Ombu Buffet — Restaurant in Baton Rouge

came here while on vacation in new orleans (the location in marrero i think?) and while im usually not all that impressed by buffets since their options can get a bit repetitive this was like one of if not THE best i’ve had.

TONS of variety in the seafood. lots of different kinds of sushi and a few kinds of crab (which is only available during dinner unless it’s a weekend day!!! im seeing people complaining about that when it’s literally on the website lol). my sister plowed through so much crawfish it was concerning of not like literal highway robbery. she tried the frog legs too and said they were better than some other cajun spots we’d gone too. like bigger and juicier and had more flavor but seasoning and spiciness wasn’t anything wild. also had a spot where you could like order ramen for no added cost and stuff but i was too nervous to like make a fool out of myself in a new place so i did not try it lol. the crab rangoons were HEAVENLY. and there’s like chicken and beef and pork and rice and like all the usual stuff you’d see at a buffet just like more types of it i guess? there was like a whole case full of different desserts too: those little square cakes you’d usually see in asian buffets plus a TON more. i didn’t see it at first since it was kinda tucked to the side by the boba thing but i am very glad i did!!! there were these little square containers with a kind of cream or mousse or something? ABSOLUTELY banger. and there was ice cream flavors most places don’t usually have!! mango and matcha and taro i think? the boba station was really nice too but the pearls ran out pretty quick since it’s so popular. lucky i got some before a lot of people showed up since it can get pretty crowded in the serving area depending on when you’re there.

service was very nice our guy was super attentive!!! dishes and empty cups were grabbed and refilled like so quick.

the lighting in one section was super pretty and had all these like dangly string things in bunches on the ceiling? we didn’t get sat there but we saw it coming in 💔 there were these big arch lights too going from the dining area into where you get your food that were pretty cool too. and there were some TVs around that had stuff playing—sports i think? not into it myself but like i can see other people enjoying that.

got pretty crowded like i said but the seated was roomy enough to not feel all stuffy. i am incredibly specially unaware and maybe bumped a few elbows in the serving area lol. very much recommend showing up earlier than the busy times since a lot of people were in line waiting to be seated. can be a little pricey—we paid like $30 per person in a group of six—but in a world where you pay like 15 bucks for a burger, fries, and a sandwich, i think paying double that for this much and the quality of everything here is no loss at all. genuinely upset that we don’t have one of these back home. make one of these in texas and my...

They remodeled from Nagoya/Volcano and it seems brighter and more open. All day Saturday and Sunday is dinner price which includes drink. I don’t think their lunch price during weekdays includes drink…? You pay when you walk in plus 10% service fee when you dine in. The receipt and signage says that it is not a tip but rather to cover all the staff. The receipt also says that tip is not expected but we ended up leaving cash because one lady was very attentive to us. Despite this, the lady gave the tip to someone else to hold onto (I’m assuming everyone splits tips at the end of the day).

There were a couple kitchen guys that kept coming out to check what items were running low and replenished them quickly. There’s also quite a few employees walking around in case someone looked like they had a question; they were quick to offer assistance.

My parents and I came to the conclusion that everything was well seasoned and there was a good variety. We wished the plain snow crab legs were hot and not on ice. They have hot boiled snow crab legs in a garlic butter sauce that are good as well as crawfish and whole crabs. The sashimi was good and fresh tasting. There were a lot of sushi rolls but none of them stood out to me. I also wish there were more vegetable options because I only saw mushrooms, broccoli and beef, and zucchini chicken. Maybe add in stir fried green beans or vegetable medley?

The desserts looked great but fairly basic as far as cake, cheesecake, jello, pudding. The fruit was good but I’m missing watermelon. The make-your-own bubble tea was decent but not terribly cold (maybe I overlooked ice?) and only three flavors.

Overall, it was good and took me four plates to try a little of everything and I still didn’t get to try all of it. Our new go-to buffet as Walker and Central are a little further of a drive. Sorry I couldn’t get better close-up photos of the food because I was totally in the way of other customers. The parking lot was entirely full and I forgot there was a back parking lot behind the building. Cute photo...

I’ve heard a lot about this place on social media, so I had to go check it out. I didn’t do the full on buffet experience because I just wanted to grab a quick dinner, so I opted for takeout. It’s $5.99 per pound, which turned out to be a great deal considering the quality and selection. (The hostess didn’t mention it, but I don’t think snow crab is included in the takeout price, which is understandable, as they would probably lose money doing that.)

When you arrive, you’re given a plate at the hostess stand. You fill it up to your liking and bring it back so they can weigh it and pack it to go. I only paid $15 and change for the plate in the picture. I’d say it was definitely worth it! I tried a bunch of different stuff, but it was mostly the American-style Chinese type options. I didn’t go for any of the boiled seafood or sushi, but it all smelled and looked incredible. Out of everything I brought home, my favorite had to be the pork belly and shrimp. I didn’t get the name of the specific dish as they had about half a dozen different shrimp to try, but what I had were large tempura fried shrimp, glazed with a sweet sauce and sprinkled with black sesame seed. So good! I wish I would have tried some of the soup and desserts. They also have a boba tea station, but that is not included with takeout. Looked great, though.

As far as cleanliness and ambience, everything inside seems new and well maintained. It’s definitely a little more upscale than your typical buffet style restaurant. The dine in price is significantly more expensive though, at $30 per person during dinner time, so this might not be the place for you if you’re not planning on going for things like snow crab, sushi and boba. However, as somebody who definitely would go for all that, I think that’s a fair price. I’ll definitely be back to dine in and explore more of what Ombu has to offer! Seems like a great new spot to...