Okefenokee Restaurant in Folkston, Georgia: Restaurant Review

The Okefenokee Restaurant is a must-stop for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. We were lucky enough to stop for a taste at 2:00 on a Friday afternoon. If the cuisine in the off-hours is any indication of what is available during regular meal hours, we will be going back many, many times.

We decided to visit the Okefenokee Restaurant on our return to the Golden Isles from the Okefenokee Swamp. After taking the 90-minute Okefenokee Swamp Adventures tour, and driving around the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge for another hour of two we were famished and looking for something a little more substantial and healthier than a fast-food hamburger or sandwich.

Sitting opposite the Courthouse in Folkston, Georgia was a very neat but rather nondescript building calling itself the Okefenokee Restaurant. We probably would have passed it by except for the noticeable groupings of attorneys and businessmen, as well as plumbers and builders lingering around the front-door in the warm, September sun.

Knowing from previous foodie adventures that you don't overlook a local restaurant that caters to both the professional and blue-collar local crowd, it didn't take us long to swing into the parking lot and head inside for a look-see.

Okefenokee Restaurant Hosts a Stellar Southern Buffet

What we didn't expect to see was a buffet at 2:00 p.m. that would still be worth eating. While there were some empty sections on the buffet and the waitress explained that they wouldn't be replaced (actually, some of them were), there were still plenty of fresh-looking salads, meats, and vegetables to excite the taste buds.

We dug in.

On the lunch buffet the day we tried it were fried cod, fried chicken, chicken strips, baked chicken, corn, beans, greens, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes and gravy, biscuits and cornbread, fresh lettuce and all fresh salad fixins, cole slaw, broccoli salad, jello, and more. I'm quite sure I left out at least half of what was still available. I can only imagine what was there at 11 p.m. when the lunch buffet first opened.

Dieters are Welcome at the Okefenokee Restaurant

The best part of this buffet was the ample options for dieters. The vegetables were fresh, flavorful, and definitely not greasy. The salad options were fresh and inviting and the dressings tasted home made.

The price was very fair ($8.00 for full buffet and drink) for the options available. It is always a relief to find a good buffet that everyone - dieting or not - can enjoy.

The Okefenokee Restaurant Has a Friday Night Seafood Buffet

Our waitress checked on us multiple times while we were chowing down to make sure that empty plates were cleared from the table and our tea glasses were always full. The owner/manager (I'm not sure which, we were too busy stuffing our faces to ask) also came by to make sure that our lunch was satisfying for us.

We did put our forks down long enough to ask about the evening buffet and she told us that the Friday evening buffet at the Okefenokee Restaurant was a seafood buffet. Being so close to the Georgia coast, the buffet is heavy on shrimp offerings including all manner of fried, boiled, low-country, and gumbo-type shrimp dishes. Vegetables include many of the same served for lunch as well as baked potatoes. If you'd like to try an unusual dish, the Okefenokee Restaurant also serves "frogs legs," on their Friday night seafood buffet - and IF I was going to try them, I'd definitely try them at the Okefenokee Restaurant.

Cleanliness is Next to Goodness at the Okefenokee Restaurant

If I had to mention the other outstanding thing I noticed besides the wonderful food, it would definitely be the cleanliness of the Okefenokee Restaurant. We entered, mind you, after a huge Friday lunchtime crowd, yet the booths, tables, and buffet area were spotless. The waitresses even seemed fresh and unhurried.

The Okefenokee Restaurant is a small-town jewel and well worth the drive from anywhere in the surrounding area. Folkston is approximately 50 miles from Brunswick and the Golden Isles - but doesn't feel like it. Take I-95 part of the way or the explore the Georgia back roads of US-17. Combine the trip for breakfast, lunch, or dinner with a trip to the Okefenokee Swamp, the Folkston Train Tunnel, or visit the shops in Folkston until you work up an appetite.

The Okefenokee Restaurant is located in downtown Folkston en route to the Okefenokee Swamp.

103 S 2nd St
Folkston, GA 31537
(912) 496-3263

Lunch Buffet and Friday Night Seafood Buffet are available in addition to regular menu. The Okefenokee Restaurant serves breakfast, lunch, and supper. Closed on Sundays. Lunch buffet for hot and cold items plus drink is $8.00 per person. Seafood Buffet on Friday night is slightly more. There is not currently a website for the Okefenokee Restaurant.

Check out these reviews from Fodor's and the Good Taste Buds blog.
http://www.fodors.com/world/north-america/usa/georgia/georgia-coast/review-162015.html
http://goodtastebuds.blogspot.com/2008/01/okefenokee-restaurant-folkston-ga.html

I know we'll be going back real soon to give the Okefenokee Restaurant another try.