On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
"Come here if you want to get authentic chinese cuisine at a fair price. This is definitely not new york style chinese food. This is the real…" read more »
Loading...
We don't have dim sum like this in Austin so my family was really excited to go while visiting. We had a party of about 30 and our relatives got there early to reserve the tables and good thing because it was packed and there seemed to be quite a wait for a table otherwise.
I honestly have no idea what most of what we ate was called, but we definitely got to play "Andrew Zimmern's Bizarre Foods" when trying it all.
When we got to the table, our family already ordered tons of stuff including chicken feet, shrimp dumplings, pan-fried noodles, etc. I loved trying it all and was even more excited when I saw a lady walk by with pot stickers on her cart, YAY! These were the biggest pot stickers I have ever seen and they were unbelievably good! Some things could stand to be a bit less greasy, but the seafood was surprisingly fresh, and everything was overall tasty.
We're lucky our relatives go there a lot and know what they're doing, but if I had never been, I'd need a guide to explain how it works. I also have no idea how much it all cost (I obviously wasn't involved when the bill came) but again, if I didn't know how it worked, I might be nervous trying everything because I was worried about the cost. I can't rate it higher because I can't compare it to any other dim sum, but I've been here once before a year and a half ago and both times were good experiences.
Definitely one of the nicest places to take someone if they're not familair with dim sum or have problems with going to the less "clean looking" places. It's on the 2nd floor so there's a nice view of the street if you sit near the window.
Unfortunately i think they're well aware of their foreigner friendly status because this place is expensive! Parking is ample in their lot but always remember to get your ticket validated or you'll be in for a surprise when you leave.
We took Girlfriend's mom to Empress Pavilion for her birthday brunch today. (79 years old!) I have to say they give you much better attention when you come with a large group to this place. We were at a big table with a lazy susan and the carts swarmed us as soon as we sat down. Girlfriend's nieces had never heard their Chinese grandmother speak Chinese before (I don't know how that happened) and they certainly got a kick out of listening to her yell at the cart ladies. I now understand that wimpy, meek, Western-style manners is not the way to get what you want at a dim sum place. Sometimes, you need to be a little loud and boisterous to get some attention when the place is packed, otherwise, no one is even going to notice you.
The food was decent and the bill for the whole bunch of us worked out to about $7 apiece. Hell, even I can afford that! I recommend going here with a big group. We had a lot of fun and the entire family enjoyed it--even the picky people. Just remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease. If something you want isn't coming your way, call over one of the guys in the black jackets or red vests and tell them. They'll get it over to you pronto.
If you want the real dim sum experience, you gotta get yourself to the Empress Pavilion on a Sunday… Read more »
After having not eaten here for a couple years, I took my staff here for Christmas dinner as a treat. Prior to this, I thought the food was great but I was highly disappointed in it this time around. We ordered the usual 8-10 courses menu. Some of the food were decent but it wasn't as good as I remembered it to be. The interior wasn't as nice as it use to be.
Service was good. They automatically add tip to your bill so remember that. Surprisingly, the place was near empty.
Kudos to the chef!
The pepper beef was rad, though not spicy; But Shrimp in Lobster Sauce was a soup not a glaze; Sauteed veggies had a great selection of veggies and was really exceptional; But they stiffed us on the rice... I would have been a happy customer if the bill was $15 cheaper.
If you're getting take away, I suggest calling in first rather than ordering there and then waiting. Bring someone to either sit in the car or grab the food because parking is a biatch!
So...I was actually REALLY impressed with this place, and I was totally surprised by it. I have had a really tough time finding good dim sum in LA. Don't ask me why. I'm obviously looking in the wrong places. Some coworkers invited me to dim sum yesterday and I didn't know we were going to Empress Pavilion until we got there. In other words, the control freak in me had to deal with the spontaneity and eat wherever we ended up. Well- I should probably reliquish control more often because I really really REALLY enjoyed dim sum here! Everything we had was great...especially the bbq pork buns and the sesame balls.
