The outside has been cleaned up and looks like an okay place to stop for a quick lunch. It used to look like a dark, shady building meant for crime bosses to meet in the backroom. You can actually see the entrance from the road now. Walk in and the low ceilings told me my first impression was spot on. An intimate place for your group to meet and eat. More large tables for family dining, than small. Plates, bowls, utensils sitting out on a table. Someone snapping beans at a table by the buffet. Everyone stops talking and heads turn to see who walked in. The take out counter is packed with crap and doesn't look like it's been cleaned in a long time. I was the only non-Chinese guest, but takes a lot more to deter me. I smelled EGG ROLLS! Lunch buffet is small, for a small price of $6.99. If your constitution and stomach are strong, go for it. If not, walk out. Which is what I should have done. I did take a peek at the regular menu. There are two - one in English and a specials menu in Chinese. I wasn't in for the long haul of trying something new or even waiting for a regular order. I needed lunch and to get back to work. A little spicy tofu, rice, couple pot stickers, spicy green beans and soup; made a nice lunch - for about half an hour. I was sick for hours after. Sweet Geezus never again. I am sure it's just me. Can't be food poisoning. That takes a couple hours to set in. Don't worry, you'll be fine. The small buffet had a good selection of spicy and non-spicy items, if you like spicy Chinese food. No egg rolls, spring rolls, or wonton chips for soup on the buffet. It's bare bones. Small amounts put out so not to waste, and keep cost low. A-Okay for someone with a stronger stomach, or maybe stick to the menu with fresher items. read more

It's very Chinese. The waitresses reminded me the old time in China. The food was tasty and authentic. They have karaoke but we just stopped by for a simple lunch. We ordered the fish lamb soup and it's so great! I know in Chinese culture that dish has a long history because that's how the character "fresh and tasty" write. They have a big parking lot. The only down side was that the AC was not very cool, and the waitresses were so rush to collect our dishes. There were some food on the dishes, but she said "come on guys, eat those food so I can collect the plate" (in good, friendly tone). I have no problem with that, but it just made me wondering maybe they don't have enough plates? lol. Overall, a great restaurant. read more

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This is so far the best Chinese food I've ever had. Especially poached fish in a spicy gravy and pork with jalapeño peppers.

This place has relatively good Chinese food for the area. Be warned that everything is overly salty though. You will need some rice to go with anything you order. Beware, salt-adverse dieters! Came here with a group of 10 and tried a variety of dishes. Would happily order each of them again, except for the stir-fried pea tips (M38) which weren't really "dou miao" as described in Chinese, but some other unidentified vegetable. If you're new here with a group of 10, and want to try what this place is about, just place my order (see pictures) without M38! Green beans on the left were tasty, if salty (and there's not much pork in them, for those who care). Noodles in both the Sichuan chicken and the shrimp lo mein were very up to standard. Consider ordering these! It's worth ordering extra noodles in the Sichuan chicken, and order it less spicy like we did to be served something slightly spicy, that even kids can nibble at. You need to be careful to avoid directly biting the herbs in the green bean and Sichuan chicken dishes though. That would kill your tastebuds. The milky lamb and fish hotpot soup was soothing and addictive. Perfect for sharing in a large group. Tried to order this soup without the lamb which is on the strong-tasting side, but it was not possible. If you have some lamb eaters at your table, it's worth a go! Ordering this soup also provides a good balance to the other more oily food. The squirrel-shaped fish on the top left was so crispy, and sweet&sour yummy! It's basically fish that is squirreled in a way to have the maximum fried surface area coverage. Tofu was average and a good filler dish. As mentioned above, pea tips on the right weren't as described in Chinese. They were not exceptional and should be skipped. Drinks-wise, the tea was on the strong side. I like the soy milk here, which was authentic and not oversweet. read more

