Food and experience is closer to 4.5 but rounded down bc it's so expensive Was curious to try this new restaurant specializing in Peking duck. Reservation was easy to make over the phone and you have to preorder duck ahead of time. We also got pan fried buns, bok choy, and mandarin fish. Dishes are expensive but good quality. I read mixed reviews about the duck but I thought it was great - crispy skin and relatively tender/juicy meat. It is the first time I've seen an extra charge for the duck pancake wrappers; it was not a pleasant surprise but at least they were thin and delicious. We opted to have a soup made from the leftover duck and that was delicious. Service was also pretty good; they even packaged the leftovers for us. Highly recommend for a special occasion or to impress friends but too much of a splurge to go to regularly. read more

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We are huge fans of their sister location, Treasure in Belmont, so we were really excited to try out Imperial Treasure for dinner. Unfortunately, it just wasn't as good overall as the Belmont spot. The space itself is older, and the seating feels pretty tight and not as comfortable. As for the food, we ordered the Peking duck, which came with a lot of meat, but the duck itself didn't taste fresh at all. It had that distinct, stale "old meat" taste to it, and the texture was completely off and mushy rather than having a nice, fresh bite. The xiao long bao missed the mark too--the wrappers were too thick and the filling wasn't nearly as savory or delicious as what we're used to. Even the basic steamed rice tasted like a cheaper, lower-quality grain. For the other dishes, the stir-fried scallion lamb was way too salty, even though we specifically asked them to go light on the salt, and it lacked that deep umami flavor they get so right at the other location. On the bright side, the Treasure's signature beef honeycomb tripe was actually really good, though the spice level is definitely on the higher side so beware if you're sensitive to heat. For dessert, I finished with the sesame glutinous rice balls in sweet rice wine because it's one of my absolute favorites, but it fell short since there was barely any wine or osmanthus flavor. The service was also pretty lacking throughout the night. They didn't even bother to clear our dirty dinner plates off the tight table after we ordered our dessert, so everything was incredibly cramped. They also completely ignored the rest of our Peking duck instead of proactively asking what we wanted to do with the carcass bones and the remaining meat. We had to specifically flag them down ourselves to ask about it and explain what we wanted done with it, which should really be standard practice for a proper duck service. Compared to the sister restaurant, the execution, environment, and service here just aren't quite there yet. read more

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I am very disappointed with the customer service and reservation management at Imperial Treasure. My party arrived at approximately 6:30 PM and was informed by the hostess that there were no tables available because we did not have a reservation. We asked whether the restaurant accepted walk-ins, and she confirmed that they did. She then offered to put our names on the waitlist and estimated that a table might become available around 7:15 PM. We returned at 7:15 PM after waiting 45 minutes, only to be told that they still needed to accommodate reservation holders. I asked for a more realistic estimate, explaining that I had already waited 45 minutes and was willing to wait another 10-20 minutes if necessary. At that point, the hostess suddenly informed us that it would probably not be until 8:30 PM, meaning a total wait of approximately two hours. Had we been told from the beginning that the wait would likely be two hours, we would have made different plans. The issue was not the wait itself, but the lack of transparency and inaccurate information provided to us. It felt as though the staff had no regard for our time. What made the experience even more frustrating was the complete lack of empathy or apology. The staff repeatedly stated that they needed to accommodate reservations but made no effort to acknowledge the inconvenience caused by providing misleading wait times. Their attitude came across as dismissive and unhelpful. Additionally, I was using a scooter due to a broken foot, yet there was no consideration shown for my situation. A simple apology, honest communication, and basic courtesy would have gone a long way. Imperial Treasure may have good food, but customer service is an important part of the dining experience. Unfortunately, based on this experience, the hospitality and professionalism fell far below expectations. read more

