Sizzler Restaurant Review--avoid!

[gguy]

I dined at the Sizzler at Royal Garden.

The last time I visited was about 10 months ago.

I had a chicken and pork combo. The chicken was awful. The pork was OK. I put some A1 sauce on and forced down 3 bites.

The baked potato was rotten inside and over cooked.

The salad bar selection was very limited and consisted only of the cheapest goods.

The price has gone up from 260 to 330 baht.

All in all, a bad experience either from a price or quality viewpoint.

However, the restaurant was full. No accounting for taste.

Edited August 6, 2008 by gguy

[jaansinatra]

ouch! 330 baht is getting near the danger zone. but compared to other nearby places, if you're a glutten, you cant beat Sizler. like in that "wave" on the roof, 330 baht will get you a small plate of something with rice and a bevargeg; and if you go to Au bon pan, 330 will get you a small sandwich and a small salad and maybe a beverage. so in terms of shear volume, Sizzelr comes out ahead.

the baked potato sounds horrible. you could always go to Villa market and make everything yourself but that will probably cost you 1000 bart. so bad chicken at Sizzler is starting to seem like the best value in town. i say "go for it".

[issanpaul]

Mmmm , good input ,have never tired Sizzler or rather not got around to it but i did fancy sizzler as there is one in Udon thani,dont fancy crap baked potatoes and unedibble chicken though

[zaphodbeeblebrox]

Never liked Sizzler in the U.S. and wouldn't dream of eating there in Thailand.

[Jingthing]

Sizzler was popular in the US in the 1960's back in the bad old days of American food culture. It is retrograde. It isn't a place to dine, it is a place to feed. Oink. Oink.

Edited August 6, 2008 by Jingthing

[mgjackson69]

Sizzler was popular in the US in the 1960's back in the bad old days of American food culture. It is retrograde. It isn't a place to dine, it is a place to feed. Oink. Oink.

Sizzler and Bonanza ... you can take the family out for "steaks" and not kill the budget.

[Phil Conners]

Sizzler sucks! There are so many better alternatives in Pattaya!

[gguy]

ouch! 330 baht is getting near the danger zone. but compared to other nearby places, if you're a glutten, you cant beat Sizler. like in that "wave" on the roof, 330 baht will get you a small plate of something with rice and a bevargeg; and if you go to Au bon pan, 330 will get you a small sandwich and a small salad and maybe a beverage. so in terms of shear volume, Sizzelr comes out ahead.

the baked potato sounds horrible. you could always go to Villa market and make everything yourself but that will probably cost you 1000 bart. so bad chicken at Sizzler is starting to seem like the best value in town. i say "go for it".

The combos start at 330 to go to 520 (I think).

OVERPRICED AND BAD FOOD

Edited August 6, 2008 by gguy

[Chaimai]

As my g/f says - Falang <deleted> !

I think I'll take the noodle stall anyday.

[toptuan]

Some people still don't realize that trying to get western food in Thailand is like trying to get authentic Thai food in the west. Do-able but difficult. Expect the worst, and once in a while you might be pleasantly surprised. Apparently not at Sizzler.

[siam2007]

Sizzler sucks! There are so many better alternatives in Pattaya!

rubbish. I will always like my Sizzlers in BKK and CM

at 179 THB including huge salad bar, pasta, dessert PLUS main dish, u cant beat the value.

cant judge Sizzlers in Pattaya, though, as this town is not on my "must-visit" - list anymore

[DirkGently]

Are we talking about Sizzler that has the salad bar in the middle and serves grilled dory fish and pesto with a tasty jacket spud for about 300 baht?

Is the Sizzler in question the one that has salmon and garden salad, crisp carrots and pork and mango on offer in the salad bar section?

Are the Sizzlers in question the same cosy and quiet places that make an decent place to eat at lunch time?

Just curious.

[Phil Conners]

^ Nope, this is the Pattaya forum and Sizzler here has none of the above.

[Naam]

^ Nope, this is the Pattaya forum and Sizzler here has none of the above.

BINGO!

[NotNew2You]

I would recommend that as alternative, just cross the street to the Avenue and have the Shenanigan's daily special. You get a complete meal and it's around B 210-250.

As to the comments about Au Bon Pain...for B 330, one could assemble a full lunch of a nice sandwich or two, a salad, drink, and a coffee and dessert item for that amount of money! Same for Delifrance at the Beach side of RG Mall.

[LtCol]

We have Sizzlers in Oz also & the quality is reasonable,Pattaya Sizzler sounds nightmarish , but, what is Bob's BBQ like?? , we were taken with their menu & prices seem reasonable on line.

Is it as good as it looks & sounds??

I love Ribs & Meat , wife loves Chicken & Veal & we both like Mexican & the odd Burger.

[gguy]

Just for the record, a couple of years ago I ate at the Pattaya Sizzler regularly.

Then the food was much better and the salad bar was good and had a good variety. I liked the BLT salad. They used big pieces of thick crispy bacon with tomato in a mayo sauce.

Then there was chicken not just broth in the chicken soup.

[Hobgoblin]

I'd rather eat Bulgarian food than Sizzler. Overpriced food for people who prefer eating at familiar establishments... like jaansinatra.

On the bright side, there's always the chance of a fun confrontation with those Euro types who don't understand the concept of a salad bar, and the fact that one must start at the lettuce, then make your way to the toppings, finally dousing your concoction with your favorite processed, nitrate-laden salad dressing. Mmmmmm.