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Bungled up order. We ordered Chicken Fried Rice Noodles, Shrimp Fried rice and Chicken with Bamboo Shoot for takeout.I specifically mentioned that Both Chicken Fried Rice Noodles and Shrimp Fried Rice should be moderately spicy. But when we got the order we saw both of the dishes are mild spicy bordering towards being bland. On an earlier occasion,we had ordered the Chicken with bamboo shoot because it was boneless and quite spicy. But this time the chicken was with bones and with skin as well and tasted like it was uncooked. We could not even eat this dish. My total order costed around 54 dollars including tips. So you could see that it is moderately expensive. I am willing to pay, provided it is worth it. I am not going to pay so much for bungled up order and food that cannot be eaten. I am not ordering from this restaurant anymore. read more

Cons: 1. Food is very greasy, lots of MSG. 2. Service charge 20% more is mandatory during lunch, added to bill without notice. Owner was very rude: 20% tip, this is our law! Be aware! Or you can order to go! And even people add tips for to go as well! 3. I felt very uncomfortable hearing her comments. She may not know this is illegal to add unknown/unnoticed charges to credit card. Pros: 1. Waitress lady is nice though, star only for her! read more

The won ton soup broth salty no base flavor. Don't like peas in my soup I will try again cause I have heard good things about them

Delicious Sichuan fare! (plus standard Chinese dishes for the less adventurous) With an ambiance of beautiful traditional Chinese architecture and design, Ypbor Yan specializes in cuisine from Yanbian, a southern region in the Sichuan province. Disclaimer: Unfortunately I don't know the exact names of the dishes; my friends ordered and I was just eating along. We started off with an appetizer of thick chewy noodles with a spicy sauce. Essentially, it's a spicy Sichuan version of jajang myeon consisting of sliced cucumbers and sauce over noodles, with ingredients separated for aesthetics and DIY mixing. The translucent gelatinous noodles reminded me of Korean nokdumuk mung bean jelly. The dish was an fascinating way to begin and get introduced to Sichuan flavors. The fish stew is a heart-warming soup-based entree, with generous portions of fish fillet, tofu, and various veggies. It has an addicting moderately sour taste, similar to sweet and sour soup except more sophisticated. It's also not spicy, showcasing richly diverse styles (and a good option for spice-intolerant dining companions). I do wish the soup arrived more steamy, especially in the frigid AA winter (and especially for a Californian visitor like myself). Perhaps the most memorable was a duck dish. The savory duck taste was augmented by spiciness with a lavish helping of chili peppers in true Sichuan spirit. (Though scary as it looks, it's nowhere near the extremes of spiciness as long as you avoid eating the chilis.) The flavor profile also featured a complex seasoning reminiscent of the aromatic 5-spice blend with anise. My only gripe with the dish and the meal overall was the presence of some small bits of bone, so diners should take caution before inhaling pieces of the delicious duck. The pork stir-fry was very good as well, composed of strips of spicy pork with firm tofu, mushrooms, and bell peppers. Because all the ingredients were similarly cut, it created an interesting texture, almost as if you were eating noodles except it's meat and veggies. Service is friendly and efficient, and the server was helpful in advising us how much to order so that were happily satisfied without having a lot of leftovers. The variety of dishes caters to a range of tastes and preferences (there are even a decent amount of vegetarian-friendly options), all with a memorable Sichuan flair. read more

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First time and we did takeout. Food was really good. Got one traditional and one American dish. Looking forward to exploring more from the traditional menu. read more

The most authentic Chinese food and dining experience you will find in MI!! Growing up near Rowland Heights in California, I was surrounded by Chinese restaurants and have been really missing the food after moving to Michigan. The food here definitely is comparable to places in California. Best dish was the fish cooked in spicy oil. The fish was delicate and the nice flavors penetrated the meat. I am also a sucker for eggplant dishes and they did not disappoint here either. There is a great selection of menu items and you definitely need to come multiple times to try all the good stuff. read more

My wife and I thought we would try this place last night. At first I was doubtful it would be good. We were happily surprised, the food was great! Way better that most of the Chinese restaurants in the area. Good service and helpful with our meal decisions. Authentic Sichuan. read more

