Country Harvest Buffet - Williamsburg, Virginia

Country Harvest Buffet is located in Williamsburg, Virginia at 1425 Richmond Road and is a small, family run buffet. The (presumably) husband and wife work at the cash register and greet you as you enter. This is a pay as you enter buffet and the adult price of $10.95 includes unlimited beverages. There is a breakfast buffet, a lunch buffet, and a dinner buffet. There is also a Sunday brunch buffet. There is a children’s price – all children pay with a lower children’s price for under 4.

I have visited this restaurant a number of times both in the summer and in the winter. It is not a large restaurant. There are two dining areas on each side of a room with the buffet table filling the center of the room and one side. You are either seated or select your own booth or table depending on the crowd. You get your own silverware and plates. Décor is basic and plain. I have never been here when there has been a large crowd, but there are always people dining here – primarily tourists from nearby Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens.

The buffet starts with a large assortment of greens, salad mixings, and dressings. There is a good selection of prepared salads. There are also three types of breads including a very good corn bread. The salad bar fills the front third of the buffet on both sides. The salad bar section is followed by the dessert bar Here you find an assortment of cakes, Greek pastries, fresh and canned fruit, and puddings. Again this all fills both sides of the center third of the buffet. Finally, the entrees and sides follow on the last third of the bar. There are no carved meats. There is turkey but is served cut up in gravy. There is meat loaf, BBQ short ribs (beef), pork in barbeque sauce, fried chicken, broiled chicken, seafood au gratin, deviled crab. crab cakes, fried fish, and broiled fish. There were a few other prepared entrees that I could not tell what they were (I could have asked – but while some items were labeled, others were not). There was assorted vegetables, mashed potatoes, steak fried potatoes, macaroni and cheese, lasagna, spaghetti and sauce, hush puppies, pizza, baked beans, yams, and others. On the side wall are hot and cold drinks, hot desert cobblers, and two soups. You get and refill your own soft drinks and may switch to coffee or tea if you wish.

Service is decent and dishes were cleared fairly regularly. The tables and restaurant are kept clean, as are the serving areas. The food is good, but a picky eater who does not like country fare may not be happy. They refill food trays regularly, but don’t come close to closing. The restaurant advertises in the local tourist giveaway magazines – don’t be fooled by the lavish photo of what is offered – it does not look like that when you get there. You will find money off discount coupons in these publications for this restaurant.

One interesting note is that the desserts offered here are EXACTLY the same as those offered at another buffet in the area which is a local chain called Captain George. They are not similar desserts – they are the same desserts. We will discuss Captain George in another article, but note that it is a much more sophisticated (classy) restaurant and the desserts there are one of their features. It is interesting that you can get these same noteworthy desserts at this little restaurant. Perhaps there is a connection between the two or one bakes for the other. I do not know, but you benefit for a third the price.

There is a soft serve ice cream machine but it has not worked – and not been fixed – in three years. There are enough desserts that you should not miss it.

This is a small buffet. It is not like the big chains. It is probably one of the better restaurant deals in the area. There is no website. Their phone number is (757) 229-2698.