Empress Pavilion Restaurant

(213) 617-9898

988 N Hill St Ste 201
Los Angeles, CA 90012 34.0666 -118.2375

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Neighborhoods: Chinatown, Central LA

EMPRESSPAVILION.COM

Hours:

Monday To Friday From 10:00 AM To 03:00 PM Monday To Friday From 05:00 PM To 09:30 PM Saturday From 09:00 AM To 03:00 PM Saturday From 05:00 PM To 10:00 PM Sunday From 08:30 AM To 03:30 PM Sunday From 05:00 PM To 10:00 PM

Price:

$$

Last updated 10.15.11

Category:

Restaurants

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Family Style Dining, Group Dining

Cuisine:

Dim Sum, Chinese

Editor's Tips

What People Are Saying About Empress Pavilion Restaurant

Featured Review

Martha Burr

Contributor

The Scene – In this cavernous banquet hall, a fleet of black-tie servers look after every table with eyes like hawks. Though they will readily offer thoughtful recommendations, they may steer ardent diners away from adventurous dishes, like duck feet, so insist gently. – – The Food – Classical Chinese cuisine is haute here. The Peking duck is the best in town and the shark's fin soup, which must be ordered in advance, overwhelms with both its taste and its cost (often exceeding $20 per person). Sliced abalone and sea cucumber pair up luxuriously and dissolve on the…

