United Buffet

This place is an absolute disgrace and should've been condemned yesterday. The food? Cold, rubbery,…read moreand tasted like it had been nuked in a microwave from 1992. Calling it a meal would be an insult to actual food. The sweet tea? A sad, watered-down mess that clearly gave up on life halfway through being poured. Let's talk about the black mold--yes, black mold--on the ceilings and in the women's restroom. That's not just gross, it's a full-blown health hazard. The entire building feels like it hasn't seen a cleaning crew--or basic maintenance--since the early 2000s. The windows are caked in filth, and the air has that special "what died in here?" aroma. We were charged $140 for six people to sit in what felt like a biohazard zone and nibble on food so repulsive it should be illegal to serve. We left after 10 minutes because honestly, it felt like our immune systems were under attack just being there. My sister started having stomach pains within five minutes of leaving. I'm not saying the food caused it--but I'm also not not saying that. This place needs to be shut down, fumigated, and bulldozed. I will absolutely be calling the town, the health department, and anyone else who will listen. Do everyone a favor and close this dump before someone ends up in the hospital.

I don't say this often but don't come here. My Dad wanted to come here for lunch while we were out…read morerunning errands. It was dead, which is always a concern and the food on the buffet was all cold or luke warm. I could tell certain things weren't fresh, like it was turning but they cooked it anyway sort of idea. I'm honestly surprised that we didn't get sick.

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A Taste of Guyana Roti Shop & Bakery

3.9(17 reviews)

0.8 mi

Second time around!…read more Food/Drink: Entrees we're amazing, everything tasted fantastic. The flavors and the smells were intoxicating! I had the Dahl pouri, and curry goat. Bread and Apps: The roti mmmm mmmm! Dinning Area: Pretty Small, and cramped. A little drafty. Prices: Relatively cheap. 2 Roti, goat and chicken w rice, and a couple of drinks I got away for $44. Parking: Plenty of space, private lot. Bathrooms: Bathrooms were clean and smaller in size. Atmosphere: During the weekday Dinner rush, pretty slow, I did not wait long. Staff/Attendants: Not very talkative. Nice and quick. Awesome experience wish my wife and I had our anniversary dinner here, I will be back! 8/10

I was craving West Indian food and was happy that I found this spot since they had such good…read morereviews. However, when I got there, the prices immediately threw me off. A fried rice with jerk chicken cost $16, which is ridiculously high, especially since I'm coming from Queens. But, I figured that the food was probably THAT good and let it go. As I ran through the menu while on the phone with my mom, the employees kept looking at each other and then at me. When I asked about cookup rice, I received a subtle attitude and saw the workers exchange looks yet again. Needless to say, the stares and attitude I received immediately threw me off as I would have purchased regardless of the price. However, I left without purchasing anything and will definitely not return there. Some advice: Don't give your customers dirty stares and exchange looks with your coworkers IN FRONT OF the customers.

Pineapple soda

Goat Curry

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Roti

Albany Buffet

3.1(37 reviews)

7.0 mi

Friend selected this place for a quick lunch because it was…read moreon Wolf Rd. and opened at 11:00 am. I had my doubts which turned out to be valid. Chinese buffet with some regular food offerings such as baked Salmon and mashed potatoes. Several beverages come with buffet. Chinese items: 2 Stars There were several Chinese dishes with chicken. I sampled five, all of which were poor to mediocre. Chicken was tough, overcooked/fried. Vegetables were scarce. Hot and sour soup had fresh mushroom slices but little tofu; it was not hot in temp. Pork Egg Roll was good. Sushi was 4 stars. There were six kinds. No signs to identify. The accompanying Seaweed Salad was excellent. A bowl of pickled ginger was available. Yum. Salmon and mashed potatoes were good. Did not try stir-fry or pizza. Desserts were poor. Fresh watermelon slices were old and DRY. What? Pineapple was fresh. Also had boring red and green jello, Banana Pudding, and dry almond cookies. Whole bananas with drizzle of ? pink sauce was not appetizing. Lunch was $13.99 plus. Not a value to me since I did not enjoy my lunch.

