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Emerald Chinese
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Dim Sum Restaurants Seafood Dim Sum, Seafood [Edit]
3709 Convoy StSte 101
(between Aero Dr & Kearny Mesa Rd)
San Diego, CA 92111
(858) 565-6888
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- No
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
381 reviews for Emerald Chinese
Review Highlights
"The Peking Duck was sweet and tender."
(in 26 reviews)
"I absolutely loved the chicken feet."
(in 30 reviews)
"Good dim sum and Mango Pudding for dessert."
(in 12 reviews)
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381 reviews in English
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Review from Lydia K.
Placentia, CA
12/14/2011
My friends in SD took my bf and me here after they found out I love dim sum. We went on a Saturday afternoon, so the place was pretty busy but luckily we didn't have to wait long for a table.
The first thing my bf and I noticed was that the tea they served us wasn't the typical green/jasmine/black tea mix, but chrysanthemum tea. It was a nice change!
My friend L is Chinese and a regular there, so having her there to ask if they had our favorites or what kind of dim sum they had on the cart was such a bonus! My bf and I got to try different types of dim sum that we haven't had and it was goooooood,
My favorite was the fried rice ball with savory pork inside. If I could, I would've had 10 more! We also tried their rice porridge, tripe, and chicken feet (first time trying it and it was good). We also go the chinese broccoli, which was great to eat between bites to refresh the palate for the next tasty dumpling. -
Review from Bill P.
San Diego, CA
1/18/2012
AVOID THIS RESTAURANT AT ALL COST! Even though restaurants have until Jan 2013 to get rid of their remaining shark fin stocks (and then the total ban goes into effect), many restaurants are being proactive and destroying their remaining fin stocks now. Too bad Emerald can't be bothered to listen to the will of the people and government of California.
They are not an ethical restaurant and wouldn't even TALK to shark fin opponents who wanted to discuss reasonable alternatives with them before the Shark Fin Ban was passed into law. Now it's a law... and Emerald is still REVELLING in it's shark fin menu items. Most notably for the Chinese New Year. Well, the total ban goes into effect Jan 2013... and we'll remember, Emerald. We'll remember. -
Review from Mimi d.
Los Angeles, CA
------------------- 1 star service -------------------
Happen to get a cup w lipstick on it? Accidentally drop your chopstick? Be prepared to test out your speed speaking skills as the servers whip on by and not bring you anything. We finally happened upon a friendly server though that earned them their one star: she brought a clean cup, chopsticks, extra napkins AND wished us a happy new year!
------------------- 2 star food -------------------
ehhh... for the most part, better than none; except for the egg tarts that came out freshly made! -
Review from Molly V.
La Jolla, CA
12/23/2011
I've ever only been here for dim sum so I can't speak about any real dishes here.
Dim sum isn't the easiest thing to come by in SD and I've realized I don't know a place that does have dim sum that I simply love in SD. I mean, it's not bad dim sum but it's simply mediocre. The sauce that they provide with the dim sum however is really good.
The place is really nice. Definitely a large venue so if you a large party, it'll be fine. Oh! One thing I do notice whenever I go here is that it always has a funky smell and given, they offer live seafood....but that's not really an excuse.
In general, I'll probably only keep coming here until I find another place for dim-sum. -
Review from Jorgen M.
Salt Lake City, UT
2/8/2012 1 Check-in Here
Just love this place. Always busy and always yummy. The dim sum is the star but everything is tasty, service can be spotty but its a fun busy place and worth the trip out there.
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Review from Jonathan W.
Updated - 12/14/2011
OK......so i figured I'd calm down a bit and give it another shot.
It is a sad state of affairs for Chinese food in SD.
Come in with the right expectations and you can make it through, barely. I've given the dim sum a fair shake, but really you're better off going to China Max.
Came here for the Chinese New Year, wow, never again. The poor quality of the ingredients combined with the slow service made for an uninviting experience to a great tradition.
But, really what are your options?Listed in: Convoy - Where Asian Food…
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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1/22/2011
Anyone who says this is the best dim sum really hasn't had the good stuff yet, but Emeralds is… Read more »
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Review from Julie S.
