Milton's Pizza & Pasta — Restaurant in Raleigh

TL;DR at the end.

I’ve only eaten here once, but it will be the first of many times.

.5 Sunday around 2pm - just a few families in the dining room. I didn’t visit the bar, but some people were in there watching sports.

Cleanliness - stellar.

I haven’t gone to Golden Corral or eaten at a buffet since Covid. The food never seemed protected enough from nasty cough and people who don’t wash their hands after using the restroom.

However, at Milton’s, a lovely woman was refilling items and assiduously ensuring there was no detritus between each food container.

She was friendly and we chatted a bit.

Food I ate from their (extensive, fresh, clean) salad bar. Every choice offered was luscious, perfect, and colorful.

Green peppers, carrots & other foods that are supposed to crunch, crunched.

I didn’t see one leaf of wilted lettuce, nor an olive that was dried from being left out, nor anything that looked like it was first put out 2 days prior.

There were at least 6 or 8 types of dressings. No drips on the counter, sticky spoon handles, or dried dressing puddles were present. It was pristine.

My husband enjoyed his buffet choices, especially the desserts.

Service - Amazing! Mind-blowing! Phenomenal!!

I can’t guarantee every server there is the same, but Laina is a gem. She greeted us warmly, and was perfect.

She explained the buffet pricing (several tiers, depending on which one wants to eat), quickly brought me a sangria, ensured our drinks were always full.

She consulted with the bar staff to ensure they had the specific ingredient to make my husband’s favorite cocktail, once he told her what was involved in making it.

I enjoy a bit of friendly conversation, which Laina provided.

Laina either truly enjoys her job and interacting with people, or she is a fantastic actress.

We will be back for the food anyway, but we will certainly ask to be seated in Laina’s section.

Ambience- meh.

They ordered the basic, lowest tier of ‘Italian Restaurant’ decor.

It’s fine for people with kids of every age. I wouldn’t go here for a first date, prom or to celebrate a special anniversary.

Pricing - better than any other buffet I’ve patronized - my entire life.

Every other buffet I’ve ever experienced charged the same price for my husband and me.

It’s extremely annoying, because my husband will eat a bit of everything on display.

Except the salad bar.

I exclusively eat from the salad bar.

It falls me to pay $19.95 for a salad, just because he wants a full buffet.

Milton’s has a tiered pricing system beginning with ‘just salad’ at the low end, up to ‘I want to sample everything’.

I don’t recall prices. If they had been extremely low or high, I would have remembered.

TL; DR - the buffet can be trusted to be clean and the food fresh; prices are fair; the restaurant is very clean; our server was top notch; atmosphere fine for families & casual dining - not for dates or romance; meh, boring decor.

I enjoyed it and...

I am writing this review because my husband and I have visited Milton's on countless occasions and on different times but it has been horrible to say the least. Only on two occasions I can truly say we ordered our food, and was served with hot piping fresh food.

Today (September 17, 2025) was the worst experience which prompt me to write this review. I've had it! My husband ordered chicken tenders and fries. I ordered a classic burger that comes with fries. We were there for over an hour waiting for our food! We looked at each other and said, here we go again!

Then, the manager or assistant manager comes apologizing and saying we will give you the food for free it is on us.

We did not go there to get free food! Our lunch break was gone! We have not eaten! The food was so cold and soggy because it was sitting there all that time! And, on top of that!, the chicken tenders were overcooked almost burnt, the French fries were overcooked and soggy! Everything was so cold and soggy! We felt so insulted and not welcomed at all! It's like they are signaling us that they don't want us there! Why!?

This experience keeps happening to us at Milton's while everyone else is being served just fine! Everyone came and ate and left! Others came, ordered, enjoyed their food and left! And, I'm wondering what's going on!? Please don't tell me they are racist because I don't play that card.

Moreover, if they are short on staff or experiencing something, then why are we the only couple experiencing this!? Because we look around and observe, and we are the only couple that have gone through this, these many times! Milton's need to get their organizing and service together. They have a huge problem that needs to be addressed asap!

I don't want to hear an apology, I just want to sit down and eat a nice hot, piping food right out of the kitchen! We are paying for it! Not give us overcooked, cold, soggy food like if we were dogs! This particular incident disgusts me. I am so insulted, and angry that I can't...

I am moving to the area and the first process of moving is to find a local pizza place for those dull Saturday nights with nothing to do. So, my son and I slipped into Milton's to give it a shot and see what we could see.

First, the staff. The young lady in the back rushes out to make sure we are seated quickly and let's us know our waitress is on her way. As if planned, our waitress turns the corner and rolls up on us with fantastic smile and bubbly personality that just puts you right at ease. The manager paid us a most memorable visit to let us know that we were welcome there anytime.

The food. We were only there to sample the pizza because, having lived all over the country, pizza is the cornerstone of any good diet and it had to be great! So we sampled the pizza and these cute puffy balls of garlic and olive oil that we could only describe as garlic knots without the knots. The garlic balls? Faaahhreaking amazing! Just about the best thing I've ever had and my son literally got to eat one as I pounded the rest! The pizza, you ask? Look, I've tried and sampled many pizza joints and they are all the same...except this one! This pizza was, and I mean this with total honesty and sincerity to you, the absolute best pizza I've ever had in my life. I mean it, and I've lived in New York people! Seriously, it truly doesn't get better. The cheese was soft and not greasy and the meats were great and Milton's own sausage was top notch.

Overall, I'd give this place 6 stars if I could. From the outside, it looks just like any other pizza joint. On the inside, it looks sort of like any other pizza joint with a bar and a lot of seats. But it's what's inside that counts. The food was fantastic, the staff was amazing and very on the ball (and cute!) and I never had an empty glass! Do yourself a favor, give them a shot. You will not be...