We had one plate of sesame balls and my coworker decided he wanted another. So we waited for a while...no sesame balls came by. After about a 5 minute wait, we saw one little plate making its way toward us. Just as we were getting ready to take it, the jerk at the next table got it!!! It was the last one on the cart. So we asked one of the guys in the suits to bring us some. Within about 2 minutes, we had some deliciously warm & fresh sesame balls on the table. Mm Mm Mm. Take that, sesame ball thief!
THE Fastest Food Coma....
Ever.
I came here this past July with a group of friends around 1pm on a Saturday. Empress Pavilion is in China town, so we had to pay for parking at this private lot across the street for $3-4. We scurried our way across the street with our empty bellies and walked up the stairs of this big, beautifully decorated restaurant.
1pm
At the top we were greeted by a hostess with several fish tanks behind her. "At least their fish is fresh," I thought as she immediately seated us at a table towards the back. Being that we were fresh, new customers, all the cart ladies came our way. "Awesome!"
1pm-1:10pm
We got a plate of Calamari (cold and bland), Pork Shumai (yum), Shrimp in Rice Noodles (nice), Hargow or Shrimp Dumplings (good, but not that great), Egg Custard Bun (dee-lish), iced waters (need it from the heat!), and tea (the usual at any dim sum restaurant). We ate so quickly, didn't even finish it all, and felt so full.
1:11pm
Nods head up and down... closing eyes "I can't keep them open!".... rests head on hands with eyes still closing... utter silence.
THE fastest food coma in my life. I'm not sure what this place has in their food that caused us to pass out so quickly, but I definitely don't like walking out of the restaurant so sleepy that I don't even want to drive.
A friend and I had lunch here a few weeks ago. She'd been there before, but it was my first time.
On a Saturday afternoon this place was packed full of people. Yet we were seated right away at one of the tables near the windows, which was pretty nice, because it was well-lighted.
I sat down, didn't even get a chance to get settled, when a couple of aggressive females with food carts rushed our table. I backed up as they rammed each other (and our table!), asking simultaneously if I'd like whatever dish from their cart. I politely declined, wondering...Don't I get a menu first??
So..I didn't catch on that the menu was right on those carts! Several times, those servers would pass by--colliding and crashing--asking me if I'd like anything? It was difficult to choose, because I didn't understand what they were saying; they were talking so fast and it was so loud in the room that I kept saying 'no'. In response, one of the servers gave me a dirty look. A bit stunned, I just laughed it off.
My friend asked me which ones I liked, but not knowing what to pick, I declined most of what they offered, only accepting foods that looked somewhat familiar (like the shrimp scallop, pork/shrimp dumpling, short ribs, the white glob thing--which my friend picked--but I didn't like, because it was too salty). Hmmm...the fried shrimp was good, and the chinese broccoli (without that salty brown syrup, or was it fish sauce?), was ok--chruchy.
The two things I enjoyed most, however, were the jasmine tea and Boba drink (though, a bit too sweet, the tapioca pearls were cooked just right).
Also, I didn't mind the eye candy that happened along the way a half hour later into our lunch. Three tall buff dudes walked in and were seated at a table behind us. At first, I hadn't noticed their entrance, as I was conversing with my friend and nibbling on a shrimp ball. I just happened to glance up at the right moment to catch a glimpse of a nice-looking bicep. The guy had really nice arms, and the friend tailing him was super cute!!! It made the next hour, at least for me, a bit more eventful.
Anyway, my friend said that the food and place was way better back in the day. (Looks like some people here agree).
Overall, the food was ok. Someone else described it as greasy and lukewarm. Well, that's exactly the kind of food we ate.
Will I go again? Maybe. For the eye candy.
The BF and I went here with his relatives (around 20 of them) after a Saturday morning visit to the cemetary. I'm not sure if we had reservations, but we were seated very quickly despite how crowded it looked inside (always a plus in my book.) Anyway, we were at the "kids" table, and none of us spoke any dialect of Chinese, so we kind of just got a random assortment of everything.
I am very sad to say that I wasn't impressed, especially after some people were like, "This place is famous!"
