Southern Image Restaurant & Catering

We arrived at 8:00 on a Friday night with 2 road ragged kids straight from Orlando. Originally Unilocal had pointed us to the Irish place across the street, but after looking in the windows my husband and I decided that while it was *probably* kid friendly, the other patrons enjoying the live music might not be excited about out 2 littles. It was very easy to find from the I95.
Big guy (age 6) loves buffets and immediately chose Southern Image because of the large sign out front that says «Family Buffet.» Anyway — nice big parking lot and very few cars in it, which worried me a bit. They closed at 9:00 but everyone was super nice when we walked in! Like Southern Hospitality at it’s finest. Even though we were there an hour from closing and it wasn’t busy, all buffet trays were full of fresh hot food. They even refilled a few times while we were there! The salad section was good not great (kinda what you would expect at a Southern buffet, I suppose).
The hot food was pretty darn good. The fried chicken bin was over flowing and the chicken it’s self wasn’t bad. I’ve had better, but I’m sure I’ve had worse. It lacked a little seasoning. If I hadn’t been facing 12 more hours in the car I would have added some hot sauce from their impressive collection. The macaroni and cheese was hot (very hot) cheesy and delightful. I was a little wary of the grease floating on the top, but I think it was just from the huge amounts of cheese. All of the sides were great — green beans, sweet potatoes, cheesy grits, some sort of seafood pasta, mashed potatoes. I didn’t try the greens, that’s not really my thing. The proteins were good but not amazing, hence the 4 stars.
There was an impressive array of cakes and bars to choose from for dessert, and the cream cheese cake I selected had an almond flavor and was awesome. I should have taken a piece with me for the road. The waitresses were so very very kind and were more than helpful when I asked what type of cakes were displayed — there was no label on the actual tables; however, there was a listing of the overall offerings in an acrylic stand near the buffets.
Everyone was amazingly friendly and made a point to start a conversation, even the other patron that was there. They locked up right after we left but I absolutely didn’t feel rushed out the door. The bathrooms were kind of odd (one room with a sink and two rooms with toilets off to the sides) and had no changing table.
Overall, if we lived in Georgia, I’m sure we would be back. If I’m every traveling on I95 and need a pit stop near here, I’ll be back!

Let me start off by saying, I’m not very big on buffet’s. Many places don’t pay enough attention to the quality of the food or the food area once the food is out. With that in mind, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to give this establishment a try. I’m happy I went against my first instincts.
The buffet was very clean and they take the time to stir the food items to make sure it stays evenly warmed. It’s not a large selection like you’d see at some of these other chain buffet’s, but it’s large enough. More importantly, the food is delicious. You would never know the food was from a buffet. It tastes fresh from the kitchen. The mac and cheese is what you’d expect from a restaurant with southern in it’s name. The smoked wings are also highly recommended. Between me and my wife, we haven’t disliked any item we’ve tried, including the desserts.
They also have a standard menu, it’s a limited selection and I’m yet to order from it. I have no reason to expect any less.
This establishment is not too far off of I95. So whether you’re just passing by or a local, this is the place to get a taste of good southern food.

All I can say about the food is yum!!! From the fresh tossed salad, to all of the wonderful other salad choices, then on to one of the best chowders I’ve ever had, shrimp and corn, then proceeding on yet again to the main buffet: fried flounder, BBQ chicken, baked chicken, fried chicken, mini hamburgers, Mac&cheese, greens, zucchini casserole, green beans, red rice, & on & on. Oh and lest I forget the dessert bar, fresh coconut cake, Black Forest cake, key lime cake, chocolate roll cake, banana pudding, assorted cookies, and more! Move over Paula Dean, you have been out done!

We eat here every time we are close enough to go. They have the best juicy fried chicken in the area. The buffet is awesome in every way. The management is courteous and care about what you think. Oh and the CORNBREAD OMG! To die for.

It was a pretty good buffet and the selection was pretty good for how small the place is but I would recommend it to a friend who is looking for a good meal for a decent price

Had lunch there today. I must say it was very good. The buffet is also available all day until 9:00 pm.

Traditional Southern food and charm. Enjoy fried chicken with the buffet and about 20 delicious side dishes. When your done you have several different desserts to choose from.

