My first time here, went based on very favorable Yelp feedback. When we arrived at 6:00 on a Monday evening, we were the only dine-in patrons, there was one person waiting for carry-out. The owner (Bobby) was the only worker in the store, serving as cook, waiter, and everything else. I know his daughter sometimes works with him, but that may only be on busier nights. It took a while for bobby to come and take our order, as he was busy cooking a couple of take-out orders, but we were prepared for the leisurely service so no matter. We ordered a Pot Sticker appetizer, 6 large Pork based filled dumplings, and they were obviously freshly made right then - a great mix of flavors in with the pork filling. For the main courses we had Spicy Tofu with vegetables and Double Cooked Pork. Both were again excellent, with the sauces clearly very different from one another, all very fresh ingredients, and Bobby's carefully marinated and twice cooked pork in the incredibly flavorful Double Cooked Pork. If you are not concerned about fast service (but it is very friendly), and don't care about no alcohol, just want the best Chinese dishes that I have found in the Indy area, this is the place. read more

This ranks as some of the best Chinese food I've ever eaten...and that's saying a mouthful! I stopped because I was hungry and it was there. Frankly, after seeing the obligatory backlit posters of food you seem to see at every Chinese take-out joint, I wasn't expecting anything other than to get full. I figured the chicken and cashews would likely be a safe bet, and got an order to go. It was outstanding, No, REALLY outstanding. I also ordered an egg roll, which was one of the worst egg rolls, outside of a Chinese buffet that I have ever had. Too much cabbage, and no peanut butter. It just tasted bitter and bland. I took off 1 star for that. Other than that mis-step, I heartily recommend this place! read more

Had dinner here with two other people on Saturday 6/20. First - the ambience is pretty low-end even for a strip mall. And they don't do free refills on drinks which I find obnoxious in our area. The food was kind of a mixed bag - the moo shu pork, yum yum chicken and potstickers were all great. The fried rice and crab rangoons were on the lower side of meh - the rangoons were about 97% cream cheese which is disappointing. However, the hot and sour soup was gross - and I mean inedible. So....I probably won't go back...but it was nice to try a new place. read more

I love this place! I've started to come here consistently. Ben, the owner is very good when it comes to customer service he comes around to tables starts conversation and always looking to improve the food for you. If you have a special request don't worry he'll make it! I'm very impressed with this store the food so far has been very good! read more

We keep trying different Chinese delivery places to see if we can find anything better than our current favorite. From the reviews posted here, we thought we'd found the one. Meh... Not so much. We won't be switching from Wonder Wu though. The fried rice was better, but the General Tso's chicken was far to sweet and wangy and didn't have enough spice. Also, the chicken didn't hold up - meaning after soaking in all that sauce, it just got soggy. Soggy General Tso = Sad panda.... and hungry Amber. I mean, it was ok. The driver was very friendly and prices were competitive, but we'll be sticking with old faithful. read more

Very nice people..obviously a loyal following based on the congenial familiarity of owner and patron. Food was quite good...fresh and high quality ingredients...reasonably authentic...would have liked more vegetables and less beef...but...I did not mention that, and should have. Perhaps the server could have paid a bit more attention to the dining room..but..it was obvious they were getting a large take away order ready. Even though I go to BJava quite frequently...never noticed this place..and were it not for recent yelp reviews...would not have discovered it. Why don't these places promote each other in the same strip mall ??? Very reasonably priced...and an excellent overall value. read more

Had lunch today...yum yum chicken. Tasty! Very friendly staff and reasonable lunch prices. read more

AMAZING! Great experience. It is pricy but the portions are huge. The service was phenomenal which is unusual for a takeout Chinese restaurant. The Crab Rangoon are HUGE and delicious. The best takeout I've had. read more

Ordered togo. Called and asked about a few menu items, the man that answered the phone was very polite and informative. I ordered the hot and spicy beef, fried rice and crab rangoon. Everything was delicious! It's very close to my house, so I will be visiting often. read more

