I came here for dinner with my family and we left so full! It is a sharing plates type of place, but we thought that meant small plates. This was not the case. All the portions we so giant we couldn't finish everything! With that being said, all the food was so flavorful! I tried the Mapo tofu, chicken fried rice, and the BBQ pork steam buns. It is definitely not the typical spot when you think of Napa, but sometimes you just need to step away from the Italian food and I'm glad we did! Also the waiter was very nice and helped with some of our confusion about items on the menu. read more

Empress M - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

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The past two visits here have been spectacular. While it can be expensive with hungry teenagers, the quality of food makes it worth it. The cocktails are big too! Gail is fantastic, she is thoughtful and makes all the efforts to ensure the experience is great. Our favorites are the soup dumplings, the shu mai, chow fun, and green beans. Everything is fresh and served hot. It is by far the best Chinese food around! read more

Beautiful interior and exterior but definitely overpriced & not quite 100% authentic Chinese food. I know it's a little bit leaning towards the Szechuan flavor palette; I still wouldn't come back. The duck itself was also not that fresh and tasted like it was overnight. A plus was that it was dog friendly since we sat outside. We spent around $300 here and didn't leave feeling like the food was worth it nor satisfying. read more

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Who Says Christmas music and Chinese food doesn't go together! Because it does! This Restaurant opened recently in Napa and we wanted to try it . Yummy very nice place . The spicy hot wings were so crispy and moist mmmm. And the dim som so flavorful! Just what we were craving. I discovered Henhouse Stoked IPA top shelf. My wife likes the name Empress M (Michele) she wishes! Loved it great date night! Andre & Michele Scott read more

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This place is such a hidden gem... I've lived in Napa for quite some time and I have been saying for years that we needed a nice Chinese restaurant. Well...I got my wish! From the high quality authentic food, to the kind and attentive staff, Empress M is a MUST VISIT! If you're lucky, you may even run into the owners, who exude passion for their craft! The BBQ pork buns, Phoenix shrimp, and the chicken chow mien are just a few of our favorites. If you're feeling more adventurous, go for the duck! We ate so much our bellies were bursting! I promised my boyfriend I would add his comment: Eat here and you'll leave feeling "fuller than a tick." read more

Empress M - The best seat in the house! - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

They went back to their original packaging! Yay!! Staff is very friendly, the food is very good.

Not authentic, OVERPRICED. Too much focus on decor, not on quality or taste of food. Thomas was nice, staff was slow; but I'm here to eat. Ordered spare ribs, charged for $40 short ribs. Rock cod and was pictured whole and was extremely oily not worth the money; soup and fried rice super bland. First pot of tea was watered, second had soooo many tea leaves, and I hate inconsistencies. Ditto on previous comments- dim sum very comparable to what I get at Trader Joe's, $ 2.99 for (6) - actually, it might be better quality. I read on their website, information on the chef- I'm a little intrigued on credentials cause it's not matching up. Might try out the Sacramento spots when in that area. read more

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So glad we found this restaurant, one of the best Chinese food in the area. Getting a reservation for party of 8 was super easy. We were seated in their outdoor area weather was perfect. We started with Shanghai spring rolls, spinach dumplings and spicy chicken wings. Everything tasted delicious and fresh. For main we tried short ribs which were super tender. Fried rice and chow men were great too. Our server Mickey was excellent, friendly and efficient. read more

My mom heard about this from her friends, so we decided to check this out. Unfortunately I misunderstood how happy hour works, and arrived to find out it is a limited menu. Since we were already there, we decided to try it out. For food, we had a few choices of buns, dumplings and potstickers. If I could recall, they were itemized as about $1 or $2 each, so we just ordered in quantity. The dishes tasted pretty standard to any other dimsum. We were surprisingly able to get our fill, and most likely a lot cheaper than if we at during the normal dinner menu. The staff was pretty attentive without being overly bearing. We almost never had a time where we were waiting for more food to arrive. Again, I wish I knew that it was a limited menu before arriving, but now I guess I know, because I'd like to try some of the normal menu. read more

