Explorers Pizza and Pasta Buffet
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Squiggles
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- Location: The Land of Make Believe! (No... really)
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Please leave your reviews here for this new restaurant for Katanga Canyon.
Edwardo..... move me!
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rightbackgranty
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- Posts: 484
- Joined: Tue Apr 12, 2005 12:23 pm
- Location: Stoke
Very good direction for the park to take. It wasnt a busy day on park yesterday, but the service was still very good. Quickly seated and served, a good selection of food and, in my opinion, very reasonably priced.
The food was near identical to Pizza Hut (and it wouldnt surprise me if the same pizza supplier / deal with pizza hut has been done). The salad was fresh - the coleslaw being a particular highlight :P
Only one real criticism - the pasta selection was small. However, the pasta there was still nice!
The food was near identical to Pizza Hut (and it wouldnt surprise me if the same pizza supplier / deal with pizza hut has been done). The salad was fresh - the coleslaw being a particular highlight :P
Only one real criticism - the pasta selection was small. However, the pasta there was still nice!
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Sam
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- Location: People's Socialist Republic of Sheffield
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Today the queue was well out the door, which made me feel a bit apprehensive joining it but that plays churns through people like there's no tomorrow!
Food was pretty good, no complaints, but free drinks was made of WIN, seeing as that's usually where buffets make all their money. Parmesan shakers also good - try and get maximum value for money by creating a small mountain of pamesan on your pizza.
Damn good price for theme park food too.
Food was pretty good, no complaints, but free drinks was made of WIN, seeing as that's usually where buffets make all their money. Parmesan shakers also good - try and get maximum value for money by creating a small mountain of pamesan on your pizza.
Damn good price for theme park food too.
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James
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- Location: Newport, Wales
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Lovely food and having unlimited drinks is a plus as in buffets you usually don't get unlimited drinks. A nice atmosphere with a nice beat of music playing and the staff were very friendly. The only downside to this reasturant is that when me and my family went there were a few rude people that were just pushing in and not being very civilised.
10/10
10/10
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AstroDan
Explorers Pizza and Pasta Buffet
It's really the perfect addition to the Food & Beverage market at Alton Towers. Replacing the old KFC/Pizza Hut outlet, it's been totally redesigned inside and now features an Open Kitchen and a number of serving areas.
Even though there may seem to be a queue to get in, you are seated with remarkable haste by one of the many staff. On my last visit, I counted a dozen staff in my half of the restaurant alone. You are seated at one of the wooden tables, and background music plays overhead. The walls are tastefully decorated and fits in to the Katanga Canyon area without being overkill. You pay for your meals prior to getting food (£6.95 adult / £3.95 children, Annual Pass discounts apply) and are then free to eat.
The plates are perhaps a little on the small side, but that just means more trips! There are two Salad Bars, which prevents there from being a swarm of people. Lettuce, pasta's, various salads and sauces are all available and there's plenty of it. There are then several Pizza serving area's. Margharita, Vegetable, Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Meat Feast and others are available along with Garlic Bread Sticks and two sorts of Pasta.
The food is fresh and is constantly being replenished. It's hot and there are plenty of toppings. Overall, it's delicious - better even than Pizza Hut buffet - and cheaper, too!
You can also have as much to drink (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Water) as you would like, and they'll do coffee/tea or hot chocolate too if you'd rather.
It's now becoming a real tough decision where to eat on park. Something which a few years ago was always a case of McDonald's or a Kebab is now a case of Mexican, Chicken & Ribs, Carvery or Pizza/Pasta? It's great to see the resort stepping up a gear in terms of F&B quality.
Highly recommended. The best on park? Well it's certainly giving Rita's a run for its money!
It's really the perfect addition to the Food & Beverage market at Alton Towers. Replacing the old KFC/Pizza Hut outlet, it's been totally redesigned inside and now features an Open Kitchen and a number of serving areas.
Even though there may seem to be a queue to get in, you are seated with remarkable haste by one of the many staff. On my last visit, I counted a dozen staff in my half of the restaurant alone. You are seated at one of the wooden tables, and background music plays overhead. The walls are tastefully decorated and fits in to the Katanga Canyon area without being overkill. You pay for your meals prior to getting food (£6.95 adult / £3.95 children, Annual Pass discounts apply) and are then free to eat.
The plates are perhaps a little on the small side, but that just means more trips! There are two Salad Bars, which prevents there from being a swarm of people. Lettuce, pasta's, various salads and sauces are all available and there's plenty of it. There are then several Pizza serving area's. Margharita, Vegetable, Pepperoni, Hawaiian, Meat Feast and others are available along with Garlic Bread Sticks and two sorts of Pasta.
