It was my first time dining at the Royal Buffet on a Sunday in March, 2015, early afternoon. The food selection was vast. BUFFET: Among the many offerings were some tasty options (especially the dumplings); however, I found that many of the meats weren't adequately trimmed, i.e. there was fat and grizzle in the chicken and pork dishes. The flavors were different and somewhat pleasurable, but some things lacked flavor (e.g. Lo Mein, stuffed shrimp). I found that I left more scraps on my plate than other Asian buffets. SUSHI: There were many sushi options, but there were no descriptions other than "Chef's Special" to describe what I was eating - this turned me off and I didn't want to sample something that was unknown to me. HIBACHI: After sampling the many offerings in the buffet, unfortunately I was not hungry enough to try the hibachi. The hibachi station provided made-to-order dishes, similar to an omelet or pasta station. At first it seemed that the station was part of the buffet, and I saw some people helping themselves to some of the raw vegetables which were actually meant only for specific hibachi orders. This was concerning because in addition to the vegetables on display, the protein options (RAW pork and shrimp) were set out front in close proximity to everything else and available for someone to inadvertently take without knowing. I do wish that I tried the hibachi because I was curious about what sauce would be used (teriyaki?). SWEETS: Dessert lovers would be very pleased as there are so many options to cure a sweet tooth. SERVICE: Acceptable - no complaints. CLEANLINESS (OR LACK THEREOF): The carpet was dirty and stained, the booth seats were uncomfortable and repaired with tape, each booth/table contained a taped hand-written number for the benefit of the wait staff, and the bathroom (although seemingly newly furnished with tile and fixtures) was dirty with cleaning buckets in plain sight. Would I dine at the Royal Buffet again? Probably not. read more

Seems like a decent place. Large selection and good food. It's not in an ideal town for a night out but I had a great time. Dinner for two with no drinks (except water) for $21.95 I'll be going back again, soon, so I'll add a little more details and maybe a few pictures. read more

Decently good and decently cheap. Just wish the atmosphere was a bit better, like maybe some TVs or something. Also, the sushi was very dry. Still, if you want a lot of food for like $13 (tax + tip) then this is a great deal. read more

Hidden gem this one! Since it's in downtown Willimantic, (I don't want to sound like stereotyping) but the area is eh eh... So I would usually not go around the area for food, if it wasn't for my father in law recommendation! The place is huge and I LOVE their decor! When you go in, they have those water fall decor, along with small figures, so beautiful! And right after that water fall thing, they have that arch you walk under, to match their theme, Chinese! The restaurant is buffet type, usually those kinds tend to be so-so but this one it's amazing! They have American and Chinese food including SUSHI! All you can eat! Their food quality is good! The servers are okay since it's buffet restaurant so don't really expect amazing service lol They have nice options for desserts - ice creams various flavors, cakes/cheesecakes! read more

The biggest buffet in the area. The food is always solid, but definitely made for American tastes, including a salad bar, roast, mac and cheese, etc. The sushi is average, but the hibachi is on-point. I've been going regularly for years and I'm rarely left dissatisfied. read more

Wow! A hidden gem that is easily overlooked due to the many businesses and offices around downtown williamantic. I wish my father showed me this place when I was younger. The people in the front of the house and back of the house deserve praises. Most of their food are execellent american-chinese food. When we are in the area during meal hrs we try to stop for a bite there. They serve both raw and cooked sushi. A lot of vareity to choose from. This is probably what attracts people to come back. Their wonderful and yummy sushi. They also have a cook that serves food habenchini style. I have not tried it yet, maybe next time. That is a plus. Overall the food options are great, their coconut chicken so yummy. Just wished they had pork fried rice. The desserts are plentiful. They got soft serve, froyo, icr cream and more. The servers are nice and make sure you get a good meal. Polite too. The lighting and the decorations are cool. I especially like the waterfall before entering the dining area. read more

The food was very good and there were so many options especially if someone is seeking for halal food. The price is also reasonable. I will definitely be going back there. read more

