Morongo Casino Buffet Price 2023 & Hours for The Marketplace

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa just outside Palm Springs, has 195,000 square feet of casino floor space, making it one of the largest casinos in California. And while many casinos have shuttered their buffets for good, the Morongo has upped their game with a popular new buffet experience called “The Marketplace.”

(A picture of the dessert station at Morongo’s buffet).

Morongo Buffet

Morongo’s former very popular buffet, the Potrero Canyon Buffet, which closed during covid, has been reimagined as a more upscale food hall type dining environment. The open, contemporary brick decor setting is located near the high limit tables. Opened in May of 2022, the buffet is the brainchild of celebrity chef Fabio Viviani, of “Top Chef” fame.

Rather than your typical casino buffet, with various stations full of self-serve pans of heated food under warming lights, The Marketplace has seven different mini restaurants. All food items are made in front of you, with the exception of some pre-made salads and sides on individual small plates.

Even then, these small plates are handed to you by servers. No more grabbing a spoon and diving into a hot pan here.

Reservations

You’ll start by signing up at one of the four kiosks at the entrance, rather than a cashier stand. You can also make reservations here, but only one day in advance.

At the kiosk, you’ll enter in the number in your party, and time you wish to eat, after which you’ll pay here, using only debit or credit cards. You can redeem any slot points you have at the kiosk for a possible discount. You’ll also have the option to pre-pay a tip, which always strikes me as odd, since I’m hesitant to pre-tip, not knowing what kind of service I’ll get.

Please keep in mind that even though you may have a reserved time, there still may be a wait. You’ll receive a text message when your table is ready.

Morongo Casino’s The Marketplace Buffet Prices & Hours

Because they only offer a dinner buffet, The Marketplace makes it simple, with one flat pricing for every night they are open. Prices below are before the 7.75% tax and tip.

Adults$46.99
Children (9 and under)$23.99

Hours

Sunday3 PM – 9 PM
Monday & TuesdayClosed
Wednesday & Thursday4 PM – 9 PM
Friday4 PM – 10 PM
Saturday3 PM – 10 PM

If you’re going to be arriving later, you may want to double check the time, as my understanding is the last seating may be an hour before the closing time.

The Marketplace Buffet at Morongo Casino Menu Items

As mentioned, you’ll find seven different stations here. Please note that each mini-restaurant will rotate different menu items in and out and seasonally. In fact, you may find something brand new each visit.

Here are some dishes offered in the past that you MAY find. Again, not all dishes below will be available during your visit; this is just what they have served recently on different visits.

Prime Cuts

The carvery or meat station has had: slow roasted prime rib, Cajon salmon with cherry butter sauce, smoked turkey breast with chipotle cranberry sauce, rotisserie chicken, kielbasa sausage, leg of lamb, and porchetta as main courses.

Sides have included mashed potatoes and gravy, asparagus, pasta, tri-color cauliflower, mint ginger carrots, and herb roasted baby bell peppers.

Al Comal (Mexican)

A Mexican/South American station, with individual taco plates (asada or pastor), with rice and beans, blackened fish tacos, pupusa de queso (tortillas stuffed with cheese), Chicken tinga tostada, carnitas plate, and esquite corn.

Seasonal dishes may include a summer watermelon salad. The Daily soup was a red chicken pozole.

Sukiru (Asian)

Items found at this area have included Szechuan chicken wontons, Chinese steamed fish, “Buddha’s Delight” (with bamboo shoots, tofu, wild mushrooms, broccoli, water chestnut, baby corn, carrots, bok choy, cabbage and bean sprouts), Beef Chow Fun (Mongolian sliced beef served with flat rice noodles, scallions and bean sprouts), Yu Xiang Eggplant Tofu, Sweet & sour chicken, Kung Pao Beef, Gochujang BBQ ribs, Salt & Pepper Prawns, and lastly, Orange Chicken.

They have also served ramen, a Beef Pho and a “seafood delight” vegetarian dish with tofu and veggies.

Pescato (Seafood)

Morongo Buffet’s seafood section has served raw oysters, peel & east shrimp, lobster roll, tuna poke, fried shrimp and chips, and seafood ceviche.

In addition, you’ll find two different daily soups: fisherman’s stew, seafood gumbo and Tom Kah Gai – a Thai coconut soup – have all appeared.

Pork and Waffles (American)

USA favorites here have featured smoked brisket, St. Louis pork ribs, Carolina pulled pork, corn chowder, cornbread, BBQ pulled pork nachos, collard greens, deviled egg potato salad, white cheddar mac & cheese with Chicharron panko, and of course, fried chicken and waffles with maple butter and syrup.

Mercato Centrale (Italian)

A wide variety of Italian items can be found here, including four varieties of thick-dough pizza (rotating flavors in the past have included Hawaiian, Pepperoni, Caprese, truffle mushroom pizza, Brooklyn meat lovers, veggie, three cheese and a prosciutto & burrata pizza).

Besides the made-to-order pasta station (ingredient choices include proteins, tomatoes, shrimp, pesto, etc.), other menu items have included rigatoni, spaghetti & meatballs, Lobster fettucine alfredo, mezzaluna ravioli, pesto pasta, Olive-Garden type bread, Caesar salads, and mixed fruits.

Sweet Things

This is the dessert station of course, and while you can get all you want, they do limit you to taking only five items at a time, which seems reasonable.

Dishes here have included individual cups of peach cobbler, (you can get ice cream on top), orange Jell-0, raspberry Jell-O, Black cherry panna cotta, orange dark chocolate mousse, tiramisu, mango lychee panna cotta, strawberry banana with mascarpone cream, and a gluten free chocolate raspberry cream.

You may also find carrot cake (both in a cup or by the slice), crème Brule, flan, and a S’more like cake pop on a stick. Other sweets include cheesecake, raspberry squares, lemon bars, almond brittle, eclairs, cannolis, coconut macaroons, donuts, cake pops, various cookies (I counted six types, including M&Ms’s), and two different sugar free cookies.

Drinks

The self-serve beverage station here includes Pepsi products, some flavored waters, a couple of varieties of Lipton ice tea, and coffee. A little beverage bonus you don’t find at most casino buffets is a premium soda dispenser, with Stubborn brand soda flavors that include Agave Vanilla cream soda, root beer, black cheery and citrus hibiscus orange.

You can also get specialty coffees, like a latte, cappuccinos at the dessert station.

Alcoholic Drinks

In addition to the seven different restaurant stands, Morongo’s buffet has a separate bar next to the Sweet Things station.

Drinks include draft beer (Bud Light, Modelo Racer 5 IPA, Golden Road Mango Cart, Ace pineapple cider, etc.), and several bottled beers. The wine selection includes four house wines and several varieties of reds and whites by the glass. There were five wines you could order by the bottle.

Their signature cocktails are pretty reasonably priced. These may change seasonally, but recently they offered your standard margaritas, an Italian margarita, a cucumber mule, a Bramble Martini, the “Passion Flower” (Tito’s vodka, St. Germaine Liqueur, lime juice and simple syrup), the “Irish Hillside” (Jameson’s Irish Whiskey, apple spice, and lemon juice)., and the Black Apple Manhattan “Redemption Rye Whiskey, Apple spice, Amaro and walnut bitters).

All of these are in addition to the standard rum, vodka, gin, whiskey and tequila mixed cocktails.

Morongo Casino Resort & Spa Address, Website & Phone

49500 Seminole Drive
Cabazon, CA. 92230
(800) 252-4499

Website: Morongocasinoresort.com

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(By Steve Beauregard.)