Ole Times Country Buffet Menu

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Visit below restaurant in Lake City for healthy meals suggestion.

Visit below restaurant in Lake City for healthy meals suggestion.

  • Gabe F.

    I dig this place. It's great country cooking. Tons of veggies, good meat and fish options, good cobbler and ice cream. They keep the buffet very clean too.

    (4)
  • Andrea D.

    My husband and I went here one Sunday for dinner and He found a metal piece of a strainer in his black eye peas. The manager came out didn't even apologize, his response was "OH, I know what that is, it's a piece of strainer, I'll have my staff put new strainers in the kitchen". He just walked away as if he didn't care. We asked the waitress to call him back so that we could tell him we were not pleased with the food or service. He went to get another manager, which was his girlfriend and she listened to our complaints but only offered to give my husband a gift card for a free meal....I love this place, but we haven't been back since.

    (1)
  • Kelsey M.

    Very diverse selection of foods that are sure to hit one's sweet spot. This is an all you can eat buffet and the wait staff are excellent about picking up plates.

    (4)
  • Mike W.

    My original review is now over five years old and I just wanted to update and stress that Ole Times is STILL awesome food and at an amazing price. I'm pretty picky about food, especially Southern cooking, and despite the simple down-home nature of Ole Times and the fact it's part of a small Valdosta-based chain, they run a first-rate restaurant here. Buffets are an ideal venue for Southern cuisine but buffets are also easy to mess up via inattentiveness or general lack of quality. Ole Times stays on top of their game though, replenishing food as it runs out or gets cold--nearly every time you walk up to the buffet you'll find staff switching out something with a new dish of the same. Nothing ever has tasted stale or like it's been sitting around on any of the ten-plus times I've visited. The diversity of dishes is vast, too: there's a salad bar, an array of vegetable and side dishes, and also a good selection of meats, seafood, and almost always fried chicken plus often chicken wings. Then there is cornbread, biscuits, rolls and a number of desserts--normally two or three pies, a beloved peach cobbler, and often cake or brownies. I think there is soft-serve ice cream too but I've never tried it . . . I mean, why would you when there are home-made pies right there? A few high-lights from tonight's visit: --a variety of chicken wings (teriyaki, ranch, hot) all cooked perfectly --cornbread that it is thin and not overly-dense like some is (how Ole Times makes cornbread is how I like cornbread) --their amazing fried chicken --rice with pork: I'm not sure where this comes from in traditional Southern foodways, but it's awesome. It's almost like Chinese pork fried rice but even better. --fresh okra! I didn't think okra was yet in season, but if this wasn't fresh I don't understand how. It tasted perfectly fresh! --also, okra and tomatoes, which they normally have and is very good with their white rice --they always have greens, and as Coty noted back in 2009, they are not canned and they are still winners in 2015. That's not changed. --their sweet tea is great and is normally promptly refilled. The waitress tonight wasn't their very best, but she had a lot of tables, too. --the sweet potato casserole which is another thing they do 100% perfectly--so you're in for a treat if they have it when you're there. --the buttermilk pie and the chocolate brownies, which while not as great as their pecan pie, peach cobbler, or strawberry cake, are still awesome. So, are there any drawbacks at all? Yes, in a sense. It's a very family-friendly restaurant and nearly every time I've been there I've heard at least one baby screaming its head off. Tonight's infant was was especially shrill. Like, to the point my friend remarked it sounded like a rat that encountered the wrong end of a table saw, which is exactly what this hellion did sound like. It is in no sense a romantic or quiet place to dine. You may hear a preacher lecturing his entire choir he's taken out to dinner or a family that cannot control their kids or deaf old people shouting at each other. About when the tractor's engine will be fixed. Yes, really. The waitstaff can sometime--though rarely--get totally overwhelmed by the sheer volume of customers. Considering the messes kids make, how little many people tip, and the general circus atmosphere though they do a first-rate job.

    (5)
  • J C.

    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.

    (3)
  • Hope P.

    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.

    (3)
  • Queen E.