DISGUSTING. If you want food poisoning, you've come to the right place. I was just here two nights ago and here I am in my bed gravely ill with food poisoning. I had dinner with 5 other coworkers and we are all sick with food poisoning. The food is old and gross.. half the time you don't know what you're really eating and how long it's been sitting there. I had mandarins that were not only extremely dry.. but fermented! The beef teriyaki.. let's just say I'm not quite sure what that REALLY was.. people.. if you value your health, DO NOT COME HERE!! I knew the moment I walked out the door that I was going to be sick.. and boy was I right. Can't remember a time that I've felt this terrible..ever. You are essentially paying them to make you gravely ill.if I could, I'd give them NO stars.. if I could replace the stars with middle fingers, they'd get 5. But until then... read more

I could not find anything wrong here. Food was tasty, they cleared the table fast between plates, and the price was right. $7.92 for lunch including tax (before tip). Other comments were correct about the deserts. 15+ flavors of hard ice cream, 4 flavors of soft serve with toppings in wall dispensers like you were at a fro yo shop, Asian flavored cream cakes, cheese cake, and a whole row of other standard buffet dessert things on the bar. Did not try the hibachi or sushi. Too many other good things to eat. read more

Royal Buffet is a place where the old saying "you get what you paid for" is abundantly relevant. The all-you-can-eat (AYCE) pricing is very inexpensive, but that being said, do not expect the food to be 5-star quality. The best food they have is the food that guests make themselves at the hibachi station. The sushi is definitely edible, but it is nothing like the sushi you'll find at other restaurants that cost $8 to $18 for every 6 pieces. I come here for my quick fix of sushi for a low-price. As far as atmosphere goes, it is what you think a Chinese buffet place would be like. Bright neon lights, waiters and waitresses who don't speak English well or at all, and all different kinds of guests from many different backgrounds. The staff sometimes lean over your table or booth to see whether or not you're leaving a tip when paying the check, and that alone bothers me. The only service you get is someone bringing you a drink, otherwise it's entirely self-serve. Again, do not set your expectations too high for here. read more

Regular American Chinese buffet. Nothing special. I came here when I was extremely hungry or the time I just want to eat, not flavor.

THERE WAS A MAGGOT in my food (the peaches in their fruit section) and the manager was quick to assign blame to the vendor they order from , and stubbornly defend that he is not at fault but rather the provider he orders from is. NO apology, NO warning to his other visitors eating there, and NO refund?? I'm a very gentle soft spoken person and (even then) tried to avoid causing a scene when I should very well have. but I was so shocked and disgusted by his lack of concern for his guests' health (and his insistence on my paying for the meal) that I truly couldn't let it slide still. At that point even my shy colleague was really disturbed and insisted he apologize and to which the manager responded with reducing 2 DOLLARS off the bill. It's not even about the money, it just goes to show this restaurant will feed its customers anything to make an extra buck and have no concern for the potential health risks. I'll be looking into the local health inspection myself since they can't take the initiative to improve their cleanliness/health standards read more

This buffet added a new item to their menu... ROACHES! No joke. I was going to serve myself and saw a roach walking around the food. I called my two co workers over to see it, we told the owner and walked out. We will never return to this place again. read more

Royal Buffet has undergone some renovations with more work in progress. They finally upgraded their bathrooms, which was my biggest gripe about the place. It looks like there's a party room being built in the back, and they're offering beer as well now. It'll be interesting to see how that affects things. The food selection is largely the same, I noticed a couple different items there like the Mexican Seafood Soup. I think the biggest improvement was to their sushi. It's been gradually improving over time, but this last time it was markedly better. Instead of a bunch of rolls comprised of random ingredient combinations, there's items that can be identified like California Rolls, Avocado rolls, and so forth. While the improvements are much appreciated, and I do think the food is still good, it's still not something I would call a four or five star experience. They're still the best Chinese buffet in town, and I still plan to eat here when I'm in the area. read more

This is an update. The restaurant remodeled its entrance foyer, and added a Hibachi cooking station and a Sushi bar. We have been twice for the Hibachi station. You pick out your choice and portion size of raw ingredients, your choice among three sauces, and they are custom cooked and seasoned before you. The HIbachi food is hot and exceptionally good. It is clearly the best part of the menu, and it is included in the price of the buffet. So you also have the whole range of the rest of the restaurant to go with your custom grilled entree...if you are really hungry. FABULOUS! We might be going more often than our usual once per week! I would disagree with another reviewer; we have been very many times and never saw an insect, nor have we ever had any illness after our many dinners here. read more