[balo]

I never understand people spending 300 Baht to eat western food when you find tasty thai food everywhere for under 50 Baht.

[Jingthing]

I never understand people spending 300 Baht to eat western food when you find tasty thai food everywhere for under 50 Baht.

Variety. Money isn't everything. And Thai food isn't always cheap. I often spend more on Thai meals than western meals.

[syd barrett]

I think I am right in saying that if Sizzler did not offer an 'all you can eat' salad buffet then it would not hold the same attraction.

The new Sizzler at the Central Festival Centre on Beach Road has a queue outside at weekends.

When I pressed my eyes and nose against the window and observed the diners, they all looked like greedy types, many eating like pigs with their hands, and with food caked all over their face and food debris scattered across the table.

I will give the place a miss.

[neverdie]

I can't work out why ANYONE would bother going to eat in a crap joint like this in a place where there is so much wonderful food around?

I'm guessing they are the weird boring type.....probably expat accountants

[madjbs]

Yep it's the salad bar which makes Sizzler worthwhile.

I don't think the prices have gone up though. Perhaps you are getting mixed up with the Wednesday night special price combos and the ones on the normal menu.

[JSixpack]

I never understand people spending 300 Baht to eat western food when you find tasty thai food everywhere for under 50 Baht.

Maybe because Thai food is too salty, too fried, too sweet, too hot, overcooked, or lacks a variety of fresh veggies? And a Thai cook can only cook Thai food one way, rather like a Thai barber can cut hair only one way. You can put in a special order, like "no chillies," but it will often be ignored.

[syd barrett]

Maybe because Thai food is too salty, too fried, too sweet, too hot, overcooked, or lacks a variety of fresh veggies? And a Thai cook can only cook Thai food one way, rather like a Thai barber can cut hair only one way. You can put in a special order, like "no chillies," but it will often be ignored.

And too much MSG which causes heart palpatations in some people.

[tropo]

I never understand people spending 300 Baht to eat western food when you find tasty thai food everywhere for under 50 Baht.

You must eat on street carts and cheap Thai restaurants. I never pay under 50 baht for a thai meal and would never risk eating at the places you need to go to to find food that cheap...but that's only me. Go for it!

[thaimate]

Maybe because Thai food is too salty, too fried, too sweet, too hot, overcooked, or lacks a variety of fresh veggies? And a Thai cook can only cook Thai food one way, rather like a Thai barber can cut hair only one way. You can put in a special order, like "no chillies," but it will often be ignored.

And too much MSG which causes heart palpatations in some people.

exactly,my wife who is Thai hates the fact that most places use so much M.S.G. anyway when you live here whats wrong with having a change and going to the sizzler ,we usually just go for a salad ,not bad value and you get soup and pasta if you want it ,with fruit to follow .stop whinging you lot.

[patklang]

I never understand people spending 300 Baht to eat western food when you find tasty thai food everywhere for under 50 Baht.

You must eat on street carts and cheap Thai restaurants. I never pay under 50 baht for a thai meal and would never risk eating at the places you need to go to to find food that cheap...but that's only me. Go for it!

good and bad everywhere mate.the small thai restaraunt we go to is about/under 50 baht and the quality is better than paying 150 baht in an air con thai restaraunt,its lovely.i know i haveused it for 5 years and never had a bad tummy

[spike]

there are times when you feel like you can't eat any more chicken fried rice...this is when I eat at Sizzler...at approx 150b (up from 99b a year ago) the salad bar can't be beat.

Sometimes my body craves unlimited amounts of broccoli smothered in 1000 Island dressing or 50 cherry tomatoes and potato salad...pasta with salsa, soup, big wedges of iceberg lettuce...it's a great salad bar.

After a rocky night out on the town the sizzler salad bar will put your body back on regular footing.

[Jingthing]

MSG intolerance is very overstated. Many people who THINK they react to it badly are suffering from a psychological hysteria due to false publicity about the substance. It is very safe and very few people actually need to avoid it. I was surprised too about this. A friend of mine told me the Food Detective food network show did a segment on this also showing nothing really wrong with eating MSG.

Health concerns

Main article: Glutamic acid (flavor)#Research into health effects

MSG as a food ingredient has been the subject of scientifically unsubstantiated health concerns. A report from the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) compiled in 1995 on behalf of the FDA concluded that MSG was safe for most people when "eaten at customary levels." However, it also said that, based on anecdotal reports, some people may have an MSG intolerance which causes "MSG symptom complex"—commonly referred to as Chinese restaurant syndrome—and/or a worsening of asthmatic symptoms.[7] Subsequent research found that while large doses of MSG given without food may elicit more symptoms than a placebo in individuals who believe that they react adversely to MSG, the frequency of the responses was low and the responses reported were inconsistent, not reproducible, and were not observed when MSG was given with food.[8] While many people believe that monosodium glutamate (MSG) is the cause of these symptoms, a statistical association has never been demonstrated under controlled conditions, even in studies with people who were convinced that they were sensitive to the compound.[9][10][8][11] Adequately controlling for experimental bias includes a placebo-controlled double-blinded experimental design and the application in capsules because of the strong and unique after-taste of glutamates.[9]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monosodium_glutamate

Edited February 28, 2009 by Jingthing