We were searching for a good Chinese food without spending a ton of money and we're driving by Livonia so decided to give this place a try. Upon arriving I noticed the building is outdated and need a bit update and the service was not the friendliest but it was ok , not rude or anything but just fine. I was worried that this place was going to be a typical Americanized restaurant that offers over seasoned and greasy dishes but I was wrong. The fried rice was cooked perfectly without rice being mushy with good amount of veggies and scrambled eggs. My pepper steak was quite tasty as the beef were tender and the vegetables are cooked well while it has crispness. We also ordered dim sum shu mai pork. It was also surprisingly good with ground pork and I think bamboo shoots and shiitake mushrooms inside which was flavorful and authentic. This place is not high end authentic Chinese restaurant but for they offer a very good Americanized Chinese food with decent price. And the portion size was large enough that we had a leftover for next day's lunch. I'd say I definitely come back here. read more

Szechuan Empire - Pepper steak combo - Chinese Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

It's just not as good as the location in commerce township who has really good general chicken and steak and gai kow. The general chicken at this location was mediocre at best. And the steak kow taste it weird as if the steak was really overcooked. read more

We used to like this place but the last visit the food was bland and different from the what they use to make it. Too bad was good years ago but must have changed owners and how they cook things now. read more

Decent option for local Chinese food. I recently tried the Szechuan Empire in Commerce and absolutely loved it, so I may have gone in with high expectations. This location just didn't quite live up to that same standard for me. The spring rolls were a bit different--still good, just not as memorable as the ones in Commerce. The sesame chicken also didn't seem quite as high quality. I had ordered it with medium spice, but it came without any heat. I'm sure that was just a mistake, but the spice probably would have helped the flavor. Overall, I would still come back since it's a convenient option in Livonia, but it didn't leave me as excited to return as the Commerce location did. The staff was very friendly and kind, though. read more

The food was nearly inedible! The waitstaff seemed to have a chip on 'their' shoulder! The ambience was quiet but decor is a bit outdated.

Came back again 2 years later. Same thing. Simply disappointed. Mediocre flavors and bland. Such a shame.

I am so disappointed. This place USED TO be a favorite of my family. We have many great memories of fabulous meals here. So when my husband and I were in the area, we stopped in for dinner and wow, have things changed. Dining Room/Cleanliness: The restaurant has never been fancy or particularly nice inside, but it used to be a place I didn't hesitate to bring friends or family. Now it is disgusting. Not only hasn't it been updated in many years, but I'm not sure it's been cleaned in a while either. Everything is dated and worn. There are ceiling tiles that look like they might be growing mildew. I'm shocked the health department hasn't forced them to replace them. Food: This used to be the best Chinese food around. Now, it tastes like every other Americanized, mediocre Chinese restaurant. It's like they decided to stop using garlic, ginger and spices in the food. My husband and I were disappointed in everything we ordered, and these are the same dishes we used to love. We ordered our General's Chicken "hot" and it was absolutely mild and bland. Our Kung Pao Chicken (hot pepper and peanuts) didn't have a single hot pepper in the dish. Special little touches like hot tea and orange slices are no longer offered. They were out of green beans, so I can't tell you if that dish remains tasty, but I'm not hopeful. Perhaps this is why my husband & I were the only two people in the dining room at 5:30 on a Friday night. The place used to be packed. As a matter of fact, the second dining room that we used to sit in now appears to be a storage room full of boxes. I don't take one ounce of pleasure in writing this review. We really enjoyed this restaurant for over 25 years and are so sad to discover that is just not the place it used to be. Farewell Szechuan. read more

