Sophie Bolich

Bay View’s Asian Buffet Has Closed

Restaurant formerly known as Hong Kong Seafood Buffet went dark this summer.

By - Aug 18th, 2025 04:23 pm
Asian Buffet, 270 W. Holt Ave. Photo taken Aug. 12, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.

Asian Buffet, 270 W. Holt Ave. Photo taken Aug. 12, 2025 by Sophie Bolich.

No more shrimp, stir fry or seafood delight—Asian Buffet has quietly closed its doors at 270 W. Holt Ave.

The short-lived restaurant opened as Hong Kong Seafood Buffet in early 2024, offering a wide variety of Asian dishes, including both seafood and non-seafood options. It later rebranded under a more generic name, also emphasizing non-buffet options like hibachi and alcohol.

Reports of the closure began to circulate earlier this summer, though owner Ting Cai Zhou never issued an official announcement. Several recent visits during opening hours found the restaurant dark and empty.

The business recently updated its online status to permanently closed.

Zhou, a veteran chef and business owner, gained experience in kitchens across New York before settling in Madison, where he opened restaurants including Delicacies of Asia (now closed), Ragin Cajun and two locations for Hot Pot 608. Asian Buffet, housed in a former Applebee’s, was his first Milwaukee venture

Prior to opening, Zhou told Urban Milwaukee through an interpreter that he planned to offer a wide variety of traditional Chinese dishes—especially seafood options—at an affordable price for workers and families throughout the neighborhood.

The sit-down restaurant served lunch and dinner, with featured items including all-you-can-eat crab legs, breaded shrimp, crawfish and seafood delight—a medley of shrimp, scallops, imitation crab and vegetables. Non-seafood offerings included frog legs, lo mein, egg rolls and desserts such as Jell-O and ice cream.

The 4,850-square-foot restaurant building sits at the edge of a shopping center anchored by a Pick ‘n Save grocery store. Other nearby businesses include Home Depot, Taco Bell and Starbucks.

A call to the restaurant went unanswered. Zhou could not be reached for comment by the time of publication.

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Categories: Food & Drink

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