Once again the sushi chef does not disappoint! He takes so much pride in his sushi, and I love our conversations about Okinawa! Chefs special roll was delicious and the baked rock shrimp roll was heavenly!
(5)
Tom V.
Note: This review is just for the Japanese menu. I came here last night because I saw a review from another local yelper. I had no idea that the restaurant had expanded into sushi in addition to Chinese food. My wife and I decided to have dinner. We started out with appetizers, the spicy tuna nachos and the spicy tuna nuggets. Both were crazy delicious. Really innovative approach using guacamole and fresh salsa. We then ordered a chefs choice roll, salmon special roll and a BSC roll. Our chefs special was creation combining mixed seafood roll and ceviche on top. It was pretty good. The salmon special roll was delicious, it was mixed seafood inside, tuna, yellowtail and then beautifully layered salmon on top. The BSC roll baked scallop California roll was my favorite. It was covered with tasty small scallops and this chef didn't overdo the cream cheese. I would highly recommend you try this spot out. They are open really late, until midnight Tuesday - Thursday and 1 on Friday and Saturday. And if anyone in your party wants they can order off the Chinese menu too. Don't let combo restaurant idea scare you away. The sushi was delicious, well thought out and the chef cares about his presentation. I'll definitely be back. Oh, try the chef special roll every time. I watched him make 3 completely different ones while we ate and I want to try each one.
(5)
Piti S.
This review is just for the Japanese menu as I haven't tried the Chinese menu. A friend told me that a Japanese chef opened a sushi bar within Empress Palace and that the sushi there was phenomenal. I came here after work with my family tonight and we were all really impressed with the freshness and quality of the fish in the rolls we had. One would never have guessed to find AMAZING Japanese food in a Chinese restaurant. It was a very unexpected nice surprise. Our favorite dishes were: Sushi Nachos - tortilla chips with guacamole, spicy tuna and cherry tomato salsa. Salmon Special Roll - it had a really nice sweet and thinly sliced battera kombu that was layered on top of the salmon that really wrapped the flavors together really well. It was the perfect balance between sweet, tangy and savory. Sushi Nuggets - crispy sushi rice topped with spicy tuna and avocado. Jalapeño Yellowtail - super thick slices of fresh yellowtail on top of sushi rice and more yellowtail. MEATY AND DELICIOUS! Omakase (chef's choice roll). It'll be different every time but order THIS. The chef is very passionate about his work and this was I what really enjoyed about his food. Trust the chef and he'll make you something tasty and really fresh. Tonight we received a roll filled with salmon, yellowtail and tuna wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber and topped with salmon roe. The salmon roe was a nice touch to the roll; they were like flavor bombs exploding in my mouth. Overall, we all really enjoyed the Japanese food here. The staff are genuinely nice and attentive. They just started serving Japanese food here about a month ago and I hope they do really well. The sushi is very fresh and presented beautifully. I'm very excited to have more Japanese options in Santa Barbara. We will be back again definitely! Check this place out, ESPECIALLY THE JAPANESE MENU!
(5)
Hannah L.
Finally found a place in SB that delivers! Decided to try it simply because i did not want to leave the house and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and the delivery was super quick. Ill definitely be ordering from here again.
(5)
Joe M.
Terrible food! I can not believe people like this place. It is the worst Chinese food I have had, maybe ever, but certainly in recent memory.
(1)
Sophie C.
It was okay, food-wise. Small-ish place that has only one ladies' room and one men's (so ladies, beware!). Came at around 11:30, though I can't say if it is busy or not, since I came with a tour group. On the plus side, their walnut shrimp is big and delicious. Just crunchy enough and not too sweet, which I personally think most walnut shrimps are. Like most typical Chinese restaurants though, the staff barely speaks English, so grab someone who speaks Mandarin with you. That seems to be the prevailing language in there. They do understand basic English though, so you'd be fine either way.
(3)
TJ S.
This was my first visit, and based on the recommendation of another diner ordered the Three Flavors Kung Pao. They serve lunch from 11 - 3PM and have a lunch only menu with a large selection starting at $10.99 and up. Mine was $11.99 which seemed reasonable for the quantity of food in Santa Barbara. They started with egg drop soup, small egg roll, and cream cheese filled wonton served with sweet and sour sauce with hot mustard dabbed in the middle. The best thing I can say about them is they were served hot. The flavor was bland, so the sauce saved it. The Kung Pao was a generous portion (see picture) and was flavorful spicy. I would have possibly rated it higher, but they were very skimpy with the shrimp - only two pieces. It wouldn't have brought my rating higher overall, but it WOULD have ensured my return. It's not a bad place, but there were a lot of empty tables at 1PM. It makes me wonder if there isn't a better choice nearby.
(4)
Michael M.
If you are looking for authentic chinese food in Santa Barbara look no further. This is by far the best chinese food in Santa Barbara. Even the standard dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken is miles better than anyone else. Dare I say that it is the best I Ever had? I do. They use filets of chicken not small chunks. I'm excited that they are bringing two of my favorite cuisines to one place Chinese food and Sushi. They have many specialty dishes. Try their duck is delectable. Great service. Love seeing the owners. I highly recommend this place.
It's a great place for sushi. I tried two sushi places in Santa Barbara and this one was really great. The cook is a sushi-artist. It's just delicious. And they have open till late. I am sitting here right now at 11:30pm eating sushi.
(5)
Yujiaxu X.
Best Hongkong style restaurant hereï¼ Beef chowfun w/ soy is AMAZING. Honey Walnut Shrimp is crispy and the size of shrimp is huge. Totally worth the price. We will come again.
(5)
Officer L.
The walnut shrimp, honey was great. Everything else we had was decent; pot stickers, orange chicken and veggie chow main. It is pricey, but you get a lot of food. I am glad they take AXXESS!
(3)
Lily Z.
I have been back two more times and both times were terrible. I can see there were only 2 other tables there on a Saturday night. The food was expensive, but the price did not translate into superior quality. I ordered beef chow fun and it was lukewarm. Stir fry noodles is cooked rapidly in a wok. This is really the last straw considering that even a fast easy stir fry dish was cooked ahead of time. The seafood casserole came with plenty of seafood, but the seafood was bland and covered with a brown sauce. Good seafood casserole should never have soy sauce because the seafood should be flavorful enough to stand alone. I also had the fish with black bean sauce the previous time and it was embarrassingly bad. The fish was dry and tasted like it came from a factory with its overly thick uniform looking batter.
(1)
Clara D.
I hadn't been here in a couple months. My bf loves this place .. I voted on going to a different Chinese place because last I remembered the place was a little drab and didn't seem up I date . To my pleasant surprise they had revamped and gave the place a beautiful clean make over, because of how obviously clean it was it allowed me to focus and appreciate how great the food was. Nothing was over done or greasy. We had the shrimp Kung pao and shrimp seschwan it felt healthy and light ! We got a 2 for 1 with out axxess ! Can't beat it!
(5)
Ryan P.
Been eating at Empress for a decade now. After the novelty wore off I realized there are really just two things I like on the menu... Broccoli Beef & BBQ Pork Fried Rice & Also Walnut Shrimp (but it's like $20) All the food really is over priced... Be careful! The cart on their website hits you with a bunch of extra fees at the last step if you select delivery. Also the price of items seems to be $1 more on various items once they are actually added to your cart (shady). I just ordered the two items above and an egg roll appetizer and it came out to $42... But then they throw on a $3 delivery fee and 15% gratuity which brought the total over $51. Last gripe... I always leave notes to please remember chopsticks and they never do. It's kind of a running joke at our house. All that being said... I eat here all the time :-/ Do what you must!
(2)
Lucia M.
Not cheap at all. Steamed dumplings (no way!) No flavor at ALL! I was the ONLY one in there and the server took forever to take our order :/ sweet and sour chicken was good though (you can actually see the chicken in here)
(3)
Emma S.
Needs improvement on the food. Then I will come back.
(1)
Cathy C.
Once again, having the duck noodle soup. I take the duck out of the soup and put it on a plate so the skin will stay crunchy, and it was. Heavenly to bite through the crunchy skin and into the fatty meat and have the hot fatty juices fill your mouth. Then as the skin crackles under each chew and the flavors co-mingle you will be swept away to that happy place. The broth was delicious, but I'm feeling the side effects of MSG, which is fine. Al the ingredients are always fresh and well treated. The atmosphere is always a little stiff, but polite.
(4)
Miss H.
We ordered from Empress Palace for delivery and the food was below par. The wonton soup was gross, the wontons were so chalky and inedible, we just ended up drinking the broth. The beef and broccoli was strange, the beef didn't look like real beef, it was a light brown in color, and the texture was off. The fried rice was undercooked and bland, and the shrimp dish we ordered had 2 shrimp in the entire dish, the rest was veggies. We will not be ordering from them again.
(2)
Notintohype N.
They put in a perfect size sushi bar to add to their already outstanding food and service. Love having choices...
(5)
Yvette K.
Our favorite Chinese in SB
(5)
Lily L.
Pricy and not good. Chinese food is not authentic at all and it is not fresh. Would not recommend. Btw. I am a chinese
(1)
Brian J.
Now I'm typically not one to write a really negative review, but this place deserves it. People need to know not to go here if they are concerned about customer service and how one is treated. Tonight, I took the family to eat here and we were seated within the first 30 seconds. We then waited about 25 minutes for someone to come take our order. Now understand that with 3 starving children and one of them being a 2 year old, waiting can be very stressful. I got a little irritated and told the family that we were going to leave in 5 minutes if no one came to take our order, this was 20 minutes in by now. We watched as tables were set up, one server was basically laying on the front counter area tapping away at a calculator, appearing to be bored and not putting in any real numbers. Servers (3) others continued to completely ignore us and go about their merry way. The timer in my phone went off and I stood up took the 2 year old and told everyone it was time to go. There was a server setting up The table next to is and she overheard me and as I walked past, asked if I was ready to order yet. REALLY?? Come on people, focus in those customers in the store, not worrying more about those that may be coming later. Your customer service is horrible and I will share my experience with everyone that ever talks about Chinese food with me So if you want to be treated like 2nd class citizens, this is the ace for you. If I could give a NEGATIVE Star review I would!
(1)
Nicholas M.
Excellent Food!! Best Chinese food I've has in a long time!! Lemon Chicken is sweet. The BBQ pork fried rice is excellent! Everything is good!! I highly recommend this restaurant!!
(5)
Greg W.
I like this location. The staff was pretty friendly. They also have the cool spinning lazy suzan on the table which kids love. The portions are about average size and price. The Hot Pots are not really hot pots just dishes they cook in a ceramic bowl then bring out. However the taste is pretty good. I liked the Mongolian beef and the brown rice was good.
(3)
Alvin X.
The best Chinese restaurant in the Santa Barbara county! Ian from China and the food here is extremely similar to china.!!! Great service, clean, and authentic decoration. A must try!
(5)
Ray B.
Went here for lunch today. Had the shrimp with black bean and my daughter had vegetarian chow mien. Everything was horrible. Starchy soup. Tasteless shrimp. Cold egg rolls. Limp veggies. I wont go back.
(1)
Diane G.
The decor here is pretty dated and worn, so you wouldn't want to bring a date that you're trying to impress. But just for the food, it's very good. High quality ingredients and lots of it. A little pricey but it was worth it, again, if you don't care about the ambience. Good service.
(3)
Pablo O.
