116 3rd St SE
Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52401
Golden Apple Buffet brings Asian favorites to Cedar Rapids
Sushi and build your own hibachi, pho options available
May. 20, 2025 6:00 am, Updated: May. 20, 2025 1:00 pm
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This Cedar Rapids restaurant brings dishes from Vietnam, Japan, China and the United States to one all-you-can-eat buffet.
Golden Apple Buffet, 2811 Wiley Blvd. SW, Ste 200, opened in March and diners responded with a strong Cedar Rapids welcome. Lines snaked out of the buffet’s doors and spilled onto the sidewalk.
Stephanie Lin, manager at Golden Apple Buffet, said she was surprised by the lines —especially at the grand opening — because it was snowing outside.
Lin thought, “They’re hungry.”
Yes, come hungry. With options like build your own hibachi and pho, a full buffet with Asian and American favorites, and a large array of sushi, you’ll want to indulge in every offering.
If you go:
Address: 2811 Wiley Blvd. SW, Ste 200
Hours: 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 10:30 a.m. 9:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday; 11 a.m. to 9p.m. Sunday.
Phone: 319-200-2742; call for reservation parties 8-plus
Website: goldenapplebuffet.com/iowa
Details: All you can eat Asian buffet featuring sushi, hibachi, pho and Asian favorites. Kids 3 and under eat free.
The concept
Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids is one link in a chain of restaurants owned by restaurateur Dong Sheng. The first location opened in April 2024 and has grown to include locations in Georgia, Maine and Missouri, with plans to open more locations in the future.
According to its website, Golden Apple Buffet’s mission is to serve quality food and provide an authentic cultural experience.
Diners are greeted by a colorful array of Bearbrick bears— designer toys collected by fans around the world — as a nod to Asian pop culture. You’ll find these bears everywhere in China, Lin told The Gazette.
When you arrive, you’ll be brought to your table, order drinks, and then set loose to explore the buffet and build your plate. At Golden Apple Buffet, you’ll pay at the end of your meal.
If you don’t have time to stay for lunch or dinner, Golden Apple Buffet has carryout options available. Pricing for carryout orders is determined by the weight of the order and whether there is sushi or seafood included. Lunch carryout orders range from $5.99 to $10.99, and dinner carryout orders run between $6.99 to $11.99.
The buffet
There are over 100 dishes for diners to indulge in, from Asian favorites like General Tso’s chicken, crab rangoons and kimchi, to American favorites like pizza, corn on the cob and pasta salad. This makes for a good option for families with picky eaters as there’s something for everyone.
If you’ve never built your own pho or hibachi dishes before, the buffet has step-by-step instructions to set you up for success.
The buffet has a variety of seafood dishes like baked mussels, shrimp salad and a host of sushi rolls. The baked scallops are a warm, cheesy treat, served on a half shell for easy plating.
Susji at Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Orange Chicken at Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Octopus Salad at Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Buffet options at Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
Buffet options at Golden Apple Buffet in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. (Nick Rohlman/The Gazette)
The cold salads provide options you won’t see on every Asian restaurant’s menu in Cedar Rapids, like octopus salad and wood ear mushroom salad.
The octopus salad combines fresh grilled octopus with crunchy bell peppers, paired with a spicy kick to bring all of the flavors and textures together.
The wood ear mushroom is the star of its salad. These mushrooms are commonly used in Chinese cuisine, and this salad is a solid introduction into the ingredient’s earthy flavor and chewy, smooth texture.
While diners can finish with a helping of cold fruits like cantaloupe, lychee and honey dew, direct your attention towards the fried banana on the hot side of the buffet. Fried bananas bring the same warm, cozy feeling as biting into a fresh baked apple. This is a decadent and filling dessert, and Golden Apple Buffet keeps it simple without sugar or honey added on top.
The response
Lin said that while the lines they experienced when Golden Apple Buffet first opened have subsided, it remains a popular spot, especially for workers on their lunch breaks.
“One good thing is they come here and they already have food ready,” she said.
The response has been positive, Lin said. For her, the most important things are family, friends and good food, and she hopes that diners will leave happy and satisfied.
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Comments: bailey.cichon@thegazette.com
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