A beloved Korean buffet is back in action

The lunch and dinner buffets offer an array of meats, side dishes, soups and more.

When Shawna Kim learned that the owner of her favorite restaurant, Camellia Yakiniku Buffet on McCully Street, was retiring, she decided to take matters into her own hands and acquire management of the popular eatery that has been in business for 35 years.

“I really enjoyed and loved this restaurant,” she says. “And I wanted to keep it running so other people also are not losing their favorite restaurant.”

The interior of Camellia Yakiniku Buffet received an upgrade after recent renovations. FILE PHOTO

Known for its family-style all-you-can-eat yakiniku and Korean buffet, the restaurant offers a wide variety of meats, including marinated bulgogi pork and beef, chicken, spicy pork, pork belly and beef brisket, as well as fried rice, fried chicken and more.

For dinner, the menu expands to also offer assorted sushi rolls and nigiri, kalbi short ribs, Cajun shrimp, mandoo, chow mein and other items.

There also are side dishes, including traditional Korean japchae, along with white rice, soft tofu soup, miso soup, seaweed soup and red bean porridge; plus vanilla ice cream, pineapples and oranges for dessert.

Assorted Sushi (only available for dinner)

“We put our own seasonings and it makes it really tasty,” says Kim. “It’s not too salty. We make it just perfect.”

Customers can select items from the buffet line and bring it back to their table-top yakiniku grill to cook to their liking. It’s all-you-caneat, so it’s best to take as you go, so that you’re not wasting food. Remember, you can always go back for more.

Kim reopened the restaurant Oct. 13 after it closed for a couple of weeks for renovations. “We made it brighter,” she says, when describing some of the changes.

Camellia’s lunch buffet is priced at $18.95 for adults, and $14 for children ages 4-8 years old. The dinner buffet costs $27.95 for adults, and $17 for children ages 4-8.