Been here on numerous occasions a long time ago, and we were satisfied, but after a couple of visits, we have seen the place go downhill. This is quality of food, and cleanliness, which caused us to avoid the place for 3+ years. So we decided to stop in for an all or nothing visit. Food quality has greatly improved, always seemed hot and fresh. Cleanliness was top notch. Usually the buffet places are nothing special, but this place stands out. The pu pu platter type of food was very good, with hardly a greasy taste. The other standard Chinese dishes were also very good. So much so, that we prefer it to the other Chinese places in town. Only thing is they have crawfish instead of crab legs. We didn't try them, but usually this place use to stand out because of them. There should be any problem to stop in here and give it a try. read more

Ok. This place was not good. We are still trying to find a good Chinese food place and this place was not it! We went to the buffet. We asked for tea and water and my kiddos got orange soda. We went to the buffet where we noticed the quality of food didn't look so great but we decided to stick to it. We came back to the table and sat down with our food. Right away I noticed the back wall at the table behind the napkins was filthy. And quickly after my husband showed me his cup for the tea. It was disgusting! And I looked at mine and it too was so dirty! I put two ice cubes in it so that I could wet the inside and wipe it out with a napkin. (See the photos of my dirty cup and the napkin of the stuff I wiped out of my cup). Nasty! Obviously their dishwasher isn't doing the job. The silverware was also very tarnished and I wiped stuff off of them too! The service was meh. The food was flavorless and of poor quality. The only thing I found that was decent was the chicken and broccoli. The crab rangoons were chewy but the filling was ok. We finished eating and left. We all agreed that we would not return to this place. It was dirty and the food was lacking! Don't waste your money! Go elsewhere! They obviously don't care about their business. This place could be so much better if they tried! read more

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Good stuff - I'd go here again decent sushi and all the great essentials like dumplings, egg rolls, crab rangoons and Chinese donuts.

The food is ok. I find their fried rice weird, based on what is in it, but that could be me. They have all the usual buffet fair and a few other things that are all fresh. They have a fair selection of sea food based dishes. The broccoli in their chicken and broccoli was under cooked and just barely softer than raw. They also have a selection of cookies, cake and fruit in a cold bar off to the side. The servers are very nice. They love my grandson and aways talk and play with him. It's is clean with a cool feeling and dimmer lighting which I very much enjoy. The bathroom is clean and mostly updated. The stalls clash with the rest of the room being bright blue when the rest is reddish and black, but hey its a bathroom. read more

A typical buffet with the soft-serve ice cream machine unlike most other buffets I've visited. read more

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Nothing too out of the ordinary but it's still a great place to eat. Service was quick and nice. The music choices and decor fit well together. 7/10 read more

Great place! Food is delicious! Visit Empire buffet twice a month, food is always great, hot and our server Lee is the best! Thank you Lee and all the team here. Price is awesome too. Thanks again Lee read more

The food there is really good and there a big selection. The service is great, the staff is really nice and the always grab your plates the second you finish. The restaurant itself also looks pretty good and authentic read more

Vegetarian family with shell fish allergy. Thanks so much for the "Vegetarian" egg rolls that we paid for. Also really appreciate the fact that you couldn't even be bothered to apologize or offer a refund when we called to discuss the fact that we were given the wrong food that could be fatal. Lousy food. Lousy customer service. Don't waste your time or money going here. If you have allergies you may even get to add a hospital bill onto your night just by eating here. read more

Empire Buffet - "Vegetable" egg roll - Chinese Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Updating my review from 1 year ago. A year makes a difference apparently .... I had a 4 star, today is a 1. The floors were very unclean, broken pieces of tables. The tables themselves felt very tacky which had me not resting my arms on the tabletop. Although we arrived at 12:30, lunch time, the food was not very hot. The rice was hard and MUCH of the Mein Fun noodles were dried and crispy, like way to old crispy and not fried crispy. Pineapple chunks floating in the hot mustard, congealed gravy over the green bean dish. Needless to say we really didn't eat anything and won't be back. I overheard another table saying to the waitress many of my complaints, the waitress smiled and said "oh. Ok" and walked away ..... Pass this place up and find something else, even McDonald's read more

Our favorite Chinese buffet. We have been there many times. It is not a fancy place, but the food is good.

