The Ohio All-You-Can-Eat Buffet That Proves Comfort Food Never Goes Out Of Style
Hidden among the rolling hills of Ohio’s Amish Country is a dining experience that rises above fleeting food trends and passing fads. The Der Dutchman buffet in Walnut Creek isn’t simply a place to fill your plate—it’s a living celebration of heartland cooking, rooted in tradition and community.
Generations of families have gathered here to savor heaping portions of fried chicken, fresh-baked bread, and pies that taste like home.
I first visited as a child with my grandparents, and even then I understood why some traditions never need updating. Comfort food, after all, holds a timeless place in our hearts.
Home-Style Cooking That Takes You Back
Walking into Der Dutchman feels like stepping into your grandmother’s kitchen – if your grandmother could cook for 200 people at once! The aroma hits you first – fresh bread, roasting meats, and something sweet baking in the oven.
I watched an elderly Amish woman rolling out pie dough during my last visit, her hands moving with the confidence that comes from decades of practice. No fancy techniques or trendy ingredients here.
The recipes haven’t changed in generations because they don’t need to. When food is prepared with such care and simplicity, it creates a timeless experience that no modern restaurant can replicate.
Fried Chicken Worth Traveling For
Golden, crispy, and utterly perfect – Der Dutchman’s fried chicken has people driving across state lines just for a taste. The secret? Nothing fancy. Just fresh, local chicken, a well-guarded breading recipe, and cooks who know exactly when each piece is done to perfection.
My uncle Mark once ate seven pieces in one sitting and still talks about it years later. The skin shatters with each bite, revealing juicy meat that practically falls off the bone.
Unlike trendy fried chicken spots with spicy coatings or unusual glazes, this classic preparation proves that sometimes the original version can’t be improved upon.
Side Dishes That Steal The Show
Real mashed potatoes – lumps and all – swimming in homemade gravy. Buttery egg noodles that somehow never get soggy under the heat lamps. Green beans cooked with ham hocks that would make any southerner nod in approval.
The sides at Der Dutchman aren’t afterthoughts – they’re stars in their own right! Last summer, I watched my normally health-conscious sister return for thirds of the noodles, muttering something about “carbs don’t count in Amish country.”
Each side dish represents generations of handed-down recipes, perfected through years of church socials and family gatherings. No wonder they taste like someone’s grandmother made them.
Bread And Apple Butter: A Match Made In Heaven
Fresh-from-the-oven dinner rolls arrive at your table in a basket lined with a cloth napkin to keep them warm. The butter melts instantly when spread across the steaming interior. But the real magic happens when you add a dollop of homemade apple butter.
Sweet, spiced, and cooked down to perfection, Der Dutchman’s apple butter transforms an ordinary roll into something extraordinary. My daughter once tried to smuggle a jar home in her backpack!
This simple pairing represents everything wonderful about Amish country dining – taking basic ingredients and turning them into something that creates lasting memories through taste alone.
Dessert Section That Requires Strategy
“Save room for pie” isn’t just a suggestion at Der Dutchman – it’s practically a commandment! The dessert section stretches as far as the eye can see, with pies, cobblers, cookies, and cakes all competing for limited stomach space.
My personal approach? A sliver of shoofly pie, a corner of peach cobbler topped with vanilla ice cream, and maybe a whoopie pie for the road. The desserts here don’t follow trends – no deconstructed this or reimagined that.
They’re the classics, made exactly as they have been for decades, because perfection doesn’t need innovation. One bite of their peanut butter cream pie convinced me that some recipes should remain untouched by time.
Community Tables That Create Connections
Large wooden tables fill the dining room, often seating multiple families together in true community style. The first time I visited, my family shared a table with a couple celebrating their 50th anniversary – by the end of the meal, we were exchanging addresses to send Christmas cards!
This communal atmosphere is increasingly rare in modern dining. Kids giggle at neighboring tables while grandparents share stories of their own childhoods in Ohio.
The restaurant layout itself encourages conversation and connection – a refreshing contrast to the isolation of most dining experiences today. Somehow, passing dishes family-style to strangers turns them into friends before dessert arrives.
Timelessness In A Fast-Changing World
Food trends come and go faster than Ohio weather changes, but Der Dutchman remains gloriously, stubbornly the same. No fusion cuisine experiments. No avocado toast on the menu. No need for Instagram-worthy plating.
On my last visit, I noticed three generations of a family dining together – grandmother, mother, and children all enjoying the exact same dishes. The grandmother told me she’d been coming since she was her granddaughter’s age.
In a world obsessed with the new and novel, there’s profound comfort in places that honor tradition. Der Dutchman isn’t just preserving recipes – it’s preserving a way of life that values consistency, quality, and the simple pleasure of a well-cooked meal.