We went to eat at the Dragon Buffet last night, there were only two other guests in the restaurant which should have been a sign. We ordered pepsi's hit the bathrooms and both were instantly sick to our stomachs. The bathroom's were unusable. We came out and the smell of the food was no better we decided not to risk the inevitable food poisonings and offered to pay for the sodas, which they did in fact charge for even though we never even touched them and left - United Buffet in the area is a much better pick. read more

As other reviews have said, this is a fairly typical buffet with a rather shady looking motel behind it (they should knock that building down and expand the restaurant if you ask me). The food on my most recent visit tasted pretty good, though the selection was not great when it came to Chinese foods (too many American foods are available here -- if I wanted American foods I'd go to Golden Corral). The sweet and sour chicken wasn't very warm when I got it (we did hit the place up around 12:30 pm and it was still fairly busy at the time) as it had likely been sitting a little while, though I had taken the remaining little bit of honey chicken (which tasted great) and they were quick to replenish it with more, which was also hot and fresh. For being a typical buffet, the weekday lunch prices are not that bad. I did not get to try the Mongolian grill on this visit. It was open, though there was no one manning the station, which is why it appeared not to be in service. Apparently they only use it when they see someone waiting with a plate of food there, which may be why it seemed closed during the daytime to other people who had eaten here. The service could've been better (i had been waiting for a refill for quite a while at one point) given how many people were sitting around doing nothing inside the restaurant. For the money, it's not a bad little place, however it's much more expensive for dinner and all day on Sundays, so the best time to hit this place up is for lunch during the week. I'll definitely be back. I'd give this place 3.75 stars if I could. read more

This is sad. I have never written a disappointing review for any establishment. There have been many times that after a unsatisfactory meal I had ideas of how such a place deserved a bad review, but I never felt horribly enough to actually write a poor review. Chinese buffetts can be awesome places to eat and fill yourself until your on the verge of exploding. However, Lee's Dragon Buffett is a far different story. There is no awesome factor here. In short, food is seldom if ever brought out, workers will ruffle the food that is out with a spoon to keep it "looking fresh". The quality of the food is garbage at best as you'll find the chicken to be tough and stringy so be sure to bring floss. Lastly, the structure of this establishment is deteriorating as water leaks through windows with cracks that have been sealed by scotch tape. Someone had there thinking cap on there. read more

BEWARE !!! This place is disgusting ! I went with my family on Monday and while I was eating I saw a cockroach crawling on the floor towards our table. I quickly grabbed one of the servers and she stepped on the roach and kicked it across the dining room! This place is so disgusting I literally lost my appetite for the rest of the day. If I could give this place a zero star rating I would !!!!! This place shouldn't be open !!!! Shut it down ! read more

Friendly staff, clean and tidy space, wheelchair accessible, and decent food. I didn't try the cantonese soup or hibachi station but it is nice to have the options. And any good Chinese buffet should have Jell-O at their dessert bar :) read more

Dragon Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Albany, New York

The buffet was decent. It was an okay Chinese buffet. They even have a nice little place for creating your own fried noodles or cook noodles. Everything was very fresh and was fast at re-applying more food once it was empty. The waiter was okay too with serving us water, tea and other drinks. read more

See all

Came here with my family at night to enjoy the buffet. Gave us a small table, as we wanted something bigger, the waitress screamed at me " you can't change seat " even though most of the tables were empty. There was only 3-4 tables occupied in the whole restaurant. The manager quickly came and apologized and told us we can sit on a different table. Waitress hardly ever came for assistance and never asked for drinks. We had to wait twenty minutes to get the drinks we wanted later on. The food wasn't anything amazing. The sushi is great and seafood is pretty good too. However, most of the chicken dishes are dry and doesn't have a great flavor. Deserts were decent as well The environment of the restaurant wasn't anything special although it did look clean read more

Me and my girlfriend have been here plenty of times ... tonight's being our last. We found a cockroach in our rice. And I'm not talking about a little sized one. And when we told the manager she blamed it on the "hot weather and customers always opening the door". So unprofessional. I will never recommend this place again. read more

Dragon Buffet - Found this is my rice today. Last time I will be going here. And the manager blamed it on "the hot weather". Didn't even get my meal free - Chinese Near Me - Albany, New York

See all

in all my years going there theres not been a single problem and all y'all havin problem's like???what's not clicking y'all mad sensitive there no cockroaches everything is clean u guys hatin they good as hel like these waiters are so nice and y'all wanna say that...like y'all eat right and stayed there so it was good theres no need for y'all reviewers to put 1 star for one thing.... read more

