The All-You-Can-Eat Resurgence

Dear Pros,

Erika here. When I think of all-you-can-eat pizza, two memories come to mind: There were the regrettable trips to Cicis Pizza as a band kid, when our chaperones would park the bus outside of the restaurant and shuttle us in for a no-holds-barred attack on pies heaped with macaroni and cheese and Alfredo sauce. Then, there were the trips to Pizza Hut, report card in hand, ready for both a free Personal Pan Pizza earned with good grades and a spin through the buffet if I could convince my parents to spring for it.

When my colleague Amelia Schwartz tapped me on the shoulder in the office a couple of weeks ago and pointed me to the all-you-can-eat pizza festivities happening at Italian restaurant Balera in Brooklyn, I could see at once it was a different ballgame. Hosted by owner Lorenzo Rubini, the all-you-can-eat giro pizza nights are a nod to his northern Italian childhood. This is no buffet: For $45, people can have their pick of pies as they whirl out of the kitchen, offered by the slice at diners' tables.

This week, Food & Wine contributor Elliott Harrell checked in with Rubini and a few other operators across the country, including Goat Hill Pizza in San Francisco and Övn Wood Fired Pizza in Bellingham, Washington, to see how the AYCE pizza night has evolved. It takes a lot of coordination and extra planning, owners say, but the community goodwill and potential to draw in new customers is worth the hassle. "I think we'd be on the wrong side of our community if we decided to stop doing it," Övn owner Matt Brawner told Harrell.

The AYCE model is one that chefs are increasingly playing around with. Earlier this summer, Harrell reported on a group of award-winning chefs who have embraced the buffet model, including Meherwan Irani of Chai Pani and Eric Jaeho Choi, who, along with partners Steve Choi and David Yun, is opening Good Time Country Buffet, a Southern-style AYCE spot in Manhattan, in September.

I've already got my dining crew locked in for when Good Time Country Buffet opens its doors. Let me know how the AYCE scene is shaping up in your city — and where I should book my next reservation.

Take care,
Erika

P.S.: We're just a couple of weeks away from one of the biggest days of the year on the Food & Wine calendar. On September 15, we'll announce the 2026 class of Food & Wine Best New Chefs and, for the first time ever, you'll be able to join in on the fun. Thanks to Resy & American Express, we're offering a small number of tickets to the Best New Chefs Awards Ceremony at Major Food Group's ZZ's Club, a private dining club in New York City.

Ticketholders will get full access to the entire evening, which includes the ceremony honoring the incoming class, complete with opening remarks from actor Joel McHale, F&W editor in chief Hunter Lewis, and lots of delicious bites to try from BNC alumni including Kwame Onwuachi, Rick Bayless, Calvin Eng, Eunji Lee, Michael Anthony, and Aretah Ettarh. Tickets are now live on Resy and cost $395 per person (plus tax). Come celebrate with me and the whole F&W team! I would love to see you there. (Terms Apply. Must be 21+ to drink alcohol. Please drink responsibly.)