The bbq pork bun was the only thing I really enjoyed, so I ate like three of them. I hoped that the dumplings they pan fried right in front of you would be amazing, but the filling just seemed to be a mixture of anything they could find in the kitchen. Not very appetizing. Plus, the dumplings were definitely a few hours old, along with the rest of the dumplings/siu mai we got. I don't know many of the formal names of dishes, but we got:
-the noodle wrapped shrimp and beef that they pour soy sauce on (noodles were way too starchy. these are usually my FAVORITE at any dim sum place, and I didn't enjoy them)
-the beef balls (even my boyfriend, who eats anything beef, couldn't stomach a second bite. the servers also just dumped this on our table.)
-mango pudding (definitely old with a weird, almost curdled texture)
-chow mein and chow fun (both were a lot better than the dim sum selection, but that's because you order this from the kitchen.)
-gai lan (also thought this would be good since they "prepare" it in front of you, but it was very average.)
-XLB (no broth inside, and the skin/wrapper was way too thick.)
But, what really sucked, and I'm sure happens all the time with purely English speaking tables, is that a few carts will come at the same time and just plop shit down on your table and mark the receipt before you can say no. I must say that their tactic of bringing lots of options and confusing the table works... so shady. I need to stop coming to these shady joints!
Why does it seem like all big and successful dim sum joints are exactly the same?
Big cavernous room with huge round tables. Bunch of people who demand that I eat shrimp balls.
Most importantly, the dimsum wasn't great. It was ok. Greasy and lukewarm. Even the steamed items seemed heavy and tough.
Pretty darn good. The wait is horrendous. I came for dim sum and it was well worth it.
Empress is still our go to place for dim sum because the food is decent and you never really have to wait that long. Plus there's a parking structure. Of course there are better places in San Gabriel. But I live in downtown and when I wake up hungry on sunday, I just want to get to dim sum and start eating.
Empress has all your standard dim sum fare. Waitresses push carts of it around the restaurant, so ordering is easy even if you don't know exactly what you want. Just point to what looks good. If you DO know exactly what you want and can't wait for that cart to get to you, you can always ask the waitresses or one of the guys in suits (I think they're managers?) to go get it for you. I actually think the service here is pretty good for dim sum restaurant standards. We asked for a couple of things, which they brought to us promptly, e.g. ice water, extra chili sauce, extra tea cup, etc.
Like I mentioned earlier, the words "standard dim sum fare" basically sum up this place for me. Nothing is so truly outstanding that you absolutely must try it. At the same time, its pretty hard to mess up on basic things like steamed/fried/baked dumplings... I think the most important thing for a dim sum place is that it offers all the different varieties of dumplings, rolls, buns, etc that you'd expect or want to order.
1. Get here early - 11 a.m. is ideal. Later than that, you could find yourself waiting awhile.
2. Go with someone who knows dim sum, at least the first time.
3. The validation doesn't do shit - our ticket was validated and we still had to pay the full fare. WTF?
4. Not least, this place is effing delicious. My favorites are the shrimp toast, pork buns and the shrimp/pork ball things.
Here's the short version : food is OK. Their shrimp noodle is actually better than the ones I've had. The pork spareribs though was mostly bones, not much of meat so suck on. The siomai, scallop and shrimp dimsum etc. were ok. In short, I've had better dimsum.
The ambience is nice enough, big and sprawling. Parking is right in the building which is a plus, I was just confused as I asked to be validated and the waiter was like, no need to. Ended up paying a fee. Good thing we were there early so the meal was like 35 mins.
I'd bring most likely my non-asian friends here. I may go back in a few months or so and see if I'll have a better experience.
I'm fairly certain that I've written a mediocre review for a mediocre dim sum place. But it isn't here, so here goes a rather thrown together review, much like the food at Empress.
The dim sum is not very "jing" or, rather, delicate--meaning that I find a lot of the skin/wrappers for the xia jiao (har gow - shrimp dumpling) to be too thick, and the stuffing inside to be too thrown together. The steamed pork ribs have good flavor but a lot of the pieces are way too fatty. The BBQ pork is also very fatty. The chive/shrimp dumplings are rather large and difficult to eat. The shrimp rice roll things fall apart easily. The radish cakes are delicious. The fried oval xian shui jiao or ham sui gok varies. And I only say that because I had about 3 different ones (this ones my favorite) and every single dumpling tasted very strangely different. No consistency at all. The BBQ pork buns fall apart when you try to pick them up.
