This Chineese buffet is a good place to get the best bang for your buck. If you like a good Chineese buffet, you'll enjoy the variety of food on the bufet at Empire. They have four bars with traditional Chineese fare to some American fare, with a full sald bar and sushi bar. They also have a dessert bar and a cooler with self-serve hand-dipped ice cream! Great for families on a budget, especially for lunch. Empire Buffet charges roughly the same as your other run of the mill Chineese buffets, but with a lot more options. Everything tastes great, and I will be sure to go back next time I'm craving a great Chineese buffet!
(4)
Adrian C.
I am a bit of a Chinese food snob, and when it comes to buffets in the NKY area many leave a lot to be desired. Empire is amazing because for the same price as other area buffets, there is easily twice the selection on the buffet. The food is fresh and quality of food and service is consistent. The hibachi grill and sushi offerings are fresh and delicious, and they even have six different flavors of Blue Bunny ice cream for dessert, which is great for kids. The buffet also has amazing super cheesy pizza, great if you have picky kids (or adults). My personal faves here are the sweet coconut shrimp, duck, broccoli chicken, and the crab rangoon. Be sure to try the egg drop soup, which is just absolutely wonderful.
(5)
A D.
I'm going to make this short and sweet! As far as Chinese buffets go ( frankly not a huge fan of any of them) this was good! Large selection of asian dishes, hibatchi, sushi, salad bar, american cuisine & desserts.. Overall, a good value and worth the 15 min. drive into NKY for a Chinese Buffet, if that's what you're after...
(3)
Tom Y.
Top end for a Chinese buffet. The Mongolian grill is great. Service is very good. For the price it's a winner !!
(4)
Banhel R.
D worst buffet I ever been. Employees are rude and have attitude. Worst if all they are wise and they scammed customers by charging them a seafood dinner when indeed they make you wait long and nothing is being serve ( crab legs ) a total scam. Food are old.This Business must closed....
(1)
Cathleen H.
salt and pepper shrimp is phenomenal! really really love their chicken with broccoli. crab legs are always fresh tasting and constantly replenished. my boyfriend wishes they had frog legs... that is his only complaint. the mongolian grill option is delicious too! the bathrooms are so clean and nice - and admit it, who doesn't have to use the bathroom after a chinese buffet?
(4)
Alan C.
Very good buffet, though it was odd the dinner price was charged at 2:30pm on a Sunday. The food was hot and the buffet looked very fresh. My brother has lived in town for 2 years and told me there were no Chinese buffets. Yelp helped prove him wrong, and I believe they have returned several times since.
(4)
Annie B.
Worst restaurant experience of my life!! Generally, we don't frequent Chinese buffets or write negative reviews. After participating in Beer Week festivities getting some chinese food seemed like a great idea. Ha! We were sat in a rickety booth, every time the people behind my daughter & me moved, the back of the seat would lurch forward. Fearing for my daughter's head being smacked into the table (and very annoyed), i asked to be moved. The next booth was just as bad . I ordered a glass of wine. They didn't bring me water, though they did so for my husband & daughter. As I got up to get an extremely bland bowl of hot & sour soup, I asked hubby to get me a glass of water. When I returned with said (I can't emphasize this enough) BLAND soup, the server showed up with another glass of wine, though my glass was still full. I corrected her & said that I was fine on wine and I needed water. She then comes back with the manager & says we have to take & PAY FOR the wine because they can't put it back in the bottle!!!!! My husband, very annoyed at this point, says to the manager, "We shouldn't have to pay for this, it's not my fault she didn't understand me." A patron at an adjacent table them felt it was ok to accost my husband, yelling that my husband saying that was uncalled for and racist. Needless to say not only did this patron make his 3 teenage daughters cry he did so to my 3 year old! At this point, nothing was going to get better. I regret paying the bill. $35 for a sip of wine & 1/3 of a cup of hot & sour soup. Oh & to add to the experience, a guy who I believe to be the owner flipped us off through the window as we drove away. Despicable behavior to not just a guest, but to a family with a toddler (that I think they charged us full price for).
(1)
Brian T.
