Eat Athens: Eastside hibachi restaurant is a buffet of irresistible deliciousness
When it comes to taking risks with food, eating at a buffet is considered by some to be the dining equivalent of skydiving or boarding a roller coaster: Weighing the potential reward against the possibility of a disastrous outcome is part of the adventure.
For more than 15 years, Hibachi Grill Supreme Buffet has been a standout, if not a destination or something of a merit badge, on the east side of Athens. Why has it been in business so long? Those who are faithful regulars will give you a very simple answer: The food is irresistibly delicious.
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Located at 2020 S. Barnett Shoals Rd. in the College Station Shopping Center, the building that houses Hibachi Grill was built in 1982 and was home to a Ryan's Steakhouse franchise location up until the early 2000s. Keeping the buffet setup but changing the décor and menu completely, Hibachi Grill quickly became a local favorite for its competitive prices and wide variety of international flavors.
When most think of hibachi restaurants, they picture an expensive dinner that is prepared in front of customers, incorporating comedy, acrobatics, fire, and sometimes a bite of food hurled at their faces. Though Hibachi Grill does have the flat griddle needed to make the familiar dish of rice, egg, vegetables and meat, theirs is located along the back wall right beside the sushi bar in full view in case you'd still like to watch it being prepared.
As is typical for buffet dining, guests at Hibachi Grill are seated at a booth in the dining area by a host, given a choice of tea (iced or hot), fountain soda or water, and welcomed to venture out to grab a plate to fill up. When the Banner-Herald visited for lunch, the wait staff was attentive and returned to our table multiple times to refill drinks and take away empty plates.
The bulk of the restaurant's floor space consists of several rows of buffet tables filled with everything from sweet and sour chicken, beef lo mein and crab rangoon to crawfish, barbecue spare ribs and seafood soup. If you've ever had take-out from a Chinese or Japanese restaurant, most of what they offer will look and taste familiar to you, and there are items like French fries and chicken nuggets available for beginner palates.
For those who have never tried sushi, Hibachi Grill is a great way to sample several varieties to see what it tastes like without having to commit to buying a $10-$20 roll at a restaurant that specializes in that kind of food. By that same turn, if you're the kind of person that could definitely fill and consume multiple plates of sushi, the all-you-can eat price of $11.49 per adult ($12.49 on weekends) is an absolute steal.
Hibachi Grill also has a table full of dessert items ranging from pudding and cake to sweet pastries and steamed buns. And for customers trying to balance out the heavier stuff, there's a salad bar with fresh cut fruit, Jell-O, cottage cheese and canned lychee fruit. The combinations and flavor possibilities are seemingly endless, and being a faithful customer for more than a decade doesn't mean you've tried everything.
This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Eat Athens: Eastside hibachi buffet has been delicious for 15 years
