HomeTown Buffet

My 6 year old daughter picked the Hometown Buffet for us to eat tonight. I will not be back. Yes, dinner for us only cost $ 20, however the food was bland and selection was limited. They were out of basic items like silverware, cups, coffee. It had a loud atmosphere with a lot of people bumping into you as you’re trying to get your meal. We were not greeted by anyone except for the person at the front desk and someone talking to my daughter sternly for dropping an empty plastic bowl. Also, we found quite a few dirty bowls and plates. So gross!

I have been here twice, on ¹²⁄₂₁ and ¹²⁄₃₁. The two experiences were like night and day.
The first time I came here, I was impressed with the service and food selection. The food tasted fresh and hot, and it was very well-​seasoned. There was a good choice of food and pretty much everything tasted okay or better. Everything was great except for dessert.
Today, my experience was terrible. Definitely not worth the $ 15/​person. My boyfriend and I were so excited to come tonight, because we expected the same deliciousness we experienced last time. However, the food was gross today. Most of the food was underseasoned. The brussel sprouts tasted like the water they were steamed in, and they weren’t even cooked all the way through. The fish tasted like they used a lot of lemon to cover up the old fishy taste and reminded me of Lysol cleaner. The spaghetti was overcooked and mushy, with gloppy marinara sauce. There was a terrible selection of food today, as most stuff was either fried or over-​steamed. Overall, it reminded me of the gross cafeteria food we were served in school: mushy steamed green beans, unsalted steamed carrots, watered down mashed potatoes from a box. It was disgusting.
Service was also non-​existent today. We had a pile of 4 plates stacked up before it was taken away. Also, they seemed to be already cleaning up the buffet tables, even though we were there an hour before closing. The sauces and stuff were put on a table instead of the serving table where it’s supposed to be on ice. Some other food was propped up on the buffet tables instead of inside so that they could be kept warm. I wonder if any of the food reached unsafe temperatures.
Also, the dessert bar is so disappointing. There is literally nothing that looks good, not even their ice cream from the ice cream machine.
For what the meal actually was, it’s not worth the money. I would rather go to the hibachi grill buffet if I’m feeling like a buffet.

Dragged here by my friend.
Overall not a good value for the money for dinner: buffet with beverage costs 12 to 13 bucks, food selection is nothing exceptional (some generic macaroni and cheese and overcooked spaghetti, chicken, ham, salad bar, and dessert), ambience is below average even for a buffet, and so many of the plates and bowls were dirty! Looking for a clean ice cream dish was a challenge, as they all had wet prep bits left over. It’s crowded with large groups of visiting students and extended family groups, though, so it seems to be doing a brisk business anyway.

There’s plenty of seating at this location and the staff is friendly. The downside of Hometown Buffet is the food. The upside is you won’t overeat too much because you’ll feel a bit queasy before then. If you want to stuff yourself in Manchester, your best bets are Indian food.

Not being from this area, and eating at hometown’s Milford, CT location frequently, my sister and I were very impressed! The restaurant was clean, the food was hot, the table girl was always asking if we needed anything. We were super impressed with this location! Until we got to the restroom. the restroom was gross! I would have rather went in a porta-​potty! We did tell the lady in front and she was quick to check it out. As the dinner rush started, employees were ill-​prepared. No plates, no forks, no bowls for the ice cream. And the dessert station went from being grand to not having anything on it at all. It had gone from a 4 star to a 3 within 30 seconds. We will visit this location again since it was a better experience than Milford. As long as I am not disgusted when washing my hands.

This place is just a no. I have been a couple times due to the request of others, but have since refused to go back. I get that it’s a buffet, but they are overpriced.
It’s crowded and dirty. I always lose my appetite, and I’m lucky if I can find one plate of «safe» food to force down. The glasses are plastic which is my pet peeve and reminds me of a hospital cafeteria.
Don’t be fooled by all the attached pictures of «their» food, it’s nothing like it really is.

Was in the mood for a buffet and chose to come down to this place. Its Okay. But I guess I should have known that it would have been like a typical buffet place, some food was being replaced quickly but some seemed to be sitting for awhile. This is my first time reviewing this place but I have been here before.

Disgustingly filthy place. the plates had hard dry. food on them the silverware was digusting botuchlism heaven WARNING about the food people there actually were wiping off the plates with their shirt sleeves. what’s wrong with people. this place needs to have a visit from the state health board. eeeewwwww

I’ve never gone here for lunch before today, and honestly it wasn’t great. There wasn’t a huge variety, and the things we did try were very bland. I was with my parents (army vets) and they were joking it wasn’t as bad as hospital food, but it tasted a lot like army food since they don’t use spice or seasoning there either. Some things were hard and dried out from the lamps, but overall the food looked pretty good. The people bussing weren’t really around much, so we had quite a few plates on out table at any given time. We were surrounded by 3 – 4 unbussed tables, which was strange because of how slow it was in there. We had to wait for clean forks at one point (also strange since it was slow), but because we were impatient and hungry, we just made do with spoons. Didn’t bother us too much, but I can see how people would be annoyed. At least all the dishware was clean.
Overall we had a good time because we were together, but my father and I agreed we weren’t in a huge hurry to come back any time soon.

