GREat food. Loadssss of options. Service was Mehh but I came for the food and it did not disappoint. I would say come or the food was cold or just not up to the safe temperature. Ambiance is calm, cool and clean. We came on a Monday early afternoon read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

I was actually quite surprise about this place. With buffet it's either a hit or a miss. With this place, I quite liked it. I've driven by loads of time and seen it passing by. Can't even tell you the last time I've been to a buffet. Finally tried it out for lunch. They offer lunch from a certain time with a price that's totally worth it. Also, they offer prices for kids based on ages. And a discount for 65 and older. The place is just along the main strip along the boarder of Rancho Mirage and Cathedral City. Plenty of parking along the front with a few covered car port right in front. Right when you walk in, there's a little waiting area with arcades games. Something to do while you wait when it's busy. We stopped in for lunch which is until 3pm I believe. For the price, it was worth it. There was a good amount of people already when we walked in. Checked in with hostess and was seated right after. Like I mentioned, buffet tends to be a hit or a miss. Well, it was a nice start. Just browsing the rows of trays, there were loads of items to choose from. It's a Chinese buffet with loads of items. You have all your classic dish, orange chicken, beef broccoli, chow mein, egg rolls, sautéed green beans, and so on. A few fish options, chicken items, fried stations, soups, dim sum, sushi station, seafood, fruits, salad, as well as the Mongolian grill section where you create your own dish and its cooked right infront for you. Don't forget to tip the chef. Dessert station was limited but a few items. Lunch selections were decent and loads to choose from. Dinner, I assume there's other items added only for dinner. Probably more seafood I assume. For the price, it was worth it. Quality of food was good. Station was alway refilled every-time I went up to see what else was available. Service was great as the waiter in our section was constantly making sure that our drink was refilled. For the price for lunch, it was worth it. A good selection to choose from. May need to try dinner and compare to see which I prefer better. read more

See all

Wow, I did not expect the quality of the food was this good. The fresh oysters with lemon juice, seafood sauce with a touch of Tabasco was excellent and fresh. Hard to believe in this desert. Then all the prawn dishes, stir fried, specially the salt and pepper prawn! OMG! There's this dish called clams with black bean sauce. It's literally the freshest, firm clams that I have eaten for awhile. Of course, they have the regular one expects. I am Chinese from Malaysia, living in the States for 20 plus years. I used to live in San Gabriel area. Went with me was my Taiwanese coworker. We both were impressed. Anyway, It also nice to see quite a good crowd on Tuesday night, 元宵節。 Keep up the great work, guys! read more

We come here every time we're in the area, so like 2-3 times a year. Always hits the spot, but you have to like an Asian buffet to enjoy this place. If you like super market grade sushi, boa, assorted Chinese dishes along with pizza, fries and canned peaches, this is your place. People love the seafood boil and the shrimp, plated piled high, like you can't go back! Not my thing, but it must be good. Staff not friendly but not unfriendly, they are very efficient. Ambiance Chinese murals, lucky cat waving, FIFA banner in Spanish, chandeliers and claw machines read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Buffet food - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

See all

The food was okay, not great but okay. What surprised me was how absolutely gross the men's room was. Beyond filthy. I could hardly stand the smell and didn't want to touch anything. An old outhouse would have been better. I can't imagine a guy using those facilities and then going to the buffet and handling the spoon handles to serve up a plate. Unfortunately I had already eaten or I would never have stayed. I'm contacting the county health department. I can't see how this restaurant gets away with never cleaning a restroom. DO NOT EAT HERE. You risk getting very ill, I'm just happy I didn't get sick. One star is too good for this place. read more

Went at lunch they had a good variety of seafood,chicken &lots of veggies and desserts too very fresh.never had an empty plate left on the table.will be going back soon read more

Visited 6/12/2025 This is my second time visiting this Buffet. I'm impressed the large selection of hot and cold dishes to choose from. Something for everyone. Best time is shortly after opening as all is fresh. Very Large seating area and the staff is super friendly and attentive. This was my second visit but definitely won't be my last. read more