I recently moved to the Bay and was really excited to try some Chinese food up here, especially with all the hype around Imperial Treasure. Unfortunately, the experience was pretty underwhelming overall. The Peking duck was definitely the highlight of the meal -- crispy skin, flavorful, and probably the only dish I'd genuinely come back for. But everything else missed the mark for me. We ordered the string beans, salted egg corn shrimp, xiao long bao, pork buns, cabbage dry pot, and black pepper beef. Most of the dishes lacked flavor and were noticeably oily. The pork buns were especially disappointing because the dough was overly thick and dense compared to the filling. The biggest letdown was probably the black pepper beef. The meat quality was really poor..a lot of chewy pieces with tendons, and it was hard to enjoy because almost every bite felt tough. Definitely not what I expected from a restaurant with this reputation. Overall, aside from the duck, the food felt heavy, bland, and not very balanced flavor-wise. I really wanted to love this place, but it didn't live up to the expectations for me. read more

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I was searching for restaurant that served peking duck and after reading the reviews, this place seemed like a great place to eat at. I called them and they picked up right away and were able to accommodate our large party of 15 for a later date. We opted for a private room (semi-private) fyi it's not fully enclosed. They told us the minimum food & beverage is $800 to rent that space. We pre-ordered 2 ducks before we got there and I recommend if you plan to get any of the specialty MP items such as cod, lobster or crab to also pre-ordered in case they run out. Here's what we ordered and yes we had so so much food leftover since trying to meet our minimum! Roast Peking Duck ($78) 4/5 They roll it out on a cart and slice it up in front of you. Comes with thin warm pancakes little plates of toppings (cucumbers, green onions, sugar). Duck skin was crispy and the meat was tender. After that they deep fried the bones in and toss in a chili sauce and made a duck clear soup broth as well. That was really refreshing broth to slurp up. Honey Walnut Shrimp ($24.95) 4/5 These were massive! HUGUMOUS shrimp nicely fried and tossed lightly in the sauce and came with perfectly candied walnuts. Fried Shrimps with corn in salted egg yolk ($32.95) 5/5 I really like food in salted egg yok. I think they use the same size shrimp like the honey walnut shrimp. Nicely coated in the salted egg you along with pieces of salted egg yolk corn. This was one of the best dishes I had. Cumin Lamb $22.95 (4/5) I don't usually eat much lamb but this was really tasty. It wasn't gamey at all and the meat was cooked tender and slight spicy. XLB $14.95 (4/5) These were huge too! It comes with 6 and yummy piping hot soup inside. Dry-Fried String Beans w/garlic $16.95 (4/5) Everyone enjoyed this. This was the only dish we ate all of. Orange Chicken $18.95 (4/5) Nice chunks of fried chicken tossed in the sweet and tangy orange sauce and fresh orange slices. Sweet and Sour short ribs $22.95 (3/5) This wasn't was I was expecting. It was the really tiny pork bones and tasted caramelized sugar not really sweet or sour? I think they put in the wrong order. Fried boneless chicken with explosive chili $18.95 (4/5) If you like fried spicy, really spicy chicken get this. Pumpkin fried with salted egg yolk $26.95 (5/5) The pumpkin pieces were sliced thin and covered in the salted egg yolk. This was really good. Braised sliced pork belly w/preserved vegetable served w/buns $28.95 (4/5) The pork belly was super tender in a delicious broth. This was tasty as we put them into the buns to eat. Steamed black cod $128 (MP) 4/5 I think this as about 2-3lbs. Steamed perfectly and the fish meat was tender and really tasty. Pinot wine $128 (4/5) They only have like 2 selections of wine it was either this one bottle of pinot or this one bottle of cab only. So if you are picky about wine, you should probably bring your own and pay corkage fees. 10 steamed rice $20 The service was really good although one dish they brought out the wrong one and took it off the bill. They cleaned up the table for us since we brought in a cake to celebrate. Overall, I'd come back there to eat. The food was delicious, a little pricy but hey its, in Palo Alto and the food portions were worth it. read more

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The peking duck is really good here, and needs to be reserved in advance. There's a variety of dishes you can order, and they'll cut the duck in front of your table for you. The ambiance is very nice with koi lanterns and Chinese decor. A good place for celebrations! read more

