Editor Pick
Great Food at a Great Price
- January 12, 2009
- Rated 4 of 5 by
Troobabiee7 from Brooklyn, New York
I was searching online for some new restaurant choices in Lancaster when I came upon the Cactus Willie Steak Buffet and Bakery. There weren't many reviews available but we took a risk and tried it out. Coming from our hotel we had to drive through some pretty rough areas of Lancaster to get to the restaurant. I had no idea that there were actually "rough" parts of Lancaster, but there they were! Luckily the drive was quick and the restaurant was in a better, more tourist-friendly part of town.
It was relatively crowded when we arrived so they seated our table of seven in the large empty room at the back of the restaurant. It was bright, spacious and clean, and we loved having the room to ourselves. A few other groups were seated in there throughout the meal, but the atmosphere remained quiet yet family-friendly. This was a buffet dinner so after being greeted by our server and placing our drink orders, we headed up to get some food. I started with some soup and salad, and there was plenty to choose from in both categories. The soup selection included crab soup, chicken noodle, split pea, and navy bean, as well as a special chili. The Crab soup was especially good. The salad selection was comprised of tossed salad, tuna salad, macaroni salad, potato salad and cole slaw with a huge selection of toppings and dressings. It was all cold, crisp and delicious!
When it comes to entrees, there was a huge selection of food! It was one of the biggest buffet's I'd seen in a while. There was turkey, ham, ribs, fried chicken, fried shrimp, fish, spaghetti, meat loaf, lasagna, meatballs, pizza, an assortment of hot sandwiches, a taco station, a giant array of different vegetables and more. It was a wide-ranging and almost random array of food, but it was all hot, fresh and delicious, and went surprisingly well together. My family's favorite part of the buffet, though, was the made-to-order steak. There were two chefs grilling fresh steaks in a separate buffet-area, making all-you-can-eat steaks exactly to your liking. It was delish!
The best part of the buffet, at least according to my 3-year-old cousin, was dessert! I would have to agree. Not only was there the standard fare of cookies, fresh fruit, and soft-serve ice cream with a variety of toppings, but there was also a huge array of Amish specialties. We're all huge fans of Amish bakeries and the offerings here were top-notch. There were cakes, pies, puddings, cobblers, pastries... the list (and buffet line) went on and on and on...
I couldn't recommend Cactus Willie's enough. We're all very picky eaters and are relatively critical of restaurants, but this place was great. It was clean, bright and uncrowded, staffed by a friendly cast of waiters and waitresses, and the food was all fresh and delicious. The buffet was also CHEAP - $8.99 per person with drinks included, and the age of my cousin was multiplied by $0.60 to determine what her dinner cost. We loved this place so much that we visited twice on our five-day trip!
From journal Lancaster, Pennsylvania: The Return to a Childhood Favorite