The food is fresh and is constantly being replenished. It's hot and there are plenty of toppings. Overall, it's delicious - better even than Pizza Hut buffet - and cheaper, too!
You can also have as much to drink (Coke, Diet Coke, Sprite, Fanta, Water) as you would like, and they'll do coffee/tea or hot chocolate too if you'd rather.
It's now becoming a real tough decision where to eat on park. Something which a few years ago was always a case of McDonald's or a Kebab is now a case of Mexican, Chicken & Ribs, Carvery or Pizza/Pasta? It's great to see the resort stepping up a gear in terms of F&B quality.
Highly recommended. The best on park? Well it's certainly giving Rita's a run for its money!
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Rory
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- Joined: Thu Mar 20, 2003 2:57 pm
- Location: Wales
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Visited the Pasta & Pizza buffet fro lunch this Tuesday - Fantastic, well done Alton Towers, a great addition!
The eatery manages to fulfil all that is demanded from a theme park lunch - lots of seating, quick access to seats even on a busy day, good selection & reasonably priced.
I was very impressed how quickly the staff turned round the tables and how quick they replaced pizza and pasta with fresh batches. The good design (kitchen immediately the other side of the pizza and pasta counter means staff can keep tracks on food levels and replace food without constantly shouting at customers to move and try not to burn them with hot pans! (thorpe park pizza hut buffet for anyone whos experienced it will know what i mean!).
While the food is not the best you will ever have, its well above theme park standards and having a seat is a great luxury compared to eating your burger king on some wet steps outside!
Only critism is the size of the plates - while i appreciate massive plates lead to more wastage, the plates they use are more geared towards desserts!
I had to chuckle at the 20% off dessert at waffles and ices after eating at the buffet, as if you'd need dessert!
Well done AT and I can see more own brand eateries over the years, which IMO is a good move, certainly after success of this buffet and rita's ribs
The best on park? Well it's certainly a more affordable option for eating that rita's ribs and with it being a buffet, theres no problem with portion size.
Rory
The eatery manages to fulfil all that is demanded from a theme park lunch - lots of seating, quick access to seats even on a busy day, good selection & reasonably priced.
I was very impressed how quickly the staff turned round the tables and how quick they replaced pizza and pasta with fresh batches. The good design (kitchen immediately the other side of the pizza and pasta counter means staff can keep tracks on food levels and replace food without constantly shouting at customers to move and try not to burn them with hot pans! (thorpe park pizza hut buffet for anyone whos experienced it will know what i mean!).
While the food is not the best you will ever have, its well above theme park standards and having a seat is a great luxury compared to eating your burger king on some wet steps outside!
Only critism is the size of the plates - while i appreciate massive plates lead to more wastage, the plates they use are more geared towards desserts!
I had to chuckle at the 20% off dessert at waffles and ices after eating at the buffet, as if you'd need dessert!
Well done AT and I can see more own brand eateries over the years, which IMO is a good move, certainly after success of this buffet and rita's ribs
The best on park? Well it's certainly a more affordable option for eating that rita's ribs and with it being a buffet, theres no problem with portion size.
Rory
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Quickey
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- Location: silverdale/lancaster
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I cannot recommend this place enough!
When I firs heard about it, I was a little disappointed as I am not the biggest fan of pizza and pasta, but this place is brilliant! The food is actually really nice, there is a decent choice and plenty of it. It is a fantastic price as well only being just under £7, with free un-limited drinks. It has a really nice atmosphere too, and the staff are pretty good.
Only down fall is that the plates are too small (but you can just pile it up and go back for more), it takes a few mins to be seated and get your plates (what can you expect), and the buffet area is a bit to small (not a major problem).
9/10
When I firs heard about it, I was a little disappointed as I am not the biggest fan of pizza and pasta, but this place is brilliant! The food is actually really nice, there is a decent choice and plenty of it. It is a fantastic price as well only being just under £7, with free un-limited drinks. It has a really nice atmosphere too, and the staff are pretty good.
Only down fall is that the plates are too small (but you can just pile it up and go back for more), it takes a few mins to be seated and get your plates (what can you expect), and the buffet area is a bit to small (not a major problem).
