New all-you-can-eat buffet brings savory Southern fare to East Village

The Good Time Country Buffet, opening this Saturday in the East Village, offers a plucky throwback to all-you-can-eat feasting — a onetime staple of New York City that’s been undergoing a bit of a resurgence.The new eatery comes from the restaurateurs behind hotspots Kisa and C as in Charlie, who plan to update the cozy buffet concept with downtown cool.“The whole concept is humble soul food, but that doesn’t mean cheap food.We are serving restaurant-level food that is fresh and tasty and completely Southern,” Good Time Hospitality’s Steve JaeWoo Choi told Side Dish.While the city used to have many all-you-can-eat spots, a number of them had to close due to health rules introduced during the pandemic.

But recent years have seen new all-you-can-eat spots like Mikiya Wagyu Shabu House, which has several NYC locations, and Fogo de Chão’s Brooklyn outpost cater to hungry New Yorkers on a budget.“The buffet kind of concept is much needed for the economy nowadays because everything is so expensive,” Choi said, citing examples like $20 salads at Sweetgreen.“I know there’s inflation and whatnot, but it’s just crazy.We want people to come in without thinking about what to get – just walk in and not be shocked by the price,” he added.Good Time blares its bargain prices on a vintage-style board you see as soon as you enter the premises at First Avenue and 10th Street – $26.99 for dinner, with discounts for seniors and kids.

Lunch is $19.99 for adults.There are also to-go containers costing $9.99 for small and $19.99 for large.Choi and his partners David JoonWoo Yun and Yong “YK” Min Kim grew up in Atlanta, where they noticed many of the all-you-can-eat buffets were run by Korean immigrants like themselves.Yun’s first job was as a cashier at one of them, according to Choi.He said the trio is calling on that background to bring a “humble” menu, with options like rib tips, Salisbury steak, meatballs, cornbread, mac-and-cheese and collar...