Shiki Buffet has opened in Bloomington, Minnesota, bringing sushi, sashimi, oysters and crayfish to the former TGI Fridays at 7730 Normandale Boulevard. For diners who organize their buffet visits around the seafood, that is a fairly persuasive opening statement.
The Japanese-Chinese restaurant began serving earlier this month, according to October 13 reporting from Bring Me The News. Its opening attracted lines, with diners sharing their early visits on social media.
Adult lunch is reported at $20.99 and dinner at $35.99. Children ages 4–7 pay $9.99, while the reported price for ages 8–11 is $15.99. The restaurant also sells buffet carryout by weight.
Seafood gets much of the attention, but the spread also includes American Chinese dishes, fried rice and dumplings. Sushi and sashimi give the cold side of the buffet a substantial role, alongside oysters and crayfish. It is a lineup that can send a seafood enthusiast in several directions before the first plate is finished.
The address already has a long restaurant history. TGI Fridays closed its Normandale Boulevard location before Labor Day in 2024, according to local reporting that September. Shiki brings dining back to a building previously marketed for sale, lease or redevelopment.
A CBRE brochure for the former Fridays property described an 11,636-square-foot restaurant building visible from Highway 100. The former chain space offers a substantial setting for Shiki’s new spread, with several seafood preparations sharing the buffet with cooked Chinese dishes.
There is also a name distinction worth making before anyone starts assembling a chain itinerary. Bring Me The News reports that Bloomington’s Shiki Buffet is unrelated to the Illinois buffet group of the same name and to Jester Concepts’ Shiki restaurant in Excelsior.
The opening gives Bloomington a new Japanese-Chinese buffet at a familiar restaurant address. With a reported lunch price just above $20, a separate dinner rate and carryout sold by weight, Shiki offers several ways to approach that seafood-heavy selection.
