County Fair Buffet | Tioga Downs Casino Resort — Restaurant in Town of Nichols

The 24.99 weekend night additional options are steak, prime rib, shrimp, oyster, muscles, etc. Not enough to account for double the cost for dinner from other days. And we specifically waited for the fresh cooked steaks otherwise it was cold. The cheaper days they replace steak with chicken, and replace shrimp with bread rolls. Maybe once in a blue moon we might go there as a family again, but I really hate when places charge 10 bucks for a 5 year old that decides they don't want to eat. So we will end up going somewhere else usually. If they had a deal for their steak night of free kid with adult, or 10 for adults instead of 25, I might specifically go there.

They use to have fresh strawberries, a strawberry sauce, fresh mandarin orange slices for ice cream. This was back when the buffet was only 5.99. Now all this is gone. The last time I went they didn't even have whipped cream for the ice cream. Their entire dessert options have dwindled. The cakes look and taste old from a couple days ago.

The food selection items have dwindled. There is less to choose from by about half since their change after the pandemic. The way they heat it is the heating top where they use to have hot water below which makes the food warm instead of hot.

The waitresses never come back to give a second refill on drinks. Plates stack up on tables.

It's a shame because it was once high end, a place I would want to go for a high quality buffet when I feel the need to pay for it. There is nothing delicious about cold steaks or rubbery warm steaks.

It now feels like a run down buffet, but the cost is insane for the low quality. And this is not a hit or miss, I have been there numerous times since the pandemic. It's always the same.

If this was a buffet that wasn't attached to the casino, it would be out of business. It's shame because pre-covid it was so great.

Edit: I came back 6 months later on a saturday during a race, and actually the food was a lot better. The meat was fresh and hot, and the salad was crisp and fresh, etc. Every dish was replaced often and fresh. They did add fruit salad which was fresh and replaced twice while we were there. The desserts were fresh and not old like last time. Apparently they are pretty decent when there is a line before the cash register. This was night and day from all the other times after covid. I felt today that i got the quality out of 25 each person. If they keep at this rate, I would be happy to return often. But only time will tell if this is flip flop or if they changed.

Edit2. A couple years later. I don't go back. I don't gamble either. I only went to the casino for this buffet with the family. Every time I want a buffet the thought of rubbery steaks on numerous occasions runs through my mind and I just go somewhere else. I just don't want to take the drive there and cost to just guess on what the quality is for that day. I would rather go somewhere where I know for a fact...

Oh, my goodness! This was the absolute best experience for a birthday, ever! Our daughter, Scarlett, wanted to see a horserace for her 8th birthday. Scarlett dressed up in a beautiful Victorian dress, complete with Victorian hat. She wanted to experience a "Kentucky Derby". We called and talked to someone who told us the horseraces were on, and we came and ate at the buffet while we waited.. and waited.. and waited.. Only to learn that the races were cancelled that evening. Scarlett was devastated. That, and we drove 2 hours to get to Tioga Downs as well, made it not a pleasant evening.. The whole resort stepped in to make it right. When the manager of County Fair Buffet learned of what happened, she offered our entire family a free meal on the house! When we returned (Scarlett once again dressed in Victorian garb), they brought her down front, and announced her birthday to the crowd, as everyone cheered her turning 8 years old! The meal for our family of 6 was completely free, and Scarlett was the "guest of honor"! The chief of security gave her a little stuffed horse for a birthday present, and they even made her a little birthday cake, and sang her happy birthday at the end of the evening! They even offered to put us up for free in the resort for the night due to our 2 hour drive! (Unfortunately, we had commitments at home (pets/animals), and could not rake them up on the offer, but the fact that they offered was heartwarming and exceptional!) The chief of security kept checking in on her and us to make sure her visit was all she hoped for. Scarlett thoroughly enjoyed the horseraces, and she (yes, and us too) was offered a tour to see the horses at the owner of Tioga Downs stables! When we left for the night, she wanted to give the Security chief a hug goodbye, and they announced to him that they needed his assistance with a "situation". When he came, he found Scarlett, who gave him the biggest hug goodbye! He actually began to cry, and said she reminded him of his own daughter when she was young! It was the absolute best birthday ever! Would we go back...

Overall it wasn’t the worst dining experience we’ve ever had, but it wasn’t great either. The wait was about 30 min to get in and seated, and we didn’t get our drinks until we were all well into our first plates. Most of the food wasn’t seasoned an had no flavor at all.. We rarely need to Add salt n pepper while dining out, but pretty much everything needed it. For 2 adults, and 2 fourteen year old girls on a Thursday night for dinner, $108 was steep. $24.99 each for the kids to eat some rabbit food, cold pizza and a few French fries really wasn’t worth the price, but what made it worse was when we went for dessert and there was nothing left but a few slices of sugar free pie which none of us wanted. The only dessert option was the soft serve ice cream, so the kids got some of that, and we had nothing. They ended up having to eat their ice cream with forks because there wasn’t any spoons left. My daughter let the lady behind the dessert area know the spoons were gone but she just looked at her then walked away, not acknowledging her or getting some spoons out. We just felt that a buffet charging $25 per person should be better quality and fully stocked. If it’s open til 8pm, and people come in at 7:30, everything should be stocked up the same as it would be for the people that came in at 5 for dinner. That’s how a buffet is supposed to be. If things are not able to be stocked, then people shouldn’t keep being seated.. not for that price. With breakfast at $9.99 and lunch at $12.99, dinner should be around $17.99 tops.. with desserts available too. We’re staying here for the night so we might give the breakfast buffet a chance, with vouchers it’s only $5 a person so...