I'm not sure why I'm giving them 3 stars other than I think China town has an incredible amount of history and though shabby and old, has its own lustrous moments.
Come here if you can't bear to drive farther out to SGV or RH.
The only place where a "B" is actually a good thing is in Chinatown at Empress Pavilion. Empress was my first experience with Dim Sum and I have always be a big fan of theirs. The crazy cart ladies attack you the minute you sit down, offering some of the wildest and most savory dishes such as the pillow-ie cha siu baau or the spinach and shrimp dumplings. The Jin deui filled with lotus paste is the perfect cherry on top of a wonderfully satisfying meal! The only bad thing about Dim Sum is that your hungry 3 to 4 hours later. :)
pack for a trip to china when you come here for dim sum. located in a chinese plaza in chinatown and filled with chinese food and chinese people, empress pavillion is the go-to dim sum place for many whities as well. the ladies who push the carts with the weirdest of dim sum will skip you entirely if you dont look like you are ready for chicken feet, taro tarts, fish balls, and whatever else they keep hidden from me. this is one of the only places where i recommend playing it safe with your choices.
always packed, always loud, and always cheap. you do sometimes have to get agressive. dont be afraid to tell these people NO if you arent enthused aboiut whatever is being pushed (literally) on your table.
do not overeat here, you will feel like crap. save some room for the boba place on the ground floor and get your parking validated.
Yumm Dim Sum in a chaotic cacophony only the Chinese know how to offer...
I don't know why Empress Pavilion is getting so many bad reviews, because I think they have pretty high quality dim sum.
The restaurant itself is sort of hard to find: it's smack dab in the middle of a parking structure (although this does mean that it's not hard to find parking!) which you enter on a random side street. Parking at the lot is nice and cheap: 60 cents an hour, one hour free with validation. Inside, the restaurant is sort of crowded and clean enough. They also have a good flow of dim sum carts, and I've never experienced a food shortage.
The dim sum itself was nice and tasty: I noticed that a lot of their meat dishes had a high meat to funky fat/gristle ratio, which is always a good sign. Har gow were full of shrimp and had a very thin, well-made dumpling skin. Their baked buns were particularly tasty, with the lightest, most delicious bread I've ever had in a Chinese restaurant (the baked barbecue pork buns were literally like a honey-coated puff of air, highly recommended). One item I was not impressed with were the lo mi chi (coconut-mochi-peanut dessert things), which were doughy and not very tasty. For three people, our bill was about $25 with tax and tip, and we were all quite full.
Overall, I'd say this place had about 70% of the things that I usually order at a dim sum restaurant, so the lack of variety might get monotonous if you come here very frequently. I'd definitely recommend it for someone's first time eating dim sum, or for any dim sum craving that isn't strong enough to warrant the drive to Monterey Park.
"If it tastes anything like Asian ____ (rhymes with wussy), I'll eat it!", exclaims my sister's white boyfriend when we first proposed the foreign concept of dim sum for lunch.
The two lovebirds were smart enough to suggest I hop out of the car to grab a number, while they parked. 20 minutes later, I was reunited once again with my now-messy-haired sister, who hurriedly described the lack of open parking spaces.
Uh huh.
When we were finally seated, we were bombarded by a circle of waitresses and their carts of goodies. After ordering steamed lotus seed buns, rice noodles & shrimp, egg custard tarts, and sweet rice cakes, the hungry male at our table shouted for some meat. My kind sister ordered him pork shu mai (http://static.px.yelp....), bbq pork buns (http://static.px.yelp....), and a heaping plate of bbq pork (http://static.px.yelp....).
The lotus seed buns were deliciously sweet, and stuffed with lotus paste (http://static.px.yelp....), but the egg tarts were mediocre. The crust was stale, and the tarts were puny (http://static.px.yelp....). THE BIGGER THE BETTER. SMALL THINGS DO NOT BELONG IN MY MOUTH.
The one bite I had of the rice noodles was scrumptious (http://static.px.yelp....), before sister's bf slurped them all away, because he likes "WET, ASIAN THINGS".
The rice cakes were a beautiful array of colors, with the mochi rice wrapper rolled in coconut and filled with sweet red bean, egg, and green tea paste (http://static.px.yelp....).