I cant believe there arent more reviews on this place! Theres a good size crowd with no wait all the time. Some of the best chinese food at the price in town!! I know people that come here to get carry out by the pound over the more expensive Chinese restaurants. Their Crab Rangoon is great. Tons of variety here, you can get just about anything you can think of including sushi (albeit buffet sushi, so don't expect teak) and a Mongolian grill. If you haven't tried it your missing out! Empire could easily become a good spot when you get that Chinese food craving!
(5)
Louis S.
Food was old and cold. The salad was brown and disgusting looking. The hot food was lucky to be luke warm. The chicken dishes were old and dry and tough. Don"t waste your money. Hate throwing my money away on crappy food. Go anywhere but this place. Total crap. Even stingy with napkins and silverware.
(1)
Chris P.
The food was bleh at best. The hostess had her foot up at the counter while playing on her phone. Everything was very salty, greasy, and cold. The only redeeming point at this restaurant was their ice cream.... But paying $12 for ice cream is a bit much.
(2)
Andrew D.
I like to think that if I was to operate an Asian buffet, I would do a great job. One of my first orders of business would be to make sure that all of the food was constantly being tasted. I don't know that this happens here. Temperatures were way to cold. Service was bad. It seemed to take forever to get a refill. All this being said, it's not a complete waste. There were a few items on the menu that were unique such as the "Japanese chicken", and it's hard to go wrong with the Mongolian grill. With Firebowl being so close, and larger, and with better food in my opinion, I don't see this as a great decision.
(3)
Jay H.
One of the best buffet I've had in Northren Kentucky. Buffet here is fresh. The place is clean, new and busy for lunch, reasonable price. Also get them to cook from the Mongolain grill. The golden rules of eating buffets is, Don't eat at 11:00, because it's the left overs from the night before. I think most Chinese restaurant tends to try to save money, so they sell it the next day. Don't eat after 1:00, food tends to stay out in the air for more then 2 hours dry out...yuk and look how busy the restaurant is, food gets turn over quickly if it's busy. So, I Would recommend this place...yummy.
(4)
Christy R.
These people are so rude we walked out without eating. When we walked in and tried to get the girl at the front to tell us how much it would be for each of our children we had to ask 4 times for her to give us a straight answer. We were going to have 8 people in our group. The girl made a rude face when we said yes to her moving two large tables together. She also was put out when we asked if the drink was included in the $12+ price. After that we decided to go to Firebowl Buffet which was cheaper and the people were at least nice! We decided to not going to give our money to people which treat you like they are doing you a favor by letting you set foot in their restaurant!
(1)
Larry H.
Nice selection, seems to have a lot of traffic on a Friday evening. Mongolian BBQ option is nice, but could use more signage for info on sauces. Will definitely come back again!
(4)
Freda S.
It's OK, nothing was really terrible, some dishes were pretty good. If I was in area I would go back. Service was good. The restaurant appeared clean. Nice thing about buffet, you take a little to try and if you like it, you cam get more.
(3)
Sam K.
After reading the multiple glowing reviews of this place, I was excited to try it out when I had a free Friday. Two of my colleagues and I hopped in the car and raced down from Cincinnati to make it before the kitchen closed at 10p. This is the one grudging mitigating circumstance - though we arrived at 9:20p, perhaps this was a contributing factor to Empire Buffet's lackluster performance. It's a bit of a drive from the city and takes about 20 minutes so it's not exactly close or really near by anything else really worth visiting so generally I find this puts more of a demand on the food - I am coming for that restaurant and that food specifically and likely going out of my way to do experience it. Upon driving up into one of the more confusing parking lot strip malls I've encountered, we walked into Empire Buffet greeted with the not-entirely-pleasant fishy oily odor that seems to pervade many Chinese food buffets. After being seated at our table (Dinner is $10.99 not including drinks), we walked over to the buffet. Put simply, it disappoints - a lot. Large chunks of Krab (imitation crab/fish cake) swim in troughs of ice in a poor masquerade of actual seafood and the mussels look like they might be just a little too green. Crawdad's populate the ice as well but look like they just suffered months of trench warfare in mess of claws, legs, and other appendages. Finding an intact one is easier said than done. It's rather beyond me why they're on ice anyways - these thing should be hot and seasoned rather than boiled and chilled. Boiled shrimp intermixes with their freshwater crustacean counterparts but are neither shelled or de-veined. The former is OK, the latter is not. A large hunk of roast beef sits in dried au jus and cooks away from both the heating element and the heating lamp. The color and consistency make it look