Editor's Tips

The Extras:
During dim sum service, the waitstaff wheels carts of delicacies like crisp-fried taro dumplings, roast duck and translucent har gow. To order, just flag one of the cart-pushing servers.
Know Before You Go:
Empress Pavilion is in the Bamboo Plaza, which has a garage with validated parking.
ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. “dim sum here is fun, cheap, and always a good time after a hard Saturday night.”
  2. “The quality is good and picking food off the carts as they come by is a fun experience for everyone.”
  3. “This restaurant is great for dim sum from the ambience to the food!”
  4. “dim sum is terrific but there is an art to going at the right time and getting a good location to maximize your chances of stopping the right dim sum cart.”
  5. “This is a very fun, economical, tasty experience!”
  6. “Great location for meeting friends since everyone lives all over the map.”
dessert
50.0% positive
  1. “Take full advantage of the scrumptions little scallion rolled up things, the rice roll with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds, the fried cake thing with chinese sausage thing,and lets not forget- almond jello.”
  2. “most of the stuff tasted bland (pork and thousand-yr egg congee, radish cake, shu mei) and the steamed bbq-prok buns were over steamed so the bun part was soggy, altho the filling was very tasty and not fatty at all.”
drinks
100.0% positive
  1. “Get a great meal for four for the price of hot dogs, beers and frozen malts at Dodger Stadium or Staples.”
food quality
80.48999786376953% positive
  1. “the dim sum was pretty good, a little more pricey than the other dim sum places i go to, but it's ok :) money's never a question when there's good food involved”
  2. “The BBQ pork was cold.”
  3. “Great food at reasonable price.”
  4. “liked the minimum service--Im there for the food, not for the in-your-face service typical at many American restaurants.”
  5. “Everything was extremely tasty.”
  6. “The food isn't that great.”
  7. “Anything wrapped in shrimp here is delicious.”
  8. “So many DimSum places in Monterey Park are dirty (carpets stained with food, bathrooms stink, etc).”
  9. “While not the best dim sum we've ever had (most places serve better barbequed pork bao, for example), we can't say that anything was bad.”
  10. “Great taste and the Cha Shu is delicious.”
  11. “The food is delicious, the choices are endless and the service is quick, once you actually get a table.”
  12. “most of the stuff tasted bland (pork and thousand-yr egg congee, radish cake, shu mei) and the steamed bbq-prok buns were over steamed so the bun part was soggy, altho the filling was very tasty and not fatty at all.”
  13. “had the luck of going first with a chinese friend who took care of ordering the best dishes.”
  14. “There is a great variety of food.”
  15. “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.”
  16. “My wife & I went twice just to see if we experienced an off day the first time & both meals were awful, plus the waiters acted like they were doing hard time instead of being attentive to the customers, & the restaurant was empty, most likely because the ”
  17. “looked at other reviews--Note, when you dine at an authentic restaurant that is a different culture than your own, the food is obviously going to be different.”
  18. “They offer a variety of delicious dim sum and all of their prices are really”
  19. “We sat down and within minutes we were offered so many different delightful dim sum: baked pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, steamed buns.”
  20. “Get a great meal for four for the price of hot dogs, beers and frozen malts at Dodger Stadium or Staples.”
  21. “After a while, you won't be able to enjoy any food on your table.”
  22. “Great Chinese food, there's a reason this place has 5 stars.”
  23. “Head over to the suburban Chinatowns of the San Gabriel Valley where you're sure to experience authentic Cantonese cooking where ingredients are fresh and foods flavorful!”
  24. “know what really good chinese food is taste like.”
  25. “It might take awhile to get your food but the quality of the good is great.”
  26. “very classy place with great food to match whether it be dim sum or entree”
  27. “There is not many dim sum to choose at and the food is not so good in my opinion.”
  28. “Take full advantage of the scrumptions little scallion rolled up things, the rice roll with hoisin sauce and sesame seeds, the fried cake thing with chinese sausage thing,and lets not forget- almond jello.”
  29. “My Chinese friends' bring their out of town friends and relatives here for fabulous food.”
  30. “fantastic seafood and cantonese classic dishes!”
  31. “Great dim sum, other dishes pretty good too.”
  32. “outstanding food for the past ten plus years.”
  33. “The quality is good and picking food off the carts as they come by is a fun experience for everyone.”
  34. “I'm also telling friends about the rude service and disappointing food.”
  35. “This restaurant is great for dim sum from the ambience to the food!”
  36. “The food here is very tasty, however their level of service is very poor.”
  37. “This is a very fun, economical, tasty experience!”
  38. “The food is wonderful and you'll be surprised how low your bill is at the end of the meal.”
  39. “Where else can you get authentic chinese food but Chinatown.”
  40. “Lemon chicken a little too dry, but everything else was good.”
  41. “Worth the schlep to get fantastic and authentic Chinese food.”
menu variety
90.0% positive
  1. “On weekends, the basic selection of shui mai, har gow and all the standards make Empress Pavilion a good introduction to dim sum.”
  2. “There is a great variety of food.”
  3. “The food is delicious, the choices are endless and the service is quick, once you actually get a table.”
  4. “This place not only has the best variety of dimsum, in a beautifully decorated restaurant, it is also clean.”
  5. “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.”
  6. “They offer a variety of delicious dim sum and all of their prices are really”
  7. “I've always been disappointed at the lack of variety, but boosters claim Empress Pavilion has the best dim sum in town.”
  8. “Great variety of dim sum, especiallly on weekends, of course.”
  9. “the empress pavilion also has karaoke available (extensive english language cd library).”
  10. “Don't know why this place gets high ratings because this place has very limited choices of dim sum as well as bad service (which is saying a lot since it is a Chinese restaurant).”
overall
100.0% positive
  1. “It's a great place to start your weekend early in the morning and do come early, because the wait can be very long.”
  2. “Also good place to try, in the San Gabriel Valley: 888”
  3. “This place not only has the best variety of dimsum, in a beautifully decorated restaurant, it is also clean.”
  4. “We sampled Empress recently, hoping to find another good dim sum place in Chinatown, and found it to be pretty good.”
  5. “This is a great restaurant for big groups of people and for those who aren't familiar with the dim sum experience (begin with har gow and shumai).”
  6. “The best dim sum place”
  7. “great place to meet because it is centrally located and my friends and relatives live all over the place.”
return potential
25.0% positive
  1. “In conclusion, Empress Pavilion is one of the worst restaurants I have ever been to and I will never go back again!”
  2. “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.”
service
31.25% positive
  1. “It's huge, so service isn't that great.”
  2. “liked the minimum service--Im there for the food, not for the in-your-face service typical at many American restaurants.”
  3. “But the deal breaker was the poor service.”
  4. “We got decent service since I am Korean.”
  5. “My wife & I went twice just to see if we experienced an off day the first time & both meals were awful, plus the waiters acted like they were doing hard time instead of being attentive to the customers, & the restaurant was empty, most likely because the ”
  6. “Disappointed too that they didn't have almond lychees, but the service was fast and great.”
  7. “So, I got a very ignorant waiter, which makes eating in this restaurant a very unpleasant experience.”
  8. “Even if you don't get the best service, who cares?”
  9. “He made a rude, insulting comment about our soda consumption, apparently forgetting that a) it's his job to bring us things and b) we're paying for those things, which is what keeps the restaurant in business.”
  10. “service can be a bit slow during lunch”
  11. “The service is poor, but then again generally restaurants in Chinatown had mediocre service.”
  12. “Service was attentive.”
  13. “Someone on here said that the service is terrible.”
  14. “we went there for thanksgiving & enjoyed it ,it was a deliciuos experience,the service was warm & friendly,trhe dimsum was the best we have ever had.”
  15. “The service was horrible.”
  16. “I'm also telling friends about the rude service and disappointing food.”
  17. “Food was not delicate enough and service is TERRIBLE.”
  18. “Food here is of low quality and the service is poor.”
  19. “The food is delicious, the choices are endless and the service is quick, once you actually get a table.”
  20. “This was a very unpleasant, rude dining experience!”
  21. “This is a great restaurant for big groups of people and for those who aren't familiar with the dim sum experience (begin with har gow and shumai).”
  22. “as well as terrible service”
  23. “The food here is very tasty, however their level of service is very poor.”
  24. “Don't know why this place gets high ratings because this place has very limited choices of dim sum as well as bad service (which is saying a lot since it is a Chinese restaurant).”
value
86.3599967956543% positive
  1. “the dim sum was pretty good, a little more pricey than the other dim sum places i go to, but it's ok :) money's never a question when there's good food involved”
  2. “The prices seemed very reasonable, too.”
  3. “Get a great meal for four for the price of hot dogs, beers and frozen malts at Dodger Stadium or Staples.”
  4. “This is typical Chinese Food, and taste not bad, price not bad, but serivce do not expect!”
  5. “Good value”
  6. “dim sum here is fun, cheap, and always a good time after a hard Saturday night.”
  7. “Great food at reasonable price.”
  8. “One of the best values and secrets in Los Angeles.”
  9. “It's huge, so service isn't that great.”
  10. “The prices are also very reasonable.”
  11. “They offer a variety of delicious dim sum and all of their prices are really”
wait time
80.0% positive
  1. “service can be a bit slow during lunch”
  2. “We sat down and within minutes we were offered so many different delightful dim sum: baked pork buns, shu mai, dumplings, steamed buns.”
  3. “It's a great place to start your weekend early in the morning and do come early, because the wait can be very long.”
  4. “The food is delicious, the choices are endless and the service is quick, once you actually get a table.”
  5. “The line to get in is so long you'll wait at least an hour, but there are lots of great shops to browse during that time.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