San Diego, CA
12/21/2011
Did not like this dimsum at all! The cart barely came to our table and the dimsum was not that good.
As far as dimsum in San Diego goes, I'd go for China Max.
If you want something 100x BETTER go to Monterey Park or San Gabriel Valley. -
Review from jeff l.
11/26/2011
I have been going here almost since they opened.
I had not gone in a long time since I heard that the place had gone downhill.
Nothing could be further than the truth.
I think maybe 4 or 5 years ago when they had the fire that possibly some of the cooks left since they had to make a living while they fixed the restaurant.
Well I am happy to say that this restaurant is back and possibly better than ever.
Everything I had today was really great.
Chicken feet, shrimp with chives, the turnip cake was exceptional, fried shrimp balls,
jook, roast duck, shrimp shu mai, pork dumplings, quail egg dumplings, etc. etc.
The service was excellent, the servers were friendly and happy.
Overall the best experience I have ever had here today.
I went to Imperial Mandarin during my hiatus from Emerald but Imperial Mandarin was a big disappointment last time.
I am very happy to say that Emerald is back and they were on their A game today. -
Review from Lewis G.
San Diego, CA
12/13/2011
The food here is very good. the chicken lettuce wraps are delicious. the beef, chicken and shrimp dishes are also very tasty.
the problem is the service.... they are extremely rude. they will yell to each other in mandarin or cantonese or whatever while you are asking a question. Also, when we ask one lady for eggplant thats more caramelized and not spicy, she tells us they dont have it. i ask another lady, she says they do have it. they try to play dumb like they dont understand what you're saying.
also, one lady came up, asked us if we were through, we said yes. didnt bring the check, didnt tell our waitress to bring our check. waited another 10-15 minutes before we could leave because they would not acknowledge us, walking back and forth, talking to each other, won't look in our direction. amazing.
If we eat here again, i'm going to try and order the food over the phone. i wonder how that will go. -
Review from Su C.
San Diego, CA
12/6/2011
Had an excellent lunch here!
Dim sum was fresh as well as all the other food we ordered.
Staff was attentive to every detail!
5 stars, you cant go wrong w/ this place. -
Review from Soo H.
San Diego, CA
11/28/2011 3 Check-ins Here
This is one of my fav places for dim sum in San Diego! The har gow and the rice cakes are my fav dishes. The baked cha sui bao, shrimp and pork sui mei and the chow mein are very good. One of the things I love about small businesses like this is that you can ask for things not on the menu. On my last visit I noticed pineapple bacon fried rice on the menu. I'm not a big fan of pineapple and fried rice but I love bacon. So I convinced our waitress to have the chef make me some bbq & bacon fried rice. It turned out great! It was a huge plate of food which me and my kid barely finished. The mix of fried rice, egg, bacon, and bbq pork was delicious. The only other place I've found with bacon fried rice is Red Pearl Kitchen.
This is one of the nicer Chinese restaurants in town and the service was very good.
I love visiting on Mondays and Wednesdays for lunch as they have this awesome special on dim sum where the medium and large plates are on sale for the small plate price. -
Review from Jonathan E.
San Diego, CA
12/2/2011 1 Check-in Here
I went there for dim sum with my roommates on Thanksgiving. The dim sum food was okay. It wasn't worst I have had, but wasn't the best either. For the price we paid, the food quality wasn't justified. We spent $65 between 4 people. Ideally, in LA the price for the quality of dim sum served here would be $45. For San Diego, it is okay but definitely not as good as in LA.
The restaurant looked nice like a standard Chinese restaurant with the fish tanks.
The dim sum came out in carts as well to keep things a bit authentic. Would I come back here for dim sum? Maybe if I don't get my dim sum fix. Most likely, no. -
Review from Kyle F.
10/24/2011 1 Check-in Here
I think the 2 star quote describes this place to the tee..."Meh. I've experienced better."