Absolutely amazing and so fresh. I had the Dim Sum Sampler (pea shoot and shrimp, mushroom, shrimp & pork, shrimp, and spinach) and they were all distinct from each other. My favorite was the mushroom dumpling. They gave my a fried chili oil to use so I would recommend requesting that for a kick. Then I ordered the shrimp & wonton soup. It comes with egg noodles - if you are craving ramen without the heaviness of tonkotsu broth, this is for you. I saw Peking duck on the menu, may just have to come back tomorrow read more

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Not gonna lie, I was ready to chew this place out based on their pricing - $17 for five pieces of dim sum, $9 for two taro puffs and $18 for a "small plate" of Dan Dan noodles. I was nervous that after spending $50 on a take out order, I was still going to be hungry, but to my surprise, I was actually full sharing this with one other person. Here are my notes: -Dim sum pieces were large, like jumbo size. Dough was very fresh and was perfectly soft. Each piece also was stuffed with filling, plus shrimps were very fresh. Sui Mai (5/5), Har Gow (5/5), Pea Shoots / Shrimp (4/5), Spinach (4/5), Mushroom (3/5) -Dan Dan noodles came with so much more than what I would consider a small plate. It's at least a medium plate. Good flavor, not too spicy or salty. They gave a good amount of meat too. I also liked that there's a fake meat / vegetarian option, although I got pork. -Taro puff actually came with 3 pieces instead of 2 which made it much more reasonable. Crispy on the outside without being too oily and was super stuffed with filling. This is a savory dish so do not be fooled thinking it will be sweet. While I did take out, I did walk through their restaurant. They have a bar area with large tv screen, huge outdoor patio with umbrellas and parking onsite. Is it expensive? Yes. Worth the price? I would say so. read more

Empress M - Dan Dan noodles, dim sum sampler, taro puff - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

I like Empress M and wish it will do well. However during my recent the food really went down hill. The vibe was quite blah as there were not busy on a Sunday lunch and everything seemed a bit off. The Har Gaw's (shrimp dumplings) skin was really way too thick. The beef chow fun was decent but did not have the "wok hey" I was looking for. It felt that we are eating at a PF Chang but paying top dollars (dim sum are all about $10+ which is at a price I expect it to be top notch quality but really not at the palette Tea House or Mr Jiu's level). I hope this is just an off day! read more

This restaurant was recommended to me as being "Authentic Chinese." The order included a couple of orders of Char Su Bao, walnut Shrimp, Dan Dan noodles with pork and chili, and 1/2 a Peking Duck. Total bill came to $123.00, which, even for Napa, is steep for Chinese. The place was pretty empty when I was there... maybe three tables, and one couple at the bar. While my carry out order was being prepared, I went to the bar for a beer. Unfortunately, I was unable to have a beer because of a lack of service. This was later addressed by the owner of the place. He explained that there was some sort of labor dispute that caused a kerfuffle and he assured me that my experience was an exception. He was a nice guy, very kind. He was also the guy behind the bar that didn't wait on me, so.... Yeah yeah... I get it. Shut up Karen... On to the food: Black Ear Fungus Salad Excellent. It was, in my opinion the best item of my order. The fungus was perfect, with the exact right amount of crunch. The sauce was a great mix of garlic, black vinegar, and I think I picked up a bit of sesame oil in it. Walnut Shrimp Meh... Uber-sweet. Definitely a dish that has been Americanized. Dan Dan Noodles with Pork and Chili The pork and chili was solid. Very consistent with a street cafe in China. However, the noodles were way over cooked, to the point of being mush. Char Su Bao Authentic texture on the bao, but the Char Su was much sweeter than what I have typically encountered in China. The flavor was good, but Americanized. I don't think that's a bad thing... just not authentic. Peking Duck It was Duck, and that is as close as it gets to being a Peking duck. It was presented like left overs from Great Aunt Sally's kitchen and it tasted like sadness. The skin was soggy, not crispy, and the meat was served country style, just hacked apart with a clever. There were none of the customary accoutrements associated with Peking Duck. No cucumber, no hawthorn jelly, and no sauce. There was some plum sauce, but nothing at all like actual duck sauce. To be clear, a fine roadside lunch, worth every bit of $10 to $15 in the US. At $45 for a 1/2 Duck I really feel like it should have been so much more. Foot print: Holy Hanna do these folks love plastic and packaging. Everything was in heavy duty plastic containers. The carry out order was packed in high end bags and pretty much everything was emblazoned with the logo. Total waste stream from the meal was a just a bit under one kilo. All recyclable... but could have been far more green and frankly less expensive. Shining Star: The woman that was working the carry out door was excellent. She had photos of the various dishes on her phone that she used to augment her explanations of the menu. She was engaging, and genuinely connecting with me as a customer. I would hire her as a customer service leader, or any other customer facing role in a heartbeat. Seriously... I feel like a jerk because I forgot her name. She's excellent. Overall, the food was decent. Not terribly authentic, except for the black ear fungus salad, but it was good. Not great. Good. It was also epically expensive, and the service was, with the exception of the aforementioned rockstar, lacking. For the money, you can do better. Even taking into consideration Napa prices, this was salty. The service thing was an exception, I'm sure. The price is not, and the food just doesn't add up to the total on the check. For authentic food, head into SFO. read more