    Salad plate: mixed salad- good and fresh, egg salad - tasty and seasoned well, tuna salad - no, too bland. Food plate: macaroni - seasoned well, pasta overcooked, ribs - well cooked, tender and tasty, collard greens - seasoned well with the pork salt, cabbage - good, okra - BABY...OMG YES, Soooo goooood, sweet potato - well cooked and buttery, teriyaki chicken wings - AWWWWEEE BABY YES! All in all: place clean, food constantly checked, wonderful southern customer service, and WE'LL BE GOING BACK!

    (4)
  • Jeremiah A.

    As someone who works in infectious disease, I tend to stay away from things that cause plagues such as rodents and buffets. I WILL risk my life to eat at this delicious buffet when I'm in town however. That's right. I just turned you on to a restaurant with an infectious disease reference. P.S. This place is clean and nice. Not infectious.

    (4)
  • Carrie M.

    Good fresh food with nice selection of meat and veggies. Less than two minutes off of the interstate and fed two adults & two kids for $32.

    (4)
  • Janelle F.

    I love this place. My inlaws live here and every time we go visit I ALWAYS have to go to ole times. food is super good and the staff is even better. Always full of people and full of food! FRESH salad bar and great entree with desserts. all you can eat!

    (5)
  • Pamela J.

    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.

    (3)
  • Jamie W.

    My family comes here when we are traveling North or South back to home where we live. So far the food especially the dinner they serve is really delicious. I like the deserts, collards, green beans. Plus I do like the sweet tea they make but some times it taste like someone didn't put enough sugar or didn't know how to make the sweet tea. On the weekends especially Sunday (church crowd) this place gets extremely busy and it's very hard to find a place to sit and enjoy your dinner by yourself or with your family! My family likes to sit in the private room area so we can get away from the busy crowd coming in and out from the tables. The waitresses are very nice and very fast on filling drinks and taking away the dirty plates and silverware. Yesterday when my family visited there some of the ladies came over where I was at asked about my Koi fish tattoo how many tattoo sessions did it take and did it hurt I replied with no, just pressure from the artist inking the color. They complemented on how it looks and how fantastic it looks.

    (5)
  • Brent M.

    It's no Golden Corral but friendly staff and clean. I've been around three times and whenever someone mentions going I find us something different

    (3)
  • Matt G.

    WAY BETTER THAN BURGER KING!!!! haha but really..... We found this place on a whim, and am I sooo glad we did. Located right off the main drag in Lake City, this country buffet has the best food I have ever eaten at a buffet. Period. At $8.99 ($9.99 on Fri & Sat for specialty dinners) + $2/fountain drink + tax, you will eat great and feel like you didn't pay enough! Endless salad, mac n cheese, corn casserole, fried okra, salisbury steak, mashed potatoes, fried catfish fillets, lasagna, beans, cornbread, rice, popcorn shrimp, steak, cheesecake, and much, much more! I can't get enough of this place! I just wish it was closer.

    (5)
  • Summer W.

    Great selection of food that included steak, ribs, baked and fried chicken. Wait staff was excellent and very helpful. What I found most impressive, having diabetic family members, was the sugar free desert. This place has something for everyone!

    (5)
  • Coty S.

    This chain is the best country buffet that I have found in The South. However, each restaurant is independently run, so they differ slightly between the Tallahassee and Lake City locations. Prices vary depending on the time and the day, but most times this AUCE buffet runs about $8.00 per person. They also have by the pound for to go orders, which is about $3.79/lb. The reason why I state that this is the best in The South is for a few reasons: -the greens are not canned -they have the best mac and cheese ever -the fried chicken is buttermilk battered and tender -the fried okra is to die for! -fried catfish is crispy, fresh, and does not have bones -fried pork chops are on the bone, thin cut, tender, and with the perfect amount of meat/fat ratio -the dumpling noodles are hand cut and over kneaded out of biscuit dough to create the perfect chewy masterpiece -the sweet tea is strong (almost black) and has a clean (non-tobacco or raisin) aftertaste -the soft serve is the real deal -all of the food is very fresh and better than home cooked. It could be because of the additional salt added. Sometimes they also have BBQ chicken or ribs, depending on what is fresh that day and it is great as well. Everyone comes here for the mac and cheese, fried okra, sweet tea, and fried chicken. A secret tip that only the locals know, put vanilla soft serve ice cream in the sweet tea for a "Sweet Tea Float." So, if you are driving on I-75 during lunchtime or supper, I recommend taking a short break at the Lake City SR90 (head east) exit and trying this place. It is stuck in the front of the tragic Lake City indoor mall on the north side of 90. Your stomach will thank you later.

