My wife & I went there on my birthday, "International Night". The only thing international was the description on the cards describing the items. 90% of the "hot" entrees were....cold! Complained to the head guy and everything was still cold 15 minutes later. Same thing happened last year Thanksgiving.......COLD entrees. They had to put my plate in a microwave to get my food hot. Nothing special other than a few dishes....that were cold. Filled out a comment card....and guess what....no response.

It used to be a decent buffet......so be forewarned.

From my observation. In Chiang Mai. The buffet that has both Thai and european food and good qualty is the Empress hotel. Cannot fault it for the money

Yes i think the Empress is among the best on offer at the moment but it can change quickly here.

Yes i think the Empress is among the best on offer at the moment but it can change quickly here.

what is the best day to visit the buffet and what is the price?

How about Le Meridien? How does the Empress stack up?

Is it a lunch or dinner buffet at The Empress? A fair selection of seafood dishes?

The Empress lunchtime buffet is 260baht with the 30% discout card (deduct tax etc first if you are working out full price). Maybe not the bargain it used to be but considering the number of dishes it's still good value and it's packed every time I visit which is 4-5 times a year. Buffet is every day and opens at 1130. There is always fish dishes but no platters of shrimp/crab/oysters to be seen.

How does the Empress stack up against Le Meridien? Don't know as never visited the latter but you are comparing 3 star to 5, 260baht against maybe 750?

What time does the Empress buffet finish? And is it on everyday?

Empress is great value, one of the best.

Another really good one at 189baht is the Siripanna ( Siripanna.com)

I've found its best to book at The Empress as it gets so busy.

Le Meriden should not be used as a comparison against the Empress. The Empress price range is in the same as Holiday Inn, Grand View etc and is the best among the group and reservations are recommended

Le Merdien / Mandarin Oriental / 4 Seasons are in their own category. For those in town for a few days, the Meriden is a good choice as it is easy to get to. Great presentation and good service

Holiday Inn is OK. Good selection and price.

It's been a long time since I went to a buffet, but I preferred the Grandview over the Holiday Inn. Granted, the HI ambience and river view are better, but the food wasn't good value, and much of it was cold. When I was there, they didn't have enough turnover to keep things fresh and hot. Not a problem at the Grandview, where you have to stand in line to serve your plate.

It's been a long time since I went to a buffet, but I preferred the Grandview over the Holiday Inn. Granted, the HI ambience and river view are better, but the food wasn't good value, and much of it was cold. When I was there, they didn't have enough turnover to keep things fresh and hot. Not a problem at the Grandview, where you have to stand in line to serve your plate.

I find the Grandview to have a limited selection and if you come in late often out of some items. Price is OK. The Empress is far and away better in my opinion. But the price reflects it.

What time does the Empress buffet finish? And is it on everyday?

Anyone?