Empire Chinese Kitchen

Empire Chinese Kitchen on Congress Street is always bustling, and for good reason. They don’t take reservations, so be prepared to put your name down and wait anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour, definitely plan ahead if you’re hungry. The food is absolutely delicious, and the steamed pork dumplings are a must try. The atmosphere can get a bit loud, but it’s cozy and charming inside, which makes the wait worthwhile. The service is pretty good too, especially considering how busy they are. I’d definitely come back for another tasty meal!

Shanghai soup dumplings are really good. Never had soup dumplings before. Duck chow mein is also good. Spring rolls are not just tasty but also smell so good. Definitely recommend. It can be busy at the lunch time. We sat at the bar. The staff are also friendly and nice.

Food was good ! Special mention to their chocolate fortune cookies and their Honey walnut shrimps (almost like a dessert shrimp dish).

Atmosphere was lively and the service was great! The food was pretty good - wish there were more dumpling options without pork, but overall everything was flavorful. My favorite dishes were the jalapeño shrimp & the chicken potstickers! I was able to walk in and get a seat right away at the counter on a busy Friday night.

Soup Dumplings/Bao Buns are so good! That Bacon Fried Rice was absolutely amazing. Definitely recommend going.

A very hip spot for quite delicious Chinese fare. We tried a few dishes, all nicely executed with authentic flavor and flare while pleasing to the American palate. The plate arrangement suits solo or couples' portions, unlike old school setups, where food is meant to be shared by many off large oval plates. Empire serves up elevated home-style creations with matching technique and subtle spice blends that make them memorable and reminiscent of grandma's cooking. The food is truly delightful! Service is attentive, mindful and respectful. The space is well-appointed with personal touches everywhere that make you feel welcome and like you're dining in someone's home. Long live the Empire!

I don't normally eat Chinese, but this is not a typical American Chinese restaurant. The menu had a lot to offer for gluten free, vegetarian, and even histamine sensitive diets, and fun cocktails for the alcohol free options. So many different choices to mix and match at really reasonable prices too! All the staff was super friendly and really knew their menu! We got there early, but it sure filled up fast and I can see why.

This place is a great place to visit with family. They have a fabulous spicy margarita too. The food is delicious and the portions are huge. I would advise on sharing. The green beans app is a family favorite. The chicken and rice is delicious. We also loved the dumplings. We will definitely be back.

You go to Portland, ME for lobstah...Right?? Wrong!!! - - You go to Portland for Empire Chinese Kitchen!!! Incredible food. Hands down the best meal we had in Portland. We got a little of everything and I wanted to keep ordering, but had to wave the white flag. Don't miss out on this place.

I've been here several times -- for work lunches and with friends -- and I'd say the food here is solid. Not great, not bad, just solid. Somewhere in between a 3.5-4 stars for me. Empire is an Asian-fusion spot, with stylish decor and efficient service. There are small plate options to share, and also larger entrees if each diner wants to order their own thing. I've tried a bunch of things on their menu at this point, and I'd say the best is still their green beans, which is also their best-known dish. It's blistered, garlicky, and delicious. As for the rest: the flavor profiles often lean too salty or too sweet for me. The lobster rangoon is pretty good, and everything else is just fine. The bacon fried rice is alright, but there is no wok hei or any extra flavor pizzazz that I couldn't conjure up at home. The eggplant and the curry udon were both too sweet for me, and even the string beans are on the cusp of being too salty. Prices are on the higher side. One big plus is that this place is relatively vegan- and vegetarian-friendly: they do a good job of marking which dishes are vegan or vegetarian on the menu. Otherwise, I'd say stop by if you're in the area and looking for a solid lunch spot. But I can't say I understand the hype -- I've heard the wait times can approach or exceed an hour during the summer months.

