Owners Cut Ribbon at Chow’s, A Southern Buffet with Asian Twist in Tuscaloosa

Friends, family members and the owners of restaurants across the southeast were in Tuscaloosa last week to celebrate the grand opening of Chow's Country Buffet with a ceremonial ribbon-cutting.

The new concept offers both Southern homestyle cooking and Asian favorites alongside soups, salads, desserts and more from a hot buffet at 1100 Skyland Boulevard East, the former home of Cheddar's Scratch Kitchen and, more recently, the Asuka Buffet.

Get our free mobile app

The new restaurant has been on soft-open status since early November, and last Friday, owner Yong Kai (Allen) Chen, was joined by other Chinese restaurateurs to celebrate the grand opening of Chow's Country Buffet.

Chow's offers buffet access at lunch, dinner and weekend prices, with discounts available for seniors, children and active-duty military. Patrons can also order take-out for by-the-pound pricing.

The buffet boasts favorites from two distinctly different cuisines: homestyle Southern cooking and traditional Chinese food plus other Asian favorites.

Ribs, wings, mashed potatoes and mac n' cheese are just steps away from teriyaki chicken, hot and sour soup, crab angles and egg rolls.

A salad bar and a varied spread of sweets for dessert round out the experience, and customers have praised the options available from both sides of the culinary aisle.

Although Chen and his family own dozens of restaurants in several Southern States, the Chow's Country Buffet concept is new and the Tuscaloosa location is just the second to open.

It joins the already-open Chow's in Jacksonville, Florida, and three more locations are coming soon to the Sunshine State.

The property has the added benefit of being right next to the now-demolished McFarland Mall, where businessman Stan Pate has been granted the largest tax incentive package in Tuscaloosa history to develop a new signature retail project.

The new buffet is open now at 1100 Skyland Boulevard East.

For more coverage of restaurant and retail development in west Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.