Terrible food. The staffing are rude and price you pay is totally not worth the food. I tried this restaurant years ago and was disappointed. I thought I'd give them another try after years and behold, I had an equally terrible experience again. The place is clean. The food is one notch up from being repulsive. You must pay before eating. The people who run this restaurant should take more pride in the quality of the customer experience. One of the staff member was talking so loud on the phone. I couldn't leave there fast enough. They feed garbage. read more

Making our way through to tweetsie Railroad when we got hungry and decided to try this buffet out since they usually have options for different people. You first walk in and I was surprised to find that you have to pay first, and then you are able to sit down and eat. Normal Chinese buffet ambiance. They had sushi, but unfortunately, most of it is imitation sushi, and it didn't taste fresh at all and just was not good. Their Wasabi looked like guacamole. Their food options were ok. There's not a lot to choose from. I was waiting for them to put fresh fries, but they never did. They just kept the old soggy and dry ones out. They had noodles, rice, chicken, and broccoli and their normal dishes. The food itself is OK but not the best. I think the best items were the ice cream and the fruit. Other than that, it's a no-go for us and especially for the price. The servers, though, were very attentive and friendly. read more

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It should be a warning that you must pay before eating. The food is subpar at best. I feel bad for the waitstaff because when you pay first and get crappy food you not to leave a tip. The atmosphere of the place used to be nice, but now it looks a little rundown. This location used to do hibachi on a big grill and now they just have it covered with a piece of cardboard and use it for a desk out front for everyone to watch. Save your money and your time and go to any other restaurant. I wouldn't say this is the worst Chinese restaurant in town , I would say it's the worst restaurant in town. read more

My husband and I both received food poisoning a couple times from Empire Buffet in Lenoir. So just a heads up. Be cautious

Food was good, restaurant is run down, covers on chairs peeled off. ,,$33 for 2 buffets and 1 drink. Waitresses were too concerned with picking up plates, never came to refill our drinks, both were empty. I finally got up and got our refills myself. Left no tip but told the hostess. WON'T BE BACK. read more

This is probably the worst buffet I had ever eaten. Everything we ate on 2/25/205 is not fresh. They are very similar to Hibachi over in Hickory. The food needs to be fresh doesn't matter what the time / hours it is. I know the manager don't really read these reviews but please, people are there to eat your food. It's not free. Here are some of the food items that are not good to eat while we were there. They seemed like old food from the night before. 1. All the sushi 2. The chow mien (noodles) 3. The soups 4. Beef with Broccoli 5. The fried rice 6. Egg Rolls 7. The desserts 8. Shrimp plates 9. Etc.. People, don't waste your money on left overs... read more

Absolutely amazing place ! Great food, and many options for drinks ! Great place for the family and for you special someone ! The service was amazing and the waitress was so sweeet ! Such a cozy , as well as must go in lenoir ! With such a great ambiance ! read more

Cold food @ Lunch time Pay before you eat insist on tip beforehand Unfriendly Staff Just go next door to Walmart and buy frozen Chinese food and go home and cook it. You'll be a lot better off and a lot cheaper. read more

Great place, good experience. 5 stars will be awarded once the staff starts to smile!

Very pleased, food was hot and fresh and we got everything we ordered. We will definitely be eating here again!!!

Food was excellent. Huge to go portions. Service was great. Extensive variety of food on the buffet.

This is my fourth visit to Empire and each visit has been a real treat! It is the best in Lenoir NC! Linda is one of the nicest greeters I have met! The food variety is abundant and fresh if you don't wait to eat near closing time and by that time most any hot bar buffet suffers from lack of choice or food that has sat to long! I enjoyed everything I put on my plate! Get there early for the best results! read more

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I just wasted my money. The food was overcooked and most of it was cold. The sushi was unappealing as well. I would rather eat at a local fast food chain restaurant. read more

I would rate this place a 3.5-4/5 stars. All the food was warm and the flavor wasn't bad, but some of the food was on the greasier side (though this is expected of a small chinese buffet). The buffet has a pretty good variety of chicken, beef, etc dishes. I personally would eat there again, and service was pretty attentive (despite going during rush hour 12:30-1pm-ish). read more

Absolutely terrible establishment. Food was extremely cold and my mother, wife, daughter and myself couldn't eat anything. The waitress didn't even check on us the entire time we were there and the owner had to come to our table to refill our drinks when we had to track her down. We were gonna pay for our food and never come back here. My wife went to go tell the owner of no service at our table and the cold food and my wife was very respectful but the owner became very hostile and I asked the owner to please calm down because she was scaring our daughter (She's 3). I proceed to tell the owner that we will not be paying and she threatened to call law enforcement on us. Last night, ALL of us got sick from the restaurant's food and we've all been up all night. Watching a 3 year old cry her eyes out violently puking and having diarrhea from some idiots who don't know how to properly keep foods at the right temperatures makes me livid. I wish I could've given 0 stars and I hope this place gets shut down. read more

