Ole Times Country Buffet

Walking into this place, I immediately knew I was walking into a relaxed Southern atmosphere. The walls where covered with a shade of yellow wood panels festooned with random memorabilia crap that someone found a space and decided to hammer a nail to hang it. Some call in olé country chic, I call it beyond tacky and quite frankly, a useless distraction.
You have to go through a double-​laned cash register channel before you get to the buffet. Sardonically, it reminded me of how pigs are probably queued before they meet their maker. The entrance winds into a narrow hallway that wraps around the parameter of the restaurant and opens up in the middle of the restaurant to– tomatoes, sweet potatoes, and honey for sale (all at pretty reasonable prices).
I could tell by this sales structure that they either a) may have been overwhelmed by large crowds b) may have experienced people that didn’t pay on their way out c) needed to figure out a way so that a hostess doesn’t have the headache to find you a table or d) all of the above. I think there could have been a smoother, classier way to handle this but it did bring about a burning question– if the food is purportedly good, why relegate customers to this?
It was rush hour and I had to forage for a table before food. I had to mark my territory with an empty plate before heading to the buffet. It was every man for himself. It’s funny when you’re the paying customer and you have to fend for things. After being initiated into all things Olé Times, I sat down to eat. The food was surprisingly tasty. And that’s the only reason why this restaurant made it on to my blog. Everything seemed to have been freshly readied and maintained. There was a cold buffet bar with salads, dressings, and toppings as well as a long warm buffet island with fried chicken, various kinds of prepared beans, fried catfish (on the bone and filleted), smoked sausage, smoked ribs, and bbq pulled chicken among other things.
Let me tell you about the vegetables– they were simply prepared but yet so flavorful. I couldn’t help but notice smoked ham hocks bobbing in most of them. Though some many find it revulsing, I actually liked that they didn’t shy away from where their flavor profiles were hailing. I enjoyed the collard greens and the stewed cabbage– both of which were not cooked to death but were soft enough for nuanced texture while still imparting their juicy earthiness. The mashed potatoes were perfectly fluffy and salted. All in all, the first plate really rejuvenated the lunch experience. What can I say? When food is good, you stop griping and you start paying attention to what’s in front of you.
The fried catfish fillets were so perfectly done. A perfect cornmeal coating gave the right amount of crunch before my teeth sunk into some of the moistest fish meat that I have had in years. Matter of fact as soon as I had it, my mouth screamed for more even though I wasn’t particularly hungry. This was the only item that I went back for seconds. Speaking of fried, you probably are wondering by now how the fried chicken was. Yes, I’ll admit it– I’m a fried chicken snob. But this restaurant’s was quite good. It doesn’t take the first place prize of the most amazing crispy skin of my dreams, but the meat was moist and the batter-​to-​meat ratio was nearly exact to what I always look for. And speaking of chicken the Smoked Chicken and BBQ Pulled Chicken were really good. The smoked chicken had a great rub with a very evident smoke ring that showed the penetration of the flavors into the meat that only happen skillfully. The meat was moist when I broke into it and the skin had a good char that made the palate happy. I loved the BBQ Pulled Chicken rendition– it was sweet with an addictive meat-​to-​sauce proportion.
The smoked sausage needed some added dimension. It was too Plain Jane and unlike the fried catfish, I did want this meat to have been elevated somehow with added spices during it’s preparation. On the other hand, the ribs were dry but spiced well. The smoke muted and married the ingredients almost too well and I couldn’t discern if cumin, paprika, or sugar were the leading ingredients for the rub. I could have preferred some more heat on the ribs but looking around the dinning room, I think the rub mix was neutral enough for everyone to enjoy. Similarly, the Mac-​N-​Cheese was okay and probably more for the kids who lust for it’s cheese sauce than for adults who want a bright cheddar flavor to come through. However, the spaghetti and meat sauce was very tasty and delicious. It had been a while since I had last tried this classic dish so it was a welcomed surprise to see…
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Hands down the best country buffet out there. Wide variety, clean, hot, fresh, and flavorful. Always impressed!