Our server was really nice and it was quiet in there. One of the only buffets in the area since covid. The buffet food was not great and the selection was ok. I found a piece of steel wool in my food so we just grabbed the check and left. Did not live up to expectations. Will not be returning unfortunately! Definitely good if you're looking for a cheap meal. read more

Poor service they just walk you in like they're walking you into trough with little bugs flying about . One of the ladies has bugs zap . Zapping away just gross! Absolutely no pride in their business. read more

Used to come here years ago, decided to come in for lunch with my dad and daughter (who's 1) I read the reviews and was hesitant but it's just as good as I remeber, food was fresh and delicious, soup was hot, sushi was fresh and so were the fruits and veggies, my daughter loved it, the staff was very nice and loved my daughter as much as she loved them, they even gave her extra fortune cookies. My one and only "complaint" is the seats are obviously well worn and wonky, but that's it. Will be back and defiantly recommend read more

we got there and were asked about drinks, my husband asked for what kind of products they have and when he said "do you carry coke or Pepsi products?" she instantly went and got him a Pepsi, like yeah not that big an issue. but it got worse, we got food, sat down and were eating and I instantly felt sick after about 15 minutes. some of their meat was cold in the center, some of their other foods weren't fully cooked or kept in the best way. and when I felt instantly sick and we got the check, when leaving and grabbing my card she ASKED for a tip after we slashed a line through the part of the receipt and as soon as we said no she and the other woman started yelling in their language and we just left obviously but what a horrible experience. read more

great service, everyone that works here is so kind and friendly! good food and great price too

Love this place! Reminds me of a NY Chinese restaurant. Service can be a bit screwy at times, but still my favorite Chinese takeout here. Have not had the buffet yet, but I will pretty soon. read more

PROS: Food is cheap (6 for lunch, 10 for dinner) A few items here and there are good CON: Most food is very low quality. Worst Chinese I've ever had. I accept it once in a while because it's cheap. But it's very, very low quality. The staff are VERY rude. You can tell they are talking about you and making fun of you the whole time, especially when you are even slightly chubby or a minority. I feel sick every time I eat here. read more

would not recommend fruit flies were everywhere and the food is not worth the hype. I went there twice and I thought I would give it a sec try but it was the same. horrible. read more

Almost all the hot food was COLD there was no steam coming out of the steam tables. Complained to mgment and was told the air conditioning was on and that was why the food was cold I said the tables were cold they blamed that on the air conditioner as well. The food was not that good to Poor, service was ok What I am saying is if you're starving and can't find any other place Keep driving and look harder read more

Food was kept warm but not hot unless it just came out. Flavor was mediocre. Service was friendly and it felt like a classic American Chinese restaurant but just did not serve the highest quality food. read more

I brought my family here 3 years ago and the waitstaff did not offer to refill any of our drinks, which surprised me, so I didn't come back until 3 years later..... Just as before, we emptied our drinks but were not offered any refills during the remainder of our visit. I think I'm done with this restaurant. Sorry, folks! read more

Can't understand all the negative reviews of this place. Being that it is located in the middle of nowhere, it's really only the Chinese buffet in the area, and it isn't half bad. It's a smaller place, so they don't have a huge selection, but what they do put out is really good. For me, quality is more important than quantity. In my personal opinion, their quality is better than quite a few of the local take out options. I'm a huge fan of the dumplings and the chicken and broccoli. The staff are also friendly. Before this whole situation with COVID-19, we were in there usually about twice a month. They were always attentive with refilling drinks, and even went out of their way to make sure items we wanted were available. One day we came in about an hour before closing, and the dumplings were all gone. One of the servers, who apparently took notice that I always get those things, asked me how many dumplings I wanted and went back in the kitchen to make sure I could have some. She did not have to do that, and I was impressed with the high level of service, because not many other places would. This place is also very clean, always a plus. read more

This is my favorite Chinese place. My boyfriend and I come here often and it's my comfort food. We usually get takeout but sometimes we eat there too but I end up eating so much so I try not to. Lol. I always get the same thing, lo mein, sushi, broccoli and chicken, fried shrimp an egg roll and general style chicken. Yes that's a lot, but in my defense it's so fucking good lmao. Like how can I not. To be honest , I wasn't a fan of the food. Its not that it was bad I just wasn't used to it. You have to find what you like and once you do, it becomes an addiction. Try it out for yourself and don't be scared to eat there cause it'll grow on you and it'll become your fav too. read more

Empire Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

I have been going to the empire buffet for years with my family when you walk in it doesn't look like much and there h three places that has food the first two is Chinese food and the third is dessert and fruit. The food there is delicious personally I like there lomein when they seat you they will ask you what you would like to drink there soda , lemonade , tea, etc ..... but overall the empire buffet is a great little place to go to get some quality food. read more

This place was SO weird. We were herded into their small front waiting area like cattle until a booth opened up. We didn't even get to sit down before the waitress asked "What you drink?" A little startling, but I guess you could call this fast service. Not much buffet selection for a vegetarian and a lot of stuff was cold. The ice cream machine served me the ice cream melted, I was sad. The food had some type of flavor so this was a plus, although it was not actually "Chinese." Waitstaff was very attentive and kept our drinks full and table clear of dishes but the personality of them would be equivocal to a dead fish. Whatever, it was around the holidays and they were slammed....I'll let this go. The most entertaining element of this buffet restaurant is their very elaborate sound system. Britney Spears was being played over the system WITH FULL BASS!! It was very comical to be at a Chinese buffet and have your silverware bouncing on the table because of Ms. Spears. I live about 30 minutes from here and only stopped in after some Christmas shopping. I would not drive out of my way to go here but if I was in the area I'd stop again. It's cheap and usually there is no wait. Just don't stop in here if you're looking for actual Chinese food. read more