Went here based on other Yelp reviews... yep, they were right! The food is very fresh and Bobby takes pride in ordering good-quality ingredients. The fried rice is the best I have ever had. The yum-yum chicken is delicious... there is a light seasoned coating that gives it a slightly crispy bite, and not greasy in the slightest bit. A lot of care and passion goes into every dish... my suggestion: if you want carry-out, call ahead - Bobby will tell you exactly when it will be ready. I would highly recommend this place for a whimsical date... red and white checkered table cloths, pictures of Marilyn Monroe and Sinatra on the walls, and Amy Winehouse music coming from the stereo. Bobby is a natural host, and his food is delicious. read more

Yup, Yup! I may change my review to five stars after I've had a chance to visit again. I ordered carryout on new years day (night). We ordered the double cooked pork, beef lo mein and spring rolls. All were delicious. I had to wait a while for my order when I got there as (others have mentioned) there is only one gentleman working. Worth the wait though. He was very kind to both me and my young son...offering him a fortune cookie while we waited. The menu is small and is more traditional tasting than a strip mall Chinese spot. I will be back for seconds. As of now, it's my second favorite Chinese in Indy read more

A true Gem. Family owned. The owner obviously is very proud about the food he makes and it shows in the quality of his food and that he remembers return customers. Unique in that everything is made to order with fresh ingredients and fantastic flavors that have completely changed my opinions about Chinese food (i did not really like it before eating here). I have had the Fragrant Chicken, Chicken with Broccoli, and the Spicy Tofu with Vegetables. The dishes all have flavors that are much more complex than normally are present in your everyday run of the mill Chinese restaurant. Prices are very fair and the portions will not dissapoint. 1 warning - "spicy" means spicy! The owner makes any visit worthwhile, singing or humming along to Elvis or Sinatra. I have been here several times and plan on returning several times. read more

This is the best Chinese restaurant in Indy! We were greeted immediately and served by a kind man! The food is amazing! Plus the place is clean! Highly recommend to anyone craving lo mein! read more

I just wanted to be one of the many people who are singing the praises of this place. Imperial Palace is an unassuming Chinese joints in the middle of a strip mall, just like a million other Chinese joints across America. Give it a chance though and you will be very impressed with the quality. Imperial Palace is a one man show, at least from what I can tell. The owner, Bobby is a really nice guy that a lot of passion for what he does. He makes an effort to get to know his customers and will remember your name if you're a regular. Even if it's you're first time there, he treats you like a long time customer, great guy. The food is wonderful. Aside from that time I had food in Chinatown in Chicago, I have never had high quality Chinese food. For the most part, it's your old standbys, but the quality of the food is a few notches above what you'd typically find in a restaurant like this. Everything just tastes so FRESH and is all cooked to order. That being said, I would recommend you call ahead. An order on a busy night can take 45 minutes to an hour Keep in mind that Bobby is the only one working. Even with the wait though, the food is WELL worth the wait. If you're unsure of what to get, I'd recommend you start with the Yum Yum chicken. read more

Yummy food and quick service. Our server was very friendly and answered any questions we had. The food tasted authentic and fresh!

He really catered to what I like. I said spicy, and man, he gave me spicy! Seriously, the best Chinese food I've had in Indianapolis. Bobby isn't a one-man-band, he is a one-man-army! Great atmosphere, highly recommended. read more

Stumbled in today and was blown away by the quality and service! The food was fresh, the atmosphere was improved by the tunes, and the gentleman who served us was professional, courteous and attentive. The yum yum chicken was spectacular! Highly recommend, and will be returning soon and often. read more

Imperial Palace - Yum Yum Chicken... could not recommend it more! - Chinese Near Me - Indianapolis, Indiana

This place is amazing! The food is great and the service is always pleasant. I always love going here!

