8 Best And 7 Worst Things To Eat At Golden Corral

A fried food appearing on the best side of the Golden Corral menu may seem unlikely, but this protein-packed option lines up with many popular eating plans where carbs are forbidden but fats and protein are encouraged. To be sure, the 240 calories, 15 grams of fat and 460 milligrams of sodium per serving (via CalorieKing) are a hearty helping, but a pretty serious 19 grams of protein helps to tilt the scale in this food's favor. Pairing a piece or two with vegetables or a low-carb green salad can keep you in the zone while providing an enjoyable all-you-can-eat-in-moderation meal.

Even with all the back-and-forth about Golden Corral's customer service and news of dangerous food handling (via NBC) that makes some guests reluctant to return, fried chicken-loving diners haven't been discouraged from enjoying their favorite selection whenever they get a hankering for all-you-can-eat quantities. As one Redditor puts it, "I don't care what anyone else says, their fried chicken is delicious."

Any time an all-you-can-eat buffet includes a salad bar, you have a handy choice for creating something good to eat. Vegans and vegetarians can enjoy a robust selection of spinach and mixed greens topped with raw veggies and a variety of seeds, nuts, and other healthful power foods. A careful drizzle of dairy- and egg-free dressing like Italian vinaigrette can keep the added calories and sugar under control, too, paving the way for a light yet satisfying meal. With a saucy spud from the baked potato bar on the side, you have a well-balanced, plant-based meal that helps to maintain your dining standards.

In addition to the usual iceberg lettuce mix, you may also find spinach at the salad bar. By loading up on these more nutritious greens, you can add iron and antioxidants to your super salad (via Healthline). If one serving isn't enough, you can return for seconds without feeling overstuffed. Just beware of the extra calories and unhealthy fats from dressings and some denser toppings, which can turn your happy greens into a 1000-calorie salad bomb and derail your thoughtful meal.

Baked fish is nearly always a healthy go-to option for any restaurant, but at Golden Corral it's one of the best choices you can make. Not only is fish a healthy source of omega-3 fatty acids, but Healthline reports that baked fish retains more of these essential nutrients than its fried or grilled versions. The plain baked fish puts you in the sweet spot, with only 8 grams of fat per 150-calorie serving. If you opt for the baked fish with lemon butter herb sauce, you'll still be downing a meager 150 calories, but with 13 grams of fat and 7 grams of protein per three-ounce serving.

Depending on location, you may find other baked fish options with sauces added for flavor, which will naturally alter the nutritional value. Luckily, since buffet eating invites more than just a three-ounce serving of fish, you have plenty of room left to add healthy steamed veggies like broccoli. With this menu item, healthy dining is a tasty prospect.

Dessert at an all-you-can-eat buffet is always a risk, largely due to the unlimited quantities of sugar and rich dairy available. But if you can resist temptation and control your portions, you can enjoy a dish or cone of vanilla soft serve without being extra. A half-cup serving presents a modest 110 calories, with only 2 grams of fat. While the carbs weigh in at 22 grams, it's a far cry from the 240 and 12 grams of fat you'd get if you went with a slice of carrot cake or something else from the dessert offerings. The fact that soft serve is dispensed from a chiller also means that you'll have the best-maintained option at the bar when it comes to freshness and temperature control.

Don't be put off by the flavor of vanilla, either. You'll be enjoying one of the most popular ice cream flavors in the nation, as per Food Business News. If it still feels a little plain, you can always doctor up your soft serve with toppings. Should the additional calories and sugar be a concern, opt for a 20-calorie cake cone to add a little crunch.

Maybe an upscale version of pizza rolls sounds like great party food, but when the option is Golden Corral's fried cheese raviolis, it's anything but a celebration. A six-piece serving may only come in at 146 calories, but that also comes with a whopping 12 grams of fat. Not the best ratio, especially for an option presented as an appetizer or side. You're likely to add these to whatever else you're eating, which means extra calories, fat, and sodium without much protein or other nutrients to even things out. 

What's more, if these little pillows of disappointment sit under the heat lamp too long, then their texture becomes something akin to cardboard, adding to the sorrow of anyone unlucky enough to pile them on the plate. It's better to skip over the ravioli in favor of something less disappointing. As for what that would be, we think just about anything else will do.

A meal of chipped beef may conjure nostalgic memories for some, but sliced beef afloat in a creamy béchamel is best left in the past. Though it has a colorful and even occasionally cuss-filled history, as per Atlas Obscura, the plain truth is that this dish just isn't appealing, no matter who serves it. The recipe was originally meant to be mass-produced to serve soldiers on the cheap, and so it became a familiar if not entirely elevated flavor for service members. 

Maybe the best thing that can be said about chipped beef is that there sure is a lot of it. The fact that it appears on Golden Corral's unlimited menu means there are options for diners of all tastes out there. But with such a broad array of other more contemporary options, it seems pretty easy to omit this old-fashioned creation from your plate. Simply put, you have better things to eat.

This downhome favorite might be tempting but piling a heaping portion of the Golden Corral pot roast on your plate is nothing short of a colossal mistake. The word around the internet is that this beloved roast is slow cooked for 12 hours in order to create some ultra-tender and juicy meat. Unfortunately, the results of all that work are not quite so favorable, resulting in a final product that's often dry and difficult to chew. That sounds more like jerky than pot roast, to us. That may be okay with some Corralers, but not when it's labeled as "pot roast."

The biggest disappointment may be in the fact that this is one of the healthier choices you can make among the chain's beef options. But when the promise of tender roast made by professionals gives way to something you could easily fail at in your own kitchen, it goes straight to the bottom of your choices.

Perhaps the most unsanitary food since unpasteurized dairy, the chocolate fountain is at least a fascinating conversation piece. It draws curious adults and often unsupervised kids who select an array of treats to bathe in the flow of melted chocolate. It doesn't take a food inspector to recognize the lack of sanitation in the open, recirculated flow of ingredients, however. Cross-contamination from food is one thing, but the possibility of some bacteria-laden chocolate getting in the mix and recirculating for hours is too much.

Liquid chocolate has never done anyone any favors. Everyone knows what happened to Augustus Gloop in Willy Wonka's factory when he got too close to the fudge river — and that was just one child. With the number of children using their unwashed hands to fish out their treats, there's no telling what might be floating in the Golden Corral chocolate fountain. No Oompa Loompa song in the world could finger-wag you enough for indulging in this temptation. It's best to sidestep this confectionary microbe trap altogether.