We were super excited to try this place after reading the reviews and some things did not disappoint, while others were just,meh. We loved the hot and sour soup. Perfect spice and lovely broth. The spring rolls were crispy and flavorful and a highlight as were the garlic green beans ( which is a must get). Hostess and server were amazing. No complaints there. The downside and disappointment for us. Bacon fried rice was nothing special and flavorless other than bacon. The orange beef was tough as shoe leather and oversauced for our liking. The Singapore soup dumplings were bland and not worth a try. The battered homey walnut shrimp was just ok and was more batter than shrimp. The shrimp seemed frozen rather than fresh. Peking duck buns were ok, but not worth a try in our opinion. We would go back, but just for our three highlights. Nothing else was worth the cost. 3.5 would be our rating. The bad

One of my favorite spots. Not pictured were the drool worth dumplings. Curry style noodle was unexpectedly a hit. The hot and sour soup is to die for. Not even great things to stay. Comfy ambience. Clean and friendly atmosphere. Great for sharing.

We came here as a larger group and had dinner family style. There was kind of a wait, we had about a 60 min wait. Servers were nice and food started to come out pretty quickly after we ordered. Unfortunately our table did not have a lot of space to hold the food, but the kitchen and staff did good at trying to stagger it so we could get through most of the food before new dishes came out. Sometimes it took a little while for someone to pick up the empty dishes, so they kind of sat at my end of the table until we could wave someone down to take it away. We ordered a bunch of different things, and it was good. I especially like honey walnut shrimp so it was a treat to have! Their shrimp was battered and fried well and the coating/sauce was good. Also, the garlic green beans were very good. The prices were pretty reasonable for the dishes that we got. So I definitely would come back!

We ended up at the Pride Parade yesterday (happy accident!) and the husband was HANGRY. We popped into Empire (our first visit!) and were stoked. They sat us at the window so we could watch the parade - and we ordered some bits and bobs to share. We are currently obsessed with the soup dumplings and the braised beef Bao. The spring rolls are some of the best I've ever put in my mouth, deliciously crispy, clean flavors. I'm already counting down the minutes til we can go back!

Great dim sum! I was recommended this restaurant while visiting Portland and it was great! Every dish was very fresh and flavorful. The standouts were the Bok Choy, chicken potstickers and Chinese eggplant. I wish I tried the bao buns, they looked very yummy. Our waitress was helpful with her recommendations and the space was clean and open. Would go back!

Oh my goodness, is this place incredible! This is the highest quality Chinese restaurant I have been to in New England. I came here with 3 other friends on a Friday night. The wait for a table was around 1 hour 45 minutes - we almost left, but were so thankful we didn't because it was SO worth the wait! We all came in starving, and ordered pretty much everything on the menu (...not joking!) Every menu item we got was made fresh and delicious. My favorite were the broad noodles and the garlic green beans. I definitely suggest getting a few plates to share with others, so you can get a little bit of everything! The cocktails were also delicious. The staff were so friendly and had a great sense of humor. We put in multiple orders of food at different times, and they were always so attentive and accommodating. Be aware, the kitchen closes 15 minutes before closing... so make sure you get your orders in! This is definitely a new favorite and will now be a "must stop" restaurant on our list for our future trips to Portland!

Got takeout from here the other day and this wasn't my first time here either. Have been here a handful of times and am never disappointed. Service was good and quick and was in and out in 20 minutes. The dining area is also pleasant and the service has always been quick. I got the Chinatown pork with white rice, the duck bao bun, and the wonton soup. The Chinatown pork I always recommend. The pork has almost a sweet sugar coating on it and when the juices mix with the rice it is so delicious. The bao buns were pretty good but I felt the duck ones were missing something inside. They certainly were not bad but there wasn't a ton going on and the duck was a little chewy. Finally, the wonton soup. This was my favorite park of my meal. The broth was so rich and smooth and the wontons inside were huge and packed with flavor! I would highly recommend coming here if you can or getting takeout. There's a reason Thai is such a popular spot in Portland and you won't be disappointed.

Dim sum is always a risk. It is usually old-school and often difficult to communicate with the servers who are wheeling around trays of dumplings. This is emphatically not the case at empire. We enjoyed a wide variety of Asian foods, including dumplings, bao sandwiches, shumai, etc. The highlight of our meal included the eggplant (sweet & hot) sautéed green beans with garlic, soup dumplings (with vinaigrette sauce), skewered meatballs and bacon fried rice. Highly recommend mast hill brewery's Gunnars Daughter dark beer. Clean and comfortable surroundings. Would repeat.