So I had been to this restaurant before, and I thought the food was pretty good. It is not the closest and my favorite place nearby, but my favorite place, the owners were on vacation. So to get my food fix, I called in a carryout order here on a Saturday night at about 6:45pm. The gentleman who answered, said that he was pretty busy, and that my order would be ready in 35-45 minutes. At 7:30, I arrived with my 3 year old to pick up our order. I was reminded of the peculiar atmosphere with all the plants and Sinatra music. I noticed there was only one elderly couple eating together in the restaurant. The gentleman greeted me and told me to have a seat as it would be 10-15 minutes. I waited with my toddler who was growing impatient. I noticed that he bent over and picked a couple containers, maybe spices or leaves off the floor 10 minutes later I realized he was still reaching in to the refrigerated cooler to grab food to cook for my order. I began to lose my patience. All this time, there were no other orders, I questioned how busy he actually was, as he stated on the phone. I took my daughter to the restroom, which definitely could use a good thorough cleaning and then back. I wanted to show her some of the decorations around the place and it caught my eye as he dropped a piece of chicken or crab rangoon (uncooked) on the floor. Speaking of floor, I was floored, when he reached down, nonchalantly, and picked it up, placing it back on the prep table with the rest of my food. Unbelievable. I immediately picked up my daughter and walked out the door, unnoticed by him. Hungry and waiting, I went to an Italian chain drive through, at about 8:10, nearly one hour and half later, I got a voice mail stating that my order was ready to be picked up. Needless to say, I will never be back and I have also notified the local health department to investigate. read more

We came here for dinner at the invitation of a friend who is a lifelong fan, and I can certainly appreciate the charm of this place. The famous Bobby apparently still owns the restaurant, but it is managed by another family member who is very friendly and helpful. The food was excellent, especially the General Tso's chicken and hot and sour soup. We did not like the Mongolian beef as much, but really appreciated being able to choose your own spice level. The fried and steamed rice were both great, and the spring rolls were solid. The service was wonderful, although I understand they do a brisk carry out business as well. All in all, we really enjoyed our visit here and recommend this place to anyone looking for good American Chinese food. read more

The food here is great and the service is friendly and fast. We started with crab Rangoon (huge and delicious) and spring rolls. For our entree we shared and order of chicken with broccoli and steamed rice. Their is plenty of food to share in the entrees. This made our early dinner very affordable and we were stuffed! We will be back soon! read more

I have checked out this place a few times because it's so close to home. I REALLY wanted to give them raving reviews because everyone needs their go-to Chinese take out place. Sadly, this will not be mine. I've ordered different things each time I've visited Imperial palace. My son loves General Tso's chicken, so that's a given, but this didn't even pass the kid test. It was soggy, over sweetened, with two little pieces of broccoli. On another occasion, I ordered shrimp fried rice. It was literally just rice and shrimp, with some weird coating on the shrimp. On top of, let's say, average food, the price was NOT right. For a meal that would normally be $15, I paid $25. This isn't one of those instances where you get what you pay for. read more

Love this family owned place. They remember our names, our orders and our tastes. So friendly and always chatty, even when busy, they take the time to ask about family. They buy locally and prepare (prep) daily. Very clean and always attentive to detail. Glad we found them and now we refuse to eat anywhere else! read more

The only place worth going for Chinese food in town. The high quality ingredients make the food taste fresh and fantastic, but Bobby is the real selling point here. he runs the place alone with his daughter. I walked in, and it was just him, puttering around in the kitchen like it was his home, singing along to Frank Sinatra. He greeted me by name (I'd ordered over the phone) and took the time to really talk to me. He knew it was my first time in, and asked what I thought. He was incredibly friendly, his food was delicious, and it was very reasonably priced. Don't waste your time going anywhere else. I'll be going back to check his more signature dishes, but his General Tsos and Vegetable LoMein were fantastic, with all the vegetables retaining their individual flavors and not being boiled away into oblivion. I've never had better. read more

This is a hole-in-the-wall kind of place. I think this is a good thing because it allows the owner to really interact with the patrons. The owner really cares about customer service. I had the Yum Yum chicken from the list of lunch specials. It was very tasty. I would go back to try other things from the menu if I come back to the area. read more