Imperial Treasure - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Hidden, but not so hidden, gem! The interior was really beautiful and had vibes of busy street in Asia, with fake store fronts and lanterns. The food is amazing! The Beijing duck is a must where they make it like a show and cut it in front of you. Don't worry they use the left overs to make a separate dish for you - a soup or fried spicy dish. We had both and they were both great. The potatoes were surprisingly delicious and the fish was not so surprisingly delicious. I would not get the corn illusion dessert again. It was just a little boring and heavy. read more

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I could not shut up about this duck. It was one of the best ducks I have had in a long time. Here are my 3 recommendations: 1.) make a reservation 2.) order the duck - also mention this during your reservation 3.) dry fry it! I know a lot of people pick the soup option but the dry fry is what sent me over the moon. The seasoning and spice was lip smacking The service is also really good. I was surprised by this because most Asian restaurants are sub par on service. Don't get me wrong - it wasn't Michelin star level but they were very attentive to us and making sure we had everything we needed since we had our two toddlers with us. Oh yes - they have high chairs which was amazing. We ordered additional dishes that were all equally delicious but the duck was the Star of the show. Can't read more

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I've had so-called Peking Duck from many locations, but this is definitely the best that I've had in the Bay Area so far. To be safe, make sure to call and reserve your duck before you dine in! There are only so many ducks they have per day. The interior is gorgeous. You really have to come see it in person. There is a pagoda that is perfect for a large party, and another section that looks similar to a room in an imperial palace. Along the bar area, there are old-fashioned alcohol vases/jars. This is the first location that I've been to that has sugar and hawthorne jelly as side options for the duck, and I loved it! I've always preferred pancakes over buns for this dish as well. The duck slicing is always so interesting to watch, and the slices were plated quickly enough to retain the warmth and crispiness. The meat was SO TENDER and JUICY, and the skin was light and crispy! Such a perfect combination. They have such a unique menu, and not one that strays away from tradition either. The teas they have are related to TCM. There is something on the menu for taste buds that vary from Westernized to Traditional Chinese tastes! Besides the duck, our party also got corn chicken soup, salted egg fried mushroom, garlic green beans, numbing mala fried chicken, and honey walnut shrimp. It's really rare for me to go to a Chinese restaurant that I think is good enough for me to bring my family to, since we already frequent gems that are known in our community. This place, however, really did it for me! I cannot wait to bring them here for our next family outing! read more

Imperial Treasure - The rest of the Duck, fried. - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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*Takeout Review* Garlic fried string beans - good but missing a little bit of stronger flavor Cauliflower and pork belly - I liked that the pork was thinly sliced and the cauliflower was not hard. I think it was missing a little bit of spice Everything was awesome with white rice so I don't have really any negatives to say for a takeout experience. The hostess was very nice and the restaurant looked clean and decorative. Very busy on a Tuesday evening. read more

Imperial Treasure - Garlic string beans - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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When you walk in, you'll see more modern take on chinese decor - with duck being served tableside at multiple tables. Been here a few times but I looove the variety they have on their menu and the flavor profiles they have. Its like they took the best of all kinds of chinese cuisine and serve it all in one place. Here's a rundown of what I've tried (from memory) and ratings: - Peking Duck (must reserve in advance) 4/5: Alongside the duck come with different options of how you want the bones / leftovers cooked. You can choose between a soup or deep fried. - Cauliflower and pork belly drypot - 5/5: Really enjoy the balance of mala spice and garlic. Mouth is watery just thinking about this dish. - Garlic String beans - 4/5: Solid but in comparison, lacked a little flavor - Shen Jian Bao - 5/5: Solid from what I remember. Highly recommend coming if you're looking for a nice date night out, family dinner, or night out with friends. read more

Imperial Treasure - interior - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Service was good, ambiance was good just not for vegetarian (not sure why I agreed to go with my team (all asians). As vegetarian, the only option i had was some plain rice, so not recommended for vegetarian. read more