The Best Soup! Dumplings! Definitely need to return and try more! ( On a weekday at lunch time, we had about a 20 minute wait)

Get in the car and drive to eat here! So good I forgot to take pics! I had wonton soup with duck broth. Amazing! The wontons and whole small shrimp in them! Also had bacon fried rice with big pieces of locally made Smokey bacon. I had some leftover homemade garlic and ginger green beans and Brussels sprouts and a smallbb Bpiece of grilled salmon to round out my meal so can't wait to head back to empire and try more stuff!'

Got takeout so maybe just me but the chicken teriyaki wasn't good. I couldn't eat it. I did get the wonton soup which was delicious. My man liked his duck lo mein, so maybe just me ‍

Amazing amazing amazing. I can't say anything bad about this place. It gets really busy with a small bar and a few tables so either make a reservation or expect to wait a little bit. Cute inside with a great vibe. It's fun to get a few things and share. My favorite was the soup dumplings and the bacon fried rice. Overall everything we had was amazing. I want to go back and try more dumpling and more of the apps. This restaurant will be going on my rotation to eat at in Portland.

I didn't realize this place was open for dine in again. But. It is. This place is honestly pretty much perfect. Flavorful, fresh, nuanced. All that. The vibe is kinda odd cuz everyone is pretty much chicken hawking a table from the second they walk in and its always cramped and crowded. But. It's good.

Stopped in for lunch and it wasn't very busy. Love the decor and style of this place. The server was very chatty, almost a bit much being we are more relaxed and introverted. I ordered the chicken teriyaki and green beans and My Husband ordered the pastrami roll and the duck lo main. The beans were very good and the pastrami roll was delicious. My husband really liked his lo main. My chicken dish was just okay. The teriyaki flavor was lacking and the chicken had a lot of chewy bits that I don't prefer.

This quaint restaurant in Portland, Maine can rival most Chinese restaurants nationwide. The food is spot on with authentic flavors and taste! Could easily be in a much larger space turning more tables. It is a great spot that is always packed! Service is next level! From the hostess, bar staff, and wait staff they all made our visit very special. Wait was close to 2 hours, but the bar area has some open seating. Large parties are much harder seat. Come early and be ready to wait.

WOW. Party of four and every one of us loved the food, vibe/ambiance, and service. We came on a weekday afternoon for lunch and we just snagged the last empty table. Ordered a bunch of small plates to share - hot and sour soup, five spice tofu bai, garlic green beans, sa cha chicken skewers, honey walnut shrimp, Chinese eggplant, and shrimp dumplings. Everything came out pretty quickly and arrived steaming hot. The green beans true to their name were garlicky, yum. The chicken skewers were cooked so well, the texture was soft. The shrimp had a slight crunch to them and were sweet and tasty. The shrimp dumplings were delicious, with and without the dipping sauce. The eggplant was a little sweet and sour. The tofu in the bao was marinated well. We enjoyed every single dish. Wow. The service was exemplary as well. We were greeted and served with a smile always. We asked for a couple of extra sauces and they happily obliged with not just those but recommended others too. I also made a mistake while ordering expecting the shu Mai to be a shrimp shu Mai. However the shu Mai here had pork which we don't eat. Our server very kindly replaced the dish with the one we wanted to order, the shrimp dumplings. Overall, this was a wonderful lunch!

Greeted and seated promptly with a smile. Ambience is relaxed with vintage Power Rangers video playing. Ordered hot / sour soup - just the right balance of spice with plenty of veggies, tofu, wood ear, bamboo etc.. . Most Chinese restaurants water down their soup then add too much starch. Not Empire - they have a top notch hot / sour. Also ordered beef dumplings, duck bao and chive dumplings. The best is the CHIVE dumplings - look below packed with lots of goodies . Usually I throw away the fortune cookies. But I was tempted with their chocolate ones. Highly recommend Empire.

