Royal Buffet & Grill

Reviews

• M O.

  star star star star star_border 13 June 2026

  I took my 2 1/2 year old and 5 year old in order to expose them to Chinese food. I liked the idea that they would be able to see the food and pick out what appealed to them.
  
  Since this was a learning adventure, I also selected some foods they wouldn't have otherwise been drawn to. Good thing I did that, as the youngest one loved the pan fried dumplings. They didn't come with any sauce, but they were pretty decent. Neither kid cared for the honey chicken, which seemed too fatty and overly breaded. Flavor, good. Texture, meh.
  
  The fresh fruit was a big hit with my girls, as was the ice-cream portion of the buffet: chocolate, strawberry, mint chocolate chip and coconut. We ate our ice cream with macaroons that were sharing the billing with some other confections, which looked fun.
  
  Just for some perspective: this place probably had eight different buffet sections, as well as the raw bar and sushi bar. There is PLENTY to choose from, including a whole section of diner food: onion rings, chicken fingers, etc.
  
  I had sushi, which I wish would have been labeled, as I bit into a few mystery meats that seemed like a cheap substitute for quality grade raw fish.  Canned salmon, canned tuna, that type of thing. I'm sure they do it to keep prices down, which is fair. Just offering a little "buyer beware" for the sushi.
  
  There was a lot we didn't get to try, but we will definitely go back. It was a really kid-friendly place to be: glowing blue portions of the ceiling with twinkling stars; mammoth koi fish swimming around in a large pool near the entrance, and surprisingly clean bathrooms. Plus, if you go for lunch, Once Upon A Child (the consignment store) is in the same plaza, so you can hit it up before or after to round out a bargain outing with the kiddos.

• Bob M.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 12 June 2026

  Stopped in for lunch on Thursday and found the place quite crowded and thought it must be pretty good. Was nice to see they have a senior discounted price which was pretty much the crowd that was there. It was peak lunch time as well.
  Trying Chinese buffets is a hobby of mine as I'm always looking for the elusive excellent place to enjoy. Sadly this one isn't one of those. The only thing I found memorable was the pepper steak, meat had a good sear to it, and the Buffalo chicken wing, oddly enough for a Chinese restaurant. Everything else was pretty bland. They also offer sushi but you could hardly tell as there were only three dishes on the buffet. Couple next to me waited about a half hour for them to come out with new items so things were pretty slow. Same with the buffet bars. There were a number of empty sections when I first arrived and they slowly got refilled. They seemed to almost have as many dessert and salad items as they did meal selections and the number of regular items seemed to equal the Chinese selections.
  Won't be going back again but will keep searching for that great Chinese buffet that ticks all the boxes.

• Ian L.

  star star star_border star_border star_border 31 May 2026

  $13.99 during dinner for gross and below average food.
  
  Short and simple, it is really hard to find something good because there wasn't that one, two or three things you can get every time because you know it will be good.
  
  For example, at another buffet (cough cough Far East for $8) I always get stuffed mushrooms, fried chicken wings, mei fun, Japanese chicken, seafood casserole and vegetables of some sort.
  
  At Royal Buffet here in Manchester, I tried most of the food stated above and man every single one seriously lacked in flavor and quality. I struggled and struggled to find something decent but NOTHING!
  
  Even the basic shrimp on ice was dry.
  
  I went to take a look at the sushi as well and I didn't even bother, it looked risky.
  
  I just couldn't believe it. Everything was just bad. Plain and simple. I litterally tried, I tried so hard to find something good here. I was walking around the rows of food for so long. Even the fried rice sucked.
  
  Just another gross buffet, not trying to be rude because the service was alright but it really is.

• Tiffany A.

  star star_border star_border star_border star_border 27 May 2026

  This is by far the WORST Roy's buffet chain ever. Did I mention that it's the only royal that doesn't sell crab legs? They sell it but it's $10 a pound. Guess they are ready stingy when it comes to their legs. The crab legs aren't even worth getting, considering that the price for each pound is cheap. It is too over cooked where the peeling is simply impossible. The outer shell was brown and dirty.
  Go to any other royal buffet and they serve crab legs as a PART of the dinner and it's all you can eat like a real buffet. P

• Sho R.

  star star star star star_border 16 May 2026

  This probably the best Chinese buffet restaurants in Hartford. There is tons of varieties of food. On the back of the buffet there is a Hibachi and a Sushi counter. I always go for the hibachi. Honey biscuit was ok. Buffalo fried chicken was crispy and nice, though it didn't have much flavor. Potato wedge was just ok, not much flavor and kind of soggy. General Tso's chicken was too dry and hard. Fried shrimp and coconut shrimp was alright. Wanton soup was not good. Ice cream is one thing which I always go for a couple of rounds. They had vanilla, coconut, chocolate, strawberry and may be cookies and cream ice cream. I put some peanuts on it just to give some crunchiness. Fresh fruit isle is another section you don't want to miss. Lots of fruits - pineapple, kiwi, banana, logan, orange, grapes. Mousse and cookies were something good to try as well.Food doesn't taste as good as a fancy expensive restaurant. But you get the point. This is a cheap place, where you get to enjoy a lot of different type of food. For the price food is a steal. They have very nice drinks too. These drinks are strong, which is a plus.