It's a mom & pop place off the beaten path, but not so far off the interstate that fellow lovers of road trip Yelp Roulette can't stop and get full as a tick on soul food. Being a fan of non-chain local spots, all of them have their quirks and this one's is pretty simple: They have 2 front doors yet one is the entrance and one is the exit. Both are clearly marked and steps from each other; impossible to miss. Upon entering, you seat yourself, a friendly waitress takes your drink order then its on you to lay back your ears and dive in the buffet. Next nifty quirk are the buffet plates: Real glass, y'all! Plenty of places claim to have soul food but how many of them serve up food on proper plates with proper utensils?! As you can see from my plate, all the bases are covered and you won't leave hungry. Trout, fried chicken, baked chicken, sketti, Mac & cheese, slaw, tater salad, collards, black eye peas, taters and gravy... Now unlike most places I must admit, if you have it in you to do so -leave room for desert!- I didn't get a pic of the 2 different types of cake I ate so someone else can brag on those after taking my advice to stop on in. I even joked that the reason we can't have places like this in the city is because people like me would order a coffee and pay for the buffet, but simply sit and eat a little over a quarter of one of those splendid cakes : D read more

Meadow Village Restaurant - Buffet grub 02/28/2026 - Desserts Near Me - Benson, North Carolina

Anytime we are in a city, I always seek a mom and pop and LISTEN, just go!!!! The service was awesome, the food was hot, fresh and delicious. The decor was just what you would want for an establishment. I love the gloves asked to be warn when fixing plates because let's just be honest, everyone isn't as clean as the next person so that was refreshing for a buffet to have in use. Highly recommend!!! read more

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For what this place is, there isn't any better around here. If you're looking for country cooking and a lot of choices, bring your family here. Bring your friends, your neighbors, all of 'em. There are so many choices on the bars that you'll have to go back several times just to get a sample of it all. There is always a line out in the parking lot but don't let that deter you because you'll get in within half an hour or so and when you leave, you can go home and take a big nap because you will not have energy for anything else. So it's the perfect Sunday afternoon meal. You're not supposed to be doing anything on Sundays anyway. Would I call it health food? Absolutely not, that's not what this is. This is like when you go to your maw maw's house and all your aunts and cousins cook things and bring it and y'all have a meal together. Ain't nobody trying to be healthy here. This is about the food tasting good and having good conversations around table. You know it's not optimal for fueling your body but it's feeding your soul. Go getcha some. read more

When I give a place five stars, it simply means I didn't find anything wrong. It doesn't mean it ranks up there with the best places in the world. And I'm not comparing it to my mother's cooking, because no place would rise that high. For $18 on a Saturday night, you can have cold salads, seafood and/or fried chicken and multiple side options and then finish with an array of freshly made desserts. I had not eaten at Meadow Restaurant since 2003 (I was visiting from out of state) and I'm glad to say the standards are the same. I disagree with other reviewers who say this is not healthy food. The health quality depends on the selections of the diner. One can find cooked greens, legumes, corn, tossed salad, Cole slaw and potatoes. Or rice. Choose a balanced plate and leave off the fried foods and it's still delicious and a bargain. But toss with cooked shrimp and you have a video in the making. For me, I love the fat back skins. Nothing better than that. Crunchy! I'd also like to add this. People who say they've never had warm banana pudding have only ever had day old banana pudding or the short cut kind made with pudding mix. Authentic banana pudding comes from the oven. Not the refrigerator. Thanks, Meadow. Don't ever change. read more

Out to see the Meadow lights and was told to eat supper here. So glad I did. For $16 the buffet was well worth it and that includes tax. A drink is extra by maybe a buck. Buffet style or menu. The place is packed. Families with young children and senior citizens all filing up the place. I guess it is the only restaurant in the area. Talk about home cookin... It is Friday, so it is Seafood buffet tonight. Nice salad bar with fruit, a good selection of veggies, creamy homemade potato salad and good coleslaw. There is a seafood bar full of fried fish and chicken. I had chicken, shrimp and scallops but there was a lot more fried fish. Another bar had spaghetti, collards, green beans, I think Salisbury steak/hamburger. And then there is the dessert bar filled with seven different cakes, two pies, and OMG warm banana pudding. I grew up with banana pudding but it was always served cold. Never had it warm and I have to say I like it. They also have at least five different ice creams. Waitresses are friendly and very busy. One can order off the menu as my friend did. She got a hamburger all the way including coleslaw. She said it was very good and it cost less than $3. If ever on the I40 between Benson and Newton Grove take exit 334 and go south to Hwy 50 and you will run in to it. ENJOY! read more