more like old pine firewood than it does something you'd want to eat. I attempted to tackle it with the provided carving knife and encountered guerilla like resistance - I passed. The many chicken variations (teriyaki, bbq skewers, sesame, general tso, etc) are all WAY overcooked and could probably pass as sticky jerky and both my friend and I agreed, the general chicken and the sesame chicken taste so similar that we were pretty sure they were simply labelled differently but prepared en batch. The sushi assortment was a joke. A single plate bearing 5 pieces of sushi (each a different kind) sat covered in saran wrap and after I took 3 (against my better judgment based on their haphazard arrangement and appearance) the meager population of sushi was never repopulated. A Chinese gentleman apparently in charge of the grill and sushi seemed never to notice nor understand our request for resupply. Even simple steamed rice is crusty and dried with hard bits that make you feel like you're eating uncooked ramen noodles. I was actually really disappointed when even a last-ditch effort to enjoy my food at the ever-present canned fruits found in every Chinese buffet did not include any traditional Asian fruits (longan, lychee, etc) and only pears, pineapple, and weird looking apricots. The best thing I had that night, which isn't saying much, was the Mongolian BBQ dish I constructed. But even that was odd when the previously referenced Chinese man took my plate, walked into the back and then returned some 5 minutes later with it cooked (what was the Mongolian BBQ grill for then?) It's nearly as far of a drive as Kyojin, and though I didn't think Kyojin was amazing, it FAR outpaces Empire Buffet in every department - especially the sushi (which is where you get the bang for your buck). Save your money and skip the visit. If you want affordable quality sushi, get a restaurant.com GC for the Painted Fish and eat up. If you want a Chinese buffet, go to Kyojin and bypass the extra fee for sushi (unless you want it). Sorry Empire Buffet, it was just so bad I don't even feel inspired to give you a second chance to make it up to me.
(1)
Christina K.
Never again! We had a family dinner here with about 20 people and the server was rude and harassed my husband about where people were sitting. Even though I called a week ahead and asked for the party room they were mad because they were trying to squeeze in another party that was almost as big as ours. As we were leaving, the server chased down my husband and loudly harassed him about a tip because he didn't realize that we had left cash on the table. How embarrassing!! Horrible horrible horrible experience and we will never return! The food isn't great either, very greasy, a lot of times cold, chicken on a stick is the worst!. They do have a decent salad bar and the sushi is OK.
(1)
Brandon S.
Pretty nasty, I've eaten here maybe 3 times and never feel good after. Kids like the jello and doughy pizza though :/
(2)
Charles F.
The worst service I have ever received at any restaurant. Stood waiting to be seated for about 10mins. Another dinner waved down a waitress to take us to our table. Rude and disrespectful waitress. Had to ask for our drinks twice , when we finally got them she basically slammed them on the table. The food was barely food at all. I was a bit worried with a few items I tried as to weather I would have food poisoning later. Many of the items tasted off. The chicken on a stick was more like jerky on a stick. I created a yelp account because of how bad my experience was at this restaurant, and to warn anyone else...
(1)
Amy P.
I'm a fan. And a vegetarian, so that's saying a lot. My favorite dish is one I make, and I like that I can control every ingredient by picking each out from the hibachi grill. I usually throw together all the veggies and teriyaki sauce, grilled, delicious. My carnivore hubby likes the wacky stuff they put out- usually lots of seafood, sometimes crawfish and frog legs. No comment.
(4)
G W.
Please don't put much stock in the negative reviews. I don't think most of those things could happen at this place after what we experienced. As you know, some people will never be happy, are arrogant, etc! Sometimes competitors and other people with hidden agendas write negative reviews. I assure you that this review is not by an employee, management, or owner. We were in Cincinatti for a couple days to visit the Creation Museum...... another VERY postive experience. If you haven't been there, you need to do yourself a big favor. We visited the Empire Buffet in Ft Mitchell, KY on Sunday, Dec 7, 2014, with our son and his 4 children (5-16) and we all had a very nice time, without any pressure to free up the 3 tables. In my opinion, the service and food was fantastic...and the price was very reasonable, even on a Sunday! I had the buffet and habachi. We lived in Taiwan for a year and have eaten Chinese food on virtually a weekly basis at home and hundreds of restaurants across this country....for the past 44+ years! So, we know our Chinese food. The manager and servers warmed right up and were very nice to us. I am confident that the Empire Buffet (and habachi) will continue giving dining guests great food and service in the future......and we look forward to going back again when we are in the area. Thanks Empire Buffet for the great meal and time.
