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| - This place is just shy of unbelievable. I am almost certain it is the largest buffet (as in number of lines/tables) in the CLT.
The venerable China King on Tyvola has held that distinction for a long time, but as most know, that is not in the best of areas. The old Crazy Buffet - later C&E Buffet - on Albemarle Road was pretty good sized, but it has since closed. The Hibachi will probably assume the crown, at least for a while. Even the China Buffet in Salisbury probably can't beat this one.
Each time we have been here, the place has been packed. Early dinner, later dinner, even on a weeknight. It's insane. They sent out coupons, but most of those have expired (you can find some online if you search). It's like the East Side has been craving a massive buffet and that pent-up desire is still exploding.
There are several (4? 5?) full-length buffet lines, split in two, down the center of the building. At the back of the room is a hibachi grill and a sushi station. Tables are around the room, and there are two rooms to the back on each side, which may be able to be cordoned off for private events (I don't know this, just guessing).
The line for the hibachi grill is always long, so I've only braved it once. If you do, drop your food off and go get some other food, then come back and pick up your food - but make sure you know what you ordered or you may get in a fight with someone else. Or just skip it and get other food.
Quality of the buffet food is actually pretty good, but that could be because there are so many people here that the food gets refreshed frequently, rather than getting stale on the bars. It will be interesting to see if traffic slows down and the quality suffers on the bar as a result. For now, it's not bad, especially when you consider that it is a buffet - generally a bad thing.
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