Rate-A-Restaurant, #137 in a series

Restaurant: Empress Pavilion

Location: 988 N Hill St # 201 (Chinatown)

Type of restaurant: Dim Sum


Chicken shu mai

We stipulated: Having spent the morning in Vernon (furniture shopping at the IdentityCraft sample sale), we were hungry -- and dim sum beckoned. After being less than thrilled with our most recent Ocean Star visit, it was time to return to good old, reliable Empress Pavilion.

They stipulated: It's the typical dim sum experience. Don't be shy -- wave down carts, quiz the servers on what's in the steamers, and try at least one new thing each time.


Shortribs (left) and bean curd

What we ordered: Chicken bao, chicken shu mai, shortribs, bean curd, flat noodles with chicken, Chinese broccoli. All for $24.


Flat noodles with chicken

High point: We chose wisely this time out. The food felt fresh, healthy and tasty. We didn't order too much, but we still selected plenty -- and the bill, as always, was cheap. We also love the bright room (thanks to the wide windows on the west end of the dining room) -- a big plus over Ocean Star's dark room.

Low point: Parking is always tricky in the Empress Pavilion structure -- and the restaurant only validates for an hour, so you're sure to pay extra. Also, depending on where you're sitting in the dining room, some of the good stuff may keep passing you by. Sometimes, you've got to flag down the carts.


Chinese broccoli

Overall impression: I know some people are turned off by the fact that Empress Pavilion is in Chinatown, and believe the really authentic stuff can only be found in Monterey Park. Nope. Empress Pavilion is the real deal. And like all dim sum joints, it's the perfect place to bring the kid (it's too loud for anyone to care). As a bonus, the center where Empress is located boasts several shops -- and on the day we went, a coin-operated carousel that wouldn't stop operating (we finally had to pull Evan off. Best use of a 50 cent ride we ever had). By the way, we also used to have problems waiting a long time for a table at Empress, but that has changed in recent years. I can't remember the last time we had to wait too long -- and that's coming both in large groups and coming as just the three of us.


Chicken bao

Chance we will go back: Of course. With friends or just the three of us, Empress Pavilion is the perfect Saturday morning or Sunday morning stop.


The dining room

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