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The whole staff at Meadows Restaurant gives great service. The food is delicious. They have a delicious salad and fruit bar. If you can save room for dessert. There is a variety of ice cream, pie's & cakes. I have seen people stand in line for food & desserts. It's worth the drive to have the good food & a comfortable country sitting, like going back in time. If you go there the first time, you will make sure you go back another time & it could become one of your habits. Good health & God's Blessings! William & Karen Stone read more

My goodness such a diamond in the rough!! This family owes restaurant has some of the most wonderful country fare! Delicious fried chicken, tender pot roast and potatoes, and delicious country style steak! And the veggies taste fresh and seasoned to perfection! The corn tasted like it was cut off the cob, canned in mason jars with salt and sugar and served with buttery goodness! The salad bar was fresh and light, with everything from crispy veggies to fruit and toppings! And don't even get me started on the dessert! Hand scooped ice cream, homemade chocolate, 7-8 different types of cake and banana pudding to die for! A nice little place to stop and eat otw to or from the coast! Great quiet family atmosphere. I highly recommend it. It was so good I can only show you how much we ate as the remains of the table when we were completely stuffed! read more

Meadow Village Restaurant - a table set for a meal - Desserts Near Me - Benson, North Carolina

Real local Southern style comfort food at reasonable prices most good hard working folks can afford to enjoy. Southern style Sweet tea done properly, selections of meats, vegetables, sides, desserts. It is well worth your time to enjoy having someone fix victuals so you don't have to cook once in a while. read more

This is my kind of eating and I love the variety! I love the awesome deserts. They have the best around!

Great country food buffet style at low price Fried Chicken is fantastic and plenty of good vegetables. Seafood on Friday nights The peeled shrimp is delicious read more

Great food, seafood, meats and veggies. Desserts are all homemade and delicious! Best chocolate pie, banana pudding, strawberry short cake ever. read more

Been going here for over 10 years and it has never disappointed! Food is always fresh and hot and the service is always friendly and fast.

We left the light show and were looking for a place to eat and found this whole in the wall buffet. Price was great service was great very friendly but very small but packed to the brim on Saturday night so you know the food has to be good 10 to 15 min wait that night. We were a party of five and excited to try something different food was good very salty the fried steak was the worst very very salty took one bite and had to spit it out but the fried chicken hushpuppies, flounder, trout, shrimp, and dessert was amazing. Nice if you looking for a place to stop by on the weekend if you are in the area just wouldn't drive 40 min to eat here food very salty. Can't beat the price read more

Great buffet. This place place offers great food made southern. You can cut your own piece of cake, and scoop your own ice cream on the buffet. Basic southern flair with all that you want to eat. Very good food. Service was good. Nothing fancy but everything to meet your fancy! read more

I needed an adventure yesterday, so my boyfriend and I decided to try this restaurant for lunch based on the great reviews. This is a very southern buffet style restaurant. The layout makes you feel like you're in someone's home with a few buffet stations set up. We arrived at noon, and it was really busy. You pay the cashier for the buffet and a drink, which is $12 per adult. I'm not sure of the price for kids. We found a table and sat down. A waitress arrived to ask our drink order, then promptly brought out a pitcher of sweet tea, a pitcher of unsweetened tea, and a bowl of ice for the drinks. That was a fun concept. We left the table and browsed the selections. There was one station filled with several different kinds of beans, rice, boiled potatoes, collards and corn. The next station had fried chicken, chicken and dumplings, ham, fried shrimp, and fried fish. The salad bar was very small; it consisted of iceberg lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, several kinds of salad dressing, coleslaw, potato salad, cold shrimp and condiments. There were two dessert stations; one with several kinds of ice cream that you had to scoop, and the other consisted of various cakes and desserts that you had to slice and serve yourself. We loved the fried chicken, fried shrimp, boiled potatoes, lima beans and the coconut cake. The banana pudding was served very warm, and that was weird to us, since we've only ever had banana pudding cold. I was surprised that there wasn't more of a meat selection, mashed potatoes or mac and cheese. Overall, I think the buffet price is pricey for the selections offered. read more

Underwhelming. Buffet selection is limited and quality is meh. But it's a very popular local lunch spot.