I tried this place just to try something new. I do have a place in Santa Barbara that I frequent at least once or twice a month, but since it was for New Years I thought, why not try something new? I ordered Kung Pao Chicken and Broccoli Beef for take out. They were good and the portion size was comparable to the portion size to my regular restaurant. Only other issue was I usually pay about $12 an entree and $4-5 for an appetizer and here it was about $16 for an entree and $8-10 for an appetizer. Also, the worst part was when I got home I realized there was no white rice in my order. I was shocked! I called a relative of mine who I knew had dined there very recently and I asked him and he did say they charge extra. FOR RICE! This is the only Chinese place that I can think of that does this. I checked their website listed in my Axxess book, and there is no mention (that I can see) that says there is an extra fee for white rice or that you need to order is separately etc. If I had at least seen a disclaimer or something I would have ordered it. I did not feel like driving all the way back to buy some since it was already late in the evening on New Years eve so my family and I just had the entrees by themselves, with no rice. Pros: Tasty, Good portion size Cons: Need to pay extra for rice, overpriced My suggestion to the owners would be to add something to their online menu that says "rice extra." UPDATE: Just realized there are TWO websites. One website listed in the Axxess book which is the one I used to look up my dishes. No mention of having to pay extra if you want rice. If you Google empress palace there is another website (probably an older one) where it says that rice is an extra $1 or something. Very confusing as I only look up whatever website is listed in the Axxess book. Like I mentioned in my review, update your website to reflect something that thousands of people see in the Axxess book.
(2)
Kim B.
We had horrible service here on a Sunday night when they had plenty of help. They seemed only interested in waiting on the people in the restaurant that spoke Chinese. We were ignored for a least 7 minutes before we could get a drink. When the food finally came, it was disappointing. The bbq duck was fatty with almost no meat to be seen. The bbq pork was dry. We had to sit and wait for someone to come over so we could get knives to eat them with. The honey shrimp was nicely fried, but was overly sweet. I would never go back here again. What a waste of money!
(2)
Deann Z.
I just ordered from this place for the first time. The chow mein was good but everything else was inedible. The chicken was poor quality and hard. The shrimp was frozen and both the sauce for the chicken and shrimp was the same even though they were different dishes. The egg rolls were soggy and stuffed with mush and the pot stickers seemed to be filled with parsley. Truly disgusting. We threw everything but the noodles out.
(1)
Emmalia S.
Wow. I love Chinese food and I'm pretty patient but no joke I ordered two entrees (broccoli & beef & chicken pan-fried noodle) at 8:20pm. First time ever ordered food from Empress Palace- I waited a good hour before I got frustrated-so I finally decided to call. They did almost the exact same thing as mentioned in this recent review: yelp.com/biz/empress-pal… - if your too lazy to read, they basically blamed everyone else but themselves. I finally got the food almost 2 hrs later..had to pay full price- an was not impressed at all. $50 spent an it was literally cold an not better from anything I've ordered from Ming dynasty (in goleta). Overall, just because of the bad service an overpriced food, not planning on ever ordering from Empress again.
(2)
Yanchao L.
Great food!! Love the Dry Sauteed String Beans and Walnut Shrimp!! Don't know why there are one star reviews!:(
(5)
Monique L.
I've been looking for a good sizzling rice soup and I've finally found it. The beef with black bean sauce and the BBQ pork fried rice was also awesome.
(4)
Suki E.
Ordered from here (delivery) for the 1st time tonight. Have been sick all day so didnt wanna exert much effort into dinner. Have to order at least 25 dollars worth of food for delivery- annoying. Rice not included- ridiculous. When I placed the order for the potstickers I asked the woman on the phone if they came with sauce. Yes. I also ordered the General Chicken. Food was fair. Big portions but should be for the price. Why 2 stars? They did not give me any sauce for the potstickers, which really irritated me. Called them to let them know it had been forgotten, the man on the other end said "thank you for letting me know". That was all. When you make a mistake on on order, you fix it. Or offer to fix it at a later date.
(2)
AJ R.
My wife and I met a good friend of hers here for dinner one night and I have to say, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. We ordered the usual three or four dishes and all shared and nothing knocked my socks off. It was very middle of the road.
(3)
DJ W.
Over priced and no good. I guess it's just impossible to find good Chinese food in Santa Barbara :'( Maybe I'm spoiled from living in the Bay Area for so long but ugk! This is not how good Chinese food tastes! I live down the street and had been told by a couple of neighbors that this place was mediocre, but I decided (foolishly) that my opinion should be weighted more than theirs. Another tell should have been that we were the only ones in the entire restaurant. Dinner for 2 was over $40 and I couldn't even finish half of my meal. I will not be back.
(2)
david l.
I placed an order for my family and was told it would be 45 min. 1 hour later they still had not delivered my food. When i call they said the drive was on his was but 30 min later he still had not shown up. The food was cold and soggy. The food is at best a 2/5 stars and its overpriced. The only reason i ordered was that they delivered but they couldnt do that. I refused my food and they fought me over giving a refund. GO to China Pavilion they are cheaper and the food is better
(1)
Sally Spork S.
THEY RE-SERVED US SPOILED SEAFOOD WE RETURNED TO KITCHEN Atmosphere: Clean, spacious dining area. With lacquered tables/chairs and Chinese adornment art on walls and paper lanterns from ceiling. Soft Asian music played in background. Service: We came around 2:30 and were seated immediately and order taken. Food arrived quickly. The waiter came to check in on us after. Food/drink: We ordered Curry chicken which came with bell peppers. Nothing to write home about. On the recommendation of Sam who raves about scallops I ordered the spicy scallops. Both of these were lunch specials and came with soup (a dark tea-like broth), fried wontons and white rice. Okay now brace yourself for this: After I took a bite of the scallops which were overcooked and a spongy texture, Sam took a bite and declared they were bad meaning 'off'. He immediately coughed his bite into a napkin. He then told the waiter about the scallops being bad and the waiter offered to bring something else and we said we would try the Spicy Shrimp. A few minutes later he returned, dish in hand. Everything looked the same (which should have been a clue) but instead of scallops there were shrimp. Digging my chopsticks in I had a bite: no it wasn't shrimp I ate but the SCALLOPS: chopped small. Second bite the same thing. Sam wasn't convinced, so he tried something that looked like a red pepper but then choked up a scallop. We realized quickly that all the cook did was pull out the few large scallops and threw in some shrimp to the VERY SAME DISH. We paid and left. Being close to Macy's we drove there to check out their sale, no sooner had we parked did Sam open the car door and VOMIT(luckIly on the parking lot.) Summary: Wish I could give this zero stars. There is no excuse for 1. serving food (especially seafood/meat) that is spoiled and bad and 2. trying to re-serve the very same dish to the patrons who returned it to the kitchen. I hope the health department is reading this and pays them an undercover visit.
(1)
Michael J.
Had a hankering for some Chinese food and this is where we ended up. The server was attentive and we got what was ordered. The soup was ok...broth with what looked like veggies from a bag and a few plops of rice. The eggroll, and the wontons were cold. The main courses were plentiful but also weren't real hot. I have visions of many chafing dishes in their kitchen with food ready to go that they assemble for your meal. Not the freshest at this place. To top it off...the fortune in my cookie wasn't a fortune at all.
(3)
Rebecca F.
Very disappointed, this restaurant has gone downhill. The food and service used to be good. We got take out about two months ago it was awful. We ate there last night . The service was terrible. The bok Choy in garlic sauce was tasteless. The beef with two peppers in chili sauce contained very little beef and was not flavorful. The rice was either old or not cooked because it was crunchy.
(1)
Ashley B.
I really don't eat chinese but I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! This is a great place for a nice lunch with a stranger or a big family dinner =] They have those spinning things on the table where everyone can try a bite of someone else's entree (THUMBS UP!) Friendly staff is a + I always get the orange peel chicken and pot stickers! Oh and the sauteed spinach is pretty darn tasty too! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND FOR CHINESE RESTAURANT ENTHUSIASTS!
(5)
Andrew R.
When we first walked into this restaurant we were unsure what to expect, seeing as nearly every table was empty during standard lunch hours. There was no reason to worry, however, because this restaurant was amazing. After we ordered, the food was prepared fairly quickly and everything was correct. The food was great. The orange chicken, which is of course a very popular chinese dish, was delicious and completely slathered in the orange sauce. To top it off, the waiter caught me as I was walking out the door to return my sunglasses to me which I had forgotten on the table. This is an outstanding local restaurant.
(5)
Carrie P.
The first time I came here, I nearly walked out the door after my soup arrived with a cockroach floating in it. The person I was with convinced me to stay because we were too hungry to go anywhere else. I'm glad that I stayed because the orange chicken was out of this world! The food is really good for Santa Barbara chinese food. My favorite, even with the one time bug incident!
(4)
Ben M.
The most outrageously awful Chinese food we've ever had. And we've eaten Chinese food in scores of cities, at least a hundred restaurants. Uncooked potstickers. No flavor. They might as well have been cardboard. And the "Szechuan" tofu? Who were they trying to fool? Do they think we're idiots? It was tofu in hot sauce. That's it. Overpriced if it cost a penny. A horrible rip off at what they do charge. With a number of great Chinese restaurants in town, we are NEVER going back to this place. May it go out of business soon, before it rips off too many other unsuspecting customers. (And yes, I know, I should have read the Yelp reviews first).
(1)
Michael G.
Wow what a surprise on a trip down the coast. My family and I pulled off the 101 and decided to try this place. The food was better than most and on par with some of our favorite NYC chinese places. Wish we lived closer as we would love to come back for more. Great fried rice and pan fired dumplings.
(3)
Mary K.
After a delayed business meeting we arrived late for lunch (3:00 p.m.)so we had to order from the dinner menu.We were the only couple in the restaurant Our dinner was good,especially the wonton soup and appetizers. However the wait staff was so indifferent that they bordered on rude. It was a very expensive meal; the food was great the service was terrible.
(2)
Riry P.
I've ordered lunch here a few times since the initial visit. Try their duck!! Their lunch menu prices are super reasonable and the portion is generous. And they gave me a side of bok choy and some fried stuff. Their lunch menu is pretty robust w/o hurting your wallet. If you want to try this place but don't want to fork over a ton of money - then come to lunch!!
(4)
David P.
Orange beef!
(5)
Rick F.
Best Chinese Food in SB? Possibly. Here's what I know. The place is clean. Wait staff are gracious with neat coordinated uniforms. If you choose to eat in, the ambiance is just fine. Chinese restaurants are not known for service but I happen to like the people here except for one. The food is a notch and a half better than most of the Chinese restaurants in SB. I recommend (which is what I usually get): - Fish fillet with black bean sauce - Shrimp with sizzling rice soup - Shrimp fried rice - Hong Kong style noodles - Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce - Sauteed spinach Plenty of parking and easy access for those who have trouble getting around. Easy to find the restaurant. Food price is high for CF but worth it. This may be hypercritical but the young lady that works the register is probably a relative. Better suited working at the bowling alley then a calm restaurant. Just lacks a little graciousness.
(4)
Judith A.
We had a fantastic family lunch here today. I ordered the Kung Pao chicken. My mom ordered the eggplant. My grandma ordered the scallops with black bean sauce. We all thought the service was awesome. They refilled our water glasses at least five times. The lunch portions were very large. We all agreed that some of the dishes were a little too salty. We had a great time and can't wait to go back.
(3)
Annie W.
If you are looking for some real Chinese food this is the place to go. Food is great. Did not have to wait long. The gui fei ji is delicious as well as the xian yu dou fu. Sorry I don't know the names in english.
(4)
Danah W.