The restaurant is hidden inside a complex. Plenty of street parking nearby. I recommend making reservations or arriving early (5pm) to avoid waiting. The food: we ordered a peking duck, braised yellow croaker with spare ribs and pickled mustard greens, and sautéed eggplant in garlic sauce. The eggplant is the most memorable dish, followed by the fish, and the duck. The duck meat is dry and bland, duck skin is too fatty. Fish was ok but overpriced. Service: there were two misses. When duck was served, the pancakes were missing. We had to ask for it. After we finished everything and got the check, we realized the duck bone soup was not served and had to ask for it. Both left a bad impression. At this price point (which is expensive even for bay area Chinese food) I'd expect more from the food and the service. Neither gave me the wow factor. This kind of offering wouldn't survive the competition in NYC. read more

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SO GOOD! One of the better "modern" chinese restaurants I've been. Every dish was delicious and tasted authentic. Lots of seating indoors and service was fast. The peking duck was awesome! Having them cut it in front of you is always a treat. FYI I do believe this is a pre order item. Only down side was I wish it was seasoned just a little more, but besides that it was great. My other favorite item was the salt and pepper shrimp. It was fried soooo perfectly!! I had a great time here and highly recommend. read more

Imperial Treasure - Food - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

an elevated and modern take on Chinese food, with low ambient lighting and traditional decor we called around noon on a sunday to preorder the duck and were able to make a reservation for 5 at 7:30pm same day we mainly came for the duck but were pleasantly surprised by the other dishes as well for the duck, we got it with the duck soup. the duck was prepared and cut in front of us, it was served with the skin perfectly crispy and meat was tender and not dry at all with little fat. it is served with the mini wrappers, sliced cucumbers, green onions, hoisin sauce, sugar, and a sort of jelly (tastes like the haw flakes in jelly form). in terms of portion sizes, we got 2 plates of the duck pictured. the duck soup was very milky, savory, comforting. also highly recommend the: - braised vermicelli pot with mixed treasures: it tasted exactly like I expected, with the savory flavor of braised clay pot dishes spread evenly among the noodles. the sauce was rich without being overly salty and not oily at all. The seafood, shrimps, squid, scallops, complimented the dish well and they were generous with the portions. - fried shrimps with corn in salted egg yolk - I'm a big fan of salted egg yolk so had to try this, the salted egg yolk is not too strong on the shrimp, but I still really enjoyed the dish. Shrimp was fried and crisp without being super oily but every crunch was packed with flavor. It's more noticeable on the individual corns. the other dishes we ordered were: - combo fried rice: traditional fried rice, not too oily but still flavorful - cumin lamb: also pretty typical cumin dish, lamb isn't too gamey but slightly tough, cumin flavor was there - stir fried beef with chili and cilantro: nothing too special imo, also they gave a lot of chili and cilantro we also did order the pea sprouts but they did forget about this dish so we decided to drop it overall a good experience, it's on the pricier side read more

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We made a reservation which is recommended especially if you want Peking duck. The Peking duck was done well crispy and it came with the pancakes to roll up. This place has a heavy Szechuan flavor, especially the mapo tofu dish. Some of the dishes I enjoyed were the green beans, stir fried cabbage, and razor clams. The razor clam had a really spicy chili pepper on top so I'd recommend taking some of it off if you can't handle super spicy. Service was ok for the price point, we asked for extra utensils and it took a while. read more

Imperial Treasure - Razor clams - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Ever since our go to Peking duck place closed in Cupertino, we've been looking for a good duck restaurant. We booked reservations here for a large family reunion dinner/birthday celebration. They have private rooms but require a minimum charge (forgot how many hundred of dollars). or they shove a bunch of tables together to accommodate large groups. Duck needs to be pre ordered (we did 2 for a group of 9 adults/teens and 2 young kids). The table side carving was done quickly and the chef had some good knife skills to ensure every piece had a good skin to meat ratio. The duck fat was rendered out pretty well so it wasn't greasy or extremely fatty. They also served it with authentic duck pancakes that had parchment paper separating each pancake. SOOO good! We went right at the start of the holiday season so the restaurant was packed and going right at opening ensured that the service and food quality was still up to par. Most of the dishes we ordered were enjoyable. Standouts were the eggplant and the dry pots. read more

