A new buffet is open on Skyland Boulevard in Tuscaloosa, where a family of seasoned restaurateurs aims to offer something for everyone.

The space that once housed Asuka Buffet is now rented by Yong Kai Chen, also known as Allen. He and his family own dozens of restaurants in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia and Florida, including Chow Town Grill & Buffets in Hoover, Valdosta and elsewhere.

Here in Tuscaloosa, they opened Chow’s Country Buffet, which combines the tried-and-true ideas of all-you-can-eat Southern country cooking with an Asian cuisine buffet.

Boasting “Southern Classics with an Asian Flair,” half of the bar’s hot buffet features classics including fried catfish and chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, hotcakes and yeast and dozens of other options. Just a few steps away, the back half is full of Asian dishes: teriyaki chicken, fried and white rice, lo mein, spring rolls, sweet donuts and more.

Sweet and sour soup sits alongside chicken noodles, and the buffets are complemented by a salad bar and a wide variety of dessert options.

The Skyland site is the first of its kind in Alabama and only the second under this banner. It joins Chow’s already open in Jacksonville, Florida, with three more locations coming soon in the Sunshine State.

The restaurant had a “soft” opening this weekend and is now serving food daily from 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. They’re located in the former Asuka Buffet building – or Cheddar’s, to longtime residents – at 1100 Skyland East Boulevard and are planning a ribbon-cutting ceremony next Thursday, November 14.

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