As the Duchess of this restaurant, I hate to have to leave a negative review but integrity calls me to give an honest account of my experience, thus I have to be truthful. I have never experienced such terrible customer service from any restaurant in Santa Barbara. Today my boyfriend ordered two entrees for take out via telephone with Carolyn. One of the entrees was shrimp fried rice. When he hung up the phone with Carolyn, he realized that he had forgotten to make the order brown shrimp fried rice, so he called back within 90 seconds to update the order. Carolyn told him that it was too late to change the order and that the shrimp fried rice was nearly ready for pick. What?! In 90 seconds the order is ready?! Did they bother to cook the food, I wondered? Alas, I called in my own order of brown shrimp fried rice, as I am staying away from white rice, white bread, etc. in an attempt to eat healthy. When I came in to pick up the order Carolyn told me my total and I handed her my credit card and then pulled out my Axxess card for the 15% discount. Carolyn then informed me that it was too late to use my Axxess card because she already ran my credit card and that I'll have to use my discount next time before paying. Baffled, I asked her if she could cancel the charge and re-ring it so that I could receive my discount, being that I pulled out my Axxess card within milliseconds of handing her my credit card. With an attitude and malice, she said, "NO" and walked off into the kitchen, leaving me at the counter jaw dropped. Then I asked her for sweet and sour sauce and she replied, "your boyfriend already got sweet and sour sauce with his shrimp fried rice." I replied, "But this is a separate order and I'd like sweet and sour sauce for my brown shrimp fried rice." She then snatched up my already bagged brown shrimp fried rice and disappeared to the back of kitchen. When she reappeared she placed the bag back on the counter. (Who knows if I got more than sweet and sour sauce in my brown shrimp fried rice order after that gesture.) I asked her if I could speak to a manager and she said, "she's not here." Discouraged and defeated, I checked in on my Yelp App and left. This isn't the first time I've received bad service from this restaurant. A few months back we ordered food for delivery and while my boyfriend was signing the credit card receipt, and filling in the tip at that, the driver sad to him in a very aggressive tone, "You. Hurry Up. I parked illegally. Hurry up sign now." I was shocked, especially because the tip was very generous for delivery and exceeded 20%. We've ordered food here dozens of times and the food is not bad, however, when paired with the terrible customer service it simply is not worth the experience. I highly recommend that curious diners seek out and frequent other local establishments like China Pavilion if they'd like comparable food and great service to boot. There are just too many other dining options to accept subpar service from this one. Note to management: My boyfriend, his family and their friends have been dining at Empress Palace for years and have never encountered such awful customer service from your waitstaff as experienced with Carolyn today. Carolyn brings down the caliber of your establishment with her bad attitude and blatant disrespect.
(1)
Theresa B.
Nice setting for a dinner date with friends. Servers were warm and friendly. The food was tasty: schezwan chicken with mushrooms and zucchinis. However, the prices are a bit pricey.
(4)
Angela S.
Not a good choice for a vegetarian. My Szechuan tofu was so gross, tofu not cooked at all..just put into sauce.
(2)
Andrea O.
Everyone needs a favorite Chinese place that's close to home for take-out emergencies. Lucky for me, Empress Palace is mine. Absolutely the best Broccoli Beef I have ever had. The broccoli is perfectly blanched, the beef is tender, NEVER chewy, and is a perfect balance of salt and tanginess. The portion is huge, and creates left-overs for 3 to 4 meals. Also excellent are their Spring Rolls and wontons. I'd give 5-stars but I've really only had a few menu items! Side note: their take-out dishes make the best reuseable left-over containers ever.
(4)
Richard L.
gross overcooked oil in fried rice was rancid
(1)
Dude D.
Be forewarned on a delivery. Just called at 6:08, proof on my phone, I call the restaurant and hour later to see where food is, they tell me I didn't call until 6:25. Lie. After three calls, it was still same thing: "He's on the way, sir." Got in the car and got food at Your Place on Milpas in less than 5 minutes, canceling Empress Palace, never to go there again, their food isn't that good.
(1)
Orin J.
In response to the above reviewer, who complained her food was cooked too fast...what?? You should be sentenced to one year of service industry work. Before that, however, stick to spots like Friday's, where the number of pieces of flair may be enough for a positive review. For those diners who want delicious food cooked ultra-fast, order from Empress Palace. I have been eating there for many years, and promise you: not one of these people (who bust their backs harder than most) would ever spit in a dish, even if you did deserve it.
(5)
TwoGirlsDad S.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant period. The staff is outstanding, the food is excellent , and served very quickly. Our favorites are: Peking Duck (you can order a half duck) served with real pancakes General's Chicken (the kids prefer this to their orange chicken which is a little tart) Fried fish fillet with either black bean sauce or hot garlic sauce Crispy noodles with chicken or shrimp Dry saute green beans Ask for other vegetables because they get in different ones depending on what is fresh.
(5)
Kry K.
Listen up, Cookie. The food and service are neither horrible nor great. Once you accept that this is the way it is, you may enjoy it more. Stick with what's safe. The dishes with the least amount of ingredients have a smaller margin of error.
(3)
Tanya C.
Hmm... this place is a bit bland in terms of their food, but their service is very good. It is very easy to locate (right off the 101),and parking is ample.
(3)
Wing N.
Have been there several times. Nothing taste like Chinese food except the BBQ pork rice. Too much sweet and oil. Foods are cooked in a weird way.
(2)
Chrissy L.
This is the best Chinese food you will find in Santa Barbara. Although that means it is mediocre compared to the likings of LA, it deserves the name of THE BEST because it is in SB. The crab is pretty good - especially in garlic sauce (though the crab is not too meaty). The Singapore noodles are awesome - has a tingle of spice! Love the walnut shrimp! A really good place to come with a good size crowd because that will make the meal price worth it and you will have a lot of selections to choose from bc you will be eating family style!
(4)
A A.
I ordered the roast duck and rice. The duck was very dry, hard, and inedible. It tasted horrible. Very disappointed.
(2)
Emilia S.
Sigh. Maybe I've been spoiled by having Chinese food in the Bay Area, but on a recent family trip to visit my sister at school we decided to Yelp a Chinese place bc she had been craving it. The place looks nice but we were the only ones in there on a Monday afternoon. There were maybe 3-4 people that came in for take-out. We all got the lunch special which is a dish + fried rice (that is NOT fried; I don't know what it is but it's not fried) + soup (which was cold and boring) + wontons and eggrolls (which were ok...) I had the shrimp with 2 mushrooms....eh. It was fine, but I didn't like one of the mushroom types. My sister's sweet & sour chicken was too crispy; my mom's shrimp in lobster sauce looked really unattractive, and I didn't try my dad's Mongolian beef because I don't like it in general. So yeah maybe by SB standards it's good, but this isn't real Chinese food.
(2)
Paul B.
Food was tasteless and dried out. Service was spotty and uncaring. Menu showed Fried Rice as an extra to the BBQ ribs for $1.00. Ordered it and they brought a huge dish of fried rice and charged $12.50. Won't return.
(1)
Simone D.
This place came recommended by a friend and I was surprised that it was so good. It's easy to get to, but not in a highly trafficked area. There are always customers (a good sign). The food is quite good, though not mindblowing. The prices are reasonable. I used to live in the neighborhood and the takeout dinners were a pretty good option. The dinners look expensive, but one dinner can feed me four times (or my boyfriend twice). They have a lot of variety on the menu including chicken's feet and a great selection of dim sum. Definitely worth checking out.
(4)
Tiana T.
Madame Lu was the only place in SB I'd ever been for chinese, but when my friend told me about Empress Palace I thought I'd give it a try. Schezuan Beef and Kung Pao Chicken and Egg Drop Soup. The soup was ok, not anything exciting, pretty plain but plently of veggies. The Schezuan Beef was pretty good and so was the chicken, they lost me because there were WAY too many veggies in the meat dishes. The ratio of Veggies to Meat was not even. The 3 items came to about $40 including tax. Not too bad, not too cheap. I probably would go back if someone else was paying and we would be clear NO VEGGIES LoL.
(3)
David L.
My wife and I are on a mission to find the best Chinese food in Santa Barbara, and we've been to the now-defunct Jimmy's Oriental Gardens and also Szechuan Restaurant on "The Mesa" (Cliff Drive). Our latest test was Empress Palace on Las Positas Rd. We arrived on Sunday at about 4:00PM and we were really the only patrons present, which allowed us to receive their full attention. We were obviously seated immediately and waiter Eric took our drink order (I asked for a Chardonnay and my wife got ice tea). I took a little time to review the huge, seafood-centric menu. We ended up ordering: 1. Three Delight Sizzling Rice Soup 2. Paper Wrapped Chicken 3. Szechwan Shrimp 4. String Beans/Chicken in Black Bean Sauce (Special) 5. Vegetable Chow Mein (for my vegetarian daughter) Three Delight Sizzling Rice Soup This was excellent, very clean and loaded with fresh ingredients like chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, snow peas, carrot slices. We loved it, good start. Paper Wrapped Chicken (Actually, Foil as Always) This was good, I wasn't jumping up and down and throwing roses, but it was good. Szechwan Shrimp Again, this was good to excellent. The dish comes with shrimp that may have been lightly fried (this is conjecture) then added to a spicy sauce and includes asparagus and zucchini slices. If any problem here, the shrimp may have been a little "fishy" (this varied from shrimp to shrimp and may actually be OK, but we're on guard for low-quality ingredients). String Beans/Chicken in Black Bean Sauce This was excellent. My wife is an expert in black bean sauces throughout Southern California and she rated this highly. I thought it was great too. I still have some of this remaining in a "to go" box stored in my refrigerator, and I'm trying to control myself and not wolf it down (we're on a diet). Vegetable Chow Mein Very traditional, very good, slightly earthy quality. I only ate a couple of bites myself, but my daughter and wife gave it the thumbs up. Service Service was very good, Fong was our waiter and he was very helpful. I ended up ordering a couple of more glasses of chardonnay and he brought them promptly. We had some chit-chat about various Chinese restaurants in the area, and he was pleasant. Prices Total bill was $93.00 including taxes and hefty tip. This was a little pricey but not entirely unexpected these days (total of three glasses of wine). Overall Experience I liked it a lot and we will certainly be going back for more; however, we will also continue our search. Next, we're going to try China Pavilion on Chalapa. We'll post a review as soon as we have it.
(4)
G. P.
My husband and I went to dinner there on Saturday, 04/30/11. It was sooooo good! Puts the other Chinese food places in town to shame. Clean place, attentive staff, although our waiter was slightly surly, that's ok, we're not taking him home, right? The food. Hot, just the right amount of spicy and a lot of it. We're tired of going to Chinese food places and getting very little for the money. Anyhoo, my husband had the fish in black bean sauce. It was great.. I had to help him eat it. I got the beef in black bean sauce. It was good, would have been better without the bell peppers, so my husband ate my bell peppers. We scored because we used our Axxess card, buy one dinner get one free. Made it all the better. We'll be back, there's lots of food to explore. One thing....they have TVs all over the place. The waiters/busboys were watching some bizarre nature show. To each his own.
(4)
Ella B.
really? this is *the best*?? Like Chrissy says, it's mediocre compared to LA, but then again, fine, I'm not even comparing to LA, even compared to SB chinese food establishments, this place is meh. we came here on NY day b/c we had heard that they have dim sum. we were sadly disappointed by a dim sum menu of 6 things... ok, maybe it was more like 8 items but the items were sadly lacking and severely overpriced. The dim sum items weren't house made and even just looked sad. We also ordered a noodle dish that was ok, but a little too sweet. Overall, for pathetic dim sum and an ok noodle dish was about $50 for two. maybe I need to reassess Empress if I come back and order other stuff, but for now, don't come for the dim sum!