Was brought here because we were following a tour. If you have an option, I would pass on this place. The food and quality is like any average Chinese buffet. Mediocre tasting food at most. The thing I actually enjoyed was the soup noodle station, but you wouldn't come to a buffet to just have soup noodles, so meh. This restaurant does have sushi but when we arrived, the sushi looked kinda old and unappetizing. In order for someone to enjoy food at a buffet, you still have to focus on presentation. Service was also just okay. Nothing really worth coming back for at this buffet. read more

There food was cold as fuck. The floors are sticky as hell when u walk. They have absolute no variety of choices of food. If u eat here, your stomach will hurt and you will be shitting bricks when your driving home. I wish i can rate this shitty restaurant to the neagtive range. read more

I understand everyone is trying to comply with covid restrictions and cleanliness regulations but... I was disappointed that none of the employees, even the owner, had gloves on, they weren't enforcing the mask policy or the wearing of gloves by the guests. There were signs to wear masks and use gloves, which were supplied by the restaurant. The 2 employees rolling our napkins with silverware had no gloves on and the kitchen worker reloading the stacks of plates had no gloves either. The owner had neither mask nor gloves. Also the hottest think on the menu was the hot tea. Everything else was either cold or lukewarm. That's a health violation. I hope they get their act together soon. It's one of my favorite chinese buffets. P.L. read more

There is a lot of variety here for sure. The food is "average" for a buffet, but nothing outstanding. The buttered shrimp was very good but the breading on the fried shrimp was so hard it was inedible. The fried rice was OK and the spring rolls were a little soggy on the bottom. The honey chicken was in a good sauce, but the chicken was dry and tough, probably cooked too long. The broccoli chicken had a good sauce and chicken, but the broccoli was very crunchy - almost raw. Overall, it's about what you would expect from a buffet but it has a large variety of items. We went on Sunday evening and the price was $12.95 per person without a drink. Service was good and manager visited each table to insure everything was OK. read more

This is my go-to Asian buffet in the capital region. Today was the first time I went there for lunch, and the food was just as good as the dinner fare. The only thing that weas missing from the lunch selections were the crab legs, and also there was a little bit less sushi. But all the other usuals were there, including the mongolian bbq and chinese porridge/noodle soup stations. Oh yeah, they're also really quick with the refills which is always a plus at a busy buffet. All in all, a really good lunch deal for $6.99! :) read more

So strange...I know. We were in Albany for business and decided to stop in. Buffet and motel? Why not? Typical buffet fare with nothing of note. Good replenishing and average flavors, clean too. Service was good. Go if you like this sort of thing. read more

By far, the best Chinese buffet in the area. A great selection of tasty Chinese food and American food to choose from, something for everybody. The mongolian grill is great because the guy cooks the ingredients right in front of you on a large circular grill using a large wooden stick. The waitresses here are very good of taking care of my table needs. Dinner for 2 for under $30, not too shabby!!! read more

The food is not good at all. I like to sample before I commit to any food, which is the best part of eating at a buffet. But I could not commit to a single thing at this buffet. The food was cold and tasted funny. I didn't like the atmosphere at all. It's kind of confusing. Put plainly, the pineapple was the best thing. Service is kind of rude. I've had way better. read more

First, I only agreed to come here since my husband twisted my arm and I said I wanted large quantities Chinese food. I think he was trying to be funny by taking me here. Second, this place is advertised as a hotel, and it looks like there may be a hotel out back, but that's 100% sketchy. I am unsure if there is even an office to check-in to if you stayed here. That being said, this review is solely for the restaurant. There is definitely a buffet here. There is a wide array of food, but the food itself is pretty mediocre. Some of it was greasy, other dried out, and overall just meh. We came during a lunch period and there were sufficient people in there that the food shouldn't have been sitting too long. I got some egg drop soup, which had the consistency of nearly gelatin. I'd stay away unless you're desperate for a buffet. read more

My whole family loved this place. There is an enormous selection of food. All the food I tried was excellent. I ate a lot there too since it was so delicious. The hibachi station was terrific. I like the hard ice cream also. They have sushi too if you're into that. I didn't have very high expectation of the food since it's a buffet and all, but this place blew me away. I surveyed my wife and kids and they all said it deserves five stars. We found this place randomly while passing through and the kids want to stop here again on the way back home next week. read more

