1. Best buffet ever--Captain George's Seafood Buffet, various locations, including Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. Be sure not to equate with other, similar-sounding names that cost less and seemed to have far less choice. I was there years ago and have never forgotten being able to bring back to the table an entire platter of Oysters Rockefeller (not solely for me, of course ).

2. Best European-style breakfast buffet--at the Rome Hilton Cavalieri. As to your American breakfast buffets in general, Hot Springs (Ark) Embassy Suites knows how to cook grits and biscuits, and does a mean-looking pancake as well, though willpower won out on those, so I can't comment on whether they tasted as good as they looked.

3. Just about any buffet in Las Vegas has merit. The Spice Market Buffet at what is now Planet Hollywood, used to be the Aladdin, is fun, though better the first time than the second. Best was years ago at one that has since been torn down--the Dunes--across from Caesar's, IIFC--various tables of American-style, German-style, Italian-style, etc., foods, plus pour-your-own wines. A person could become very much spoiled after the Dunes buffet. (Can't say I like the Bellagio very much. It seemed to be "correct" food but not food that actually had a great deal of taste.)

4. Beau Rivage in Mississippi (I've posted re this before). Southern food as only the best of cooks/chefs could do, not to mention whole roasted pig at the breakfast buffet, baklava, etc., etc., etc. And biscuits that were the lightest I've ever had.

5. I've liked Ryan's, actually, FWIW. They seem to have deteriorated in recent years, however, and I certainly wouldn't put them in the same category as any of the others, but occasionally one has to have "ordinary" good buffets. I do wish they'd serve something beyond mostly chicken in the meat department, but if you hit them on a good day when they have catfish or whatever, you could do fairly well. I've usually been there during lunch so probably shouldn't have expected too much.