9/10
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Anonymous
I went there saturday and it cost £7.95 so i think they must have already put their prices up! I did think this was a bit pricey at first when you consider pizza hut! but this does include a drink refill so not bad!
we were guided to a seat and told someone would explain to us how it worked and they did eventually but it took a good 5 minutes! and not because they were rushed off their feet! There were only 4 pizza options when we went but they did cater for everyone - 2 veggie 2 meat. though there was only 1 pasta dish - penne bolognese - so not so veggie friendly!
was very tasty but i did think the pizza was a bit floury but none the less very nice!
i also felt the cooks were getting quite impatient with me as they wanted to replace the pizza trays a bit too efficiently! but if the pizza was cut properly in the first place i wouldnt have to stand there for ages cutting it with the slice thingy myself!
overall most staff were on the ball and it wasnt the worse place and did make a change from kfc and had a shorter queue too
we were guided to a seat and told someone would explain to us how it worked and they did eventually but it took a good 5 minutes! and not because they were rushed off their feet! There were only 4 pizza options when we went but they did cater for everyone - 2 veggie 2 meat. though there was only 1 pasta dish - penne bolognese - so not so veggie friendly!
was very tasty but i did think the pizza was a bit floury but none the less very nice!
i also felt the cooks were getting quite impatient with me as they wanted to replace the pizza trays a bit too efficiently! but if the pizza was cut properly in the first place i wouldnt have to stand there for ages cutting it with the slice thingy myself!
overall most staff were on the ball and it wasnt the worse place and did make a change from kfc and had a shorter queue too
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Nightfall
- Member
- Posts: 2195
- Joined: Wed Sep 09, 2009 11:10 am
- Location: Cambridge
At first I was worried about it being a buffet as the old KFC/Pizza Hut seemed to never have free seats between 11 and 2. Luckily the buffet system has opened up more space and people seem to be tempted back to the rides.
The price is good and considering unlimited food and drinks (+20% off with annual passes) it's much better value for money than before.
I also agree that the salad bar is a great addition and the new repaint gives the building a good character.
Do I plan on eating anywhere else? Um, no, (not for my next few trips anyway).
The price is good and considering unlimited food and drinks (+20% off with annual passes) it's much better value for money than before.
I also agree that the salad bar is a great addition and the new repaint gives the building a good character.
Do I plan on eating anywhere else? Um, no, (not for my next few trips anyway).
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-Aerodynamic-
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- Posts: 45
- Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 6:29 pm
- Location: Glasgow
After reading all the great reviews on here, I decided to make sure this would be our dinner destination for Scarfest last week (on wednesday).
Unfortunately we didn't have as great an experience as everyone else. We arrived at around 6.40pm, and the place wasn't very busy, quite a few empty tables. We were greeted by a friendly member of staff, but he didn't show us to a table (don't know if thats just common practice?) and instead told us to sit anywhere over by the windows, and said he would send someone over shortly to take our order.
We waited almost 15 minutes before being attended to, having had 2 different members of staff walk past our table and fail to notice us waiting (I don't think they heard us say 'excuse me'). When we finally managed to grab someone, she wasn't particularly polite or apologetic for our wait. As i stated before, the place wasn't exactly heaving and we had become irritated when we noticed quite a few members of staff who seemed to be just standing around talking. I was also annoyed to find that there was no water readily available to drink (everything was fizzy juice) and I had to approach a member of staff at the till to ask for some.
We paid £8.95 each, so they've obviously decided to up the prices. The salad to start with didn't taste very fresh, it was generally a bit soggy and not very well stocked. Perhaps it had been sitting out for much of the day? The pizza was good, although as a vegetarian I was very limited to what I could have (margherita or vegetarian), there were no garlic bread sticks. The pasta was nice, well-cooked and warm. Again, there were only two types and I could only have the tomato and basil, as the other one was bolognese. I'd warn anyone who comes here, from our experience there was not really any queueing system, its really just a scrum for the food.
All in all, I was a bit disppointed with my visit here, as I'd expected better service and perhaps a bit more food to choose from. Price was ok considering its all-you-can-eat at a theme park, but I would have been a bit happier paying slightly less. The food was generally ok, certainly filled us up, but I'm not sure if I'd come back again.
Unfortunately we didn't have as great an experience as everyone else. We arrived at around 6.40pm, and the place wasn't very busy, quite a few empty tables. We were greeted by a friendly member of staff, but he didn't show us to a table (don't know if thats just common practice?) and instead told us to sit anywhere over by the windows, and said he would send someone over shortly to take our order.
We waited almost 15 minutes before being attended to, having had 2 different members of staff walk past our table and fail to notice us waiting (I don't think they heard us say 'excuse me'). When we finally managed to grab someone, she wasn't particularly polite or apologetic for our wait. As i stated before, the place wasn't exactly heaving and we had become irritated when we noticed quite a few members of staff who seemed to be just standing around talking. I was also annoyed to find that there was no water readily available to drink (everything was fizzy juice) and I had to approach a member of staff at the till to ask for some.
