Coming for lunch as soon as the open is absolutely the best time to come. Everything is fresh and plentiful. Very delicious. Prices are average. The service is great. The place inside is clean and modern. The outside on the other hand has a lot of garbage that has blown over from the grocery store's dumpsters near by. Other than that this place is a great Chinese buffet and worth the money. read more

See all

Many of the hot items were very greasy. I had not been there in a few years and I was very disappointed. Not what it used to be. Plenty to choose from but not good quality. read more

Food could be hotter. Variety is good and price is a bit high. Clean place and plenty of seating.

Always good and hot, clean and sushi is plentiful. Seating is comfortable and lighting is good. Service is excellent! read more

See all

Food was old and dry. A couple items were good but the majority was old and they didn't close for another hour. The grill also didn't use any sauce at all. Place looked cool for the most part. For $20 a person we won't be back sorry. read more

What is there to say. You get what you pay for. So many different things to try. Everything from coconut shrimp to fried squid, pizza, stir fry, steak and so much more. If you leave hungry from here it's your fault that you're picking or didn't get enough food. read more

Friendly staff. The food...wow. i got there 30 minutes after it opened and boy was i surprised. I'd be willing to bet 95% of the food was leftover from the night before. Everything was luke warm. The white rice was definitely from the prior day and onmy had the bottom 1/5th left. There were maybe 20 patrons in the restaurant and only 3 had white rice. Bad. read more

In my grad school days at ISU, Imperial Buffet was probably my favorite place on earth. Fast forward 20 years and I come back to Normal for my daughter's gymnastics competition. We were already sitting in Monical's, waiting for our pizza to arrive (because it was during final four so pub 2 was too busy to sit with my kids), when I saw that Imperial Buffet still existed. I asked to have the pizza packed up and I told my family we were going on a culinary adventure. I don't think either of my preteen kids have ever seen a buffet to be honest. Well, let's just say, my daughter only ate soft serve ice cream, but all three flavors. I ate everything and nothing was as fantastic as I remember it being. I probably skipped through that line twice. My excitement was next level. Crawfish were kinda bland. Everything was just sort of warm, not fresh or hot by any means. Presentation was pretty awful. Bad signage. Sadly, I think I'm probably good for another 20 year hiatus on Imperial, but it is still maybe the best value in town. read more

When we pulled into the parking lot, it appeared packed with vehicles. That's always a good sign. They have the largest selection of food that I have seen at a buffet. You can eat healthy at this place, because they even have a salad bar. The cost for two seniors on a Sunday afternoon was $40. My nephew said that's his daughter's favorite place to eat. read more

The food quality was very poor, cold, and old. The customer service was very poor and the older lady who takes 'care' of tickets was disrespectful. When I tried to explain my dissatisfaction with the food she was extremely dismissive and short, not taking into account that I was a paying customer. read more

I stopped in Bloomington on my way back from St. Louis to have lunch with my cousin. She picked Imperial because she said the food was amazing. Honestly, I'm not a fan of buffets, but I didn't argue with her. I wanted to try something new rather than going to a well-known chain restaurant anyway, so I chose to keep an open mind. We walked in, and he hostess greeted us immediately. We were seated and went right for the buffet. I wasn't that crazy about the food selections, but I opted for the salad, dinner rolls, and Chinese food. I also tried the ribs, green beans, and potatoes. The salad was good, but it's hard to mess that up. The Chinese food was okay. It was greasy, but the meat seemed to be good quality, and the veggies were fresh. I liked the beef/chicken with broccoli, but I thought the general tso's chicken was gross. The brown fried rice had no flavor whatsoever. The ribs were tender, and the green beans were decent. I had an ice cream cup, too, and one of the Chinese almond cookies. The cookie was a bit soggy if that makes sense. It wasn't as hard as it should have been, and the ice cream was okay. Overall, I thought the food was mediocre. My cousin said the restaurant was better than anything in Chicago, but I can 100% say that was a lie. I think she's been gone from the city so long that she just doesn't recall how amazing food in the city tastes!! Our waitress was nice, though, and she genuinely seemed surprised that we tipped her. That was kinda cute and sad at the same time. All the other staff members we encountered were pleasant as well. read more

I am personally not a Dan of buffet food. What I ate was just okay. The restaurant was clean, and the food was hot.