Lunch time service was great ~ the hostess and server were casual but pleasant and welcoming. I kept it simple with the passion fruit iced tea (quite delicious, if a little sweeter than I need), the fried spring rolls and a bowl of the hot and sour soup. Everything was delicious, the environment was cute and cozy, and the fortune cookie was chocolate :) The wisdom in the cookie did not disappoint, it was beautifully vague and unhelpful, everything one can hope for in a cookie fortune lol. Updating this review to say that I went back for lunch again and had the broccoli & broad noodles ~ really delicious. Very similar to a Pad See Yew, but less sweet, & no egg. The only thing I think could improve is that the service could be a little more prompt, considering how slow it was the two times I went, and how long it took to get my check, and how inattentive staff was. I was fine, but ... I dine out for good service as much as for good food, especially in this economy.

There veggie bao buns are amazing! This is also the perfect spot for a cozy winter meal.

Best selection of gluten free options I've ever seen at a Chinese restaurant! I had the Pork Dumplings and Bacon Fried Rice. The rice is definitely large enough to share as a side. The window bench in the front was great for people watching. The wait staff were friendly and the food came out quickly. I would eat here all the time if I lived in Portland!

Came on a weekend morning and cozied up into this small place that promised dim sum and other Chinese goodies. Ordered: lobster rangoons: big perfectly fried rangoons with visible pieces of shredded lobster came hot from the fryer and hit the spot wonton soup: had amazing duck-flavored broth that paired nicely with the properly filled wonton, when I asked for chili oil they brought out sambal instead char shu pork: they don't use the noticeable bright red food coloring that an old-school Chinese place typically uses and it doesn't taste like the traditional way either, it's strips instead of cooking the pork as a whole and the flavor profile is more savory duck lo mein: small pieces of duck for the price with great wok hay aroma and flavor but unfortunately overcooked noodles I like that each plate of food is brought out when it's ready and prefer their small plates to their larger counter parts.

The food was really delicious, especially the bao buns. We also got their green beans and a few other small plates. One thing I would point out though is that this restaurant is advertised as a Chinese restaurant with dim sum but they also had a large Korean word on the wall near the bar...and a Godzilla poster in the women's bathroom. Poor taste in decorations to just put a bunch of Asian deco regardless of origin. But the food made up for it somewhat.

Green Beans. Honey Walnut Shrimp. Lobster Rangoons. Beef and Broad noodles. These are absolute must try's! Excellent house red wine and the Dragons Milk cocktail is a true delight! Excellent service at the front of house and behind the bar!

Absolutely recommend! The dumplings are incredible--super fresh and flavorful. The vibe is relaxed, and everything we tried was spot-on. Great spot for some quality Chinese food!

Yes! This place is wonderful!! I lived in China for many years before the pandemic and when I moved back to Maine during the pandemic and heard about this place, I seriously debated coming down when they were takeout only and eating in the car. That is how much I've missed anything close to good Chinese food. And then I finally went now that they are serving food for dine in (for the poor souls like us from central Maine!) and y'all, I should have been a pandemic gremlin, eating in my car. It was so good. The wonton soup!!!!!!!! I am getting every wonton available from them forever now. It was the best I've had. The pastrami and sauerkraut egg roll!!! I thought it was going to be gross American "fusion" but it was incredible. The mustard!! I have told several people this week about how much I loved my meal here. I was able to walk in and get a seat, which im not sure how common that is. But I will be a very patient woman as long as I get to ultimately eat here.

We picked up an extensive takeout order for Christmas dinner this year. (Decided to take it easy and do something different.) It was a great success. We especially appreciated the pork bun, which was as good as any I've had in a Chinatown establishment, in San Francisco, for example. I highly recommend the orange beef and so many other intriguing and authentic dishes. We plan to go back and enjoy inside dining soon.

