Actually i appreciate them not adding too much salt. A lot of people including older people have high blood pressure. You can always add salt, you can't take it away.
Agreed. Everyone's tastes are different & many people are on salt restricted diets. Add your own salt to taste. No biggie. Also, meats have a tendency to dry out on buffets. You can't expect a sit down restaurant quality unless you are lucky to be there when they restock. Gravy goes a long way.
I’m sick of Americans throwing this shit around all the time as an excuse to seasoning. The goal should be as a restaurant to make the most flavorful delicious food as possible. And adding salt after the fact is not a perfect equivalent to properly imbuing it with flavor and salt during the cooking process.
If you want a buffet that emphasizes quality, try Lititz Family Cupboard in Lititz. It’s much smaller, but the roast Turkey and stuffing, potatoes, and beef are fabulous.
@@uaeats. They can’t up the salt as many older customers can’t have any because of high blood, that’s why they have seasoning on the table. I never ding even pre-packaged foods for lacking seasons for that reason. So PLEASE don’t ding something for that, just add the seasoning level you like, THEN rate it. It’s fine to let people know they may have to add their own seasoning, but it should not affect your rating at all, as if you let it do, you are saying elderly people don’t have the right to eat out at restaurants which seems unfair to me. I hope you concur?
I've eaten at Shady Maple Buffet many times since I used to live in Lancaster country. Firstly, the dinner service starts at 4pm(closed sunday) so you can should get in line starting at 3:15pm. The line at this time will be very short! As you found out the line can extend into the parking lot! Now, everyday other than Sunday there is a series of special main courses. For example, there is a steak night, seafood night & my favorite, the prime rib night! Your right, the mashed potatoes are the best. Tuesday beef prime rib night is fantastic, they cut it to order. They have sautéed onions & sautéed mushrooms that are near where they slice the brisket! Your mistake on the brisket was to not order it fatty! I love their huge salad bar & of course the desserts. They add automatically 12% tip + 6% PA sales tax! The food is underspicy & somewhat bland to cater to everyone, so add salt, pepper or what ever.
I used to live in Pennsylvania and always avoided this place. Amish food can be good but to be honest I would just take a trip to New York for much better food.
Haha! The faces that you make while eating are so funny, I can’t stop laughing. I like your honest personal opinion about the food you try. Thanks for the videos.
You need to have breakfast there. I've eaten the breakfast buffet there countless times over the years. Anything you could wish for, it's there. I live in Chester County PA about 40 minute from Shady Maple.
The bots just recommended your channel, I'm glad they did, it's great. As a Brit I've always imagined shoo fly pie to be like black treacle tart, and yes, it looks very similar. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
@@robinlippy4799 We don't have any Amish food in the UK. But I will look out for some recipes I can hopefully make at home. Thank you for the recommendation 🙂
I live in PA and have never been here, but it is definitely on my to do list. lol As for the potatoes, my family gets them that smooth by whipping the potatoes instead of just mashing them. We use beaters and lots of milk and butter.
Warm the milk and butter together for a creamy mashed potatoes. Never use cold ingredients because it makes the potatoes starchy(clumpy) if you know what I mean
Shady Maple in the 80's and 90s was NOTHING like it is now.. If you didnt know, a portion of the business was sold in 2016(around then) and it has been commercialized for tourists.. Back in the day, it was pure, simple Amish mom and pop food. There was maybe a selection of 15 things. The brisket and corn bread were completely different. So was their Roast beef. They had all Amish pies and baked goods, and back then, they made the bread pretty much to order right in front of you. It was amazing. Now, its just about getting people in and out as quickly as possible, and quality control is gone.
I remember back in the 80s when I lived in NY, friends would go out over the weekend to Lancaster and come back with tales of amazing Amish buffets where you paid whatever you wanted to. No prices. And the pies were to die for. I also promised to one day visit but never did.
I ate at Shady Maple back in the 80s also. Used to go to Hershey Park etc. and a water park I can't remember the name of for the life of me now - and we'd stop by either on the way or heading back to Brooklyn at Shady. While I agree it's nothing like it is now, and I loved the food back in those days. I have to say the couple of times I've eaten at the "updated" Shady Maple it was delicious for the most part (especially the carved meats, wow were they good) and while it is totally a tourist trap now - it's still pretty good from my experiences.
Anyone here remember the old Collegeville Inn in PA? Throughout the 60's, my family would save up and we'd go usually twice a year. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there - but extremely worth it - a great Saturday or Sunday event. The variety and quality of the seafood was incredible, with endless supplies of all the most premium fresh shellfish and finned species - steamed and fried jumbo shrimp; steamed littleneck and cherrystone clams; raw and fried oysters and stew; steamed Blue Claw, Dungeness, and King Crab, and pans of cold-water lobster claws and tails. It's nearly impossible to find such food in one place nowadays. The Breakers Sunday Brunch in Palm Beach; or The Boston Seafood Buffet in Kissimmee; and a few places in Vegas - that's all I know of.
