The Marketplace - Des Plaines

Some items are ok. Salmon is usually dry and the chicken noodle either comes out of a can or the cook needs to put the salt shaker away. Better off going to Meon or Flipt

The Marketplace is a newish food court setup at Rivers Casino and which replaced the casino's buffet restaurant in October 2020. We got a pro tip from an acquaintance who's also a casino junkie, er, veteran, and came in to try the beef brisket entree at the Marketplace's American Kitchen station. It was an excellent food court dinner beef brisket, 2 sides, and a dinner roll for just $12. Wife and I both got that entree and the server gave us 3 very generous brisket slices that were delicious tender and succulent and with a nice bit of tasty fat for good measure. For the brisket dinner, I've got to go with 5 stars as it was simply an astoundingly great value. I had sides of mac n cheese and red beans, and wife had mashed potatoes and corn. Another pro tip is to go get yourself a casino Rush Reward card at customer service only takes a few minutes) and you forevermore get 10% off of any casino meal except Hugo's), so the dinner was really only $10.80. I can't vouch if the other Marketplace entrees here would rate 5 stars though our veteran said a lot of entrees were good with brisket being his favorite. There are 4 food stations here American Kitchen, Italiano, Sandwich Shop, and Sweet Treats. The Italian offerings and sandwiches $10) did look quite decent for the very economical price. Large pizza slices go for $5. We really didn't study the Sweet Treats station. Our outing kinda reminded me of being back at a cruise ship's buffet restaurant, but without the crowds. The large dining room is basic but roomy and comfortable. They also have beverages sold separately, and I also had a Miller Lite for $5. Overall, a quite fun outing, and we'll probably be back to try another casino meal. Being close by also, this place gives us another pretty quick, versatile, convenient, and economical meal option should the wife not want to cook. Parking is convenient and plentiful with both a surface lot as well as a connected garage. It was also heartening to see the casino fairly busy on this Tuesday evening, and with many still wearing masks, and I was thinking all the employees must feel grateful to see this.

The Lasagna is so amazing... Service is great.