If you are looking for a great, varied country cooking buffet, you really need to come to The Meadow Village Restaurant. It is a single level brick structure, unremarkable in almost all respects, a typical Eastern NC Mom and Pop restaurant. But the food is very, very good, especially the meat dishes, and the desserts! You entered on the left side, pay in advance at the register, and grab a seat in the large, rectangular dining area. The place is simply furnished, and not at all comfortable seating. The buffet is in the back left, and includes a salad bar area, 3 steam table areas with a variety of meats and veggies, and a dessert table, with as many as 10 choices. On our visit the meat choices included Fried Chicken (outstanding), Pork BBQ, Fried Chicken Gizzards, Fried Fish, Meat Loaf (heavy red sauce), Sausages with Peppers & Onions, Spaghetti with Meat Sauce, Country Style Steak, and Fried Fat Back (excellent item)! Veggies included Field Peas, Pintos, Mashed Potatoes, Greens, Black Eyed Peas, Scalloped Potatoes, and a few more. The strength is in the meats - the Fried Chicken is excellent, as were the Chicken Gizzards, the CS Steak, and the Spaghetti, and if you love Fat Back, you'll go crazy here. The POrk BBQ is made in house, and is awesome, and backs some heat, as served up - perhaps the best non-BBQ joint Chopped Pork BBQ I've ever tasted! The only off note in the meat area was the Fried Fish, it simply was not fresh tasting, at all. The Veggies are good, not great, with the Mashed Potatoes being extremely white, with a strange texture - I'd pass, and go for the Scalloped Potatoes, Greens, and Field Peas. The desserts were wicked - real Banana Pudding, warm Chocolate Meringue Pie, a sinful Coconut Cake, and a marvelous Pineapple Cake! And there were six other selections! The service was excellent, the price for 2 with drink was a little over $18. No more than 5 minutes off the interstate. read more

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Absolutely fantastic Buffett. The seafood was delicious and the desserts were out of this world. read more

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A fantastic buffet and very well priced at $12.50 per person including iced tea for lunch. Very good selection of food options all that I sampled very flavorful, fried chicken and green beans were excellent. A wide assortment of homemade pies and cakes for dessert, even a wide variety of ice creams. The only negative I can state was the banana pudding, not good at all. Very clean restaurant and really good service, this was our first visit and we will definitely return. read more

Headed back from Leujune to Virginia and stopped here to eat. Super cute little place, nothing fancy but the food is top notch. It's a buffet style, so load it on up! Super affordable and everything was AMAZING. I'm picky about my slaw, it was fantastic. Pies were so good I took home the chocolate lol! 10/10 recommend read more

County style food with plenty of meats and veggies to choose buffet style. Fried chicken is my favorite but pulled pork, sausages, beef patties in gravy, pork chops, fish and lots of veggies seasoned with fat. A dessert table with a variety of home made pies and cakes included. read more

We lucked into this little gem when making a day trip to the DMV. The food is good southern cooking but the dessert bar is what really sets this restaurant apart. Amazing! We also enjoyed the fast and friendly service and hope to return soon. read more

Get a home-cooked meal away from home! It may not look like much, but you'll get a dinner as good as grandma used to make, and meet new friends. This is a neighborhood institution. The buffet has a delicious array of food choices - fried chicken, shrimp, deviled crabs, mashed potatoes that didn't come out of a box, fresh corn.....and we haven't even come to the desserts yet! The coconut cakes and German a hocolate cakes alone will bring happy tears to your eyes. Haven't had a really good, fluffy coconut cake since my grandmother, who made them for my birthdays and Easter, died. Theirs tastes just like hers. This is THE place to get homey food away from home. read more

Amazing, clean and food is fantastic. Family friendly and Best food around. All the desserts are homemade daily. And you can per-order desserts for your family occasion at home. The banana pudding is too die for. Homemade chocolate pie like my mama made. read more

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I used to come here with my grandparents when I stayed with them in Dunn as a child. I hadn't been since probably 1992-3 until driving down for lunch today. Nothing seems to have changed other than the price (which is actually a bargain for all the pricey items on the menu). There still is that same table with 12-15 cakes/pies and 3-4 well stocked tables of buffet items. Went with six other members of my wife's family and everyone tried almost everything out. Fried chicken, fish and shrimp were fresh and tasty, especially the chicken. The coleslaw, tartar and cocktail sauces were all homemade and great. The vegetables were almost all fantastic except the collards which were way too salty and the mac n' cheese which was a bit bland. The other meats were uniformly tasty except the bbq which was a bit cold and over spiced. The desserts looked amazing but after chicken, fish, Ham, shrimp and all the vegetables I had no room for anything but a small bit of delicious banana pudding read more

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Good southern cooking! Right off of 40hwy! Great place to stop when visiting the Meadow Lights around the Christmas season! Food is homemade and desserts are to die for! Chocolate pie is a MUST try! read more