(5)
Laura T.
Working in the area- this is by far the best Chinese food (buffet or not) around the Erlanger/Florence area. I come here pretty regularly with co-workers, and everyone always leaves happy. The service is not always the best (though they've never been rude- more like your drink may run empty until you request more), but the food is top-notch! They tend to have a large lunch crowd, so the food is constantly turning over and you will see several different workers checking on the status of the food while you're there. When a dish starts to get low- it will be refilled quickly. They have a wonderful large assortment of vegetarian, beef, chicken, pork, and seafood dishes. Sushi is an option, as well as the hibachi in the middle section, where you make your own plate. There are also several non-Chinese options. The food that is supposed to be spicy: Hot & sour soup, General Tso chicken, usually have a nice kick to it! I love spice, but occasionally it will be too much for my co-workers. Quite frankly- I'm very surprised by the low reviews on here- because I've always thought the food and atmosphere were great! (Koi pond at the entrance? Awesome!)
(4)
Konstantin S.
Service is good, but food is the worst in the area Rotten lemons and vegetables. Not fresh fish. Cold tasteless grilled chicken.
(2)
Gail K.
This is one of my favorite Chinese buffets in the area. The buffet has a nice selection, and there is a hibachi grill in the center along with the sushi offerings. So far nothing i have tried has disappointed me!
(5)
Sheena D.
One of the better Chinese buffets in Northern Kentucky. Plenty to choose from during the lunch hours and taste and temperature have always been good. Sushi is available, but its buffet sushi - so don't expect much. Their crab rangoon is one of the best items on the buffet. The service is good. I went there with a group of 15. I had one coupon for a couple dollars off of the lunch buffet and they honored the coupon for the entire group. This is one of my top picks for a chinese lunch buffet.
(3)
John R.
Great buffet. Food is good. Price is right.
(5)
Cody P.
The BEST Chinese buffet in the N. Ky area, hands down! I have been to them all as I love Chinese food. This place is the cleanest and freshest of them all and has the largest variety of food of any of them. They have a Mongolian grill in the center as well along with a regular, full salad bar. They usually have crab legs and boiled shrimp also. Their food is the BEST!
(4)
Evelyn c.
Great food I like the service is clean , is expensive , but is fresh.
(4)
Mike W.
Every time I come to this place, the Imperial March plays in my head. Chinese buffets are very hit or miss for me. Either I come home with a belly full of happiness, or bowels full of sadness. I'm not sure where to put Empire on this scale as they are remarkably inconsistent. I've had many good meals at Empire. I've also had many bad ones. On a good day, their food is quite good. Not the best Chinese buffet out there, but quite tasty. They have a larger than normal salad/fruit bar, which I think makes their standard fare slightly lacking. However they have most of the staples you'd expect, along with a few distinctly American dishes thrown in for flavor. They also certainly win in the decor, as Empire looks like a fancier place than it is. The fish pond in the lobby is a nice touch. Perhaps I'm an unlucky chap, but Empire has also shown me a bad time. My biggest complaint is that the rice is undercooked. This has not been a once in a lifetime fluke, on three separate occasions I've gotten steamed rice that was hard as a rock. My solution was to switch to fried, or vice versa. Still annoying. The heat lamps also seem to be underpowered, as their food is cold unless brought out fresh. I find that at Empire, I have to limit my selection. And while certainly not the fault of Empire, they've had their fair share of rude patrons. Twice now, I've been at Empire where one of the other diners have caused a scene by yelling at the waitress/waiter. I don't want to dock them points for a bunch of jackasses, but it's certainly made dinner a bit awkward. So, I'm on the fence. Give Empire's roulette wheel a spin, you may come up big - or go home unhappy.
(3)
Sorry, we don't have Q&A for this restaurant.
