10 baller buffets to enjoy and enjoy and... enjoy

Like the country it governs, DC is a veritable melting pot of cultures, and frequently those cultures will line up those pots, add plates, cutlery, and a sneeze guard, and make a buffet. Making sure you stretch your dollar, waistline, and sense of plate-loading ethics, we tracked down the finest all-you-can-eats in the city…

Steak dish at Diya
Diya Restaurant

Diya Restaurant (click here for info and address)
Tysons Corner
You've got to head outside the Beltway if you want to reach Diya in Tysons Corner, where they cater to the office crowd with never-ending (and delicious) naans, curries, and rice puddings -- but it's totally worth it, and there are great options for both carnivores and veggies alike.

Mirage Cafe (click here for info and address)
Falls Church
This Peruvian-slash-Middle Eastern eatery fuses the unlikeliest of culinary traditions, then gives you literally as much as you can eat of them. You'll find kabobs, a selection of baklava, and ceviche, all lined up together on the same table, and eventually, your plate. 

Brunch buffet at The Lafayette
The Hay-Adams

The Lafayette (click here for info and address)
Downtown
The storied Hay-Adams Hotel is literally across the street from the White House, and even these guys are on the buffet train. For Sunday brunch, you can score limitless apps including cheeses, smoked salmon, pastries, and a bunch more -- along with a healthy selection of not-totally-healthy desserts. 

HeeBeen Restaurant (click here for info and address
Alexandria
Heebeen may ostensibly be an all-you-can-eat Korean BBQ (and it does that bit extremely well), but the real game-raiser here is the sushi & sashimi selection on offer too, and the fact that -- considering this is a buffet -- it's actually great

Filomena exterior
Wikimedia Commons

Filomena Ristorante (click here for info and address)
Georgetown
The buffet is only for Sunday brunch, but it shouldn't be missed. And while this Georgetown Italian institution keeps the carbs coming, they're anything but filler -- we're talking homemade pastas with chicken, seafood, or sausage, fresh baked focaccias, and a ton more. 

San Miguel Cafe (click here for info and address)
Falls Church
It's in a paint-by-numbers strip mall, and it's anything but fancy on the inside, but the never-ending Latin eats here are pretty fantastic. Pack your plate with pupusas, top them with some fresh guacamole, and swing by the made-to-order fajita station for good measure.

Chicken, waffles, and eggs
Farmers Fishers Bakers

Farmers Fishers Bakers (click here for info and address)
Georgetown
Another brunch buffet option, but this one allows eaters to binge and enjoy the Georgetown waterfront. They dish out waffles, pastries, french toast, and bacon -- literally as much bacon as you can handle. Granted, you can spring for yogurt and fruit and the other healthy options, but we all know why you're really here.

Sichuan Express (click here for info and address)
Farragut Square
This Chinese restaurant is a quasi-hidden secret with the World Bank and IMF workers Downtown, but for those who want to avoid the other grease, this place sells delicious, and actually authentic Chinese food -- by the pound. We're talking noodles, seared meats, pork buns, you name it.

cafe recess
Cafe Recess

Cafe Recess (click here for info and address)
Capitol Hill
Staffers on The Hill need their energy to do what they do in those hallowed halls. And to get that energy, they walk behind the Capitol to Cafe Recess. This place doesn't focus on one cuisine but tackles quite the spectrum: Spanish, American, Korean, and Chinese.

Georgia Brown's (click here for info and address)
Downtown
Need some Southern goodness? At this McPherson Square all-you-can-eat-ery, you'll get it, in the form of sliced ham, shrimp, grits, bacon, home fries, and so much more during their Sunday jazz brunch buffet. Oh, and the drinks are bottomless, too.