The only true Szechuan restaurant I know of in Detroit / Ann Arbor. You have to ask for the Chinese menu. The chicken with peppers is pretty much that. More red peppers than you ever imagined you'd see on one plate. DO NOT eat them. Eat the chicken - leave the peppers. It is fantastically hot and addicting and wondrous. Be careful what you ask for. Not sure if you if like pig's blood curd with tripe? Try the pig's blood curd with bean sauce. Like really "authentic" food - you got it - fish-fragrance pork is for you. read more

This restaurant is alright, but the service is beyond slow.... Also if you go there for karaoke, the waitress will wait there for you to sign the credit card receipt. She then will check how much tips you gave her. If it's something she doesn't like, she will tell you to change it. I thought it's against the law to do that, but I guess I'm wrong or she definitely doesn't care about violating the law. Either way, the karaoke equipment there are pretty outdated, so are the songs there. read more

My family visit the restaurant almost every other week . The food is good and the service is excellent. The buffet quality is also much better than many buffets I've visited in the past . Authentic and taste like home made. I highly recommend it ! read more

Mmmmmmm the fire noodles, you guys. And the peanut squid. Bury me in Ypbor Yan takeout. I don't often go out to eat in Ann Arbor anymore, but when I lived down the street I was ALWAYS here, and it was incredible. Reminds me of my friend's mother's cooking. Literally anything you'll get here is hella authentic and well prepared. As some other people have mentioned, there's generally pretty high salt content, so if you have medical issues that restrict your salt intake, keep an eye on that. I love getting the lamb stew on a cold day. So comforting and good. read more

Ypbor Yan is not just a traditional American-Chinese restaurant; if you want some orange chicken, broccoli with beef, they serve it and flavor is decent, but it's nothing to compare to their spicy Chinese food dishes (). My friends and I fall in love with their spicy dishes. We always start with a spicy appetizer and try something new from their special dishes menu. Never disappointed!! One thing, if you want some authentic spicy Chinese food, ask the waiter/waitress for suggestion or go with a friend who know how to read Chinese menu (lots of dishes only written in Chinese). You're going to enjoy the food!! read more

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I quite enjoyed my meal here. It used to be called Emerald City, and that name is still up on the side of the building and on the menus. Their Sichuan dishes seem pretty legit. I liked the "double cooked side pork", which is basically bacon and cabbage. Also enjoyed the spicy garlic eggplant dish. Will probably come back with a bigger group to try more dishes. The two dishes I mentioned left me and my gf uncomfortably full. read more

4+ years since last review and I still really like this restaurant. We dine at Ypbor about 1-2x a month? Ever so often the food isn't as good, but most of the time it's spot-on. We usually will order 2-3 cold appetizers, 3-4 vegetable dishes, dumplings, and 1 or 2 chicken or fish dishes...for 2-4 people. We always bring glass snap-top containers for all the tasty leftovers (staff consistently amused by this.) ;) Here's our Yoosh order: - chili-garlic cucumber - bamboo "salad" - pea tips (or water spinach) - Dry fried salty eggplant with chili, pork, garlic (might not be on English menu) - hot-bean tofu - green beans with pork - spicy cabbage (sooooo simple and good) - salt miner's chicken - ABC chicken or squirrel fish read more

Very overpriced and plain for how much they charge. I had better at other smaller chinese restaurant. Very disappointed, will not revisit.

Ever since Middle Kingdom closed last year, I've been looking for a really good and authentic place that makes stir fried kidneys. Finally found it here. The atmosphere isn't much to look at, but the good is really authentic here, hit enough to make my face numb, lol. It's basically the same as I would have found in China. And they made great kidneys. Yay! Haven't checked out anything else yet, but will probably come back in the future for more. read more

Ypbor Yan - Fried kidneys - Chinese Near Me - Ypsilanti, Michigan

I have passed this restaurant hundreds of times, but never stopped in till today. The restaurant is authentic. The buffet is weekdays during lunchtime. It was small, but offered an assortment of dishes which were all fresh and delicious. The staff is attentive without being intrusive. When the bill came I was pleasantly surprised; less than $20 for two people. I will definitely eat there again. read more