We paid £8.95 each, so they've obviously decided to up the prices. The salad to start with didn't taste very fresh, it was generally a bit soggy and not very well stocked. Perhaps it had been sitting out for much of the day? The pizza was good, although as a vegetarian I was very limited to what I could have (margherita or vegetarian), there were no garlic bread sticks. The pasta was nice, well-cooked and warm. Again, there were only two types and I could only have the tomato and basil, as the other one was bolognese. I'd warn anyone who comes here, from our experience there was not really any queueing system, its really just a scrum for the food.
All in all, I was a bit disppointed with my visit here, as I'd expected better service and perhaps a bit more food to choose from. Price was ok considering its all-you-can-eat at a theme park, but I would have been a bit happier paying slightly less. The food was generally ok, certainly filled us up, but I'm not sure if I'd come back again.
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richdirk123
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- Joined: Fri Jan 22, 2010 9:29 pm
- Location: Bristol
I LOVED the food ad this restaurant but I was shocked at how greedy some people were. The people on the table next to us had a huge pile of food on their plates and they left half of it on the table, when they could have got a small amount, then got up for more!
[quote=""-Aerodynamic-""]as a vegetarian I was very limited to what I could have[/quote]
I am also a vegetarian but I walked to my table with a fantastic meal. I had a slice of margherita, some vegetarian pasta, a slice of garlic bread and a Fanta. It was very nice and afterwards, I went up and got the same thing again.
[quote=""-Aerodynamic-""]as a vegetarian I was very limited to what I could have[/quote]
I am also a vegetarian but I walked to my table with a fantastic meal. I had a slice of margherita, some vegetarian pasta, a slice of garlic bread and a Fanta. It was very nice and afterwards, I went up and got the same thing again.
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RustyG
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- Posts: 37
- Joined: Wed Feb 24, 2010 1:15 pm
- Location: Birmingham
Cannot speak highly enough of this eatery
First of all I should explain that I went during scarefest 2009 so I'd say the park in general was medium to busy.
I had read good reviews on this site and decided to try the place for myself with Mrs Rusty. We wanted to sit down for something to eat so a hot dog or chips on the run wasn't an option, and we weren't exactly after a quiet relaxing romantic meal for two. Functional filling food for the cold evening ahead that would see us through to the morning.
There was a queue at the door (20 deep at most) which put me off at first, but after waiting for five minutes we had progressed nicely to the front, where a friendly member of staff greeted us and checked that we just wanted a table for two. Within minutes we were shown to our table, and after paying, were issued with our free refill cups, knives and forks and were able to tuck into the food on offer.
This consisted of about 5 types of pizza, at least 2 of which were veggie options. Not quite Dominos Texas BBQ standard, but tasty all the same, there were also a couple of pasta options, one meat and one veggie I think, garlic bread, and possibly some salad cart style food, but I never made it past the pizza.
As I mentioned it was a fairly busy day at the park and at the restraunt, but the turnover of fresh hot pizza was perfect! If it wasn't there on the shelf waiting for you, it was in one of the chefs trays on its way from the oven.
Staff were polite, but as it was busy there wasn't to much chatter, and the chefs were happy to answer any questions about what was on offer.
If I had small children, I might want them to eat in a less busy atmosphere elsewhere, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a trauma if your options were restricted.
Overall for the price you couldn't really ask for more, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Fills you up as much as you like with tasty pizza quickly and efficiantly!
Overall 8/10 (would have a 9 if it was a little quieter, but having been I know why it was busy)
More like this please AT!
First of all I should explain that I went during scarefest 2009 so I'd say the park in general was medium to busy.
I had read good reviews on this site and decided to try the place for myself with Mrs Rusty. We wanted to sit down for something to eat so a hot dog or chips on the run wasn't an option, and we weren't exactly after a quiet relaxing romantic meal for two. Functional filling food for the cold evening ahead that would see us through to the morning.
There was a queue at the door (20 deep at most) which put me off at first, but after waiting for five minutes we had progressed nicely to the front, where a friendly member of staff greeted us and checked that we just wanted a table for two. Within minutes we were shown to our table, and after paying, were issued with our free refill cups, knives and forks and were able to tuck into the food on offer.
This consisted of about 5 types of pizza, at least 2 of which were veggie options. Not quite Dominos Texas BBQ standard, but tasty all the same, there were also a couple of pasta options, one meat and one veggie I think, garlic bread, and possibly some salad cart style food, but I never made it past the pizza.
As I mentioned it was a fairly busy day at the park and at the restraunt, but the turnover of fresh hot pizza was perfect! If it wasn't there on the shelf waiting for you, it was in one of the chefs trays on its way from the oven.