(2)
Justina S.
My husband and I love this place for Chinese delivery. We love it, but we don't indulge often, as the bill usually comes to at least $50 for the two of us. Granted, we always have left-overs, but still, pricey. We have never eaten at the actual restaurant, but the delivery is pretty fast, and it's true, they use awesome reusable containers.
(4)
Holland H.
For SB this place is pretty good. We have dined there many times with our Vegan friends. Our last visit struck gold. We ordered 3 vegetarian plates and asked the server for a recommendation for a 4th option of the Tofu / soy variety, we got peppered tofu with salt. Sounds weird, it was soo yummy. Home made tofu lightly fried in a spicy / crunchy stuff leaving a rich tasting, not greasy, pillow of tofu greatness. Trick is this is not on the menu, we had to ask and it was great. Overall, the vegetables are crispy and fresh, with a wide variety of options. Rice and noodle dishes are great as well. The decor is magical, maybe a little over done with the giant lanterns and pink table cloths. The service is always attentive. This is a great place to take a date or a group to provide some vegetarian / vegan options.
(4)
Yummy P.
Went last night for din. Had the wonton soup and the wontons weren't cooked enough and there wasn't any meat in there. The broth was flavorful though. Then we had the beef and basil and some eggplant. Not bad. The meat was tender. The eggplant had a bit too much sauce. Meal was decent but pretty expensive.
(3)
Anthony B.
Chinese delivery is hard to find in SB.... So, I read through the various reviews on the few Chinese food take out / delivery joints here and they are not easy to find. I was a little lazy from the long day and didn't want to leave my hotel room so I was focused on the "delivery" restaurants. Came across Empress Palace and I'm glad that I did. The order took a little long to get here, 30 to 45min, but the food was still very hot and a little tasty. I ordered the Garlic Chicken and my buddy ordered the General Chicken both at $12.99ea. There was enough food and rice for four people to eat and that I appreciate when it comes to ordering delivery. I will try it once more this week and let you know how the second trial is. AB
(3)
Allan D.
honestly the best chinese food in town. it is however on the pricier side considering they are located in an area off state st. they probably should be charging less. To their credit, they give you huge portions. The walnut shrimp is good and their fried rice is worth mentioning. The service is average and i believe part of the ambiance of being in a Chinese restaurant with excellent Chinese food is sub-par service. so if you're arrogant enough to think you deserve to be treated differently, you probably shouldn't come here and yelp about you and your boyfriend's take out experience.
(4)
laura f.
Great food, very clean tasting. Had the Moi Shu Vegetables and Shrimp Vermacelli. Our server was a "mature" man with a great sense of humor but didn't push hard to get in the way of our meal. I observed the other waitstaff and they seemed well above average in balancing humor and service. The food is ultimately what's most important and that gets a 4.5 star review from me.
(4)
Rebecca L.
Ate here last night for my Birthday. I love good Chinese food and my parents live in Santa Barbara and had recommended it to me. So away we went for a family dinner. We ordered the pot sticker, they were delicious! Then moved onto to the pork hot and sour soup, delicious! Then we all ordered a different entree to share. We had steamed fish with ginger and onion-delicious if you love ginger, which I do! The crispy hong kong noodles with chicken-awesome! But the best dish was the beef with peppers and basil, its was so delicious! I didn't think it sounded that good, but the waited recommended it and it was great! Go with the waiters recommendations, he know what he is talking about! The decor looks like your typical old Chinese restaurant, a couple chairs had tape on them, but who cares, I came for some good old fashion delicious Chinese food. Great meal overall. Definitely will be back!
(4)
Kim L.
My gf and I were driving around looking for a place to eat. We wanted to do sushi but none of the restaurants were open. We actually stumbled on this place by accident. It was late and we decided to give it a try since we were so hungry. From the outside we thought it was just a ordinary chinese restaurant. Once we stepped inside we were amazed at how fancy this restaurant was, considering it was a chinese restaurant. For chinese food this place was a little pricey. We decided to try the family dinner for two which costed $19.99 per person. Most of the items were around $10 so we thought that by doing the dinner we would get a better deal. And we did. We were overwhelmed with the variety of delicious items that were included in our meals. We started off with hot & sour soup which was amazing. This has to be the best hot & sour soup we have ever tasted. As part of the meal for appetizer, we had meat kabobs and ribs. These meats were very flavorful. For our main course we had half roasted duck and fish in black bean sauce. The duck was super crispy probably the best part of the meal. There was so much food that we couldnt even finish everything, and we usually pig out when we go eat. The service was excellent considering that we came in when they were getting ready to close. The waiter was very funny and friendly. We would definitely eat here again if we are around the area. This place is highly recommended if you don't mind paying a little bit extra for delicious high quality chinese food.
(4)
James Z.
I have been meaning to review this restaurant for quite a while since I ate here over a month ago but just haven't gotten around to do this what-now-seems-to-be like an unconquerable chore; have you ever meant to accomplish a task but you just put it off to the point where the task becomes more and more difficult until it becomes the equivalent of having a root canal on all of your teeth while simultaneously being constipated while sitting on a you-know-what.(ya I know, what a picture!). Well, that's me at this point with this review. Sticking with my toilet theme, this place sucks ass! Okay, it not really that bad. But really, "Empress Palace", what kind of crap name is that? Talk about false advertisement. There should a law that requires all businesses to not only advertise trufhfully commercially speaking but in their nomenclatures as well. There is nothing imperial about the food; certainly nothing that would be fit for a real empress here. If there was truth in nomenclature presentation, this place would be called "Cheap Ass Food, Wipe Ass Prices" as in we're going to wipe your asses out with our prices while serving cheap ass food. Alright, so I'm tough on Chinese restaurants or in the least those restaurants pretending to serve authentic Chinese food since I'm of Chinese extraction. Also this is Santa Barbara, but still... Anyway on to the good points or in this case point: admittedly, the decor was very nice indeed as the place was rather cozy with celing lights encased in seemingly Chinese lanterns. Very nice touch indeed. The service: it's an Asian restaurant, 'nough said. The food: not so good. This place serves rich flavor food- at least for Chinese food- as in you gotta be rich to sample their flavors. Otherwise, the food was bland, bland, and more bland. We ordered the mapo tofu, walnut shrimp, cream cheese wontons, and some other dishes which unfortunately seems to disappeared from my memory with the onset of "old man disease." The mapo tofu is a specialty of Szechwan province of China; it is suppose to be extremely spicy, the mapo tofu here not so much; it got to the "s" of "spicy" but that's about it. As for the walnut shrimp, I know the oceans are running out of life, but come on... where are the shrimps? I think the batter (and what a lot of batter there was) put together weighed more than the shrimps. Nothing stood out. The little buddy: I thought I had entered the restaurant with a party of five, but apparently I was wrong. Initially I had not noticed, but sitting comfortably beside me was an unanticipated guest, my little buddy, Mr. Roach. Apparently, it was also anciously waiting for the arrival for our food while minding its own business atop of the table. For some reason, our party decided to notify the restaurant staff of the presence of our little buddy and for some reason, the staff was aghast and decided to take our little buddy on a long and never-ending or perhaps better put quick-ending vacation. They also had the nicety to actually change the utilsils, plates, glasses and tablecloth. I guess they were not fond of the little buddy. There you have it, Mr. Roach resides at the Palace of the Empress. I have to say, the presence of my litte buddy didn't really brother me and did not enter in evaluation of this restaurant. The conclusion: 2.5 stars even though it is Santa Barbara but minus .5 star for the blandness of the food and richness of the prices.
(2)
Isaiah N.
I don't know if $12 or more for Chinese food is "cheap," but the food is really good. I always stop by after a return trip from L.A., and on weekends it can get crowded. If you want a good deal here, go during lunch time, when they have entrees complete with choice of rice and appetizers for lower prices. They also stand out by the fact that you get a fork and knife instead of a fork alone or a fork and a spoon to eat with. The knife is helpful, but spoons are nice for rice!
(4)
Josh Z.
You see the outside of the place, hold your breath and walk in---and wait... this place is kinda decent. Are we still in Santa Barbara? Yes, yes you are, and this a really good local place that won't give your life new meaning, but it will make you feel like maybe some of your local stores actually care about their customers. The food is always solidly good. The service is impeccable and I have to over-and-over recommend their take out. They put them in containers that are genuinely reusable--as in great for leftovers and great for just re-using over and over. Prices are cheap for the quality of service and food.
(5)
Mark D.
Decent LA-style Chinese seafood restaurant in SB. The interior decoration is a little off, but the food is tasty. This is the only place I'd bring the folks when they were visiting and wanting Chinese food....
(4)
Joan S.
Good chinese food for Santa Barbara. This one waitor always makes funny comments and was offended when my friend didn't drink the soup. This is where I usually go if I am craving Chinese.
(4)
Linda K.
A gf & I had lunch specials there today using the Axxess card. The Walnut Shrimp was short on mayo this time but still good... the almost tempura like batter on the shrimp was not highly seasoned but the shrimp were huge, fresh and delicious. Gf had pork kung poa pork and just about finished it off in one sitting ... said it was very good. Service was impeccable with many water & ice tea refills and patience with our taking our time to order. I added very little salt to our fried rice. Only two/three other tables of lunch patrons ... also with the meal came a wonderful egg roll, a small empanada type morsel, and a cream cheese filled wonton along with a very good miso soup... any soup I've ever had here has always been very good.
(4)
K G.
Unfortunately we live down the street. We wanted this place to be good so bad but... 1. Service horrible. Takes a very long time to get another drink when I could have been on the next already. Also the waiters and waitresses don't understand english very well so they just like to nod their heads and says "ok" to everything. 2. The sushi we ordered wasn't fresh or cold. They need to have something that stands out from the other sushi places. The presentation was nice at least 3. Its very bright inside. You would think the would try to have a nice calming dim environment but no, it's like walking into kmart. Candles and/or less Florescent lighting would be nice.
(2)
Deryck D.
I ordered delivery last night. I got the C dinner special and found the barbecue nice, though nothing special. The walnut shrimp had a nice mayonnaise sauce, battered exterior and walnuts. The shrimp, however, were bland and I found myself spitting out a couple of bites that were from the meaty end of the shrimp. I also ordered some nigiri. The octopus and eel were both great, though a little small. For the price, it's mostly an OK deal. Just don't get the walnut shrimp.
(3)
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Address :2251 Las Positas Rd
Santa Barbara, CA, 93105
Takes Reservations : Yes Delivery : Yes Take-out : Yes Accepts Credit Cards : Yes Good For : Lunch, Dinner Parking : Private Lot Bike Parking : No Wheelchair Accessible : Yes Good for Kids : Yes Good for Groups : Yes Attire : Casual Ambience : Casual Noise Level : Average Alcohol : Beer & Wine Only Outdoor Seating : No Has TV : Yes Waiter Service : Yes
The popularity of Chinese food in America can be adjudicated by the appearance of China Town in many major cities in the United State of America. The popular trend of ordering or opting for Chinese take away food isn't unknown in America. Chinese take away food comes to rescue when you're too tired from work or too exhausted to cook. No one can resist the temptation of eating spicy noodles, shrimp, chicken, beef or pork cooked in the sweet and spicy sauce. The cooking method of authentic Chinese food is a lot different compared to what is served in America.