I've been searching for a Peking duck place comparable to SoCal, and I came across this place. Finally got a reservation when my parents visited and it did not disappoint! The reservations include Peking duck already and they ask if you want to use the rest of your duck in a soup or stir fry. We went for soup cause duck soup is my favorite! We also ordered the stir fried cabbage and sweet lotus root. Cabbage was really good! Lotus root was a bit too sweet for my liking but my mom loved it. Overall this place met my expectations and I would come again! It's a good option if you're treating guests who grew up in Asia. Street parking only read more

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Used to love this place for its authentic Chinese cuisine. But recent orders are really off, far below the average of Bay Area. Even the classic but simply Chinese mapo tofu is like ready- made dish, cold, soggy and bland. Just wonder what happened. Did anyone know if they hire new chefs? read more

I've visited multiple times, and these two dishes are my favorites: 老坛酸菜脆鲩鱼 / Fish Fillets Boiled with Pickled Mustard Greens ($38.95), 牙签羊肉 / Spiced Toothpick Mutton ($26.95). The fish fillets in the soup tasted so fresh--thin, chewy, and clean-tasting. So different from the thick, mushy frozen fillets I've had elsewhere. This was exceptional. The mutton was full of rich, lamb flavor, not overly spicy. I just wish the portion was bigger. We also tried dumplings (Highly recommend Pan Fried Pork Bun), custard egg, and fried and steamed vegetables, and soupy dishes--everything was delicious. Nothing particular to note about the service. Takeout was well-packaged. Will definitely return. read more

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Tucked away in the alcove of an apartment and office complex is this hidden gem of authentic Chinese food. Everything about this place is upscale, when compared to other Chinese restaurants, from the ambience to the service. The decorations as soon as you walk in are inviting and blend cultural aesthetics in a modern feel, and the hanging umbrellas and accessories serve not only as art, but also help to diffuse the sound -- if you've been to any other Chinese restaurant, you know how loud it can be. The food is delicious, and one of the few spots on the Peninsula that you can get Peking duck. The duck was artfully carved in front of you, and tasted just as good as it looked. The staff were kind and professional, ensuring that they were clearing tables to make room for other dishes, and staying attentive to any extra requests we had. The only downside here is the cost, which is a little pricey, but nothing to take a star off for. Overall, I'd recommend this place to my friends, and will be back! read more

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Love the table side service for the Peking Duck. You have to pre order but a whole Duck comes with 2 plates of meat, which is a good amount of meat! It only comes w 1 stack of pancakes though, and we ended up ordering at least 2 more stacks. You can choose between duck soup or salt pepper duck bones from the duck carcass. We chose the soup and they do give you a refill which I appreciated bc obviously duck soup at restaurants are all premade with previous duck carcasses. It was winter solstice today so we also ordered dumplings. It was surprisingly delicious!! Would totally get it again. Other dishes we tried were the dry pot cauliflower (tasty as expected), mandarin fish (great flavor but definitely very battered and fried), and a claypot beef and radish. This last dish came out as more of a soup, with very little meat, not what you might expect from the dish. Overall, loved the ambiance and would come back. read more

Have to update my review to a 5. We recently went back on a Saturday night for a birthday dinner. They were able to seat us in a private room with a spinning wheel on the table. Unfortunately, half of the group was recovering from a stomach bug, so we didn't have that much appetite - this was too bad, as this time, the food was amazing. Duck was juicy and skin was crispy. The duck soup was scrumptious - was palatable even for the half of us recovering from stomach bug. The jiu nian with the tang yuan was also a stand out as well. The crispy spicy chicken was very flavroful; and the little one liked eating this. String beans this time was very well flavored as well compared to the last time. Will definitely come back. read more

Imperial Treasure - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

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Recommended for the Peking Duck! One whole duck carved up table side was more than enough for our group of four. The duck was a 5/5 in terms of presentation, value and taste. It came with 10 pancakes and side dishes (cucumber, hoisin sauce, etc.). Would recommend buying extra. The stir fried vegetables were pretty good. The pork belly tasted fine but wouldn't order again. The presentation of all the dishes was great. read more

Imperial Treasure - Clockwise starting at the top: Peking Duck, stir fried vegetables, pork belly with garlic sauce - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