Walked into southern country elegance and a wonderful buffet. Chicken cooked three different ways, all three very good (and I don’t do fried chicken in restaurants! but their’s was so very good!). The cheesiest mac/​cheese you’ve ever had. Pork chops, fish bites, and sloppy Joe also offered on the night we ate. Country style veggies were not the usual bland veggies, but were very good indeed. A rather small assortment for the salad bar, but they do offer romaine and baby spinach which you don’t find as often as I’d like. I definitely recommend Southern Image!!! Too bad they don’t do breakfast *sighs*
Yum Yum, as Grandpaw Jones would say ;-)

The chicken was dry and room temperature. Almost everything was very salty. The salad bar was not cold enough. Would give no stars but the place was clean and waitress nice. Better off going to KFC

Wow… it’s like I died and woke up in Grandma’s house… the food is true to its word genuine South. You have to stop here if you’re close and hungry… Hell…make a detour. you will not be disappointed.

Great buffet for 11.95. It’s a good sized buffet and all the food was fresh! Will stop here again when passing through.

From the looks on the road you might not be sure that you would like to try this restaurant and buffet. They no longer serve breakfast so disregard one of the other a bad reviews. The whole experience here was wonderful. They were constantly refilling the buffet with fresh items, and the employees were really nice. Will definitely return.

Very good home cooking, like eating at grandma’s house. Offering both the traditional fried southern foods AND plenty of good options for those who don’t want fried foods. Offering great lettuce in their salads and in the buffet. Offers breakfast all day too. The customer service is excellent. Attentive wait staff and kitchen staff too. Only gave it 4-​stars because they don’t offer just a salad bar option, otherwise they would have received 5-​stars.

I love this type of southern place, but unfortunately this restaurant/​southern buffet fell short of expectations. The buffet didn’t have much of a variety of foods and it seemed overpriced for what was offered, so we decided to order off the menu. I got the French dip, which was a mistake. The roast beef was as tough as leather and tasted about like what I would expect shaved tires to taste like. To make it worse, it was served cold, on a sesame seed roll and with no cheese.
On a more positive note, the staff was friendly and the side of Mac and cheese I had was very good. Overall though, the place just left a lot to be desired.

Great food! Loved the fried chicken! Great southern buffet

Southern style buffet and it is really good. The fried chicken was excellent and not greasy. Everything tasted fresh, not always the case with a buffet.

I had lunch last week at Southern Image. I had not eaten there for some time and had forgotten how good the food is. I had the buffet but friends ordered off the menu so I was able to get a good idea of their wide selection. It was WONDRFUL. My buffet meal was as good a Southern buffet as you could get (fried chicken, Mac & cheese, sweet potatoes, vegetables, lots of desert choices, etc.).
One friend is on the Puleo gluten free diet and had several choices on the menu to choose from. Another friend ordered the grilled salmon. I had a bite, it was excellent! All I can say is, try it. You will like it!

I came here for lunch with my mother the other day, and decided to order off the Gluten-​Free selection on the menu. I’ve had the buffet before, and literally dream about the mac-​and-​cheese and the delicious sweet rolls with mustard and ham, but I wanted to try something new and had a craving for fish.
So, I ordered the grilled salmon. After a short wait, the salmon came out wonderfully seasoned and cooked just the way I like it — tender and yet still fully cooked. It was served with lemon wedges on a bed of lettuce. I also had the option of getting a side, but chose to have a salad instead of ordering a specific side.
Anyway, the salmon was AMAZING. I really enjoyed it and think it’s the best salmon I’ve had in Richmond Hill, hands down.
I highly recommend salmon-​lovers and people with specific diets to visit this restaurant and give it a try. The waiters were all super nice and attentive and I really enjoyed my meal.

Gluten Free Menu Excellent! I had a grilled chicken breast that was so tender. My daughter had salmon. Both were divine. We added a salad. Perfect. I really like that they have a gluten free area in their kitchen where nothing with gluten touches the food preparation. I tried the salmon and can’t wait to have it next time. We took a plate home of the traditional southern buffet to my mother, a southern cook, and she ate every bite. I think she even licked her fingers. So so so good!

I’m surprised this place didn’t have a higher rating. As far as buffets go this one is quite good. People who know and care about food do the cooking here. Place is usually clean and service good. We frequent this place about once a month and have not had a bad experience yet. I definitely recommend. Cannot comment on the menu but you can order from it if you do not partake of the buffet.