Japan is Home to KFC's Latest All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

An all-you-can-eat KFC buffet may sound distinctly American, but this fast food experience is exclusively available abroad. Osaka, Japan—a city known for its kuidaore, or “eat till you drop” food culture—is now home to two of these buffet-style outposts. 

The first all-you-can-eat KFC opened in the suburb of Onohara, Osaka, in 2009 and the latest branch opened last week in Osaka's Expo City entertainment complex. Unlike the first restaurant, KFC’s new buffet location doesn’t allow patrons who are dining in to order off a regular menu. There is a takeout window for customers looking to get their food to go, but the rest of the restaurant’s interior is fully committed to the upscale buffet atmosphere. 

For a weekday lunch, adults can get complete access to the buffet’s 60-plus menu items for 1880 yen, or about $15 U.S. Grade schoolers get in for just about $8 (junior high students and older are charged as adults). During dinner, an adult meal costs around $20 while a child’s meal is $10. And while the food is indeed all-you-can-eat, buffet access is limited to 90 minutes at a time.

The Expo City location holds a special place in the fast food chain’s history—it’s where the U.S. pavilion at the World Expo hosted Japan's first trial KFC in 1970. And that’s not the only reason it’s worth a pilgrimage for fried chicken fanatics. The branch is also home to an original suit worn by the Colonel himself.