First time here. Interesting, large selection from Crab legs, to pizza, to shrimp of all kinds, beef you slice yourself ( labelled STEAK), and soups and more. I felt rushed as I would have liked to try a few more items. The drinks ( Iced tea 1.59, coffee, soda, etc) are extra. Ice water available, if you ask. Lots of napkins already at the table which was helpful. Lots of free parking. The cheap motel rooms in the back look sloppy and unkept. The used dishes were whisked away fairly quickly. Looks like a lot of fun for the young kids - lots of kids laughing, talking, crying, whatnot. I would go back and try more stuff soon. read more

For 17 bucks including tips, it's a bargain. Buffet serves Japanese rolls, Chinese food, cut fruit, ice creams and some one-bite pastries. None of it looked appetizing to me, but others were flocking to the buffet twice & thrice & returning to their tables to gobble it up. read more

its your regular Chinese buffet that you usually find. The food isn't special and their selection is pretty small. I mean its not horrible, but to give this place a high rating would just be messed up. the highlight of this place, that you usually don't see, is the noodle station. You can get some roasted duck noodle soup or stewed beef noodle soup. I thought that was pretty cool and its not too bad either. read more

My friend and I walked in. Didn't look so bad, went up to be seated and we were asked if we wanted to "See the food first"...... Lololololol Um, I'll just go home and have some cereal but thanks for the warning tiny Buffett lady. Not today food poisoning. Not today. read more

Update: New management or something here. Decided to give it a second shot. Much better! Friendly staff, delicious food and superb hibachi! 100/10! Definitely my new favorite place Fellow yelpers , you failed me! I tried this place bad on reviews, and I must say, terrible experience! Whilst in America making money off AMERICANS, why the HELL would you dare make fun of them? Visited with a friend of mine who has cerebral palsy, observed several staff imitating his walk talking animatedly laughing at my friend. I was outraged! Beyond the horrible staff, the food was cold and flavorless grease, the table was dirty, filmy and sticky. My feet stuck to the floor and I wouldn't even use the bathroom, I held it. My water was brought to me with things floating in the glass, and I used chopsticks because the silverware smelled like wet dog. I managed to dig out a clean plate and the buffet area was clean but the rest was far below average. I didn't suggest it! read more

I gotta say they are redoing the whole place. Construction everywhere. They offer Chinese, Cantonese, Taiwanese, and Mongolian grill. Was never a fan of the old place but I just recently went for lunch because I've been hearing good things about them. I gotta say I love the sushi! Really good. Been here about 6 times for lunch over a 4 month period and haven't hit it on a bad day yet. Really very good. They are putting a lot of money redesigning the place. Looking forward to seeing the finished project! read more

Large selection of tasty Chinese and American foods for 8$ at lunch time. The many varieties of chicken are the best, and they even have sushi, duck, stuffed mushrooms, dumplings, meat pie, potatoes, pizza, great egg drop soup. One thing that is greatly appreciated is that buffet items have signs letting you know if it is gluten free- I'm not but my friends are. And yeah, the service isn't stellar, but don't expect to be treated like a king at a Chinese American $8 buffet outside of Albany N.Y. At least you won't have to leave a big tip! read more

As much as you care to eat for about $10!!!! Is some of the food gross? Yes. Good spot for a date, out of town guests? No. This is a great place to fill up. With care u can find nice items on buffet. They even have ice cream cones for dessert) Go with a big appetite and low expectations - you will be pleasantly surprised. read more

Large selection of Chinese and American foods. One section just for fruits and desserts. A fridge of 8 different flavors of ice cream. The turnover of dishes are quick. read more

This place is just OK. They do have a lot of choices available including some sushi-like rolls as well as many of the standard chinese items. I like that they have dumplings and dim sum available as well as the cantonese soup station. This last visit I noticed a distinct lack of beef items - everything seemed to be chicken based for some reason. As I noted in my other review , Umimachi - which was a recent all-you-can-eat sushi offering that was added to Dragon Buffet a few months ago - has already been closed. The signs are still up and you will still see magazine ads but it is no longer available. I didn't get there fast enough to even give it a try. Who knew it would last only about 8 weeks. In the past I have had issues with the crowds on Fridays - apparently they are a major bus tour lunch stop for the Montreal/Quebec to NYC routes. read more

Been going here for years & the quality has declined. Every time I come the food is the same, BELOW AVERAGE. This was last time I'll visit Dragon Buffet. There are so many better places to eat in Albany! read more

This place used to be my favorite buffet but this place has gone way downhill. Cold food. Rude waiters. And they charged me $8 for my one year old son who literally had a spoonful of rice from my plate. And on top of all that they don't serve crab legs anymore. I'll never return. read more

