Updating my previous review. I do recommend this place if you're a fan of buffets and if you want a variety of American and Chinese foods. However, the food is hit or miss and almost always on the cooler side. The tea is usually barely warm and I find the egg and spring rolls very mushy in the center. If you aren't expecting great food and just want to get full in a hurry this is your place. I do wish they had a rule about kids getting their own food though as i saw a child pick up a noodle off his plate and drop it back into the buffet. Ick. It seems pretty clean although the bathroom is freezing and they have no warm water and the service is very friendly. I know I'll be back because its a favorite of some of the family. read more

Was driving through New Hampshire and found Imperial Buffet. Service was friendly, the restaurant can use some updates, but the food wasn't bad and reasonably priced. Enjoyed the green beans and shrimp dishes, and the baked seafood with cheese was particularly excellent. Hot and sour soup was just okay. read more

Imperial Buffet & Lounge - Chinese Near Me - Claremont, New Hampshire

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Food hot and replenished when low. Good variety. Price reasonable and very clean. Waitresses attentive taking away dirty plates and refilling drinks. The only minor complaint is the sushi bar is clean and filled but none had labels especially for seafood. I'm highly allergic to seafood and it would have been nice to try but it was unattended to ask. On a good note they had seaweed salad which is a delight!!! read more

Imperial Buffet & Lounge - Buffet at its best! They change up the big spoons on buffet hourly! - Chinese Near Me - Claremont, New Hampshire

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Claremont imperial buffet has got to be my second favorite Chinese restaurant ever lol and I'm picky when it comes to my food it is a wonderful place to go with your family and my daughter loves the cooking there too and my daughter is also picky as well so you know that the food's gonna be really good atmosphere is very warm and kind read more

First off the chicken wrapped in bacon was literally raw in the middle, second off our waitress was horrible and so rude to me while being so kind to my friends. We were all mid bite and she came over forcing us to stop eating and pay right then and there, complimented both my friends while positioning her body away from me to make everyone notice. and also asked us about our bill only after 1 plate of food. This is my first time trying imperial and i was so excited to come here and now i never will return. Servers fix your attitude and treat everyone equally because i left feeling so upset wondering what i did to to be treated less than my friends. read more

When we started going there, the food was very good. Now not so much. I don't know what happened but not sure if I will be going back. I can only give it a 3&1/2 star! I have never eaten in the restaurant so can't say anything about the service or ambience. read more

always satisfied when I go here. Never any issue. Food is good, fresh. Staff is friendly. Bathrooms are always clean. read more

I've lived in the area my entire life and just went to the imperial yesterday. I was shocked at how expansive the buffet was and the food was really good! Chinese food can be just run of the mill, but this exceeded my expectations! They refilled everything at 7pm, which is when I'd think they would be winding down on a Sunday. The only small complaint was that my MIL got some roast beef but didn't see a knife anywhere to cut it into bite sizes at the table (this was from a self service carving station) she may have missed them which is extremely likely. They had individual cups of ice cream and sherbet and sushi. There were signs saying that both of these items were $1 each for takeout buffet, but included for dine in. Overall I was pleasantly surprised. I'm not sure why I never tried this for myself until now! read more

Great & huge buffet. Fresh items & replenished often. Loved ALL the food especially all the chicken dishes! General tso's chicken was amazing! Oddly, the mac and cheese was delicious. Wonton soup was hot and delicious with a bowl so you can add your own green onion which was a great thing as I love lots of it! Pork fried rice-wow! A couple reasonably priced Chardonnays perfect dinner. ALL the Servers were really sweet. $16.99 per person - a steal! read more

Lots & lots of pretend Chinese on their buffet - sort of like very bland, plain American foods with Chinese name tags. After trying over a dozen dishes all those had for spices was loads of onion, scallions, lots of sugar, and salt. Kind of seems like ginger, garlic, etc. must cost too much for these folks liking. As to the place itself: The place itself is quite presentable, clean & shiny, clean restroom & smiling staff who may even have 10 words of english. History: After moving to this area 12+ years ago & looking for such a place, I ran across many very negative reviews & even mention of a health dept. shutdown of this place so I never went there before. Re-checking reviews it seemed as if they'd gotten better - so I (reluctantly) tried it yesterday for lunch. My conclusion is that for thirteen dollars at lunch time I'm in no hurry to return there - especially since there is far more flavorful food to be had at a buffet in Lebanon, a bit farther away. read more

Out of all the restaurants in Claremont. This is no go for me. They expect tips. Especially when the only thing they serve u is a drink. Tips are a gift. Not required. Good service you get a tip. Food is ok. But nothing special. read more

Great price. Great food. Good service. No complaints. I'll definitely be back. Those donuts are fantastic.