Absolutely awful. The food was absolutely terrible and the waitress never came back to fill up our drinks. When she did come back, she threw the check on the table where my mother in laws plate was and she wasn't done. We had to ask for things to be cooked so that it was fresh. None of us could finish one plate of food. When I went to tell the manager, very nicely, that their food was cold and they needed to check it out she started yelling at me in front of my three year old. And then said that she was going to call the police on us. Everyone that was in our party is now sick. Throwing up and diarrhea. Would have given no stars if I could. Hope they get what's coming to them read more

Great food! Great service! Huge improvement over previous ownership. Glad we decided to give it another chance, will definitely be going back. read more

I know when I went here to eat with two of my friends after a photo shoot it was kind of late. It was okay at the less. What was nice is the the fried rice was in a rice cooker and it helped keep the rice from getting hard but I can't say the same as for the desserts they trashed like they well three days old. I just needed a little something to kill the craving and it killed it alright but in the wrong way. The chicken for the sweet and sour was dry on the inside. They also had a lot of sea food as well but if you where to get any of it I would go for when its fresh out of the kitchen. The place was really clean so that's always good. Plus they also have a sushi bar for those who like or love it. If I do go back here it would have to be much earlier than when I went. read more

We've been here each time we've been in the area. It's pretty much exactly what you'd expect from a Chinese buffets in a strip mall. Food is good and good selection. Sushi is good and fresh. My kid's love their ice cream selection. I probably would give 5 stars except the last time we were there the food had been sitting awhile. But really, if you like typical Chinese buffets, this one is what your looking for! read more

I moved to Lenoir, NC from Harrisburg, PA two years ago. In PA, we had many Asian eateries to choose from, and Empire is, by far -- the best one we've dined at. And, yes. I am including the many splendid places from back home. Please don't be distracted by the pizza, meatloaf, or hard-cooked eggs. Most people are fully aware that a variety of dishes are served at buffets for children to enjoy, since their young palates have not yet grown to acquire a taste for such food. The sushi is TOP-NOTCH, and at times innovative. (Ham and cream cheese on a sushi roll? Somebody pinch me!) The Asian specialties such as the pepper chicken, lo mein, chicken with broccoli, and the hot and spicy soup are classic Asian recipes. I'm highly sensitive to MSG -- and no. It's not used. The restaurant is clean (actually -- quite beautiful!), and the hosts and hostesses are very friendly. My only qualm would be the signage. I'm Serv-Safe Certified by the National Restaurant Association of America (which is how I was able to determine the alleged "MSG status" as purported by the above user) and the food is sometimes mislabeled (which I addressed to the manager). I also suffer from a shellfish allergy, and am sometimes not quite sure about the contents of some items. This brings the worry of cross-contamination, which wasn't an issue at all. (I'm still alive!) No points taken off for the aforementioned observations. The restaurant is still in the early stages, and things will eventually change. Give it a shot! I'm sure you'll be back for another trip. Last night, the line was out the door and down the sidewalk; truly a sign of a successful Asian eatery. read more

I agree with Dustin's review. I met a couple pals there yesterday, and although I've been meaning to try the place out, this was my first time. I'd gone in there awhile back after getting a haircut next door, and was totally amazed at ALL the food they have in their buffet. Sure, there may be a number of items I wouldn't care to eat, but there's SO much to choose from, I had no problem picking out some great grub. The California sushi rolls were great, had snow crab meat and all sorts of great vegetables. There was a spinach casserole I thought was super. It's easy to overindulge at buffets like this, so being aware of that, I just focused on the things I liked -- and personally, I think with all they have there, there's bound to be plenty of things that'd make you glad you went there. I just can't get over how much stuff they have to choose from -- I just think it's a matter of picking and choosing, and loading up on what you like, while ditching the rest. I feel like I really got a darned good meal for what I paid, and my two pals enjoyed it as much as I did. read more

waisted my money good was over cooked or very cold the table was dirty the blinds had nasty splashed food all over it. most of the scoops tongs were sticky when getting food i have had Chines before this was the worst never ever going back read more

Couldnt even eat my food...chicken was so tough I couldnt cut it w my fork, lomein was salty, and there was no type of shrimp available. I explained that I couldnt eat it and I had to show the cashier my half chewed food in my napkin before she believed me and that was after the waitress told her I wasnt lying. Save your money and your time and go somewhere else. read more

Not a good place to eat. I order pickup and have gotten the wrong food 3 times. The dinners were not good and ended up being thrown out, except for the egg rolls. $25 down the trash compactor! I waited 35 minutes on a call in because the order was wrong, was treated very rudely by the lady in charge, then get home and its not what I ordered and had to toss it! Very dissappointing night. read more

Mediocre. Food was not very fresh. It was pretty crunchy (but I came in the mid-late afternoon). Server wasn't unfriendly, but she wasn't friendly (she was American). The selection was decent, however the grille wasn't open for lunch buffet which sucks. read more

They have taken a lot of stuff off the buffet. This used to be a good place to eat but not anymore. I used to eat there on a regular basis but have not been there in a year don't know if I'll go back. read more

