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    Emzara’s Buffet

    3.9 (91 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 6:00 pm
    Updated over 3 months ago

    Emzara’s Buffet Photos

    Business Info

    EMZARA’S BUFFET ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Casual
    Touristy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating

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    Recommended Reviews - Emzara’s Buffet

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    Salad plate and brussel sprouts... so good!!
    Leora B.

    My family and I decided to stop in at Emzara's during our day at the Ark. my husband and son sat here for more than 2 hours while my daughter and I went on the zip line and my son had some work meetings he needed to attend. No one said they couldn't or had to leave. By the time my daughter and I joined them and we all went down for lunch this place was PACKED!! Especially on the bottom floor which is close to the bathrooms and buffet but I recommended trying the top floor for a little more quiet. Seems like most people stay on the bottom. Tips: get two plates when you get in line and grab EVERYTHING you want on your first visit. Why? Because if you get your salad first then come back for meat and sides, you have to start all over at the back of the line. Now they do a really good job with the layout of the buffet and getting people through but it's still quite a line. So just get it all in one go and come back for dessert. Unless, like us, you skip dessert for Uncle Leroy's Fudge and Kezia's ice cream. Also, try the brussel sprouts! Best I've ever had!! Hands down!! Oh and don't turn your nose up at it because it's a buffet. It's actually really good food! I'm giving 5 stars because in spite of the shear number of people the served in a short time, the food was fresh, hot, and tasty, the venue was clean, the ambiance spot on, the service friendly, and there were a lot of food options! Sure to please everyone!

    a large group of people eating
    Jack G.

    ** Kind Service ** ** Clean ** ** Convenient ** With enormous amounts of people and huge group numbers, a buffet is a no brainer. The line to get in wrapped around the building but it kept moving. The options were not the greatest but I can say the fried chicken was very tasty. Also try their pudding, it was fantastic! My only gripe would be the styrofoam plates, not great for the environment and was not great for carrying food. It may be that these were not their normal plates because I saw a few different varieties brought out. There are tons of employees working here and that was very cool to see. The place was spotless except for the drinks section, that was chaos. Our experience was good all and all.

    Seating area at 4pm just before closing
    Momma S.

    They had a wild range of food and it was hot and fresh. We ate after touring the arc and doing the zoo area which was about 4 and they closed at 5. I noticed the food wasn't kept full and seem like once things went empty they didn't replace it so i would recommend going around 12 or 1 not 4 like us.

    Inside
    Arlene M.

    Emzara's kitchen is the main sit down buffet restaurant at the Ark Encounter. There are two entrances both of which you pay your price fixed buffet meal and then get in line to serve yourself cafeteria style. Scattered throughout the restaurant are taxidermy animals to replicate some of the ark's animals. My husband and I were there during the lunch hour and again the two lines were exceptionally long. There was plenty of seating available. It wasn't overly long of a wait until we got our tri compartment paper plate and started to make our way through the salads and side dishes. There is a sign telling you that you must take a clean plate if you return to a station. With this line I had no intention of doing that. Most of the sides are clearly labeled and then over to the back was an area for hot foods. Here you find fried chicken, meatballs, chicken tenders, barbecued pork, pasta, and fried fish. The dessert station sits off by itself with paper plates of their own. The plasticwear was wrapped at the eating end to protect the user but I found it a pain to open my fork. With my husband's help I managed. Beverages again are served by machine and when I got my ice tea I was looking everywhere for sugar packets. Finally an employee showed me a machine that dishes out the "perfect" scoop. Really? By the time I got back to my table the ice in my drink had melted. The food was average quality. Again nothing to hit home about. All the sauces and condiments were off to the side and I must say I liked the meatballs and chicken tenders best. For dessert I took what looked like an apple mixture and a small piece of chocolate brownie. Again they were alright but this is a place for tourists and one needs to expect that. They also sell the refillable plastic drinking bottle here which you can use anywhere in the park for $19.99 but to me it wasn't worth the money. Bottom line. The Ark encounter has a number of family friendly fast foods both inside the ark and in Noah's village for less money. You are probably better off going there however, I recommend if visiting this buffet come after 1:00 when the lines are less crowded. Enzara's restaurant is located next to the Ark itself.

    a woman sitting at a table

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

    The food is ok. When you're hungry it's plenty fine. 6/10 if starving, maybe a 4/10 if not. Clean nonetheless.