Oh zaaamn, this Chinese restaurant is super legit, you guys. I can't believe I was able to find a good Chinese restaurant that would offer such delicious and authentic Chinese food in this area, but this place is it! Tonight we decided to go full-on vegetarian (I'd been eating so much meat, carbs and cheese for the past few days). So we ordered: - Szechuan Vegetarian Chicken: not exactly "Szechuan" spicy but it sure was delicious. There were so many different kinds of veggies that went into this dish - different textures, different flavors - and then the imitation chicken meat which was so good. It was probably made out of soy, but honestly the texture was spot on and definitely chicken-like. I really liked this dish. - Vegetables Delight: absolutely delightful assortment of veggies (broccoli, carrots, water chestnuts, zucchini, baby corn and so much more), stir fried in delicious white sauce. It was a real delight. I loved it. - Vegetarian Lo Mein: super tasty. The sauce they used was super bomb, it was super savory I didn't even notice there was no meat here. It was insane. The noodles to me were just a tad overcooked, but it didn't impact the dish much. - Vegetarian Fried Rice: just like the Lo Mein, it was equally tasty. I really liked it but the rice was a bit over cooked as well. But it didn't negatively impact the dish much. - Vegetarian Egg Foo Young: think of this like Chinese style omelette served with some savory sauce and eaten with rice. Obviously we opted for the vegetarian kind even though they offered meat options. The egg foo young was delicious, hearty and filling. The sauce was savory, slightly sweet with a hint of tang. It was great. Overall I was truly impressed with their cooking. I'm curious to see how their non vegetarian dishes taste like, maybe I'll try them next time. Oh and portion was ginormous, you guys. Total cost was about $55 after tax. Totally worth it. read more

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It's not as good as it was during the 90's. They however are nice and the service was great!

This family-owned restaurant provides authentic and delicious food at very reasonable prices.

Came for dinner a few weeks back with some close friends...and, in fact, the last time I had been here with my buddy, had to have been at least 20+ years ago. I was hoping they still had this "Garlic and Ginger Chicken" dish...and yep..they did. 20+ years later and it still tasted the same way it always had. Amazing. I've always found it interesting that not all Chinese places are the same...of course, I know...but the good ones always seem to have a few dishes they just Nail! To me, that Garlic Ginger Chicken dish rocks! Enjoy. read more

Szechuan Empire - Spicy ginger garlic chicken - an oldie but a goodie!! Excellent. - Chinese Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

Prices have Gone Up while quality and Taste has gone down.. Over the years.. has not been consistent...i doubt i go again.

It's good but small portions compared to other similar resturants in the area. Wish they had the egg rolls with bean sprouts not cabbage.

Very disappointed. Prices are up which is okay. However the food was gross. Sweet and sour chicken, rice, egg rolls and soup. My fiancé did enjoy the hot and sour soup. The chicken was rubbery The inside of the egg rolls smelled bad. Even my fortune cookie was stale. Szechuan what happened? read more

This place has transitioned to mostly takeout. It just good American Chinese food. We are pretty picky with our Chinese, and this is our comfort food for us. Good noodles; quality soup, decent stir fry. The place is a little disorganized but I kinda like that in my Chinese diners. read more

I had the vegetarian General Tso's chicken (soy based product), and it was delicious! I'll definitely visit again!

The food was actually terrible. The House Rice was nothing but cooked brown rice with A baby shrimp a few carrots and 2 peas. Pepper steak was more peppers & onions than steak, very little gravey. The glaze honey chicken was bland with some hard stripes. Maybe I caught them on a bad day. Tomorrow (Thursday) I'm going try to get a refund. read more

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This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in the area. I've been going here since I was a kid and they're still as good. Last time I went on a Monday for lunch they were closed don't know if that's still the case. They use the good starch on their general Tsos chicken. You know the kind, it's super crunchy the sauce sticks to it perfectly. If you ask they'll give you hot oil and mustard on the side read more

Best Chinese restaurant in Livonia. Been coming here since I was born. Their cashew chicken is always perfect. My 14 year old brother ate an entire box of it by himself. I also love their vegetable lo mein. Usually we get takeout, but this is also one of my favorite places to dine in at. They always serve the table green tea from a pot with unlimited refills (which usually I dislike, but here it's great!). read more

One spring roll and a quart of shrimp fried rice cost me nearly $17.17. It should have cost me $15.50 based on the prices on their menu (which is still overpriced). Ordered carry out the other day and then realized after the fact how much they charged me. I suspect they charge an additional fee for paying with a credit or debit card, yet their carry out menu does not mention that, nor did I see any notification of such at the register. The spring roll was fresh, crispy and hot. The fried rice was just okay with fewer shrimp than most restaurants. read more

We have found the general Taos chicken to be good and tonight's fried rice good. My husband said his egg drop soup had a lot of flavor and not too salty. My spring rolls were tasteless. We have tried numerous items on the menu but really haven't liked much except the general Taos chicken. read more

