The Supreme Blog

If you've walked into Supreme Buffet & Hibachi and smelled that irresistible savory smoke before you even reached your table, you've already experienced the magic of the hibachi grill. But what exactly is hibachi, and how do you make the most of it during your visit? This guide has everything you need to know.

What Does "Hibachi" Actually Mean?

The word hibachi comes from the Japanese term for a traditional heating device — a small, open-top container filled with burning charcoal. Over time, in American dining culture, "hibachi" has come to refer to an open, flat-iron grill where chefs cook food directly over high heat. It's become one of the most beloved dining experiences in the United States, combining great food with live cooking theater.

At Supreme Buffet & Hibachi, our hibachi station features a large, accessible flat-top grill where you can watch your food being prepared at high heat, with customizable protein choices and fresh ingredients grilled to order.

What Can You Grill at Our Hibachi Station?

Our hibachi station features a rotating selection of proteins and vegetables ready for the grill. On any given day, you can expect to find options including:

• Chicken — marinated for tenderness and grilled to a perfect char
• Shrimp — one of the most popular items at our grill, especially at dinner
• Steak — seasoned and seared to savory perfection
• Salmon — flaky, rich, and perfect with a touch of garlic butter
• Mixed vegetables — a great vegan option with zucchini, onions, and mushrooms
• Hibachi fried rice and noodles — cooked in the same high-heat style for authentic flavor

Tips for Making the Most of the Hibachi Station

For first-time visitors, here are a few tips to maximize your hibachi experience at Supreme Buffet & Hibachi:

• Visit during dinner hours — the hibachi selection is largest during dinner service, particularly on weekends.
• Start with lighter buffet items — save room for hibachi as part of your main course, not as an afterthought.
• Ask about the day's specials — our grill offerings sometimes include seasonal proteins not listed on our standard menu.
• Come Friday or Saturday — weekend hibachi nights coincide with our premium seafood specials, including dungeness crab and soft shell crabs.

Why the Hibachi Makes Supreme Buffet Different

Most buffets offer pre-cooked, steam-table food throughout their entire spread. What sets Supreme Buffet & Hibachi apart is our commitment to live cooking. The hibachi station means you can watch proteins seared fresh right in front of you — not sitting under a heat lamp for hours. That freshness makes a real difference in flavor and texture, and it's one of the reasons our guests keep coming back week after week.

Whether you're a hibachi veteran or visiting a grill station for the very first time, our team is always happy to help. Come hungry, bring your appetite, and let the grill do the rest.

All-you-can-eat buffets are a uniquely American dining institution — and when done right, they offer some of the best value and variety in the restaurant world. After years of serving Columbus families, we've seen everything from first-timers overwhelmed by the spread to seasoned regulars with a perfect strategy. This guide is our insider playbook for making the most of every visit to Supreme Buffet & Hibachi.

Arrive Hungry, But Don't Skip the Survey

Before you start loading your plate, take a lap around the buffet. A 60-second tour of all the stations will show you what's available, what looks freshest, and what you're most excited to try. Guests who skip this step often fill their first plate with ordinary dishes and miss the standout items hiding at the far end of the line.

At Supreme Buffet & Hibachi, this means checking the sushi bar for the day's nigiri options, glancing at what's on the hibachi grill, and noting which seafood items are out. This 60-second investment always pays off in a better meal.

Sequence Your Plates Strategically

Experienced buffet-goers know that plate sequencing matters. Here's a winning strategy for your visit:

• Round 1 — Small tasters: Sample 6–8 dishes in small portions. This lets you identify your favorites before committing to full servings.
• Round 2 — The main event: Return for generous portions of the 3–4 dishes you loved most, including hibachi-grilled proteins and sushi.
• Round 3 — Extras and seafood: This is when you hit the coconut shrimp, baked mussels, crab rangoon, and any weekend seafood specials.
• Round 4 — Light dessert: End with soft-serve ice cream, fruit, or a slice of apple pie. Light and refreshing is the way to go here.

Time Your Visit for Maximum Freshness

At Supreme Buffet & Hibachi, we rotate and refresh trays continuously — but there are natural rhythms to freshness. Arriving shortly after opening (10:30 AM) means everything is freshly prepared for lunch service. If you're visiting for dinner, the 3:00–5:00 PM window tends to be excellent as the kitchen ramps up for the evening rush. Avoid arriving in the last 30 minutes before closing — the selection naturally thins as the kitchen begins winding down.