To distract myself from the couple across my table feeding each other, I wandered around the room until I found my FAVORITEST dim sum item in the whole wide world: fried taro dumplings! (http://static.px.yelp....) The boy complained that they looked hairy and strange, but after I forced him to eat one (sharing is caring :P), he reported that the warm, chewy taro complimented the crispy fried shell perfectly, and wanted more.
Okay. No more caring.
Finally, we ordered fried turnip cakes, which were slightly oily but steaming hot. (http://static.px.yelp....) There was very little turnip bits to be found, and the entire cake tasted suspiciously of starch. Hrmph.
When exiting the restaurant, we spotted a cart filled with boba drinks. Homeboy scoffed, and said he doesn't like to suck balls.
Guess who does?
I bought one to go :)
Given my choice, I'd venture further east for dim sum. While I'm not terribly impressed with the food in Chinatown, I admit it's convenient on a weekday when time is more limited. I'd rate the food here 2.5 stars and throw in an extra .5 star for convenience, service speed and parking.
I grew up in Chinatown and still live close by. Sadly, Empress is not what it used to be. It's often half-empty. At least we had no problem finding parking and getting seated quickly. The carts came flying by and we piled the table with food before we knew it. The food is not bad, just average. So go in with the right level of expectation. Of all the food we ordered, I least enjoyed the baked bbq pork buns (the dough was nice, but the pork was flavorless) and most enjoyed the dumplings with shrimp and chives.
I have no complaints about the service at all. It's typical Chinese. They don't come by to see if you're enjoying your meal; they wait for you to flag them over. We had no trouble at all getting our teapot or glasses of water refilled throughout our long meal. That's all you can really hope for.
It's crowded, it's loud, there's no parking, and it tastes like mass-produced dim sum. Why would you want to put up with that? If you're going to wait around for a long time to get bad service, then you might as well drive out to the SGV to get that but good dim sum. Or head down the street to Golden Dragon on Broadway.... I think the dim sum there is the same quality, it just lacks the "ambiance" and the waitstaff may even be just a touch nicer (though I don't know if that "C" rating is still hanging in the window).
And no, the chicken feet here doesn't stand out.
This used to be the best dim sum place closest to the west side. The first time I ate here a few years ago, the food was great. Many variety and they had some of my favorite dim sum items like the crab claw, the shrimp ball,and the tofu skin. When I went earlier this year, the rating went down to 3 stars and after this past weekend visit, it is now down to 2 stars. No crab claw or shrim ball. The chicken feet's sauce was a bit bland. The shiu may a bit dry and the tofu skin is now filled with mushroom only, not meat. The mango pudding does not come with the milk sauce anymore!
I guess i will drive all the way to Monterey Park next time to satisfy my dim sum cravings
The service was bad. The wait for a table took a while. We were seated at the table closest to the kitchen. We noticed that some of the dishes and utensils on the table were not washed well so we moved to another empty table without asking the waiters to help us. They gave us dirty looks for moving to the new table. They were also lingering around us when they gave us our bill because they seemed to think we would not pay the bill. I guess they were being passive aggressive with us because we disobeyed their seating assignment. The older Chinese ladies pushing the dim sum carts were courteous.
The dim sum was not bad. I love greasy seafood and I am not very discriminating about the food that I consume.
The prices were low.
I had a much better experience at Ocean Seafood. Empress Pavilion seems to be the higher profile restaurant compared to Ocean Seafood but EP struck me as being very overrated.
Finally came here for dim sum with my family two Sundays ago. The wait was way shorter than I'd expected, only around ten or fifteen minutes at most. It was my second time eating in the big main room and I noticed how loud the noise was of all the families eating and chatting. It was weird, I felt like every table had a baby too. My friend explained that Sundays are family days though so I guess that makes sense.
It was my first time actually holding and reading their menu. I sifted through it quickly and found the stuff I used to eat with my ex and his family and holy cow, those were some pricey dishes. No wonder they were so delicious. Anyway, the dim sum was equally tasty.