They are not what they used to be pre-Covid. Prices doubled at $15.50 per plate, flavors lacking, service has gone down to the drain, and they short you on pickup orders. We ordered two dinners for pickup, one for almond chicken one for sesame chicken. They packed less than a cup of chicken for the sesame chicken order, and only ONE rice for both orders. When I returned to ask where the other rice was, the hostess took all my food out of the bag and opened every container on her desk then said when you order two dinners they pack the rice together in one paper carry-out cup. My sesame chicken was dry and very very chewy, to the point half the chicken was inedible, the hot and sour soup had very little flavor, my husband's almond chicken was crispy, but the grave lacked flavor and tasted like watered down soy sauce. Very disappointing experience, 2/10 would recommend. read more

My first time here was about 30 years ago when you could smell the fragrance of garlic, ginger and spices in the parking lot. Over the last five years or so, I've noticed there's no fragrant smell in the parking lot, the quality and taste of the food has gone down, and prices have gone up. Lunch is around $10 and soup is an extra $2.50. $10 is a fair price for lunch as long as it's fresh and flavorful. I ordered General Tso's chicken, which was delicious. However the rice was over cooked and the spring roll was not fresh at all. I'll probably give them another try to see if this was just an "off" day. read more

Szechuan Empire - General Tso's Chicken, chicken fried rice and a spring roll. - Chinese Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

Always happy with food at the establishment but getting smaller portions for more $$ and no extras such as soup or egg roll .So the unfriendly waitress asked me if I wanted tea, yes I say, she brings me a tall pot of tea enough for 6 people so I ask for a cup for my friend, she brings it and says nothing about having to pay for the cup. When the bill comes we were both charged for the tea !! No mention of an extra charge! Guess what, first time in my life I left no tip, and told her why. She caught me in a "Karen" mode that day for sure. Sorry, not sorry. PS I am a good tipper normally. I will not return. The place in Canton will get my business....and tip! read more

Best Chinese food option. Everything's good! specialty dinners . Will not disappoint

The food quality has gone down(or they need a new chef)since the pandemic openings/closings. I've ordered here consistently for years but once the pandemic started, the food is horrible! I've tried different things and it's all been bad! I'm sorry but I need to find me a new Chinese restaurant read more

I've been looking for some good, solid, simple, American-style Chinese food for a while now. I wanted, specifically, some of the Chinese food I grew up eating as take-out; that tender, saucy dark-meat chicken, fat yellow lo mein noodles, and thick, glossy egg drop soup. I've found it at Szechuan Empire! The restaurant itself is old but not dirty; dated but not ancient; stereotypical but not offensive. There is a selection of booth seating around the periphery of the dining room with a good number of table seats in the middle. There is a private-type dining room in the front of the restaurant. Hot tea in a metal carafe and water are offered; the tea is hot and brown and tastes like tea but nothing more (and nothing less). I wasn't blown away by the quality of the service - our waitress was a high school graduate-aged young woman with a passing sense of waitressing ethic; she didn't completely fail us but didn't seem overly concerned with the details of service either. Awkward and distracted may be good words to describe her but I wouldn't want to leave the impression that the service was unacceptable - it was just OK. But the food! For what I was looking for, the food was great (for a small, borderline-old Chinese restaurant in a freestanding building in Livonia). I want to be clear - there will be no Michelin Stars handed out here. Gordon Ramsay would likely have some choice words. This place isn't going to set the world on fire... ...but for what I was looking for - solid, easy, filling American-style Chinese food - they NAILED it! We started with a trio of soups (sounds fancier than it was; we just ordered one of each) - the egg drop, wonton, and hot and sour. Everyone in the group agreed the egg drop was the winner, the wonton was serviceable, and the hot and sour was marginal and perhaps too peppery. To that, we added pork fried rice and vegetable lo mein. The rice was stir fried with what you would presume would be the right amount of salt, butter, and soy. The trio of classic American-Chinese fried rice veggies , onions, carrots, and peas, were all present and accounted for. There was nothing amazing about this rice - it was just a good tee shot landing right in the fairway. The lo mein was the same - nothing amazing but good and as expected. The noodles in the lo mein were the right kind for what I was looking for - yellow/tan, thick, shiny with wok oil, and seasoned well with an expected showing from the standard veggies. For entrees, we ordered the moo shu pork, cashew chicken, and General Tso's chicken. For the cashew chicken and the moo shu pork, the portions were very generous - they could easily be split by two or even three people. The quantity of the General Tso's chicken was less, but still not scandalously so. As for taste, our cashew chicken was right on - tender, just a bit of a bite, perfectly cooked and perfectly seasoned. Adding a handful of chopped scallions would have been perfection, but it was fantastic as it was. The General Tso's was exactly what one would expect from an Americanized General Tso's - red sauce, some dried peppers, and tasty chicken. It was not breaded, but coated in starch and wok fried (the right way to do it!) and was very, very mild (to the point of having almost no discernable heat). The moo shu pork (served with cold hosin and four tortillas that serviceably passed as the traditional pancake) was the loser of the group. While it was cooked well - with tender pork and reasonably firm veggies - it was bland, somewhat watery, and the flavors were off. To be clear the moo shu was nothing awful, just a little meh. Our extra food was boxed up and we were bid to have a nice afternoon. There were no fortune cookies, and the receipt was left on the table to pay on the way out. The total was $66.00 (before tip) which didn't seem bad (maybe a bit pricey, but we were not offended) for the quantity and quality of the food we received. I was looking for something very specific and I got it. This was the American-style Chinese food I grew up taking out and Szechuan Empire scratched that itch. To be clear, this isn't gourmet, it's not original, it's not farm to table and arguably not even fresh, but it was what it was represented to be - a solid Chinese restaurant with good basics. Enjoy! PS: I took pictures (oh! how original of me!) of each of our dishes and have posted them on this site. read more