The overall food quality and value is about a 3.5 but I rounded up because service was good. The…read morebuffet was well stocked, food was fresh/warm, variety was decent, and it was very clean. Every time they filled the buffet they wiped down the counter and as soon as someone left they swept under the tables. Some of the staff weren't overly friendly but I attribute it to a language barrier. The food was better than I expected but I don't think it's quite as good as ordering takeout from other places. The only disappointment was they didn't have boneless spare ribs (the one thing that I wanted) but maybe they rotate dishes. Notable items include: beef & broccoli, chicken in garlic sauce, sesame chicken, pork egg roll, dumpling, stuffed mushrooms, chicken wings, and clams in garlic butter. Items to skip: stuffed clam, vegetable lo mein, sweet & sour chicken, and fried donut (needed more powdered sugar). Beware: some of the items may be mis-marked. I tried one of the "chicken nuggets" that definitely had the texture and taste of whitefish.

Simply gorgeous

Pizza and crawfish

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Only sushi bar buffet I've seen this fresh !

Spice Malabar

4.6(120 reviews)

8.6 mi

I frequent this place regularly and they are still five star in my book…read more They consistently deliver on fresh authentic flavors along with great service and the ambiance here is just so zen. Go here to satisfy your craving for Indian food, whether you like mild to spicy flavors!

We love this place. Fantastic Indian fare with a nice variety of choices and a full bar. My…read morecoworkers from India swear it's the most authentic Indian restaurant in the Capital Region. Service is very friendly and efficient. Reservations are highly recommended as seating for walk-ins is very limited. Ambiance is casual classy with some nice cultural murals on the walls.

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Umi Sushi & Seafood Buffet

3.2(71 reviews)

6.1 mi

•$$$

I've been here twice now, and both visits were excellent! The selection is huge, with something for…read moreeveryone. The sushi was fresh, the seafood was delicious, and I loved having so many different options to choose from. Everything was well stocked, and the restaurant was clean and inviting. The staff was friendly and attentive, making sure our table was cleared and drinks were refilled throughout the meal. Even though it can get busy, the service never felt rushed. If you're looking for a place with great variety, fresh food, and a fun all-you-can-eat experience, I definitely recommend UMI. I'll absolutely be coming back again the next time I'm in Albany!

This is a tough one. Several of the other detailed reviews about the food were on target, so I…read morewon't repeat what has already been written. Instead, here are my Pros and Cons: Pros There is a wide variety of seafood, the likes of what I have never seen before at a buffet (not that I do many but ...). Snails, abalone, whole fish, crab legs, stone crabs (small), crab backs, whole baby octopus, oysters (raw and cooked, fresh), squid, and shrimp offered in a variety of ways. The problem with the crabs is that they only give you a cracker; they don't provide you with a proper tool (pick) to remove the meat from the shell, and the crabs are frozen and overcooked, so it's difficult to remove the meat. Also, what they offer as "butter" tastes like old cooking oil. Ugh. Frustrating. There are also frogs legs (interesting), chicken, pork and short ribs. Plus some veggies. Something for everyone. Cons The ladies room was dirty. Really dirty. See photo of hair on counter next to sink. The sushi offerings were a series of mostly empty serving dishes of dry pieces. I love sushi and this was a real turn off. Then there was the live fly in the pudding (photo). Disgusting. The waitress was very apologetic and took 10% off our bill but I was not keen on eating anything else after that. The service was fair. Wait staff standing around chatting. Could have been a bit more attentive removing used plates. The take away is this ... would I go back? Yes, I always give a place a second change to redeem themselves. And since several people left good reviews about the hot pot, I would try that (it would be a first). But I would go there when they first open and the food is fresh and only if I was in the area.