Generally, Chinese use dark meat small bones and organs to cook dishes but this changes when you are eating American-Chinese fusion food prepared using white boneless meat cooked with broccoli, carrots and onions. Back in China, the food is less spicy and oily as they favor steaming and braising method for cooking the most popular dishes. So, if you have a taste for authentic Chinese food, then try finding a real Chinese restaurant in the city. You can also try the most popular fusion Chinese food like Pecking Duck, Chicken Feet, Hot Pot, Shrimp Dumpling Soup, Mapo Tofu, Wontons, Chop Suey, Egg Rolls and not to forget Fortune Cookies.
There are not many restaurants in America serving authentic Chinese food. A little research on Restaurant Listings directory can help you locate the best Chinese restaurants in the city. Chinese cuisine is continuously evolving, and you can find a variety of dishes categorized as the food for lactose intolerant, gluten intolerant, vegan, vegetarian, and diabetic friendly. So, if you have a group of friends with different taste patterns, save the hassle and visit the nearest Chinese restaurant in your city.
Samantha W.
Once again the sushi chef does not disappoint! He takes so much pride in his sushi, and I love our conversations about Okinawa! Chefs special roll was delicious and the baked rock shrimp roll was heavenly!
(5)Tom V.
Note: This review is just for the Japanese menu. I came here last night because I saw a review from another local yelper. I had no idea that the restaurant had expanded into sushi in addition to Chinese food. My wife and I decided to have dinner. We started out with appetizers, the spicy tuna nachos and the spicy tuna nuggets. Both were crazy delicious. Really innovative approach using guacamole and fresh salsa. We then ordered a chefs choice roll, salmon special roll and a BSC roll. Our chefs special was creation combining mixed seafood roll and ceviche on top. It was pretty good. The salmon special roll was delicious, it was mixed seafood inside, tuna, yellowtail and then beautifully layered salmon on top. The BSC roll baked scallop California roll was my favorite. It was covered with tasty small scallops and this chef didn't overdo the cream cheese. I would highly recommend you try this spot out. They are open really late, until midnight Tuesday - Thursday and 1 on Friday and Saturday. And if anyone in your party wants they can order off the Chinese menu too. Don't let combo restaurant idea scare you away. The sushi was delicious, well thought out and the chef cares about his presentation. I'll definitely be back. Oh, try the chef special roll every time. I watched him make 3 completely different ones while we ate and I want to try each one.
(5)Piti S.
This review is just for the Japanese menu as I haven't tried the Chinese menu. A friend told me that a Japanese chef opened a sushi bar within Empress Palace and that the sushi there was phenomenal. I came here after work with my family tonight and we were all really impressed with the freshness and quality of the fish in the rolls we had. One would never have guessed to find AMAZING Japanese food in a Chinese restaurant. It was a very unexpected nice surprise. Our favorite dishes were: Sushi Nachos - tortilla chips with guacamole, spicy tuna and cherry tomato salsa. Salmon Special Roll - it had a really nice sweet and thinly sliced battera kombu that was layered on top of the salmon that really wrapped the flavors together really well. It was the perfect balance between sweet, tangy and savory. Sushi Nuggets - crispy sushi rice topped with spicy tuna and avocado. Jalapeño Yellowtail - super thick slices of fresh yellowtail on top of sushi rice and more yellowtail. MEATY AND DELICIOUS! Omakase (chef's choice roll). It'll be different every time but order THIS. The chef is very passionate about his work and this was I what really enjoyed about his food. Trust the chef and he'll make you something tasty and really fresh. Tonight we received a roll filled with salmon, yellowtail and tuna wrapped in thinly sliced cucumber and topped with salmon roe. The salmon roe was a nice touch to the roll; they were like flavor bombs exploding in my mouth. Overall, we all really enjoyed the Japanese food here. The staff are genuinely nice and attentive. They just started serving Japanese food here about a month ago and I hope they do really well. The sushi is very fresh and presented beautifully. I'm very excited to have more Japanese options in Santa Barbara. We will be back again definitely! Check this place out, ESPECIALLY THE JAPANESE MENU!
(5)Hannah L.
Finally found a place in SB that delivers! Decided to try it simply because i did not want to leave the house and it was fantastic. The food was delicious and the delivery was super quick. Ill definitely be ordering from here again.
(5)Joe M.
Terrible food! I can not believe people like this place. It is the worst Chinese food I have had, maybe ever, but certainly in recent memory.
(1)Sophie C.
It was okay, food-wise. Small-ish place that has only one ladies' room and one men's (so ladies, beware!). Came at around 11:30, though I can't say if it is busy or not, since I came with a tour group. On the plus side, their walnut shrimp is big and delicious. Just crunchy enough and not too sweet, which I personally think most walnut shrimps are. Like most typical Chinese restaurants though, the staff barely speaks English, so grab someone who speaks Mandarin with you. That seems to be the prevailing language in there. They do understand basic English though, so you'd be fine either way.
(3)TJ S.
This was my first visit, and based on the recommendation of another diner ordered the Three Flavors Kung Pao. They serve lunch from 11 - 3PM and have a lunch only menu with a large selection starting at $10.99 and up. Mine was $11.99 which seemed reasonable for the quantity of food in Santa Barbara. They started with egg drop soup, small egg roll, and cream cheese filled wonton served with sweet and sour sauce with hot mustard dabbed in the middle. The best thing I can say about them is they were served hot. The flavor was bland, so the sauce saved it. The Kung Pao was a generous portion (see picture) and was flavorful spicy. I would have possibly rated it higher, but they were very skimpy with the shrimp - only two pieces. It wouldn't have brought my rating higher overall, but it WOULD have ensured my return. It's not a bad place, but there were a lot of empty tables at 1PM. It makes me wonder if there isn't a better choice nearby.
(4)Michael M.
If you are looking for authentic chinese food in Santa Barbara look no further. This is by far the best chinese food in Santa Barbara. Even the standard dishes such as Kung Pao Chicken is miles better than anyone else. Dare I say that it is the best I Ever had? I do. They use filets of chicken not small chunks. I'm excited that they are bringing two of my favorite cuisines to one place Chinese food and Sushi. They have many specialty dishes. Try their duck is delectable. Great service. Love seeing the owners. I highly recommend this place.
(5)Justin S.
This place has very good entrées. The food tastes fresh and comes pretty fast. I think the chefs are very experienced. The staff are all friendly and polite. My only comment for improvement would be the rice. It has always been hard, I'm guessing from being undercooked. The only reason I don't dine in is I feel it would be rude to bring my own rice in with me.
(4)Milo G.
It's a great place for sushi. I tried two sushi places in Santa Barbara and this one was really great. The cook is a sushi-artist. It's just delicious. And they have open till late. I am sitting here right now at 11:30pm eating sushi.
(5)Yujiaxu X.
Best Hongkong style restaurant hereï¼ Beef chowfun w/ soy is AMAZING. Honey Walnut Shrimp is crispy and the size of shrimp is huge. Totally worth the price. We will come again.
(5)Officer L.
The walnut shrimp, honey was great. Everything else we had was decent; pot stickers, orange chicken and veggie chow main. It is pricey, but you get a lot of food. I am glad they take AXXESS!
(3)Lily Z.
I have been back two more times and both times were terrible. I can see there were only 2 other tables there on a Saturday night. The food was expensive, but the price did not translate into superior quality. I ordered beef chow fun and it was lukewarm. Stir fry noodles is cooked rapidly in a wok. This is really the last straw considering that even a fast easy stir fry dish was cooked ahead of time. The seafood casserole came with plenty of seafood, but the seafood was bland and covered with a brown sauce. Good seafood casserole should never have soy sauce because the seafood should be flavorful enough to stand alone. I also had the fish with black bean sauce the previous time and it was embarrassingly bad. The fish was dry and tasted like it came from a factory with its overly thick uniform looking batter.
(1)Clara D.
I hadn't been here in a couple months. My bf loves this place .. I voted on going to a different Chinese place because last I remembered the place was a little drab and didn't seem up I date . To my pleasant surprise they had revamped and gave the place a beautiful clean make over, because of how obviously clean it was it allowed me to focus and appreciate how great the food was. Nothing was over done or greasy. We had the shrimp Kung pao and shrimp seschwan it felt healthy and light ! We got a 2 for 1 with out axxess ! Can't beat it!
(5)Ryan P.
Been eating at Empress for a decade now. After the novelty wore off I realized there are really just two things I like on the menu... Broccoli Beef & BBQ Pork Fried Rice & Also Walnut Shrimp (but it's like $20) All the food really is over priced... Be careful! The cart on their website hits you with a bunch of extra fees at the last step if you select delivery. Also the price of items seems to be $1 more on various items once they are actually added to your cart (shady). I just ordered the two items above and an egg roll appetizer and it came out to $42... But then they throw on a $3 delivery fee and 15% gratuity which brought the total over $51. Last gripe... I always leave notes to please remember chopsticks and they never do. It's kind of a running joke at our house. All that being said... I eat here all the time :-/ Do what you must!
(2)Lucia M.
Not cheap at all. Steamed dumplings (no way!) No flavor at ALL! I was the ONLY one in there and the server took forever to take our order :/ sweet and sour chicken was good though (you can actually see the chicken in here)
(3)Emma S.
Needs improvement on the food. Then I will come back.
(1)Cathy C.
Once again, having the duck noodle soup. I take the duck out of the soup and put it on a plate so the skin will stay crunchy, and it was. Heavenly to bite through the crunchy skin and into the fatty meat and have the hot fatty juices fill your mouth. Then as the skin crackles under each chew and the flavors co-mingle you will be swept away to that happy place. The broth was delicious, but I'm feeling the side effects of MSG, which is fine. Al the ingredients are always fresh and well treated. The atmosphere is always a little stiff, but polite.
(4)Miss H.
We ordered from Empress Palace for delivery and the food was below par. The wonton soup was gross, the wontons were so chalky and inedible, we just ended up drinking the broth. The beef and broccoli was strange, the beef didn't look like real beef, it was a light brown in color, and the texture was off. The fried rice was undercooked and bland, and the shrimp dish we ordered had 2 shrimp in the entire dish, the rest was veggies. We will not be ordering from them again.
(2)Notintohype N.
They put in a perfect size sushi bar to add to their already outstanding food and service. Love having choices...
(5)Yvette K.
Our favorite Chinese in SB
(5)Lily L.
Pricy and not good. Chinese food is not authentic at all and it is not fresh. Would not recommend. Btw. I am a chinese
(1)Brian J.
Now I'm typically not one to write a really negative review, but this place deserves it. People need to know not to go here if they are concerned about customer service and how one is treated. Tonight, I took the family to eat here and we were seated within the first 30 seconds. We then waited about 25 minutes for someone to come take our order. Now understand that with 3 starving children and one of them being a 2 year old, waiting can be very stressful. I got a little irritated and told the family that we were going to leave in 5 minutes if no one came to take our order, this was 20 minutes in by now. We watched as tables were set up, one server was basically laying on the front counter area tapping away at a calculator, appearing to be bored and not putting in any real numbers. Servers (3) others continued to completely ignore us and go about their merry way. The timer in my phone went off and I stood up took the 2 year old and told everyone it was time to go. There was a server setting up The table next to is and she overheard me and as I walked past, asked if I was ready to order yet. REALLY?? Come on people, focus in those customers in the store, not worrying more about those that may be coming later. Your customer service is horrible and I will share my experience with everyone that ever talks about Chinese food with me So if you want to be treated like 2nd class citizens, this is the ace for you. If I could give a NEGATIVE Star review I would!
(1)Nicholas M.
Excellent Food!! Best Chinese food I've has in a long time!! Lemon Chicken is sweet. The BBQ pork fried rice is excellent! Everything is good!! I highly recommend this restaurant!!
(5)Greg W.
