Bloomington's newest buffet didn't need much of a soft opening. Shiki Buffet, a Japanese and Chinese all-you-can-eat spot that leans hard on seafood, opened in Bloomington this month, and long lines formed right away.
The restaurant is at 7730 Normandale Boulevard. Diners have been posting photos of the lines on social media since it opened. The seafood is the main draw: sushi, sashimi, oysters and crayfish. For anyone who came for the comfort food, there's also American Chinese fare, fried rice and dumplings.
Here's what it costs. An adult lunch is $20.99 and an adult dinner is $35.99. Kids ages 4 to 7 eat for $9.99, and kids 8 to 11 pay $15.99. If you'd rather skip the dining room, you can take buffet food to go and pay by the pound.
That $15 jump from lunch to dinner is a big one, so if you mostly want to try the place, lunch is the cheaper way to do it. We haven't found a word yet on whether the oysters and crayfish are on both menus.
One thing to clear up, since the name is already showing up around the metro: this Shiki has nothing to do with Shiki, the ramen and dumpling bar Jester Concepts runs in Excelsior. It's also not tied to an Illinois-based buffet chain with the same name.
Hours haven't been published in the coverage so far. If you're heading over at peak dinner time, plan on a wait while the crowds are still this big.