    (5)
  • Jeanene A.

    This place is always busy - but you are served fast and staff is friendly. All the food is prepared fresh and the desserts are amazing! From smoked and fried chicken, fish, chicken and dumplings, pork and gravy and more you will not be disappointed. Very large selection of vegetables and super fresh salad bar. Yes you can even get some soft serve ice cream...if you leave room in your tummy! Give them a try - this is not your typical chain buffet - if you like home-made food - you will be happy with your meal!

    (5)
  • Wendy P.

    We were in town for the Battle of Olustee reenactment and decided to try this place. It was so good Friday night we told the rest of our unit and they decided we must all go there Saturday night so they could give it a try. We were not disappointed...food was excellent!! Prices are fair...$9.99 for Friday & Saturday plus drink and tip...around $40 for a family of three. The place was crowded (busier than I have ever seen a buffet place) but staff was fast, friendly, and efficient. The food was kept well stocked and we really didn't wait on anything except shrimp...to be excepted when the person in front of line takes a WHOLE plate of shrimp. Food was on par - most everything was very tasty. I had a steak both nights we were there. Friday it was a little over done (but that could have been from sitting in pan for a little while). Saturdays steak I got right as they came out of the kitchen and it was perfect. The only food I found I wasn't crazy about were the mashed potatoes (obviously instant) and the mac and cheese was a little bland...Salad and desert bar were good as well. ..try the cheesecake...YUMMY! Overall it was enjoyable and I would return.

    (4)
  • Susan B.

    Clean, nice staff. Food is very average and most of it is fried, battered and fried, or buttered (oiled?). Certainly a better value than fast food, but I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here.

    (3)
  • Linda W.

    I give this place 5 stars and it deserves every single star. Food is great, service is great, price is great. Bathrooms are clean and well tended, can't ask for more. We had weekend lunch and it was very good. $16.00 for 2 people. Great place to take your visitors from up north if you want them to learn what good southern country food is. We will be back!

    (5)
  • Milo D.

    Nice folk , good comfort food.

    (4)
  • Thomas G.

    Poor, poor quality food. Most was inedible. Just bad, wish I went to sony's instead.

    (1)
  • James W.

    I am not a fan of buffets, but I went with co-workers so I had no choice but to go here. The food was ok. Decent selection for a buffet, but the seating was crowded. The employees were nice. Nothing to make you run back, but nothing to make you stay away, either.

    (3)
  • Bruce D.

    If you like home cooking, this is the place to go in Lake City, FL.

    (5)
  • M S.

    Very good, reasonably priced Southern buffet. The food was fresh, hot, and tasty. Cooked okra with tomato pieces, collard greens, lima beans, green beans, mashed potatoes, were all home made and not straight from a can. Fried chicken and fried fish entrees were delicious, but I would skip the steak. I like trying different buffets, and this one is a stand out.

    (4)
  • Karla B.

    This place was pretty good. For about $8 per person, you couldn't ask for more. They had a variety of food.

    (4)

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Opening Hours

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Specialities

  • Takes Reservations : No
    Delivery : No
    Take-out : Yes
    Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
    Good For : Lunch
    Parking : Private Lot
    Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
    Good for Kids : Yes
    Good for Groups : Yes
    Attire : Casual
    Ambience : Casual
    Noise Level : Average
    Alcohol : No
    Outdoor Seating : No
    Wi-Fi : No
    Has TV : No
    Waiter Service : Yes
    Caters : No

Ole Times Country Buffet

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