I like this location. The staff was pretty friendly. They also have the cool spinning lazy suzan on the table which kids love. The portions are about average size and price. The Hot Pots are not really hot pots just dishes they cook in a ceramic bowl then bring out. However the taste is pretty good. I liked the Mongolian beef and the brown rice was good.
(3)Alvin X.
The best Chinese restaurant in the Santa Barbara county! Ian from China and the food here is extremely similar to china.!!! Great service, clean, and authentic decoration. A must try!
(5)Ray B.
Went here for lunch today. Had the shrimp with black bean and my daughter had vegetarian chow mien. Everything was horrible. Starchy soup. Tasteless shrimp. Cold egg rolls. Limp veggies. I wont go back.
(1)Diane G.
The decor here is pretty dated and worn, so you wouldn't want to bring a date that you're trying to impress. But just for the food, it's very good. High quality ingredients and lots of it. A little pricey but it was worth it, again, if you don't care about the ambience. Good service.
(3)Pablo O.
I tried this place just to try something new. I do have a place in Santa Barbara that I frequent at least once or twice a month, but since it was for New Years I thought, why not try something new? I ordered Kung Pao Chicken and Broccoli Beef for take out. They were good and the portion size was comparable to the portion size to my regular restaurant. Only other issue was I usually pay about $12 an entree and $4-5 for an appetizer and here it was about $16 for an entree and $8-10 for an appetizer. Also, the worst part was when I got home I realized there was no white rice in my order. I was shocked! I called a relative of mine who I knew had dined there very recently and I asked him and he did say they charge extra. FOR RICE! This is the only Chinese place that I can think of that does this. I checked their website listed in my Axxess book, and there is no mention (that I can see) that says there is an extra fee for white rice or that you need to order is separately etc. If I had at least seen a disclaimer or something I would have ordered it. I did not feel like driving all the way back to buy some since it was already late in the evening on New Years eve so my family and I just had the entrees by themselves, with no rice. Pros: Tasty, Good portion size Cons: Need to pay extra for rice, overpriced My suggestion to the owners would be to add something to their online menu that says "rice extra." UPDATE: Just realized there are TWO websites. One website listed in the Axxess book which is the one I used to look up my dishes. No mention of having to pay extra if you want rice. If you Google empress palace there is another website (probably an older one) where it says that rice is an extra $1 or something. Very confusing as I only look up whatever website is listed in the Axxess book. Like I mentioned in my review, update your website to reflect something that thousands of people see in the Axxess book.
(2)Kim B.
We had horrible service here on a Sunday night when they had plenty of help. They seemed only interested in waiting on the people in the restaurant that spoke Chinese. We were ignored for a least 7 minutes before we could get a drink. When the food finally came, it was disappointing. The bbq duck was fatty with almost no meat to be seen. The bbq pork was dry. We had to sit and wait for someone to come over so we could get knives to eat them with. The honey shrimp was nicely fried, but was overly sweet. I would never go back here again. What a waste of money!
(2)Deann Z.
I just ordered from this place for the first time. The chow mein was good but everything else was inedible. The chicken was poor quality and hard. The shrimp was frozen and both the sauce for the chicken and shrimp was the same even though they were different dishes. The egg rolls were soggy and stuffed with mush and the pot stickers seemed to be filled with parsley. Truly disgusting. We threw everything but the noodles out.
(1)Emmalia S.
Wow. I love Chinese food and I'm pretty patient but no joke I ordered two entrees (broccoli & beef & chicken pan-fried noodle) at 8:20pm. First time ever ordered food from Empress Palace- I waited a good hour before I got frustrated-so I finally decided to call. They did almost the exact same thing as mentioned in this recent review: yelp.com/biz/empress-pal… - if your too lazy to read, they basically blamed everyone else but themselves. I finally got the food almost 2 hrs later..had to pay full price- an was not impressed at all. $50 spent an it was literally cold an not better from anything I've ordered from Ming dynasty (in goleta). Overall, just because of the bad service an overpriced food, not planning on ever ordering from Empress again.
(2)Yanchao L.
Great food!! Love the Dry Sauteed String Beans and Walnut Shrimp!! Don't know why there are one star reviews!:(
(5)Monique L.
I've been looking for a good sizzling rice soup and I've finally found it. The beef with black bean sauce and the BBQ pork fried rice was also awesome.
(4)Suki E.
Ordered from here (delivery) for the 1st time tonight. Have been sick all day so didnt wanna exert much effort into dinner. Have to order at least 25 dollars worth of food for delivery- annoying. Rice not included- ridiculous. When I placed the order for the potstickers I asked the woman on the phone if they came with sauce. Yes. I also ordered the General Chicken. Food was fair. Big portions but should be for the price. Why 2 stars? They did not give me any sauce for the potstickers, which really irritated me. Called them to let them know it had been forgotten, the man on the other end said "thank you for letting me know". That was all. When you make a mistake on on order, you fix it. Or offer to fix it at a later date.
(2)AJ R.
My wife and I met a good friend of hers here for dinner one night and I have to say, it wasn't bad, it just wasn't very good. We ordered the usual three or four dishes and all shared and nothing knocked my socks off. It was very middle of the road.
(3)DJ W.
Over priced and no good. I guess it's just impossible to find good Chinese food in Santa Barbara :'( Maybe I'm spoiled from living in the Bay Area for so long but ugk! This is not how good Chinese food tastes! I live down the street and had been told by a couple of neighbors that this place was mediocre, but I decided (foolishly) that my opinion should be weighted more than theirs. Another tell should have been that we were the only ones in the entire restaurant. Dinner for 2 was over $40 and I couldn't even finish half of my meal. I will not be back.
(2)david l.
I placed an order for my family and was told it would be 45 min. 1 hour later they still had not delivered my food. When i call they said the drive was on his was but 30 min later he still had not shown up. The food was cold and soggy. The food is at best a 2/5 stars and its overpriced. The only reason i ordered was that they delivered but they couldnt do that. I refused my food and they fought me over giving a refund. GO to China Pavilion they are cheaper and the food is better
(1)Sally Spork S.
THEY RE-SERVED US SPOILED SEAFOOD WE RETURNED TO KITCHEN Atmosphere: Clean, spacious dining area. With lacquered tables/chairs and Chinese adornment art on walls and paper lanterns from ceiling. Soft Asian music played in background. Service: We came around 2:30 and were seated immediately and order taken. Food arrived quickly. The waiter came to check in on us after. Food/drink: We ordered Curry chicken which came with bell peppers. Nothing to write home about. On the recommendation of Sam who raves about scallops I ordered the spicy scallops. Both of these were lunch specials and came with soup (a dark tea-like broth), fried wontons and white rice. Okay now brace yourself for this: After I took a bite of the scallops which were overcooked and a spongy texture, Sam took a bite and declared they were bad meaning 'off'. He immediately coughed his bite into a napkin. He then told the waiter about the scallops being bad and the waiter offered to bring something else and we said we would try the Spicy Shrimp. A few minutes later he returned, dish in hand. Everything looked the same (which should have been a clue) but instead of scallops there were shrimp. Digging my chopsticks in I had a bite: no it wasn't shrimp I ate but the SCALLOPS: chopped small. Second bite the same thing. Sam wasn't convinced, so he tried something that looked like a red pepper but then choked up a scallop. We realized quickly that all the cook did was pull out the few large scallops and threw in some shrimp to the VERY SAME DISH. We paid and left. Being close to Macy's we drove there to check out their sale, no sooner had we parked did Sam open the car door and VOMIT(luckIly on the parking lot.) Summary: Wish I could give this zero stars. There is no excuse for 1. serving food (especially seafood/meat) that is spoiled and bad and 2. trying to re-serve the very same dish to the patrons who returned it to the kitchen. I hope the health department is reading this and pays them an undercover visit.
(1)Michael J.
Had a hankering for some Chinese food and this is where we ended up. The server was attentive and we got what was ordered. The soup was ok...broth with what looked like veggies from a bag and a few plops of rice. The eggroll, and the wontons were cold. The main courses were plentiful but also weren't real hot. I have visions of many chafing dishes in their kitchen with food ready to go that they assemble for your meal. Not the freshest at this place. To top it off...the fortune in my cookie wasn't a fortune at all.
(3)Rebecca F.
Very disappointed, this restaurant has gone downhill. The food and service used to be good. We got take out about two months ago it was awful. We ate there last night . The service was terrible. The bok Choy in garlic sauce was tasteless. The beef with two peppers in chili sauce contained very little beef and was not flavorful. The rice was either old or not cooked because it was crunchy.
(1)Ashley B.
I really don't eat chinese but I LOVE THIS PLACE!!! This is a great place for a nice lunch with a stranger or a big family dinner =] They have those spinning things on the table where everyone can try a bite of someone else's entree (THUMBS UP!) Friendly staff is a + I always get the orange peel chicken and pot stickers! Oh and the sauteed spinach is pretty darn tasty too! DEFINITELY RECOMMEND FOR CHINESE RESTAURANT ENTHUSIASTS!
(5)Andrew R.
When we first walked into this restaurant we were unsure what to expect, seeing as nearly every table was empty during standard lunch hours. There was no reason to worry, however, because this restaurant was amazing. After we ordered, the food was prepared fairly quickly and everything was correct. The food was great. The orange chicken, which is of course a very popular chinese dish, was delicious and completely slathered in the orange sauce. To top it off, the waiter caught me as I was walking out the door to return my sunglasses to me which I had forgotten on the table. This is an outstanding local restaurant.
(5)Carrie P.
The first time I came here, I nearly walked out the door after my soup arrived with a cockroach floating in it. The person I was with convinced me to stay because we were too hungry to go anywhere else. I'm glad that I stayed because the orange chicken was out of this world! The food is really good for Santa Barbara chinese food. My favorite, even with the one time bug incident!
(4)Ben M.
The most outrageously awful Chinese food we've ever had. And we've eaten Chinese food in scores of cities, at least a hundred restaurants. Uncooked potstickers. No flavor. They might as well have been cardboard. And the "Szechuan" tofu? Who were they trying to fool? Do they think we're idiots? It was tofu in hot sauce. That's it. Overpriced if it cost a penny. A horrible rip off at what they do charge. With a number of great Chinese restaurants in town, we are NEVER going back to this place. May it go out of business soon, before it rips off too many other unsuspecting customers. (And yes, I know, I should have read the Yelp reviews first).
(1)Michael G.
Wow what a surprise on a trip down the coast. My family and I pulled off the 101 and decided to try this place. The food was better than most and on par with some of our favorite NYC chinese places. Wish we lived closer as we would love to come back for more. Great fried rice and pan fired dumplings.
(3)Mary K.
After a delayed business meeting we arrived late for lunch (3:00 p.m.)so we had to order from the dinner menu.We were the only couple in the restaurant Our dinner was good,especially the wonton soup and appetizers. However the wait staff was so indifferent that they bordered on rude. It was a very expensive meal; the food was great the service was terrible.
(2)Riry P.
I've ordered lunch here a few times since the initial visit. Try their duck!! Their lunch menu prices are super reasonable and the portion is generous. And they gave me a side of bok choy and some fried stuff. Their lunch menu is pretty robust w/o hurting your wallet. If you want to try this place but don't want to fork over a ton of money - then come to lunch!!
(4)David P.
Orange beef!
(5)Rick F.