If your Grandma was a Super Hero this would be her buffet. $11.99 all you can eat. The fried chicken - melt in your mouth! The shrimp - 3 different kinds. The salad bar, beware that potato salad will draw you in and make you want to eat a mound. Come here for the meal, come back for the dessert!!! Holy hell the Chocolate Pie!!!! It is the best chocolate pie that I've ever tasted. If you happen to know Ukrops chocolate pie then you know it's hard to top. Well it has been smacked and smacked hard by this pie. The cakes and pies are all homemade from scratch. The banana pudding was still hot covered with the fluffiest meringue! The strawberry shortcake will make you want to take your time in here. This place even has a full on ice cream bar with toppings. I'm 1.5 hrs away and plan to make this a regular event. If I lived closer they'd have to take out a restraining order on me! read more

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I took my mother there for Mother's Day and it was awesome! I thought my mom and children were going to be all about the desserts, they're all planning their next trip raving about different things from the black eyed peas to the various array of proteins. I myself ate so much that I don't think I could ever narrow it down to a single favorite. I can't wait to come back! read more

This is a small town restaurant that's been serving folks for 40yrs. With this being said we all may become complacent with our surroundings. The salad bar was fresh and well kept. I chose fried fish, shrimp and green peas for my meal. The fish and shrimp were overcooked. They tasted like old frying oil that they fried the chicken in to me. The shrimp were rubbery as well. I left 97 percent of this food on the plate. The banana pudding did taste pretty good after you got past 5 inches of meringue. It's sad to think how easily this could have been prevented. read more

DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! Drove from Cary to eat here on a Friday night. Expected a full restaurant but was not full at all. And now I know why. The worst fish I've had in a very long time. Very little catfish in the tray. While there they never brought out fresh catfish. But that's ok, it tasted like it was fried in two week old oil and was very greasy. The other fish also tasted the same, fried in two week old oil. The mashed potatoes were bitter tasting and were instant, collard greens just ok, potato salad tasted blah. Now the desserts. The banana pudding was floating in water, wish I had taken a picture. No one was eating it. Many different cakes, but not one was really really good, just ok. Some were stale. BUT the one thing they do well is CHOCOLATE PIE, it was very good. Will never go back. So disappointing after reading reviews. Was not worth the drive for sure. And not worth the $17 price!!! read more

Grandma is looking down from heaven, proud that I ate my veggies. Country Grandma food made with love. A real winner. read more

Meadow Village Restaurant - Thirty years from now, I'll look at this picture and remember why I married this woman. - Desserts Near Me - Benson, North Carolina

Can veggies. Dry cake. Way to expense. Serve ok not great. Not everyone eats seafood. Basically all there is to eat, not really a lot different food. read more

I just moved to the south and stumbled upon this restaurant on my way to Bentonville Battlefield and I'm glad I did. This is the best southern food I've ever had in my life. The fried chicken is perfect, the BBQ chicken has just the right amount of flavoring where it is sweet and spicy and the baked beans were amazing. We were too full for dessert but now I'm wishing I had stuffed it in. I will definitely be making the hour drive back!! Yum!!! read more

Meadow Village Restaurant - Desserts Near Me - Benson, North Carolina

Happy to have stumbled upon this country buffet! The desserts alone are worth the price!!!

Food was delicious and hot, I didn't try anything that wasn't delicious. A must try if you are looking for something to eat in Benson. I was hesitant to go because of some of the reviews that said they treated African American people different, but I did not have that experience at all they treated myself and my family just like everyone else in the restaurant and great service. I was so full I didn't get to try dessert but other members in my party did and they loved them read more

The desert bar was fantastic! I will be ordering my next birthday cake from here. We didn't see our waitress during our dinning experience and the plates were pilled up....but the pies made up for it. read more

Meadow Village Restaurant - Desserts Near Me - Benson, North Carolina

Don't be scared off by the looks of the building. This place has the best strawberry cake!! Gave it a 4 because the chocolate is store bought on the yellow cake. The service is great. The young man at the register is a treat to talk too. read more

I walked in this place. They asked me "Are you lost" I said "No". I sat down at a table cause no one would seat me. A waitress came to my table and said, "We have to let you in but, we don't have to serve you". Hard being a black man in rural NC. read more

Really great food! Wide variety of options and really flavorful dishes. Especially loved the banana pudding!

This is your basic, no-frills southern buffet. The restaurant is small and the decor is a little dated but they had a wide variety of options for a reasonable price. The food was good and the service was as well. There did seem to be a lot of families there so it did get a bit loud, probably because of the size of the dining room. I do think this would be a good place for a group and I'd visit again. read more