Dining area with buffet behind the divider.

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Great Indian Kitchen Restaurant and Bar

4.5(192 reviews)

7.5 mi

I come to this restaurant regularly, and over time, I've seen the lunch buffet improve…read moreconsiderably. Today, I came on a Saturday for the first time, to try their weekend buffet. It's a bit more, currently at $21.50, but it's definitely worth it. The entire buffet area is filled with numerous meat and vegetable dishes, including several types of chicken (including the all-important tikka masala (really good)), fish, and goat. A small side table contained a cold drink and hot masala chai. There were FOUR desserts available today, one of which was one I'd not seen there before, a coconut mousse. Service and friendliness remains top-notch here too. The commitment they've made to the quality of food you get here shows.

Pretty solid Indian takeaway. The chicken itself was cut into strips which wasn't the best form…read morefactor but the Makhani was delicious. The naan was okay, I had gotten the cheese naan which didn't have much cheese and wasn't melted at all so that was a bit of a letdown. All in all a good place for scratching the itch of wanting some Indian cuisine in the area. Would definitely like to check out the restaurant proper as opposed to ordering it delivered.

Dining area

Veg Biryani

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Gobi Bezule

Shalimar Garden Restaurant

3.9(148 reviews)

8.9 mi

I've wanted to try Shalimar Garden as I've heard how authentic their Indian food is. I stopped in…read morefor lunch and gave it a try. When you first walk in you're greeted by friendly staff and your drink order is taken. You're then invited to partake in their lunch buffet. The selection seemed somewhat decent. I thought that the flavors were good but it was hard to tell one dish from another as they all tasted very similar. Also, the heated dishes were not all very hot in temperature. Some were barely lukewarm which was not the best whilst other dishes were perfectly hot. They were also out of a few items at the buffet. However I am guessing that they put their dishes out in small batches to keep it good. As I looked around, it felt like a very basic and earthy looking indoor dining space. It seemed tidy but maybe a bit tired looking. Unfortunately this place missed the mark for me. I was a bit underwhelmed by their lunch options.

Every time I've come by I've been disappointed. How do you make vindaloo flavorless?…read more Do yourself a favor and stop by Caravali or Dosa Grill instead.

Buffet

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Shalimar Gardens

Spicy Mint Albany

3.7(181 reviews)

7.3 mi

Service is decent. It has improved a lot over the past few years. The food is where it shines…read morethough. Best in the capital region for Indian cuisine imo

I came mid week with a friend for a lunch buffet. This restaurant is located deep in the corner of…read morea strip mall. It has a small dining area, a nice spread on the buffet, clean restrooms, and friendly staff. Before being seated, we were asked whether we wanted any sodas, juice, water, or hot tea. I ate the chicken biryani, tandoori chicken, and curry goat. Everything was absolutely delicious and well seasoned, but not spicy. Tandoori chicken is probably one of my favorite things to get at an Indian buffet. Unfortunately, the pieces that I grabbed were on the drier side, but they were still tasty. I didn't see any Naan on the buffet. Overall, this was a nice experience and reasonably priced. I would return in the future.

Things to do in Schenectady

Puri, chana and various chutney.

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Rice and tandori

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12 reviews that are not currently recommended

The reviews below are not factored into the business's overall star rating.

Thomas N.

