A new buffet restaurant is set to open this Saturday in the East Village. Good Time Country Buffet will serve Southern-inspired dishes in an all-you-can-eat format. The restaurant takes over a storefront on Avenue A, filling a vacancy that lasted through the summer.
The menu leans heavily on classics like fried chicken, biscuits, collard greens, and sweet tea. Lunch and dinner service are priced at $28 per person, with children under ten eating for half price. Management confirmed the buffet line will run from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
All-you-can-eat dining had faded in the city, but several new buffets have opened in Manhattan and Brooklyn since late spring. On Tuesday afternoon, a small line of curious neighbors stopped to read the posted menu. "It feels like something from my childhood," said Anthony Greene, a building superintendent on his lunch break.
Good Time Country Buffet is the latest addition to a stretch of Avenue A that has seen more affordable dining options appear since early summer. The owners say they expect a mix of families, students, and late-shift workers to make up their core customers. Alcohol is not served, but bottomless lemonade and coffee are included in the base price.
The opening comes as the neighborhood adjusts to the start of the school year and a wave of new residents moving in. Weekday lunch crowds are expected to be steady, while Saturday nights are likely to draw larger groups.