It has become to commercialized. When I was little and they weren't as popular. My favorite foods from there are corn chowder, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fruit breads and cheese breads if they still have them, the pies, chicken and fish. PA Dutch potpie is pretty much chicken and dumplings served at Cracker Barrel. Which I get every time I go there.
As a Jersey transplant living in Lancaster County, I loved watching this. Personally, I don't do buffets unless I absolutely have to. I only do Shady Maple when family is visiting and they really, really, really want to go. There are so many awesome restaurants in Lancaster now. I hope you give some of them a chance.
I live 20 minutes from Shady Maple. He went to Shady Maple and, except for the cornbread, he completely missed the Pennsylvania Dutch food Unfortunately he had no local to guide him. Maybe they did not have anything Pennsylvania Dutch that day? Where is the scrapple? Where is the corn pie? Where is the potato filling? Where is the pot pie (it’s not a pie) Where is the schnitz und knepp? At least he knew to look for shoe fly pie so he had a nice experience there
I took the ride from Philly to check out this place and it was well worth the trip. I went with my girlfriend on a Sat evening which is the most expensive time but well worth it. I will be going back!
I always bring spices in salt and pepper with me to a restaurant. Keep in mind they have to make things bland because some people don't like spice. You can always add. But can't take it away
Word to the wise. It's best to go to a buffet on the weekends particularly at night where the food is better and fresher because of the constant turnover of customers. I live in Ocean County NJ and we have one awesome "Chinese- American" style buffet, The Fortune Buffet in Toms River.
Great review. Viewers need to understand that if you are doing a review of the largest buffet in America, there are only so many dishes that you can try.
Buffets always keep salt/spices basic to accommodate the majority. Why seasonings are available at the table or the end of buffet sections Sit down restaurants accommodate the individual Completely different approaches I’m a Philly native and Shady Maple is the best for comfort food comatose. Definitely worth the trip
Thanks for the video! I was surprised that you didn't try the fried chicken (if I'm recalling the video correctly). I've never been to the Shady Maple, but in the other videos of it I've seen, the fried chicken looked excellent! Plus, I don't think a buffet can properly be reviewed without a review of its fried chicken!
I agree with you on every item except the shoo fly pie. I bought much better shoo fly pie from a stand in Lancaster. It’s a pretty good buffet like you said. We went for seafood night. It wasn’t as good as I expected but still enjoyable.
I knew from the intro that Brisket was going to be garbage. Wasn't properly trimmed and when it was being carved it looked extremely dry. No amount of Bark will help that.. Also, I'm willing to bet those mashed potatoes came from a box called "pearls", it would be extremely difficult to keep up with the demand of fresh mashed potatoes, but, I could be wrong..
I completely agree with your point! The brisket did look dry, and the mashed potatoes and other side dishes come in frozen, and then are heated and kept in steam tables until they’re ready to serve. Employees don’t have time to home prepare everything!
Hey Ua, really enjoy the videos. What time of the day did you go to this place? Any idea if Lunch selection is different than the dinner selection? Anyone, anyone? Thanks.
Patronized the place recently after coming here for years. As a local and PA Dutchman myself, was very disappointed in the drop in quality of their food. The quality has really gone down here and the price has gone up. There are a lot of cheap items on the buffet too, potatoes, potato based foods (such as the filling where the presenter called it dressing), baked beans, mac and cheese (undoubtedly commercial powdered cheese used here). There are some great instant potato buds available commercially, that can be combined with fresh potatoes. Fresh cream or milk may be added to add creaminess to the potatoes as well, along with fresh butter. In such high production facilities, the gravy is usually made from a commercial base or powder (which could be added to the beef broth when they make their roasts. High carb foods are cheap to make and bring in high profit. The steaks are a low grade cut in places like this. I have experienced the brisket and it is just as bad as described in the video. The steak could be either, plate, shank or flank all tough cuts of beef -- and cheap. Flank is often used for braising or making ground beef, brisket really tough usually used in a pot roast or corned beef. (They offer hamburgers so the flank may be used either as a tough steak or ground up. Some chuck could be added to the flank too for ground beef. Flank is often marinated to make it more tender. Beef flank is much better suited for braising or for making ground beef. In my opinion and as a professionally trained cook, pretty much all the food on this buffet can be made at home for the fraction of the cost. With such mass quantity served each day pie fillings probably come in Number 10 tins as well to make production more efficient and cost effective. A good professional cook can do magic with low cost product ingredient. So next time you load up your plate with cheap mashed potatoes, pork and kraut (which is very cheap, for pork prices are down) or a cheap cut of beef thinking you are getting a real good deal --- think again. There is not one expensive high quality product on this buffet for the price to back it up. You are paying for the atmosphere the experience and the selling point that it is PA Dutch food, served in PA Dutch country. This place is tourist focused and tourist based. However it is frequented by locals as well who have no time to cook on a particular day (or don't feel like it). It is a good place to "go out for dinner" or to "do something different" for a night out, but don't expect to get the quality for the price you will pay. Oh and that soft ice cream? It is made out of an ice cream freezer dehydrated powder then mixed and frozen with water.
