Imperial Buffet

Not the best buffet around, but really no where near as bad as some other reviewers have claimed. In fact, some of the negative reviews were downright stupid, written by people who actually thought they were eating Chinese food. We were a party of five… three Chinese and two non-​Chinese. Food was fresh and hot with a decent variety to choose from. Hot and sour soup was OK. Fried crab legs were very good. So was the sauteed bai cai. Fried foods like chicken wings and calimari were tasty. Peel and eat shrimp was better than what I’ve had at most other buffets. Plenty of deserts to choose from, but the ice cream selection was sorely lacking. A larger assortment of vegetables would be nice. There’s not much to choose from. Like most other «Chinese» buffets, there was very little real Chinese food. It’s mostly standard American buffet food. The interior of the building is old and deteriorating, but that, of course, is irrelevant. Only the food matters in a food review. All in all, you get what you pay for. I would return.

The worst food ever, everything was luke warm at best and seemed old, dried out or watered down. The only thing we found to be edible was the raw fruit.

Customer service is great but it is pricey for not a big selection and absolutely nothing was labeled correctly! My boyfriend has a severe seafood allergy and the seafood was mixed in with everything and we couldn’t tell what was what! I would not go here again.

just close and put the koi fish out of their misery.

Went here for lunch around noon. Everything are nice and hot. The taste is good. The veggies are not overcooked. They are improving a lot. Highly recommended. Went home with happy tummy. *_^

Food was horrible. I tried a variety of items from the buffet and all were foul! I have never tasted Chinese food that was this bad in 25 years of eating Chinese food. After tasting each item, I left the remainder of my plate on the table, paid my bill and departed. Also, the tea was some undrinkable instant swill. I would avoid this place completely.

I urge people not to come here. This buffet used to have potential many years ago when I felt like they cared more about their customers and restaurant but overtime they have gone rock bottom. Food is cold and very greasy. The staff is rude and non accommodating. They used to make the best teriyaki skewers fresh at the station towards the back of the buffet but I don’t know if they changed cooks or what but it’s not good anymore. Every visit here was forced, I never chose to go here. I feel bad for the koi fish that have to live under the bridge inside the buffet. They look neglected just like the food here. If you want heartburn, high cholesterol, or clogged arteries… this is the place for you!

Great food! Fresh sushi rolled in front of you! I do miss the peanut butter chicken they used to have, but everything is good. Very nice staff!

People here are really nice. Sometimes they get busy, but they always take care of me. For a restaurant, the most important thing is to understand the costumers. I think they do.

**Sorry for the rant, my anger returned while remembering these occasions**
First, the small forgivable stuff:
Weekend dinner is absolutely awful. Refills dont come in a reasonable time. Crab legs have lines forming and everyone is thoroughly greedy. Food is meh, the Berlin Turnpike buffet or better yet, Wallingford is better within a reasonable distance.
What really made me boycott this hardcore is the service and management and cleanliness.
A friend had a small birthday (11 people) here just a casual get together. After confirming their byob policy a week before reservation, we were told they didnt know who told us its byob, we must buy alcohol at their bar. We have had multiple get togethers at this place and it had always been byob. Awful trick to sucker you in, we would have just made a reservation at another place. Maybe the rules changed, whatever, but lying and then lying about lying is just not…
This same party, hour in, we were informed that we must pay an additional 12 $ a person for every additional hour after the initial 2 hours. Their dinner price is ~15 $, meaning we would be paying the dinner price for every additional hour we were there. The staff and their awful awful attitudes, not clearing plates, not serving any water pitchers but insisting on coming back for every glass had you wait wayy too long for a drink after their salty slop. They really did ruin the atmosphere, we left there half hungry star sober and horribly annoyed. Regardless, this is one occasion, bad day.
What really takes the cake is the cleanliness. Bathrooms are a reflection of staff cleanliness. On one occasion I came in and the handicap stall was covered in throwup. After maybe two hours when we were getting to leave, the throw up was still not cleaned up, smell was intolerable, and a sloppy out of order sign slapped on the door. They could have atleast cleaned it off the floor.
On another occasion Ive seen stalls completely destroyed, pee on the floor on the walls. After even informing them, each server made a face and looked around as to who was going to end up cleaning it. Needless to say they didnt.
But the instance that truly made me swear last time is a babys diaper, dirty side down, stepped over by two staff members as they went to ‘wash their hands’ after using the bathroom. I was in the other stall watching.
Absolutely disgusting, apathetic greedy people here.
Within 15 minutes you could be in west hartford where staff are absolutely lovely, food is of admirable effort, and it really is byob. You could also go to Berlin Turnpike where the manager has a mean face but she knows how to run her business.
If youre in this plaza youre better off going to mc donalds, its cleaner.