Very nice family style dining. Total comfort food that is gratifying! Great for Eaton with the family or for takeout

I have to say... our server Kristina is for sure the biggest reason I came here twice during my Portland/Acadia trip. My boyfriend and I stumbled upon ECK as we were strolling through Portland and not only was the food so spectacular, but Kristina was so knowledgeable about what to order & what flavors we'd be tasting and also things to do around Portland and even Acadia (we were heading up there the next day). I was so happy leaving dinner that night that on our way home from Acadia, we stopped in again to see her and have lunch. Just a wonderful experience, an ultra kind person, fantastic food, and great sake. Can't get better than that. I'm planning my next Portland trip as I type this

This is a very busy place at any time of day but worth the wait. No reservations so plan accordingly. We went on a Saturday in February at 2pm and there was a 45 minute wait, fortunately two seats at the bar opened up and we were able to sit right away. Same menu, delightful bartenders. We started with the green beans, an absolute must have!!!! We also had Orange Beef and Broccoli with Broad Noodles. Both were excellent! We have a gluten allergy in the group and they have a nice selection of gluten free items. Service was great, food was delicious....I'll be back!

First of all, everything we ate was amazing. Those green beans are the thing of dreams, and I cannot wait to fly back up there sometime to eat a while order myself. The n/a cocktails were tasty, service was SO friendly, and ambiance was beautiful. This was my friend's second time dining here, and I can see why! All the way from Nashville, TN, thank you Empire crew for a great meal!!

We were really excited to try this spot in Portland after perusing the must-try spots for dinner. Glad we stumbled upon this restaurant while we were researching, because it did NOT disappoint. Ambiance is trendy and fun, with decorative wood details, lots of plants, and mood lighting. The servers were very attentive to our needs, made suggestions, and were super friendly. And the best part, the food: we ordered the soup dumplings, pork pan fried dumplings, orange beef, duck lo mein, honey walnut shrimp, garlic green beans and lobster Rangoon. We ordered QUITE a lot for two people but it was all eaten. The soup dumplings had great flavor, great broth, and strong dumpling skin. However, I'm under the impression they weren't handmade (no hole on top). Not a huge deal, but it was still super good. The honey walnut shrimp was CHUNKY! They were ginormous pieces--perfect for 2. The orange beef was so crispy, perfectly sauced and tender. But the superstar of the night was THE GREEN BEANS. You can taste the breath of the wok on the beans. They're perfectly seasoned, charred, and had perfect crunchy bits of garlic. Can't wait to come back during the summer months!

Yum!!! We got here at 6:20 and they were already on an hour wait! Luckily, a couple left the window bar just as we arrived so we snagged it. Every single item was made fresh from scratch and you could taste it. We ordered about 5 different things and every single one was super! The service was flawless and the owner was present and active! You can tell she loves what she does. We love what she does too! Amazing!!!

Trendy little Chinese spot with awesome dim sum options! I had the Har Gow, honey walnut shrimp and beef bao all were excellent! Waitstaff were friendly and attentive to our table of 6. Was super happy to see a nice little selection of mocktails!

One of my perennial favorites. Never had a bad experience here and I've been to a few private events that were also excellent with Empire.

Great food. Wouldn't order the ginger fried rice only because it was blasphemy in a bowl I am a puritan, when it comes to fried rice. Loved the dumplings and the beef. Super flavorful. Perfect amount of sauce too. Can only order take out , the woman taking order at the front was nice.

Our food was hot and delicious, and our server was super friendly. I loved the small plate option and was very pleased to see so many of my favorites on the menu!

Always an experience coming into eat. From won ton soup to green beans always excellent. Small plates or big one. The service is very good. The atmosphere is si.ple and comfortable at a table or bar

Came to Portland on vacay with the family and was looking for a place to have dinner, came to Empire because my wife wanted Chinese. Upon entering, we noticed that the restaurant looked quite cozy and nicely decorated. Our waiter was very friendly and prompt taking our orders. We ordered a few items on the menu and everything came out quickly, but one of the dish wasn't right. We called the attention to the waiter, they quickly fixed it and was apologetic for the mistake and even gave us a voucher for a future visit. Would recommend Empire.

