Empire Hunan
“We have been going to Empire Hunan since we lived in Rochelle Park and they were just down the block.”
“They also have sushi and other Japanese cuisine and although I'm no sushi expert, I'd say its all very good.”
“We have come here countless times and the food is always very good warranting another return visit.”
Empire Hunan
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Kids: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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So Friday night 7 pm with 8 people in tow..prompt seating with a smile. I haven't been out for Chinese in a while so I was excited for this especially since I've been there before and the foods always great. We sat and ordered appetizers within 10 minutes of being seated, they arrived. We started out with 3 orders of dumping: vegetable, pork, and chicken. The pork was the best of the three. The chicken was kinda of bland but the softness and crispiness of the dough was great. It tasted very homemade. Then we got our meals and mine looked great. They offer huge portions. I got the garlic chicken with broccoli and pork fried rice. My dish was very tasty. It had crushed red pepper on it which gave it a bit of a kick. The chicken was unlike the chicken at most Chinese restaurants, it was not stringy it was definetly white meat chicken and very fresh. I got my daughter whose a toddler an order of chicken nuggets and they were great! They were made in house and not frozen. They were also only $3.25 for about 6… Even fast food places give less and for more $! My brother ordered giant spare ribs and chicken fried rice. Both were AMAZING! My boyfriend loved his beef and broccoli and to be honest there were no complaints from anyone at the table.This will now to be my to go spot for a great chinese/japanese meal… Oh and I forgot, it's a BYOB… SCORE
No ambience whatsoever… typical of a Chinese restaurant but the food is very good. I took my mother there who was visiting the U.S.. After 3 weeks of having tried American Chinese food all over the country, she said that this was the closest to real Chinese food. What I like is that their sauces are not loaded with cornstarch and MSG. Their Japanese rolls are also decent. Service is also pretty good, and some of the waitstaff actually have personalities and a sense of humor…highly unusual for a Chinese restaurant 🙂
This is really one of the only places in the area to have a sit-down Chinese dinner. Not take-out, and not a buffet. And that is really about its only draw. The food is just so-so, the sushi is fresh-ish, but uninspired, and portions are small. The service is acceptable, but certainly not good.
They have lunch specials, and are nearly always packed at lunch time. Sometimes you will really wait at lunch, and other times everything will be quite prompt. If you are in a group (larger than 4) for lunch, don't expect to make it back to the office in time. I also wouldn't bring children here, as the attitude of the already frigid servers would likely sour further towards children.
Ambiance/Decor/Atmosphere: Slightly drab and plain scattered with gentle Asian influences bordering on boring, but the simplicity of the restaurant manages to retain a keen sense of interesting…if that's possible.
Noise/sound level: Not too loud, but this place can get really crowded depending on the time and day you visit. It's relatively large and the tables and booths are spaced well so conversating with your mates won't be difficult.
Menu: Split between Chinese and Japanese with popular items to be had on both. The Japanese side has common items with some special sushi rolls while the Chinese side has dim sum and other Americanized Chinese fare. Overall, the menu is on the verge of too big, but it holds up nicely.
Service: At this point I was torn between three stars and four. All of the wait staff has thick accents and it can be hard communicating with them. So, some patrons might retract a star for difficult service. But, they are super friendly and accommodating; my sister in-law cannot eat carrots and when she found out the fried pork dumplings had carrots the staff eagerly replaced them with shumai at no cost. The only major downside is they are slightly pushy, but I get it you need to make money too.
Food: Empire Hunan is one of two restaurants I've ever seen where you can get Chinese and Japanese fare at the same time. Asian Grill is the other place. The food is above average, sushi done well, wasabi and ginger could be fresher, but many of the items are tasty. We have come here countless times and the food is always very good warranting another return visit. The pickled cabbage and sprouts plus fried cracker things are free and hit the spot as a warm up appetizer.
Bar: None, but it is BYOB. I felt kind of weird drinking beer and eating a spider roll to be honest, but what the hell.
Price: Moderate or less compared to other Chinese and Japanese restaurants. My last visit I had a spider roll and dumplings in spicy peanut sauce which cost me $15. I was satisfied.
Overall: Empire Hunan is very close to me and does a great job all around with various Chinese and Japanese items. I see no reason not to routinely visit, but if you're looking for better places like Rice Shop or Maguro might suit you better.
Let me begin by saying I have never paid for a meal here (my father does, certainly not free!) it's a place my family can agree on frequenting for any special occasion. It's never crowded, the service is great, and the food is good. I have never regretted ordering anything – though I generally stick with the sashimi. Let's just say this place has my boyfriend looking forward to dining with my father!
Great place to eat Chinese food.
The last time I came here, my boyfriend and I got scallion pancakes, beef udon noodles, and General Tso's chicken. Everything was really good. The portions were very decent, so we took home our leftovers.
They always serve crunchy noodles with duck sauce, been sprouts, and pickled cabbage.
The service is always quick and on point.
Ordered general Tos beef and received sesame beef instead. When I asked the waitress she just nodded and said yes Sesame beef.
Sushi is good.
I hate giving a good review to a place that doesn't show you that they appreciate your business. The attitude at this place sucks.
Incredible service, friendly staff, great food. This place serves much of the typical American Chinese food that you expect, along with sushi. They give you some crunchy crackers and bean sprouts as an appetizer, which is very nice. I have only come here once so far and had a great experience. I'll be back in the near future definitely to try more of their menu.