Emperor Garden 穿越 — Restaurant in Town of Guilderland

We were very pleasantly surprised with how good the food is at Emperors Garden, given its location inside Crossgates Mall. The first thing that’s important to understand is that this is fairly authentic Chinese food. While they do have a Chinese American Takeout section on their menu (we didn’t order from it), most of the dishes are traditional Chinese cuisine. This means that some dishes have bones and pieces of chili or whole spices that aren’t intended to be eaten. If you aren’t familiar with traditional Chinese cuisine, and if you aren’t adventurous, then maybe stick to the Chinese American section.

We ordered pan fried pork dumplings, dry fried squid, mala peanut crispy chicken, and seasoned green bamboo. The pork dumplings were fine, they seemed like they were frozen/commercially made, but everything else was spectacular and well prepared.

As other reviews mentioned, the service is a major issue here. Everyone we dealt with was friendly, but nothing seemed to flow smoothly. The food never comes out all at once in a Chinese restaurant, but usually it comes out with enough pacing that the dishes are all enjoyed together. In this case our first entree dish arrived before our rice and our vegetable dish arrived so far after our entrees that we were already done with the meal.

All this said, the restaurant is newly opened and hopefully this is just a growing pain and gets resolved as they develop better routines and train staff. It won’t deter us from going back.

A final note to management- the menu situation is unnecessarily confusing. The tablets aren’t great and took more work than a paper menu (our server struggled to get them set up and then mine crashed while I was browsing the menu). The organization by cuisine is also inconvenient, most other Chinese restaurants organize by categories like pork, vegetables, rice, noodles, etc. It’s much easier for the diner to plan a balanced meal when you can look at the vegetable section to find a vegetable, rather than have to flip between the different cuisine sections looking for vegetables. Just something...

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Emperor Garden is a hidden gem you’ll want to bookmark, revisit, and rave about.

Atmosphere (A+) Step inside and you’re instantly transported to old‑world Shanghai: glowing red lanterns float overhead, carved wooden eaves frame the ceiling, and exposed brick walls give the room a warm, rustic elegance. Soft jazz mingles with the gentle clink of glassware from the impressive tap‑lined bar, setting a relaxed yet sophisticated mood—perfect for everything from date night to a laid‑back dinner with friends.

Food (Chef’s‑kiss) The menu is a greatest‑hits tour of regional Chinese cooking. Highlights from our table:

Hand‑pulled Dan Dan Noodles—springy noodles in a rich, sesame‑chili sauce with just the right numbing kick. Crispy Duck Bao—pillowy buns hugging crackling duck skin and aromatic five‑spice. Mapo Tofu—silky, fiery, and deeply flavorful; you’ll be spooning up every last drop of sauce. Portions are generous, spices beautifully balanced, and everything arrives piping hot.

Drinks (Show‑stopper) Behind the bar, dozens of gleaming taps pour both local craft brews and Asian imports, while the cocktail list riffs on classics with baijiu and jasmine infusions. Don’t miss the lychee‑ginger martini—bright, floral, and dangerously smooth.

Service (Impeccable) Staff are attentive without hovering, happy to guide you through the menu’s regional specialties, and quick to refill tea or suggest the perfect beer pairing.

Value (5/5) Considering the quality of ingredients, generous portions, and immersive décor, Emperor Garden offers exceptional bang for your buck. We left full, excited, and already planning our next visit.

Bottom line: If you crave authentic flavors wrapped in a stunning setting, Emperor Garden delivers in spades. Highly...

I had a hard time finding a working online menu for this place, so I just tried them out in person on Grand opening.

I was greeted and seated quickly by a young lady there. Not sure if she was hostess or FOH manager. The menu is presented by means of an Ipad tablet. My waitress asked if I was ready to order after about 40 seconds. Obviously I said no, and she returned a few minutes later. I ordered Kung Bao Chicken and some steamed pork dumplings and white rice. About $18, $9 ,$1 respectively. I received my entree about 3-4 minutes later, and my appetizer about 10 minutes later. Finally got the white rice as well. Waitress disappeared after that. Steamed buns were typical of the area. Kung Bao chicken fairly authentic. Real kung bao is usually like 90% diced chicken, lots of chilis and peppercorns with some peanuts served in a hot sweet sour sauce. This stuff was fairly mild with a very strong black vinegar flavor with a bit of bell pepper thrown in there. I'd say reasonably good, but not great.

Decor was pleasant. Outfits on staff were interesting.

Most of the menu items are ethnic Chinese specialties : sichuan, cantonese and liaoning specifically. They have a small American-style take out style section. If you're looking chicken wings, sweet and sour chicken, moo goo gai pan and the like, don't come here. If you're looking for crispy spicy pork intestines, sliced ox tongue, hot pots , fish balls and pickled peppered roast fish this is the place to be. Most entrees are suited to serve 2 to 4 people. Most entrees range from $18-$28. This is a place to come as a family or group. They do not offer combination plates for solo diners.

Overall, ok. They have strong competition from places like Hu's House or Shining Rainbow.

Best...