My onion rings were cold, seat was ripped, Orbeez in my mashed potatoes. The waitress was caught staring at me through the glass and when i looked at her.. gone!! read more

Imperial Buffet & Lounge - Chat.. why is there an orbeez in my potato's.. There were multiple. - Chinese Near Me - Claremont, New Hampshire

I am overall happy with the Imperial! I visit frequently and of course the best time to go is lunchtime when everything is hot and fresh. They have a great selection and even have a fresh sushi bar! If you go late, don't expect everything to be fresh or even available. The staff are great, always friendly and attentive! read more

We have been going to this restaurant for about a year. It is an hour+ from our home. This trip was a disappointment. Service was great as always. 90% of the buffet was lukewarm. 28° outside and it felt like the a/c was on. read more

Post Covid. Food and service back to normal. No mask required. Inside seating. The trick is to go early when the food is freshest. Salad items always fresh. Lots of meat dishes and plenty of variety to choose from. No it is not the best Chinese food but it's inexpensive and the only buffet in town. Plenty of Keto friendly dishes to choose from. read more

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I come here if I need a quick and easy meal but I have some spare time the food is always good the bathrooms are always clean and the people can be a little pushy but that's fine over all I love coming here! read more

Food was delicious, but there were no knives! So it made it a little difficult to cut my food but I made it work. We'd go back again.

3 orders to go and ALL 3 of us got sick!!!! Would not recommend! Will never order from here again! read more

My friend and I came across Imperial Buffet, unexepectedly, while cruising through Claremont looking for somewhere to eat. It was 4pm, and they were just kicking off their dinner buffet. There must be 50+ items on the buffet...Mostly Chinese, but some fresh assorted, sushi, steamed classic, mussels in the shell baked with Newburg, and a wide assortment of spips, appetizers, chicken shrimp and pork dishes... . All the typical Chinese menu items and lots more. The devore was nice. The restaurant and serving areas were impeccably clean. The staff was friendly and diligently clearing plates as we dined. In all, it was a very tasty, fresh, nicely presented buffet offering. I'd return if I was in the area again read more

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Place is dirty, booths are ripped up and "fixed" with dust tape, rugs are stained. Waiters are rude and never listen. If you aren't there when the food is fresh then you get the worst food ever, worse than if a 5 year old cooked it, the desserts are probably the best source of food the have, even those arent the best. Bathrooms aren't too bad. read more

Came here on a Friday night around 7PM for drinks and food. Sat in the lounge area rather buffet. Lights, dance floor, and stage. Sarah, the bartender is kind! TVs we're on but we kindly asked if she could play some music and she connected her phone right away! Jukebox is no longer available, and the DJ doesn't arrive until 8:30/9 but we left before he even started playing music . Supposedly a lot of people go there to dance on the weekends since you won't really find a bar/club in Claremont NH. They don't have a drink menu but they have some options and pictures of cocktails/shots on the back of the bar wall. Food took a bit longer than expected to come out, but it was great! Had lots of left overs so we brought them home. Everyone sitting around the bar was nice and majority of them were from Vermont. Definitely a spot to check out if your in the mood to hang out, have some Chinese food, and drinks! If your with the family, go to the buffet area. Hope this helps! read more

My family was very hesitant to go to buffets again after the pandemic. We were in the area and were hungry so we said screw it let's try it. Now I used to go here a lot when I was like 9 or 10 but covid hit. I got the stuff that i usually minus a couple thing and adding a couple things. My only complaint is that the food is warm until you get to your table. It's warm when you pick it out but by the time you get to the it's cold. And the dumpling sometimes sit out to long which makes the dough tighten. Back to the food getting cold. It wouldn't be a problem if they had plate warmers. All and all we had a good experience and will come back. read more

Love this place, food very good and can also get takeout if you don't want to dine in.

Got takeout there once. It was dry as if it had been sitting on a buffet table all day long. I never went back and never will.

Came here because my girlfriends wanted to dance. All we got was terrible service from a very rude bartender, and creepy guys trying to harass us. Not planning on going back anytime soon. Bad experience all around. read more

Good food and amazing people that work that the buffet and lounge. I highly recommend this place to anyone.

I really wanted to love this place and tried it multiple times before figuring out what to write. As someone new to the Claremont area it's pretty clear that this buffet is liked by other locals as it's regularly packed and has a fairly significant presence in town. That being said, I was not a fan of the food here. Trying the buffet for both lunch and dinner on both busy and mostly empty days I noticed that the food was largely below average for a Chinese buffet some things I was afraid to try again because of the unfamiliar taste in comparison to many other Chinese buffets. The service is okay but even when it's not packed it's not really great, it takes a while to get seated, get the check, refills. etc. and the staff seem super rushed even on the slower days when only a few people are there. All in all, I don't think i'll return but I think that quality should be more of a focus as opposed to rushing people in and out for subpar food. There are not many options in the Claremont area for Chinese but it's worth traveling a bit for better food somewhere else. read more

Went to the Imperial today so glad to be back there .felt comfortable with the shields up between tables. Lots of sushi for me