Staff were polite, but as it was busy there wasn't to much chatter, and the chefs were happy to answer any questions about what was on offer.
If I had small children, I might want them to eat in a less busy atmosphere elsewhere, but I'm sure it wouldn't be a trauma if your options were restricted.
Overall for the price you couldn't really ask for more, it does exactly what it says on the tin. Fills you up as much as you like with tasty pizza quickly and efficiantly!
Overall 8/10 (would have a 9 if it was a little quieter, but having been I know why it was busy)
More like this please AT!
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Anonymous
Hi i went to AT on sat with my kids and we went here on advice from this site i thought id update this with a new review
No waiting time (yep first sat in the school holls too )
Service fine
Food hot fresh and really nice
Price for four people £14 as after 3.30 pm kids eat free with every adult meal and 20% off with merlin pass
This was a great place to take the kids and the food was great
Only down side the toilets here are revolting better off using the park loos not there ones
No waiting time (yep first sat in the school holls too )
Service fine
Food hot fresh and really nice
Price for four people £14 as after 3.30 pm kids eat free with every adult meal and 20% off with merlin pass
This was a great place to take the kids and the food was great
Only down side the toilets here are revolting better off using the park loos not there ones
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Tom G
- Member
- Posts: 1642
- Joined: Thu Jun 10, 2010 1:09 pm
It's brilliant. The best place to eat in the park. I'm not quite sure how an Italian restuarant fits in with the theme here, but the staff were also very friendly and asked if I was a MAP holder (I wasn't at the time). How much is it per head now, £8.25 for adults?
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Anonymous
Stopped here last night around 6ish for something to eat, the queue was out the door but we only really waited 5-10mins for a table, staff were great with us too Nathen our waiter was cool, said that he would charge us for 4 adults and 1 kid (thats what we were expecting as our party was 2 adults, 2 teens 15,14 and one kid 10) he said we could argue about the teens being kids as poeple have done before but we were happy to pay what was due to be paid, some teens eat more than adults any who
Prices were £8.25 for Adults and £4.25 for kids which was good value
think there was 3 different types of pizza, 2 pasta and then garlic bread stick things, then there was a lot of choice in the salad bar, drinks are refillable all the time you are there and there was no rushing you to eat and get out
this was our second time there and think it is the best place to eat in the park
Prices were £8.25 for Adults and £4.25 for kids which was good value
think there was 3 different types of pizza, 2 pasta and then garlic bread stick things, then there was a lot of choice in the salad bar, drinks are refillable all the time you are there and there was no rushing you to eat and get out
this was our second time there and think it is the best place to eat in the park
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Air Guy 138
- Member
- Posts: 96
- Joined: Mon Jan 03, 2011 3:15 pm
- Location: Derbyshire
Two words: Great. Food.
Explorers Pizza and Pasta Buffet is probably one of the best places to eat at AT, or that may just be my opinion... I'm not sure, but I loved the food! You walk in, sit down, then pile up you plate with as much Pizza, Pasta and Veggies as you like! Bearing in mind this used to be a Pizza Hut before it was made into Explorers, but I'm not complaining.
Rating out of 10: 10/10
Explorers Pizza and Pasta Buffet is probably one of the best places to eat at AT, or that may just be my opinion... I'm not sure, but I loved the food! You walk in, sit down, then pile up you plate with as much Pizza, Pasta and Veggies as you like! Bearing in mind this used to be a Pizza Hut before it was made into Explorers, but I'm not complaining.
Rating out of 10: 10/10
Alton Towers Top 3 - 1. Air 2. Oblivion 3. Nemesis
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Altonfan
- Member
- Posts: 56
- Joined: Tue Nov 02, 2010 4:05 pm
- Location: Alderley Edge, Cheshire
A geat family restaurant. There are lots of types of pizza and good service! If your wanting to sit down with the family & have a relaxed lunch then I strongly recoment coming here!
10/10, does exactly what it says on the tin
10/10, does exactly what it says on the tin
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AshleeK
- Member
- Posts: 308
- Joined: Sun Mar 21, 2010 8:06 pm
Really good place to eat for a theme park. The buffet is VERY similar to what you get at Pizza Hut buffets, but that is really a good thing as I love Pizza Hut. Combined with the AP discount, coming up to around £7 or so each, for all we could eat and free refills it comes highly recommended.
Also, they played the old Katanga Canyon music in there, so the place gets bonus points for nostalgia
Also, they played the old Katanga Canyon music in there, so the place gets bonus points for nostalgia