Went here before softball, as a law school student this is my one hour of joy and fun for the entire week (how sad), with my buddy Adam B. as we wanted to try something new in the area instead of going to dumpling inn. In retrospect you should NEVER EVER mess with a good thing, and i think i felt guilty for cheating on dumpling inn to the point i sucked at softball and my stomach was in knots the whole night. Or maybe it was the food, but either way guilty guilty guilty!!
This place had been recommended to me by a few friends who neglected to tell me that this was a big family style restaurant, i think there was only like 4 or 5 tables for 4 people and the rest where for giant parties. The moment I walked in this place felt like the lunch restaurant that people would go for their after church/sunday meal, again as a jew if i totally botched that let me know ;). It was super easy to get a table and the service, with regards to taking out order was pretty fast, idk if they were good or wanted us out, either way kudos on that part.
We ordered the fried wontons for the app and then beef with black-bean sauce and kung pao chicken for the main courses. I thought the fried wontons would be something like a fried dumpling sort of dish, but it was literally what it said. Someone had taken wonton wrappers and just deep fried them with no meat or filling, so i guess it was my bad for assuming things but they were pretty boring/bland. As for the main dishes they where ok, nothing to write home about, but they had good flavor and decent portions. The beef was the better of the two dishes, but again it lacked some serious pazaz and just came up short when compared to other chinese dishes I have had, or could have had 1 instead right down the street.
The one thing that was a pain in the butt was that it took forever to bring us our rice, we had to ask 3 or 4 people before we got it. I have never ran a chinese place but I would imagine that rice is the easiest thing to bring out. The best/worst part of the night was that 2 of the people we asked brought us out the rice at the same time and the person who we didnt take the rice from gave us a look as if we had just offended or killed him, his family, his relatives, etc. Moral of the story, dumpling inn reigns supreme!!!!Listed in: Out of the OC and Down in the…
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Review from Dana F.
San Diego, CA
11/6/2011
Unbeknownst to me San Diego has a serious lack of quality choices for Dim Sum. Maybe I am spoiled because I used to have easy access to Chinatown in Downtown Los Angeles and have been lucky enough to rock some great places in San Fransisco?
I have eaten at all the Dim Sum places SD county has to offer. I would say Emerald and Pearl (in Rancho Bernardo) rate the highest. I think they are owned by the same family? Jasmine is way over rated and China Max is very cheap and has a decent selection (you order from your table vs. waiting for the carts to come by) but is only average.
So lets talk about the food and service. Overall I have to give them 3 stars on each aspect. The quality of the food is pretty consistent. Never had anything that taste bad. The service on the other hand varies. I realize the frequency of offering and table availability depend on what time you arrive but it is all over the place. Sometimes when I go here I get the "rock star" treatment and get bum rushed by all the ladies with their carts. Other times I sit for long periods of time and have to flag down someone just to get some food.
Most of the people working here are very polite, but some seem like they are working on commission! They try and sell me on stuff I have no interest in. I am pretty open to different types of dim sum and like the "authentic" stuff you get in Chinatown. Emerald has a decent selection of dim sum and traditional Chinese dishes if that is what you are looking for.
Overall 3 stars for food quality, selection and service. If you know of any good places, send me the link and I will give them a go. -
Review from shei c.
San Diego, CA
1/9/2012 3 Check-ins Here
This has been my favorite spot to go to for dim sum in San Diego. It may not be the best spot for dim sum but it doesn't have to be. I enjoy all of the food they cart around, especially the shumai with quail egg. I always end my meal with mango pudding. I really think they need to get better dish washers though because more than once we've been given a glass of water with lipstick still stuck on it. No big deal to me though. I just ask for a new glass.
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Review from Natalie S.
San Diego, CA
11/18/2011
I do not understand how anyone can have bad things to say about this place.
1. The customer service was not bad. Our waiter was VERY nice and attentive. The host wasn't but that's not to say that service is bad by any means.
2. The food was great. We ordered the honey walnut shrimp (a big must), kung pao chicken (my favorite), beef fried rice (the best i've had in a while), and a beef noodle dish that I didn't try because I was so full. The best Chinese food we've had in San Diego.
