All you can eat seafood atlantic city

Two seafood buffets bring all-you-can-eat options to family-fun locations

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Fried clams, lobsters and calamari are all on the menu at each of the seafood buffets in Atlantic City.

Showboat's sandlot is Ground Zero for a seafood smorgasbord this summer.

Like most gambling meccas, Atlantic City has always been a hotspot for that most old-school of casino traditions — the buffet. Long derided as a spot to gorge oneself, most buffets are celebrated for the idea that they offer lots of options and the ability to take as much as you want, with the tradeoff being that you generally expect the food to be rather uninspired, and of a lesser quality than you might receive at a traditional restaurant.

But that’s where the concept of a seafood buffet turns everything on its head. Seafood-based buffets can’t cut the same kind of corners that your traditional buffet can, as seafood itself is not cheap, and the preparation of things like crab legs, lobster and u-peel shrimp is often so straightforward that it can be tough for any chef to hide poor quality under elaborate sauces or seasonings.

Right now Atlantic City has two all-you-can-eat seafood buffets running, one at Showboat Hotel and the other at the Steel Pier. Both are al fresco dining experiences run by the same company — PC Event Services — and both put you right up against the beach, with the salt air and festive summer atmosphere adding to the experience.

Showboat’s seafood buffet takes place at the outdoor sandlot adjacent to the hotel and runs Fridays to Sundays throughout the summer, while the version at the easternmost tip of Steel Pier is available Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Both are held under large tents, keeping you safe from the elements should mother nature choose not to cooperate.

The return of all-you-can-eat

It’s taken folks a while to warm up to the concept of buffets in general over the last two years, with COVID making them a big no-no for most for a long time. Recently they have come back, and as many people return to their old dining habits, the buffet has once again become a favorite for those who look to get as much bang for their buck as possible.

Just how much bang are we talking? Well, at $60 a head for adults, you can’t exactly call it cheap, but then again, few spots out there offer you the chance to load up on pricey items like lobster and snow crab legs in unlimited quantities, so the value is still present in a big way.

It’s not just the fancy items that are worth coming back for, either. The seafood buffet offers beloved classics like fried shrimp, coconut shrimp, calamari, steamed mussels and clams alongside a few tasty bayou-centric dishes you might not expect like jambalaya and a spicy Cajun shrimp. Both grilled and fried fish options are available, along with various salads and kid-friendly favorites like chicken tenders, mac and cheese and french fries for those fussy non-seafood eaters in your party. The price for kids 12 and under is $30, so you aren’t shelling out as much dough for them to ignore the lobster all night either.

Both locations have a full bar on site so you can enjoy cold beers, frozen drinks and more.

Food with a side of fun

One of the best aspects of both buffets is that they are located among some of the most family-friendly spots in all of Atlantic City, and each offers some unique experiences, with live music being a regular feature at both venues.

The Steel Pier has been a beacon for family fun for decades and includes an awesome mix of rides and amusements, games of chance and even some truly unique aspects like The Wheel — the massive 227-foot-tall spinning observation wheel that features 40 temperature controlled gondolas, perfect for relaxing in after a big seafood dinner at the buffet.

Showboat Hotel may be the only spot that can rival the Pier when it comes to fun, as they boast the incredible Lucky Snake Arcade, which takes up the entire space that had previously been occupied by slot machines and table games in the former casino. Now it’s packed with video games – both retro classics and current hits — as well as boardwalk games like skee-ball and basketball and a brand-new electric powered high speed go-kart track that needs to be seen — and driven — to be believed. A few laps around the track should be enough to work up an appetite capable of taking on the seafood buffet.