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Address :570 Clock Tower Way
Fort Mitchell, KY, 41017
Takes Reservations : No Delivery : No Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch Parking : Private Lot Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Wi-Fi : No Has TV : No Waiter Service : Yes Caters : No
Mike G.
This Chineese buffet is a good place to get the best bang for your buck. If you like a good Chineese buffet, you'll enjoy the variety of food on the bufet at Empire. They have four bars with traditional Chineese fare to some American fare, with a full sald bar and sushi bar. They also have a dessert bar and a cooler with self-serve hand-dipped ice cream! Great for families on a budget, especially for lunch. Empire Buffet charges roughly the same as your other run of the mill Chineese buffets, but with a lot more options. Everything tastes great, and I will be sure to go back next time I'm craving a great Chineese buffet!
(4)Adrian C.
I am a bit of a Chinese food snob, and when it comes to buffets in the NKY area many leave a lot to be desired. Empire is amazing because for the same price as other area buffets, there is easily twice the selection on the buffet. The food is fresh and quality of food and service is consistent. The hibachi grill and sushi offerings are fresh and delicious, and they even have six different flavors of Blue Bunny ice cream for dessert, which is great for kids. The buffet also has amazing super cheesy pizza, great if you have picky kids (or adults). My personal faves here are the sweet coconut shrimp, duck, broccoli chicken, and the crab rangoon. Be sure to try the egg drop soup, which is just absolutely wonderful.
(5)A D.
I'm going to make this short and sweet! As far as Chinese buffets go ( frankly not a huge fan of any of them) this was good! Large selection of asian dishes, hibatchi, sushi, salad bar, american cuisine & desserts.. Overall, a good value and worth the 15 min. drive into NKY for a Chinese Buffet, if that's what you're after...
(3)Tom Y.
Top end for a Chinese buffet. The Mongolian grill is great. Service is very good. For the price it's a winner !!
(4)Banhel R.
D worst buffet I ever been. Employees are rude and have attitude. Worst if all they are wise and they scammed customers by charging them a seafood dinner when indeed they make you wait long and nothing is being serve ( crab legs ) a total scam. Food are old.This Business must closed....
(1)Cathleen H.
salt and pepper shrimp is phenomenal! really really love their chicken with broccoli. crab legs are always fresh tasting and constantly replenished. my boyfriend wishes they had frog legs... that is his only complaint. the mongolian grill option is delicious too! the bathrooms are so clean and nice - and admit it, who doesn't have to use the bathroom after a chinese buffet?
(4)Alan C.
Very good buffet, though it was odd the dinner price was charged at 2:30pm on a Sunday. The food was hot and the buffet looked very fresh. My brother has lived in town for 2 years and told me there were no Chinese buffets. Yelp helped prove him wrong, and I believe they have returned several times since.
(4)Annie B.
Worst restaurant experience of my life!! Generally, we don't frequent Chinese buffets or write negative reviews. After participating in Beer Week festivities getting some chinese food seemed like a great idea. Ha! We were sat in a rickety booth, every time the people behind my daughter & me moved, the back of the seat would lurch forward. Fearing for my daughter's head being smacked into the table (and very annoyed), i asked to be moved. The next booth was just as bad . I ordered a glass of wine. They didn't bring me water, though they did so for my husband & daughter. As I got up to get an extremely bland bowl of hot & sour soup, I asked hubby to get me a glass of water. When I returned with said (I can't emphasize this enough) BLAND soup, the server showed up with another glass of wine, though my glass was still full. I corrected her & said that I was fine on wine and I needed water. She then comes back with the manager & says we have to take & PAY FOR the wine because they can't put it back in the bottle!!!!! My husband, very annoyed at this point, says to the manager, "We shouldn't have to pay for this, it's not my fault she didn't understand me." A patron at an adjacent table them felt it was ok to accost my husband, yelling that my husband saying that was uncalled for and racist. Needless to say not only did this patron make his 3 teenage daughters cry he did so to my 3 year old! At this point, nothing was going to get better. I regret paying the bill. $35 for a sip of wine & 1/3 of a cup of hot & sour soup. Oh & to add to the experience, a guy who I believe to be the owner flipped us off through the window as we drove away. Despicable behavior to not just a guest, but to a family with a toddler (that I think they charged us full price for).
(1)Brian T.