3. The prices are very fair. The regular menu is a bit pricey but we ordered from their late night specials and we got 4 dishes, and 2 beers for under $40 plus the hubby had lunch for Monday.
4. It is open late which is perfect because we are so indecisive that by the time we decided what to eat everything is closed.
5. It is huge so there is never a wait.
All in all can't wait to go back but it'll have to be way after the holidays...no room for Chinese food with all the other fat-laden events approaching. -
Review from Thomas H.
San Diego, CA
11/5/2011
I discovered this place on the Internets a few years ago when I was new in town and needed to know my options for late-night dining. When we first arrived from New York we underwent a bit of culture shock because most places in San Diego roll up the rugs by 10 pm. Crap, in New York you can't even get a reservation at anywhere fairly decent until 11! And since we're late eaters (mostly due to laziness and procrastination) we were finding our options to be fairly limited.
So after several months of whining, I did the smart thing and went to Google (sorry, Yelp!) and asked it about late night dining in San Diego. Google told me to try Emerald on Convoy, and since I'm married to a Chinese American I figured we'd give it a try.
We have not been disappointed. They have a nice late night menu which goes until midnight or possibly later. Nice selection at a good price. We've gone on non-late-nights too and have been very happy. They have several hot-pot options which we have tried and enjoyed, as well as many other standard dishes.
On Thursday nights they run dinner specials that are very inexpensive and really good.
Then of course there is their famous dim-sum. Excellent, if a bit crowded and a little overpriced IMHO. For dim sum I tend more toward Imperial Mandarin which is cheaper for the same quality of food - and better service (Emerald gets so crowded during dim sum that it's hard to get anyone's attention.)
But for late-night they will always be my first choice. Until they betray me, that is.Listed in: Chinesey
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Review from Chrissy N.
San Diego, CA
10/9/2011
Came to Emerald the other night with the bf, Alex T., and was happy that the restaurant was open late. I love Tajima, but you can only eat there so many times before it gets old.
Anyways, we were promptly seated and ordered the black bean beef (yummy), Emerald seafood soup (ok), a bowl of white rice, and the pan fried rice noodles with beef (very good). All for $31 +tax & tip. Not bad.
The food was tasty, not overly greasy and the ingredients were clearly very fresh. The service was very prompt and friendly. We did have to flag them down a few times to get our check, but nothing too bad.
I'm glad I found another spot that is open late. Can't wait to come back and try some of the seafood dishes! :D -
Review from Caroline L.
Fremont, CA
10/22/2011
I came here a few weeks ago with a friend. It was probably my own fault for ordering the chicken feet, but there was a dead bug in it, about a centimeter long.
My friend and I were both pretty calm about it, so all we did was show the manager, and all he did was deduct the one dish from our bill and shake his head as he took it away. Our mistake was not taking a picture of it before he removed it. I'm sure we would've received different treatment if we'd been obnoxious and raised a storm about it, but it wouldn't really have changed the fact that the bug was in there. My friend tried to put it in a new perspective by suggesting how I'd feel about the bug if I were stranded in a desert with nothing else to eat. -
Review from Tuan C.
A Short&Sweet Review..... Shorter than most reviews and sweeter than a quick tip.
SHORT (not so great....)
1. The only fresh fish they had was a red snapper. At $22 per LB, it should have came with a @$!?..... Sigh... I should have ordered the House Special Lobster instead.
2. A waitress mistook my hand gesture as a request for the check, which another waitress quickly corrected on the other side of the room. They kept talking to each another loudly, which caused me and my parents to give each other "The Look".
SWEET! (The good...)
1. Clams in Black Bean Sauce. I grew up with this dish and it's still one of my personal favorites!
2. The steamed chicken was served with a garlic, scallion, and onion dipping sauce. Simple yet tasty.
3. Seafood mix over a Crispy Noodle Basket. The sauce softened the crispy noodle just a bit where every bite was pure carb-bliss! -
Review from Lucy Y.