Criminally underrated The best buffet I have ever been to, anywhere, by far The interior is stylish and clean, with a comfortable atmosphere. The food is amazing, and there is a really good variety Hardworking and courteous staff The best sushi I've ever had at a Buffet. It's a huge draw honestly Another draw is the takeout where you can pay by the pound, with pretty great lunch prices. If you like Chinese food and sushi, it's not only the best in the area, but also the most reasonably priced. Do yourself a favor and give this place the patronage it deserves read more

My friend and I went here, as mostly broke college students, you know how it is. We got to go boxes with some food and went to pay for them just to find out that both of our cards were being declined. The woman dealing with the issue was not interested in the fact that we were clearly distraught and embarrassed about this happening. We apologized and said we couldn't pay for the boxes so we could not take them. Instantly her demeanor changed and she angrily told us that we had to pay for the boxes or we were wasting food. The woman made us call a friend to come pay for the food and had us sit on a bench next to her as if we were in the principles office. Thoroughly unimpressed. Good place for cheap food, disappointed to say that the customer service is absolute trash and that I will not be returning. read more

In my opinion this is the best Chinese buffet I have been to. I have been here lots of times and they have a lot options including sushi and hibachi. The sushi i actually wouldn't recommend but for the price you pay what do you expect. Most of the food is good quality and I don't find the place to be completely nasty. They have a good amount of classic American dishes too if you don't feel like having Chinese food. Overall this place is fine if you want to pig out for a cheap price. At the end of the day though a buffet is a buffet. read more

"Why, why, why?" is what we are asking ourselves after visiting this place. Everything was so sad. The food was greasy and sad, the sushi was dry, tasteless and sad. Not at all clean or nice in any way. read more

I like this place a lot. The price per person is like $9.99 and you get pretty decent food. One thing though the waitresses there sometimes just stand there and stares at you when there are not many customers... And usually when we finished our second dishes, they will bring us our check which I thought was kinda annoying.... (Because I wasn't done eating yet....) But yea it doesn't prevent me from going back because the price and the food!! read more

I've been a faithful client during my short stay in Willimantic. This is by far the best Chinese takeout place in the area. Trust me, I've been to them all. read more

I visited Royal Buffet last night for the first time. It was OK. The plates were very slimy so that was a big turn-off for me but the food was good. They had a wide variety of items to choose from including a hibachi station and sushi bar (which I have never seen at a buffet). The waitress was very attentive to our table. I may return if I'm in the area again. This was a 45 minute drive out of my way. read more

The food was great, plenty of it and all different choices... 6 bucks a person is pretty reasonable but the only thing i did not like was that i did not get a refill for my drink the whole time after asking twice read more

Wonderful buffet. Fresh and addicting. Absolutely great selections as well. The best part is their desert items and ice cream. Their coconut ice cream is better than most ice cream shops I've been to. Their rainbow ice cream is on the same level. I still feel like I missed out on some items, lol..... Mike read more

Not a buffet fan but this one was perfect! Clean, fresh, insane selection, constant attention to cleanliness, temp and quality of food! Sushi selection off the charts and hibachi a nice touch! Awesome!! read more

As far as chinese food goes this is some of the worst that i have had. The food is not fresh at all. They are always out of many items as well. read more

I've been going to this buffet for countless years in the first place was a four-star decent Chinese buffet then they eliminated crab legs but the price was reasonable and who wants to get into a fight waiting for Soso lousy crab legs like all the rest the typical Chinese buffets. But over the last couple years the food quality keeps going down a little bit at every visit but tonight was the last time I will visit this place the sushi is being made by someone who doesn't know how to make sushi they no longer have any real tuna only ground thin layers and everything looks just kind of sad The rest of the food is OK some good stuff some bad stuff some stuff I wouldn't touch the staff has always been rude and non-communicative but you can deal with that I'm not there to conversation, but when the food quality is to the point where it just isn't worth the trip why bother they used to have nice toppings for the ice cream to at least make the end of the meal enjoyable but now it's a sad collection of waxy sprinkles and crushed up cookies no chocolate chips no gummy bears no Mike's and Ike's and the ice cream just is kind of watery tasty goodbye royal buffet and good riddance read more

Very good food for its price. $9.99 per person without the drink and you get tons of nice food. Not necessarily Chinese food but good food. Waitresses were also pretty kind. In this town you don't have much options so yeah this is probably the best choice cost-benefit wise. read more

