Chow Time Restaurant

I am from Chicago and our buffet are no where fulfilling as this place. I have been to Memphis plenty of times and just recently found this jewel. Pig feet on the buffet. I will say it again pig feet on the buffet. That’s all I got to say. One more time pig feet. Slurppppppp!

So even for a Chinese soul food buffet, Chow Time leaves a lot to be desired. My family likes this place so I was obliged to tag along. The restaurant is not well lit and felt a bit dirty from the moment I set foot in the door. I’m always challenged by restaurants that have poor lighting because it makes me think they are hiding something. The staff was nice enough (for a self-​serve buffet). If you are in a party of 5 or more, you’re automatically seated in a large dining room in the back of the restaurant with large 10 person tables. It makes it difficult to socialize with a small party, but that’s how they do it at Chow Time.
Well the buffet itself left a lot to be desired. It’s basically set up in 4 parts. Chines food, Fried food, sides and desserts/​salads. And yes, the desserts and salads are all in one bar together. I didn’t try the Chinese food, so I can’t speak to its quality but the fried food was just that. Fried, and fried some more. They have everything you could want and imagine fried. It wasn’t especially tasty, but if that’s your thing, well this is your place.
I will add that they also serve «delicacies» like pigs feet, hot water cornbread and sometimes chitterlings. SO, my grandmother was in «hog heaven» — her words, not mine.

I am in no way a buffet type of person. However, my friend was in the mood to try this place so we went. I will admit for a buffet it was huge and very clean. They served both Chinese and Soul Food good. I opted to only try the Soul food and it was pretty decent food. I particularly liked their mash potatoes, yams, rolls and bbq roasted chicken. However, I will admit their customer service was lacking with regards to getting another drink refill but besides that for the price it wasn’t bad!

While advertised as a Chinese and Soul Food Buffett… the Chinese food options are limited. The restaurant itself is in poor condition and the environment is dim and uninviting. The general cleanliness of the tables and surrounding areas could be improved as well.

I say this with love, welcome to the official negro spiritual and its delightful oriental cousins. Possibly everything you want to eat is here. And I mean everything. Chow Time leaves no taste untapped and you are guaranteed to get full. Or what we like to call on the block that itis — an eerily good feeling that renders you almost unconscious. Lawd how mercy! Last thought, just get prepared to unbuckle your breeches and enjoy yourself.
You’ve been warned.

Restaurant & utensils were not clean. Food was almost tasteless. Oh and I never got a refill on my drink. Will not be returning.

The food was good but the restaurant was in poor condition the doors to the entrance needed wiping down the carpet in front needed cleaning the place just needs to be cleaned up.

I went to Chow Time for lunch yesterday and was totally disgusted at what I witnessed. The lady behind the food line was calling herself cleaning up and keeping the food straight. She did have on gloves but what happened next made me SICK!!! The food that had spilled onto the countertop she picked up and put it all back for customers to eat, then she used the spoons that EVERYONE has had their hands on to Pick up the FOOD. I REALLY do understand why people get sick after eating at poorly managed Buffets.
This Buffet is one of the poorest managed ones I’ve eaten at. The woman noticed Me watching her but chose to just keep doing what she was doing. I will NEVER eat here again!!! Customers need to be respected and the restaurant should be concerned about HEALTH CODE VIOLATIONS.

The food is ok, the service not so ok. They run out of food and dinnerware and are so to replace. Not much of a Chinese food selection and what was available was kinda old. The soul food selections was ok, your standard macaroni, gravy, potatoes and fried chicken. I have had better and I can cook it better. Not much of a dessert selection and the ice cream was horrible. We will not be going back.

I love everything about this restaurant from the security guard at the door to the buffet. The food is delicious and I have ate at a lot of buffets and I must say this is the best one hands-​down we look forward to coming to Memphis eating at chow time.

Much to my doctor’s chagrin we have implemented a new «Buffet Friday» policy at work. One such Friday, I left it up to my co-​worker to decide where to eat, and he was curious to try this place. A quick google search confirmed I was in for an experience: the place is a Chinese AND soul food buffet. I unbuckled my pants and took a half day; there was no way this was going to end gracefully.
The trepidation, however, started as soon as we arrived. Chow Time is located in a hulking brick building that could easily double as the Fortress of Solitude with a little renovation help form the Property Brothers. The front door was ominous and foreboding. Indiana Jones would have second thoughts about entering.
We entered, and we were relieved to find that there were no booby traps. There was, however, a security guard… with a real gun. Opposite the security guard there is (literally) a wall of rules. Shirts required, no chewing gum, no weapons, no miniskirts; the list seemed very specific so I assume it was made for that one person who keeps pushing the envelope. But who goes to a buffet with no shirt on?! Nobody wants whatever secretions you may emit dripping onto the food, sweat stain. Also, considering we saw a girl in pajamas, complete with a bonnet on, perhaps they should expand the rules once more.
There is also a bank of security cameras right in the lobby. I watched table 12 grub with a ferocity not seen since the dinosaurs became extinct. I was extremely conscious of the video feed once I sat down and started eating because I didn’t want anyone judging me like i judged table 12.
I started with the soul food. But soul food may be a generous description. It was more like so-​so food. You had all the staples: mashed potatoes, gravy, rolls, fried chicken, fried fish, greens, mac and cheese, etc. I opted for no gravy on my mash because i witness the line-​employee mix old gravy and new gravy. I’m not serv-​safe certified anymore, but I’m pretty sure that’s not supposed to happen. The other gravy (there was a white and brown gravy) had that «skin» that develops when you some things sit for too long. The fried chicken was mediocre, and the catfish was actually solid. The mac and cheese is serviceable, but the rolls are really close to Golden Corral level. It’s not quite bad, just not necessarily good.
Any thoughts of a decent meal dissipated quickly upon trying some of the Chinese food. The was some lo mein and some General Tso’s and some sweet and sour chicken but the vast majority of the food was unidentifiable. Upon tasting whatever random elements i had the temerity to scoop onto my plate, i was dismayed to discover that the chicken all seemed to have a really firm skin surrounding the actual meat. I actually used the term exoskeleton later to describe it to my coworker — that comparison, unless you’re actually eating something with an exoskeleton– is never a good sign. I couldn’t force myself to finish the plate. And i didn’t try anything further.
I was woefully unimpressed with this establishment. I won’t be returning.
Chow time? More like «ow» time.