Los Angeles, CA
My family comes here once a year for a big dinner when my brother comes to town. This weekend was our 2011 dinner, and 9 of us shared a LOT of really yummy food:
Steamed Chicken w/Ham
2 different Tofu Hot Pots
Shrimp Fried Rice
Hot Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Peppered Filet Mignon
Kung Pao Chicken
Beef Broccoli
Beef Chow Fun
Every time we come here, everyone always loves the food here! The place is definitely popular, and there are always several large round tables that are occupied with big groups.
Everything they have here is super yummy - but my personal faves are the Hot Eggplant, the Honey Walnut Shrimp, and the Beef Chow Fun.
This is going to be our annual family dinner place for years to come, I'm sure!Listed in: San Diego area faves!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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8/24/2010
My parents are some of THE pickiest Chinese people when it comes to Chinese food, so if they loved… Read more »
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Review from Laura D.
8/17/2011
I was so glad that Lucy Y. invited me to have dinner with her parents, brother and some other orchestra performers in San Diego for the La Jolla music festival.
It was about a half hour drive from Carlsbad to this place but well worth it. Lucy's family has been coming here for years and Mommy ordered all the food. I can't even name all the dishes but you can read about it on Lucy Y.'s page.
Most importantly, the place seems spotlessly clean. It is big and open, with lots of tables, including tables for 9 like our party. The service was excellent, all the dishes were well prepared. I forgot to ask if they used MSG but it didn't seem so, and I didn't get a headache afterwards which happens if there is MSG in the food.
A really pleasant night out for a great Chinese meal. When I'm in the area, I'll come back to this place. -
Review from Sandi W.
San Diego, CA
Good dim sum and Mango Pudding for dessert.
You need at least 3 people so you can try many dishes. -
Review from Natalie M.
San Diego, CA
8/12/2011
OMG DON'T go here. It's right across from my work, so thought I would give a try b4 work. I gave myself over an hour to eat and be at work. I was shoved in a corner. Ignored for a long time. Finally the manager who saw me looking around waiting asked if I wanted tea. Still no menu...
Just took forever and ever to get menu and order anything. The waitresses walking around w/ stuff are rude. The vibe is bad as well.
The food itself was just OK and way over priced. I ordered lemon chicken which didn't come till I was done w/ everything else. I took one bite and left the rest.
I don't know how anyone gave them good stars at all -
Review from Matt M.
Dallas, TX
9/17/2011
If I could give Emerald Chinese zero stars, I would.
The service was terrible. The waiters/waitresses were impatient, assumed they knew what I wanted and gave me scowls every time they picked up a plate in front of me despite being told "please" and "thank you".
The food couldn't have been more overpriced for what was put in front of us. I paid $18 for a plate of fried rice with a few scraps (and that's being generous) of shrimp. $18.
My boyfriend received cold ginger chicken (also $18) and we had to pay an extra $1 just to get rice. Robbery.
If it weren't for a good amount of soy sauce and a small sample of spicy mustard at our table, I would've returned it as inedible.
I've never returned food or wanted to leave a $1 tip, but Emerald Chinese sure made it difficult to not do both. -
Review from Wendy B.
7/26/2011 1 Check-in Here
OYSTERS WITH GINGER AND SCALLIONS. Amazing, plump, delicate oysters, lightly dipped in rice flour (perhaps?), then quickly fried to a light crunch on the outside while preserving the soft delicate inside. Then, lots of scallions, lots of ginger slivers sauteed in tasty oil, and then everybody tossed together. Wonderful. Should have ranked number one, but got ranked number 2 tonight, but only because of................
HONEY WALNUT SHRIMP. Again, lightly dusted then flash fried. Super fresh, still sweet and tender in the middle, a little crunch on the outside. Gobs of toasted lightly glazed walnuts and a light mayo sauce. The star of the show tonight!
LEMON CHICKEN. Not as sweet as many I have tasted, but a nice, light crunchy coating on two huge, pounded chicken breasts. The lemon sauce had an underlying flavor that was reminiscent of vanilla? Couldn't taste any lemon, but it was bright yellow in color. OK but not great. Needs work.