See all

Killer killer killer sushi brand new menu on their buffet. This buffet has stepped up so much over the last a few months And it's top notch, the best hidden secret of all of the desert. Also, it ranks southern california buffets from san diego to rancho cucamonga to all the casinos.Finally, this buffet is reaching top notch items. Okay, let's start with the sushi salmon sashimi. I see no difference on this salmon sashimi.Compared to newport beach salmon. Absolutely. super fatty, super fresh.And trust me, I smell every single bite and nothing but fresh fresh fresh. Pretty sure they buy the entire salmon fresh and cut it up. So also they spend a lot of money on super extra large premium blue crab.Salt and pepper, blue crab, the biggest freshest blue crab and firm meat i've ever had. Let's move on to the ribs.They have a char boiler, a flame char boiler in a back for their ribs.Oh my gosh so yummy. All their food is super hot temperature. Also, there's will New Orleans. Boil is really very authentic mud crabs. Big tender muscles. I go to every single buffet in southern california, and i give this a 8.4 for the price I give it a 9.0 ..... the crazy buffets in san diego that are forty dollars to sixty dollars.Well, sure, they give you snow crab legs and lobsters. But don't you have to spend fifty dollars in gas to get down there ??? Yeah, emperor's buffet has grown up tremendously. Very classy brand new floors, new tables, new window blinds that are super classy And clean. If anything don't judge the outside of the building. It's an amazing buffet now. read more

See all

I have a very sensitive stomach and food triggers me very easily. I decided to take a chance with this buffet and I had NO ISSUES what so ever. Great service! read more

If I'm ever in the area again, I'll definitely stop by to eat here. It's a small spot, but the price-to-quality ratio is just right -- and that matters. Most of the sushi and rolls are made with imitation crab meat, which might not be for everyone, but there are still some tasty options. As for the oysters -- honestly, they should probably be taken off the menu. They've never been great, and that hasn't changed. That said, you won't leave this place hungry. There's something here for everyone to enjoy. read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Oysters not recommended))) - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

On his way into Emperor Buffet in Rancho Mirage, your favorite Yelp correspondent was reminded of the famous quote by renowned general and Emperor Sun Tzu, who said "The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting." I was in the area accompanying my lifelong best friend and little brother by another mother, Mick, to go visit his parents, whose earthly remnants are enshrined at Desert Memorial. For a $17 luncheon price and a generous two-hour window, we set about the task of taming our ferocious appetites. Faves of mine included the spicy chicken, the grilled chicken, the cheese wontons and the chicken wings. My friend possesses a more adventurous palate than Yours Truly, so he also attacked the sushi, shrimp and crab dishes with his characteristic bonhomie. The dessert round was exemplary, where the Emperor demolished the rest of our appetites with an array of fresh fruits, pudding, chilled mango jello, soft serve ice cream cones and nonpareil sesame balls and rice pastries. The service is, well, serviceable. They typically remove your used plates with dispatch and are good about keeping your drinks topped off. The decor and layout of Emperor Buffet is average for its niche in the fast casual dining marketplace. The highlight of the decor is no doubt the gigantic chandelier positioned directly over the center of the dining stations, its luminous light gleaming. So, you ask, did Emperor Buffet succeed in defeating its enemy (our appetites) without fighting? For a midday lunch south of $19, tax included, sure. read more

See all

I was very disappointed with the buffet. The food did not look or taste fresh. The salad looked soggy, the string beans looked like they had been reheated multiple times, and the fries were stale. Overall, I did not enjoy the food and would not retur read more

Their prices are highway robbery $26.99??? Honestly ??? This is not a five star restaurant !!!

This place doesn't look like much on the outside. In fact, once you go inside, it's still a bit lackluster. The floors are faded, warped, and cracked. The tables are nothing special and it is a bit dated. Yet, the people are friendly and the place is clean. The service is with a smile and very fast. When you leave your table to get another plate of food, when you return the old plate magically disappears. Drinks are refilled kindly and the bill arrives without a stressful amount due. (Don't forget to tip) Now, the food is good. It's a bit random, so you need to look at each row carefully. There is apple pie by the fried shrimp, marshmallows with the salad stuff, and some other hidden surprises. The sushi area is good, as is the Mongolian bbq stuff. Tip them, in addition to your wait staff. So, good food, nice service, and an overall clean place to eat. I took off one star for the old feel of the place. But, that helps keep the fancy folk at bay. read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Yummy - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