I have been coming here for lunch for years, since I work close by. I've never called in my order - I always walk in between 11 and 11:30 and I've never had to wait more than a few minutes for my food after I order. Bobby, when he was around, was excellent, and so is the new management (nephew I think). I've had all of their fried rice variations, fragrant chicken, tso's, etc. and they are all great! Their spring rolls are great. Wantons are giant. And the prices are EXTREMELY reasonable! Great place. I love it here. Don't ever change a thing, guys! I'll be coming back for years to come! read more

Old school Chinese food and the owner cooks it himself, incredibly rare thing in the state of Indiana due to the lack of Asian population. He is extremely friendly and the only thing I can knock is the wonton soup, most places don't get it right and unfortunately this is one of them. Otherwise everything else is solid, you really can't go wrong checking this place out. read more

I paid $55 for three orders, the portions were very small for what i paid for and for been Chinese food. This is the most expensive Chinese restaurant i ever been. The food is not the best either. read more

I went to Imperial Palace based on its rating. Numerous people said nothing but good things about the restaurant, so I had to see what they hype was about. I ordered Yum Yum Chicken and it was all that and more - delicious. My friend got general tso's chicken and was not impressed, however. Their food is good - but nothing that I haven't seen before at any other chinese restaurant in the area. read more

I recently started working on the west side again. I've now made this stop part of my weekly lunch rotation. The owner, Ben is so kind and the food is awesome! They will be getting my business for sure!! read more

Ok...everyone was right! The Yumyum chicken was fantastic. The only thing that would have made it better would be if it was chicken breast but it's still awesome. The potstickers were very good and the crab ragoons are out of this WORLD. The homemade chili paste was great. I would have given it 3 stars alone on the guy who took the order...this guy is a gem of customer service. Extremely genuine. The cook was even saying hi to me when I walked in here. I live in Chicago but when I get back down here I will definitely try some more! read more

The best Chinese food in Indy. Started by Bobby, his nephew Ben runs the place. The portions for dinner options are huge (my wife and I can split a General Tso's) and the Yum Yum Chicken is a crowd pleaser. It might take a little while to get the food during peak hours, but if you call in carry out a little before or after a rush, you can pick up the food 15 minutes after you call. Whenever I want Chinese, I make the extra effort to get out to 56th and Lafayette for Imperial Palace. read more

There is only one way to start this review, Bobby is the man! Bobby is the single employee in chef of imperial palace. Sometimes orders will take a bit longer, but it's truly because Bobby cares about your food and he wants it to be just as great as his well kept restaurant that has about four tables, he has Marilyn Munro and Frank Sinatra all over the place! Music kindhearted man with much enthusiasm for what he does and it shows in his food! If you are truly looking for authentic Chinese food this is the place to go!!! read more

Bobby made my day. He is great, as he is mentioned in many other reviews- I can validate he's the real deal. The food was great he cooked it fresh in front of me. The place itself is a little small but clean and decorated well. Not what I expected in a good way! read more

Just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. I have eaten there several times. I have always enjoyed the great food I love talking with Bobby about old times in Taipei. On Friday night my GF & I went for dinner and had a great time not only was the meal wonderful but we had time to meat and talk with Bobby's nephew Ben and his wife Alice about times and places in the south of China. Just wonderful, wonderful, wonderful. read more

This is the most amazing Chinese I've ever had. Normally when you ask for General Tso's Chicken extra spicy it has a little bit of a kick to it and that's all. I ask for it extra spicy and they asked on a scale of 1-10, I decided to be mindful and went with an 8. This was blow my mind perfect spiciness for General Tso's. I also bought an order of Crab Rangoon with my meal, it comes with 4 of them that are the size of a child's fist! It amazed me when I opened them up! I was only able to eat half of my General Tso's and 2 of the Crab Rangoon before I was stuffed. I am definitely coming back to this place and thrilled I live only 10 minutes away! read more

