Empire Chinese Restaurant

Great atmosphere, service 5 stars, appetizers were delicious but the entrées were lacking. We ordered the dumplings and artichoke for appetizers and I highly recommend the dumplings. I had chicken meatballs over pasta, they tasted greasy. My sis had fried chicken, she did not care for. Best advice great for appetizers, not for dinner.

I’d give ½ a star if I could. I’ve ordered from them for over 30 years but no more. They’re consistently late with the delivery. Twice I’ve waited over 90 minutes for a delivery from a block away! They’ve lost my business after all these years.

I like this place because it’s quiet, tables are far from one another and you can have a private conversation. The food is not bad.
Miso soup is excellent.

I love this place in Washington heights. I tried this place yesterday and had their general tsos lunch special. The chicken wasn’t great. It was fried but didn’t keep its crispness and the sauce was a bit off. The hot and sour soup was great though. It was loaded with tofu mushrooms and different beige veggies. Very good flavor

The old lady that takes the order is a pissy little bitch. Getting an attitude for changing the order because I asked for a smaller size. My food came with a free soda and she wasn’t going to give it to me.

There food is good but calling in is not ok they are rude I’m not sure if I would call aging seeming that they was so rude be4

Open late, which is great, and the sushi isn’t absolutely terrible, most definitely edible, but just not very good.

I love their noodle soups! Actually I never turn down soup! I miss working in the lower east side and order the noddle soup w broth and a meat especially when I’m coming down with something. I’ve done delivery through the app for the pork noddle soup. It is amazing and seriously I was ill and needed a soup the delivery guy tracked through snow for my order (he def received got a nice tip from me) I felt like I was waiting for my mom with her homemade soup to remedy my cold. I’ve actually gone to dine in with my fiancé but their service is a bit awkward but attentive if that makes any sense. Spring Rolls are good. wish they came in 3s per order or at least 2. Their fried wontons are good too.

I was hoping the old Empire from 97^th St. which was very good as I recall was continuing it’s quality food, not to be, very very mediocre

WORST TAKE-​OUT EXPERIENCE EVER!
We had six dinner guests coming so I ordered in plenty of time to make sure the food would be there a little after they arrived. I was told the food would arrive in 1 hour. At an hour and a quarter we called to see where our dinner was. The guy who answered laughed and said it was on it’s way. At 2 hours and 10 minutes we called again, same guy.. .still laughing.. .food still on its way. When the food finally arrived 10 minutes later my famished guests dived in, but one by one they and we all stopped eating and looked up with yuck faces. ALL the food had been so highly salted it was inedible. Only the egg rolls and dumplings had missed the salt. The dumpling sauce however, got big dose. The meal had been sabotaged… Never in all our years as patrons of ES had we been delivered such a meal. It was a sad and disappointing end to an otherwise long and happy relationship as customers who loved their ES Chinese food.
Next day I called to speak to the manager and found he was away for three weeks. I don’t know who was in charge that night, but the appropriate response if they did not want to deliver to our address was simply to say, «we don’t go up there anymore.» Sabotaging the food was adolescent, wholly inexcusable and a sad, sad way to treat any customer, especially ones who had been loyal for so many years. DON’T ORDER OUT FROM HERE, YOU JUST DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’LL GET!!!

Something has gone terribly wrong with this place. We’ve been ordering from here for over 10 years, but never again. We ordered over $ 70.00 worth of food for ourselves and guests. We were told it would take an hour to deliver. After an hour and 15 minutes we called to ask when it would arrive. The guy laughed and said it was on its way. Half an hour later we called again. Again the guy laughed and said it was coming. Ten minutes later it came. The shrimp and peas were fine, both of the soups had been overly salted, as had the beef with broccoli and the chicken with mixed vegetables. The food was the worst I’ve ever had… and tasted like it had been sabotaged. We called and asked to speak to the manager. We were told the manager was away and wouldn’t be back for three weeks. DON’T ORDER FROM HERE. IT’S A NIGHTMARE.