I’ve been to Memphis twice for the Memphis in May festivals & each time I’ve been advised to check this place out. So FINALLY we decided to come here. It’s a soul food/​chinese food buffet. We went on Sunday at 4pm, so it was PACKED. There was a 20min wait, we stood outside because they didn’t have any seating available inside for waiters. We missed our name & had 2 wait an additional 15mins, DEFINITELY wasn’t happy about that. Fast fwd, the Chinese food looked old & untouched so we passed on trying it. The soul food LOOKED good, but that was it. It wasn’t anything wrong with it, just nothing to write home about. The thing that IRKED me here was the JERK OFF security guard they have checking receipts to confirm that you’ve paid like you’re at Walmart. Then he asked to check my receipt TWICE!!! This dude PISSED me OFF!!! I won’t ever go back. But it was packed so someone likes it!

I like the concept (soul/​Asian food in one place), but honestly, the food is below average. If you want better food, it’s best to go to other places around. But what really ticked me off was having a security guard check my receipt. Ummmm… why bother? You just saw me pay at the register.

This is one of my favorite places to eat in Memphis. The food is delicious and when it gets really busy, they have a smaller buffet in the back that you can go to. The only reason I didn’t give 5 stars is because sometimes when you go the selection doesn’t have what they had the last time you went which can sometimes let you down, but nonetheless the food is delicious and service is good too. Just make sure you have your receipt before exiting!

I personally don’t really think this restaurant is fit to be one. There are several customers and I don’t see many workers cleaning up after them. The food isn’t that great. It has msg written all over it. Overall it’s a scam to me. I advise you not to eat here unless you want to be disappointed. However, it is a buffet so what are ya gonna do?

Terrible! Why do I need a guard to check my receipt after I have paid for my food upon leaving??? I will never eat there again! You cannot even sit there with a group (if you are meeting someone) with out placing an order! Not customer friendly. Too much greasy food selections.

Been many times, not a bad place. If you carry a concealed weapon you will see a large sign telling you a gun isn’t welcome, sad they don’t believe in the second amendment.
Neither the Chinese or Soul Food side is huge, but the food is decent. I like that they have Pepsi products, and your drink won’t be empty. Salad and dessert bar are decent.
They will ask your child their age to charge correctly, guess they can’t trust their customers.
The security guard checking receipts at the door is over kill, he sits 2 feet from the cash register and you just saw me pay so why are you checking my receipt?

This is my goto place in town for some delicious Soul Food. Well, maybe not so much as «delicious,» but it’s definitely good. They have a large variety of soul food that I miss since Old Country Buffet and Barnhill’s closed. They have fried chicken, fried catfish, hot wings, and a more. They even have grilled chicken, pork, and sausages.
And what’s a soul food place without neck bones and chitterlings?
If you want to gorge yourself on soul food with some American-​Chinese food to the mix, you really can’t get any better than Chow-​Time.

I am surprised by the low star reviews here. I have only been once, but my experience here was surprisingly good for a buffet that serves both southern cooking and chinese food.
In Memphis visiting my mom and of course this was a great time to start using Unilocal outside of Cali. But that isn’t how I found this place. While at the airport trying to get a rental, the rep there (she wouldn’t stop talking, very nice but very talkative) said the best place to get soul food is Chow Time. I pulled up my trusty Unilocal app on my phone and after I got settled into our hotel we headed to there.
I have never been to a soul food/​southern cooking buffet before. I do like the sound of it. Being in the I.E. I am so tired of people talking about Lucilles as a good place to get soul food. I have no review of it because I ate there when I first moved to Cali and I was unimpressed. Everything tasted bland. I haven’t been back and I usually give people more than one chance… but man it was a bad first time. That was not the case with Chow Time.
They had Bread pudding, Peach Cobbler, Greens, everything you name it. They even serve Chitlins on sunday (I don’t eat these anymore… was raised with a mother that cooked southern food all the time… you can get burnt out people! Anyway, it is worth mentioning that you can get Chitlins… and you don’t have to clean them. lol) Two types of gravy, Smothered Chicken, chicken wings, fried chicken, fried livers (i love these by the way… i hate that I have to go to M&M in LA to get good ones… though I think I found one local in Rialto, CA.) Fried Potatoes… and of course Fries. All this for Free.99!!! nope but $ 10.25 is a good cost.
And it was good. It didn’t compare to my mom’s cooking but for it to be a buffet it was really good. I will come back next time I am in Memphis.

I was seriously NOT impressed with this place. It was a Sunday and it was extremely crowded. It’s not that clean either. I felt like I was in a soup kitchen.
There was a nice variety of food, but it was all unimpressive. There may have been one or two decent things I tried like the fried chicken, but overall it was lacking flavor and was nothing to write home about. One memorable item was the fried shrimp that are actually tiny if you take off the breading.
The desserts they had there were basic, boring, and not that great. The ice cream machine was broken. Sadly, I think the jello was the best thing there.
I could write more but I won’t even waste my time. I’m not a native of Memphis, but I’m sure there has to be better buffet places than this.