Tasty and fun. Somewhere between cool bar and old school Chinese but it’s quite self aware.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Mark Nissenfeld
Terrific food, some of the best Dim Sum I've had in years. While the interior is clean, it is not fancy. Service was quick and polite. We make it a point of eating here every time we are in Portland. You should eat here too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Dim Sum
Michael Sitompul
Delicious Cantonese Resto in Portland, I will recommend you to order the garlic green beans. Really love the burnt part of the vegetable and the smoky. I also ordered the duck lo mien, but make sure you ask the chili oil since it gives additional flavor to your dish. The shu mai is also recommended if you visit this resto. There are plenty tables, so you don’t need to worry to be seated. If you want to hang out with friends, you can also go to the bar. Additionally, there is also a clean restroom. The waiters and waitresses are friendly and fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Thomas (Tom)
Second or third time here for dinner with family when visiting. Always really good. Nicely prepared small plates and shareables. Always busy and parking can be challenging but it’s fairly authentic and seasoned well without overkill so very much worth the wait. Having visited China, many of the buns and dumplings I’ve had at empire are about as good as I’ve had anywhere outside of China, very authentic. I grew up on Boston area Chinese food and have had Michelin star quality Chinese food abroad - it’s not always been easy to find high quality Chinese food outside of big cities. Empire is definitely a gem in northern New England.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Gary Burghart
Picked this place at random on a one night visit to Portland. The food was delicious, service was fast, and there was a great atmosphere. We especially liked the garlic string beans…it was among the best I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Jacky Chen
Food was great for dim sum like fare especially taking into consideration that my wife has an allergy to gluten. The broccoli with broad noodles were just okay as it lacked flavor. I grew up eating dim sum frequently and will say that this place is a bit pricey compared to conventional dim sum in places like NYC China Town. Very accommodating and friendly staff. We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table on a Wednesday night around 6 pm which doesn't seem to be unreasonable for Downtown Portland.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Jake Smith
Great dumplings. Service was also great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Owen Bradley
Great food. Mother's Milk is an amazing drink
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Emily Higgins
I never write reviews for restaurants but this one deserved it. We first were a little skeptical to eat here because it was so busy, we ordered chicken teriyaki, chicken skewers, and dumplings. The food came out super quick, the fastest i’ve ever seen. I mean less than 5 minutes. We were also very impressed of the food quality and flavor. I never liked white rice but with the teriyaki chicken it was delicious, the skewers are also so good and worth it, super tender, most chinese places the skewers are hard to chew. This is definitely the best authentic chinese restaurant I’ve been to, and I’ve had a lot! Also the best atmosphere, and a cute little place to eat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Anthony Rampersad
Wicked tasty Chinese food in downtown Portland. Service was quick and the dining atmosphere was cozy and clean.
Tasty and fun. Somewhere between cool bar and old school Chinese but it’s quite self aware.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Terrific food, some of the best Dim Sum I've had in years. While the interior is clean, it is not fancy. Service was quick and polite. We make it a point of eating here every time we are in Portland. You should eat here too.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Shanghai Soup Dumplings, Dim Sum
Delicious Cantonese Resto in Portland, I will recommend you to order the garlic green beans. Really love the burnt part of the vegetable and the smoky. I also ordered the duck lo mien, but make sure you ask the chili oil since it gives additional flavor to your dish. The shu mai is also recommended if you visit this resto. There are plenty tables, so you don’t need to worry to be seated. If you want to hang out with friends, you can also go to the bar. Additionally, there is also a clean restroom. The waiters and waitresses are friendly and fast.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Second or third time here for dinner with family when visiting. Always really good. Nicely prepared small plates and shareables. Always busy and parking can be challenging but it’s fairly authentic and seasoned well without overkill so very much worth the wait. Having visited China, many of the buns and dumplings I’ve had at empire are about as good as I’ve had anywhere outside of China, very authentic. I grew up on Boston area Chinese food and have had Michelin star quality Chinese food abroad - it’s not always been easy to find high quality Chinese food outside of big cities. Empire is definitely a gem in northern New England.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Picked this place at random on a one night visit to Portland. The food was delicious, service was fast, and there was a great atmosphere. We especially liked the garlic string beans…it was among the best I’ve had.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Food was great for dim sum like fare especially taking into consideration that my wife has an allergy to gluten.
The broccoli with broad noodles were just okay as it lacked flavor.
I grew up eating dim sum frequently and will say that this place is a bit pricey compared to conventional dim sum in places like NYC China Town.
Very accommodating and friendly staff.
We had to wait about 40 minutes for a table on a Wednesday night around 6 pm which doesn't seem to be unreasonable for Downtown Portland.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 5
Great dumplings. Service was also great.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 5
Service: 5
Great food. Mother's Milk is an amazing drink
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I never write reviews for restaurants but this one deserved it. We first were a little skeptical to eat here because it was so busy, we ordered chicken teriyaki, chicken skewers, and dumplings. The food came out super quick, the fastest i’ve ever seen. I mean less than 5 minutes. We were also very impressed of the food quality and flavor. I never liked white rice but with the teriyaki chicken it was delicious, the skewers are also so good and worth it, super tender, most chinese places the skewers are hard to chew. This is definitely the best authentic chinese restaurant I’ve been to, and I’ve had a lot! Also the best atmosphere, and a cute little place to eat.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Wicked tasty Chinese food in downtown Portland. Service was quick and the dining atmosphere was cozy and clean.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Restaurantji Recommends
A must try while in Portland!!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Very fresh dim sum! Small plates to share.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Delicious food, friendly service and great gluten-free options including dumplings!
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
I enjoyed the green beans, honey nut shrimp, teriyaki chicken, and beef baos. Busy place and can get a bit loud.
Atmosphere: 3
Food: 5
Service: 5
delicious (and strong) cocktails. all of the food was perfect. our server was very nice and attentive. great experience as always
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
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