Golden Corral Buffet & Grill

To say we were extremely disappointed is an understatement. My son, nephew and I visited the Algonquin IL location for dinner on 4-3-25 and it was terrible. Very little soup in the pots, empty pans of food, the food that was full was obviously old and dried out. My son asked for a steak med. and got a very small piece of overcooked dry meat. the deserts we ok but had definitely been sitting out for an extended period of time. we have an always enjoyed the buffet but it has significantly gone down hill. do better Golden Corral!! there were only about 5 other people in what used to be a packed establishment. signed a disappointed customer

Golden Corral – Gurnee, IL: A Buffet of Regret

If you’re looking for an all-you-can-eat buffet of disappointment, questionable hygiene, and regret, look no further than Golden Corral in Gurnee. From the moment you step inside, you’re greeted with a stench so foul it feels like the air itself is begging for mercy. It’s a unique aroma—a mix of old fryer oil, mildew, and something that can only be described as “despair.”

The food? Oh, where do I begin? Imagine a high school cafeteria, but with less effort. The mashed potatoes taste like wallpaper paste, the meat is either raw or so overcooked it could be used to patch a tire, and the vegetables? They’ve been boiled into a lifeless, flavorless mush that would make even a rabbit cry. The dessert bar looks promising until you realize everything is either stale, melted, or both.

Cleanliness? I wouldn’t eat off these tables with a hazmat suit on. The floors are sticky enough to steal a shoe right off your foot, and the bathrooms… let’s just say they belong in a horror movie. I’ve seen gas stations with better sanitation.

Service? What service? The employees look like they’re serving a life sentence, and good luck getting a drink refill unless you send up a flare.

In short, if you enjoy terrible food, awful smells, and the general feeling that you’ve made a horrible mistake, this is the place for you. Otherwise, run—don’t walk—somewhere else.

0/10. Would rather eat gas station sushi.

Old stale food way too crowded people just standing in front of the food talking can’t get to any of the food for hours dirty messy not worth coning here

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Very good place

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

The service is very good and friendly. The food is mostly good. Some are not as good in flavor but there's a lot of variety so it doesn't matter. The only complaint I have is the smell of the bathrooms.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 4

Service: 5

Customer service was great but the food was cold and the meats were dry and old very disappointed as we were 7 in our party and looked forward to eating there.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 2

Service: 5

Recommended dishes: Fried Shrimp, Meatloaf, Banana Pudding

Tasty tasty tasty am buffet is great,brunch is great, especially for seniors and kids. Nice rest
Lots of variety and excellent staff and good food.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

To me I found that almost everything I took to eat had too many onions

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 3

Service: 2

Recommended dishes: Salad Bar

I haven't been to a G Corral in 20+ years (Kenosha, Wi)
My 1st time at this location. (my wife's suggestion) Between her comments and the staff I would go back.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 4

Service: 5

Food servers have horrible attitudes. Stay away from their Mexican food, unless you're wearing a diaper

Atmosphere: 2

Food: 2

Service: 2

I saw a roach close to the salad bar never grabbed my kid and wife so fast

Will not go to this business all the time food it's all sweet even the mex beans food was just bad

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 1

Service: 1

Not what it use to be if you like hospital and jail food this is the place to be.

Dirty. Walls dirty. If you look in the kitchen the floor is trashed and looks gross.
Ice cream machine looks gross/dirty.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 3

A huge brown roach crawled off the wall and onto my table as I was discussing the raw and bloody chicken with my husband.
They did not hesitate to refund us nor ask any questions or discuss further.
Unbelievable and disappointing. Thankfully we had just sat down, but saddened and disgusted by the whole ordeal.

Atmosphere: 1

Food: 2

Service: 3