I cant believe there arent more reviews on this place! Theres a good size crowd with no wait all the time. Some of the best chinese food at the price in town!! I know people that come here to get carry out by the pound over the more expensive Chinese restaurants. Their Crab Rangoon is great. Tons of variety here, you can get just about anything you can think of including sushi (albeit buffet sushi, so don't expect teak) and a Mongolian grill. If you haven't tried it your missing out! Empire could easily become a good spot when you get that Chinese food craving!
(5)Louis S.
Food was old and cold. The salad was brown and disgusting looking. The hot food was lucky to be luke warm. The chicken dishes were old and dry and tough. Don"t waste your money. Hate throwing my money away on crappy food. Go anywhere but this place. Total crap. Even stingy with napkins and silverware.
(1)Chris P.
The food was bleh at best. The hostess had her foot up at the counter while playing on her phone. Everything was very salty, greasy, and cold. The only redeeming point at this restaurant was their ice cream.... But paying $12 for ice cream is a bit much.
(2)Andrew D.
I like to think that if I was to operate an Asian buffet, I would do a great job. One of my first orders of business would be to make sure that all of the food was constantly being tasted. I don't know that this happens here. Temperatures were way to cold. Service was bad. It seemed to take forever to get a refill. All this being said, it's not a complete waste. There were a few items on the menu that were unique such as the "Japanese chicken", and it's hard to go wrong with the Mongolian grill. With Firebowl being so close, and larger, and with better food in my opinion, I don't see this as a great decision.
(3)Jay H.
One of the best buffet I've had in Northren Kentucky. Buffet here is fresh. The place is clean, new and busy for lunch, reasonable price. Also get them to cook from the Mongolain grill. The golden rules of eating buffets is, Don't eat at 11:00, because it's the left overs from the night before. I think most Chinese restaurant tends to try to save money, so they sell it the next day. Don't eat after 1:00, food tends to stay out in the air for more then 2 hours dry out...yuk and look how busy the restaurant is, food gets turn over quickly if it's busy. So, I Would recommend this place...yummy.
(4)Christy R.
These people are so rude we walked out without eating. When we walked in and tried to get the girl at the front to tell us how much it would be for each of our children we had to ask 4 times for her to give us a straight answer. We were going to have 8 people in our group. The girl made a rude face when we said yes to her moving two large tables together. She also was put out when we asked if the drink was included in the $12+ price. After that we decided to go to Firebowl Buffet which was cheaper and the people were at least nice! We decided to not going to give our money to people which treat you like they are doing you a favor by letting you set foot in their restaurant!
(1)Larry H.
Nice selection, seems to have a lot of traffic on a Friday evening. Mongolian BBQ option is nice, but could use more signage for info on sauces. Will definitely come back again!
(4)Freda S.
It's OK, nothing was really terrible, some dishes were pretty good. If I was in area I would go back. Service was good. The restaurant appeared clean. Nice thing about buffet, you take a little to try and if you like it, you cam get more.
(3)Sam K.
