Ryan's

East McCain Blvd, North Little Rock, Arkansas

I've been seeing television ads for the last month or so for Ryan's and it looks pretty good. Driving down East McCain last week, I noticed that the old Fire Mountain restaurant next to the Post Office was now a Ryan's. So, we decided to try it out last night.

The first thing I noticed, and continued to be aware of the entire time we were there, is that if you don't weigh at least 300 pounds you're going to feel out of place. And, I don't take this as a good sign. I've been in lots of all-you-can-eat places and the good ones attract all different kinds of people. The others usually only attract the ones looking for plenty of food at a reasonable price.

And the price wasn't that cheap, either. It cost $24.00 for two of us to eat here which could have bought a very nice (though smaller portioned) meal at a made-to-order restaurant.

They grill steaks to order, along with pork chops and sausages, as part of the buffet. Nice touch, but not unique. There are lots of vegetables and salad and other entrees to choose from. Everyone should find something they like here.

But, I was a bit disappointed. If you had been to Fire Mountain you'd be hard pressed to tell if anything was different. And both of them are basically the same as the Golden Corrals, Western Sizzlin's, and Bonanza Steakhouses that came before them.

The food is okay, but not outstanding. Not much to recommend this place unless you are looking for bulk.