Empire Buffet

Food was bad didntn t get refills on drinks only thing goid they did was clear the table don t eat there an what is up with the child labor a 10 yr old running the register ???

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

OK, I should have known that I’d made a mistake when I saw meatloaf, pizza, and hard-​cooked eggs on what was purported to be a buffet featuring «Hibachi, Sushi, Chinese.» It appears that the owners invested significant effort to convert the former Ci Ci Pizza site, however they need to invest more in the quality of the food and selection. My mouth is still tingling from an overdose of MSG. I’m not one who objects to MSG in my food but too much is too much.
We all know that Chinese food suffers from local interpretations but this is ridiculous. Those seeking Asian food in Lenoir would be best served at Jasmine, the only worthy such establishment in the area.
It would take knowing that Empire Buffet is operating under new management or with a new, improved menu for me to return.
My first observations were recorded in October, 2011. It is now May, 2012.
I promised myself that it would take a sign of change to bring me back. That sign over the Empire Buffet door on May 8, 2012 read «Grand Opening.» I now assume that this was not a new sign but rather the same one from when it first opened. Since that time I can report two improvements. One, that my mouth didn’t tingle from the extraordinary amount of MSG that I experienced during my first visit. (I don’t need to be corrected on this observation.) Second, the fresh green beans were indeed very good. Other than that, it is the same poor to mediocre excuse for Asian food as well as an odd array of other foods that I had the first time.
I can’t say that I have had the apparent pleasure of trying the renowned excellence of Harrisburg-​style Asian food but I have lived in Boston, New York, Seoul (The Republic of Korea), and Tokyo and have visited their respective Chinatowns on numerous occasions as I have also done in other cities including San Francisco, Hong Kong, and Beijing. Incidentally, the latter two ARE China towns. In addition, I have eaten at poor respresentations of Asian food in the United States and elsewhere. Empire Buffet most certainly is an example of the latter. Of course, this may be to some, even many, peoples’ liking and I respect that. Set your expectations low and you will be thrilled.