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    9 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Business owner information

    Photo of G. E.

    G. E.

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    3 years ago

    Located at the Ark Encounter. They had a large selection in their buffet and the food was good and tasty.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Stopped here after a visit to the Ark. This is a buffet, reasonably priced and several food and dessert choices.

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

    Great food, abundant cool seating. Kid friendly and adult satisfying! Fried chicken and roast beef were excellent.

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    5 years ago

    All the food was really good. You can tell the desserts are made in house and delicious

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    8 years ago

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    7 years ago

    Very good for a buffet with lots of options. Amazing staff and very understanding and accommodating to food allergens.

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    4 years ago

    Food was good but it was very crowded. The restaurant probably should have had both sides of the bar open during dinner rush.

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    7 years ago

    Massive selection of food that is really good and price isn't bad it's worth the trip

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    7 years ago

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    Page 2 of 3

    Ask the Community - Emzara’s Buffet

    Kellie's Homestead Restaurant - Catfish with slaw and onion rings

    Kellie's Homestead Restaurant

    3.3(188 reviews)
    4.5 mi
    $$

    Stopped by Kellie's Homestead near the Ark Encounter and had a great experience overall. The food…read morewas solid Southern comfort, crispy fried catfish, sides were flavorful, and everything felt homemade. The atmosphere was warm and welcoming, and the service was genuinely friendly. Only downside was I was hoping to order steak and eggs, but found out breakfast is only served on weekends, which I didn't realize ahead of time. And they were out of an item we initially ordered but got something else. Still, really enjoyed the meal and would definitely come back.

    During our trip to visit the Ark Encounter, we stayed in Dry Ridge, KY, which is conveniently close…read moreto the attraction. One evening, we decided to try a local place, Kelly's Homestead Restaurant, and unfortunately, it was a disappointing experience. We walked in and found the restaurant fairly busy. After waiting at the entrance, the host simply asked, "How many?" then grabbed menus and walked off toward a booth without saying "Follow me" or offering any kind of welcome. She tossed the menus on the table and walked away--no greeting, no "Your server will be right with you," nothing. We sat for 15 minutes without a single server acknowledging us or taking a drink order. Looking around, we noticed other tables had drinks, but hardly anyone seemed to be having their orders taken. Eventually, we left and headed to Cracker Barrel, where both the service and the food were fantastic. Based on our experience, I cannot recommend Kelly's Homestead Restaurant.

    Photos
    Kellie's Homestead Restaurant - Restaurant seating area

    Restaurant seating area

    Kellie's Homestead Restaurant - Pork loin sandwich

    Pork loin sandwich

    Kellie's Homestead Restaurant

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    Hansie Flip Burgers - Wow! Bring your appetite for these big burgers and huge fries!

    Hansie Flip Burgers

    4.4(115 reviews)
    2.1 mi

    We stopped in on our way to our hotel around 2:30 on a Thursday afternoon. They were out of sweet…read moretea and chocolate shakes. There were two tables of people there when we arrived and it was fairly quiet. We ordered and sat at a table and noticed there was seating outside so we moved outside to soak up some sunshine. My husband ordered a strawberry shake and large order of fries to split and we both had the single bacon cheese burger. I had mine on a gluten free bun. The burgers came out and our mouths fell open. They were beautiful with the beef, bacon, cheese, sliced onion and tomato and special sauce. We could just get our mouths open enough for a bite. Wonder how that works with the double burger. The first bite was WOW. Now this is what a burger should taste like. And the hand cut fries were delicious also. I tased my husband's strawberry shake and that was also excellent, so much so that he felt better that they were out of chocolate...lol. The chef asked us on our way out how our food was. We would definitely come back here for these burgers, fries and shakes done just right!