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I ordered almond chicken and the chicken was so dry, it looked as if it was sitting out in the air. I couldn't believe they actually served that. I doordashed the order. I have door dashed from there in the past with no issues. I'm not sure if they have a new cook, but after that flop of a meal, that was so disrespectful for a re turning customer and of course for any customer to experience. My uncle loved this place. Maybe they get his order right when he goes. Never again! read more

Wonton soup was a joke, lunch size portions for dinner, same dinner prices, and just ok. There are several chinese restaurants in the area. don't waste your time or money with this one. read more

Used to be a favorite for 15 years. The last year or so they changed their recipes or something. I just gave them yet another chance and it will be my last as I won't be back. The sesame chicken has always been my absolute favorite. It is now bland and flavorless and soggy. I kept hoping I just got a bad batch. After 4 tries it isn't just a bad batch. read more

Always have good food friendly staff and speedy service! I highly recommend this place for all your Mediterranean needs.

This is my favorite Chinese restaurant hands down. They have a small parking lot but they are able to accommodate many people. Some of my favorites include House Special Soup, Two Delicacies Sizzling Platter, and Shrimp Lo Mien. Great for carry out as well. read more

Szechuan Empire - First page of the menu. - Chinese Near Me - Livonia, Michigan

Food was fresh & tasty, only disappointment is they only have spring rolls, no egg rolls

Best General Tao Chicken I have ever had, everyone else writing bad reviews about this food? Can't cook toast to save their lives. Keep watching Iron Chef & leave this place out your mouth! read more

This place has always been my go-to Chinese place. I had it recently and it was disgusting! Gray meat, bad eggrolls. Literally thew it all out. Sad! read more

For dinner, they don't offer a ton of combos like your typical Chinese carryout. However, a secret gem is hidden in the menu under Almond Boneless Chicken. It is Stir Fried Almond Boneless Chicken. It comes with the almonds, but celery and carrots are mixed in with diced & stir fried chicken. It is not the whole breast dipped & fried. It comes with fried rice and soup. I recommend the soup here for sure. The egg drop & the hot & sour are both done to perfection! read more

This place is carry out only. Not spending hard earned money to eat out of a plastic container.

Best Asian food around!! Highly recommend!! Not a great sit down place since COVID19 hit but still an awesome carry out spot for hearty & healthy quick meal!!! I've tried almost everything on the menu and so far it's all delicious!! read more

Family enjoys the food from here. Orders have always been ready at stated times. Meals include soup. Expect to spend about $12-$15 per person for dinner. We have had the general tso chicken and the sweet and sour chicken. It is as good as any Chinese spot in the area. read more

Hands down, the best Chinese in Livonia. Service was fast and friendly. Portions were perfect for the price. The food seemed very fresh, which is something that's hard to come by at a Chinese restaurant. Some of the works could be seen chopping fresh veggies. This is only a couple of miles away from my workplace and just a few more from home. I will most definitely be returning often! read more