Empire Chinese Kitchen — Restaurant in North Salt Lake

My wife and I ordered for take-out; we had no problems ordering over the phone and we really enjoyed the food! See full review & photos for the menu.

My wife got Ham Fried Rice & General Tso's Chicken, I had Lo Mein & Szechuan Chicken, and we ordered cream cheese wontons and a small Egg Drop Soup to share. Our total was about $19 and we had plenty of food for the both of us! I liked the Szechuan chicken, and tried some of the General Tso's chicken and actually liked that one better. The egg drop soup was very flavorful, my wife said it was one of the best she's had. Ham fried rice and Lo mein was good as well.

The food was great, but the menu was a bit confusing to order from at first. Unfortunately there was no online ordering, and the only menu I could find was blurry pictures of an outdated menu and some photos of inside the restaurant. When I picked up my food I took new pictures of the menu and posted them here.

You can order in a few ways. You can get items as they are listed on the menu (paper menu or TV screens) for their listed prices, or you can do it Panda Express style and get a Side + Entree(s) at a reasonable price. I didn't realize it but when I ordered over the phone with only 1 entree, they filled my plate to cover it as 2 entrees, but that was ok and exactly what I wanted.

Create Your Plate Choose your side: Lo Mein, Steamed Rice, Fried Rice Choose your entrees: 1 side & 2 Entrees - $7.25 Choose your entrees: 1 side & 2 Entrees - $8.75 Add a drink - $1.25 Entree options (incomplete list): Roast Pork w/ Mushrooms, Beef w/ Broccoli, Walnut Shrimp +$1.00, Orange Chicken, Beef w/ String Beans, Mongolian Chicken, Sweet & Sour Chicken, Hot & Spicy Chicken, Chicken on Stick (teriyaki), BBQ Spare Ribs +$1.00, Szechuan Chicken, General Tso's Chicken, and more...

The reason the list is incomplete is because I just went off what was listed on their ordering line at the store, but I imagine you can order almost any item as an entree with your side, like Szechuan chicken or General Tso's like I had.

Some reviews mentioned the Lo mein being mushy/gummy, which it is, and I'll admit that its not as good as Panda Express' chow mein but it wasn't that bad. My wife said the ham fried rice was a bit bland, but if you add some soy sauce its ok. The food was pretty good overall though and I'd recommend it to friends. Its not a five star chinese restaurant, but its great for a quick lunch or dinner.

(This review is after my first visit, 7/3/2020)

Edit 5/22/21: Changed from 5 to 4 stars, it's not "I loved it" good, it's just "I like it" good. Chow mein is not that great, fried rice...

I’ve given this place two tries now, hoping for a better experience the second time around, but unfortunately, it fell short both times. As someone originally from California, where quick and tasty Chinese food spots are on every corner, it’s been challenging to find a place that meets those expectations here. When I heard about this spot, I was hopeful, but my experiences left much to be desired.

On my first visit, I tried their made-to-order dishes. As other reviewers have mentioned, the food was oily and lacked flavor. Determined to give it another shot, I returned for their hot food-to-go options. This time, I ordered the veggie chow mein, sesame chicken, and broccoli beef.

The chow mein was a letdown—gummy, overcooked, and tasted like it might have been leftovers from the day before. The sesame chicken had an okay flavor, but the texture of the chicken was dry and tough. As for the broccoli beef, while the meat was tender and the broccoli was fresh, the overall flavor was odd and unappealing.

At around $13 for the plate, I expected better quality. To top it off, I found a grey hair in my food, which was...not ideal (see pics).

Overall, I’d recommend saving your money and looking elsewhere for better Chinese takeout. The food here didn’t live up to expectations, and the lack of quality control was...

When this restaurant moved from Bountiful out to North Salt Lake they changed from being an all you can eat buffet to serving from Big pans of premade dishes and then eventually went, during covid shut down, to direct orders made fresh. I miss the all-you-can-eat buffet but I popped in and ordered egg foo young. This is a dish that brings back memories of traveling to my father's hometown. The only restaurant in the very small mining, railroad town was the Hong Kong Cafe. Egg foo young was my favorite dish from their menu. It is the Chinese version of an omelette served with rice and a brown gravy. Not the gravy you get on your Salisbury steak. I have not had this dish in a long time cuz I'm always afraid it won't be as good as I remember. But this restaurant definitely delivered. The egg foo young patties were light and fluffy, not overcooked. The vegetables inside were crisp and fried just right. The gravy was light and tasty. Served with a bed of steamed rice ...the cook surpassed my memory. The serving size was big enough for 2. Leftovers to have later. The atmosphere and ambiance seem a little outdated for a new place, but the food...