A Dining Change of Pace – Hannibal Missouri

When the visit with our family in Omaha ended, we headed east on US Hwy 36 across Missouri.  One place I’d chosen for lunch was closed on Monday so we had to find an alternative.  Laurie got on her ‘smart phone’ and checked to see what was available in Hannibal Missouri. 

This is the Saint’s Avenue Buffet restaurant in Hannibal.  Yes, it is a buffet!  It’s the first buffet we’ve eaten at since the start of Covid-19.  We never expect gourmet dining at a buffet style operation but we do expect decent food at a better than average price.  Another advantage of dining at a buffet is that it’s fast…no waiting for a member of the wait staff to take your order and no need to wait for the food to come from the kitchen.  Positives when one is already in the middle of an 8 hour drive…

Saint’s Avenue Buffet’s dining area is spacious and it was clean.  Service…maintaining the buffet with fresh food and cleaning tables…was prompt and efficient.  As the second photo shows, the buffet is expansive with plenty of options.  Note the age of the average diner in the first photo.  There is a good reason for the overpopulation of older folks!

This is the 'good reason'.  We were late for lunch…and as the sign indicates, that was a good thing!  Dinner for Senior citizens in the early afternoon…costs only $11.99 including your beverage.  In this day and inflationary age, that is a heck of a deal. 

The 5 preceding photos are intended to give you an idea as to the size of the ‘spread’ or variety of food choices diners face when they have a meal at Saint’s Avenue Buffet.  I haven’t included all of the choices.  In the first 3 photos, I’ve included just part of the salad bar, a taco bar and the primary buffet offerings.  The dessert choices went on and on as well!

This plate of food is so unlike my normal choices.  A roll, a slab of pork roast and a fried chicken breast…with a little gravy for the pork as an option.  If we didn’t still have 3 – 4 hours of driving left before we reached our destination for the night, my selection would have included potatoes, gravy, more chicken, etc.  The problem is, the more I eat…especially carbs…the more likely I am to fall asleep, not a good thing when driving.

On the other hand, Laurie usually doesn’t drift off and fall asleep after a meal…and she wasn’t driving either.  So she added peas with mashed potatoes and gravy to her plate along with a roll and a hunk of fried chicken.

As with most buffets, the food wasn’t in the gourmet category but it was tasty and plentiful…downhome cooking for sure.  For the price, the quality and the food options offered, Saint’s Avenue Buffet would be hard to beat!  We will return on our next trip to Omaha… 

This restaurant is located at 3913 McMasters Avenue/US Hwy 61 in Hannibal Missouri.  They are open 7 days a week.  Phone: 573-221-5808.  They are on Facebook at: Saints Avenue Buffet & Grill- Hannibal | Hannibal MO | Facebook.

Just click on any of the photos to enlarge them…

Thanks for stopping by for a visit!

Take Care, Big Daddy Dave