Only thing that was annoying was the fact that since it's such a huge room, it can take awhile for the specific cart you want to come by. I got impatient waiting for some mango pudding so I just asked some server and he promptly got me some. Oh, and only thing that was extremely embarrassing was getting hit on by a fifteen year old in front of my whole family... who wouldn't stop laughing at me. So I suppose if you have any fifteen year old girls in your family, watch 'em like a hawk! (:
One perk that I had when I used to date a Chinese boy is the fact that I got invited to dinners at… Read more »
CHANGE OF OWNERSHIP EQUALS DIMINISHED TASTE.
So sad, since we have been loyal patrons for years. But recently, we have noticed a remarkable turn for the worse in terms of the quality and taste of their dimsum, which is the biggest draw of this establishment.
The first sign that we knew something's different was the lack of the lunchtime crowd. This place is usually packed. But recently, it has been barely half-filled of capacity.
I can't help but ask a few of their staff if the restaurant indeed changed hands and confirmed that one of the chefs bought the restaurant from the original owners. They also said that many patrons share our sentiment, complaining about how awful the food has gotten.
We ordered a number of dimsum, including favorites like the congee and siumai. But even those tasted terribly bland, even worse than frozen dumplings you can find at any supermarket. I wish there was one dish that would save our bad experience, and give this place another chance. But we finished our lunch disappointed, and had to go to nearby CBS and Wonkok to buy some food to go to satisfy our craving for a decent meal. Sigh.
I guess we have no choice but bid farewell to Empress.
The BEST Dim Sum in all of L.A. and a good buy. The Shumai is mouth watering (has pork) and the Har Gow are my favorites. It's a bit difficult to locate being in a 3 story mini mall but So Worth It! A bit difficult to understand the dim sum cart girls so better ask the waiter what they mean. I go alone all the time & if I don't have time I go to the adjacent take-out. Tried dinner and it's just as amazing. So glad they continue to keep their items cheap in this economy! If a cart hasn't come by and you know what you want, simply ask one of the waiters (dressed in suiting) and they will go into the kitchen and bring it out fresh for you or run around and find the girl with the cart and bring you the dish over. now I call that SERVICE!
Wow, it's been a year since I last came here. Reading my previous review, I know why.
We came here yesterday for dim sum and it was a 2.5 overall, but because I found a HAIR in my steamed dumpling, it goes down to a 2.
WTF. A HAIR?!!!
There I was all happy, eating my steamed shrimp and chive dumpling when I saw this nasty ass hair. OMFG. I almost barfed. I immediately threw it to the side and stopped eating. UGH. What a buzzkill.
Besides all that drama, the rest of the food was decent.
- Har gow: decent, nothing that great
- shrimp with long noodles: meh.. my kid said the shrimp was too chewy. I agree.
- steamed BBQ pork buns: this was pretty good, kiddo had 2.
- sticky rice: great texture and perfectly cooked
- yellow bean bun: S and K both loved them. I don't eat dessert, so I didnt try
- Chinese broccoli: one of my faves! I love greens, especially with my new "diet"
- tripe: yummy!! Me likey tripe-y!!!! Yes, it's gross.. but whatever, I'm Asian, I eat weird stuff
- turnip cake: pretty good, but I like it better when it is soft and not so hard
So, if I hadn't found that hair, I might come back. But, now, no way. BTW, it did get a B rating, so there.
pix!!- http://pandaliciousfor...
This place used to be my fave place for dim sum, but it has gone downhill.
We went to get some dim…
Read more »
MUST LIKE SHRIMP
Almost everything here has shrimp in it. I happen to LOVE shrimp, scallops, pork, chicken, so this place fits perfectly into my genre.
I have yet to go to a better place for Dim Sum. Just ask Yao Ming, I have seen him there 3 different times he was in LA to play the Lakers!!
Best items here: Chicken/Pork bun, Shumai, Shrimp Toast, but nothing beats STICKY RICE...
The service here is fast, perfect for if you work downtown and are looking for a fast delicious lunch/brunch.
Still our favorite place to go with the family for Dim Sum and the whole Chinatown experience. Like a previous reviewer said, "the fastest way to a food coma." Just pace yourself, especially if you come in hungry because you have all these carts coming at you all at once and everything looks good and before you know it your table is filled with all sorts of stuff. Most of the staff doesn't speak English too well so it can be lots of fun ordering but thats all part of the experience. Just don't come too late because it gets busy and they run out of Dim Sum.