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Great food and service. We had Katie as our Waitress and she was A Mazing! I got the rice noodle in a clay pot and the shendu eggplant. Both full of flavor and generous portions. We will come back for sure. read more

First off, I like the authentic design and the ambience of this restaurant. It brings me back to Sichuan province. The red color, bamboo and other plants, the wall, the pavilion really resembles what you see in Sichuan Jinli (锦里), a famous walking street that serves spicy tasty street food and a great tourist attraction. Second, I appreciate how the owner connects food with a rich culture, in the menu (description of how the restaurant is paying tribute to the great empress in Tang Dynasty) and in the video it was playing to showcase Sichuan food. Last but not least, the food tastes great! The only complaint I have is that they place noodles in all the dishes we ordered. It's a modification to the traditional dishes, but it's a bit boring. I don't love noodles that much. That's why I took one star off. read more

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Quite a mediocre experience at Empress M. Found the food to be over priced and very under seasoned. Service and ambience were both a disappointment as well. Potstickers and spring rolls were cold by the time they came out and not flavorful. The bbq pork buns were a huge disappointment, those are my favorite in a dim sum place. Texture of the bun was chewy and soggy and the flavor of the bbq pork was one dimensional. The bbq pork chowmein and mapo tofu were the only decent things on the menu, better seasoned than other dishes. Beef chow fun was a disappointment, similar to other dishes not a lot of flavor and more bean sprouts than noodles. And the biggest disappointment was the duck - it was dry, lacked flavor, skin was not crisp and it was cold. Our server was friendly but the ambience and service experience wasn't good. Food was coming out in no particular order (entrees first, starters after). A table next to ours was loudly complaining about their food not coming out as well and creating a bit of a scene. Their outdoor patio is really cute esp for a warm evening however the place has much to improve on food and service. Overall not recommended. read more

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We had an amazing authentic Chinese cuisine in Napa. Everything was expertly prepare and flavorful! Very fresh high quality ingredients! Thoroughly unexpected! read more

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Country style rice noodles are so good and gluten free! Staff is super friendly and service is fast. Love sitting on the front patio and enjoy the ambiance. read more

I went during Happy Hour time and the deals were amazing! We ordered almost everything on that menu and everything was good! It was all really flavorful! I wish I remembered to take pictures. Would definitely go back! :) read more

Mediocre experience all the way around. It was quite pricey for food that came out awfully quick and was room temperature. We ordered about five or six plates and spent $160. The potstickers and eggrolls were cold, as if they had been made a long time in advance and were sitting under a heat lamp. The Dan Dan noodles had absolutely no heat and were closer to an Italian dish than an authentic Szechuan plate. The shrimp and walnuts were good, but heavily under sauced, leaving me wanting more sauce. I mean really, who in the hell ever orders honey walnut shrimp and expects there to only be a small drizzle of sauce? We ordered pork steam buns which was everyone's favorite. Still mediocre for the price. The hot chili sauce to go on top was not hot at all. The hot mustard also had no heat, a huge disappointment. Even my two-year-old accidentally took a spoonful and she was absolutely fine. The sodas and beer were expensive and small. The only saving grace was the decor and the patio. Fun ambiance. I would not spend money here again based on this experience. read more

