First Emperor I've been a loyal customer to First Emperor for more 10 years. I've always use to come here for their lunch special in the afternoon because of the good value of the meal. The food they serve at First Emperor is mostly Cantonese dishes and other popular dishes from all over China. The service and ambiance is ok and the cleanliness is only ok then most authentic Chinese restaurants. Your at a Chinese restaurant so the service is only ok here something Authentic Chinese restaurants have in common. The food at First Emperor is pretty good, everything is tender and has a pretty good taste and portion. The one thing I don't like about First Emperor is that they charge extra for rice 2.50 per serving pot. Another thing that is bad about this restaurant is that the dishes and silverware are not always clean. Pretty much all authentic Chinese restaurants have this problem so check for any dried food or dirt on your silverware and plates. The dishes on the menu I recommend ordering are the sweet and sour shrimp, whole fried tilapia fish with sauce, leek and beef, house special tofu and orange beef. Overall this place is one of the best authentic Chinese restaurants in Dallas. For other Cantonese family style restaurants in Dallas are The Pearl in Arlington, First Chinese BBQ Plano, A1 in Carrollton, Kirin Court in Plano, Sun Lok Kee Plano, Golden BBQ in Arlington and Garden restaurant in Garland, First Emperor in Richardson. After going to all these restaurants my top 3 restaurants are First Chinese BBQ Lucky City and Golden on my list for Authentic Chinese food. read more

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Great neighborhood Chinese place with longtime residents as owners. Fresh ingredients prepared in classical recipes make this a popular small gathering spot for locals. read more

I had dinner here last night and the place was very quiet when I came in around 6pm. The space was modest in size but very cozy, and had a family living room type of feel to it. The one woman that was taking orders and ringing people out was very cool, calm, and collected (even after the dinner rush came in about a half hour after I arrived). I got the vegetable lo mein and fried tofu. The vegetable lo mein was very tasty; it had a smokiness to it that was delicious and the serving size was generous. The fried tofu on the other hand, was very bland (I was hoping there would be some interesting sauce that it came with), and wasn't worth the $9 in my opinion. Overall, I had a pleasant experience. This spot may seem like a hole in the wall, but it's worth a try if you're looking for authentic Chinese food. read more

The food is made from scratch. It's a husband and wife team. The food is amazing. There may be a wait bc she's doing it all by herself in front of the house,& he's in the back banging out all of the food. It's worth the wait and you won't be disappointed read more

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This has been my favorite spot for non-fancy Chinese food for ages! This is the spot I always request to go to whenever I go home :) (Yelpers, if there's any other must-try's in Richardson/Dallas, pleaseee let me know!) My grandparents love the wu gen tsong wang (5 organs in spicy stew?) and the huge sesame bread (make sure to order ahead of time!). My favorite? Definitely the dou fu yu pian (tofu with pieces of fish in a deeeelicious sauce). All the other basic Chinese dishes are great too, and you can definitely taste the smokey wok flavor. Dishes come out super fast, and everyone I've taken here has loved it as well! read more

I have started frequenting this restaurant monthly whenever we go up from Austin. We always do take out and I have found the food to be consistently delicious every. single. time. Any restaurant that provides consistent delicious food is a gem in my eyes. This place is a mom and pop store and the owners are the actual cooks of the food, which is probably why it's always amazing. I highly recommend sliced lamb with leek, eggplant Taiwanese style, fish with bean curd in garlic sauce, sesame cake. read more

Crispy orange beef is a staple dish. This place is run by authentic Chinese family & they make every dish to order it's always hot when you pick it up to when you get home to eat. read more

Perfect little spot for lunch. We went for standard stuff (shrimp w/ vegetables, General Tso), but found the flavors to be good and the food came out quickly. There were less options than we were used to (only steamed rice and hot & sour soup w/ lunch and no soft drinks). The beauty of this place is the availability of unique menu items as detailed in other reviews. We would eat there again and hopefully next time we may have the courage to branch out of our comfort zone. read more

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I have never had a bad meal here. There's some things that are less than great--they don't have soup for one, every dish isn't always perfect or consistent, but every time, food comes out hot, fresh, and tasty. In terms of Chinese takeout, it is that spot you spend searching for and eventually find. The service might be slow at times (I believe there is a gentleman who cooks and his wife is the only front of house staff), but I cannot recommend this place enough, and their salt and pepper pork chops will make a fat boy out of me no matter how much I'm trying to diet. In nine years on Yelp, it is the fourth restaurant to get five stars from me. read more