It's not perfect, but it's still a great deal compared to what you get for your money in most places. One plate of average food in a diner in the suburban Phila area where I live costs at least as much as I spend for an all you can eat lunch at Shady Maple. I've done SM 4 times. I avoid the tough steaks, and you are right about the starches. An astute eater eats sparingly of the mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and stuffings, even though they are tasty. And don't forget the entertainment value of Shady Maple. I love watching married couples with a combined weight of 450 pounds or so glowing with glee as they grab their plates and charge toward the food!
I remember going to a place back in the 70,s called good n plenty it was a ton of good food . Years later in 1999 I went again and was surprised how pared down everything was . Everything was smaller and there was a lot less food . This was in the same Pennsylvania Dutch area can’t recall the name .
I like Shady Maple. Been there a few times, never had to wait. Awesome gift shop, too. Lived in the Lancaster area for 22 years. (Lankister, phonetically😂)
UA....that looks like the steak Uncle Rico threw at Napoleon's head. That place in general though looks solid. If I am ever passing through on a road trip I hope to go one day. Just want to say I really like your video's and you seem like a great guy.
Breakfast is the meal to go to followed by dinner. You get your eggs cooked to order and pancakes the way you want them. The fruit is fresh and the SOS and scrapple is a treat. The main draw is as long as you’re eating, you can stay. Some people eat fantastic amounts of food and this food is probably better than what they get at home. They love it. If you want you can sample all the desserts they have and the kids can make Sundays from the ice cream. They also have bread pudding and jello if that’s your thing. They do a good to great job for the number of people they serve daily.
scrapple is awesome. i had a high school english teacher who thought it would be a great idea for a school trip to appreciate upton sinclair's "the jungle." i cant recall which slaughterhouse but it was quite a haul from cherry hill, nj. they showed us the scrapple batch, looks gross, but omfg, its fantastic.
If you ever get to Ocean City, Maryland check out The Bonfire. Amazing buffet and their carving station is great!!! Lots of great items to choose from and they even make their own donuts. In watching a couple of videos on Shady Maple - it looks good but really not any better than The Bonfire. But would like to still try Shady Maple if I’m in the Lancaster area. Thanks for your review and input on Shady Maple.
Coming from Texas I would not have even entertained that brisket. There’s no smoke ring, the color is off and it looks dryer than my front yard lol. But I don’t expect Pennsylvania to have brisket down so I will skip that when I stop by next week on my trip to PA for the first time. Definitely gonna try some pie. I really appreciate your honest reviews.
Buffets typically under season their dishes to appease those who don't want as much salt in their foods. Like you said you can always add salt and pepper youself.
My wife & I went there today. It’s a smorgasbord, so any item is a hit or miss on any given visit. Today’s brisket was as good as any that I’ve had in Texas or Tennessee. Super tender & juicy. On the other hand the Mac-n-cheese was meh. The seafood croquet was great, but the chicken croquet was dry. Next time the results maybe completely different. One surprise item that I tried today was a hot dog. That was unexpected flavorful.
We went there and it was crazy how many people were there. The food was good, but it wasn't great. I wanted it to be as great as the influencers played it up to be, but our day it was not to be. I recommend going to a smaller Amish buffet of which there are plenty. Food will be as good if not better and it will not have 6,000 people eating with you.
Thank you for the honest take. I grew up going down there with my parents, but that was late 70s/early 80s. I'm sure a lot has changed. I've definitely seen the social media hype on this place. I tend to agree with you about places we've both visited, especially the steakhouses. I would like to go here, just for the experience. And, maybe a tad of my childhood.
I think it's worth visiting if you happen to be passing by or if you also are going to have a whole weekend in Lancaster. I wouldn't say it alone is worth the trip though if it's more than a 40 minute drive
i have an up & down with amish area food. its just a certain sameness, its the same spice mix throughout. cooking wise, its low and slow with liquid braised or stewed ok, but if you want a high temperature broiler like action, good luck. also, you need to love flour as it seems to be everywhere. there spots in the reading terminal market that have awesome deli sandwiches. shoofly pie is diabetes on a plate.
I’d like to try it one day. I feel like their other meat items are likely better. I could tell the beef and pork here would disappoint just based on how dry it looked. I hear their chicken is good. All the sides looked great. I wonder how breakfast is.
Im just kind of over the buffet experience. Admittedly, this was the only buffet that has tempted me. I do think there prices, in this case, seem to be kind of fair. I wouldn't go for like steak night or anything, but the breakfast and lunch prices are extremely fair.
The prime rib,roast beef brisket,salmon and fried chicken were the highlights,not to mention the fried shrimp- delicious.Could only have a little of each item,so delish.