Okay, there maaaay in be better Dim Sum in Monterrey Park, but how often do you want to make that drive? Empress is my local spot. Shrimp and vegetable shumai, chicken feet, pork buns, and steamed rice in banana leaf, plus something random with the bf. Best $10 eva. And there's a cute Japanese toy store nearby so that you can pretend your five again by buying a weird, plastic, painted adult toy. Not a bad Sunday.
I'm a Chinese American and I grew up in the San Gabriel Valley, CA (which is abundant with Dim Sum restaurants) but one of the best I've had is Empress Pavilion in China Town Los Angeles. The service is here very standard of what you would find at a Dim Sum restaurant, but a bit more attuned to those that don't speak Cantonese or Mandarin. A solid 4 stars.
Been going here for years and years...and went back a few weekends ago on the way up to Pasadena. Always a safe bet for good dim sum when I'm in the area. We were having "the craving" and planned accordingly.
Steamed shu mai and har gow were tasty. The fried shu mai skin was kind of chewy. Good filling in the steamed char siu bao (not a lot of fat). I teased one of our friends that could not join us with some text message pics and had to bring her some after much begging on her part. I won't make that mistake again.
The staff here is like any other busy dim sum restaurant. They sit you when a table is ready. The carts will swarm you once they see that you have just sat. They clean up the table just as soon as you walk away. And other than that you need to yell if you need something like a soda.
What the heck is up with charging for hot tea?!? C'mon guys the joint is full and you want to nickel us for the tea? All I've got to say is that if you're going to charge for tea, tell me about it before you just put the tea on the table. Kinda lame...
Oh and parking here sucks, so bring the small car and keep your eyes peeled for a spot.
Sometimes you just want brunch at 9:30am: Nothing too heavy like bacon, sausage and eggs, but just enough food so that you can stop at the exact point that you're full. The way to go? Dim sum.
Yes, Empress's walls and air has gotten greasier over the years, the dim sum a little less refined, the push cart still exists (instead of the modern made-to-order paper menu), the ladies yell out items in *English*, 8 out of 10 people eating are not Chinese, and there's never any Ha Gow left in the cart.
But, why do I still go? Proximity, validated parking and lots of tables. If you gotta wait, there are a few stores nearby. I haven't had to wait long in the last few times I went. Nothing like the crazy madness at Capital Seafood in SGV, whose food I love but the place is too far for me.
$25 fed two for brunch AND had enough leftovers for lunch the next day. I had Cha Siu Bau (bbq pork buns)
Haam Sui Gok (mochi dumpling with pork)
Boh Loh Gai Bau (chicken bun with a sweet baked top
Jeen Dui (sesame balls with lotus paste)
Woo Tau Go (taro cake)
Jeen Cheung Fun (pan-fried rice flour rolls)
and Daan Tat (egg tarts)
Yum. See pics! http://www.yelp.com/bi...
#18 Sticky Rice Wrapped in Bamboo Leaf, known to Chinese people as "haam yook jong" is sticky rice… Read more »
GREAT CHINESE FOOD
I just had dinner with my association of school administrators (300 AAPA members) tonight and we had wonderful conversations and great Chinese food.
This is an annual social event, and our illustrious leader, Dr. Ramon Cortines gave an informative and entertaining speech. Then dinner was served promptly afterward. It was buffet style and luckily our table was third up on the queue. There were many choices to pick from, including deep fried dumplings, steamed barbecued pork buns, shrimp fun gor, spring rolls, shrimp and chicken pot stickers, and sesame rice dumplings. Of course there was the usual beef with broccoli, sweet and sour pork, fried rice and fried noodles. Everything was delicious.
I understand how some people might find certain people a little brusque and short tempered, but at least they do it to everyone, even to their own people. Luckily tonight our contact with the restaurant staff was rather limited and we spent much of the time socializing within the association members, which was the purpose of the night. Even though I have been here on a Sunday afternoon for Dim Sum many times, I realized that the ladies who work here, really just serve, and that's all. They're not there to make friends or compete for Miss Personality.