We were hoping for a better experience as the food was sitting for quite a long time and some of the things we tried weren't even hot. We will not return. read more

Absolute garbage, nothing was edible. Obviously no care or concern for quality in their food preparation. Go and buy yourself some dog food, youll be better off. read more

Been coming here for a long time & unfortunately it has progressively gotten worse, sadly. The food was not fresh, selection not what it use to be either and then they expect a tip? For the price you pay...nope I will not be returning. I sure miss all the good buffets we had when I was growing up. read more

Outstanding! Incredible Selection! No way to sample everything! The Very Best Chinese Buffett I've ever been to. read more

Imperial Buffet - the interior of a restaurant - Buffets Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Best Chinese buffet in the Midwest. They also have a lot of authentic Chinese food. This buffet often features seafood like shrimp and has sushi as well. Other restaurants don't come close to how much food you get for how much you pay read more

It has changed hands since I met my siblings and yheir families their for a needed reunion where no one had to do all the work. Everyone found something they liked to eat as there was as magnitude of choices. There were around 20 of is and they dud an excellent job of giving us room and service. We've eaten there since they changed hands and it is s just as good and just as many choices, maybe more. I Recommend to try for sure and then make your own decision to come back. So many buffets have closed especially with covid but this one had all the clealiness and sanitation in place and did an excellent job. A family memory to never be forgotten made possible by a place that could accomadate us and ourv3 generations of taste choices. read more

There was so much oil in the food that I put napkins on the plate to soak up as much as possible so I could eat some of it. EVERY cooked item on the buffet was swimming in oil. The only steam buns offered were plain, uncovered, and very tough. Hot tea is by the cup and tasteless. Sushi is ok, but the ginger is watered down, and the Wasabi is no more than green colored horseradish, sigh. Desserts are also way below par and so disappointing. We love going out for Chinese food on Christmas, but this will definitely NOT be a place we return to. We suggest you take your money elsewhere. read more

Eat there when they opened even again after Covid and it's worse than ever . I didn't mind $19 for fresh tuna sushi fresh food in general . I waited a while to splurge. NO TUNA RUBBER NOT GLASS Noodles, POTSTICKERS 1/2 size coconut shrimp tiny shrimp clusters??? irs so disappointing I paid $23 for 4 pieces of avocado & rice with rusty tasting pop. SO SAD .... Will not return read more

Great price, nice service, and excellent selection!! Great American and Chinese fare. sushi. Hibachi.. I like the hot crab and cheese. Sesame Chicken. They have a tiny corner of scary food I'd never eat.. Frogs legs and cardboard looking pizza. read more

Take this with context. As far as Chinese buffets go, this one has all the important things:cleanliness, cleanliness, cleanliness. Food is pretty good and served hot. The sushi is as fresh as we would hope. If you're looking for NYC Dim Sum, amazing dumplings or Chinatown Chinese food, this won't make you happy. It is super American-traditional. Nothing bad, but nothing made me come running back for more. read more

Good food and plenty of options. The atmosphere seems a bit sterile, but keeps up with the theme. Plentiful seating.

Went there for lunch on a Friday. The parking lot was fairly crowded. Fortunately the dining areas are large so there was no wait to be seated. The interior itself looks like it would have been lovely in the 90s when i estimate it was built. It could definitely use some TLC to make it less "worn" but it seemed clean at least. The lunch price is $9.99 per person. They have a huge selection. Salads, sides, traditional Chinese food, soups, pizza, sushi, garlic bread, a Mongolian BBQ grill, desserts including scoop your own ice cream. Really a lot to choose from. In general, the food was average tasting or bland. My favorites were the peel & eat shrimp and crab Rangoon (heavy on the cream cheese, no noticeable crab). The fried rice was the only thing I took but couldn't eat. It was just too bland and sticky. The server was great. He kept the drinks filled (Pepsi products) and took the empty plates away very promptly. I say it's a great option if you are in the mood for a lot of food and atmosphere and quality are secondary. read more

The ambiance is nice, but the service and food do not match the appearance of the restaurant. Not posting photos since everything looks amazing, photos would be deceiving. They have Asian, American, and Italian food, but none of it is anything spectacular. The best thing was a small piece of cheesecake that most likely wasn't made there. In terms of service, we did not have a waiter that checked on us regularly removing plates and getting refills. This is an overpriced buffet. read more

All of the food was warm and tasted great! So many different options and a lot of new things to try. Definitely will go again and i recommend going if you have a broad taste pallet. Super reasonable price too! :) read more