They’ve been advertising their new image, better selection, etc… on TV. It’s been at least a year since I’ve been to one of these so I figured I’d check out the improvements. I was amazed that this very average buffet chain would actually get WORSE! 6:30 in the evening, so it’s sorta prime dinner time but the selection was incredibly limited, many items absent from empty slots and what was available looked like it had been available since lunch! Dried and nasty. I ate a salad and after trying to make the best of it, I couldn’t stay. Spent $ 15 for a salad and beverage. Never again! If this is the «improved» Home Town Buffet, I suspect we’ll see them going away very soon!

Not Impressed! The food here is made is such large bulk that it’s pretty bland. For $ 10 – 15 plus drink per person the quality should be higher. The dessert bar is the best thing they got. The atmosphere was very loud and had a strange odor. Go overboard at the nearby mcdonalds or go elsewhere.

The server was nice and pleasant, we went there on a sunday and it was very busy. It was before 3pm and the cashier charged us for dinner which was odd. I guess is that if you sign up online you can get great discounts. The food was ok, they were right on top of making sure the buffet was filled up. But one thing I found interesting was how small the drinking glass was and it is not in the buffet price. Its a good place to bring the kids and family to but I probably won’t come here. But what I do like is there is someone to carve the roast beef lol.

The food was fresh and hot.
Biggest let down was nobody ever came to take a single dirty plate or glass from our table.

Good mix of items available.
I would recommend eating here over the mall but that is about it.

I just ate at the local dump. Sorry I meant hometown buffet. The quality of food here is unacceptable. If ever considering eating here I have one piece of advice for ya, don’t. This food should be incinerated for energy because it is trash

Just paid a visit to Hometown. I haven’t been to hometown in a LONG time. At least 15 or 20 years. Let me say… nothing has changed. lol
The food is all very mediocre to less than satisfactory. I tried just about every thing on the buffet line that look edible. Chicken rums were ok. Plain but moist. Corn bread dressing was dry and crumbly. Mac & Cheese just ok. Not a lot of flavor. Only thing that was really good was the fresh baked sweet rolls. They were good. Everything else just not terrific. Desert was all just ok as well. Apple crisp was blah. Banana pudding was good. Chocolate cake was nasty.
Service was good. Everyone seemed friendly. That’s a plus. Overall I doubt I’ll be back. Maybe in another 10 years I’ll return to remind myself why I don’t go to Hometown Buffet for dinner.

Hometown Buffet a good old midwestern favorite also known as Old Country Buffet in other markets. They serve up a variety of food that changes daily but the old standbys of ham and roast beef are constants. Fortunately we came on steak night. Unfortunately, the buffet was everything I remembered. Mediocre food at reasonable all you can eat prices. Their «steak» was definitely something to be avoided as it was more like chewing raw hide than anything resembling a high quality steak. Once and awhile I would get a craving for shitty buffets and Hometown Buffet certainly did the trick. See you again in 5 years!

Normally when I’ve gone there the food has been fairly good (always the visiting parents choice). However, today I had a spring roll and peas and they both tasted like they had been soaked in ammonia. I almost vomited on my plate from the strong chemical like taste.

I’ve been here more times than I’d care to admit. It was always a convenient place to stop for lunch in Manchester. That said, it’s not your best choice for a high quality meal, but they do make up for quality with quantity.
(Pardon my stating of the obvious…)
It’s… ok, I guess… I suppose the salad bar is the best part, but then again, how can you screw up raw ingredients arranged on a bed of ice? The hot food is fine. Nothing will make you gag, but nothing will make you want to run back for more either. Highlights in my opinion include the mac & cheese, meatloaf, and fried chicken.
Healthy…
The only true negative is the little trick they pull on you with the drinks. Sure, it’s all you can eat for one set price, but beverages are a separate charge. Kinda silly, but it’s still a very cheap meal. Akin to Sizzler or American Steakhouse.

Had passed by this place a zillion times, however tried it last weekend. We dropped in for lunch buffet. The buffet spread is pretty good. They have a salad station, Mexican food, appetizers, Entrees and tons of desserts.
If vegetarian, you will have a wide selection of salad n desserts. Appetizers n entrees are limited. They do have a wide range for meat eaters.
The quality of fruits, veggies n desserts were amazing, just loved it :)
Nice place for a group to hang out n the prices too are great!

Typical all you can eat buffet style restaurant. You get a lot of food at very little cost. I invited my friend and her two children, one of whom was 12 and is considered an adult, and was only charged a total of $ 28.
I indicated below that they take credit cards but be advised that they do not take American Express.
The nice thing about going here is that we were starving, there is almost never any wait to enter and you can literally have a plate of food in front of you within minutes.
Loaded self serve salad, soup and dessert bars. Always available mainstays would include but never limited to: chicken, potatoes, ham, pasta… it just goes on but typically american style cuisine.
On this particular visit we arrived at 3:30 on a Tuesday afternoon. This is a great time to avoid any congestion while walking around but they seem to have been short on bussers. This is just before the change to diner hours where the price goes up a few dollars and maybe there is a shift change. I’ve been here a few times before and NEVER had the plates pile up on the table like this. Stacks ten high could be seen on many tables across the restaurant. Usually done well but atrociously lacking this time.
There is one room separated from the main dining area that is available to rent for private parties.
There is a lot of variety to choose from, so much so that my stomach always hurts from eating too much when I leave. I wouldn’t want to eat here all the time as the quality of the food is only fair. I can’t find myself giving a rating of any more or less than three stars: «A-​OK»