Stopped here for lunch and had a pleasant experience. Their lunch specials are nicely priced at $6.99 which includes a spring roll. After seeing the deep, rick color of their wonton soup, I had to get a bowl to try. I felt there was a heavy sesame flavor that over powered the soup but for only $2 I am not that bothered I tried it. My lunch dish was tasty with a great level of spice - I ordered the medium. There was nothing wrong nor was there anything really great about this place for me. Perhaps I will give it another try and it will change my feelings. read more

This is definitely a place worth checking out if you're in Indy and are sick of fast food and/or meals over 2000 calories. I come from the east coast, and the food won't be revolutionary compared to what you might find in New York or Chicago. You won't find dishes drastically different from what you might be familiar with. But the service and quality are both excellent and almost guarantee a great eating experience. The place is run by the owner and his daughter, but only he was there when my group of five ate there. The restaurant is in a strip mall (as I've found much of the best Chinese food is), and has 6 four-tops and pictures of Marilyn Monroe on the walls. We walked in at 5:30 and it was empty, with one couple dining and two people waiting for carry out when we left. When we arrived the owner/chef/maitre-d/waiter came out to greet us and was very friendly. Its good the place doesn't seem to get incredibly busy, because the owner took our order very personally, asking us about spice level on a scale of 1-10 (with advice) and even engineering our meal a little bit, taking one of our dishes and recommending it as an appetizer, which turned out to be the exact right amount of food. He also made all the food fresh, most of which could be witnessed fairly easily from the dining room to the kitchen. As an appetizer we order the Yum-Yum chicken (I don't think there's a proper translation from Mandarin) which was "their specialty" (and not on the menu), a very good crispy chicken dish with what tasted like a light hoisin sauce, similar to what's put on Peking duck but not as thick. One of the people in my group ordered a wonton soup, which was also surprisingly good (as in, better than that which I get from my local take out place that I love). For dinner, we had Spicy Tofu with Vegetables (one of two vegetarian options on the menu, although I'm sure the owner could work with vegetarians to come up with more options), Singapore style Meefun noodles, Singapore style Beef, and General Tso's chicken (for one of my less adventurous friends). All the food was very high quality. A review on the wall explained that the owner can order especially good meat and maintain low prices because of the non-existant labor costs. The Meefun was definitely the best dish of the night, having a more mild but very flavorful taste and full of chicken and shrimp. The Singapore chicken was also great, which was slightly sweet. The tofu was the spiciest thing we ordered (we told him an 8 out of ten for that) and didn't disappoint. I didn't get a chance to try the General Tao's chicken, but it was finished very quickly. All in all, we had a great eating experience, leaving a big tip. If you're looking for any food in Indianapolis that isn't thoroughly unhealthy or thoroughly North American in origin, I would definitely come here for a change of pace. read more

Maybe Bobby was having an off night....maybe sheer hunger made me more critical than usual...and maybe we have outstanding Chinese places in Milwaukee by comparison. In any case, our experience here was very average. Yes, it was Friday nite. But charming Bobby needs to have an assistant on busy nights like this. We waited 45 minutes for our appetizer. And then Bobby had to make orders for 4 carry out clients before he started our dinner. We had to ask him to wrap it to go. 90 minutes to get our dinner. There were two other tables that were seated at least a half hour before we left, and their orders weren't even taken yet. I felt anxious for them. Before getting our pot sticker appetizer, I heard a microwave go on. Perhaps he made them from scratch, then froze them? Maybe. But the big cardboard box marked "frozen spring rolls" holding up a plant in the dining room gave me doubts about the freshness. They were very good, but we were super hungry, and almost inhaled them! Bobby certainly is charming and warm. I do get the sense he buys his seafood fresh. I loved listening to Frank Sinatra while we waited. I love the quirky strip-mall-hole-in-the-wall atmosphere. But The food was only as good as I've had in many other places. Definitely not a 5 star experience. read more

Best place to get some Quality Chinese food. If your a out- towner like I'm make it point to see bobby. As for the guy with one star don't listen to him he has no idea what he is taking about. For one the his favorite Chinese restaurant was closed that weekend and then was stuck with a toddler that was " inpatient" as all of them are. Plus look he's the only one to give one star read more