EMPIRE BILLIARD • KITCHEN • LOUNGE — Restaurant in Oklahoma City

The Dim Sum was surprisingly disappointing. I had a few friends who had tried it, so I decided to give it a go for myself. The service was excellent. Our waitress was friendly, helpful, and gladly helped my son with a drink he wanted.

The dim sum was sadly not enjoyable. We had the Shrimp Shui Mai, Rice Noodle Roll with prawn, Shrimp Dumpling, Pan Fried Turnip Cake, Preserved Egg and Pork Congee, and a mango smoothie.

Shrimp Shui Mai: They were a good sized portion but over steamed. The bottom of the wrapper/Noodle was soggy and falling apart. The shrimp stuffing was okay, slightly tough, but I think again due to over steaming. I could have used a bit of seasoning.

Rice Noodle Roll with Prawn: These are my little Panadas' absolute favorite at most dim sum places. This time, though, he wasn't pleased at all. The noodles were over steamed and slightly mushy. The prawn over cooked, and the sweet soy sauce was watery and tasteless. (His words). Normally, he can throw down 3 orders by himself, but he struggled to finish one.

Shrimp Dumpling: We both liked this most of the food items, but still, the wrapper of the Dumpling was overcooked/steamed.

Pan Fried Turnip Cake: We usually enjoy this one due to the crisper outside but this one wasn't crispy, it was too soft in the middle and I think it could have been better if it wasn't as thick. Also, it could have used some sort of white pepper or maybe salt/msg.

Pork Congee: My mom had this as it's usually the one thing she loves when we get dim sum. She never complains or is disappointed, but she said this was too watery and lacked in flavor as well. She ended up adding tons of Sriracha just to flavor it.

Mango Smoothie: My son and I actually really loved this smoothie. You could tell the mango was fresh and ripened to the perfect sweetness.

I'm not sure if it was just a bad day overall, or maybe we didn't order the best items for this particular Dim Sum place but I don't think we will come back to find out knowing there are other places...

Empire DIM SUM. I had dinner here tonight. This was my second visit and it was just as good as the first time. The pork fried rice is so dang good! They cut the pork into small cubes and combined with the seasoning, it's just really tasty! The turnip cake is also a fave. I ordered it again tonight. That's what the second pic is. It's strips of turnips with little pieces of the bbq pork and other yumminess cut into rectangles and pan fried. So good! Pic 3 is custard buns with pic 6 showing the inside. It's sweet and eggy goodness. Pic 4 is the pork shumai that I ordered last time. We ordered the Crab Paste Soup Dumplings tonight and we liked them better! We also ordered the "pan fried meat and vegetable buns." A large, sweet bao bun with a large ball of seasoned pork inside, steamed. The juice inside is really tasty but I personally wasn't a fan of the texture of the meat. That's my issue though. No reflection on the restaurant. The service is excellent though be advised that each item comes out separately or maybe two at a time but for the most part, it takes time for your entire order to arrive so be careful and don't scarf down all of the first couple of items or you'll be too full for the rest...lol! Also be advised that pretty much everything comes 3 or more pieces to an order so be careful not to order too much food! It's easy to do because they have such a nice variety. For those who aren't familiar with this type of food, the staff are very helpful and can explain everything and answer questions, but I advise people to be adventurous, ask for the physical menu as opposed to scanning the QR code at the table because it has pictures of most of the items, and pick like 3 or 4 things that look good and jump in! Bon appetit and if you see me out and about, please stop and say hi! I'm always down to meet...

On a quest to discover Oklahoma’s after-hour spots, I stumbled upon this place on Google Maps. My wife and I arrived around 11:30 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2024. The place was empty, and 2013 hip-hop filled the space. We were immediately seated by a young woman named Wanda (if I remember correctly), who was helpful throughout the service, describing the dishes and how each dish was served. We ordered the steamed Shanghai dumplings, pan-fried turnip cake, chicken fried rice, vegetable flat noodles, and deep-fried bean curd skin roll with shrimp.

Steamed Shanghai Dumplings: These were soup dumplings. They seemed to be previously frozen, which is okay with me, but they were served inside an aluminum foil holder, making it difficult to get out without tearing the dumpling and spilling the soup.

Rating: 2.3/5

Pan-Fried Turnip Cake: Delicious. It was crispy on the outside and flavorful on the inside.

Rating: 5/5

Chicken Fried Rice: I’ve yet to find a Chinese spot with good fried rice in OKC. Empire did not disappoint. The rice was fluffy and fried, not just doused in soy sauce for color. The portion size was good; we had enough to take home. I’m taking a point off because I like bean sprouts and eggs in my fried rice.

Rating: 4/5

Vegetable Flat Noodles: Yum! That’s all I have for this one.

Rating: 5/5

Deep-Fried Bean Curd Skin Roll with Shrimp: I didn’t know what to expect here, but it did not disappoint. The roll was fresh, crispy on the outside, and full of hearty shrimp on the inside.

Rating: 4/5

Overall we will return because it's open late and the dishes are fresh and plentiful. A final note: all ordering is done digitally on the TOAST platform. We ordered food and paid electronically, so make sure your...