Sea Empress Seafood Restaurant
| Address: | 1636 W Redondo Beach Blvd, Gardena, CA 90247, USA |
| Phone: | +1 310-538-6868 |
| Rating: | 3.6 |
| Working: | 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 11AM–10PM 10AM–10PM 9AM–10PM |
Location
Photos 100
Reviews 21
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Tom Wagner
Check Yelp! This place gets terrible reviews, and heres mine: In all fairness, this review is based on a single visit (which is unlikely to be repeated) and we only tried four dim sum items. Those who eat here regularly have no doubt discovered several very tasty dishes the establishment has to offer; unfortunately, I didnt have any of those dishes. Now lets be unfair; its a hell of a lot more fun. First comes the compliment: the shumai were terrific. My wife told me that they lacked the usual Shiitake mushrooms, which might have upset her but came as a relief to me: mushrooms make me sick. The dumplings were fresh and tender, full of rich flavor. I also enjoyed the shrimp noodle, but thats hardly a compliment as the only ingredients of the dish are the wrap (wonton, I presume without really knowing) and the shrimp. Im sure the delicious sauce came out of the same bottle used by every other dim sum diner. The har gow was subpar, at best. And I dont know how that can be, as har gow is also very simple. Thats like a short order cook messing up scrambled eggs: it takes a large dose of anti-talent. One of our favorite dishes is steamed pork spareribs. Rather, I should say that its one of our favorites in a GOOD Chinese restaurant. Trust me: it aint worth the $2.80 for the dish. I asked for a glass of water that came cloudy and in a plastic cup with a little ice. One sip made me flashback to getting dunked and nearly drowned in the public swimming pool where I grew up--the pool that left every kid pink-eyed and blond, if you know what I mean. If youre thirsty, stick to the beer and tea. The dim sum service was terrific, even if the food wasnt. The waiters, however, managed to turn my wife and me invisible--at least to themselves--because the glass of brown water I eventually threw at one of them after being ignored for ten minutes failed to elicit a response. We were happy with the price, though. Very reasonable rates, which is a good thing because if they had charged us the same as another Empress restaurant I know in Chinatown, I would have had to embarrass my wife publicly with a patented Tom Tantrum, and no one needs that. The only other positive I can give is at least the parking is free. But if youre hungry, walk right past Sea Empress and into Marukai Market, where you can find all kinds of food that is actually good.
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A Private User
I was skeptical. Ethnic places scare me because I never know what to order. The service was very fast. You sit down and the servers start coming with rolling carts and tasty food. We ordered a lot of stuff. My girlfriend had no complaints which is a nice change for me. Bill was $32.50 and we left $5.00 tip. Less than $40 and everything was shrimp and scallops. The cruelty shrimp roll was killer.
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Carleton Burch
Food is decent. Service terrible. By "terrible" I mean they wouldnt serve us. Non-existent. No carts, no wait staff, nothing. I can drive to Chinatown, have good dim sum lunch with prompt and courteous service, and get back to the South Bay in the time it took to get served here. I will never go back again. I am giving it 1 star only because the rating service wont let me give it a zero.
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Christine Tran
Probably the best dim sum in the South Bay. I give it 3 stars because everything they have here is just okay. Nothing to rave about. Some of the dishes are actually below average, IMO. It gets pretty crowded on weekends. Service is whatever. Overall, if youre really craving for dim sum and dont wanna drive to SGV then this is your place.
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Miss Queena
came here for a function in the private party section. staff was quick and helpful when called. food was below average. lobster had lots of flour than meat. peking duck was more boney and bao was thin. salt and pepper beef was most tender though. id come back for their dimsum hour
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Yi Lan Chan
Really standard dimsum, but everything tastes about the way it should and the service is about what I expect out of a Chinese restaurant. Nothing especially amazing, but hits the spot when I want dimsum and its certainly a lot better than a lot of other close-by places Ive tried.
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Miranda Zhang
Dim sum items are always fantastic here. Overall food quality are great, service staff are efficient. I guess most customers are not very happy with the service, they are never warm and fuzzy...But in my opinion this is very much the traditional Hong Kong style of operations.
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A Private User
The dim sum here is as good as any of the restaurants in China Town, and the service better - although the prices are somewhat higher. Dim Sum for two was about $40. The food is fresh, hot, and delicious. Ive been here twice now, and look forward to returning. Yum!
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Patrick Cullen
My favorite Chinese restaurant in South bay. I especially like the dim sum, which is very busy on weekends. The evening a la carte is excellent .. good selection of dishes, bustling atmosphere. One of my regulars. Ive never been disappointed here. Plenty of parking.
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A Private User
The food is excellent. The managers are very friendly and easy to talk to. We had 8 tables for party last night. There were plenty of rooms between tables for us to play some icebreaker games. The atmosphere is very comfortable and pleasant. The price is reasonable.
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Ar Kai
This place is just "OK" for dim sum if you compare with the one in San Gabriel Valley. It is very expensive and foods are just "OK". You will only go there if you are unwilling to go somewhere far and crazy hungry for dim sum.
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Diana Fregoso-Sanchez
My husband and I love dim sums, we are Hispanic and the people here working always seem to treat us different, and not in a good way. The food is great sometimes a bit cold and we have received old reheated items.
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Benjamin Shepard
First time here. Wasnt bad at all and we basically didnt even wait to be seated for saturday at noon. Food was pretty decent. I wouldnt call it the best dim sum but still good. Chances are we will come back.
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Raelene Del Rio
The food is fast fresh and delicious. My husbands super picky about the quality of his food and he loves it. So do all 3 of my kids! A la cart isnt always available but thats definitely the way to go
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Paul Shih
Overall decent dimsum offerings with a few problematic dishes such as fried chicken that still has frozen center. Radish cake that maybe spoiled. Long wait time of 2 hours. Cannot recommend.
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Simonpeter Dalangpan
Was a 5 star BUT they ditched their traditional red hot sauce to cheap shiracha?!? They should not down grade. Hope management will see this. *please do not down grade recipe*
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Tom Chung
Havent been disappointed yet. Always very tasty. Service to pretty good too. If your in the area, give it a try. I think youll like it too.
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Dan Edmans
The food is delicious but the last time I was there the restaurant was dirty and smelled bad. I dont want to go back because its dirty.
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Patrick Chang
The dim sum has lots of choices but it is kind of expensive compared to other dim sum places in LA county. Still a good choice though.
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Oskar Toruno
For a seafood place, their best dish is their crispy duck. Nice ambience and the waiters are quick and polite. Seafood dish average.
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Anthony Jung
This place used to be Zagat quality, but that was years ago now. They need a refresher (ambiance and decor, even mentality and energy)