Wow, just wow! We just had dinner there and everything we tried was amazing! My favorites: the Peking Duck bun, the lobster Rangoon and the bacon fried rice. We also tried the walnut shrimp, shumei and beef and wide noodle- all very tasty. Honestly it was all great and it's hard to select favorites. Our server Tessa was amazing and the hostess (forgot her name) was friendly and wonderful! My littlest one is a picky eater and they were even willing to scramble an egg for her to have with white rice. Loved it and would highly recommend to anyone! The best part, food comes out as it's ready so it's hot and fresh from the kitchen! Wish I was local, I'd be here weekly!

I have never been here before. My friend suggested it. Lots of gluten free options. Green beans soo good! The bacon fried rice was a perfect blend of flavors and the pork dumplings were amazing. All our food was ordered to share and there was plenty. It came in stages with the perfect timing in between.

We ordered takeout for a large group. I honestly think we ordered one of everything haha but I was able to enjoy: soup dumplings, dumplings, fried noodles, rice, eggplant, green beans, bao, and I am sure there is more I don't recall. Everything was fresh and plentiful! The restaurant is able to handle food allergies well!

The hype is so very real at Empire. The menu is fun, traditional flavors with some modern little surprises peppered in (bacon fried rice anyone??) We were overwhelmed with the choices so we asked our server what her favorites were, to which she suggested - green beans, soup dumpling, and orange beef. Say no more, we ordered all of them! In a shocking turn of events, our favorite bite of the day was the green beans. They have this beautiful char and once you bite down, the flavor tastes JUST like lo mein. It's totally the dark horse of the menu and it's the one item we will order every time we visit. The soup dumplings were also tasty with a super thin wrapper. Orange beef was a little overcooked for my taste, no texture left in the beef but the flavor was sweet and crave-able. We also tried the duck bun, which was tasty but the hoisin sauce took over the flavor of the duck. It's a fun and comfortable environment, with a menu (and price point) that invites diners to order plenty and share with good company. We look forward to visiting again and trying even more innovative and delicious small plates!

We came here on a whim and I'm so glad that we did! Wishing I lived in Portland so I could come visit this place again, it was great all around. We came on a weeknight and this restaurant was pretty busy, but we only had to wait about 15 minutes for a table. The interior of the restaurant itself was really nice and perfect for groups, it featured a small bar and larger booths (which we were seated at). Our server was very sweet and friendly, making us feel right at home. We ordered some plates for the table, but I mainly tried the soup dumplings, pork bbq bao, kung pao chicken, and duck lo mein. The food was all delicious. The dumplings and bao were pretty standard and typical for dim sum. The kung pao chicken was also very good and served atop some egg noodles which surprisingly soaked up a lot of the sauce, making it a yummy combination of flavors. The duck lo mein though.... I would come back again over and over just for this. The duck was cut very finely and paired incredibly with the fresh veggies and savory soy sauce. I almost wanted to lick the plate clean it was so good.

not bad, but i feel in comparison to chinese i've had throughout my life, it was pretty lack luster. it lacked any true flavor for most of the dishes, particularly the wide noodles: they were practically white still! the curry udon was the only one i feel that had any sort of flavor, but it was still okay. the green beans and eggplant were nicely cooked and tender but lacked saltiness. i wish they put some soy sauce/chili packets with our take out order i did however appreciate that they distinctly noted what options on the menu were vegan!

Absolutely phenomenal food. Everything is spectacular: the dumplings, the soups, the veggies... all perfectly prepared. Space is fun and vibrant, and the bar is great while waiting for a seat.

Good was excellent! I had pot stickers and egg roll. My sister had baby Bok Choi. I tasted hers and it was delicious. My niece and nephew enjoyed their dinners too. $90 for the four of us and one of the best dinners I've had all year. I don't usually rate restaurants but this one deserves the five stars.

This is my favorite restaurant. Great food and usually great service. Tonight there was a 15 min wait, ok but two seats by the bar. Host told us to go over they would clear a spot for us. The bartender gave us a stern look said we were "violating hygiene laws" and shooed us away. I'm a server and that's untrue. Bartender just had a bad attitude. It really turned us against eating at the bar again. Too bad because it used to be welcoming and cozy.