Yes, at an Amish buffet they do. Meat is not the highlight. Go chicken, turkey, relishes, pot pies, croquettes, etc. If you want the carving station, have some ham. That’s traditional Pennsylvania Dutch
It is a shame you did not try the fried chicken, the hot red beets and so many other items that were on the menu. You stuck to what you liked, which is okay, but not trying all the other items seemed to be a huge mistake when giving an honest review. I prefer items that are not heavily seasoned, which is how the Amish and Mennonite cook their food. Their supermarket next door has an excellent variety of items both traditional Amish and regular food.
Ah I actually did try the fried chicken but I lost the clip somehow. It was good but not better than Popeye's. You are right that perhaps I could have tried some other items like stewed cabbage, though I didn't see beets out there that day.
Place is amazing but for such a massive operation it’s hard to season the food since it sits for a long time but their desserts especially Dutch apple pies are to die for
I went out of my way to go there...there is alot of choices....alot...i couldn't get to them all before i was full...its a buffet...a good buffet...but a buffet nonetheless...two thumbs up.!
Miller’s Smorgasbord is actually better overall, in my opinion. They have a nice selection of Amish food, appetizer section, 8 different soups ,chicken and waffles, shoo fly pie, cheesecakes and other desserts. You should try it next time you’re in Lancaster.
Largest Buffet, had to look it up. Used to be Rio's Carnival World Buffet in Las Vegas, I guess the buffet was closed and is being changed into a food court. I was at the Carnival World Buffet like 10 years ago and it was huge. Not sure, If I would go to Amish country in PA. for a Buffet. Thanks for posting a video.
Actually i appreciate them not adding too much salt. A lot of people including older people have high blood pressure. You can always add salt, you can't take it away.
Yeah but season it! They can season it without a lot of salt!
Agreed. Everyone's tastes are different & many people are on salt restricted diets. Add your own salt to taste. No biggie. Also, meats have a tendency to dry out on buffets. You can't expect a sit down restaurant quality unless you are lucky to be there when they restock. Gravy goes a long way.
Same here. I don't salt much. Tell guests, if you want salt, here is the shaker.
Celtic sea salt is better for you even if you have high BP
I’m sick of Americans throwing this shit around all the time as an excuse to seasoning. The goal should be as a restaurant to make the most flavorful delicious food as possible. And adding salt after the fact is not a perfect equivalent to properly imbuing it with flavor and salt during the cooking process.
The lights going out just means you got the full Amish experience.
Fr😅
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂 Ayo
If you want a buffet that emphasizes quality, try Lititz Family Cupboard in Lititz. It’s much smaller, but the roast Turkey and stuffing, potatoes, and beef are fabulous.
Your honest and unbiased reviews are such a breath of fresh air, excellent video as always, UA! Sidenote, that mac and cheese looks heavenly 🤤
Thanks! And yes the mac n cheese and mashed potatoes were awesome!
@@uaeats. They can’t up the salt as many older customers can’t have any because of high blood, that’s why they have seasoning on the table. I never ding even pre-packaged foods for lacking seasons for that reason. So PLEASE don’t ding something for that, just add the seasoning level you like, THEN rate it. It’s fine to let people know they may have to add their own seasoning, but it should not affect your rating at all, as if you let it do, you are saying elderly people don’t have the right to eat out at restaurants which seems unfair to me.
I hope you concur?
@@RLucas3000 nah we can ding them for that. We dont want unseasoned food 😂
while i too have had bad pieces of meat here, i would still eat shady all day, everyday
It is better to undersalt. You can add salt but you can’t remove it.
I've eaten at Shady Maple Buffet many times since I used to live in Lancaster country. Firstly, the dinner service starts at 4pm(closed sunday) so you can should get in line starting at 3:15pm. The line at this time will be very short! As you found out the line can extend into the parking lot! Now, everyday other than Sunday there is a series of special main courses. For example, there is a steak night, seafood night & my favorite, the prime rib night! Your right, the mashed potatoes are the best. Tuesday beef prime rib night is fantastic, they cut it to order. They have sautéed onions & sautéed mushrooms that are near where they slice the brisket! Your mistake on the brisket was to not order it fatty! I love their huge salad bar & of course the desserts. They add automatically 12% tip + 6% PA sales tax! The food is underspicy & somewhat bland to cater to everyone, so add salt, pepper or what ever.
This was an awesome review/ info post! Thanks!
I used to live in Pennsylvania and always avoided this place. Amish food can be good but to be honest I would just take a trip to New York for much better food.
What time should one arrive for lunch to avoid lines?
Amish food was never known for it's zest and spice. However, it looks like lots of great winter comfort food that my dad would have loved.
I agree. I love that place!
I live 30 minutes from Shady Maple, and I had zero idea that it was the biggest buffet! Also losing power in PA, is a very common experience.
Wait ! I gotta charge my car to get back home .... that'll take 45 minutes.
@@ScratchGlass9 You need a faster charging car. 10-80% in 18 mins in mine… but I only live 20 miles from Shady Maple anyhow.