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This is a diamond in the rough. The food is for the most part excellent. We were a party of 6. Ordered Emperors Baked Sea Bass (5 stars), Woodear Salad (5 stars), Peking duck (4 stars), Sausage sticky rice, and Corn and Chicken Soup (3 stars). The sea bass was a treat: cooked to perfection and the red Emperors finish was a beautiful preparation. The soup was on the salty side. Where the restaurant can improve is on service - this would take it to 5 stars. The time for initial serving was way too long. The Peking duck was not cut properly (sliced off the bone for wrapping), so most of the pieces had bone shards on them making it difficult to make the rolled buns. Many of the dishes were brought to the table, and then the server seemed to not know what to do with them - almost looking like they wanted someone to take it so they could leave. Eventually, we kept making space so they could put them down in the center. Some dishes should be served, like the Corn and Chicken Soup, but this was just placed on the table with a small eating spoon inside, so we had to dish the 6 individual bowls ourselves. This one was difficult for the restaurant, to be fair, as the smaller size requires a medium sized serving spoon. For a Chinese restaurant, the servers also did not know the etiquette of refilling the tea pot when the lid is kept off. So, we went without tea many times until a server brought food and we could ask for water. The inside of the location is nice, and bathrooms are well kept - they are individual rooms. The restaurant has an extensive wine selection and the prices are reasonable. We were sitting for dinner after a wine tasting so we decided not to order wine. That was difficult, as there were several good quality bottles at good value to select. Next time. I would visit this location again, but I hope the staff gets trained more on expectations for a fine style restaurant and more aligned with the venue being presented and the quality of food. read more

Empress M - Peking duck chopped rather than sliced for buns. - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

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I ordered take out on a Tuesday for their 10% off deal. They have a separate entrance for to go orders so it's super easy to grab and go. I ordered the Chengdu eggplant, the mapo tofu, and the sesame balls (3 per order). It all came out to about $40 and there are at least three servings in each dish. The only thing missing from the eggplant and the tofu seemed to be the meat. The menu said there was ground beef but I didn't see any. Other than that, it was very tasty. The sesame balls are to die for! They aren't too greasy and have some sort of pumpkin dough which is unique. I will definitely be back again! read more

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Beautiful ambience and well designed space with full bar. Dim sum choices and tastes were good and service was descent also. I do miss Thomas the wonderful Manager who recently retired, who offered welcoming and friendly greetings and accomodating service. Overall a wonderful and authentic Chinese restaurant with daily dim sum. Very clean and enjoyable place. Highly recommend read more

Truly a joy in hospitality and authentic Chinese cuisine!! Margaret Wong, owner of Empress and Empress M Wine, only settles for the best!! Cheers! read more

We've been reading the online reviews for months since Empress M opened, today we decided to try it for lunch. We sat in the beautiful outdoor courtyard on a warm spring day. The menu has some intriguing items on it, and although we went a little overboard on Dim Sum today (2 of us) we look forward to returning to try more! Today we tried: Shumai Dumplings: Dense pork & shrimp dumpling sprinkled with shrimp roe. Very, very good, arguably the highlight of the day. Pan-Fried Potstickers: Very good, but not unlike most (good) potstickers you've ever had. Snow Pea Shoot Dumplings: If not the best then the second best dish of the day. Great flavors and beautifully presented. Steamed Pork Spare Ribs: Fatty and lacking flavor, would not order again. Wu Gok Taro Puffs: Unusual and delicious! Unique texture, great flavor, will definitely order again. Shrimp Chow Mein: Same as the potstickers - very good but not unlike other good chow mein you've had, though expensive at $17 with only 5 shrimp. The service was very friendly and the various dishes arrived at short intervals, allowing us time to enjoy each one. We never even made it to the entrée menu today, but there are some great-looking items there as well. read more

The restaurant was clean and beautifully decorated. There is outdoor seating available. Looks like a good place for a day time date and also small group gatherings but I think they have a back room for large parties. The host and wait staff was friendly and attentive. I would not return because the prices were extremely high for what you get. I wasn't overall super impressed with the taste either so unfortunately I likely won't be coming back. The best things I had on the menu were the green beans and the sesame balls. Very fresh ingredients. The yang chow fried rice and beef chow fun were under seasoned. read more