First time here and this is, by far, the best Chinese restaurant in Dallas! If you are a serious foodie and aren't so much concerned with decor or ambience, but you are searching for some serious palate-pleasing food, you will LOVE First Emperor. Egg drop soup, happy family, and sweet and pungent shrimp were all super delish! We will definitely be back! Thank you!! read more

We love First emperor and drive 15 miles each way now for take out! The sesame cake for starters and Mongolian beef, fried pork chops, fish in bean curd sauce and the eggplant and green beans .. we just order enough for at least 2 days of leftovers read more

Really great food!! The best Kung Pao chicken period. It's very old school inside but don't let that deter you. It's really great food.

Underwhelming food quality. Lo me in noodle were soggy and over cooked. We asked for a little bit of hot sauce and the grumpy old lady tried to charge us $1.60 for like a tablespoon of it. read more

I thought I was going to a different Chinese restaurant nearby, and I realized it pointed us here. Surprisingly it was so good as the Yelp review says. We'll be back!! read more

one of the first chinese cuisine restaurants in this area and by far one of the best. their food is so authentic and reasonably priced. these are all my go to items. - sizzling tofu:I love that they fry the soft tofu not the hard one, it's harder to fry the soft tofu due to it's texture, but omg, sooooo... good - sweet & sour fish fillets: lightly batttered fried to perfection and the tanginess is perfect. reminds me of new york food when I was growing up there - jalapeno pork chops: the light and crispy batter is on point and hint of spice makes it perfect - crispy intestines: need I say more? - savory intestines with pigs blood and chives: I love it, but it is an acquired taste, so brace yourself LOL read more

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First Emperor is a small family owned restaurant that serves up some of the most wonderful and authentic Chinese food in Richardson! I've lived in Richardson almost my entire life and I'm surprised I heard about this place just recently. The service is not in any way spectacular, so don't expect five star service. After sitting down, I noticed the table was a bit sticky and the interior is very outdated. The food came out pretty fast after ordering, but the waitress had other tables to take care of, so she didn't really check up on us. This restaurant is apparently run by an older couple, who do everything by themselves; the husband cooks and the wife is the waitress. They work super hard and deserve all the love and support!!! I heard the one of the restaurant's specialties is the sesame cake, and I hear people rave about it. Unfortunately, they ran out when I went, which is a bummer. I will definitely try it next time I go back, and fingers crossed that they'll still have some. My family and I ordered three dishes among the four of us, leaving us very full and we got to take a good amount of food home. The first dish we ordered was fish fillet and tofu in a ground beef brown sauce. This was my favorite dish, and the sauce was wonderful mixed into steamed rice. The other two dishes were a sweet and sour fried shrimp, and braised pork belly. Everything we ordered was good and my parents didn't complain, which means a lot because they're very picky and have high standards when it comes to Chinese food. It's located across the street from Kirin Court in a humble, nondescript building, but this place is honestly such a hidden gem, and I feel like everyone should come here at least once! Try it and you'll understand why it's so good. read more

First Emperor Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Bad customer service, I purchased four different choices on the menu, spent $55 and I asked the lady at the front desk if I could have an extra empty plate to share food with my friends. She said no, cut the plates in half don't waste. I asked her for hot sauce and she said it's not free. I've never been to a place like this. And lo mein noodles are made of Italian spaghetti. No wonder that place looks abandoned. read more

After reading the positive reviews, I convinced my mom to at least try this place to see if it was worth coming back. She really didn't want to, but in the end said ok. It turned out to be better than expected, but my expectations had been low after my mom resisted so much. It's a mom and pop place as others have said, not fancy at all, and hole in the wall. Compared to Kirin across the street, it was the polar opposite in popularity. I'm suspicious of the cleanliness of the kitchen because our chopsticks and dishes weren't that clean. There was a sauce remnant on my chopstick, which was gross, but I rallied and started looking at the menu. As soon as we noticed that they let you opt out of MSG, we asked the lady to do that for us. I chose the sauteed fish, which comes with snow peas, carrots, bamboo, and green onion. It came with that white sauce, which I happen to dislike the taste of, and there was too much of it (which is to be expected). My mom ordered a noodle soup that came with pork and mustard greens. She didn't like the soup itself, so I didn't try it. The noodles, pork, & veggie were tasty, but not good enough to go back for. We also ordered the cong you bing (green onion pancake), because we both really like it. They deep fry theirs, which was fine, but it was super dry. I really like Jeng Chi's over theirs, or even the cong you bing from the Taiwan Cafe in Plano. I read some reviews saying you have to pre-order the sesame cake, so we must have been lucky. After we finished eating, my mom saw that they really advertised their zhi ma da bing, so she decided to get it so that we would never have to feel like coming back just to get it. The lady looked slightly annoyed, but she went and got it for us packed in two to-go boxes. I suppose maybe she was annoyed because now she would have to make more? Not sure. I have to say it smelled a-mah-zing! We took it home and ate it for dinner. But it was way too salty! So my mom made xi fan (congee) and we ate them together, which was perfect, but I still wish it was less salty. The sesame bing from the Mongolian hot pot place where Jusgo and JS Chen's is better than theirs. Overall, the best thing about this place was that you can request no MSG. Probably never going to go back with better places around. read more