See all

I was visiting my sister in Palm Springs for a few day to relax, one of my vacation spot..lol She recommended Emperor's which is a Chinese Buffet, we enter and were greeted then the hostess seated us and took our drink order. This place is huge with five selection each filled with all type's of food just to name a few, blue crab, oyster, lobster, crab legs, shrimp, chicken, beef, pork, vegetables, all type of fruits and desserts selection, plus a sparate area that has hibachi & sushi bar. The food was very good and tasty plus very authentic to me. All of the staff was very nice and friendly, I had a wonderful experience here read more

See all

I came here with my mom for an early dinner. This is really only the restaurant my family and I go to when I visit them. Everything is mediocre, but I would like to highlight that I really come for the crawfish. As for the rest of the selection there is variety and they typically bring out new hot foods every while. The server comes and picks up our plates whenever he saw any available to pick up which was great, he was very attentive with refilling my water. There was a lot of people when we had gone so it was nice that it was not crowded. There is plenty of seating and is quite clean. I also noticed that they had just raised their prices from $19 to $25 which is a bit steep for what their offering but I would continue to come back for the crawfish ! read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Crawfish ! - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

5/7/2026 Arrival 2:30pm Seated. Fairly busy. Food - hmmmm. Nothing that was supposed to be hot was - room temperature is more accurate. The Hibachi station ensured hot food. Don't expect to return - ever. read more

There was an incident that happened to me, and everyone came to my help, they helped me up. They brought me ice They were just so kind and caring and of course the food was delicious. The manager insisted on paying for my dinner. I am so grateful to the staff that helped me on Saturday and it was so busy and they still found the time to make sure I was OK, I i'm looking forward to going there again read more

Delicious over all but the restroom needed a lot of attention even tho I understand it was a busy Easter day.

I ate here 3 whole years ago. Wow! The food is absolutely outstanding!! I have talked to everyone I know about this place it is my ultimate favorite restaurant! If you are seeing this emperor buffet I love you. read more

The food is plentiful and good. Nothing is outstanding or even excellent. It's good. Service is good. Very crowded at lunchtime. read more

I come here at least once a month, it's a local favourite forsure! I think also the only asian buffet style restaurant left in this area. the restaurant is always super clean, service is always kind, quick service and great about clearing your table as you move onto new plates. I always start a bottle of cold cloudy sake (which by the way is like half the price compared to ordering the same bottle at any other restaurant, beers are like 5$ too.) for the table and go get my wonton soup cup, add some green onions and chili oil. They have miso, hot and sour and egg drop soup as well. After that I usually try getting some fruit or something lighter in the salad bar area before my main. My last visit they actually had fresh Rambutan which is amazing!! It's very similar to lychee, tastes the same in my opinion. It was so fun breaking the shells to grab the fresh fruit hidden inside. They have all of the classic offerings you'd expect, plus some American options like pizza and french fries, fried wings. Plus stuff you wouldn't expect like Steamed Sole, Crab boils, Sushi bar with a nearby chef making some fresh and a Teppenyaki chef ready to cook you something fresh at no extra cost! I would however highly recommend leaving a tip for their services. Teppenyaki is my go to. I make my plate of raw ingredients (I do egg noodles/steak and shrimp/jalapeno/onion/sprouts/cabbage/brocolli/ one egg/garlic/chili paste and chow mein sauce. 10000000 out of 10 and why I will always come back. Dessert is the cherry on top. Typical vanilla and chocolate soft serve ice cream, I like to crush up almond cookies and eat it like that. They also have plenty of mini pastries, pudding, cake. Something for everyone forsure. You won't leave hungry or disappointed, that I can assure you :) read more

See all

Good food, decent service. Great selection, only drawback is pretty hogh orices on weekends