If I had one thing to say about this place don’t waste your money going there the food disgusting cold & absolutely not fresh they need to be closed. The carpets are so dirty & bathrooms to be desired my friend went look around & walked back out month ago. No place you would want to eat quality food no matter what the price is.
JBC

Most of the food are cold when the place is open. Some of the food items are not available anymore.

Dropping my review down to one star for Imperial Buffet. We went here for lunch yesterday on a whim thinking lunch might be decent. Sadly that wasn’t the case. I had two lunch plates and a desert plate so I was able to really try a lot of different things.
First off, everything was saturated in grease. The entire time we were there they did not refill the General Tso’s Chicken which is one of the better items. It’s not like lunch was ending as we got there right around twelve. There were some items that were inedible such as the stuffed mushroom, bacon wrapped imitation crab meat (without toothpicks) and the fried shrimp dumplings. Mushrooms were cooked properly but didn’t taste good at all. Bacon wrapped imitation crab meat (without picks) was horrible. The bacon was practically raw. I make sure to say «picks» because they also had a 2^nd imitation crab meat wrapped in bacon with toothpicks and that was cooked. Why they doubled the plate only changed presentation is beyond me. The dumplings had an odd flavor to them as well. Very fishy but with a flavor in the back that I couldn’t figure out what it was.
Aside from the food being horrific the service was good. The waiter was very attentive. Refills came out with perfect timing. Plates were always cleaned away and he was very pleasant. I’m sorry to say this could not help the rating.
We left Imperial Buffet regretting the choice to dine there and I’m thinking I won’t be back. I will say that I did not get sick in anyway from the food. As always I won’t say to avoid this restaurant because your experience might be better than mine. (good luck to you)

My favorite Chinese buffet around!
They even have sushi which they make fresh just for you! The food is delicious but there’s always a mad dash for the crab legs… Lol! The price is reasonable and worth it!
The pond with the fish and the bridge is a nice touch and kids love it! This place is very large and even has a party room.

Kind of disgusting. My wontons were like boogers. My lunch ended up coming back out before even leaving the restaurant.

3.5÷5 I was surprised by the interior design of the place. There were some turtles and very large koi in two ponds with a bridge.
The food? Well it depends on what you’re looking for. Most of the food was just decent and some of it tasted pretty bad. The steamed crab legs, salt and pepper crab legs, clams, steamed fish, and oysters were good. The oysters are opened and cleaned in front of you. The steamed fish is a non-​Americanized dish that most may not appreciate. Sushi rolls, green beans, fruits, chicken with broccoli were okay. I didn’t touch the fried food section so I don’t know if it’s any good.
My suggestion is to try a bit of all the foods that catch your eye and then get seconds on the ones you actually enjoy.

This is my 2^nd Favorite Chinese Buffet. I go here a few times a month. It’s a little but more money than other Chinese Buffets, but you get what you pay for. The staff is extremely friendly here.

Not my favorite buffet. It’s the same thing over and over. And the only thing I really liked was the ambrosia salad which they got rid of! BLAH.

My parents really like this place and had been here a few times before we went as a family last weekend. I have to give it points for the selection — there aren’t many buffets where you can get egg rolls, spring rolls, and summer rolls all at the same time. They had all our favorite Chinese food options as well as a lot of seafood, and even frog legs. Some of the items were very good, but a lot was just average. They make your sushi to order in the back, but the sushi was ok at best — kind of loosely rolled, and the spicy tuna was bright red and didn’t taste like much. We each got a roll then stuck to the regular buffet selection.
Aside from the food, the prices are very reasonable — it was around $ 13 for dinner on a Sunday. It looked like lunch was around $ 8. The restaurant is bigger inside than you’d expect, and there are big fountains and a bridge inside. There are also turtles in the front fountain, which were cool to look at on our way in. This wasn’t the best buffet I’ve ever been to, but it was a good experience overall. Three stars for being A-​OK.

Let me say: best buffet sushi ever. They make it fresh to order.
Best Chinese buffet around. Period.