Feast Buffet & Banquet guests will find a variety of choices, such as Beef and Broccoli (left plate), as well as new flavors like stone crab, fried rice and pea shoots (right plate). Sushi options are abundant, with unique picks such as the Volcano Roll. Photos: Chris Emeott
An elevated buffet brings authentic Asian cuisine to town.
Last September, Feast Buffet & Banquet (1690 Woodlane Drive) opened, becoming Woodbury’s first upscale, Asian-inspired buffet restaurant. Walking through its doors, guests are welcomed into a modern eatery with various food stations to choose from. The traditional buffet style takes on a higher-end feel with individually plated dishes.
Co-founders Kevin Ni and ZeGui Qiu, known for Sushi Train in Minneapolis and Captain Crab in Brooklyn Center, along with a team of dedicated individuals, brought Feast Buffet & Banquet to life.
Ni first came to Minnesota in 2015 and, as a passionate foodie, noticed that many of the local cuisines had been Americanized—and he was motivated to introduce authentic, diverse cuisines to the area. In 2017, Ni and Qiu opened Sushi Train, a concept inspired by Japan’s popular conveyor-belt sushi. After opening a few more restaurants with an amazing team of partners, Ni saw a chance to bring Asian food to Woodbury. He wanted to tap into the local market and elevate the dining scene with genuine Asian dishes. “I said, ‘Well, there aren’t many options in Woodbury, so where are Woodbury people going to eat? Do they have to spend money in other cities that they could be spending in their own town?’ So I thought, ‘Why don’t we give it a shot?’” Ni says.
In 2023, he and his team searched for the ideal location as ideas for the restaurant took shape. They envisioned the restaurant as a high-end buffet and drew inspiration from similar venues in Las Vegas. This kind of restaurant would need a unique space, and when the space previously known as Cowboy Jack’s came up for sale, Ni and his team knew it was the perfect choice. They spent over eight months designing and building the restaurant.
The Salmon Poke Bowl layers crisp textures with fresh ingredients, creating a delightful balance of flavors.
All of the food is prepared in-house, with seafood sourced from Boston and specialty ingredients imported from Asia. Besides bottled beverages, nothing is prepackaged. Everything is fresh.
“I want to eat healthy food; at the same time, I want my guests to eat healthy food too,” Ni says.
The menu features Asian-inspired dishes, such as Buddha Temptation soup, chicken feet, Dungeness crab, garlic-baked oysters and scallops. Dessert options include a boba bar, cotton candy and shaved ice. There are familiar options, such as fried rice and sushi, but Ni and his team truly want their guests to have the opportunity to try foods they might have never tasted before, with a special focus on seafood. Ni imagines a space where guests slow down and savor the exploration of new foods.
A wide selection of sushi awaits diners, who can discover new flavor combinations alongside familiar favorites.
“The main thing is to put yourself in the customers’ shoes and see things from their point of view before taking action,” Ni says. “We’re customers too, so we know what we expect when we go to a restaurant, and it’s the same as what your customers expect.” Lines have stretched out the door, and the team consistently served more than 1,000 customers per day after opening. “I would say the community support is 120 percent,” Ni says.
