made-to-order noodles, dessert bar

• Price: Lunch $26.99 (weekday) / $33.99 (weekend). Dinner $36.99 (Mon-Thu) / $43.99 (Fri-Sun & holidays)
• Discounts: Seniors 65+ get 20% off; kids 5-12 are 50% off; kids 4 and under eat free (up to 2 per adult)
• Address: 150B Katimavik Road, Kanata
• Best for: Family celebrations, big appetites, variety lovers

2. Hockey Sushi — AYCE Sushi, Kanata

Hockey Sushi on Carling Avenue is Kanata's go-to all-you-can-eat Japanese restaurant. Unlike old-school sushi buffets where rolls sit in steam trays, everything here is made to order — you mark what you want on a checklist (or iPad), and the kitchen sends it out in rounds until you say stop.

The menu covers everything: nigiri, maki rolls, sashimi, tempura, teriyaki, udon, gyoza, fried rice, yakisoba. They even have robot cat servers that bring food to the table, which is a hit with kids. Gluten-free options are available on request.

Must-try: Salmon nigiri, spicy tuna roll, tempura, beef teriyaki, agedashi tofu

• Price: Lunch $26.99 (Mon-Fri 11am-2pm). Dinner $38.99 (daily). Kids are age × $1.50 (lunch) or age × $2.00 (dinner).
• Address: 4055 Carling Avenue, Kanata
• Best for: Fresh sushi without the buffet compromise, families with kids

3. Hokkaido Sushi — Downtown AYCE Sushi

Hokkaido Sushi on Dalhousie Street is downtown Ottawa's main AYCE sushi option. Tucked into ByWard Market, it's walkable from Parliament Hill, Rideau Centre, and the National Gallery — which makes it the easiest AYCE sushi stop for visitors or anyone working downtown.

Like Hockey Sushi, everything is made to order from a full menu of nigiri, rolls, sashimi, and hot Japanese dishes. It's not the fanciest AYCE spot in the city, but it's the only one this close to the core.

Must-try: Spicy salmon roll, dynamite roll, tempura, gyoza, chicken teriyaki

• Price: Lunch $26.99 (Mon-Thu) / $27.99 (Fri-Sun). Dinner $40.99 (Mon-Thu) / $42.99 (Fri-Sun & holidays)
• Address: 272 Dalhousie Street, ByWard Market
• Best for: Downtown AYCE sushi, tourists staying in ByWard

4. Korean House — All-You-Can-Eat Korean BBQ

Korean House on Somerset West is Ottawa's original AYCE Korean BBQ. It's been around for years on the edge of Chinatown, and it's still the default group-dinner pick for people who want to grill their own meat at the table without committing to a $70 à la carte experience.

The AYCE menu includes unlimited rounds of bulgogi, spicy pork, and marinated chicken, plus banchan (kimchi, pickled radish, bean sprouts), miso soup, mandoo, seafood pajeon, japchae, and dolsot bibimbap. Galbi and seafood items may have per-table limits, but the main proteins are unlimited.

Must-try: Bulgogi, spicy pork, haemul pajeon, japchae, dolsot bibimbap

• Price: Dinner AYCE BBQ $34.95
• Address: 785 Somerset Street West, Chinatown
• Best for: Group dinners, tabletop grilling, first-time Korean food

5. Banco Bistro — Casino Buffet in Gatineau

Banco Bistro is the casual buffet inside Casino du Lac-Leamy in Gatineau, a short drive across the river from downtown Ottawa. For most of the week it's an à la carte stop for rotisserie chicken, pizza, burgers, and sandwiches — but on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights it becomes a full dinner buffet, and Sundays add a brunch buffet as well.

It's the only proper casino buffet in the Ottawa-Gatineau region, and it's a fun pairing if you want to combine dinner with an evening at the tables. Note: you need to be 18+ to enter the casino areas.

• Price: Call for current buffet pricing (not listed on the official website)
• Address: 1 Boulevard du Casino, Gatineau
• Buffet hours: Friday-Sunday dinner; Sunday brunch
• Best for: Casino night, Sunday brunch, variety without the Kanata drive

Quick Comparison

Also Worth Knowing — Indian Lunch Buffets

Ottawa's Indian restaurant scene has some of the city's best lunch buffets, even if they're not pure AYCE in the sushi sense:

• East India Company has been running one of Ottawa's most beloved Indian lunch buffets for over 40 years. Lunch buffet starts at $22.99 — the cheapest AYCE-style meal on this whole list. Two locations: downtown Somerset and Bells Corners.
• Coconut Lagoon on St. Laurent Boulevard runs a $30 Kerala lunch buffet from chef Joe Thottungal. It's the most elevated Indian buffet experience in the city — closed Tuesdays.

Tips for Ottawa AYCE

• Arrive hungry, obviously. But pace yourself — order in waves at sushi AYCE spots, and start with proteins at Korean BBQ before loading up on rice and noodles.
• Book ahead on weekends. Mandarin, Hockey Sushi, and Korean House fill up fast on Friday and Saturday nights. Sunday brunch is the peak at Banco Bistro.
• Kids and seniors get discounts. Mandarin is the most generous here — kids 4 and under eat free, and seniors get 20% off the full buffet.
• Sushi AYCE has time limits. Most AYCE sushi restaurants give you around 90 minutes to two hours at the table. Plan your order accordingly.
• Lunch is almost always cheaper than dinner. If you want the best value, AYCE lunch on a weekday is the move — especially at Hokkaido Sushi and Hockey Sushi.
• Leftover fees exist. Many AYCE sushi places charge extra for uneaten items you ordered. Order only what you can finish.
• For casino dining in Gatineau, bring ID. The Casino du Lac-Leamy is 18+, so you can't bring younger kids into the gaming areas.