Reservation for the duck! Had reservations Friday night for ~7:30 pm. Reservations were booked online with the option of Peking duck. What we got: - Peking Duck ~ Carved table side and served with a side of crepe wrappers, cucumber, green onion, sugar, hoisin sauce, and plum jelly, this dish is the centerpiece! Comes JUICY hot and must be eaten fresh! As the carving took place, you could see the steam erupting from the duck! Also, no bones go to waste! The remaining parts from the carving are offered as either soup or stir-fried. We took the stir-fried option, and the flavor was immaculate. Save some duck to go with this seasoning! However, because it was mainly bones for this option, the soup would probably be more worth it and less hassle to eat. - Fish Fillets Boiled with Pickled Mustard Greens ~ THIS. This dish was a surprise! Like a warm soup that shields you from the cold winter, this was a great shared dish for the table! The fish fillets were crunchy and had great texture - very different from the soft fillets commonly used. Not too sour from the pickled mustard and slightly peppery from the spices. SO GOOD! Comes served with vermicelli. - Pan Fried Pork Buns ~ Will always get these at this place. Perfectly crispy. Not oily despite the phenomenal crunch. Soft bun interior, and sweet, juicy pork dumpling filling with soup. Best balance between something fried and something soupy for comfort. - House Signature Fried Rice with Eight Treasures ~ a jam-packed, full-of-flavor dish! A meal isn't complete without some carbs and this. This is a complete meal in itself or perfect for sharing. Each bite was a hit of umami from the dried shrimp, Chinese sausage, and dried mushrooms. - Garlic Cantonese Choy Sum ~ 10/10. Great garlic flavor with a hint of butter. Choy Sum greens cooked perfectly - soft but still with a crunch. Great addition to the table for veggies! All in all, a great experience. The interior decor added to the traditional ambiance. Highly recommend and would most definitely return. read more

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Modern, clean, tasty Chinese food! The restaurant has lowlight for its ambiance. The tea and dishes are all good and service is good. I enjoyed the sweet lotus root and pan friend baos. The only odd dish was the lamb chops, they are breaded and fried which makes a soggy lamb chop tempura. Would not recommend this one but the other items were good. read more

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Beautiful ambiance and a popular spot for Peking duck! I came on a weekend with a large group for lunch. It was to celebrate a birthday and I was grateful they gave us the semi-private space for it. As they are super popular, we had to wait a little bit, despite having a reservation; but the wait wasn't too long. Food is solid, and it was fun to see the chef came out to carve the Peking duck. I realized though that this isn't the style of duck I enjoy. Similar to Boiling Beijing, the duck here focuses on the crispy skin, to enjoy with the different fix'ns and the thin crepe, but not so much the flavor of the meat itself. I'm glad to have tried this place and to understand the difference in preparation style, but it's not for me. read more

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Very nice interior! Food came fast and service was good. The peking duck gets carved up right in front of you, and you get a choice between a soup or fried version of the remaining meat. It comes with a side of pancakes and sauce/sides. My favorite was the sheng jian bao - really hot and crispy! read more

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Duck: 8/10 - Soup: 6/10 - Salt pepper: 6.5/10 Clam sashimi: 5/10 Lotus: 0/10 Water boiled fish: 7/10 Cantonese choy sum: 10/10 Pea sprouts soup: 6/10 Winter melon and corn in pork rib soup: 8/10 Oyster mushroom with egg yolk seasoning: 8/10 Razor clam: 10/10 Corn soup: 4/10 Numbing spicy lamb chop: 8/10; great flavor but breading is a bit thick read more

Best place for Peking duck! We also ordered the sweet & sour fish, XLB, mapo tofu, fried green beans & Mongolian beef. The beef dish was ok. But everything else was super tasty. And the service was pleasantly nice. read more

Best Peking duck ever. The chef carved the duck right in front of our table. The MasterChef carving the Peking duck was very precise and quick. read more