Stuffing is cooked in the bird. Dressing is cooked in a pan with pan drippings.
Great review with honest opinions, thanx. We need to see Tina bro
Haha! The faces that you make while eating are so funny, I can’t stop laughing.
I like your honest personal opinion about the food you try.
Thanks for the videos.
Great video and review! I love how you give viewers a really informative review of all the items on the buffet. Super...thanks! 😂
UA is so expressivr and authentic. Hes like a cartoon character, lol.
You need to have breakfast there. I've eaten the breakfast buffet there countless times over the years. Anything you could wish for, it's there. I live in Chester County PA about 40 minute from Shady Maple.
This was actually really cool to watch!!! Thanks ❤
man, finally a food blogger that tells the truth! keep up the good work man, I love the vids
Let's be honest. Where is there a better buffet in that price range CMON MAN
Fair point. I dig $15 Indian weekend buffets though
The bots just recommended your channel, I'm glad they did, it's great. As a Brit I've always imagined shoo fly pie to be like black treacle tart, and yes, it looks very similar. Thank you for sharing your adventures.
You need to try Amish fooda😊
@@robinlippy4799 We don't have any Amish food in the UK. But I will look out for some recipes I can hopefully make at home. Thank you for the recommendation 🙂
I live in PA and have never been here, but it is definitely on my to do list. lol As for the potatoes, my family gets them that smooth by whipping the potatoes instead of just mashing them. We use beaters and lots of milk and butter.
Warm the milk and butter together for a creamy mashed potatoes. Never use cold ingredients because it makes the potatoes starchy(clumpy) if you know what I mean
Shady Maple in the 80's and 90s was NOTHING like it is now.. If you didnt know, a portion of the business was sold in 2016(around then) and it has been commercialized for tourists.. Back in the day, it was pure, simple Amish mom and pop food. There was maybe a selection of 15 things. The brisket and corn bread were completely different. So was their Roast beef. They had all Amish pies and baked goods, and back then, they made the bread pretty much to order right in front of you. It was amazing. Now, its just about getting people in and out as quickly as possible, and quality control is gone.
I remember back in the 80s when I lived in NY, friends would go out over the weekend to Lancaster and come back with tales of amazing Amish buffets where you paid whatever you wanted to. No prices. And the pies were to die for. I also promised to one day visit but never did.
@@Picasso_Picante92 Yup, it was a different and better time back then.. I was a skater in NY in the 90's and was actually in the Film "Kids" lol..
I ate at Shady Maple back in the 80s also. Used to go to Hershey Park etc. and a water park I can't remember the name of for the life of me now - and we'd stop by either on the way or heading back to Brooklyn at Shady. While I agree it's nothing like it is now, and I loved the food back in those days. I have to say the couple of times I've eaten at the "updated" Shady Maple it was delicious for the most part (especially the carved meats, wow were they good) and while it is totally a tourist trap now - it's still pretty good from my experiences.
you are just angry
@@jonnygrowlately angry about what?
Never dip the gravy ladle in the mashed potatoes. Make the hole for gravy in your potatoes with the mashed potato spoon.
That makes so much sense. I was just wondering about that in the video, everyone using the gravy ladle to make the dip.
Tysm for being honest cause the way some of these other bloggers make it seem like this place just can't miss is crazy
this is an incorrect point of view, It is very good. I have been going since the 1980's
The Amish are very sane and naturals in cooking matter.
Glad you got to try the Shoofly pie. It is made two ways, dry bottom and wet bottom. Next time try to find the wet bottom. Thanks for a fun review.
Thank you always wanted to try this place. Please do Carmines in New York
I'm dying to try this place!! Looks delicious
Anyone here remember the old Collegeville Inn in PA? Throughout the 60's, my family would save up and we'd go usually twice a year. It was about an hour and a half drive to get there - but extremely worth it - a great Saturday or Sunday event. The variety and quality of the seafood was incredible, with endless supplies of all the most premium fresh shellfish and finned species - steamed and fried jumbo shrimp; steamed littleneck and cherrystone clams; raw and fried oysters and stew; steamed Blue Claw, Dungeness, and King Crab, and pans of cold-water lobster claws and tails. It's nearly impossible to find such food in one place nowadays. The Breakers Sunday Brunch in Palm Beach; or The Boston Seafood Buffet in Kissimmee; and a few places in Vegas - that's all I know of.
Another great & honest review. Keep your videos coming!
Thanks for watching!
It has become to commercialized. When I was little and they weren't as popular. My favorite foods from there are corn chowder, stuffing, mashed potatoes, fruit breads and cheese breads if they still have them, the pies, chicken and fish. PA Dutch potpie is pretty much chicken and dumplings served at Cracker Barrel. Which I get every time I go there.
You're my go to food critic. Great as always. liked!
As a Jersey transplant living in Lancaster County, I loved watching this. Personally, I don't do buffets unless I absolutely have to. I only do Shady Maple when family is visiting and they really, really, really want to go. There are so many awesome restaurants in Lancaster now. I hope you give some of them a chance.