Lee's Dragon Buffet has some good things and some bad things. One of the really bad things was that they charged my grandkid as an adult but he is just turning 10. I was also angry that they only served us coke or Pepsi, so we had to buy a bottle of water, which was two dollars.They had usually nice waiters, but they kept asking for our tickets, even if someone else took it already. Their buffet had mediocre food but some of it was cold. Their pastries aren't that good. Lastly, they made my grandson happy when they gave him some ice cream for desert. read more

This place is disgusting. Everything takes like it came out of a garbage dump. Will not recommend. I gave 1 star because theres no option for zero. read more

A little history: Used to be Jack's restaurant, a non-buffet chinese restaurant. the CCC was popular and frequented here a lot, we had many large dinners here. Jack decided to get into some sort of racketeering or extortion ring through New York City. Thus, it turned into a buffet. And initially it was a good buffet, it was the first one to have a "mongolian grill" in it, where a guy goes around with these huge wooden tongs and fries up your fixings into a bowl of noodles. It's pretty good. Then it just got better though. They added some more stuff, but the best thing is that they have some real authentic dishes, like the beef rice noodle soup, and the porridge. My parents love it here. UPDATE: dude. Dude. DUDE. These guys now have CHOCOLATE FONDUE!!!!!!! What the SHIT!!!!!! read more

Food is pretty good. It really depends on the day and how they feel like cooking. It's not consistent. We've come here 4 times and every time we've come the food is different. First time was ok. Second was better. Third was absolutely delicious (busy hour). Forth was ok Sunday night after 830 PM - the food is been sitting there. Not as busy. Not fresh Sunday at 7 PM the food is fresh and constantly being changed cause it's busy. Wednesday after 8 PM - food is decent, rather still busy. Semi fresh Host is extremely friendly and nice. I really like him. The wait staff is a little concerning because they make you feel really really really really really really uncomfortable. Because they're standing maybe 5 ft away watching you eat and converse. Waiting for you to finish so they can clean up your table. Like uncomfortable where you should leave and your questioning how long the open. A group of wait staff is ok cause they chat. The last two evening encounters male and female wait staff stand there watching there customers like a hawk. They close early then there listed time on there site by a hour to half hour depending on there am9unt of customers. Thus rushing there meal. But they give the courteous of letting the customers know they will be closing. I would say come here at extremely busy hours cause the staff will be to busy to watch you eat and too busy changing the foods. read more

A Roach We have visited this location on many occasions throughout the years. always was pleasant never had any problems until yesterday, after my meal went to get desert and served myself a slice of warm apple pie I went to add some ice cream and found a roach in the vanilla ice cream. Went got an attendant and showed her and she grabbed a spoon to scoop it out.. I was so grossed out,,,, I told her NO! that is contaminated! That has to be thrown out!! I immediately told the manager what I found and what she was about to do. I will never go back there ever again! BTW - Still charged us for the meal. Yuck read more

We go here every weekend. The manager of the place truth my wife and son like family.They are very friendly to us the food is very good in that they have many choices and can please many different types of people. The workers are friendly and are willing to help.They work hard to ensure quality service read more

This place is my favorite Chinese buffet in the Capital region - right off of Central Ave in Albany NY. They usually have really fresh food and many many varieties. They also have a great make-your-own-soup bar and a mongoloian bbq that can't be beat. If you go in too late in the day, however, say after 8pm, it is a bit of a crap shoot. They have to keep the food fresh and refilled, however, there may not be as many people as customers. It is understandable that there could be a lot of waste at this point, so there is a bit less refilling going on. My recommendation to you is to make sure you get there a good hour or so before closing for the absolute best experience. read more

As all Chinese Buffets it's usually the same, I didn't look as clean going in but it actually wasn't bad. I did go in at a later time so some things were already closed so I did not get the full experience. I honestly liked the ice cream part of it! I wouldn't mind going again at a slightly earlier time to get to try the fresher foods! read more

One star is being generous. I personally would give no stars. Went here for dinner around 7 expecting hot food a few weeks ago. Unfortunately all the food was old and cold. It probably was sitting for hours. You would think when food gets low that new food would be brought out but no. Was there for 2 hours and not one single item was brought out "hot" nothing was brought out, the containers were all low. All the chicken dishes were so cold the chicken was too hard to chew. The only hot food is from the Hibachi grill. But you need to be careful still. The raw shrimp looked really off. However, if you ask for hot oil they put so much that it makes the dish inedible. It was raining out we asked for a booth when we got there the hostess sat our group in a booth by a window with a large crack in it that WAS LEAKING. There was so many other booths but they sat us there. For the entire dinner we had to deal with the rain water splashing on us and the food. read more