PAN FRIED EGG NOODLE WITH BEEF. Fine, crispy noodles nested in a platter, covered with vegetable and meat. I am a sucker for a good one. This one - the thin sliced beef was tenderized and delicately cooked, but the brown sauce seemed to be missing something that would put it over the top. This also included some perfectly cooked Chinese broccoli. OK overall, but not my favorite of the night nor my favorite in general.
This was our dinner tonight. The dishes were generous, and the seafood dishes, while pricey (Shrimp was $20, oysters $16) were well worth it. But barely any leftovers. That's because the starving son came with us. I would have to say, after this meal and reading the reviews, sticking with seafood is a good choice.
And yes, we have also been here for dim sum. I remember some dishes were great, some not. For the price, I would "Dim Sum" it again with no grudges. Now, everybody practice saying "har gow" to the nice lady pushing the cart. That'll get you some tasty shrimp dumplings.
And don't be turned off by the outside...It looks old, dirty , gloomy, stressed. Come for the food, not the look.Listed in: San Diego County, Asian delights, Fresh Seafood
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Review from Donny K.
Kapaa, HI
7/7/2011 1 Check-in Here
Me: "Excuse me but does this have shrimp in it? I have a seafood allergy".
Waitress: "Shrimp? you like shrimp? here you go. Shrimp?"
Me: "No. I cannot have any shrimp. I will die."
Waitress: "No Shrimp? here you go. No Shrimp"
Me: "so this doesn't have shrimp in it?"
Waitress: "No. no shrimp"
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And what did I find as soon as I bit my food? shrimp. Not too much selection during the middle of the day and after my near death experience I was a little hesitant to try much else. I found one or two things without shellfish it them and stuck to those. Good thing my date could eat the seafood dishes or they would have gone to waste. -
Review from Dan N.
I had a major Peking duck craving and heard this was the place to go so I decided to try it out.
Had the peking duck for 2, here are my thoughts:
Service was quick and surprisingly friendly. I say surprisingly because if you've ever been to a chinese restaurant then you know friendly service is not what they are usually known for.
The Duck was delicious, melt in your mouth goodness. Skin was crispy and meat was tender. Great flavor in every bite.
However, it's the other parts of the meal that get Emerald a 3 star rating.
The buns that came out tasted dry and old, it brought down the overall taste of the peking duck.
There was not enough DUCK, In my opinion there was really only enough duck for 1 person. I would have liked to see more. Give me a whole duck, not just 1/4 of it.
They included this lettuce wrap duck side dish which didn't really go with the meal at all. It was just a distraction. It's all the little pieces of the duck that they couldn't use so they stir fried it and made it a side meal. I rather have the price of the meal reduced or give me more peking duck.
Overall I say for $28 this meal is not worth the price. maybe if they dropped the price to $20 bucks I could justify going here.
Peking duck gets 4 out of 5 sporks,
Not bad if you're in the area, but I'm thinking there has to be a better peking duck somewhere in San Diego. -
Review from Christian W.
La Jolla, CA
6/17/2011
Avoid coming here. It's dirty, nasty, and below average dim sum for the expensive price tag. Waiters here are disrespectful, but since my family knew them, they were being brown nosers to keep our business with them. Ignore this place at all cost.
Go to China Max for better dim sum.
The tea here is disgusting. I saw the waiter reuse tea for our table and I complained that about his error. To my surprise he pleaded ignorance. I was so mad that I made my family pay for what we had, even though it was gross, and leave. No tip, nothing.
I will never come back here. And I suggest everyone else do the same. Poor customer service, terrible waiters, and terrible food. -
Review from Lila Z.
San Diego, CA
11/14/2011
dim sum: this is probably as good as it gets in san diego.
true to hong kong style, you sit at a restaurant and ladies push carts around with steamy hot goods. every once in a while, it seems like the carts are pushed slower than the pace of a snail. should you find yourself in this situation, you can always ask a waiter/ress to bring you a specific dish.
unlike most chinese restaurants in the area, parking is usually not an issue. -
Review from Sierra A.