    My wife & I were driving back to Indy from Lexington. We were checking Yelp along the way, looking…read morefor someplace to eat. This place popped up & we thought it looked good, so we stopped in. The outside looked quite nice, as did the interior. There were plenty of seats inside, but we sat on the very large patio, since it was nice out. We ordered two bacon cheeseburgers, large fries & two drinks. Everyone we interacted with were very friendly! The burgers were HUGE & amazing in construction & taste!! The fries & Hansie sauce were very good, as were the fountain drinks. The prices were pretty good, well, especially since we got the singles & not the double burgers. One of the people even suggested another restaurant in town if we ever came thru again! How classy is that?! We will definitely be back if we are even remotely close to here in the future. I just wish they were closer to us.

    Photos
    Hansie Flip Burgers - Dinnng room

    Dinnng room

    Hansie Flip Burgers - Handcut fries

    Handcut fries

    Hansie Flip Burgers - Menu

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    Menu

    Local Feed - Wagyu Beef Lettuce Wraps were outstanding!

    Local Feed

    4.0(486 reviews)
    28.6 mi
    $$

    This is a great place to get a great meal, a cocktail, and leave satisfied. The place is so cool…read more Brick and iron at its best. The charm of old tables with mismatched chairs, even a bench made from an old bed headboard. The staff is great. Quick to answer questions and offer suggestions. The bar is huge. Bottles upon bottles. Then there is the food. Locally sourced and cooked to order. My mom ordered the catfish. It looked delicious and she ate every bite on the plate. My breakfast bowl was absolutely perfect! Potatoes roasted to perfection with awesome hot sausage with eggs cooked to order and covered in the best sausage gravy that I have ever had! Note: I love sausage gravy and have eaten it all over the country. Bravo to the chef! We will be back!

    I am typically an all in for Local Feed. I live an hour away, and will drive merely to eat at…read moreLocal Feed, or at least I would, until today. Arrived for my reservation, at lunch, and was seated immediately ( that is a plus - everything was looking good ). Waitress came to get drink order, only to realize she had failed to give us drink menu.Once that was resolved, drinks ordered and corn bread starter ordered. Cornbread delivered, drinks arrive. waitress was slow, kept saying she was new, she was tired, etc... Having been in the service industry, I understand, but not my problem. Here is when the meal went south... when we go to order, we are told no chicken, no steak. Only real options are the chicken and dumplings, sloppy joe, hamburger, meatloaf, ham or fish. Any other beef dish, or chicken dish is not available ( think half the menu ). Had we of known, before the drinks and cornbread, we might have left, as we had driven an hour for brisket and fried chicken. It was extremely disappointing. I went with the chicken and dumplings, as I don't eat fish, or beef, and can't eat pork products. I ordered a side of mashed potatoes and was told the chicken and dumplings came on a bed of mash - nope, apparently it does not. Expecting mash, I ordered carrots... guess what the chicken and dumplings come with carrots! So I got a bunch of carrots, no mash. The others in my party ordered the sloppy joes and both said they were okay, but not what they drove an hour to eat. In my opinion a restaurant, that is closed on Monday, should not be out of half of their menu items on Tuesday. I'd there are delivery issues, they had all day Monday to come up with alternate items, source other foods, etc.. Our waitress rarely came around, never offered refills, or asked how our meals were. At the end, she messed up our tickets so many times, that we finally just paid. I am no longer in a hurry to go to Local Feed and it will not be a place I drive an hour, to eat. To say it has gone downhill, is an understatement. PS - we spent roughly $175 (3 women, with drinks)

    Photos
    Local Feed - Inside seating area

    Inside seating area

    Local Feed - Risotto

    Risotto

    Local Feed

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    Emzara’s Buffet - buffets - Updated September 2026

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