After reading the multiple glowing reviews of this place, I was excited to try it out when I had a free Friday. Two of my colleagues and I hopped in the car and raced down from Cincinnati to make it before the kitchen closed at 10p. This is the one grudging mitigating circumstance - though we arrived at 9:20p, perhaps this was a contributing factor to Empire Buffet's lackluster performance. It's a bit of a drive from the city and takes about 20 minutes so it's not exactly close or really near by anything else really worth visiting so generally I find this puts more of a demand on the food - I am coming for that restaurant and that food specifically and likely going out of my way to do experience it. Upon driving up into one of the more confusing parking lot strip malls I've encountered, we walked into Empire Buffet greeted with the not-entirely-pleasant fishy oily odor that seems to pervade many Chinese food buffets. After being seated at our table (Dinner is $10.99 not including drinks), we walked over to the buffet. Put simply, it disappoints - a lot. Large chunks of Krab (imitation crab/fish cake) swim in troughs of ice in a poor masquerade of actual seafood and the mussels look like they might be just a little too green. Crawdad's populate the ice as well but look like they just suffered months of trench warfare in mess of claws, legs, and other appendages. Finding an intact one is easier said than done. It's rather beyond me why they're on ice anyways - these thing should be hot and seasoned rather than boiled and chilled. Boiled shrimp intermixes with their freshwater crustacean counterparts but are neither shelled or de-veined. The former is OK, the latter is not. A large hunk of roast beef sits in dried au jus and cooks away from both the heating element and the heating lamp. The color and consistency make it look more like old pine firewood than it does something you'd want to eat. I attempted to tackle it with the provided carving knife and encountered guerilla like resistance - I passed. The many chicken variations (teriyaki, bbq skewers, sesame, general tso, etc) are all WAY overcooked and could probably pass as sticky jerky and both my friend and I agreed, the general chicken and the sesame chicken taste so similar that we were pretty sure they were simply labelled differently but prepared en batch. The sushi assortment was a joke. A single plate bearing 5 pieces of sushi (each a different kind) sat covered in saran wrap and after I took 3 (against my better judgment based on their haphazard arrangement and appearance) the meager population of sushi was never repopulated. A Chinese gentleman apparently in charge of the grill and sushi seemed never to notice nor understand our request for resupply. Even simple steamed rice is crusty and dried with hard bits that make you feel like you're eating uncooked ramen noodles. I was actually really disappointed when even a last-ditch effort to enjoy my food at the ever-present canned fruits found in every Chinese buffet did not include any traditional Asian fruits (longan, lychee, etc) and only pears, pineapple, and weird looking apricots. The best thing I had that night, which isn't saying much, was the Mongolian BBQ dish I constructed. But even that was odd when the previously referenced Chinese man took my plate, walked into the back and then returned some 5 minutes later with it cooked (what was the Mongolian BBQ grill for then?) It's nearly as far of a drive as Kyojin, and though I didn't think Kyojin was amazing, it FAR outpaces Empire Buffet in every department - especially the sushi (which is where you get the bang for your buck). Save your money and skip the visit. If you want affordable quality sushi, get a restaurant.com GC for the Painted Fish and eat up. If you want a Chinese buffet, go to Kyojin and bypass the extra fee for sushi (unless you want it). Sorry Empire Buffet, it was just so bad I don't even feel inspired to give you a second chance to make it up to me.
(1)Christina K.
Never again! We had a family dinner here with about 20 people and the server was rude and harassed my husband about where people were sitting. Even though I called a week ahead and asked for the party room they were mad because they were trying to squeeze in another party that was almost as big as ours. As we were leaving, the server chased down my husband and loudly harassed him about a tip because he didn't realize that we had left cash on the table. How embarrassing!! Horrible horrible horrible experience and we will never return! The food isn't great either, very greasy, a lot of times cold, chicken on a stick is the worst!. They do have a decent salad bar and the sushi is OK.
(1)Brandon S.
Pretty nasty, I've eaten here maybe 3 times and never feel good after. Kids like the jello and doughy pizza though :/
(2)Charles F.
The worst service I have ever received at any restaurant. Stood waiting to be seated for about 10mins. Another dinner waved down a waitress to take us to our table. Rude and disrespectful waitress. Had to ask for our drinks twice , when we finally got them she basically slammed them on the table. The food was barely food at all. I was a bit worried with a few items I tried as to weather I would have food poisoning later. Many of the items tasted off. The chicken on a stick was more like jerky on a stick. I created a yelp account because of how bad my experience was at this restaurant, and to warn anyone else...
(1)Amy P.
I'm a fan. And a vegetarian, so that's saying a lot. My favorite dish is one I make, and I like that I can control every ingredient by picking each out from the hibachi grill. I usually throw together all the veggies and teriyaki sauce, grilled, delicious. My carnivore hubby likes the wacky stuff they put out- usually lots of seafood, sometimes crawfish and frog legs. No comment.
(4)G W.