Don't Overlook the Hidden Gems

Every buffet has signature dishes that regulars know and visitors discover by accident. At Supreme Buffet & Hibachi, the crowd favorites that often fly under the radar include:

• Black Pepper Chicken — a house specialty with a savory, slightly spicy kick
• Peanut Butter Chicken — a uniquely satisfying dish that surprises guests every time
• Nigiri Sushi — a dozen or more varieties, far beyond what most Columbus buffets offer
• Baked Mussels — rich, buttery, and worth loading up on
• Crab Rangoon — creamy and crispy, consistently praised in reviews

Bring the Whole Family

One of the underappreciated benefits of a well-stocked buffet like ours is that it completely eliminates the problem of group ordering. When six people with six different tastes try to agree on a restaurant menu, someone always compromises. At a buffet, everyone gets exactly what they want — the kids can have fries and mac and cheese, the adventurous eater goes deep on sushi and hibachi, and grandma gets her soup and comfort food. It's frictionless dining for families of any size.

We're also fully wheelchair accessible, with gender-neutral restrooms, high chairs available for young children, and staff who are happy to help accommodate any dietary need. Come as you are. We're ready for you.

For many Columbus diners, a trip to Supreme Buffet & Hibachi is their first experience with a proper sushi bar. Our fresh sushi selection is one of the most talked-about features of our buffet — guests who came skeptical have become regular sushi converts. If you're new to sushi, this guide will help you navigate our bar with confidence.

The Difference Between Nigiri and Rolls

At its simplest, sushi comes in two main forms you'll encounter at our bar:

• Nigiri — a small oval of hand-pressed rice topped with a slice of fish or seafood. This is considered the purest form of sushi. At Supreme Buffet, our nigiri selection includes salmon, tuna, shrimp, eel, yellowtail, and more.
• Maki rolls — rice and fillings rolled in seaweed (nori) and sliced into bite-sized rounds. Our rolls include classics like the California Roll, Spicy Tuna Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, and vegan-friendly Avocado and Cucumber Rolls.

For first-timers, maki rolls are generally a great entry point — familiar flavors in a compact, easy-to-eat format.

How to Eat Sushi Properly (And How Not To Stress About It)

Traditional sushi etiquette suggests you can eat nigiri with your hands, dip it fish-side down into soy sauce (to avoid over-saturating the rice), and eat it in one or two bites. But honestly? At a buffet, eating good food comfortably is the priority. Use chopsticks if you're comfortable, a fork if you're not. Dip lightly in soy sauce. Add a tiny amount of wasabi if you enjoy heat. And eat each piece whole when possible — this is when the flavor is best.

What Makes Our Sushi Bar Stand Out

Most buffet restaurants in Columbus offer a token sushi section — a few California Rolls sitting under sneeze guards. Supreme Buffet & Hibachi takes a different approach. Our sushi bar is a genuine highlight, with a rotating selection of 12+ nigiri varieties and multiple roll types prepared fresh throughout the day.

Our sushi chefs work continuously to ensure what's in the case is always fresh. On weekends, the sushi selection expands even further to complement our premium seafood offerings — more specialty rolls, additional nigiri, and creative combinations.

Sushi-Friendly Tips for Your Visit

• Visit the sushi bar first — if you wait until your second or third plate, you may be too full to appreciate it.
• Take small portions first — sample two or three pieces of different types before loading up on your favorites.
• Ask what's freshest — our staff is happy to let you know if a new tray is coming out shortly.
• Weekend visits = more variety — Friday and Saturday nights feature our most expansive sushi selection of the week.

Sushi for the Whole Table

One of the joys of our all-you-can-eat model is that sushi becomes accessible to the entire table, not just the one person willing to pay specialty restaurant prices. Guests who have never tried sushi can take a small piece, try it risk-free, and discover something new without commitment. We've watched a lot of self-described "sushi skeptics" become regulars at our bar — and that never gets old.

Whether you're a seasoned sushi lover or trying it for the first time, come see us at Supreme Buffet & Hibachi. Our bar is ready for you seven days a week.