San Diego, CA
5/23/2011
Yelpers. You guys are right! Emerald USED TO BE really good, but not any more. Food quality went down. The service is the worst. What happened to this place?
We went to Dim Sum lunch on 5/22/11. We made a reservation so there was no wait. All the dim sums in carts, especially deep fried dim sums were not "hot" when they were served. When we asked staff to bring us water/tea, they forgot. So I had to go to the kitchen to remind them. (Are you kidding me?)
Some ladies who pushed carts were extremely RUDE. RUDE RUDE RUDE RUDE RUDE.
When we ordered "beef egg noodle," it took them more than 35 minutes to bring the dish to our table.
I would never go back to this lousy place.
Don't go there. Go to China Max or Jasmin!! -
Review from Marcia P.
7/26/2011
Have only been for dim sum, and always enjoy it. The quality and variety is great, though some dumplings have been a little on the doughy/mushy side recently. The prices seem to have gone up a bit, but I can't read the Chinese signs, and maybe I'm not going on the days that they have specials.
This place so much doesn't look like a restaurant from the outside as it's "hiding" in an office park. Not much to look at on the inside either. -
Review from Cari C.
Carlsbad, CA
8/5/2011
I only come here for Dim Sum, but I love it!
Weekdays are half price dim sum days and two people can easily leave will a full stomach for under $30
I could eat nothing but shrimp and be happy so this is a great place (it is a seafood restaurant, do not go here if you can't eat shrimp)
I am a pescetarian so I can't vouch for the meat dishes but every shrimp dumpling or noodle dish I've had has been to die for.
The staff is sweet and the manager is always walking around talking to people. I am OBSESSED with the giant lazy-susan on the larger round tables.
Plus it is always filled with adorable Asian babies, what more do you want? -
Review from Bebe H.
La Quinta, CA
9/1/2011
Came here for Dinner on Friday night. It was not busy at all. Maybe 5 tables
Food was ok. Nothing great.
Cons:
Tend to be on the salty side. We had 3 dishes that had pork in it and they were all bad. The pork meat tasted off. Parking limited. -
Review from Lily T.
Los Angeles, CA
7/24/2011
I sincerely believe that restaurants [attempt to] showcase their best for wedding receptions/banquets, so I am assuming that we got their best at the wedding banquet we attended.
I obviously can't remember all the dishes we were served, so I'm going to do my best (though there weren't any standouts, so I might not need to remember all the dishes). Also, most of their dishes are up to par with the Chinese wedding banquet food I've experienced in my lifetime (there was only one wedding banquet that was spectacular, so I'll settle for up to par :D).
The jellyfish in the cold appetizers dish was teetering on the brink of overcooked. Jellyfish should have a nice crunch to it when you bite, and it should require you to actually put a little strength into biting through, not soft enough to be eaten with minimal effort.
The walnut shrimp was a little too drenched in sauce, the crispy parts were a little soggy, but I really liked the little melon salad they put the shrimp on. They cut honey dew and cantaloupe into half-inch sized cubes, the melon was really ripe and sweet, and I've never encountered a walnut shrimp dish with a melon salad :).
I usually don't like the abalone dish (I don't like abalone, so I will never like an abalone dish hahaha), but this one had sea cucumber in it. I actually thought it was eggplant hahaha, until I swallowed it and realized it wasn't eggplant. It was cooked really well (I've heard it's hard to cook sea cucumber, mainly because uncooked sea cucumber is hard enough to bash someone's skull in o_O), I liked how it was soft and smooth, almost melt-in-your-mouth but not so soft it breaks when you pick it up with your chopsticks. It wasn't fishy or slimy at all. Despite all that, I don't think I'll be able to eat it again hahaha.
Their steamed fish was nice and tender, though could've used a little more seasoning. The fried rice was bland, but all wedding banquet fried rice is bland. The lobster was really flavorful, and cooked just right, the meat wasn't tough at all.
