Family Restaurant Review: Casey's Buffet and Barbeque

×

Expand

Brandy Metzger

Casey's buffet

A delicious plate of BBQ, fried shrimp, okra, mac and cheese, cabbage, greens and potatoes

I have driven by Casey’s Buffet and Barbeque restaurant so many times over the past 8 years and often wondered what the dining experience might be like. I guess I never stopped in because my family usually stays away from buffet style restaurants as most tend to have food sitting around under heat lamps for long periods of time making it quite unappetizing. However, I was recently motivated to try out Casey’s after it was featured in Our State magazine. For those that have never been to Casey’s, here’s what to expect.  

Atmosphere

The sign outside and the red and white awning over the door are the only two indicators that a family style restaurant is inside the large concrete building located at 5559 Oleander Drive. The crowded parking lot, however, is a good indicator of the popularity of this restaurant. Upon entering, my family was greeted by a friendly hostess and quickly taken to a table in one of four dining rooms. The dining room walls are paneled in wood and are decorated with nostalgic items such as old signs, pictures, cookware and even toys. Seating is available in cozy booths or tables that can accommodate large family gatherings. The waitresses all wear cute paper hats and ours was quite attentive and helpful.

Affordability

The restaurant is a buffet style restaurant so you pay one price for all the food you can eat including dessert. Adult meals are $10.89, seniors are $9.89 and kids ages 4 and up eat for $5.19. Children under 4 eat for free. Drinks can be purchased for an additional cost. Considering the selection of food, the price is reasonable.

Food Quality

The variety of foods on the buffet is great. My family visited on a Saturday and the specials at dinner were fried shrimp, deviled crab and carved roast beef. In addition to these proteins there was chicken, BBQ pork fish and clam strips. There were also chitlins and pig feet for more adventurous diners. I thought the BBQ pork was some of the best I have ever eaten but what I really enjoyed about this buffet was the variety of vegetables. There were about 20 different side dishes. Most of these were vegetables but they also had some starches like mac and cheese and rice. My favorite vegetable was the cabbage and my 4 year old daughter (who doesn’t eat sweet potatoes) loved the sweet potato soufflé.  I noticed that all the food was piping hot and that replacements were brought out as soon as a pan of food was getting low.

I was pleased to bump into the owner, Larry Casey, during my visit and asked him about where the food he uses comes from. He told me that they use as many local farms as possible to get vegetables and they get local meats from Clark’s in Rocky Point. He said that it depends on the time of year as to how much local produce they are able to obtain.

Entertainment

The nice thing about a buffet is that you don’t have to worry about keeping hungry kids busy while they wait for their food. Instead, they get to accompany you to the buffet and choose what they would like to eat. In addition to the vast food choices on the dinner buffet, there are also many choices for dessert. My daughter was so excited that there was an ice cream machine and they even had sprinkles. Unfortunately, the ice cream machine decided not to make ice cream while we were there due to mechanical issues so my daughter had to settle for a piece of cake.

There are old Fisher Price toys on hand that kids can play with at their table if they finish their food and get a little restless.

Family Conveniences

The restrooms are small but do include a changing table. There are also high chairs and booster seats for the smallest diners.  Seating options are available for large families making Casey’s a good option for reunions or parties.

Overall Impression

I prefer dining at establishments that are family owned and operated and it was obvious that the staff at Casey’s is a family, whether blood-related or not. Everyone was so friendly and seemed to enjoy their role in the restaurant which adds a positive spin on the overall dining experience. The food tasted home-made and I was pleased to know that I was eating mostly local products. My family and I will definitely return to Casey’s when we are in the mood for homemade southern cuisine.