Brickhouse Buffet


This Will Be Brief

For the last review of 2020, I will write about a restaurant that one of my friends recommended. When I told him about my Dad and I going to the same places for breakfast every Saturday (Piccadilly, Cracker Barrel, IHOP), he recommended a buffet in Bartlett that he assumed we would like. With me not knowing him that well, I should have taken his advice with some skepticism and not gone blindly with my Dad to this place. However, I am a trusting person and took my Dad out to Bartlett (a Memphis suburb for those who aren't familiar) for a breakfast that was forgettable.

Scrambled eggs and gravy, sausage and fried chicken from Brickhouse Buffet in Bartlett, Tennessee

I'll get to the point. The food at Brickhouse Buffet is mediocre for the most part. From the scrambled eggs and sausage to the prime rib that I got later, nearly all of it was pretty much "meh" for me and my Dad. Compared to the places we normally go to, Brickhouse Buffet is looking up at all of them. The only thing I liked was the spicy fried chicken, and that was a bit greasy. I think the only thing my Dad liked was his salad that looked good but probably not worth a long drive to get. I hate to say it, but I can not sing the praises of Brickhouse Buffet like my friend. I'm pretty sure neither I nor my Dad will be returning to the Bartlett restaurant anytime soon.

Prime Rib from Brickhouse Buffet in Bartlett, Tennessee
SIDE NOTE: If a restaurant is going to serve prime rib, at least get close to doing it right. In Memphis, there aren't many places that serve great prime rib, but most of them make a decent effort at getting it right. Unfortunately, I can't say that about Brickhouse Buffet, for despite getting there when it opened at 11:00 A.M., the prime rib was overcooked by my standards to the point that it tasted more like roast beef. I know a buffet can't specialize on any one thing, but even the worst cook can make a better prime rib.

For my first and likely only visit to Brickhouse Buffet, the experience wasn't what I expected. At least the service was decent, for our server was attentive in taking care of my Dad and I. Because of health directives related to COVID-19, we didn't get the full experience of an all-you-can-eat buffet that allows you to serve yourself at the food tables where you can take your time in getting what you want. I am forgiving of that and hope that 2021 will be the year that life returns to normal, but I'm still not likely to revisit Brickhouse Buffet when it does.

UPDATE (August 30, 2021): it seems my Dad and I aren't the only ones who have this view of the restaurant, as Facebook would tell it.


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