Best Chinese Food in SB? Possibly. Here's what I know. The place is clean. Wait staff are gracious with neat coordinated uniforms. If you choose to eat in, the ambiance is just fine. Chinese restaurants are not known for service but I happen to like the people here except for one. The food is a notch and a half better than most of the Chinese restaurants in SB. I recommend (which is what I usually get): - Fish fillet with black bean sauce - Shrimp with sizzling rice soup - Shrimp fried rice - Hong Kong style noodles - Chinese broccoli in oyster sauce - Sauteed spinach Plenty of parking and easy access for those who have trouble getting around. Easy to find the restaurant. Food price is high for CF but worth it. This may be hypercritical but the young lady that works the register is probably a relative. Better suited working at the bowling alley then a calm restaurant. Just lacks a little graciousness.
(4)Judith A.
We had a fantastic family lunch here today. I ordered the Kung Pao chicken. My mom ordered the eggplant. My grandma ordered the scallops with black bean sauce. We all thought the service was awesome. They refilled our water glasses at least five times. The lunch portions were very large. We all agreed that some of the dishes were a little too salty. We had a great time and can't wait to go back.
(3)Annie W.
If you are looking for some real Chinese food this is the place to go. Food is great. Did not have to wait long. The gui fei ji is delicious as well as the xian yu dou fu. Sorry I don't know the names in english.
(4)Danah W.
As the Duchess of this restaurant, I hate to have to leave a negative review but integrity calls me to give an honest account of my experience, thus I have to be truthful. I have never experienced such terrible customer service from any restaurant in Santa Barbara. Today my boyfriend ordered two entrees for take out via telephone with Carolyn. One of the entrees was shrimp fried rice. When he hung up the phone with Carolyn, he realized that he had forgotten to make the order brown shrimp fried rice, so he called back within 90 seconds to update the order. Carolyn told him that it was too late to change the order and that the shrimp fried rice was nearly ready for pick. What?! In 90 seconds the order is ready?! Did they bother to cook the food, I wondered? Alas, I called in my own order of brown shrimp fried rice, as I am staying away from white rice, white bread, etc. in an attempt to eat healthy. When I came in to pick up the order Carolyn told me my total and I handed her my credit card and then pulled out my Axxess card for the 15% discount. Carolyn then informed me that it was too late to use my Axxess card because she already ran my credit card and that I'll have to use my discount next time before paying. Baffled, I asked her if she could cancel the charge and re-ring it so that I could receive my discount, being that I pulled out my Axxess card within milliseconds of handing her my credit card. With an attitude and malice, she said, "NO" and walked off into the kitchen, leaving me at the counter jaw dropped. Then I asked her for sweet and sour sauce and she replied, "your boyfriend already got sweet and sour sauce with his shrimp fried rice." I replied, "But this is a separate order and I'd like sweet and sour sauce for my brown shrimp fried rice." She then snatched up my already bagged brown shrimp fried rice and disappeared to the back of kitchen. When she reappeared she placed the bag back on the counter. (Who knows if I got more than sweet and sour sauce in my brown shrimp fried rice order after that gesture.) I asked her if I could speak to a manager and she said, "she's not here." Discouraged and defeated, I checked in on my Yelp App and left. This isn't the first time I've received bad service from this restaurant. A few months back we ordered food for delivery and while my boyfriend was signing the credit card receipt, and filling in the tip at that, the driver sad to him in a very aggressive tone, "You. Hurry Up. I parked illegally. Hurry up sign now." I was shocked, especially because the tip was very generous for delivery and exceeded 20%. We've ordered food here dozens of times and the food is not bad, however, when paired with the terrible customer service it simply is not worth the experience. I highly recommend that curious diners seek out and frequent other local establishments like China Pavilion if they'd like comparable food and great service to boot. There are just too many other dining options to accept subpar service from this one. Note to management: My boyfriend, his family and their friends have been dining at Empress Palace for years and have never encountered such awful customer service from your waitstaff as experienced with Carolyn today. Carolyn brings down the caliber of your establishment with her bad attitude and blatant disrespect.
(1)Theresa B.
Nice setting for a dinner date with friends. Servers were warm and friendly. The food was tasty: schezwan chicken with mushrooms and zucchinis. However, the prices are a bit pricey.
(4)Angela S.
Not a good choice for a vegetarian. My Szechuan tofu was so gross, tofu not cooked at all..just put into sauce.
(2)Andrea O.
Everyone needs a favorite Chinese place that's close to home for take-out emergencies. Lucky for me, Empress Palace is mine. Absolutely the best Broccoli Beef I have ever had. The broccoli is perfectly blanched, the beef is tender, NEVER chewy, and is a perfect balance of salt and tanginess. The portion is huge, and creates left-overs for 3 to 4 meals. Also excellent are their Spring Rolls and wontons. I'd give 5-stars but I've really only had a few menu items! Side note: their take-out dishes make the best reuseable left-over containers ever.
(4)Richard L.
gross overcooked oil in fried rice was rancid
(1)Dude D.
Be forewarned on a delivery. Just called at 6:08, proof on my phone, I call the restaurant and hour later to see where food is, they tell me I didn't call until 6:25. Lie. After three calls, it was still same thing: "He's on the way, sir." Got in the car and got food at Your Place on Milpas in less than 5 minutes, canceling Empress Palace, never to go there again, their food isn't that good.
(1)Orin J.
In response to the above reviewer, who complained her food was cooked too fast...what?? You should be sentenced to one year of service industry work. Before that, however, stick to spots like Friday's, where the number of pieces of flair may be enough for a positive review. For those diners who want delicious food cooked ultra-fast, order from Empress Palace. I have been eating there for many years, and promise you: not one of these people (who bust their backs harder than most) would ever spit in a dish, even if you did deserve it.
(5)TwoGirlsDad S.
Our favorite Chinese restaurant period. The staff is outstanding, the food is excellent , and served very quickly. Our favorites are: Peking Duck (you can order a half duck) served with real pancakes General's Chicken (the kids prefer this to their orange chicken which is a little tart) Fried fish fillet with either black bean sauce or hot garlic sauce Crispy noodles with chicken or shrimp Dry saute green beans Ask for other vegetables because they get in different ones depending on what is fresh.
(5)Kry K.
Listen up, Cookie. The food and service are neither horrible nor great. Once you accept that this is the way it is, you may enjoy it more. Stick with what's safe. The dishes with the least amount of ingredients have a smaller margin of error.
(3)Tanya C.
Hmm... this place is a bit bland in terms of their food, but their service is very good. It is very easy to locate (right off the 101),and parking is ample.
(3)Wing N.
Have been there several times. Nothing taste like Chinese food except the BBQ pork rice. Too much sweet and oil. Foods are cooked in a weird way.
(2)Chrissy L.
This is the best Chinese food you will find in Santa Barbara. Although that means it is mediocre compared to the likings of LA, it deserves the name of THE BEST because it is in SB. The crab is pretty good - especially in garlic sauce (though the crab is not too meaty). The Singapore noodles are awesome - has a tingle of spice! Love the walnut shrimp! A really good place to come with a good size crowd because that will make the meal price worth it and you will have a lot of selections to choose from bc you will be eating family style!
(4)A A.
I ordered the roast duck and rice. The duck was very dry, hard, and inedible. It tasted horrible. Very disappointed.
(2)Emilia S.
Sigh. Maybe I've been spoiled by having Chinese food in the Bay Area, but on a recent family trip to visit my sister at school we decided to Yelp a Chinese place bc she had been craving it. The place looks nice but we were the only ones in there on a Monday afternoon. There were maybe 3-4 people that came in for take-out. We all got the lunch special which is a dish + fried rice (that is NOT fried; I don't know what it is but it's not fried) + soup (which was cold and boring) + wontons and eggrolls (which were ok...) I had the shrimp with 2 mushrooms....eh. It was fine, but I didn't like one of the mushroom types. My sister's sweet & sour chicken was too crispy; my mom's shrimp in lobster sauce looked really unattractive, and I didn't try my dad's Mongolian beef because I don't like it in general. So yeah maybe by SB standards it's good, but this isn't real Chinese food.
(2)Paul B.
Food was tasteless and dried out. Service was spotty and uncaring. Menu showed Fried Rice as an extra to the BBQ ribs for $1.00. Ordered it and they brought a huge dish of fried rice and charged $12.50. Won't return.
(1)Simone D.
This place came recommended by a friend and I was surprised that it was so good. It's easy to get to, but not in a highly trafficked area. There are always customers (a good sign). The food is quite good, though not mindblowing. The prices are reasonable. I used to live in the neighborhood and the takeout dinners were a pretty good option. The dinners look expensive, but one dinner can feed me four times (or my boyfriend twice). They have a lot of variety on the menu including chicken's feet and a great selection of dim sum. Definitely worth checking out.
(4)Tiana T.
Madame Lu was the only place in SB I'd ever been for chinese, but when my friend told me about Empress Palace I thought I'd give it a try. Schezuan Beef and Kung Pao Chicken and Egg Drop Soup. The soup was ok, not anything exciting, pretty plain but plently of veggies. The Schezuan Beef was pretty good and so was the chicken, they lost me because there were WAY too many veggies in the meat dishes. The ratio of Veggies to Meat was not even. The 3 items came to about $40 including tax. Not too bad, not too cheap. I probably would go back if someone else was paying and we would be clear NO VEGGIES LoL.
(3)David L.
My wife and I are on a mission to find the best Chinese food in Santa Barbara, and we've been to the now-defunct Jimmy's Oriental Gardens and also Szechuan Restaurant on "The Mesa" (Cliff Drive). Our latest test was Empress Palace on Las Positas Rd. We arrived on Sunday at about 4:00PM and we were really the only patrons present, which allowed us to receive their full attention. We were obviously seated immediately and waiter Eric took our drink order (I asked for a Chardonnay and my wife got ice tea). I took a little time to review the huge, seafood-centric menu. We ended up ordering: 1. Three Delight Sizzling Rice Soup 2. Paper Wrapped Chicken 3. Szechwan Shrimp 4. String Beans/Chicken in Black Bean Sauce (Special) 5. Vegetable Chow Mein (for my vegetarian daughter) Three Delight Sizzling Rice Soup This was excellent, very clean and loaded with fresh ingredients like chicken, shrimp, mushrooms, snow peas, carrot slices. We loved it, good start. Paper Wrapped Chicken (Actually, Foil as Always) This was good, I wasn't jumping up and down and throwing roses, but it was good. Szechwan Shrimp Again, this was good to excellent. The dish comes with shrimp that may have been lightly fried (this is conjecture) then added to a spicy sauce and includes asparagus and zucchini slices. If any problem here, the shrimp may have been a little "fishy" (this varied from shrimp to shrimp and may actually be OK, but we're on guard for low-quality ingredients). String Beans/Chicken in Black Bean Sauce This was excellent. My wife is an expert in black bean sauces throughout Southern California and she rated this highly. I thought it was great too. I still have some of this remaining in a "to go" box stored in my refrigerator, and I'm trying to control myself and not wolf it down (we're on a diet). Vegetable Chow Mein Very traditional, very good, slightly earthy quality. I only ate a couple of bites myself, but my daughter and wife gave it the thumbs up. Service Service was very good, Fong was our waiter and he was very helpful. I ended up ordering a couple of more glasses of chardonnay and he brought them promptly. We had some chit-chat about various Chinese restaurants in the area, and he was pleasant. Prices Total bill was $93.00 including taxes and hefty tip. This was a little pricey but not entirely unexpected these days (total of three glasses of wine). Overall Experience I liked it a lot and we will certainly be going back for more; however, we will also continue our search. Next, we're going to try China Pavilion on Chalapa. We'll post a review as soon as we have it.
(4)G. P.