Another situation where I'm an idiot. For at least 5 years my friends have been telling me that I need to eat at this restaurant, and I waited until this year. So very good. We ordered from the Chinese section of the menu, and explained to the waitress what we wanted for our table of 7, and everything came out hot, fresh, delicious and filling. it's not fast-food cheap, but it's well worth the money. read more

Very unfriendly owner (rude and truly unhappy to serve you) and waitstaff act like they don't want your business. Forget about a friendly greeting or goodbye if you don't speak Chinese. Hit or miss whether you get a fork and knife unless you pick it off of another table. Food is way overly salty. If you complain, who knows what "extras" you get included at no extra charge based upon how rude the staff is under normal circumstances. Lunch buffet is small and is left empty for the most part once the initial fill is gone. Worst thing is they don't refill it even if you ask. Place does not appear to be very clean at all. Looking back at the history when this was Emerald City, I found out that they were a health code violation leader. They leave the filled water glasses out overnight in the dining room. I was thinking "not drinking that" when I saw where the waitress got our water from. The waitstaff does some food preparation in the dining room on a table - why can't they process vegetables and strip the green beans in back on a sanitized table? You need to walk up/down 2 flights of steps if you need to use the bathroom. Check for toilet paper before using the facilities or you may be sh@t out of luck when done. I won't be back! read more

Contrary to other reviews, I did not find Ypbor Yan that good. We ordered 3 dishes between 4 people (fish soup, triple pork, and squirrel fish). There was definitely enough food for everyone, so portions are good! However, the dishes didn't have much charisma or standing out characteristics about them. Also, at ~$15 a dish, I would expect more. By no means was it bad, but I definitely had higher expectations for this place as many of my friends hyped this place up. If anything, I would recommend you bring a Chinese friend as they have two different menus. They gave us an American menu, and only when my Chinese friend came did they give us another authentic menu. If anything, I would recommend people to try Chia Shiang over this place. From a scale of 1-the Cav's trades this season, I would definitely give it a Javale McGee meme. read more

Did not like vegetarian string beans and fake chicken as that was not good. Sesame chicken fake was not bad, would order again if in the mood, string beans really didn't like. Maybe better for non vegetarian people can't attest for meat. I do appreciate that they have vegetarian sesame chicken and it satisfied the need! Rice is good. read more

First and last time dining at this establishment. (Side note: we drove 45 min to dine Came with a group of 12 and ordered what seemed like the entire menu (our total bill was $285). You'd think that of the 14 dishes we ordered, at least half would be good, or at least decent. The only flavor our food had was salt. We had to send back 4 dishes to be re-made because it had such an abundance amount of salt, I'd rather have drank ocean water. And the way they fix your dish was to rinse it with water and just stir fry it again.. WTF?!? The same dish we had to have them remake 3 times because each time was progressively worse than the first. Another dish we had (三杯雞）was soooo dry that even drinking water between every bite still left you unable to swallow. The best thing there was the can sprite I had. The servers were nice though, but manager was grouchy and not friendly at all. (A smile won't kill ya lady!!) Im not complaining about paying 15% tip, but when you're bill arrives and they didn't note that gratuity was added but when they run your card and it has a tip tacked on... that's bad business practice. Customers should be notified on the bill that gratuity would be added. Basically, you're better off going to McDonald's. read more

My wife and I stopped in AA tonight to grab a bite to eat. She had to go to the bathroom so we asked where the bathroom was, figuring she could go, while we were waiting to be seated. The hostes asked us to hold on then came around to inquire whether or not we were there to eat. Strange, do you get many middle aged couple wandering in off the street for the sole purpose of using the baylthroom? Entertaining...we told her we were, then she asked us if we had our vaccination cards! The place was empty, now I know why. Its just one of those situations where the foreigner just doesnt get it. Cant tell you about the food, but the customer service tanked in this dirty, poorly run place. read more

