Empire Restaurant

Recommends

pamela a

Joined 9 years ago

lovely space, friendly service, not-so-great food. The space is airy and light, with tall windows stretching from floor almost to ceiling. Beautiful shoppers and west village residents walk by as the smell of grease and fermented soy swirl around the room. The space is great- it is the food of which I am not as keen. The problem begins at the menu, an awkward jumble of dishes that fail to appetize and have no description of the dish you will be served. I ordered takeout several times- vegetraian dumplings were oversized and stuffed with a bland, wet filling that was only saved by a liberal dunking in their soy and vinegar ponzu-like rinse. The dough was chewy and tough and my noodles were not much better. I found that my only option was to sprinkle hot sauce and chili flakes accross the thick, doughy noodles to make them appetizing. The ladies who work here are very sweet and I have alwyas had my take-out ready in minutes, yet I cannot justify another below-par meal for the friendly service and great location.

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cbs03

Joined 11 years ago

Chinese diner. My bf and I call this the Chinese diner - the place is huge, airy and nearly empty all the time. The hostesses are sweet yet efficient, and your table is mysteriously set and stocked with water, tea and veggies while you're still sitting down. Food comes (LITERALLY) within 5 minutes of ordering. That's on a slow day. Your check comes seconds after you've taken the last yummy bite and you're outta there. The menu is half the size of your typical Ollie's, but everything is solid, huge and such a great value.

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melzie

Joined 11 years ago

torn on this one. I absolutely LOVE the noodles soups from this restaurant. The veggies are always extremely fresh and crisp, but the general fare tends to be extremely fatty. The speed of delivery is unsurpassed! It was a running joke in our old apt that we'd time when we ordered and within 6 minutes the food was at our door!! (I'm not kidding here!)

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MTancinco_Citysearch

Joined 11 years ago

West Village Chinese Food. Sick of take-out Chinese food joints? Mama Buddha is a good alternative to most of the random Chinese restaurants in the city. Featuring a nice collection of noodle soups, a decent vegetarian food selection, and dishes that aren't laden in sauces, Mama Buddha is a veritable institution on Hudson Street. The place is busy for dinner, and even during lunch, when diners come in for their specials. Thankfully, the place is large enough to accommodate a lot of people comfortably.

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susanchenelle_citysearch

Joined 11 years ago

Fresh, healthy Chinese food. Everything here is very fresh, especially the vegetables. Lunch specials are a good value. Highly recommend the ginger chicken.