CLOSED - Imperial Buffet (Scarborough)

Update 2018-Jan-28: It looks like Imperial Buffet is closed, at least the Scarborough location. There has been a sign on door for over a week saying closed "today" due to a "sewage backup". The phone # 416-288-9699 is not being answered during business hours. The location's page has been removed, and the main page and coupon registration no longer show this location. We stopped getting the BOGO coupons as of last month. A sad loss, but not unexpected as we had noticed that there were more empty tables there as of late.

Update 2018-May-13: There was briefly a sign up indicating closed for renovations, but these pretences of reopening have been removed. All of the Imperial Buffets are now closed (Ajax and Mississauga as well) leaving only the distantly related Brampton Spoonful, and imperialbuffet.com now sells... custom bobbleheads? The vultures don't take long to circle. Pretty conclusive that it is never coming back, I would say.

 Imperial Buffet has 3 locations in Ajax, Scarborough and Toronto.  It actually began as a “Mandarin" restaurant in Quebec 20 years ago, but since 2000, it expanded its All You Can Eat (AYCE) in Canada and the States. 

This location is at 24 Lebovic Avenue (W. of Warden Ave.@Eglinton Ave. E.) and the only one of the three I’ve been to.

Soup for starters?  Didn’t find any savory flavours here.  A bit of salt should do the trick, but is an unhealthy addition.  Unfortunately, without time and spice, some of the water based soups like wonton are understated and well, watery.  However, the seafood soup and lobster bisque are both excellent.

Salads are required in a healthy diet for fibre/roughage/bulk right? I would just as soon pass by a salad bar any day since I dislike most salads.  But the Imperial buffet has just enough variety to interest even the pickiest of eaters! Although I will say: the coleslaw taste too much like... apples?

Main course at dinner has the most delicious slabs of prime rib you will ever put in your mouth! Cut by a chef at the carvery station, along with beef gravy, chicken-kabobs, lamb, corn, mash potatoes and Yorkshire pudding.

The food trays have pizza, different veggie dishes, mushrooms, green beans, bok choy, chop suey, bean curds, variety of chicken and beef dishes, crab legs (not my thing), mussels, shrimp, fries, rice, noodles and breads.  They even have a sushi bar! You can get salmon here, and also cucumber, California and crab meat rice sushi.  Don’t forget it's not their main theme at the Imperial to serve sushi, so the fact that it’s included is a cool addition.

What I love most about Imperial is their desserts! Few have as much variety... cakes, cream cheeses, pies, a crepe steward ready to make hot crepes for you, ice cream and sorbets of all varieties too.  Sadly, I miss bread pudding which is my all-time favorite dessert!

Now this was all the good, and you can see with a coupon one adult eats for 19.99 and another is 85% off, so there isn’t a better deal in town for AYCE clearly..

Now for the not so good, and I will keep this on the short list, because this place deserves more praise than angst. 

Their chicken balls are questionable.  I am not sure exactly what is inside, but if you’ve ever bought a frozen box of chicken at a budget grocery store, and found mechanically separated chicken pieces than you know what I mean… not impressive.  Just move on to the next tray .. or go back to the prime rib carvery station, that’s what I did! Most of the other chicken dishes such as Cajun, sweet and sour and curry are not bad at all.

There you have it, a great environment with nice artwork (including J.R.R. Tolkien's and others' quotes), friendly, hard-working staff and quick service.

Note: Don't be so quick to leave after  you finish your meal here or you might miss an opportunity to dine 2 for 1 at the price of 1 buffet.  Located on the long bar on your way out, you'll see an I-PAD, where you can enter your email address.  Once a month you'll receive lunch and dinner coupons that are REAL deals.

  
Overall rating: 7.5/10