This place is a piece of garbage. A few months ago I sat down for dine in, she served me w a bottle of water not free of charge when I was asking for a glass of water she said the health bureau won't let them use glasses. Upon paying before I could add tips she was like we charge 20% as tips. I was fumed. Will never patron this worse restaurant again. 中国人欺负中国人。 一群垃圾 read more

I am literally sitting in this restaurant as I type this. Its been over an hour since we have ordered and there is no sign of food, not to mention it's taken over half an hour to get tea. The waitresses here have clearly never learned any manners whatsoever as they will promptly ignore you if you even try to talk to them about the status of your food whatsoever. We CALLED in advance to ask how busy they were, in which they responded that they were pretty free. There's a branch in my water... Can't even get that right. Ive been here in the past for New year's and they've given us a wrong order, then also threw away our leftovers instead of boxing it up properly. I'm leaving here in 5 minutes if it doesn't show. Update: 1 hour 30 minutes to get our first plate. Update 2: my boyfriend literally had to deliver our own third plate to our own table. Service? What service? Update 3: no water, so we have to fetch our own. No receipt, so we're going up to pay. read more

We've been here numerous times as our go-to fix for authentic Chinese food in the area. Unfortunately, service is consistently really lacking here, they are extremely short-staffed (i.e., only one woman for the entire place), so can't justify rating this place over 3 stars. E.g., We'd note missing a set of plates, and they never came back to give them to us, ordered soup and again noting they didn't bring out any bowls or spoons, but they never come back to give us any, asked 3 different times for plain water as well and they never remembered to bring them, asked 2 times to get spicy sauce on the side, and they never brought it out, etc.) Food-wise, they have an extensive menu, with plenty of choices. Their beef noodle soup comes in spicy or non-spicy, the spicy is quite spicy, however the plain one is lacking in flavor. They come with a good amount of meat though. They also have a beef tendon "casserole" dish, which is similar to beef noodle soup except less liquid, more things inside (e.g., various mushrooms), and more tendon parts for those who prefer that texture and taste. Their mapo tofu is spicy but manageable, with good aromatic flavor. Their salt and pepper pork was well-fried and seasoned, however, mostly bone and not as much meat as we'd want. We once got a lamb stirfry which was tender and robust flavor. We once got a fried eggplant, but that was really sad, extremely breaded, similar to "chicken fingers". read more

Authentic chinese food with some real spicy dishes. Out top 1 recommendation: fried eggplant chunk. Its one of our favorite chinese restaurants. read more

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We've eaten here several times, and their food is excellent! Our favorites include the salt and pepper shrimp, crispy eggplant, dan dan noodles and salt miner's chicken. So you're probably wondering why I'm giving one star, if their food is so good. Well, twice now, they sat us way in the back and forgot about us. The last time, my husband had to get up and get us water and ask for menus after 10 minutes. It took another 20 just to take our order. I went in once after that to pick up an order. While I was paying, a couple came up to the counter to say two large parties that were seated after them were served ahead of them. The food might be great, but it's not worth our time or money if the service is crappy. read more

This is the first and the most absurb asian restaurant I tried in this city! I must describe my whole story here. We went to Ypbor Yan for lunch this Saturday. After we sat down, we waited for around 15 minutes until someone came to make an order. Then another half an hour before the first dish came. Those are small problems, because I admit that the food is good, but the service is really questioned. Don't know if they are too busy. Because it is at noon, so finally a few of my friends gave only 15% tips, which is very normal in other restaurant. Some of others gave 18% tips. They didn't give us customer copies. However, what made us super angry was the following ridiculous thing! When we were about to leave the restaurant -- we were at the door... a mid-age waitress stopped us and said, "We have a minimum value of the tips. You need to give 18% tips. " What? Nobody told us before the meal and it is definitely not reasonable for a waitress to request the customer like this! No matter 15% is lower or not, there's no rule on the menu saying it is low, and it is not a waitress' duty to ask a customer to give her more tips! They have no right to block the customers' way and force them to pay more tips! I was really shocked, and trying to say this is a normal amount of tips. Finally, the woman said, "Okay, I will add $2 on that. Is it ok?" -- Why don't you just hold a knife and stand on the street to threat the pedestrian to give you money!!! THEY DIDN'T SHOW THE BASIC RESPECT TO THE CUSTOMERS! I have to uncover this issue, because it ruined our good mood after the lunch today. read more

