Dela Fuente Restaurant — Restaurant in Fort Smith

Restaurant Review: De la Fuente - Fort Smith, Arkansas Rating: 4/10

My daughter and I decided to try out the buffet at De la Fuente after hearing good reviews, but our experience fell far short of expectations. While the service was warm and friendly, the food left much to be desired.

Pros: • Service: We were greeted by a friendly staff member who took our drink orders promptly. • Soppes & Quesadillas: The soppes, topped with beans, potato, and cotija cheese, were the standout item of the buffet. The beef quesadillas, filled with peppers and onions, were also enjoyable.

Cons: Lack of Labeling: None of the items on the buffet were labeled, making it difficult to know what was being served. Food Quality: Many items looked unappetizing and appeared to have been sitting out for too long, resulting in soggy textures and a lack of freshness. Taste: The rice lacked flavor, the chips were stale, and the queso was underwhelming. Food Safety Concerns: There seemed to be no monitoring of food temperatures, which may have contributed to food poisoning I experienced 24 hours later. Cost: At $20 per person for the buffet, the quality did not match the price.

Overall, while De la Fuente shows promise with certain menu items, the buffet fell short in both taste and quality. If you decide to give this restaurant a try, I strongly recommend ordering directly from the menu rather than opting for the buffet. Unfortunately, the experience has left me hesitant to return.

Hopefully, this review helps others in their decision-making process and encourages the restaurant to make...

Our first time here after seeing online that they have a Mexican Food Buffet every day & are open great hours. 9am-11:30pm 7 days a week. They have buffet every day til 3pm (buffet stays open daily til 4pm but fresh food stops coming out on the buffet at 3pm). They’re on Grand Avenue and we aren’t in that area of Ft Smith often but wanted to check it out this morning. The staff were all SO friendly and the place was really clean. We got there about 9:30am and the buffet was already full of steaming, fresh food: chile rellano’s, fajita meat, freshly made tortillas, beans, rice, chile Colorado, fried potatoes w/ meat, fried/poached eggs, shrimp, tamales, a separate hot sauce bar full of different sauces & pickled veggies, and a few different dessert options (the individual sized pineapple upside down cakes were delish). Plus more I’m sure I’m forgetting. They also have several bottled beer and drink options. The only thing that wasn’t great were the tamales… Everything else was either good or great. Not sure of the exact price but around $15 per person for buffet. We definitely recommend for a fun breakfast, brunch, or lunch to try a bunch of different dishes & grab a beer. Love that they’re open so early b/c they’re aren’t hardly any brunch options in town. Definitely give...

It’s a novel concept, as I’ve never seen a Mexican buffet before. But they’ve gotta work on that pricing.

I really hate to leave a review like this, but the more I think about this the less pleased I am with the visit.

The food was decent, but not at all worth what we were charged. For the buffet and its limited, unlabeled selection and a drink it was $40 for two people, before tip.

The buffet consisted of two medium size warmers with several varied dishes on each and a small dessert and topping spread at the back. The fajita meat was good and the ground beef was good.

However, the potatoes were stiff, the chips were a little stale and the queso was lukewarm at best. It’s entirely possible we just came at a bad time, as there weren’t many other patrons. We were ready to give the place another shot at a more peak time until we got the bill.

Most other buffets in town hovered around a lower price than this, and eating at a sit-down restaurant would likely be cheaper as well.

All that said, our server was great and what food I had that was a proper warmth and hadn’t sat too long was decent and would be a great bargain at a...