Please don't put much stock in the negative reviews. I don't think most of those things could happen at this place after what we experienced. As you know, some people will never be happy, are arrogant, etc! Sometimes competitors and other people with hidden agendas write negative reviews. I assure you that this review is not by an employee, management, or owner. We were in Cincinatti for a couple days to visit the Creation Museum...... another VERY postive experience. If you haven't been there, you need to do yourself a big favor. We visited the Empire Buffet in Ft Mitchell, KY on Sunday, Dec 7, 2014, with our son and his 4 children (5-16) and we all had a very nice time, without any pressure to free up the 3 tables. In my opinion, the service and food was fantastic...and the price was very reasonable, even on a Sunday! I had the buffet and habachi. We lived in Taiwan for a year and have eaten Chinese food on virtually a weekly basis at home and hundreds of restaurants across this country....for the past 44+ years! So, we know our Chinese food. The manager and servers warmed right up and were very nice to us. I am confident that the Empire Buffet (and habachi) will continue giving dining guests great food and service in the future......and we look forward to going back again when we are in the area. Thanks Empire Buffet for the great meal and time.
(5)Laura T.
Working in the area- this is by far the best Chinese food (buffet or not) around the Erlanger/Florence area. I come here pretty regularly with co-workers, and everyone always leaves happy. The service is not always the best (though they've never been rude- more like your drink may run empty until you request more), but the food is top-notch! They tend to have a large lunch crowd, so the food is constantly turning over and you will see several different workers checking on the status of the food while you're there. When a dish starts to get low- it will be refilled quickly. They have a wonderful large assortment of vegetarian, beef, chicken, pork, and seafood dishes. Sushi is an option, as well as the hibachi in the middle section, where you make your own plate. There are also several non-Chinese options. The food that is supposed to be spicy: Hot & sour soup, General Tso chicken, usually have a nice kick to it! I love spice, but occasionally it will be too much for my co-workers. Quite frankly- I'm very surprised by the low reviews on here- because I've always thought the food and atmosphere were great! (Koi pond at the entrance? Awesome!)
(4)Konstantin S.
Service is good, but food is the worst in the area Rotten lemons and vegetables. Not fresh fish. Cold tasteless grilled chicken.
(2)Gail K.
This is one of my favorite Chinese buffets in the area. The buffet has a nice selection, and there is a hibachi grill in the center along with the sushi offerings. So far nothing i have tried has disappointed me!
(5)Sheena D.
One of the better Chinese buffets in Northern Kentucky. Plenty to choose from during the lunch hours and taste and temperature have always been good. Sushi is available, but its buffet sushi - so don't expect much. Their crab rangoon is one of the best items on the buffet. The service is good. I went there with a group of 15. I had one coupon for a couple dollars off of the lunch buffet and they honored the coupon for the entire group. This is one of my top picks for a chinese lunch buffet.
(3)John R.
Great buffet. Food is good. Price is right.
(5)Cody P.
The BEST Chinese buffet in the N. Ky area, hands down! I have been to them all as I love Chinese food. This place is the cleanest and freshest of them all and has the largest variety of food of any of them. They have a Mongolian grill in the center as well along with a regular, full salad bar. They usually have crab legs and boiled shrimp also. Their food is the BEST!
(4)Evelyn c.
Great food I like the service is clean , is expensive , but is fresh.
(4)Mike W.
Every time I come to this place, the Imperial March plays in my head. Chinese buffets are very hit or miss for me. Either I come home with a belly full of happiness, or bowels full of sadness. I'm not sure where to put Empire on this scale as they are remarkably inconsistent. I've had many good meals at Empire. I've also had many bad ones. On a good day, their food is quite good. Not the best Chinese buffet out there, but quite tasty. They have a larger than normal salad/fruit bar, which I think makes their standard fare slightly lacking. However they have most of the staples you'd expect, along with a few distinctly American dishes thrown in for flavor. They also certainly win in the decor, as Empire looks like a fancier place than it is. The fish pond in the lobby is a nice touch. Perhaps I'm an unlucky chap, but Empire has also shown me a bad time. My biggest complaint is that the rice is undercooked. This has not been a once in a lifetime fluke, on three separate occasions I've gotten steamed rice that was hard as a rock. My solution was to switch to fried, or vice versa. Still annoying. The heat lamps also seem to be underpowered, as their food is cold unless brought out fresh. I find that at Empire, I have to limit my selection. And while certainly not the fault of Empire, they've had their fair share of rude patrons. Twice now, I've been at Empire where one of the other diners have caused a scene by yelling at the waitress/waiter. I don't want to dock them points for a bunch of jackasses, but it's certainly made dinner a bit awkward. So, I'm on the fence. Give Empire's roulette wheel a spin, you may come up big - or go home unhappy.
(3)