Empire Szechuan

WHAT DID I JUST EAT?
The seaweed wrapped around my sushi was so hard and gummy and chewy– I couldn’t get past the first piece!
The most disgusting sushi I have ever had– would not recommend sushi.
Giving this an extra star because the broccoli was nice and firm and the sauce was good.
But sushi– beware

They sat us for dinner after 9:35 then came to the table 5min later telling us to order because they close at 10. Wish they told us that when we walked in.
I ordered a specialty roll in a hurry with lobster in it. It arrived with ZERO lobster. Maybe I saw a little shread of meat in the last one. So i paid that amount for soy bean paper wrapped around rice, which was barely edible. My friends roll wasnt good either, but at least it had ingredients other than rice.
Two «rolls» & one scorpion bowl for $ 50.
The staff all sat near us implying that it was time for us to leave as soon as 10:00 hit when my friend was still eating (I couldnt eat mine)
Everyone is always nice, but this is my second really bad experience here. I dont want anyone else leaving hungry and feeling ripped off.

Never really have a great experience when I come here. The decorations and ambience look really classy, but the restaurant lacks in other departments. The menu is long, dated, and doesn’t really match up with the atmosphere of the restaurant. One thing about the menus that really irks me is the fact that it repeatedly states, «No substitutions.» I chose to eat at your restaurant, at least give me the option of making a substitution to my meal if I feel like I would like one. I always order a chicken dish, and while the portions are enormous and the sauces are delicious, the chicken always tastes rubbery. When I ate here on 6÷8÷2016, I ordered a shrimp dish and the shrimp was spoiled. I politely told the waitstaff and they profusely apologized and offered to make me something else, which I appreciated. All in all, this is the kind of place I’d eat at if I felt like Chinese, but didn’t want to eat at a buffet.

Wonderful sushi and sashimi. The lunch was served with a delicious soup. My husband had beef with orange sauce. He loved it. This was our fist time here, although the restaurant has been here for awhile. The lunch was delicious, and I especially loved the sushi. The restaurant in also beautiful. We will definitely return often.

It was Saturday night and the place was half full. Service was slow. We never figured out who was supposed to wait on us. The manager ended up taking our order. When the food finally arrived the tangerine beef was overcooked and had to be sent back. The tangerine shrimp didn’t taste like shrimp.
We won’t be going back.

Pretty good spider roll. Not so flavorful low Mein. Excellent boneless spare ribs! Server was ok. Ambiance was nice. ½ price rolls were a plus.

Food is good standard Chinese grub. Take out is better. The Bar is horrible the bartender never buys a drink back, and he’s rude.

Decided to try this place out for lunch and it’s an ok place. I had the sweet and sour chicken and it was good. The pork fried rice was ok wasn’t the best. Also tryed the chocalate Gelato and it was good as well. The reason it has three stars is because the waiter was kind of rude and really sucked as a waiter. Everything was ok I would prob return if in the area.

Want the equivalent of a $ 5 Budweiser? Then come here! Their supposedly Sichuan style yuxiang rousi was an absolute joke — no real attempt at a yuxiang sauce and the pork was like chopped up cutlets thicker than a finger. The Beijing sauce noodles, which were recommended by our server, tasted like overcooked ramen covered in a tasteless sludge. Finally, the chef specialty, a $ 17 plate of chicken, pork, beef and shrimp tasted like everything else: bland, safe, fit for Americans Chinese food. $ 43 for a dinner for two (just ice water to drink) leaves me wishing I had just gone to Panda Express and spent half the time, and less than half the money, and left twice as satisfied.
Also, the people who run the place are from Malaysia. They are nice, and they speak Chinese, but they are assuredly not from Sichuan. In fact, the only thing this place had in common with Sichuan is that they had some dishes labeled mala on the menu. I can’t imagine what their excuse for mala would taste like.
In the end, if you want real Sichuan food in Connecticut, you have 3 choices:
1. Shu, in west Hartford — legit, and amazing
2. Drive to flushing
3. Boston

Service was a bit slow. But the food was good. I was there on a Saturday night and they had Karaōke. Place wasn’t too busy. It seemed like no one was in the restaurant, but a few folks were in the bar. It was a nice hospitable crowd.

Very inconsistent. Sometimes its good, sometimes it is just awful. I love that they deliver, but unfortunately you never know if its going to be good or bad. When its good, the wanton soup is the best. When its bad, you get tasteless broth with gummy dumplings. Still on the search for the best Chinese food in the area.

A Unilocal EXCLUSIVE!
Alert the local media.
I just had a receipt from Empire Szechuan delivery come across my desk. (see attached pic) It’s not mine, so owners, you can keep sleuthing. Check out the ‘remark’. If you’re too lazy, I’ll give you the short of it: It says «POOR TIPS». What I can assume is that the driver accidentally gave the customer the business copy receipt. And management keeps crib notes on what customers they deem skinfints. Right?
Now, hold on. I happen to know the man who paid the bill is a pretty decent tipper. Like, really decent. So that leads me to the next section:
Based on the remark, I can only deduce that:
a) The management are a bunch of a-​holes
b) The delivery drivers are pocketing some or all of the tip money they collect (if they are supposed to be splitting it with staff) AND management is a bunch of a-​holes for allowing rude comments about customers to be noted on receipts.
Now, I got it. You’re in the restaurant business. You don’t like people. I’m right there with you. But it’s 2015. Don’t commit your piddly, insulting remarks to print. Because someday the dopey driver you put so much trust in to help run your business might accidentally give out the wrong receipt. And it might just get blasted out on the internet.
And good Lord, if they think this guy is a bad tipper, I’d hate to see the file they have on me. They’re lucky if I throw a buck in that flower vase when I do pickup.
BTW, as for the food, Empire Szechuan hoovers slightly below mediocre and is overpriced. In closing, I want to reiterate that the «poor tipper» is in fact an excellent tipper. Waitstaff in any restaurant should be singing ‘Zip-​a-​dee-​doo-​da’ when he walks in the door.
So, who wants sushi?