Imperial Buffet - Pork potstickers, Lo Mein, popcorn shrimp, Chicken Teriyaki, dinner roll, sugar bread - Buffets Near Me - Normal, Illinois

Went last night for our mother's 96th birthday. The food was horrible, the stuffed mushrooms was hard as a brick, the salmon was cold. I will definitely never go back there and would not Recommend this place to anyone. read more

Food was not good today EVERYTHING WE TASTED WAS COLD! Customer service HORRIBLE they pretty ignored the fact we didn't eat and food was cold!!! So decided to try the grill stir fry since it made hot and ready.Also it was 11:00 when they first opened bill was $41 NO DISCOUNT OR APOLOGIES FOR COLD FOOD.Will not be visiting this restaurant again!! read more

Always happy with the food here, came straight up 1 o clock lunch rush and they were great about refilling everything. All hot and good

One of the best Chinese places to eat in town, and it's a buffet. I'm sold! I do enjoy coming here most Chinese places in town aren't good. There's quite a spread out, I've never had a problem with not enough food out. If you have an issue with COVID, a buffet is probably not the best for you. Sushi isn't bad. If they offered to go rolls with tuna, salmon, yellowtail, etc I'd happily pick them up. Beats that Anju above place at a fraction of the cost. read more

I really like the food alot because it is really delicious and the people are really nice and the prices are good

I'm impressed. It's very elegant dining for being a buffet. The swirling around various goods and the nice dessert table, well doggie what a spread! I am in Bloomington for a few days and wanted to have a buffet style dinner, I was so glad that I stopped by this location. It is expansive, maybe cause its a College town and they have to accommodate so many students. But regardless, it is big and beautiful with its ornate items of Japan or China, regardless its beautiful. Although in the beginning the young lady didn't understand that I didn't want to be so far away from the main dining area and that I wanted to move, she still couldn't get it so I ended moving on my own and let the waitress know. She said it was not a problem. The spread that they offer is exceptional and very well maintained, as they are always replenishing the food so that no one can mention that they ran out of a certain dish. I would highly recommend this spot and will return on my next trip indeed. read more

Imperial Buffet - Night shot. - Buffets Near Me - Normal, Illinois

See all

Restaurant review I wish Champaign could get as much buffet restaurants as Bloomington normal. Unlike our dirty Chinatown buffet this place puts it to shame. There's so much different selection here that you have to see it with your own eyes. Asian foods ranging from chicken to fish and beef. I feel that I can't do it service by describing the type of food here. It is still buffet foods that will raise your expectations too high it just that the selection is immense and the restaurant appears to be very clean. I did try the sushi and it's a little bit better than Chinatown buffet but still very below-average quality. Else have ample amounts of desserts. I don't remember the price but it is relatively inexpensive. If I lived here I would try this place for dinner as the pictures show multiple types of seafood dishes Pros: AYCE restaurant, clean, friendly service Cons: Buffet quality type seafood Hidden deals: Unknown Health code rating: B. It looked cleaner than the restaurants here in Champaign. read more

Imperial Buffet - Majestic view of the buffet - Buffets Near Me - Normal, Illinois

My husband and I had dinner there last night, even though I told him we shouldn't. Unfortunately, he got food poisoning. He was sick all night and has been sick most of the day. Imperial Management, please make sure your food is fresh. This is not the first time this happens to us. We will defined NOT be returning. read more

Great food and service. I was not disappointed in the quality or taste of all the numerous dishes. The place was clean and servers very attentive. There is a large variety to fit anyone's pallet. read more

Foods alright but for $15 all you can eat is one helluva deal! Selection is great too, when in doubt just eat all the sushi. Also they have a hibachi grill. I recommend coming here after a morning workout and you will leave satisfied! read more

Great food great service fresh food on the bar clean , soft music in the background , nice restrooms will be back

The food is acceptable but the service was not good . The old lady kept asking me if i was done and rushing me . Then i hear Her and some coworker asking if my boyfriend and i paid yet ... as we are still eating . I thought about tipping but that made me not want to and she got mad at that too . The crab rangoon's were not good either ! read more

It is looking a little worn out. The pond out front full of trash. Food is good and pretty tasty but many items are "made for the masses" #bland. Prices is reasonable. And I will probably return sometime. read more

Dont eat here unless you're cool with eating bugs, found a bug in my food. When I told them they just took 2$ off my bill