9 North Carolina Buffets That Still Feel Like The ’80s

Remember when buffets meant piling your plate high with fried chicken, rolling past sneeze guards, and sitting in booths with vinyl seats? North Carolina still has restaurants where time stopped somewhere around 1985.

I’ve tracked down buffets across the state that serve up nostalgia alongside their mac and cheese, keeping the spirit of Reagan-era dining alive and delicious.

1. Fuller’s Old Fashioned BBQ

Walking through the doors transports you straight to a time when buffets ruled supreme. Fuller’s keeps tradition alive with steam trays brimming with chopped pork, fried fish, and those perfect golden hush puppies everyone remembers.

The staff watches those pans like hawks, making sure nothing sits too long. You’ll find macaroni that tastes like someone’s grandmother made it, plus slaw and greens cooked the old way, with patience and plenty of seasoning that makes your taste buds dance.

2. Casey’s Buffet

Plastic checkered tablecloths cover every table at this Wilmington treasure, just like they did decades ago. Mountains of fried shrimp tower on plates while hush puppies disappear faster than you can grab them.

Faded photographs of fishing boats line the walls, telling stories of coastal life from years past. The coleslaw tastes exactly how you remember buffet slaw should taste – crispy, tangy, and perfectly balanced to cool down all that fried seafood goodness.

3. Abele’s Family Restaurant

Stepping inside feels like flipping through a family photo album from 1985. The breakfast bar stretches along one wall, loaded with Southern classics that haven’t changed recipes since your parents were young.

Hand-dipped ice cream comes served in dishes that probably saw the Carter administration. Everything about this place whispers comfort, from the worn booth seats to the way the staff remembers regular customers’ favorite orders without asking twice.

4. Skylight Inn BBQ

Founded way back in 1947, this place perfected barbecue before most modern restaurants even existed. Whole hogs cook slowly over wood coals, filling the air with smoke that smells like pure Carolina history.

That brick building topped with a miniature Capitol dome stands as a landmark to simpler times. The meat gets chopped by hand, mixed with vinegar sauce, and served with a simplicity that proves you don’t need fancy presentations when flavor speaks loud enough.

5. Ralph’s Barbecue

Since 1941, Ralph’s has been smoking whole hogs the eastern North Carolina way. Their buffet showcases regional specialties that many restaurants have forgotten – Brunswick stew that simmers for hours, boiled potatoes seasoned just right.

Coleslaw comes served cold and crunchy, cutting through the richness of pulled pork perfectly. Everything tastes authentic because it is, prepared using methods passed down through generations when shortcuts weren’t even considered an option for serious pitmasters.

6. K&W Cafeteria

Grab a tray and slide it along the metal rails, just like cafeterias operated when your parents were dating. K&W locations across North Carolina keep that self-service tradition alive with pride and plenty of fried chicken.

The vegetable selection rivals any grandmother’s Sunday spread—green beans, squash casserole, and turnip greens cooked low and slow. Dessert cases display pies and cobblers that make decision-making nearly impossible when everything looks homemade and absolutely irresistible to anyone with a sweet tooth.

7. Country Kitchen

Wood paneling covers the walls like it never went out of style, and honestly, in this place it didn’t. Country Kitchen serves up the meat-and-three concept that defined Southern dining for generations before food got complicated.

Pick your protein – fried chicken, meatloaf, or pork chops – then choose three sides from options that read like your grandmother’s recipe box. Everything comes served hot, plentiful, and seasoned with the kind of love that can’t be faked or rushed by modern cooking methods.

8. Golden Corral

Born in North Carolina during 1973, Golden Corral hit its stride in the eighties and never looked back. That chocolate fountain still mesmerizes kids exactly like it did when their parents were young.

The endless buffet concept thrives here with stations stretching as far as you can see. From carved roast beef to soft-serve ice cream machines, everything screams abundance and variety, capturing that optimistic eighties spirit when bigger always seemed better and nobody counted calories at dinner.

9. Shoney’s

That famous breakfast bar made Shoney’s a weekend ritual for families throughout the eighties. Fresh fruit, fluffy biscuits swimming in sausage gravy, and pancakes you could stack to the ceiling if your parents let you.

The red and white color scheme hasn’t changed much, keeping that diner aesthetic alive and kicking. Booths still have that slightly sticky vinyl feel, and the coffee flows endlessly while families gather around tables, making memories that mirror the ones their parents made decades earlier.