We've had breakfast there a couple of time on vacation and it's pretty amazing. Their gift shop it huge too.
I enjoy your stuff, thank you! 👍
I live 20 minutes from Shady Maple. He went to Shady Maple and, except for the cornbread, he completely missed the Pennsylvania Dutch food
Unfortunately he had no local to guide him. Maybe they did not have anything Pennsylvania Dutch that day?
Where is the scrapple? Where is the corn pie? Where is the potato filling? Where is the pot pie (it’s not a pie)
Where is the schnitz und knepp?
At least he knew to look for shoe fly pie so he had a nice experience there
I’d go just for that apple pie! Looks amazing.
Yes the desserts were all amazing!
Thank you. Our community is offering a trip in October and this cemented my decision!
I took the ride from Philly to check out this place and it was well worth the trip. I went with my girlfriend on a Sat evening which is the most expensive time but well worth it. I will be going back!
I always bring spices in salt and pepper with me to a restaurant. Keep in mind they have to make things bland because some people don't like spice. You can always add. But can't take it away
Word to the wise. It's best to go to a buffet on the weekends particularly at night where the food is better and fresher because of the constant turnover of customers. I live in Ocean County NJ and we have one awesome "Chinese- American" style buffet, The Fortune Buffet in Toms River.
ive heard so many different opinions of this place. i cant wait to see your take.
I promise it'll be unbiased!
Great review. Viewers need to understand that if you are doing a review of the largest buffet in America, there are only so many dishes that you can try.
For sure. I couldn't try everything!
We've been going to Lancaster, PA for many years. It all depends what night you go there I find. My steak was very tough. Prime rib night was amazing!
Buffets always keep salt/spices basic to accommodate the majority. Why seasonings are available at the table or the end of buffet sections
Sit down restaurants accommodate the individual
Completely different approaches
I’m a Philly native and Shady Maple is the best for comfort food comatose. Definitely worth the trip
The review on the shoofly pie has me really wanting to try it now.
Thanks for the video! I was surprised that you didn't try the fried chicken (if I'm recalling the video correctly). I've never been to the Shady Maple, but in the other videos of it I've seen, the fried chicken looked excellent! Plus, I don't think a buffet can properly be reviewed without a review of its fried chicken!
I agree with you on every item except the shoo fly pie. I bought much better shoo fly pie from a stand in Lancaster. It’s a pretty good buffet like you said. We went for seafood night. It wasn’t as good as I expected but still enjoyable.
I’ve been there a few times in the past. If they have it out you really need to try the shoo fly pie. It’s the best I’ve had.
I wound up eating it at the end of the vid! They put some out right before closing
I like your honesty UA. Thank you
I knew from the intro that Brisket was going to be garbage. Wasn't properly trimmed and when it was being carved it looked extremely dry. No amount of Bark will help that.. Also, I'm willing to bet those mashed potatoes came from a box called "pearls", it would be extremely difficult to keep up with the demand of fresh mashed potatoes, but, I could be wrong..
I completely agree with your point! The brisket did look dry, and the mashed potatoes and other side dishes come in frozen, and then are heated and kept in steam tables until they’re ready to serve. Employees don’t have time to home prepare everything!
great review, my hubby and i are thinking about going in july or so.
Great gift shop downstairs. i came down from above Albany NY.
Hey Ua, really enjoy the videos. What time of the day did you go to this place? Any idea if Lunch selection is different than the dinner selection? Anyone, anyone? Thanks.
Hey UA great video. My favorite buffet was The Nordic Lounge in Rhode Island. All you can eat Lobsters and King Crabs. I can't wait to go back.
Hey, thanks for your opinion on this Buffet. I was seriously going to drive there. What Buffet, do you recommend?
The secret to those soft mashed potatoes is real cream and home made butter.
Patronized the place recently after coming here for years. As a local and PA Dutchman myself, was very disappointed in the drop in quality of their food. The quality has really gone down here and the price has gone up. There are a lot of cheap items on the buffet too, potatoes, potato based foods (such as the filling where the presenter called it dressing), baked beans, mac and cheese (undoubtedly commercial powdered cheese used here). There are some great instant potato buds available commercially, that can be combined with fresh potatoes. Fresh cream or milk may be added to add creaminess to the potatoes as well, along with fresh butter. In such high production facilities, the gravy is usually made from a commercial base or powder (which could be added to the beef broth when they make their roasts. High carb foods are cheap to make and bring in high profit. The steaks are a low grade cut in places like this. I have experienced the brisket and it is just as bad as described in the video. The steak could be either, plate, shank or flank all tough cuts of beef -- and cheap. Flank is often used for braising or making ground beef, brisket really tough usually used in a pot roast or corned beef. (They offer hamburgers so the flank may be used either as a tough steak or ground up. Some chuck could be added to the flank too for ground beef. Flank is often marinated to make it more tender. Beef flank is much better suited for braising or for making ground beef. In my opinion and as a professionally trained cook, pretty much all the food on this buffet can be made at home for the fraction of the cost. With such mass quantity served each day pie fillings probably come in Number 10 tins as well to make production more efficient and cost effective. A good professional cook can do magic with low cost product ingredient. So next time you load up your plate with cheap mashed potatoes, pork and kraut (which is very cheap, for pork prices are down) or a cheap cut of beef thinking you are getting a real good deal --- think again. There is not one expensive high quality product on this buffet for the price to back it up. You are paying for the atmosphere the experience and the selling point that it is PA Dutch food, served in PA Dutch country. This place is tourist focused and tourist based. However it is frequented by locals as well who have no time to cook on a particular day (or don't feel like it). It is a good place to "go out for dinner" or to "do something different" for a night out, but don't expect to get the quality for the price you will pay. Oh and that soft ice cream? It is made out of an ice cream freezer dehydrated powder then mixed and frozen with water.
