Manchester Buffet — Restaurant in Manchester

I don’t like leaving negative reviews however, the waitress at the end seemed hell bent on knocking stars off.

It was a Wednesday afternoon so I took that into consideration.

The food was standard china buffet fare.

The fried rice, peking ravioli, chicken and broccoli, pineapple chunks, orange jello, and the egg rolls were a highlight here.

The pepper beef, american options, tangerines, and pretty much all other food options were either dry, unappealing to look at, or empty.

The food would have gotten this place 4 stars (as the food that was good was REALLY good) but what killed it was the lady who HOVERS OVER YOU WHEN YOU GET YOUR CHECK.

She did this to the black guy behind me, the white guy in front of me, and then stood over me like the Grim Reaper when I paid. At least she’s a consistent and not racist waitress. Still rude and overbearing as hell.

I am used to paying cash and going to check out at the register. She BLOCKED ME FROM GOING THERE AND INSISTED I PAY HER ON THE SPOT LIKE I WAS A CRIMINAL. “You pay now! Pay now!”

She seemed offended that I no longer wanted the fortune cookie she waved in my face as I gathered my cash, she snatched the check binder from me after I gathered my cash, and went in the back (why???) to get me change.

She hands me back the change and then proceeded to STARE AT ME FOR A TIP. The total was $15. I left three dollars and she acted as though I commited a heinous act against her and her family that would last for generations. Angrilly staring at me with the most disingenious and hateful thank you I’ve heard in years.

I could have forgiven a lot of shortcomings but the lady at the end completely destroyed this experience for me.

I ALMOST gave this one star but the food that was good was great and I’m hoping she isn’t there 7 days a week so others might possibly enjoy...

I must admit, I'm a buffet lover at heart. I know many abhor the thought of open food containers, regardless of sneeze guards, but I can look past it unless I see something horrible. Granted, keeping hot food fresh, tasty, rotated, safe, etc, is a tall order that invariably leads to lots of waste every day, and restaurants must strategize to avoid excessive waste by tracking food usage, restaurant traffic, etc.

I've been to the Manchester Buffet a half dozen times with varying degrees of satisfaction. It is what it is, as they say. But this past week I went there for a quick workday lunch, mostly craving Egg Foo Young, only to find that they had a small scrap on the buffet, and no gravy; not good, but definitely NOT why I give them 2 stars. I shifted gears and made other selections of both dishes I was familiar and unfamiliar with.

I probably sampled a dozen or more offerings, only to find 1-2 of them up to par. They were either cold, off putting (flavor-wise), or in some cases just over exposed.

For the first time, I left feeling angry and slightly nauseous as I reviewed the food I ate and how it left me feeling. $22.00 with tip isn't Chop House money, but it should afford you a decent lunch, and not one that forces you to leave more food on your plate than you desire to eat.

Not sure if I'll ever...

Sadly all good things must come to an end.

Let me start by saying, I hate leaving poor reviews, but no amount of, "Well maybe if..." Is gonna save this score from what it is.

I've been coming here for twenty years. It's always been a treat. The first red flag should have been the fish tank having no fish or water for that matter. Just an empty shell of itself. Similar to the rest of the experience.

We showed up about 1:30. Food was cold. All of it... And that's if it was available.. 30 percent of the trays were empty. And after waiting about 30 minutes, they were finally replaced. The wait was not worth it.

Over cooked, hot slop. When standards decline, so does the experience. This breaks my hearts, because this used to be a good buffet. Not five star quality, but it was always up to par.

Even if this restaurant survived covid, it's standards did not.

Dumplings were burnt, yet under cooked. Even the wanton was undercooked as it was doughey, tough, and impossible to eat. Two stars is strictly do to the excellent service we received.

Oh, and the Mongolian bbq is gone. Maybe that's a lunch change, but sadly, I won't be back for dinner to find out.

Maybe they will fix their standards and bring back a great experience. I'll watch the reviews to find out, but at this point, I'd rather go to Shaw's and get frozen...