This is one of my favorite restaurants. In fact I’m almost reluctant to write this review for fear that everyone that stuffs themselves into Flor De Mayo for whatever strange reason will be illuminated about a place across the street with better food, drinks and you don’t have to feel like a sardine. I have no clue why more people don’t come here. The food is delicious, the drinks will knock you on your ass and prices are so low I wonder how they stay in business. Two people could get drunk and full here for like $ 35, $ 40 tip included. If you’re in the neighborhood and in the mood food authentic Asian cuisine I highly recommend Empire

Late night delivery Chinese, reliable. Good vegetarian options.
The tofu in szechuan sauce is very very good.

Just got my order. Sweet and sour chicken but no chicken. Called to ask for chicken but lady said we had it already i said we had the sauce but no chicken Im not trying to get free food or free anything for that matter, but lady was rude and did not believe my chicken was missing i WILL NEVER order from this location again Not sure if they will have much success with customer service like that

Ordered a fried half chicken, pork bun, seafood soup and beef fried rice. Chicken was ok, soup was less than ok, pork bun was awful. They forgot my fried rice, and delivered it about 15 mins later and seemed annoyed when I asked about an ETA on delivery. Overall, less than average nyc chinese food, expected garbage customer service but decent delivery time. Wouldn’t recommend unless you have to have chinese as a last resort.

My mom first introduced me to Empire years ago and I always liked their rice and chicken. Currently I am in love with the california rolls and order them anytime I am in the area. Service is good and the restaurant is very nice.

Liked this place. Staff were very friendly. The food was good. The sushi was nice and the ribs plentiful. Morally good value for the price. The chicken in the entrees was a bit rubbery unfortunately but we were so full from the appetisers and the fabulous miso soup that we didn’t eat much of the main.
Loved the little free orange for desert. Would recommend!

Be there last night. As a Chinese, I have to say that the food there is AWESOME!
We oreder some spicy foods and it just meets our requirements… Fantastic material pickings… And free orange for desert at last. The prices are great. I’ll go there again if I have chances…

Excellent food and good service! Walked past it several times before we went to eat. Will go again!

Rude staff! The delivery man was upset from a seamless order since we didn’t include the tip. I thought he’d appreciate cash, but now. Now today they could not figure out how to work the bell and instead had the store call. They were rude and then hung up on me. I usually order from them regularly but this was the absolute last time. They are completely rude and nasty. The food is not worth the nasty treatment to customers.

**DELIVERY ONLY**
This place won by default because Hunan Balcony has been «under construction» (local slang for «we lost our lease or insurance and need to buy time so we don’t lose our business that’s decades old»). I needed Chinese food. A friend had gone there for a lunch special, it was fresh in my mind, so it won.
Yeah, no.
First off, my address has not changed on
, especially since I moved here. So nothing has changed, and I forgot it. It took them over an hour to figure out that the person who processed the order noted the wrong address AND wrong phone number for the delivery guy. Luckily this wasn’t very far, but still. How do you fuck something like that up? Shit happens but this was pretty big.
The food was another oh HELL no. I asked for garlic sauce (kind of my «thing») and it was bland, not very good. Their spring rolls were okay. We had scallion pancakes, and they were good too. Hubby was nonplussed by their moo shu.
All in all, not impressionable. We’ll be looking for a new place, and hoping every day that Hunan Balcony will return.

Never order delivery from this place. The short 5’3 Chinese delivery guy will yell at you for the most insignificant things. Like the fact that he was at a different entrance to the SAME building.
Order at your own risk. Like having an argument about the delivery missing a couple orders

I swear to god, I’ve never ever seen this place before, and it’s apparently been there for a long time.
WOMP.
After a long day of traveling and getting back to NYC on an empty stomach, their chicken and broccoli platter did the trick, and we were in and out with swift, effective service in a good 25 minutes.
Works for me.