Having coming to this restaurant for at least 15 years every time we're in the Palm springs area. We do not live nearby we come from Rialto. Have seen this restaurant go from great, to okay, now only borderline. This place you still have signature dishes, and now does not. The food that made it outstanding from other all you can eat Chinese buffets, are now long gone. Each time we come into town and we eat there another item is missing from the buffet. Just ate there last Sunday, and yet other items are missing from the last time we ate which was perhaps four months ago. It's about every 4 months we go. This time coconut shrimp was missing. Last time it was Egg Foo Young. We always ignored the marginal service, but I might as well mention it now. The waiters and waitresses are rather tip greedy. One time when we paid our ticket, the waitress brought it back after ringing it up and just stood at our table waiting, as we left no tip on the ticket and we're going to leave cash on the table. She was afraid we were going to leave without a tip. So when we did leave our tip, She snatched and went. Not a thank you, nothing. They have slightly remodeled within the last couple years and it's quite nice I'm not going to say it isn't. The new host and hostesses are much nicer than the old ones that used to work there too. It was a chunky older guy who's not there anymore and he was always rude. I can't really complain about the food that is on the line, as it always is brought out constantly and pans are always refilled and never cold. Most is tasty as well. But it's the cutting back on all the good stuff they used to have, while prices always go up a dollar or two, that is quite concerning. We'll have to keep it in mind next time we go down that way on whether to stop at this restaurant again or just wash our hands of it and go elsewhere. read more

They have a great selection of food, it's fresh and there wasn't a crazy waiting time for a Sunday afternoon. read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Seafood boil, fish, rambutan fruit, wood ear mushrooms, spinach, dill pickle from the salad bar. There's something for everyone. - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

The food was great. The service was good. The restaurant was full. The server kept on refilling our drinks unstop. The price wasn't too bad. read more

See all

The variety is all here. Of course the weekend and evening are better than the average day time weekday, and the price is increased but it's worth it. Never had any complaints about freshness. It's not top tier cuisine, but again - all the variety you could want and some pretty good recipes throughout the place too. read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

Back here after a year, we live 100 miles away. They HAVE THE BEST QUALITY of ANY Asian Buffet we have ever been to. I believe their food just gwtting better and better. Great prices still. Wish I had an extra stomach...lol!!! We'll be back ASAP! read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - A little of each things I love - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

See all

Actually a really good buffet with good food. They had stir fried lobster, seafood boil with crayfish, as well as the usual foods you'd expect at a Chinese buffet. Would go again. read more

When we have cravings to eat freshly cook noodles and steamed fish we come to this place. I like the fact that you can choose the proteins, seasonings and how much to use in your food and most of all lots of vegetables. It's a buffet style, but love the fact that they have a grilling section! The service is pretty good and they keep your table clean of dirty dishes. The ambiance, well it gets crowded so, we prefer to come as early as possible, and out of there by the time the crowds shows up. They have plenty of selections of food, but we're there for the freshly cook noodles and the sole steam fish !!! read more

I just love this place. I live in Michigan and visit the area quite often and coming here for lunch is always a must! I think all the food I've had is well prepared and very tasty. I know it's a buffet...but you get your drink quickly and your dirty dishes are cleared immediately when you get up to get more food!! I love the selection of sushi...there's a hibachi section that's fun! There's a great selection of different dishes...lots of fruit and salad and some desserts. A good wine selection, too. The place is clean and the price is right. read more

See all

It's a buffet with many options to choose from. They have a grill similar to magnolia bbq. That is the better option. Much of the food especially the rolls are very dry. Being a buffet you are your service. You are seated and the rest is you. They will bring your drinks but do not ask if you want a refill. Ambience needs some updating. My parents frequent here as it is something within their budget which is good for them. Not too impressed so no pictures. read more

Having lived in Los Angeles County and going to Orange County many times in my life, I have encountered some fantastic Asian buffets. When I first moved to the Coachella Valley there were only two Asian buffets. One of them has since closed. The Emperor's Buffet is the only one that still is in existence. There is nothing here that is a standout. There's a lot of food and many choices, but everything is just okay. The different food trays are refilled pretty often, but old food is mixed with new food. You can often tell the older food by the duller colors. There is an area where you can choose your own ingredients and they will do a quick stir fry for you but I've never tried this. I have a Chinese friend who mostly chooses this option, when he comes in. Next to this area is an area that has prepared sashimi and rolls. They are small bites of rolls and small pieces of fish. They don't have a smell and I have not yet gotten sick from eating them. On the steam tables you'll find the things that you typically would find on an Asian buffet, like noodles, fried rice, steamed rice, soups, steamed buns, dumplings, kung pao chicken, walnut shrimp, green beans, teriyaki chicken, but there are some American things as well like pizza. There is a salad bar area that has some unusual choices plus a bunch of different types of sauces and things you add to your food, like lemon slices, and hot sauces. There is a small desert area that has mostly frozen cakes, cookies, and jello. There is some cut up fruit. For some reason, I always get the strawberry glazed banana and the ambrosia fruit salad. On the back wall there an ice cream machine. This may be my favorite part of the restaurant There are wait staff who will come to the table and bring your drinks. They are pretty good about refilling them. They will bring you your check as soon as you ask for it. This is a pretty popular place so you'll oftentimes see large groups eating there. Prices aren't bad, but it isn't exactly cheap. Hungry? This is your place. Expecting quality? You'll be disappointed. read more