Empress M - Sesame balls - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

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We love the food here! Super high quality and delicious. Many vegetarian options we love. Only sad that we showed up for happy hour as advertised on the current webpage and they said they changed the hours. read more

Omg..We finally have real Chinese food here in Napa!!! This restaurants has been quite the buzz since they've opened. It's my daughters 14th birthday and she wanted the Peking duck. We ordered Peking duck ($$$$), chicken chow mein ($$) Fried rice ($$), pan fried potstickers ($$). Now, let me rate it. We all loved the pan fried potstickers. They were tasty and my only regret, I didn't get two orders. The chicken chow mein got wiped out and there isn't any leftovers there! It was tasty and wasn't greasy. The fried rice was yummy and plentiful..lunch tomorrow. Now the duck, it's pricey. The duck was good, but not great. I feel the skin wasn't as crispy as I like it, but it was Togo and they forgot the buns. I will give it a go again. I have a good friend who has had their duck 3 times this week. Nothing was hot (warm), but it was all Togo. I can't wait for them to open up and we can dine in. This restaurant will be our go to and we are thrilled to have them here in Napa! So, we are all very happy and we don't need to drive to China Town in SF. This was a true treat! I hope they do well and stay in business. read more

Empress M - Chicken chow mein - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

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Like many in our area, I was so excited to see that Napa was getting a new restaurant, and not only that, it was going to be Chinese and serving dim sum! To add to the excitement, this new place was going to be very close to home and could potentially become our family's new "go-to" restaurants since we love dim sum and have missed being able to get it regularly since moving to Napa. Due to the pandemic, they are only allowed to have take out and we decided to give them a try for dinner once they had been open about a week. We were a little shocked at the prices (which are very high compared to those in the Bay Area), but we would have been okay with that if the quality of the food was stellar. Unfortunately, it was not and our entire family was left so disappointed. The menu is rather limited, which is totally understandable when first opening plus pandemic since you don't know what your flow will be. We called in our order and were told several menu items were already unavailable (this was 5pm, so not late into dinner service at all) so we ordered several other items from the menu (7 in total). The wait was 45 min and after we arrived on time and paid for our order, THEN they decide to tell us that the Sichuan spicy fish we ordered was not available and if we wanted to order anything else on the menu, it would take another 45 min. We decided to just take what was already made, but they did not offer an immediate refund for the dish that wasn't available! My sister in law was the one who went to pick up the order and she was told they would process the refund later without any receipt or documentation as such. We had her go back to get the refund (it's $38, so not exactly negligible). The food came in a very nice carry out bag and the rest of the food packaging was pretty standard. Only embellishment was their name printed on the lid. Otherwise, basic plastic containers. Luckily, recyclable, but not compostable. For what we paid, the portions were small, the food was barely warm and flavors were kinda off. Crispy tofu - quite salty, wasn't very crispy since it was soaking in this sauce Spicy Chicken wings - soggy, flavorless Crispy Walnut shrimp - WORST I've ever had. It was just breaded shrimp with some walnuts on the side. It was definitely missing a sauce and flavor. It was disgusting. Canton Crispy chicken - also lacked any flavor, cold and the skin was super soggy and chewy. This chicken needed a good rub or soak in brine. Chengdu eggplant - very greasy but tasty. A bit over salted, but tolerable over white rice Sauteed string beans - also quite greasy, but had a great crunch (which you can only really get from deep frying the string beans before putting them in a wok). The flavor seemed off from the menu description of black bean and garlic - just didn't seem like that was what they used. maybe because it wasn't fresh garlic and they used powder garlic? There was something powdered coating the beans and didn't taste like I was expecting. I am really hoping the owners read this review and try to improve their product. I grew up in Chinese restaurants in the Bay Area (my family owning a number of them) so I know the food can be better. I hope their dim sum improves as well judging by another review posted by a fellow Elite Yelper. Good Chinese food is not that far away if one is willing to drive. The time and tolls would be worth it since the food will taste better and cost way less. read more

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Wow - just wow. We have complained for years that there was no great Chinese in Napa....don't have to worry about that anymore. It can get pricey yes, but the quality over delivers. I was a little skeptical about the location of the old Olive Tree - but they have done a great job with the funky little spot - especially the zen like front patio. Can not wait till they are open fully - but will continue to get take out until then. read more