I didn’t want to like this place but it’s actually really good. it’s like they got a stable of grandmas in the kitchen cooking. Definitely taste like good old southern home cooking. Glad we live 30 minutes away so it’s not too much of a temptation to go. :P

Ok, been 3 times now.
Overall the food is good southern cooking although at times some items are better on one visit compared to the next, just not consistent.
A very large variety of veggies and meats. Fried fish has been consistently good but shrimp overdone. Fried okra had a burnt oil taste on the first 2 visits but the lAst it was excellent. Really large salad bar and fair selection of deserts. BBQ is hit or miss but when it hits its great. Smoked pork is juicy, tender and flavorful. Same for the chicken. All in all not a bad deal for the price but service is average and the food is inconsistent but with the large selection of items you can always find something good.
We will continue to go and recommend you give it a try if in the area and looking for some old fashion southern food.

This was actually super fun. Not a place I would normally frequent. But on a long highway drive, you generally crave carbs, or at least I do, and something easy and breezy to eat before getting back on the road.
It’s very close to the exit off of 1 – 75 and behind Starbucks in a little shopping plaza.
You enter in the doors and pay first, pick your drink and set your ticket on the table to receive the drink, then head to the buffet line to eat. It was jam packed in there.
And, I saw something amazing which I have never seen living in the NYC area nor in California! There was a very rambunctious child trying to run around and cause a fuss. Now, in the more upscale areas this behavior is generally tolerated, to my dismay, and the kids are «encouraged» to explore their voice. It’s something I’ve always found much too disruptive and rude when being out and about. I hate the parenting these days. Well, here at the Old Times Country Buffet, the younger mom, dressed very nicely in a skirt and a sweater, I might add, grabbed the arm of the little one and smacked him with a ruler to stop his behavior! When he tried to run off again, she did it again and again. She actually carries around a ruler! No one looked at her twice either.
Anyway, on to the food… I was delighted to see a ton of vegetarian options! I completely expected to only be eating from the salad bar but the amount of veggies and beans of this sort and beans of that sort were plentiful. You’ve also got a very nice mac & cheese and okra fritters. The corn casserole and the corn pudding were fun to eat too. Over in the bread area, you’ve got garlic bread, biscuits, a cinnamon roll and corn bread.
Then, if you are still hungry for dessert, there are a ton of options along with a self serve ice cream.
The salad bar left alot to be desired for my tastes as I don’t like all those prepared items, like the egg salad, tuna salad, chicken salad, etc. when they have too much cream in them. The salad bar wasn’t creative at all but then again it’s not the crowd for it.
Overall, it was very enjoyable and this seems to be a chain in the area on up into Georgia.
I love Southern food as it’s so «foreign» to what I’ve eaten my whole life — the organic, vegan, raw healthy stuff. So, to me, bring on the grits and all that comes with them.

Come earlier to avoid lines. Every kind of southern fried food, salad bar, dessert bar, and friendly worker staff.
I had tried a bunch of different items and many were disappointing.
There’s a salad bar, a hot food bar made mostly of fried southern comfort foods and sides.
The ribs weren’t very good, the crab cakes were mushy and made of imitation Krab meat. The boiled cabbage and collard greens were winners. The Mac and cheese tasty but again mushy, over cooked. I wasn’t in the mood to try the fried chicken. The fried shrimp were really great and flash fried, not over cooked.
The cornbread is good here, you can choose many pies and desserts. They have a sticky bun warmer that holds the hot cinnamon buns, yummy with some frozen soft serve yogurt you can portion on your plate with the self serve machine.
There was plenty of food and wasn’t very busy because we came at 4:30 pm before the dinner rush .
I don’t think I’ll come back, I don’t need lots of food, just good food.

Always fresh with tons of options. My boys love going here to fill up on all their favorites.