Elite 23

336

168

95

8 years ago

I know, I know, it's a buffet so what do you expect? However, I feel even buffett food can be decent, especially when there are so many in an area, you should be competitive and up your game. United Buffet, however fails at that. Jughead and I stopped in there on Saturday at approximately 1:00 P.M., and I noticed the parking lot was packed, as well as the restaurant. The waitstaff was pleasant, and greated us promptly and sat us at a booth in the back. The layout for the buffet area is packed, there is not a lot of room to maneuver around in there, especially when everyone seems to be wandering aimlessly with plates of hot food in their hand. I usually start off with sushi, and I know, sushi from a buffet, you are asking for trouble, however there ARE some buffets that offer decent sushi. Well, United Buffet is NOT one of them. Their selection was pitiful, just your basic rolls, and they didn't even look that appetizing. The sushi area, like most buffets are attached to the Mongolian Grill area, which looked great, but there were no bowls to place ingredients in even if you wanted to be adventurous. Well, back to the normal buffet cuisine, there was area that had nothing but fried foods, wings, egg rolls, spring rolls, french fries, fried zucchini, crab rangoon and such. The fried zucchini was cut WAY to thick (about a quarter inch) which left it mushy, and I have NO IDEA what was in the middle of the spring roll, but it wasn't good. Onto the "entree" area, I grabbed my usual mystery chicken parts on a skewer, stuffed mushrooms, pepper chicken, chicken and broccoli and pepper steak. None of it was great, all of it was basically kind of bland. I decided to go for some of their desserts, they have soft serve, which I always like, but their dishes are extremely small, and there is a "line" that goes into the other areas so you don't know who is in what line for what. Their other cakes and cookies, which seem like there are plenty of, were decent, but could have come from an Italian Bakery in the area. Jughead did notice an oddity on the "menu" scrambled eggs, bacon and french toast. This is the first time i have ever seen this offered at a "Chinese" buffet, and from the looks of it, I think I know why. So, it will be our regular Chinese buffets from here on out (Dragon Buffet, Capital Buffet or my favorite little on in Delmar Yan's). If you are in the mood for Chinese buffet, skip this place. read more

Laura L.

0

17

1

2 months ago

This is my third time dining at this establishment. Being totally pleased with the selections and service, I would normally say I'd be back again, but after seeing the condition of the ladies' bathroom, I'll never set foot in there again. Had I gone in there before my meal, I would have left. It was filthy. The mirror was taped up to the wall with either duct tape or wide electrical tape and the stall had nasty papers spilling out of a waste basket next to the toilet. Disgusting. read more

Gabriel D.

0

3

1

11 years ago

This place sucks, the people there are the most racist people ever. The hibachi lady throws your food everywhere and have a really bad attitude. The food sucks, always old food there replacing. Never anything fresh. Chicken are old and taste bad. Don't waste your time or money. They always come by to pick up the plates even if your not done. When your sitting there enjoying your food, they bring fortune cookie along with the bill to kick you out. NASTY PEOPLE WITH NASTY ATTITUDE. read more

Jim K.

0

1

0

5 years ago

There food is always hot and plenty full everything is clean and there always there to get your drinks food is great people that give them a bad review must not be in there right mind food is great read more

Christine S.

37

63

138

13 years ago

This one is OK, I like how big the place is and how big the salad bar is, pretty much average run of the mill, sushi for me is a no at this place. read more

Shane' T.

0

1

12 years ago

There food is so great there my favorite thing is the Hibachi it is so good you have to try it

Debra B.

3

6

16

12 years ago

We go here often for take-out. We love it and the people are always very friendly

Michelle C.

0

1

0

4 years ago

Terrible food in taste and quality. Definitely worst buffet in the capital region.

Jello L.

0

1

0

2 years ago

Service was almost unbearable and NOT ENOUGH JELLO !!!!! (っ)っ I need more jello

博仁

40

7

28

12 years ago

第一次來到這里吃東西。我本身也是廚師，這里的東西一般般，但是服务员非常友善尤其是apple 小姐，服务態度令人满足開心。

Kristy Y.

3

6

0

10 years ago

Great food and very nice people.

Jason O.

17

64

23

13 years ago

Great place for a great price.

United Buffet - buffets - Updated August 2026

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Super Buffet

3.0

(68 reviews)

-The food is very good if you can get it while it's fresh. If lunch starts at 11 or 1130 and you…read moreget there at 12:30 or one chances so you'll be eating some old food. -I enjoyed the dinners more so than the lunch

The food is exactly as you imagine. If you are choosing to go to a Chinese buffet, you know where…read moreto set that expectation. My only real issue is the ABSURD amount of times they will try and take your plate. Every 60 seconds, at minimum, someone will ask if you're done with that. Nothing says "please hurry up and leave" like asking if you're done 25 times in 15 min.