They served duck on a heart-shaped steamed bun o_O. The bun was cooked nicely, really soft and the right amount of moistness in the bread, but I did not get why they topped it off with pieces of duck dipped in hoisin sauce. The sauce got on the bun and while the combo wasn't inedible, I will not be spreading hoisin sauce on my steamed buns in this lifetime.
My favorite part of the meal was the taro-flavored wedding cake hahahahahaha. At first I thought it was chocolate, from what we could see of the cake as they were cutting it (I didn't understand why they were cutting the cake on stage o_O), though I don't know why I would think that, I've never had chocolate cake at a Chinese wedding banquet hahaha. I was a little hesitant to dig into a slate blue colored cake :D, but cake is cake, and then there's this cake. It was the lightest, fluffliest wedding/birthday cake I've ever eaten in my life. The frosting wasn't heavy and buttery and the taro added a very interesting twist to the cake (I am so going to try making a taro cake). The only thing to note is the cake was most likely brought in from an outside bakery hahahahaha.
The mango pudding was nothing special, probably out of a packaged mix, the just add water kind, and topped with some canned fruit cocktail before the pudding set (Chinese-style pudding is closer to Jello than pudding).
The decor left something to be desired, it was definitely not the best setting for a wedding banquet :), but the food was definitely banquet-quality. -
Review from Carey W.
San Diego, CA
6/4/2011
Do you know how hard it is to find good Chinese food in San Diego? Especially after just leaving the bay area, which is home to the best Asian food in America? Anyways, it's really hard. So thank goodness for Emerald.
Dim sum is delicious and something everyone needs to try before they die. Some of my white friends are afraid of it, but just take a trusty Asian with you and they'll help you figure out the system and what each strange looking object is. And I know using chopsticks is hard at first, but once you master them, you can finally be that white person who chooses chopsticks over a fork.... how cultured!
This place gets five starts from me because I have been searching for the perfect pan fried noodle dish, and the one here is almost as good as home. Yay.Listed in: The down-low on eating…
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Review from Richard M.
Riverside, CA
8/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
Got here kinda late for dim sum, the choices on the push carts had been really depleted. We ordered whatever they had left, the shumai was dry, the soy bean wrap uneventful. It's probably not fair to give this place 3 stars since we arrived 1 hour prior to closing but the food that was offered was just average at best.
We'll try it again earlier and see if the choices and flavors are any better. -
Review from Brandy C.
4/17/2011 1 photo
Too expensive!
Too expensive!
Too expensive!
Too expensive!
Too expensive!
Too expensive!
Seriously, I can have better dinning experienced than here with the same amount of money. The food is mediocre. They can make better dishes with the price!
We made the reservation for 16 people, but they didn't jot down! (fail....) In the beginning, the service was VERY BAD! The waiter wasn't very friendly when we requested some service such as rearrange the table. After we started eating, the waitress was super nice. I think only a specific waitress needs to get new training. However, after we got the bill, the waitress was a little rush and rude! WTH, do you have bipolar? Emerald Chinese, you need to have better quality control.
Anyways, I DO NOT LIKE THIS RESTAURANT! (in case you are tired of reading all these reviews!) -
Review from Jessica S.
San Diego, CA
11/21/2011
We had never been there before but our friends were craving "meat filled donuts" as they described it, and told us to show them a local Dim Sum restaurant we liked. Having (somehow) never had dim sum, we yelped Emerald and decided to give it a shot. Immediately upon being seated, three carts of delicious made food swarmed us, with nice servers asking if we wanted anything. We filled up on sweet pork buns, bean curd sesame balls, calamari, etc. Seasame balls are AMAZING. I ate two orders.
The only complaint is that, while they brought us hot tea right away, we didn't get water. I had to ask for it later on after the tea ran out and we were parched. Otherwise, for four people it cost 50 bucks and we gorged. Great deal for lunch! -
Review from David W.
8/2/2011
Dim sum is not cheap, but it's SD....
It's a little more up the road from the heart of Convoy and Jasmines, but the interior seems nicer and cleaner here. Even on the weekends, it's a lot more comfortable and less chaotic to dine here.
