Gut Reaction | New restaurant adds buffet option for sushi lovers

Setting the Table

Normally, if you want sushi without breaking the bank, you head over to a grocery store where they have prepackaged rolls. But down in Surfside Beach there is now the option of a hibachi and sushi buffet where customers pay a flat rate and eat their fill.

Kings Sushi is located in the Surfside Shopping Center off U.S.17 Business at the opposite end of the Piggly Wiggly. The restaurant is only a few weeks old and in the same location as the now closed China Buffet, making the change not drastic at all and easy to get used to. It already seems like a good spot for workers to stop in for lunch, and no doubt the location makes it convenient for tourists going to or coming from the beach.

The exterior of Kings Sushi is reflective glass, so there’s no way of knowing how it looks until you’re actually inside the restaurant. The lighting is low but colorful with dark furniture to match. The restaurant could be considered sparse, but that also means there is a lot of room, so it never feels crowded.

Down the Hatch

Unlike most buffets, this one provides menus along with a second paper menu to mark down what the table wants. Customers can mark as much or as little as they want, because they can always have another sheet to order more food.

The restaurant does request that entrees are ordered first, however, because extra time is required to make them. They also let it be known that wasted food will procure an additional charge.

The menu isn’t overwhelmingly large with all the classics covered, like the California roll and hibachi plates. A few specialty rolls are available as well, plus yakisoba and teriyaki entrees. There is a tiny kid’s menu with only four options, but at least they’ll have something to choose from if nothing else on the menu appetizes them.

The food comes out relatively quick, which makes sense given that it’s a buffet. It would be understandable for much of the food to be made in bulk in the back (such as the rice) to keep up with demand.

The hibachi meat and vegetables are supposedly cooked upon order, yet the plate came out lukewarm. The sushi was pleasant enough, but the rice fell apart too easily, making the rolls difficult to eat.

Check, Please

For lunch, one adult all-you-can-eat price is $11.99, while the dinner price is $16.99. Kids eat for less both times, from $3.99 to 8.99 depending on their age and the time.

Drinks cost extra, but the most expensive beer is only $3.75, and $6 for a bottle of sake. Kings Sushi has no happy hour menu.

The dinner menu has a few more options than found on the lunch menu. No matter when you go, the prices are still better than most other places to get sushi. It will be buffet quality, so take that as you will, and people at one table aren’t allowed to share a buffet price or take food to go.

The location is good and the prices are good, so Kings Sushi is worth swinging by to get your fill of sushi and other East Asian foods.

This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 4:38 AM with the headline "Gut Reaction | New restaurant adds buffet option for sushi lovers."