*update* I dropped a couple of stars because we went back and the wait staff refused to serve us what we asked for. I asked repeatedly for the fried rice noodles and told them the number on the menu, and they just kept saying I wanted the lo mein. We said no, that's not what we were asking for. They ended up bringing us the lo mein and when I protested, they said this is what I ordered. Kind of dense. read more

Years ago it had some good food. Now, this place was a huge let down. I ate there and had some beer as well. Probably the most undesirable meal I have had in years. First off the hostess sat us in the isle way because it was so crowded. The table was covered in clear plastic mat, no water was served to us. You had to walk over to a cart and pour your own water from a dirty carafe. The first person who came to help us did not speak English. So they we had to wait 5 more minutes. Another person came buy and we ordered pot sickers, 2 entrees and beers. The beers came and mine was old and skunked, a complete waste. Then the pot stickers arrived and were still frozen in the center, disgusting. Then the entrees and fried rice arrived. The rice was an oily mess and the entrees were also terrible. Had the worst aftertaste I have ever experienced. I see no purpose to ever visit this place again. I would not eat here again if the food was free. read more

Ordered online, but the lady owner charged me extra saying the price for couple items at online not correct, she did have my phone number, but not bother to call till forced me to pay. This isn't good business ethic, food is average read more

This place is great for both take out and dine-in. We always get water boiled fish (shui zu yu) when it's in the menu, and here they make it especially well with a rich, dense flavor. While many of the dishes are spicy, the dan dan noodles provide the most amazing ma la sensation. We ordered the salty fried eggplant, which they recommended over the sweet and sour version, and we were not disappointed! The portions are big, but these reheat well in a toaster oven. We also got the three cups chicken, which was great. The sesame balls order comes with about 10 small balls, perfect for sharing. The staff here are super nice, friendly, and helpful. When we take their suggestions we always end up with a better meal! read more

Opened in January 2011, where the old Emerald City used to be. I need to meet a Chinese guest in Ann Arbor, a trusted Chinese foodie colleague recommended this place. Apparently it's the latest addition to the chain of Sichuan restaurants owned by the same group, that includes Trizest in Sterling Heights, Hong Kong restaurant in Lansing, and Bamboo Garden in Midland. The food is fairly authentic Sichuan, if ordering from the menu that has Chinese characters. There is English translation, although not terribly accurate or descriptive enough. If you've had experience eating authentic Sichuan food elsewhere, you may be better off describing to the waiters what you'd like to eat and see if they have it on the menu. We had appetizer chicken with spicy sauce (good), double-cooked side pork with cabbage (okay), a whole fish in spicy bean sauce (tasty), and a few other dishes that my memory failed to register. I wouldn't know how this place compares to other Sichuan restaurants in Michigan, my AA-based guest commented that this is the most authentic and decent Chinese food he's had yet. That's a strong endorsement. read more

I cannot believe it took me so long to try this place. Please come here if you'd like to experience super authentc Szechuan Chinese food. We ordered a Szechuan classic - water cooked fish. The portion and quality were very generous. The soup was fantastic, with lots of veggies. The noodles were wonderful. The roast duck was crispy and fragrant. There was a tofu hot pot dish that was extremely tasty too! I am hungry to come back for these dishes again! The interior is cozy, and the staff are very friendly and efficient. read more

Best Kung Pao chicken in Ypsilanti! I cannot believe I haven't tried this place before. Really underrated. I highly recommend dining in and checking out the amazing decor and welcoming staff! Will come back again read more