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Beautiful decor, has an authentic feel to the restaurant. Modern and upscale yet keeps with the traditional aspects of a Peking duck restaurant with a window in the back where you can watch chefs prepare the ducks. Recommended to reserve the duck 24 hours in advance - you get to choose how the bones are used: either in a soup or fried up. The duck pieces were thinly sliced and has minimal fat, very good quality. Pea sprouts were also amazing, and so were the beef burrito pieces. The XLB had a weird texture to the inside meat - like the pork pieces were very pink and just fell apart even on the inside vs a lump round of meat. The noodles were freshly cut and tasted really good, but the pork ribs were very tough, needs to cook more. The fried chicken wings (not pictured) were decent as well, our friend really liked them (I'm personally not the biggest fried food fan). Would come back and try more dishes! A nice place to take guests for the ambiance. read more

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TLDR: Reserve for the Roast Duck So, I'm updating my review because I FINALLY had a chance to try their roast duck. Ever since we came here the first time, (see prev review), she has been pretty obsessed with coming back to try their "famous" duck. Short review: It is worth the hype. You can stop reading now and just reserve a table already! Ok, longer more contextual review: My wife doesn't like eating duck. I know, I know, why is she craving it then? Well, she claims that duck has some gamey flavor to it. I dunno, I been eating duck all my life, I think it tastes fine! But she says there are SOME places, where they cook the duck so well, that the gaminess goes away. I guess this is one of those places! They make a bit of a spectacle out of it. The duck chef (I assume it's specialized since I only ever see the 2 of them do it), comes out with a cart, with the duck, and a bunch of plates. He wheels it near your table (staying away from the aisles), and proceeds to carefully carve the skin. I guess it's their style, but they include slices of meat with the skin. All the ones I used to have, was just skin only. In fact my parents had taught me the skill of the roast duck lies in getting JUST THE SKIN, without any meat on it. The duck is a bit expensive, but they make it into 2 dishes. The standard Peking Duck way, and then you can get a choice on how you want the rest of the duck meat prepared. My wife chose the duck soup (because she's a sucker for soups!). I like the pancake. It didn't crack, and it didn't break or tear when you try to roll it up into a duck burrito. I like the hoisin sauce, and all the onions were nicely julienned. They even included haw... which I never had before raw (just the delicious processed haw flakes). It adds a lot of sweetness, however it completely dominates the duck. If they can, I would wish they julienned them a bit finer. or else just use maybe 1/3 of a stick? The rest of the food was good, same as my previous review. The duck is definitely the star. Oh also, you DEFINITELY have to make reservations. We got there at 6p, place was pretty empty. They STILL put this family of 6 on a waiting list. Within 10 minutes, the place was packed with reservations. read more

Nice interior. I never knew this place existed until my friend decided to have his birthday dinner here. They made a reservation and we were given the pagoda area, so we definitely had a great first impression of this place. Very aesthetically pleasing and calming! The Peking ducks has to be ordered in advance, but it is really good! They have the chef slice it in front of us and he does a great job of making it perfectly thin. We were offered two options for what to do with the remains - soup or fried. We chose one of each since my friend preordered two orders of the duck. All of their entrees were pretty big in portion sized. I'd say this is a great place if you want a nice, group dinner. It is pricey, but perhaps worth a splurge once in a while. If it's for a company meal or to celebrate a special occasion, this place would be perfect. I wouldn't come here for a small/casual dinner. Service was just okay though. We were a bit far/in the corner of the restaurant, so it's kinda hard to get the attention of the waiters. They also forgot to give us water several times. The initial service was great, the follow ups weren't great, but it's more aligned with Chinese restaurants (aka they try not to bother you while you're eating). One thing that was misleading is the error in the menu description of an item we ordered. It said duck blood as part of the ingredient (that was the main reason we ordered it), but there was only pork blood. read more

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Excellent duck but skip the carcass This place is known for their duck. They def do it well and they carve it fresh table side. They didn't give us as much toppings as I would have liked, but they did refill our pancakes free of charge which was a nice plus. The duck itself is crispy yet tender. After you eat your duck, you have two options for the remaining duck - either stir fried carcass or a soup. Def go for the soup which is a refreshing finish. The stir fried carcass was just a greasy salty mess. We also tried their lamb and veggies which were excellent as well. read more