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The food was excellent but I had to literally get mad at lady for arguing with me about charging me for a Togo box for my leftover. she told me that they are running out and that I should have got a Togo order instead of sitting in. I'm like ma'am go to restaurant depo read more

I loved everything I tried here. I had the beef fried rice, General Tso's chicken, and vegetable egg rolls. All three were really fresh and came to the table quickly. It was empty (4 PM on a Sunday) and that probably contributed to us getting such attentive service and quick food but I'll be back when I'm in the area because the food was amazing. We got 8 egg rolls and the two plates with a bowl of white rice for about $30 read more

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Don't be fooled by the sometimes empty parking lot and dated strip mall exterior. While the interior and exterior certainly need a total overhaul, try and remember you're not there to eat the decor. This is the best Chinese food I've had in Texas. And I grew up in Hawaii and California, I've had lots of Chinese food. Prices are fair the food is authentic, flavorful, and just delicious. read more

Quaint little place went on a Thursday evening about half full staff was very attentive did not wait or want for anything I ordered the chicken with cashews, was dining with my mother, and she got the moo goo gai pan. Both of us were extremely pleased. Good food great service. read more

No ambiance, kind of run down. Food seemed old - like it was frozen too long and they brought it out to reheat. I wouldn't go back. Service was ok though. read more

First Emperor has not been the same lately. Lunch portions have gotten dramatically smaller and the amount of meat they use in dishes have gotten smaller. Really disappointing because this was my go to place!! Their String Beans arnt nice and crisp like they used to be.. as if they're using old veggies? My boyfriend and I used to get one dish each and share and was always full and had a hard time finishing everything but now we leave still hungry. It's very unfortunate for having to drop their rating.... I'm not sure if we will be back. read more

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This hole-in-the-wall has one of the best authentic Chinese food in town. And the prices are so affordable. A true hidden gem for local foodies. read more

Delicious food every time!!!! I love the veggie lo mein, beef broccoli, and everything else I've ever ordered. My food is hot & ready for pick up. read more

Home cook authentic chinese / taiwanese food. Good portion and good price. Family own business. Been here years and food still consistently good. read more

This is our favorite place to go in Dallas. The food is amazing, and the sweet lady who works there is so kind. The building is old, but everything else makes up for it. Love, love, LOVE 5this place!!! read more

Like other reviewers said, call ahead to place an order on the sesame cake!! It does take 40 minutes to 1 hour to make and it is WORTH getting. Besides that, I have also tried the Sichuan eggplant and fried pork chop. The eggplant dish had nice flavors but I felt like it could've used some more spice. The fried pork chop was perfectly crisp and flavorful. This is a nice place to go to if you're craving authentic, flavorful, cheap Chinese food. read more

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Kung poa chicken didn't have one single vegetable and wasn't that great. They also charge $.80 for hot sauce.

Delicious and excellent service! I was disappointed that they didn't have a lunch menu as I had read in some of the reviews. I had plenty of leftovers! read more

First Emperor Chinese Restaurant - Chinese Near Me - Richardson, Texas

I'm may not be the best person to listen to, because I pretty much stick with fried rice, egg rolls, biscuits & beef and broccoli, but I can tell you that the rice here - is the bomb! Do people still say that? As you can see in the photo, they give you plenty to eat. Especially, if it's just you. I think I ate off this dish for days. The taste is good as well! One day, I'll venture out and try something else on their menu, but you know the saying, "If it ain't broke..." So I'll be sticking with the rice for a bit longer. As for the location, there's plenty of parking and the interior is cute and small, but outdated. However, when the food is good, all of the other stuff doesn't matter. It's definitely a hidden gem! Check it out and let me know your thoughts. read more