My husband and I went to dinner there on Saturday, 04/30/11. It was sooooo good! Puts the other Chinese food places in town to shame. Clean place, attentive staff, although our waiter was slightly surly, that's ok, we're not taking him home, right? The food. Hot, just the right amount of spicy and a lot of it. We're tired of going to Chinese food places and getting very little for the money. Anyhoo, my husband had the fish in black bean sauce. It was great.. I had to help him eat it. I got the beef in black bean sauce. It was good, would have been better without the bell peppers, so my husband ate my bell peppers. We scored because we used our Axxess card, buy one dinner get one free. Made it all the better. We'll be back, there's lots of food to explore. One thing....they have TVs all over the place. The waiters/busboys were watching some bizarre nature show. To each his own.
(4)Ella B.
really? this is *the best*?? Like Chrissy says, it's mediocre compared to LA, but then again, fine, I'm not even comparing to LA, even compared to SB chinese food establishments, this place is meh. we came here on NY day b/c we had heard that they have dim sum. we were sadly disappointed by a dim sum menu of 6 things... ok, maybe it was more like 8 items but the items were sadly lacking and severely overpriced. The dim sum items weren't house made and even just looked sad. We also ordered a noodle dish that was ok, but a little too sweet. Overall, for pathetic dim sum and an ok noodle dish was about $50 for two. maybe I need to reassess Empress if I come back and order other stuff, but for now, don't come for the dim sum!
(2)Justina S.
My husband and I love this place for Chinese delivery. We love it, but we don't indulge often, as the bill usually comes to at least $50 for the two of us. Granted, we always have left-overs, but still, pricey. We have never eaten at the actual restaurant, but the delivery is pretty fast, and it's true, they use awesome reusable containers.
(4)Holland H.
For SB this place is pretty good. We have dined there many times with our Vegan friends. Our last visit struck gold. We ordered 3 vegetarian plates and asked the server for a recommendation for a 4th option of the Tofu / soy variety, we got peppered tofu with salt. Sounds weird, it was soo yummy. Home made tofu lightly fried in a spicy / crunchy stuff leaving a rich tasting, not greasy, pillow of tofu greatness. Trick is this is not on the menu, we had to ask and it was great. Overall, the vegetables are crispy and fresh, with a wide variety of options. Rice and noodle dishes are great as well. The decor is magical, maybe a little over done with the giant lanterns and pink table cloths. The service is always attentive. This is a great place to take a date or a group to provide some vegetarian / vegan options.
(4)Yummy P.
Went last night for din. Had the wonton soup and the wontons weren't cooked enough and there wasn't any meat in there. The broth was flavorful though. Then we had the beef and basil and some eggplant. Not bad. The meat was tender. The eggplant had a bit too much sauce. Meal was decent but pretty expensive.
(3)Anthony B.
Chinese delivery is hard to find in SB.... So, I read through the various reviews on the few Chinese food take out / delivery joints here and they are not easy to find. I was a little lazy from the long day and didn't want to leave my hotel room so I was focused on the "delivery" restaurants. Came across Empress Palace and I'm glad that I did. The order took a little long to get here, 30 to 45min, but the food was still very hot and a little tasty. I ordered the Garlic Chicken and my buddy ordered the General Chicken both at $12.99ea. There was enough food and rice for four people to eat and that I appreciate when it comes to ordering delivery. I will try it once more this week and let you know how the second trial is. AB
(3)Allan D.
honestly the best chinese food in town. it is however on the pricier side considering they are located in an area off state st. they probably should be charging less. To their credit, they give you huge portions. The walnut shrimp is good and their fried rice is worth mentioning. The service is average and i believe part of the ambiance of being in a Chinese restaurant with excellent Chinese food is sub-par service. so if you're arrogant enough to think you deserve to be treated differently, you probably shouldn't come here and yelp about you and your boyfriend's take out experience.
(4)laura f.
Great food, very clean tasting. Had the Moi Shu Vegetables and Shrimp Vermacelli. Our server was a "mature" man with a great sense of humor but didn't push hard to get in the way of our meal. I observed the other waitstaff and they seemed well above average in balancing humor and service. The food is ultimately what's most important and that gets a 4.5 star review from me.
(4)Rebecca L.
Ate here last night for my Birthday. I love good Chinese food and my parents live in Santa Barbara and had recommended it to me. So away we went for a family dinner. We ordered the pot sticker, they were delicious! Then moved onto to the pork hot and sour soup, delicious! Then we all ordered a different entree to share. We had steamed fish with ginger and onion-delicious if you love ginger, which I do! The crispy hong kong noodles with chicken-awesome! But the best dish was the beef with peppers and basil, its was so delicious! I didn't think it sounded that good, but the waited recommended it and it was great! Go with the waiters recommendations, he know what he is talking about! The decor looks like your typical old Chinese restaurant, a couple chairs had tape on them, but who cares, I came for some good old fashion delicious Chinese food. Great meal overall. Definitely will be back!
(4)Kim L.
My gf and I were driving around looking for a place to eat. We wanted to do sushi but none of the restaurants were open. We actually stumbled on this place by accident. It was late and we decided to give it a try since we were so hungry. From the outside we thought it was just a ordinary chinese restaurant. Once we stepped inside we were amazed at how fancy this restaurant was, considering it was a chinese restaurant. For chinese food this place was a little pricey. We decided to try the family dinner for two which costed $19.99 per person. Most of the items were around $10 so we thought that by doing the dinner we would get a better deal. And we did. We were overwhelmed with the variety of delicious items that were included in our meals. We started off with hot & sour soup which was amazing. This has to be the best hot & sour soup we have ever tasted. As part of the meal for appetizer, we had meat kabobs and ribs. These meats were very flavorful. For our main course we had half roasted duck and fish in black bean sauce. The duck was super crispy probably the best part of the meal. There was so much food that we couldnt even finish everything, and we usually pig out when we go eat. The service was excellent considering that we came in when they were getting ready to close. The waiter was very funny and friendly. We would definitely eat here again if we are around the area. This place is highly recommended if you don't mind paying a little bit extra for delicious high quality chinese food.
(4)James Z.
I have been meaning to review this restaurant for quite a while since I ate here over a month ago but just haven't gotten around to do this what-now-seems-to-be like an unconquerable chore; have you ever meant to accomplish a task but you just put it off to the point where the task becomes more and more difficult until it becomes the equivalent of having a root canal on all of your teeth while simultaneously being constipated while sitting on a you-know-what.(ya I know, what a picture!). Well, that's me at this point with this review. Sticking with my toilet theme, this place sucks ass! Okay, it not really that bad. But really, "Empress Palace", what kind of crap name is that? Talk about false advertisement. There should a law that requires all businesses to not only advertise trufhfully commercially speaking but in their nomenclatures as well. There is nothing imperial about the food; certainly nothing that would be fit for a real empress here. If there was truth in nomenclature presentation, this place would be called "Cheap Ass Food, Wipe Ass Prices" as in we're going to wipe your asses out with our prices while serving cheap ass food. Alright, so I'm tough on Chinese restaurants or in the least those restaurants pretending to serve authentic Chinese food since I'm of Chinese extraction. Also this is Santa Barbara, but still... Anyway on to the good points or in this case point: admittedly, the decor was very nice indeed as the place was rather cozy with celing lights encased in seemingly Chinese lanterns. Very nice touch indeed. The service: it's an Asian restaurant, 'nough said. The food: not so good. This place serves rich flavor food- at least for Chinese food- as in you gotta be rich to sample their flavors. Otherwise, the food was bland, bland, and more bland. We ordered the mapo tofu, walnut shrimp, cream cheese wontons, and some other dishes which unfortunately seems to disappeared from my memory with the onset of "old man disease." The mapo tofu is a specialty of Szechwan province of China; it is suppose to be extremely spicy, the mapo tofu here not so much; it got to the "s" of "spicy" but that's about it. As for the walnut shrimp, I know the oceans are running out of life, but come on... where are the shrimps? I think the batter (and what a lot of batter there was) put together weighed more than the shrimps. Nothing stood out. The little buddy: I thought I had entered the restaurant with a party of five, but apparently I was wrong. Initially I had not noticed, but sitting comfortably beside me was an unanticipated guest, my little buddy, Mr. Roach. Apparently, it was also anciously waiting for the arrival for our food while minding its own business atop of the table. For some reason, our party decided to notify the restaurant staff of the presence of our little buddy and for some reason, the staff was aghast and decided to take our little buddy on a long and never-ending or perhaps better put quick-ending vacation. They also had the nicety to actually change the utilsils, plates, glasses and tablecloth. I guess they were not fond of the little buddy. There you have it, Mr. Roach resides at the Palace of the Empress. I have to say, the presence of my litte buddy didn't really brother me and did not enter in evaluation of this restaurant. The conclusion: 2.5 stars even though it is Santa Barbara but minus .5 star for the blandness of the food and richness of the prices.
(2)Isaiah N.
I don't know if $12 or more for Chinese food is "cheap," but the food is really good. I always stop by after a return trip from L.A., and on weekends it can get crowded. If you want a good deal here, go during lunch time, when they have entrees complete with choice of rice and appetizers for lower prices. They also stand out by the fact that you get a fork and knife instead of a fork alone or a fork and a spoon to eat with. The knife is helpful, but spoons are nice for rice!
(4)Josh Z.
You see the outside of the place, hold your breath and walk in---and wait... this place is kinda decent. Are we still in Santa Barbara? Yes, yes you are, and this a really good local place that won't give your life new meaning, but it will make you feel like maybe some of your local stores actually care about their customers. The food is always solidly good. The service is impeccable and I have to over-and-over recommend their take out. They put them in containers that are genuinely reusable--as in great for leftovers and great for just re-using over and over. Prices are cheap for the quality of service and food.
(5)Mark D.
Decent LA-style Chinese seafood restaurant in SB. The interior decoration is a little off, but the food is tasty. This is the only place I'd bring the folks when they were visiting and wanting Chinese food....
(4)Joan S.
Good chinese food for Santa Barbara. This one waitor always makes funny comments and was offended when my friend didn't drink the soup. This is where I usually go if I am craving Chinese.
(4)Linda K.
A gf & I had lunch specials there today using the Axxess card. The Walnut Shrimp was short on mayo this time but still good... the almost tempura like batter on the shrimp was not highly seasoned but the shrimp were huge, fresh and delicious. Gf had pork kung poa pork and just about finished it off in one sitting ... said it was very good. Service was impeccable with many water & ice tea refills and patience with our taking our time to order. I added very little salt to our fried rice. Only two/three other tables of lunch patrons ... also with the meal came a wonderful egg roll, a small empanada type morsel, and a cream cheese filled wonton along with a very good miso soup... any soup I've ever had here has always been very good.
(4)K G.
Unfortunately we live down the street. We wanted this place to be good so bad but... 1. Service horrible. Takes a very long time to get another drink when I could have been on the next already. Also the waiters and waitresses don't understand english very well so they just like to nod their heads and says "ok" to everything. 2. The sushi we ordered wasn't fresh or cold. They need to have something that stands out from the other sushi places. The presentation was nice at least 3. Its very bright inside. You would think the would try to have a nice calming dim environment but no, it's like walking into kmart. Candles and/or less Florescent lighting would be nice.
(2)Deryck D.
I ordered delivery last night. I got the C dinner special and found the barbecue nice, though nothing special. The walnut shrimp had a nice mayonnaise sauce, battered exterior and walnuts. The shrimp, however, were bland and I found myself spitting out a couple of bites that were from the meaty end of the shrimp. I also ordered some nigiri. The octopus and eel were both great, though a little small. For the price, it's mostly an OK deal. Just don't get the walnut shrimp.
(3)