My family loves Empire! It's the closest thing to decent Hibachi we've been able to find since we moved here. The owners know us well and know exactly how we like and it's always fantastic. I dropped a star from the rating because the highlight of this location is really the hibachi and the sushi bar. The chinese buffet isn't the reason to go here, though I've been able to find a few things that are always good. Go for the fresh-cooked hibachi with no MSG or the fantastic sushi. read more

I don't know why people say this place is so bad. I think it's great - it's one of the healthier places in Lenoir to eat (lots of vegetables and other "recognizable whole foods". I go there once every week or two...all other days I brown-bag it. And Bev is awesome. read more

Ate from the buffet, and was unimpressed with every item sampled, and most were cold. Only thing I found palatable was the shrimp cooked by the short-order hibachi chef. Even the steak I had him prepare the on my second trip was so tough to be inedible. The szechuan bean curd I brought home was received almost as poorly. I should have learned from my first visit and stayed away. Very disappointed in a $10 buffet. read more

I've nicknamed this place fish head after the first time I went they had them on the bar. The food is sub par at best. I did enjoy the fresh shrimp and oysters though and that's why they didn't get one star. read more

Not very good food had no flavor. When it first open ed serval years a go was good. We come back up once a month to the area. And eat here. I guess leaving in N Myrtle Beach now. With all the restaurants around we are hard to please. I can cook better the only reason for me to eat out is to get a break from cooking. Hope they get better. I wonder if it comes in frozen and they just heat it up it doesn't taste fresh read more

Save your money! Ive eaten at many buffets across the country and this goes as one of my least favorote. There are a few items that are spot on but most items lack flavor consistency. The hibachi grill is a joke. They use too much butter and don't use enough seasoning nor do they manipulate the food on the grill like I've seen in the past. Another lady in line had a similar experience. read more

No need to expound on Dustin's review, I agree 100%. This is by far the best Chinese restaurant in Lenoir. Go there with the intent to stuff yourself, as its a bit pricey for lunch. read more

After my few hours at Bo's, I was famished (did not have breakfast) and since I crave for Asian food what better way to satisfy it than to have all I can eat at a buffet, right? Well, I was very dissatisfied with my lunch experience. What a waste of my time and money! The manager was quite rude with her tone of voice, the server was lacking of friendliness. Set the staff behavior aside, I would have thought the food would be good to recompensate. But no, they do not cook their food right for some reason. Either it was too bland, or it lacks the right flavor required for each dish. They should pay more attention to their cooking. To have an establishment like this to keep it up and running, they should do things right. Sorry to say but this is one of the worst Asian buffets I have ever been to. I will definitely not go back again. read more

Great variety! Freshly circulated food on the buffet. Whether you're looking to indulge or choose more healthy options, there is so much to choose from! Also, it's very reasonably priced! Two people can easy eat their fill for about $20 to $25. Try it out! read more

We stopped by here tonight and everything was perfect!! Nothing was over cooked, nothing was cold or had been on the buffet too long. The staff was very pleasant and friendly. We recommend this pace to anyone in Lenoir and looking for some Chinese take out or dine in read more

Really disappointed in today's visit. We were there around 1:30. The food was held too long and they were completely out of several items. Service was bad, no drink refills and we even had to get our own check. We've eaten there several times and it seems to have gone down with each visit. We won't go back. read more

Our family has always enjoyed coming here and do it quite often. However tonight my daughter slipped in some water by the buffet and fell, and not one employee, including the manager, asked if she was ok. No one apologized. You bring out mops and wet floor signs to clean up the spill, but say nothing to a 12 yr old child who has fallen. Then when I say something to you about how it'd have been nice for you or someone working there to have at least asked if she was okay, you have the audacity to say there was no water, instead of I apologize, or is she ok. You brought out a mop abd mopped the floor, she had water on her leather boots from where she slid in it, and you put the yellow wet floor cone on the floor. Shame on you!!!!! Shame on you!!!!! A simple "I apologize, or are you ok?" to a 12 yr old child could have saved you business. Accidents do happen. When rushing food back and forth to the bar, yes some water can get spilled in the floor or drop from the pans as you carry them away from the bar. And I can understand that completely, but to lie about the water and refuse to ask a 12 yr old child whom fell in your restaraunt due to your negligence, even though accidental, is beyond low. It's despicable! read more

We first became acquainted with Empire Buffet in NY, and were thrilled to have one open here. We have not been disappointed! The varied selections should assure that everyone will find something they like, even (as mentioned by another poster) children, who haven't as yet expanded their tastes to appreciate the cuisine. Stroll right on by the pizza and meatloaf if that's not to your liking, and find the treasures that await your discriminate palate. :) (I don't remember ever seeing meatloaf, but that's beside the point.) read more

My husband and I ate at the Empire Buffet today and were very impressed. The food and selection were great, the staff was friendly and helpful, the place was immaculate, and the surroundings were lovely and inviting; overall, a great dining experience. We loved it! Two thumbs way up! read more