First Emperor Chinese Restaurant - I've only lived here a year, but this has been the best beef fried rice so far. - Chinese Near Me - Richardson, Texas

Diamond in the rough!! We came here for a last minute, Christmas Eve dinner after the Royal China waitlist was 3 hours long. It seemed a little rough upon entry and my fiancé almost tried to run back out the door, BUT we stayed and everything was fantastic. We shared the hot and sour soup-- very good. I ordered the garlic shrimp which were perfectly cooked (not over cooked, as is common in this style dish). My fiancé ordered the kung pao chicken. I generally never like Kung pao chicken, the heavy sauce just isn't my thing, but DAMN!! The sauce had the perfect balance and great spice. We ended up just sharing both plates because it was all so good. Thanks to yelp for this last minute, shot in the dark that definitely delivered. read more

I've been craving scallion pancakes for weeks and was so excited to hear they had them here! They were thin and crispy, how I like them, but deep fried rather than pan fried and I felt like my mouth was coated in a thin layer of oil after I had a few. I realize that the point of it is that it's fried, but I've definitely had better versions elsewhere that didn't make my mouth feel funny afterward. Definitely couldn't finish them all myself as there were 8 quarter pieces in one order, so definitely suggest getting it to share. They were very gracious about helping us out as vegetarians and making the 麻婆豆腐 (Sichuan tofu) without meat in it. Really enjoyed the tofu with rice - it was spicy with a thick sauce, as expected. The place definitely has an authentic feel with their menu in Chinese and English, and so I practiced my speaking by ordering in Chinese! It felt a little overpriced for the amount of food we got, but enjoyed it nonetheless. read more

First Emperor Chinese Restaurant - 葱油饼 - Chinese Near Me - Richardson, Texas

All the food was Excellent! We received everything quickly but also fresh and hot. The restaurant was full but we still received attentive and friendly service. Our order included, Shrimp rolls (my favorite), twice cooked pork, fried rice noodles with shrimp, oyster with black beans & tofu, and steamed pork with garlic sauce. read more

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Excellent food. Easily the best Szechuan eggplant I've found in the area. Good for those other people who had leftovers after eating here -- I did not. Happy happy happy that a few hundred Yelpers sent me here. One waitress means that she has to be quick and efficient. Dilly dally and you've lost her attention. If decor and ambiance is super important to you, order take out. read more

The best Chinese/Taiwanese restaurant that I have been to in DFW outside of soup dumplings. Been here several times with the Taiwanese in laws and it is great food every time. The service is slower than most places since there is one waitress and one cook, but the food never disappoints. Must haves are the sesame cake (takes 45mins to make and you can call this in ahead of time), salt and pepper fried fish, and salt and pepper fried pork. We also get a variety of vegetable dishes and chicken soup dishes as well. The restaurant feels like home with no added flair or additional cosmetics, strictly good food. read more

I've lived in north Dallas my whole life and tried the majority of Chinese and Asian food places. This place stands out! It's a small, older building but clean, service is fast, and the lady that is always there is very nice and welcoming. Everything I've tried has been delicious but my faves are the orange beef and the savory pancake appetizer. Also her big plants growing just inside the door are beautiful. Love this place! read more

Excellent food every time we order. It is not so fancy inside but the service is fairly good. I usually like to order the pork belly with preserved greens but one of their mainstay is the sesame bread which has to be ordered ahead as it takes at least one hour to make. read more

Found ourselves in Richardson while car shopping, and decided to take advantage of the proximity to excellent Chinese food. When we walked into First Emperor, I felt like I was walking into a restaurant in Boston or San Francisco's Chinatown. It is not much to look at, but seeing the the large round tables with lazy Susans fills my heart with joy. There were several ususual menu items, including a crispy intestine appetizer and a pig's blood soup, that we might try next time. For our first visit, I wanted to try some more familiar foods and see how I felt about them. The shrimp rolls were absolutely fabulous. Very simple, and will large shrimp. They were delicious. I also ordered shrimp lo mein, and it was delicious. My husband ordered a pork dish (can't remember which one, sorry!) that he also loved. The people next to us had the sizzling beef as their entree, and it smelled fantastic. I would like to try that next time. We paid just under $30 for an appetizer and two entrees, and had a lot if leftovers. read more