Very good for the price. $7.50 and they had mini egg foo young's which were very good. The rest was standard fare. I have had better Chinese food but not anywhere near this price. read more

Stopped by after shopping and had the buffet for lunch at a cost of $7.49 including tax! I had the seafood & vegetables, green beans & garlic, a bit of the seafood with rice noodles, some pasta, shrimp sushi, seafood salad and cantaloupe. No idea what people expect for a quick inexpensive lunch. read more

Food was oddly colored and looked old. Not very tasty and certainly not fresh. Floors were filthy. I've been twice. First time they were cracking green beans on a table, this time they were opening spring rolls and leaving them on the table out in the open. Both times the bass from the back room was pumping which was super annoying. Will not go back read more

Empire Buffet - Open spring rolls on the table in the open..where anyone could sneeze or touch them - Chinese Near Me - Putnam, Connecticut

Went to Dr. confirmed case of food poisoning from eating here.On the bright side,it's just a mild case,no antibiotics needed.So if you don't mind cramping in pain,throwing up and other gross side effects of food poisoning than take your chances and eat here.I never will again. read more

I wish I had seen these reviews before going in. I took my son there last night after soccer practice and we were very disappointed. The staff was almost nonbexistant and the food was a disappointment too. We won't be going back again unless something changes drastically. read more

Absolutely filthy! Check out the fly traps near the kitchen door and over the buffet serving Station. Not sure how the Department of Health has not been in there to shut them down! Disgusting..... read more

Nasty Dirty. My husband and I went in for lunch before going to Stop and Shop. I should have known by the front entry, you really couldn't see through the glass, it was so dirty. No warm service, no warm food, the chicken fingers and chicken wings were not even cooked, they were soggy and not authentic Chinese food. The hot and sour soup is a pan of tasteless water with a few veggies...not even warm! There is decorative glass in the dining area...it's filthy, filthy, filthy with fingerprints and old dirt. I didn't even want to touch my table, my thoughts kept drifting to "I am going to be sick later...I just know it!" As I am at the buffet, the hair on the back of my neck went up wondering what the servers were saying about the customers. They stand in a huddle and chuckle at you while your making your selections...how freakin rude and gross. I will never walk in there again. read more

Great quality buffet for both lunch and dinner. Sushi on the lunch buffet, wow. The snow crab is cooked just right and jumps from the shell. Calimari the right way, not battered and deep fried, shrimp, I have no idea how they offer so much for so little. The wonton soup is so good, I always take 4 quarts to go. read more

I really like this little place. The selection is rather small, but kept fresh. Wontons are great. Within 25 miles, its the best buffet I know of. read more

Worst place to possibly go for "Chinese" food! I'd rather eat my dogs crap than a crab waton from this establishment! Owner is very rude and staff is very shaky! Please stay away for your own good! There should be a sign on the door that says "turn back now while you still can"! read more

I always get a funny feeling when I walk up to a buffet style place and the windows are completely steamed up and you can't see through them. It can't be sanitary. And the humidity didn't make sense because all the steam tables were off and most of the food was cold. The lo mein had a really good flavor to it, but it was cold as well. Because the price was reasonable, I didn't feel guilty about riding it out and staying away from most of the meatsand the sushi. Can't speak for them. read more

Starting with the peanut chicken - amazing! Egg drop soup 4 solid stars. Lunch buffet for $7 - good price for the quality. The broccoli chicken and chicken skewers were very good, the garlic green beans and white rice were above average for a steam table. The mini egg foo youngs were really crispy and had lots of vegetables - didn't use the sauce. They have various deserts, ice cream, fresh cut fruit, macaroons, and eclairs. I only tried the macaroons and they were good. My wife had the the mini eclair and liked it - she tried the carrot cake but said it was dry. The iced tea and hot tea were above average - not many people rate this on YELP and two stars is NOT accurate. It is more in the 3.5 to 4 star range over-all. I'm not a seafood guy so I can't rate that stuff - I tried the vegetable sushi style rolls and the wasabi was pretty hot, the ginger fresh and pungent. Try this place - not sure how it stacks up against the other local spots, but well worth a try. read more

My husband is extremely picky and he really likes this place. I do as well! The food is contantly coming out and being replenished. Today I asked for a particular food which was not out and was offered a plate made just for us! They have a huge variety including desserts pudding, jello, fresh fruit, cake. If when your there, if something isn't what you expect, do not give a neagtive review, speak up and ask for you want give them a chance to live up to expectations! This is a buffet, not a 5 star restaurant with high waitress service, just ask. The girls are very nice but very reserved so not like other outgoing wait staff in other places. All in all.... this is a great little place in the quiet corner. read more

Food is always delicious and hot. Sushi is good for being prepared in advance. All of the wait staff are from China and speak English very well. I call for takeout often and I am always happy with the portion size. I will keep coming back as often as I can. I think their great and I am looking forward to my next visit. read more