12/26/09

Insulting service, blah food

by PTCruiser at Citysearch

I will never visit this establishment again. The dim sum was sub-par. The BBQ pork was cold. The atmosphere is very Holiday Inn conference room. But the deal breaker was the poor service.

Our server was exasperated by having to bring us beverages (which we were paying for, by the way - it's not like we were running him ragged for water). He made a rude, insulting comment about our soda consumption, apparently forgetting that a) it's his job to bring us things and b) we're paying for those things, which is what keeps the restaurant in business. We weren't demanding or rude; we were actually very patient customers.

I don't want to dine at a place where my ordering things is seen as an imposition, so largely because of this server's actions, I will never go to Empress Pavilion again. I'm also telling friends about the rude service and disappointing food.

See what happens when you treat your customers like crap? I harbor no illusions that this review will affect their business, but if enough people have experiences like this we'll see how busy it remains.

  • Pros: None
  • Cons: Rude service, cold tasteless food
1 Star Rating: Poor

08/23/09

it's just getting worse

by eatingright at Citysearch

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
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/29/08

More than just Dim-Sum!

by kiercemartin at Citysearch

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.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

07/01/08

Great dim sum, other dishes pretty good too...

by cpevey at Citysearch

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
1 Star Rating: Poor

05/05/08

Shark fin?

by JosefHans at Citysearch

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.

The Details on Empress Pavilion Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • best chinese dim sum
  • terrible service
  • great chinese food
  • warm minimum service
  • great dim sum place
  • very unpleasant experience
  • great restaurant
  • very reasonable price
  • great trhe dimsum
  • like great taste
  • not so good food
  • great quality
  • extremely tasty everything
  • bad memory
  • worst dim sum
  • good chinese
  • almost too good peking duck
  • order dish
  • very tasty filling
  • good value
  • great location
  • rude insulting comment
  • rude dining
  • great variety
  • great cha shu

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