Hibachi House Buffet

3.1

(20 reviews)

Sushi chef does a nice job here. Restaurant is pleasant, I think the kids section is better than…read morethe adult only section, it has a nice big window. The salad bar is pretty stacked, the desserts are good, Not great but there is ice cream

The water is delicious. The service is great and so much to eat and the braces are awesome. I love…read morethis buffet.

Albany Buffet

3.1

(37 reviews)

Friend selected this place for a quick lunch because it was…read moreon Wolf Rd. and opened at 11:00 am. I had my doubts which turned out to be valid. Chinese buffet with some regular food offerings such as baked Salmon and mashed potatoes. Several beverages come with buffet. Chinese items: 2 Stars There were several Chinese dishes with chicken. I sampled five, all of which were poor to mediocre. Chicken was tough, overcooked/fried. Vegetables were scarce. Hot and sour soup had fresh mushroom slices but little tofu; it was not hot in temp. Pork Egg Roll was good. Sushi was 4 stars. There were six kinds. No signs to identify. The accompanying Seaweed Salad was excellent. A bowl of pickled ginger was available. Yum. Salmon and mashed potatoes were good. Did not try stir-fry or pizza. Desserts were poor. Fresh watermelon slices were old and DRY. What? Pineapple was fresh. Also had boring red and green jello, Banana Pudding, and dry almond cookies. Whole bananas with drizzle of ? pink sauce was not appetizing. Lunch was $13.99 plus. Not a value to me since I did not enjoy my lunch.

The overall food quality and value is about a 3.5 but I rounded up because service was good. The…read morebuffet was well stocked, food was fresh/warm, variety was decent, and it was very clean. Every time they filled the buffet they wiped down the counter and as soon as someone left they swept under the tables. Some of the staff weren't overly friendly but I attribute it to a language barrier. The food was better than I expected but I don't think it's quite as good as ordering takeout from other places. The only disappointment was they didn't have boneless spare ribs (the one thing that I wanted) but maybe they rotate dishes. Notable items include: beef & broccoli, chicken in garlic sauce, sesame chicken, pork egg roll, dumpling, stuffed mushrooms, chicken wings, and clams in garlic butter. Items to skip: stuffed clam, vegetable lo mein, sweet & sour chicken, and fried donut (needed more powdered sugar). Beware: some of the items may be mis-marked. I tried one of the "chicken nuggets" that definitely had the texture and taste of whitefish.

Express Buffet

3.5

(8 reviews)

The Express Buffet offers real food on a strip with many fast food fare so it is a nice…read morealternative. There are many options at this buffet. My daughter LOVED everything on her plate and cannot wait to return. I was more ambivalent. I really liked the collard greens, but I was not wowed by anything I ate. I also was not disappointed. I want to return to sample some of the other options. As for ambiance, it is a small cafeteria style buffet, so it is not fancy, nor does it need to be.

My review is a mixed bag of experiences. I've been here several times in past and the food is…read moregenerally quite good and plentiful for a buffet. A lunch price was offered separate from dinner, which covered weekends as well. If you prefer to take away, there was a cost per weight option where you select your food and pay. I was in on the weekend and found out that this establishment now requires you to pay for each plate of food before you eat. Effectively making this no longer an all you can eat buffet, unless you're planning to pay an exorbitant sum of money. Could the rates to dine in have been adjusted to reflect an increase in cost to make the food? Sure! I would fully understand that. The current decision will keep me away.