Empress M - Dim Sum Near Me - Napa, California

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Little disappointing to come in for happy hour and only be able to order 5 items. They don't serve the regular menu during happy hour anymore, so your limited to this. Our potstickers came out literally 2 minutes after ordering which tells me they were just re-heated, not cooked to order. Everything else took over 20 minutes + . Also, just coming from someone in the industry, you shouldn't be blaming your staff lack of planning breaks on food coming out late, nor telling everyone the cooks put the food on a steamer that wasn't working. That's not excuses customers want to hear, let alone throwing your kitchen under the bus. Will not be returning again! read more

We were so excited to try dimsum in town. We went for lunch and ordered Shrimp dumpling, pork dumplings, Chinese broccoli, chicken fried rice and honey walnut prawns. Dumplings were average. Honey walnut prawns not the traditional Chinese recipe. The shrimps were fried, walnut on the side and not mixed in with the sauce. Overall food is ok not great and not WOW! The lunch service is no bueno. Even if you have an hour lunch break, this is not the spot for you. There was one server waiting on 8 tables. We got seated and ordered before more people arrived and food came out 45mins later. We were forgotten most of the time. We had to go up to the receptionist to ask for boxes and our bill. Maybe things will be better but we are not coming back anytime soon. read more

Last weekend, my friends and I came to Empress during the dimsum happy hour. The dimsum items are really limited. If you are looking for the real dimsum experience, this is not the place. The hao gow (shrimp dumplings) were delicious. The skin melts in your mouth. The fry taro was crispy and flaky just the way I like it. The siumai was mediocre. The eggroll was disgusting. The sauce in the chicken feet was a lit too sweet. The pork bun was fluffy and soft on the outside. Overall, I was impressed with the food considering the location is in Napa and would not mind trying the other food if the price were lower. I think the food were overpriced with such a limited dimsum menu. read more

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I had the dim sum sampler and the short ribs. The dumplings were good but not something I would come back for. The short ribs I do not recommend. The quality of meat is good, but the sauce is offsetting. One of the servers let me know it is a Korean BBQ sauce but it tasted off. There is a weird after taste. Ambiance and staff are friendly. The food I might give a try again. read more

Loving this restaurant. Been here a few times. Once for dining and a second for Happy Hour. They are new to town and still adding new items to their menu. Food is flavorful and delicious. Beautiful seating indoors and out. Great dim sum happy hour. A little surprised they don't know how to cook their potstickers though, every time they come undercooked and taste frozen. Hoping they work on this, otherwise, definitely coming back :) read more

My family and I just went there for our Christmas Eve dinner! No one came to our table for 15 minutes so I walked up to the bar and tried to order a glass of wine and a margarita and the lady behind the bar did not know how to make a margarita! This is the second time I have had a terrible experience there. We had to leave with no food or drinks! Stay away from this place they actually really suck! read more

I love this place. The food is extraordinary. It is a more expensive, but well worth it. It is so much better than any other Chinese restaurant in the Napa Valley, it is really in another category! read more

Great service, yummy dishes. Definitely on the pricier side for dim sum/chinese food, but worth it when you're in the mood for yummy eats.

We came back after a couple of months to try in person dining in the hopes that it will be better than the take out. We were pleasantly surprised at the fact that they have changed many of their dishes to be more aligned with authentic Chinese cuisine, as a result, it tastes much much better and it was up to the standards that you would expect from an authentic Chinese restaurant. The dim sum they have for happy hour is fairly priced and that is the time to go if you want the dim sum that they have, please note that they don't have a saute chef at that time so the only thing you can order from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. is there happy hour menu along with the drinks they have at the bar. The Wood Ear salad and the beef chow fun are both excellent, the chow mein I did see at the other table do seem more Americanized, but I do understand that they need to serve an American clientele in this Valley to sustain business. read more

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Was greeted very kindly. Restaurant was practically empty on a Sunday afternoon. We had the fried honey walnut shrimp, eggplant and minced pork, combo fried rice, dumpling sampler, citrus chicken. All dishes were about $28 and up. The shrimp platter Seemed a bit small for the cost. I also got a painkiller cocktail which was very good. Food came out very quickly and it was tasty overall. With a 20% tip it came out to ~$170. Expect to pay more here. read more