Okefenokee Restaurant

The main attraction in this town is the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, AKA The Okefenokee Swamp , 7 miles away at the Suwanee Canal Road.  This brings lots of visitors to town.

Been to the restaurant  here  3 times the past  two years...the buffet is good for southern cooking and there is plenty of fish for fish lovers like me.   Hot and cold bars both stay at holding temperatures  and the quality of food remains fresh.  Wait staff is typical "Southern Friendly" not to mention plenty of nearby off site parking for when the parking lot is packed. Of course the home brewed sweet tea is delicious...I would expect nothing less myself being raised a professional southerner. This place is in downtown Folkston, Ga......where  is Folkston ?  It is 39 miles south of Waycross ( I consider Folkston a suburb of the Okefenokee Swamp ) and 7 miles north of the Florida State line on US 301----you can't miss Folkston, its the only redlight between Florida and Waycross on 301. Lots of other sights and sounds on this town.

There aren't a lot of places to eat around here and if you're curious, like me, this buffet is a good stop.  Being from the midwest, there are many southern foods I haven't had but love to try.  Buffets allow me to try these things without investing in one thing I might not like. Like grits. I just can't make myself love them. :(

I'm not sure how much it cost but I remember it was really cheap.  I came later in the afternoon so I think I was in the late lunch too early for dinner stretch so the food was older. Not bad at all. Just not super fresh or super hot.  I didn't really mind. I just wanted to taste.

I got my fair share of southern delicacies I've never or rarely experienced, including grits, greens, beans, cornbread, fried chicken, mashed taters and mmmhmmm fatback (fried fat).  Even the chicken gravy was a little different and had chunks of eggs in it.

The atmosphere was just fine.  It feels kind of like a diner and you can tell a lot of locals eat here.  And since I was seated in a big booth all by myself, I got a few weird looks.

Good southern buffet with very friendly people. Salisbury steak is very tasty.