Empire Buffet — Restaurant in San Pablo

Would give them five thumbs down!!! THEY NOT CLEAN, THEY'RE NASTY, TRIFLING, AND JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!!!! AVOID THIS PLACE....Love the chicken wings, need to season the food more...... had to do an add on to this review 2/4/2019 .... my family and I second time going to eat here... first time was 5 months ago, like I said before, the chicken wings were delicious, but the cups had food residue on them....I asked for some clean cups and got them. Now on to my second time 2/4/2019.... table was wet, I asked if they could clean the table our hostess sat us at... she replied "oh. It's just water" and tried to walk off.... I asked again and another employee (host) walked up and looked as if I were causing a problem. I'm still calm at this point. I asked him if someone can clean the table because, the water on the table was unsanitary plus crumbs of food were still on the table. He cleaned the table with a dry towel still leaving crumbs of food behind. He preceded to ask my family and I what we wanted to drink. After seeing the stuck on food (looked like dried on beets) on the cups he bought over to our table, I asked for styrofoam cups.... he got an attitude and said no, we don't have any. I politely got up gathered up my family and preceded to walk out the door. Got stopped by a worker, as she ran up to me she yelled, "did you pay for your food?"...... at that point I was frustrated, because where was she while I was bought to an unsanitary table and given drinks in cups with dried on food??? So I yelled back at her " I didn't eat that sh*t" ! And continued walking out. Not to mention, someone was throwing up on side of the building after leaving out and wanted their money back. THEY JUST WANT YOUR MONEY!!! THEY CAN'T COOK CLEAN IF THE TABLES DIRTY AND THE CUPS... PROBABLY MORE THAN THAT. THEY NASTY!!!! Not to mention dude dugged in his nose and he was the one fixing the drinks. A bunch of trifling beings they are....

If I could’ve done 3.5 stars I would have. Pros: Food- delicious sweet spicy chicken, coconut shrimp, wontons, and peppered beef & pot stickers (other places I always try but don’t like). I didn’t try very many things because I only had one plate. They had a great selection of seafood & fish. Cleanliness -staff 5 stars, guests could do way better! They have great protocols in place-gloves, masks, sanitizer! Staff was constantly wiping down the buffet tables and common areas. The ice cream!

Cons: I went here for sushi and crab legs. There was no sushi & the crab legs were slimy, overcooked, and cold. Huge disappointment. Very little selection for desserts. There could’ve been more options for hot food dishes. Guests we’re not wearing masks and gloves while they were self-serving. Huge disappointment. I did not notice this until after I dished up one plate or I would have left. I also noticed people at three other tables just in my section eating with their gloves on, licking their fingers and then going up to dish up. I did not get a second plate. Here is praying I don’t get COVID. I am vaccinated. At this point I’m nervous about this because I am pet sitting for other people while being 2000 miles away from home.

Instead of just having signs about what people are supposed to do, the staff that seats you at your table needs to explain the importance of putting gloves & mask while serving your self and taking the gloves off while you are eating. I know someone should not have to explain this to people but it was quite obvious that they do.

I would also like to see the staff wiping down serving spoons as they walk around.

I really hope that staff is able to enforce masks, Sanitizer & gloves.

$19.45 + tax per adult. I personally did not find the value for the price but most likely it was because of my...

To tell you the honest truth, I stopped going to the Empire Buffet several years ago as it was dark and dingy. It had a creepy feeling to it. I recently returned as it was my friend's birthday and he insisted on having lunch there. It was time to give it a "brand new" try. This place must be under new management and the place was better lit and clean. I made a mistake and had a plate of steamed oysters much to my dissatisfaction. It was steamed properly and had the right amount of black beans. It was flavorful but they were "mushy." Oysters and mussels are not in season in the months without a "r" as in June through August. Although they were good, I can't blame the restaurant for carrying them. I made the wrong choice and its not the restaurant's fault. The rest of the food items at the buffet were fairly good. The wonton soup, stir fried zucchini and honey walnut prawns were standouts. The dim sum selection were off course and definitely below my expectations. So why only three stars instead of four? Our server. He was good and took away the dirty plates frequently. The 👎 bad. He brought us the bill and I paid it. Before I was able to reach for the change he told me, "You are going to leave me a tip, aren't you?" This threw me off. Sure, he provided good service and I was more than willing to leave a tip. Asking for it diminished the rating I intended to give, therefore, only 3 stars. I, however, plan to return and have seafood when there is a month with a "r." Let' see at that time whether I can give them a better rating. I recommend that you try it out for yourself as the food is not bad...