Emperor’s Buffet

702-731-3311
Visit their website:
http://www.imperialpalace.com/eat.php?subid=3&contentid=81

Enjoy all your favorite American and international dishes in a fresh and fun San Francisco-themed atmosphere at the Frisco Market Buffet. Succulent seafood, mouth-watering pastas, juicy prime rib, fresh salads, scrumptious desserts and much, much more! Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

WEEKDAYS

• Breakfast 7am - 11am Adults $9.99, Children $8.99
• Lunch 11am - 4pm Adults $11.99, Children $9.99
• Dinner 4pm - 10pm Adults $14.99, Children $12.99

WEEKEND

• Breakfast 7am - 10am Adults $9.99, Children $8.99
• Brunch 10am - 4pm Adults $12.99, Children $9.99
• Dinner 4pm - 10pm Adults $14.99, Children $12.99

We tried the Emperor’s Buffet’s Saturday Brunch. This buffet was a huge disappointment. I suppose it was my fault for having any type of expectation, even a small one. They had an average selection of low quality food, or crap as we called it. We walked around to fill our plate, but nothing looked appealing. The eggs were runny, their seafood gumbo was made w/ imitation seafood, and their sweet and sour pork was mostly pork fat. I basically ate bacon, cherry tomatoes, and a variety of cakes. The only nice thing I can say about their buffet was that they had a good selection of cake and self serve fountain drinks. We all filled up on cake and milk. It’s too bad because I was actually hungry for some real food.

Both my husband and daughter had a stomach ache shortly after dining. So basically, we got to pay to get food poisoning. Wonderful!

Oh, did I mention that most of the employees were ornery old farts? And it took us 30 minutes to walk from our car in the garage to the buffet entrance. It was like a freaking labyrinth. Oh the joys of car ownership (that’s another rant). One of the older chubby female workers came up to me, laughed, pointed at my 6 month old daughter (who I was wearing in a sling), and shouted, “Whoa, that baby is FAT!” Alrighty then. Thank you and you have a nice day too. Well, at least MY DAUGHTER WILL grow out of it.

Anyway, back to the buffet. The dining area was average. Its decor was of some island hut. There were wooden Tiki decorations on the walls, with straw/bamboo walls here and there. I’m not sure how this design resembles an Emperor’s buffet, unless it’s an emperor of some island tribe. Anyhoo, the only reason we even bothered to try this buffet was b/c we felt that it needed to be reviewed (what a mistake). It was one of few that we had not tried (for good reason). After this awful experience, we’re considering just sticking to the “good” buffets, that have proven themselves to us, or has a great track record. I’m tired of shelling out good money for crappy food and service.
Updated on August 11, 2007

Imperial Hawaiian Luau
702-731-3311
Visit their website:

http://www.imperialpalace.com/entertainment.php?subid=59&contentid=257

• Please join us next spring when the Imperial Palace proudly presents for the 16th consecutive year the Imperial Hawaiian Luau. Enjoy a poolside traditional Hawaiian luau dinner buffet and Polynesian revue, which includes unlimited mai tais, pina coladas and fruit punch. And, as always, the luau is decorated with the Imperial Palace?s signature fruit and vegetable carvings. Guests are welcomed with island leis and encouraged to participate in the fun with hula lessons and sing-a-longs. The show begins with the romantic call of the conch shells, which captures the spirit and pageantry of the Islands. Then the audience enjoys an exhilarating and colorful Polynesian music and dance tour through Tahiti, Samoa, Hawaii, Fiji and New Zealand. The spectacular fire knife dance is a showstopper that always delights the crowd.

• Seasonal - from mid April thru mid October
• 7pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays
• 8pm on Saturdays

• VIP tickets - $54.95 adults $41.00 children
• Premiere - $39.95 adults $26.00 children
• General - $33.95 adults $20.00 children

My husband and I tried the Hawaiian Luau before we had our daughters. We will probably try it again next year after our third is born. The show was very entertaining and the food was decent. They had the traditional Hawaiian dishes and the ambiance was quite beautiful, if you enjoy eating outdoors. It was like an outdoor party with a bunch of strangers. Lining up for food was a PIA, but other than that, it was fine. It’s a popular “buffet” so be aware, it will be crowded and the wait is long.

These photos are from the Imperial Palace website

Updated on September 24, 2006