It's not perfect, but it's still a great deal compared to what you get for your money in most places. One plate of average food in a diner in the suburban Phila area where I live costs at least as much as I spend for an all you can eat lunch at Shady Maple. I've done SM 4 times. I avoid the tough steaks, and you are right about the starches. An astute eater eats sparingly of the mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and stuffings, even though they are tasty.
And don't forget the entertainment value of Shady Maple. I love watching married couples with a combined weight of 450 pounds or so glowing with glee as they grab their plates and charge toward the food!
You basically described the average American diner. I'm also a professional cook and know how expensive fresh ingredients can be.
If you get back to the area, go back and try their breakfast buffet. It’s amazing.
bro your look when you pretend to be grossed out but its really fire is HILARIOUS
I remember going to a place back in the 70,s called good n plenty it was a ton of good food . Years later in 1999 I went again and was surprised how pared down everything was . Everything was smaller and there was a lot less food . This was in the same Pennsylvania Dutch area can’t recall the name .
I like Shady Maple. Been there a few times, never had to wait. Awesome gift shop, too. Lived in the Lancaster area for 22 years. (Lankister, phonetically😂)
UA....that looks like the steak Uncle Rico threw at Napoleon's head. That place in general though looks solid. If I am ever passing through on a road trip I hope to go one day. Just want to say I really like your video's and you seem like a great guy.
Breakfast is the meal to go to followed by dinner. You get your eggs cooked to order and pancakes the way you want them. The fruit is fresh and the SOS and scrapple is a treat.
The main draw is as long as you’re eating, you can stay. Some people eat fantastic amounts of food and this food is probably better than what they get at home. They love it. If you want you can sample all the desserts they have and the kids can make Sundays from the ice cream. They also have bread pudding and jello if that’s your thing. They do a good to great job for the number of people they serve daily.
scrapple is awesome. i had a high school english teacher who thought it would be a great idea for a school trip to appreciate upton sinclair's "the jungle." i cant recall which slaughterhouse but it was quite a haul from cherry hill, nj. they showed us the scrapple batch, looks gross, but omfg, its fantastic.
All of UA-cam wants to know
WHO IS “Tina”!!!!!!!!
My partner in crime :)
I’m pretty sure it’s owned and operated by Mennonites not Amish. It’s still Pennsylvania Dutch though.
If you ever get to Ocean City, Maryland check out The Bonfire. Amazing buffet and their carving station is great!!! Lots of great items to choose from and they even make their own donuts. In watching a couple of videos on Shady Maple - it looks good but really not any better than The Bonfire. But would like to still try Shady Maple if I’m in the Lancaster area. Thanks for your review and input on Shady Maple.
You should have told us how much it costs to dine there.
I love Shady Maple!We try and get there 3 times a year.
No Broasted Chicken?
Coming from Texas I would not have even entertained that brisket. There’s no smoke ring, the color is off and it looks dryer than my front yard lol. But I don’t expect Pennsylvania to have brisket down so I will skip that when I stop by next week on my trip to PA for the first time. Definitely gonna try some pie. I really appreciate your honest reviews.
Buffets typically under season their dishes to appease those who don't want as much salt in their foods. Like you said you can always add salt and pepper youself.
Under seasoned food is a No No. I bet the food was tasteless
@@blushbaby5278i agree. Just adding spice on top doesn’t taste the same as actually cooking with spice
My wife & I went there today. It’s a smorgasbord, so any item is a hit or miss on any given visit. Today’s brisket was as good as any that I’ve had in Texas or Tennessee. Super tender & juicy. On the other hand the Mac-n-cheese was meh. The seafood croquet was great, but the chicken croquet was dry. Next time the results maybe completely different. One surprise item that I tried today was a hot dog. That was unexpected flavorful.
I love Shady Maple especially their breakfast
I've eaten there, UA. Your description is exactly how I describe it, too.
