This is my second time here, last time about 10 years ago, a friend took me there, I really forgot what it's taste like, but no bad memory, after today, I don't think I will go back there.... More

This is my second time here, last time about 10 years ago, a friend took me there, I really forgot what it's taste like, but no bad memory, after today, I don't think I will go back there. Everything just taste not that good, I can see most people eat there is not Chinese. You can find much better, real chinese taste dim sum places in Monterey Park, Alhambra, San Gabriel. I know what really good chinese food is taste like. Pros: real famous Cons: taste not that good
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Gone are the days of variety and plenty of dim sum carts. Early birds must wait longer for the popular dim sum dishes to roll out of the kitchen after 10. Patience is tested here on weekends.... More

Gone are the days of variety and plenty of dim sum carts. Early birds must wait longer for the popular dim sum dishes to roll out of the kitchen after 10. Patience is tested here on weekends. Waiters and bus boys do what they can to quench the patrons. If you have the time and want the convenience of a simple dim sum experience in Chinatown, Empress is still the place for authentic Chinese food.
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This is one of the best Chinese places I've ever been, and I know everyone is crazy about their Dim Sum, but their dinner is just as good. The Peking Duck is almost too good. By far the best Peking... More

This is one of the best Chinese places I've ever been, and I know everyone is crazy about their Dim Sum, but their dinner is just as good. The Peking Duck is almost too good. By far the best Peking Duck, I've ever had. We're talking close-your-eyes, melt-in-your-mouth good. I was headed to a Dodger game when I stopped in and the duck was so good I decided to forego a Dodger Dog at the game. That might not sound that crazy, but it is. Great Chinese food, there's a reason this place has 5 stars.
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Brought my parents here for a weekend lunch. They're not much into dim sum like I am. We had the sizzling beef plate (very tender), the lemon chicken (best I've ever had), prawns (a little small,... More

Brought my parents here for a weekend lunch. They're not much into dim sum like I am. We had the sizzling beef plate (very tender), the lemon chicken (best I've ever had), prawns (a little small, but delicious anyway) and chicken fried frice. We did pick some BBQ pork buns and mini custard tarts from the carts. Another weekend, my fiancee's aunt and uncle, and they're into dim sum. Shrimp har gow was excellent! Seaweed wrapped pork, rice noodles, chicken feet, all as good as anything in Monterey Park (or better!) Service was attentive. Parking is pocket change after a validation. Pros: Dim sum, looks good for a banquet Cons: Can't think of any
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I noticed the extensive menu items with shark fin and have to comment on the inhumane act of slicing off shark's fins and throwing them back in the water. They drown because they can no longer get... More

I noticed the extensive menu items with shark fin and have to comment on the inhumane act of slicing off shark's fins and throwing them back in the water. They drown because they can no longer get oxygen through movement in the water. Please consider removing this from your menu. Our shark population is on a rapid decline and shark fin buying and selling is the culprit. Please help save this endangered species.
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OK, everyone complains about the service. I don't get it. We got a table on a Saturday afternoon dim sum service in about 10 minutes. We sat down and within minutes we were offered so many different... More

OK, everyone complains about the service. I don't get it. We got a table on a Saturday afternoon dim sum service in about 10 minutes. We sat down and within minutes we were offered so many different delightful dim sum: baked pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, steamed buns... It's actually overwhelming how many options there are. Everything was extremely tasty. I loved a sweet sesame concoction with bean curd. Even if you don't get the best service, who cares? This isn't a 60$ steakhouse, people! This is a very fun, economical, tasty experience! Pros: Tastly little dim sum galore Cons: None, I had a great experience
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I used to go here about once a month... But the service has degraded and so has the quality of the food. I'm utterly dissapointed with Empress.

I used to go here about once a month... But the service has degraded and so has the quality of the food. I'm utterly dissapointed with Empress.
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I hate to say it, but I certainly concur with the negative reviews after my husband and two sons tried the Empress dim sum on Friday December 28th. Things started out okay, but after receiving some... More

I hate to say it, but I certainly concur with the negative reviews after my husband and two sons tried the Empress dim sum on Friday December 28th. Things started out okay, but after receiving some 5 dishes, the carts just stopped coming to our area! After about 40 minutes I went and politely spoke to a 'manager' (one of the people in the Black, formal suits) to point out that no one had been to our area in quite awhile. Then I nicely went back to my seat, but nothing happened! Half an hour later, still no one had come to our area. No one offered us a menu or suggested that we could order a dish to supplement the dim sum that was apparently no longer coming around to our area, though there appeared to be carts in another part of the dining room. I complained again, not quite as calmly, to a gentleman in a black suit, and he was rude, saying that we had gotten all the dishes there were to get! So perhaps this is a problem, but 5 dishes is certainly not the variety one expects in a top notch dim sum restaurant! Actually, when I lived in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, our one local dim sum restaurant did better than that by about 3 times! This was a very unpleasant, rude dining experience! My husband and I were actually in disbelief that it could be so bad. We have been to dim sum in Boston, New York, Vancourver, and as I say Hamilton, Ontario, and never experienced anything like this. We live up the coast from L.A. and are open to any suggestions of dim sum in L.A. that will take away such bad memories! Awful!!! Pros: Food we got was okay Cons: Few dim sum dishes, service incredibly rude!
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I had the worst experience at the Empress Pavilion Restaurant. The service was horrible. My friends and I were there for 40 minutes and did not receive any decent service or food. One of my friend... More

I had the worst experience at the Empress Pavilion Restaurant. The service was horrible. My friends and I were there for 40 minutes and did not receive any decent service or food. One of my friend tried to speak to an employee and was completely ignored. The one plate of food we did get was bbq pork buns and it was very soggy. DO NOT go to this restaurant.
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Worst dim sum experience ever! I had been to Empress Pavilion one time before, and it was a horrific experience. Waiting for more than an hour for the har gow and siu mai once before, I stupidly... More

Worst dim sum experience ever! I had been to Empress Pavilion one time before, and it was a horrific experience. Waiting for more than an hour for the har gow and siu mai once before, I stupidly decided to go back and give it another chance. Today, I was dissed again. Because we were not of the Caucasian race, we were relegated to the back of the restaurant. When we asked if we could move closer to the middle (where there might have been a chance we could eat), the hostess rolled her eyes at us and gave us an pretentious attitude. We were moved to the table next to our first table. It took 10 minutes for us to get our tea. In our 40 minutes there, only 3 different carts came by. After waiting 30 minutes, the only carts that came by was the chicken feet cart, the dessert cart and the char siu bao cart. I decided to get up and inquire a cart pusher if she had what we wanted, but she turned her back to me and didn't even bother to acknowledge my existence. When I asked a waiter if he can help me, he ignored my inquiry and continued on. I can't believe some people would call this restaurant the best dim sum in L.A. They must be tourists. Service was awful. I can't rate the food because I wasn't offered any. Being realistic, I did not expect five-star service. However, I did expect to be treated a modicum of respect. Frustrated with the horrid experience, we decided to leave after only getting 3 dishes. The bill was ridiculously overpriced. While leaving the restaurant, there were people waiting in line to get in. What they didn't know was that they would get dissed at dim sum.
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