Imperial Treasure - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California

We've always enjoyed their food and service. My kids love their Peking Duck as it's quite close to what you'd get in Beijing. I placed a takeout order today, it was packed and had dozens of people waiting outside, likely a graduation party! I ordered their 京醬肉絲 and stir fried pea shoots. The steamed pancakes were nicely wrapped in cling wrap, preserving the warmth and moisture. The shredded pork and the condiments were also good. But the pea shoots were clearly too old for consumption! Many stems were chewy and stringy! It looked normal when I opened the container, but when I bit into it, it shows that Imperial Treasure must lack good QC. Because years ago we ordered it in Din Tai Fung, only to be told that it wasn't available, so we asked the manager who explained that their vegetable was not tender enough and therefore they had to reject them and not sell them to their customers. I believe this is what a good restaurant should practice all the time to ensure the best quality food served to customers. However, I feel if we were dining in and complained about it they would either replace, substitute, or refund us. read more

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Since we're the only one there and got the whole place for ourselves for breakfast (DimSum) and that definitely deserves 5 stars. The place is supper cute and well decor for any occasion. Since we're there for breakfast before heading back to LA, the place is cold in temp, they're just opening up and the heater is just turn on. Our hot tea instantly become like cold tea instead (he did brought new hot tea) service is fantastic and very attentive and friendly with a smile. Unfortunately since there is only one cook in the kitchen, the menu is very small, and wait abit long since its make to order. BUT what lack in the waiting, the quality is making up for it. Each dish is very tasty, juicy, steamy hot from the stove and just simply delish. We ordered 5 dishes (6 proteins total, 2 of siu mai) and they are filling for sure. We really want to try the duck but as we finished our breakfast, the cooks came in and start preparing the ducks (looks delicious). The prices are high but it worth it plus this is not our town so we can't much. Just that we're still talking about on the way back and this morning, we're thinking & talking about it. Yup, check it out if you're in the area for sure cause we will next time and will come for lunch and wanting to try the ducks plus others dishes for sure. Thanks for hosting only us for the DimSum breakfast. Loving it. read more

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I've tried to walk into Imperial Treasure SO many times now and I can never get a seat. I understand if I was strolling in on a Friday/Saturday but Wednesday at opening time with plenty of seats available - still DENIED. I think it is a good restaurant, BUT I think it's super over-rated because it's the only nice Chinese restaurant on that strip of California Avenue. Every time I go, the waiters give me attitude about not having a reservation regardless of the time I go. I do like that the food is not nearly as oily as some other places. I do think that they give you a generous amount and I do think that the flavors are spot on. The ambiance is nice and clean. However, please give me a break and not treat me like dirt when I walk in! Is it that I speak English? What's the code? read more

Solid 4 stars. The mandarin name of this place translates to "hidden treasure", and it sure is hidden at the end of CA avenue near the Caltrain, in the abandoned plaza lol. The Peking duck was reasonably priced, $80 each. I would suggest 1 duck for ~4-6 people depending how much other stuff you order. You have the option of making it into soup with the bones, or deep fried. Highly suggest the soup so you can bring it back home and make a hot pot or something lol. Presentation of dishes was really nice! Corkage fee is $15 if you bring your own bottle. Everything was well prepared, good seasoning. Nothing to complain. If you want to book the cute indoor gazebo for some privacy, the minimum is $600. It fits 12-14 people. read more

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I have been wanting to enjoy the entire Peking Duck experience for many years now. We made a reservation, including reserving our duck, at this place for Easter Sunday. We had such a great time! It is a beautiful restaurant and the experience was just so interesting! We really enjoyed ourselves. We all agreed that the duck could have been seasoned a little bit better, because it was a bit bland, as was the duck soup. But with all the garnishes, it was still satisfying. We left with plenty of leftovers, so we can season them as we like when we incorporate them into new meals. The overall experience was so much fun, and I would recommend it to others. read more

Imperial Treasure - Peas shoots & leaves with garlic. A Spring delight! - Chinese Near Me - Palo Alto, California