China Garden

3.7

(29 reviews)

I like this place they have very good vegetable fried rice and its well worth the price. They are…read morevery affordable in my opinion. They are always happy when I go here. They are pretty fast in my experience as well. I prefer this chinese food place over the subway and pizza place next to it any day. I rate this chinese food place 5 out of 5

Have yet to find a Chinese food restaurant better than this one here, let me tell you! They're…read morefast, the young lady at the counter is very nice, and the food is fantastic!

Golden Golden Bird Chinese Restaurant

3.4

(26 reviews)

Ordered two luncheon specials and a soup…read more Hot and Soup Soup -- 4 Stars Broth was a not as hot and spicy as I prefer, but it was flavorful. Soup had slivers of carrot, small pieces of Tofu, and bamboo shoots. Luncheon specials are $10.50 and come with Fried Rice and pork. Sesame Chicken was made with pieces of dark meat with fat attached. Served in a generous amount of sweet sauce. Few sesame seeds sprinkled on top. I have had much better and my favorites places have Sesame Chicken made with white meat. Chicken and Broccoli came with a brown sauce and I was expecting white. I did not ask so my error. Not much broccoli. Chicken was tender. Three stars for food. Five stars for prompt service and nice clean looking sitting area. My order was ready in 10 minutes.

We've been coming here for years and have generally had good experiences, which makes our recent…read morevisits especially disappointing. The last couple of takeout orders, including tonight's, have been very poor. Tonight's meal seemed unevenly reheated; some parts were still cold while others were scolding hot, and there were nearly uncooked sections with an unappetizing, gelatinous texture. It didn't feel freshly prepared. After roughly 10 years as loyal customers, this decline in quality is frustrating. Unfortunately, based on these recent experiences, we won't be returning.

Good Friends II

3.1

(12 reviews)

For many many years the food has been excellent and the service not bad at all, until yesterday. I…read moreoffered up some Chinese food to my aid and she said yes so she called in the order, on one of the orders I had the lo mein noodles, and on her order she had the pork fried rice . When we get it opened at home hers had just plain white rice. When calling the the restaurant back the guy was very combative no you got white rice, and he wouldn't even talk to her. Very rude. They need to go back to customer is always right? Apparently the owner of this place does not practice that. They need to be more polite to the public Also for some reason the food this day was just way over spicy? They've never done that before. Something was wrong with the kitchen.

Sucked. Rice was cold and hard. Lifted the whole clump in one shot. Was old. Egg roll was cold…read more General Tso's wasn't good either. Never again.

Jade Bistro

3.7

(176 reviews)

Great food. Great atmosphere and service. They do not skimp on portions of food. Staff very nice.read more

Can I give 10 stars??! Man oh man I am totally obsessed with this place. No wonder I'm a regular…read moreand this time I dragged my brother along. He said everything was so good it was almost too pretty to eat, but let's be real, we took the obligatory photos and then dug in. We pretty much licked the plates clean, from appetizers to dessert. Wu, the owner, is like a ninja, providing top-notch service, always refilling drinks and clearing plates. It's no wonder this place is always popping. And let's not forget how spotless this restaurant is, the staff and owners are like cleaning ninjas, always on top of it. So, guys and gals, you absolutely have to try this place, trust me, you won't regret it.

Amsterdam Diner

3.4

(52 reviews)

The food was ok. My chicken sandwich was great, but the rest of my table's orders were just ok. My…read moredad ended up being sick all night after his salad, but that could be the salad's fault - not the restaurant. Our server was a new kid and he was as nice as could be, but the sauces we asked for were either late (like after I finished) or never came. This family owned restaurant was a great find after our flight up.

Honestly not the worst but not the best. The server was on top of everything, place kinda smelled…read morelike old urine. Long wait time for food and check. The bun to meat ratio on the burger is kinda ridiculous and kinda just sat like a brick. $51 dollars for tasteless food, got charged almost 2 dollars for onion and 4 for cheese on a cheese burger. Will not be back.

Johnstown Peking Chinese Restaurant

3.9

(39 reviews)