From reading the majority of reviews, I can't believe I ate at same buffet. We ate on a Sat. afternoon. Food was terrible. I can not tell you I thought anything was very good. I eat a lot of chinese, and am a pretty good judge. read more

I came with my kids around 8:15 p.m. The food was mediocre but my kids were in ice cream heaven. They loved that there was this frozen yogurt machine, so many choices of scoop ice creams and toppings station. The price was definitely cheaper than other buffet. My kids were happy so I guess I was happy. read more

Yesterday was my birthday and I didn't appreciate them pressuring me and rushing my girlfriend and I out the door...first time this happened to me. After 15 minutes of us eating our first plate they were giving us the bill smh. I was not done so I stood there eating a second plate because I did not ask for the bill and I was not done eating. As we were standing to leave, they rushed and took the cups away from us and cleaned the table. I took that as they being rude. If I'm not satisfied with the food and service, enjoy not getting a tip. read more

We have enjoyed this buffet almost every Friday for years, and now that they have added Hibachi, it may have to be more often. What a treat to be able to choose exactly the items you want, in the amounts you want, and watch your dinner prepared right in front of you! Fresh, hot, delicious, reasonably priced; this makes Royal Buffet an even better choice. read more

I love going to this buffet. Their food is very good especially when it is freshly cooked. There is some variety from your classic American Chinese dishes, a Sushi and Hibachi Bar and plenty of desserts. Service has always been great. If you do go here their best dish is the Peanut Chicken which I always get which is delicious! This place is apparently the place to be on Friday nights. You can also get to go as well. So take your kids and eat up!! read more

I was a client of this restaurant until today ... When you finish eating, I decided to go to the bathroom to wash my hands and the toilet is one of the chef, when finished, he left the bathroom without even pour water on the hands .. Chinese damn, does not have any hygiene and dirty hands preparing food that we then sell .... not return and will take care of someone I know go eat there again read more

Quality of food vastly deteriorated from previous visits. Vegetables soggy, other food items greasy and poorly prepared. Service minimal to non-existent. read more

Will no longer return, food is warm and not fresh, place appears dirty, never want to see the kitchen. Willimantic clienteles have no standards so they will do well. read more

I'm amazed that nobody mentioned the multiple signs that they have around the restaurant that state "Only take what you can eat," "Don't waste food" or something of that nature. One sign, when you walk in, would suffice. They have so many signs that it feels like there's a watchdog waiting to attack. It doesn't help that, like at most Chinese buffets, the waitresses do stare you down while you're eating. Plus, huge negative is they hardly ever have any crab legs. I give this place three stars because the Chinese restaurant selection in the area is poor. This is the closest you're going to get to some urban Chinese food dining. Peking House came the closest to being worth the extra money, until someone crashed a car through their front window and they redid the place. So Royal Buffet is as good as it gets. read more

We have gone to this restaurant many times and for years. . .however it looks like it may have changed hands recently. . . .the food is not as good as in the past but for the cost worth the price. The staff however appauled me with their rude behavior. . .It just was not the good professional behavior of the past and we will never return. read more

DO NOT COME HERE!! About a week ago a friend and I decided we wanted to get a cheap dinner here. Well that was a big mistake! I am a sushi fanatic, so whenever I would go to Royal I would eat all the sushi I could get my hands on. However, on this occasion the sushi did not sit well with me. After stuffing my face with raw fish I felt fine and my night continued as normal. But, at around 3:00 in the morning I shot out of bed in excruciating pain. My abdomen felt like it was burning on the inside and I then "exploded" in the bathroom. After using the restroom I was in an 11 out of 10 kind of pain. So as soon as I stood up to go get some water I became nauseas and my vision completely stopped. I then passed out on my bathroom floor and hit my head pretty bad. Luckily, after calling for help my roommate finally found me and helped. I then vomited throughout the night. I had food poisoning. I knew it was the sushi because the only other food I ate before was a smoothie. Plus, I have had mild food poisoning from other sushi places before so it's safe to assume. I WILL NOT be returning to Royal Buffet ever again and am lucky that I didn't have to go to the hospital that night. I have also seen people sneeze on the food that is out which cannot be safe! Eat Royal Buffet at your own risk! read more