Another Chinese buffet restaurant. The largest one in the area, Imperial offers the traditional Chinese & American dishes. $7.00 for lunch and $12 for dinner, Imperial offers over 50 different dishes, meat, veg, seafood, dim sum, soups, salads, sushi rolls, and a desserts. They have a lounge, that opens at 3:00pm and offers music & sometimes live entertainment. Today, at lunch was busy. So the food was fresh. Perhaps that is the upside to this place. one can also do takeout here. or order off a menu. read more

Large buffet with decent decor. However, every item I tried off the buffet was stone cold... not just room temperature, but stone cold. Just like it had come from the fridge. I would never recommend this place to anyone, nor will I eat there ever again. The health inspector should visit here, frequently. read more

Until most recently if you wanted chinese food you had to order outside through a window with a limited menu..there were picnic tables to eat there or you can take it home.now you can eat inside.sign in when entering unless you are getting it to go...full buffet , must wear a mask at buffet getting food..lots of choices, plus salad bar , desserts. Ice cream also a sushi bar... they have alcohol lic with mixed drinks / beer etc next door is a bar that has entertainment weekly ..prices are fair.lately their hours have changed closed on Mondays until further notice read more

The imperial is definite one of those one in a kind places. Unfortunately, it isn't in a good way. The imperial has two different establishment one one building. The first one is the buffet. As far as a Chinese buffet goes, the imperial is quite mediocre. However, it's reasonable price wise. The service is what you'd expect from a buffet. The lounge side of the imperial is...interesting. It's less of a lounge, but more of a bar with a stage and a dance floor. It's of the few bars in Claremont, NH. People affectionately refer to it as "the petting zoo" (use your imagination). Either way, it's an average bar and karaoke night is entertaining. read more

Really good food and great service, outside looks meh but the inside is neat and clean. The servers are super nice! Definitely a place to go with a group of friends. Not too expensive either!!! read more

Though the exterior is less than promising--missing signage, feels like an old bowling alley--it's like magic to step inside and find yourself in a black and gold wonderland. The buffet is no ten-item slop trench, but a nicely laid cornucopia of standards and surprises, with decent service and excellent prices. The mister's favorite was the "Tailand Chicken", a dark marinated chicken that reminded us more of duck. I enjoyed the skewered teriyaki chicken, not the sweet saucy teriyaki I hate but a light, dry marinated chicken that the hamkey liked as well. Of the stir-fry dishes, my favorite was the spicy chicken, and the mister's were the Zon (Zion?) chicken and the salt-and-pepper chicken. My hot and sour soup had a nice kick. Egg rolls and other fried items were pretty meh, and most of the food--even the soup--was lukewarm. But since it was around 2pm on a Saturday and the place had customers but wasn't packed, that's pretty understandable. The biggest surprise was the ice cream. Your choice of vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, coffee, and butter pecan, that you scoop yourself. The vanilla was okay but the strawberry and butter pecan were both "decent", according to the mister, the pickiest ice cream connoisseur in existence. Which translates to "damn good" for the rest of us. Bonus: if you're going to the Walmart next door, there's a secret driveway around the left side of the parking lot that lets you avoid the traffic lights. read more

The best Chinese ever! I've tried New York and San Francisco, and they're certainly more authentic, but less yummy! I've not tried ordering one thing here more than a few times - I really like to try a bunch of new things (or a bunch of new combinations of familiar things) from the buffet, which is just about big enough. There's a dessert aisle (I pretty much ignore it), an American section (ditto), seafood (ditto!) and the Chinese (zoiks!!). I love looking around at what other people are choosing, too - but in any case, everything seems to get eaten. The sushi can be hit or miss, but it's not a sushi place - there are other priorities that they focus on with great success. I hear rumors of a new sushi place opening down the street, actually - in the old Pizza Hut building. WOohoooo!! There's always an attendant checking the buffet, tables are cleared promptly, the waitstaff are conscientious and not too busy to check on you, and the food is great. Highly recommended. Oh! and the lounge! I don't hang out here much, but there's some kind of live entertainment most nights - karaoke, live bands...good mixed drinks, kind of dark, but cute little lights at each table...yeah, I don't know, but it's always pretty packed. You can get drinks at your table in the restaurant - I come here to eat!! read more

Went for the first time the food was cold and almost 13 dollars for cold food I'll never go there again

If you want Chinese then go out to this place a not bad place .that tries. Fresh food .

The best buffet I've ever eaten at,here in Claremont. I highly reccomend trying it, staff are friendly and the food is really good.

Tonight was swell. Food was all cold no tomatoes for salad, clean dishes had old food literally falling off the bottom of them when mt daughter picked one up, and I bit into a pork dumpling that was raw on the inside. When I informed the server she said "oh sorry", I then requested a manager who also responded with "Oh sorry". That was it, like no biggie. Well I informed them I would not be paying for a meal that was not cooked. It was my first bite of "hot food". They shouldn't be shocked if someone notifies the health inspector. I normally can barely tolerate this place but it was the request of my 7 year-old after soccer. The good thing about this is my daughter was horrified so I doubt she'll ask to go back. read more