Empress Pavilion is one of my favorite Chinese restaurants in Chinatown, and Plum Tree is another good place to eat. If you go to Empress Pavilion for Dim Sum on a Sunday, make sure you're not in a hurry. Go with thick skin and don't expect the hostess or servers to win your heart, but the food certainly will. In addition, parking is convenient, and they'll validate.
I really enjoyed my brunch at Empress Pavilion last Sunday. We got there early (although not THAT early, they open at 9) and there was no line. Which was awesome because someone cut right in front of me. I was going to have to take her down to Chinatown, but since there was no wait I just laughed instead.
I went with my Chinese friend, which is a good thing because she knew exactly what to order and how to handle the servers. She called people over, ordered what seemed like a dozen small plates from the carts that passed by. The biggest chore was actually ordering drinks. My friend ended up being very assertive with regard to addressing floor managers, and she said this was ok because she's Chinese and they expect it. The whole thing made me laugh.
We ate and ate and ate and ate. Shrimp shui mai, roasted duck (my favorite), Shanghai steamed buns, char siu, har gau, Chinese broccoli, and some kind of strangely textured sweet rice cake.
All of it was good. Although I understand from my friend P that there is better to be had, nearby in Chinatown and definitely in Monterey Park. I plan to ask her to take me to one of the spots in Monterey Park sometime soon. The price, however, could not possibly be beat. All our dishes, three sodas, two glasses of wine and tea for $56.
Empress Pavilion...back in the days of living in Echo Park nearby, this was our family's standard sunday dim sum location. After not visiting for a few years, decided to go back on a spur of the moment with a friend.
Wow there's a lot less chinese people here! Still over half chinese, but not the way it used to be, when the only non chinese people would be fuddling with two sticks and eating fried rice off the english menu. BUT some older white guy behind me ordered fully in Cantonese!...very cool :D
The food quality has maybe gone down slightly, its not the best dim sum, but its way above average, and in LA...average dim sum is, well, a hell of a lot better than most other places other than a certain city up north. The lo bak go is still made fresh on the carts, as is the ma thai go and other cakes, which is nice. The menu is a bit deceiving as I have gotten items that are sometimes not listed on it if I asked, mostly dessert things like sai mai lo and do fu faa. Anyways, if you don't feel like braving the traffic on the 10 to get off at Monterey Park, or want to browse the awesome plaza that this restaurant is in, go for it. You won't be disappointed.
I go here every Sunday for Dim Sum and it is consistently good. The food rarely changes in variety but the quality and taste keep me coming back. I have tried nearly every dish they offer and only on rare occasion do I find something I dislike (pork blood soup). Service can be rather poor and if you're white they will automatically assume you want shumai or char siu bun. Thanks but no thanks... Parking is plentiful and dim sum is a fun excuse to go town. Please don't be that white guy that orders fried rice and put his nose up to every other dish...
(3 1/2 sttars) - This place is cheap too!
I feel obligated to write about Empress because I've come here so much in my life.
I usually eat at Empress for banquets so I'm not exactly familiar how they are in relation to price. It's good, but considering your local, it's not going to be mind-blowing Chinese food (you will definitely find better in Monterey park). Nor are you going to get the best service.
Here's the deal: if you want decent Chinese food and you're in Chinatown, I would suggest going there. If you're more than 10 miles away, I would suggest going elsewhere.
Been going to this for years, they are consistently OK.
Portions are regular, taste is not bad.
Congee is on the blander side.
At least their food is always warm...
If you are in the area, its a nice place to go to, but I would not go to Chinatown just for the dimsum at Empress Pavilion...
The price is value priced, so not bad overall...
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Dim Sum
Neighborhood: Chinatown
Category: Chinese
Los Angeles, CA
Category: Dim Sum
Monterey Park, CA
Category: Dim Sum
A list of place to get bao, dumplings, and tea…
Eating alone for a meal? Try a few of these…
I love dim sum. It's so simple, and you can never…
some restaurants i like to go to when i need to…
From your pork shu mai, chicken feet, to your deep…
Some of my favorite dining destinations in the…
Man who sneezes without hanky takes matters into…
This list is a work in progress as I continue my…