My opinion is not based solely on one experience but really all I can say is overall this place is consistently inconsistent. On a bad night, the menu items on the Chinese side of the ‘fusion’ are bland and the Japanese items are also just not that good. Sometimes dishes are prepared one way… other times it looks and tastes totally different. Sushi is not something to take chances with and therefore I highly recommend going elsewhere for your Asian cuisine. On the plus side, they deliver so you can be at home when it wreaks havoc on your system.
As an aside, If you do get delivery be sure to read the receipt. They like to add rude comments about customers tips. Somehow I don’t think insults and delivery of halfway decent food should command a 30% tip for the driver, sorry.
Won’t be going there or calling for delivery again.

Rather subpar Asian «fusion». They do a half-​assed version of each ethnicity, and pretty inexcusably stank sushi.
Definitely the last place I would go for any Asian food in the vicinity.

Pros: great, fun happy hour with bartender Antonio! Karaōke can be hilarious too!
Cons: food is subpar and the service in the rest of the restaurant leaves much to be desired!
Bottom line: come here for a happy hour cocktail then done across the road at J Fuji for amazing sushi!

My girlfriend and I wound up here for lunch because our favorite place for lunchtime sushi, Fuji J sushi, down the street, was closed.
The waitstaff here is good– no complaints.
I got 2 rolls ($ 10) and my girlfriend got a pad thai ($ 7). We each enjoyed a miso soup and seaweed salad and shared a bottle of Asahi beer (quite filling).
Overall a pleasant experience. I give three stars because although there was nothing wrong, there was also nothing overwhelmingly special that would merit a 4-​star review.
I recommend it for any lover of Chinese/​Japanese cuisine!

I really want to love this place, but I find it incredibly hard to do so. I’ve only been here in groups and usually I try something different every time just because I like trying new things, but that’s not the case here. I’ve had dishes that were sometimes great and sometimes downright bland, but all in all, it’s not a bad restaurant.
The décor of Empire Szechuan is artsy and welcoming. The dining room is fairly large and they even have a bar on the right side of the restaurant. The sushi bar is placed in between these two areas, but can be viewed better if you’re seated in the dining room.
I’ve had a handful of items from both their Chinese and Japanese menus and all were different experiences. I remember one of the first times I came here I ordered one of the udon soups and it really didn’t have a whole lot of flavor in the broth. I ate it regardless, trying not to be rude, but it wasn’t that appetizing. Other times I’ve had great experiences. For example, their duck pad thai is fantastic and very filling, always a favorite if I’m not down for being adventurous. I also love the hot and sour soup here, stuff is perfect.
The wait staff here are on the ball. They’re always super nice, fill up your water when needed, and clear dishes away when you’re done with them. Not too attentive, but just enough to keep you comfortable.
If you haven’t dined here, feel free to give it a shot. The place is good, but it just doesn’t stand up to some of the other restaurants I’ve been to in the past. Definitely get the hot and sour soup though, you won’t t regret it.

I have eaten appetizers there and they were delicious. They have one of the nicest karaōke setups well lit with a tv at every corner which gives you great access to the crowd my one real beef is that they take your drink when you get up to sing.
This has happened to me 4 times, and it happened to a friend also tonight. I am not sure if I will go back. I have asked in the past not to do that I think I may have gotten my point across tonight.
We will see

We’ve been coming to this place for 10+ years, and becoming less and less a fan. Yesterday was probably the last visit. My special with scallop, lobster and shrimp on crispy noodles was awful. None of the seafood tasted even remotely fresh. It was all lower grade stuff. The lobster was barely edible and the sauce was boring and over-​seasoned and gloppy. The plate lacked any garnish whatever. Pretty much the same experience for the other five people in our party.
Got the pupu platter for fun. Crab rangoon had no flavor at all. Barbecued beef not bad but unremarkable.
Steamed dumplings were tasty. Cold sesame noodles were terrible.
Service is usually good, but even that was not what we’ve come to expect. Amateurish. In fairness, they seemed to be understaffed on Christmas Day. Maybe it was the chef’s day off.
The whole time I was eating the sub-​par rainbow roll, I kept thinking what a fantastic job the Japanese place, Fuji J across the street does with the same dish.
If anybody knows of a good Chinese place in Danbury/​Newtown area, I’d love to know. For now, I’ll stick with Fuji J.

Hit and miss at this Newtown restaurant. The shrimp in my daughters dish appeared undercooked. The special fried rice was greasy and not-​so-​special, and the service was inattentive for a slow mid-​week night when the restaurant was almost empty. Beef and broccoli stir fry sauce was too thick, over-​sauced, and «gloppy». Previous visit was better, but not exceptionally so.
I can’t recommend this restaurant.