Well it might just be your regular Asian buffet, the place is clean, service is good, they keep the steam tables well stocked and have many choices. read more

Feed me when you want total variety and a quick lunch - go-to! Very casual simple dining but does the trick

SERVICE: SERVICE IS TERRIBLE AND THEY MAKE YOU FEEL SO UNCOMFORTABLE!!!! Servers HOUND YOU FOR TIPS in the most uncomfortable way!! Believe the SEVERAL other reviews you read about this! Would give 0 stars if I could! We recently dined here and how uncomfortable the servers made us feel is so disturbing! The server brought us the tab and stood over our table while we reviewed it & some of our party was STILL eating. Once we tried to hand it over with our card he asked us to mark a tip which was starting at $25 (fine no problem right) except he wasn't asking if we could tip he was saying we had to mark a tip! I then asked him "do you not take cash tips" and he responded "oh yes we do." And changed his tone. (Mind you by this point we were frustrated because we literally had to chase for their attention to refill our drinks since they kept walking past our table with zero acknowledgment, one of us didn't get our initial drink until 20 mins later whole time there were 2 ladies at the drinking station staring at us THE WHOLE TIME which was uncomfortable in itself! No one wants to be stared at while trying to eat. And I don't mean glancing at our table their eyes were full on locked on us) back to the tip situation. After asking the waiter "do you not take cash tips?" He stood over us staring at us to make sure we left a tip and reaching over us while we were trying to gather our children and belongings to reiterate some of us were still eating but the pressure and staring for a tip from the server made them so uncomfortable they stopped eating so we could leave! Típs are based on GOOD service and should not be demanded when WE have to chase you down for service and your staff make us feel uncomfortable! Mind you I dined here 6 months ago and another server charged at our table while I was taking my baby out of a high chair so I could clean up the high chair from the mess my baby made and the server rushed demanding "you need to pay, you need to pay!" as if I was looking to run out on the tab or something! The restaurant was crowded as she did that which was SO embarrassing!! I've worked customer service for years and NEVER would make a customer feel uncomfortable! My mistake was returning after my visit 6 months ago! Seems like the service hasn't changed! Tip to the managers as a manager myself: teach your servers better customer service. Hounding and hovering over customers to tip & pay their tab while trying to get situated is disturbing and BEYOND uncomfortable. Seems as if your servers profile certain customers that they might not pay their tab and that's ridiculous! By the looks of other reviews this is a common thing with your staff. FOOD: mediocre at best! 3 people in our party got so sick after dining here! For $30 a person I'd expect better customer service and food.... read more

Good fresh food. Lots of choices. Staff isn't that friendly & the bathrooms are scary dirty. read more

Literally the worst Chinese food ive ever had. If I don't contract food poisoning from the incredibly fishy shrimp, I'll be surprised.

It is what you would expect from a Chinese buffet. Very large selection, take as much as you want of standard ok food.

Large variety of foods! Nice buffet. I went on Mother's Day (it was a set price of $27.99). I really liked the pork steamed dumplings, shumai, fried bananas, fried shrimp. The Mongolian bbq was also very tasty. Since you can add what you want and its cooked to order, this turned out great! The service was particulalrly fast. The ambiance was a little hectic (but probably standard for an all-you-can-eat buffet). Noise leave was on par with a large restaurant. I'll definitely come back. Lots more to try! read more

Emperor Asian Buffet - Mixed plate (fried bananas, pork shumai, sesame balls, pork steamed dumpling, various desserts) - Chinese Near Me - Rancho Mirage, California

See all