How could you not try the fried chicken for us?! 😭
We went there and it was crazy how many people were there. The food was good, but it wasn't great. I wanted it to be as great as the influencers played it up to be, but our day it was not to be. I recommend going to a smaller Amish buffet of which there are plenty. Food will be as good if not better and it will not have 6,000 people eating with you.
I like the honesty brotha!
Thanks for watching!
Thank you for the honest take. I grew up going down there with my parents, but that was late 70s/early 80s. I'm sure a lot has changed. I've definitely seen the social media hype on this place. I tend to agree with you about places we've both visited, especially the steakhouses. I would like to go here, just for the experience. And, maybe a tad of my childhood.
I think it's worth visiting if you happen to be passing by or if you also are going to have a whole weekend in Lancaster. I wouldn't say it alone is worth the trip though if it's more than a 40 minute drive
I am going there because of you!
i have an up & down with amish area food. its just a certain sameness, its the same spice mix throughout. cooking wise, its low and slow with liquid braised or stewed ok, but if you want a high temperature broiler like action, good luck. also, you need to love flour as it seems to be everywhere. there spots in the reading terminal market that have awesome deli sandwiches. shoofly pie is diabetes on a plate.
The best shoo fly pie i ever had was from Zinn's diner over in denver pa now its the park place diner
I’d like to try it one day. I feel like their other meat items are likely better. I could tell the beef and pork here would disappoint just based on how dry it looked. I hear their chicken is good. All the sides looked great. I wonder how breakfast is.
Im just kind of over the buffet experience. Admittedly, this was the only buffet that has tempted me. I do think there prices, in this case, seem to be kind of fair. I wouldn't go for like steak night or anything, but the breakfast and lunch prices are extremely fair.
I love it. We usually go at around 4pm. Roast beef is 2 die 4
Love the honest review UA.Keep em coming!! 👍
Thanks for watching!
Another honest great review
Glad you enjoyed it!
Love your honesty which is a rarity on youtube.
Thanks! I always wanna keep it real with you guys
Great honest review the meats really should be the highlight of good buffet. Do people really go for mashed potatoes and mac& cheese 😊
The prime rib,roast beef brisket,salmon and fried chicken were the highlights,not to mention the fried shrimp- delicious.Could only have a little of each item,so delish.
I agree with you. Meats should be more of a star and less of a side thought
Silly people fill up on low cost foods like Mac & cheese. Not me! 🤣
Yes, at an Amish buffet they do. Meat is not the highlight. Go chicken, turkey, relishes, pot pies, croquettes, etc. If you want the carving station, have some ham. That’s traditional Pennsylvania Dutch
I've been wanting to go here for so long! You're gonna have to go back for brunch... lol
It is a shame you did not try the fried chicken, the hot red beets and so many other items that were on the menu. You stuck to what you liked, which is okay, but not trying all the other items seemed to be a huge mistake when giving an honest review. I prefer items that are not heavily seasoned, which is how the Amish and Mennonite cook their food. Their supermarket next door has an excellent variety of items both traditional Amish and regular food.
Ah I actually did try the fried chicken but I lost the clip somehow. It was good but not better than Popeye's. You are right that perhaps I could have tried some other items like stewed cabbage, though I didn't see beets out there that day.
I wondered about that because I’m old and have that problem. Cool.
Great review as always. I don't believe that you said how much it cost. I wish you would have tried the fried chicken.
Oops forgot to mention prices.
Breakfast: $13 ($15 on Saturday)
Lunch: $18 (Except Saturday when it's $26)
Dinner: $21-27 (varies every day)
I spend $15 at McDonald's so $27 for dinner is justifiable.
Apparently there is a buffet right up the road that all the locals eat at.
Place is amazing but for such a massive operation it’s hard to season the food since it sits for a long time but their desserts especially Dutch apple pies are to die for
The best food! Eat there every time in town.
I love Roast Beef. That's when I was slobbering. 🤤 Good review.
I went out of my way to go there...there is alot of choices....alot...i couldn't get to them all before i was full...its a buffet...a good buffet...but a buffet nonetheless...two thumbs up.!
Miller’s Smorgasbord is actually better overall, in my opinion. They have a nice selection of Amish food, appetizer section, 8 different soups ,chicken and waffles, shoo fly pie, cheesecakes and other desserts. You should try it next time you’re in Lancaster.
WARNING! Go to this buffet absolutely starving!❤❤❤❤❤🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
The buffet I like best in the Lancaster area is the one at Bird in Hand
No shoofly pie or scrapple , you missed out on two of my favorite Pennsylvania Dutch dishes
He tried the shoofly pie at the end.
You can keep scrapple yuck
I actually ate shoofly pie at the end. In the video dropping today I eat scrapple!
Comfort food paradise ❤
Largest Buffet, had to look it up. Used to be Rio's Carnival World Buffet in Las Vegas, I guess the buffet was closed and is being changed into a food court. I was at the Carnival World Buffet like 10 years ago and it was huge. Not sure, If I would go to Amish country in PA. for a Buffet. Thanks for posting a video.