Vikings SM Lanang in Davao City

Vikings SM Lanang Davao is the fourth branch of Vikings Luxury Buffet in the Philippines and the first branch outside Metro Manila. The restaurant is located at the fountain court of SM Lanang Premier in the district of Lanang in Davao City. It is currently the biggest buffet restaurant in Davao which can seat 500+ guests serving more than 200 food choices.

Vikings SM Lanang Davao features both local and international cuisines and set in a huge dining space with a modern Filipino design that is both festive and elegant. Vikings Luxury Buffet is not the pioneer in buffet dining in Davao City but it elevated the standards in this industry not only in Davao, but in the entire country.

Vikings Luxury Buffet uses top quality food ingredients, delivers high level of customer service, employs professionally qualified chefs and creates the most luxurious dining ambiance. They also brought luxury buffet dining closer to the guests by opening their restaurants inside malls. They also made luxury buffet dining for affordable by offering competitive rates and promos.

We always consider Davao City as one of the top dining destinations in the Philippines. Not only that Davao City has some of the best restaurants serving the freshest seafood and farm produce, Davaoeños also love to eat! There's just so much good food in Davao, how can you blame them for being food lovers.

In the Philippines, there is a tight connection between food and family. From birthdays to anniversaries, from graduation to job promotion, there's always a reason for us to celebrate, and we always celebrate it over food, lots and lots of food. This is why buffet dining perfectly fits the Filipino culture.

Great Food, Celebration and Family, this is the exact formula why Vikings instantly captured the heart of Davaoeños. Vikings Davao only opened in September 2013, it is barely one year old when we visited but the restaurant already has an overwhelming number of local  patrons. There was a long line outside the restaurant when we arrived, all awaiting the buffet to open for dinner. Inside, almost all the tables are reserved.

We are based in Manila, and ironically, it was in Davao where we first experienced dining in a Vikings restaurant. Back in August 2013, when we learned that Vikings will open a branch in Davao, we told ourselves that our first Vikings experience has got to be in Davao. That occasion finally arrived in April 2014.

There were many things to celebrate that night: our longest trip ever will conclude in Davao City (14 days from Tacloban City to Davao City), we have added five provinces to the list of Philippine provinces we have visited bringing the total to 77 (out of the 81), and my birthday that will happen by the end of the month. There's definitely no better place to celebrate those than at Vikings SM Lanang Davao!

I have been to several buffet places in Manila, some of which are restaurants inside hotels, but the selection of buffet food items at Vikings SM Lanang is really impressive. There are seven food sections offering different cuisines from around the world and catering to varied tastes and preferences.

Appetizers

The Appetizer Section itself is extremely overwhelming. If you have a huge appetite, you would really want to try everything. There's a variety of sandwiches and bruschetta. There's also a whole table of breads and salads.

Sandwiches

Assorted Breads

Deviled Egg

Macaroni Salad

Davao Specialties 

Something unique in Vikings Davao is the high quality cheese varieties that are locally produced in the city. I particularly liked the local chevre with crackers. The cheese was very flavorful and really appetizing. I also like its combination with grapes. There's also a section on kinilaw, which is a favorite among Davaoenos. Viking introduced a unique concept of Make Your Own Davao Kinilaw. So, if you love kinilaw, then this section is for you.

Malagos Cheese Section

Make your own Davao Kinilaw

Kinilaw Section

Western Dishes

If you prefer Western cuisine, then there's the pasta and pizza section. They also serve an assortment of rice dishes which goes perfectly with items from the BBQ section. The buffet also serves gourmet European and American dishes. I particularly liked the seafood dishes.

Pizza

Pasta Section

Assortment of Rice

BBQ Section

BBQ on Stick

Dishes from the Main Kitchen

Carving Station

There's also the carving section of various roasted meats, from the Filipino favorite lechon, to the more American roasted turkey. There's also roasted beef, goat and lamb.

Lechon

Roasted Turkey

Pineapple Pork Leg

Roasted Beef, Goat and Lamb

Japanese Section

If you love Japanese food, you won't be disappointed because there's and entire section dedicated to it. Adding to the entertainment is the live demonstration of preparing these Japanese delicacies. Star of this section is the ultra fresh seafood that Vikings use in their dishes, more particularly in their sashimi and sushi where freshness and quality of fish is of primary importance.

Sashimi Section

Maki Section

Sushi Section

Tonkatsu Section

Chinese Section

The Chinese section features dimsum and noodle dishes. This is Edgar's favorite section. In case you didn't know, he is a huge fan of siomai. His favorite was the quail egg siomai.

Dimsim

Beverages

As you can see, there's so much juice flavors to choose from. They are also free-flowing beer and coffee.

Beverage Section

Dessert Section

Probably the most favorite section of many guests, the dessert section is situated in the middle of the buffet restaurant featuring a wide array of sweets, parties and crepes. My favorite has got to the the fresh fruits. It is only in Viking Davao where I have seen mangosteen offered on a buffet table. I am just curious why there wasn't pomelo and durian. Well, there's durian cheesecake anyway.

Assorted Fruits

Chocolate Fondue

Crepe Section

More Dessert

Durian Cheesecake

Melacotones

Pinoy Kakanin

We don't normally enjoy eating in a buffet because most buffet restaurants only focus on the volume and not on the quality. Vikings is different, they were able to deliver an excellent buffet experience at a very affordable rate, without sacrificing the quality of the food.

The key to enjoying Vikings is focusing on the food items that you like the most, and not trying to taste everything. Unless you have extra-ordinary appetite, it would be impossible to taste everything.

Viking SM Lanang definitely deserves a second visit, third or even fourth visit. It is definitely one of the places that we will include in our dining itinerary whenever we will be in Davao.

Thank you very much Vikings SM Lanang for welcoming us in Davao and for giving us a splendid buffet dining experience. It was a pleasure celebrating my birth-month in your restaurant.

Vikings SM Lanang
Upper Ground Level, Fountain Court, SM Lanang Premier
J.P. Laurel Ave, Davao City
Hours: Monday-Sunday: 11:00am-2:30pm (lunch); 5:30pm-10:00pm (dinner)
Reservation: 082-285-3888, 082-285-4888
Website: www.vikings.ph
Facebook: www.facebook.com/VikingsLanang
Twitter: @vikingsbuffet
Instagram: @vikingsluxurybuffet

Rates
Weekday Lunch: 588 + 5% Service Charge
Weekday Dinner: 788 + 5% Service Charge
Weekend/Holiday Lunch & Dinner: 788 + 5% Service Charge

For the latest promos, lease visit their Facebook Page:  www.facebook.com/VikingsLanang

Where to Stay in Davao City

Why not combine your Davao foodtrip with a relaxing staycation. There are a number of hotels located near SM Lanang Premier, here are our top recommendations:

• Park Inn by Radisson Davao (located just beside SM Lanang)
• Microtel Davao
• Tune Hotel Davao