So muchhhhhhh food. We ordered way too much. I don't know that we got the full experience since we went with more traditional everyday food. We wanted to limit our garlic intake since we were going to be around a lot of people at a concert. The service was great. I highly recommend. read more

Food: We ordered the house lol mein, which was delicious. This will likely be my go-to takeout lo-mein in Chinatown. The orange chicken was crispy and cooked perfectly. Really enjoyed the dumplings in chili oil, will definitely be ordering again. The cumin lamb, however, was disappointing. I prefer the cumin lamb at Dan Dan. Service: we went on a Sunday night and the place was packed. Our server initially was not assigned to our table so was a bit delayed but it was fixed quickly. Service is through the app and food is served as it's made. Ambiance: cute place in Chinatown for a nicer meal, especially with larger groups since there's enough seating. Would I go back? Definitely, it's a solid spot for great Asian food in Chinatown. Was just hoping that the food would be more adventurous, but it delivers as promised. read more

See all

Came here for a friend's birthday and was immediately impressed with how clean and modern the interior was. Definitely a bit more upscale than your typical hole in the wall Chinese restaurant. Altogether, 3 of us ordered 5 dishes (including 2 appetizers) : Dan Dan noodles, scallion pancakes, fatty beef sour radish soup, salt and pepper dried squid, and spicy lamb chops. Squid was an easy favorite, but I'm always a sucker for that chewy goodness. I have to give a special shout out to the radish soup. I would order this dish again just for the noodles. They had this almost firm-Jello-like consistency that gave the most perfect bite! And the broth itself was delicious and had a nice spicy kick to it. Wouldn't order the lamb chops again - meat was dry and it didn't go too well with the cumin marinade. A bit on the pricier end, but I think it's appropriate for the vibe and quality of food. read more

See all

We went in a large group and were placed in a private room. The servers were very attentive and all the food was outstanding.

The steamed vegetable dumplings were good. For an entrée I ordered Szechuan chicken. Not only was the chicken no better than at any corner Chinese takeout, but a good 30% of the pieces were so stringy they were inedible. I left 30% of the chicken pieces on the plate, I wouldn't even take them home to feed my dog. My brother had Hunan chicken, and my one sister had a beef dish. All of the pieces of meat in all of the dishes were clearly not cooked fresh there. All of the meat used for the beef and chicken dishes appear to be portioned pieces that arrive frozen in 20 pound bags. I've had better entrées at strip mall and corner Chinese takeouts. read more

Went here with some friends for dinner, great option for Szechuan cuisine in Philly! Eats: We ordered the Chongqing spicy chicken, beef chow fun, stewed pork cubes, and sautéed snow pea leaves. We really enjoyed the spicy chicken--super crispy and fairly spicy from the red peppers. The stewed pork cubes were a bit too fatty (some of the cubes were just fat), but the meat itself was pretty tender. The sautéed snow pea leaves were garlicky and just all right. We also ordered beef chow fun, which we all agreed could have used more soy sauce. We notified the staff of a soy allergy in our party, which may have explained the lack of flavor in our chow fun. Decent Szechuan dishes for reasonable prices! Service: Service was slightly underwhelming. We were seated fairly quickly at a booth in the back, and we scanned and ordered on our phones. The main issue was notifying the staff of allergies in our party. We were told that staff would come back to check if any of the dishes we ordered would contain nuts or soy, but they did not return until we flagged them down ourselves. They remade the beef chow fun after we notified them again about our allergies. Ambience: Bright space with modern decor. Restaurant was pretty clean with tables in the front and booths in the back. There are larger private rooms as well. Overall, I'd recommend trying EMei if you're looking for authentic Szechuan food. Staff could be a bit more attentive, but I can see myself coming back to try more dishes soon! read more

See all

Service was fast. They food could have been staggered. We hadn't finished one dish before the 2nd then the 3rd dish arrive. I felt rushed. The bathroom was NOT spotless. It needed a refresh. You can tell a lot about restaurant from the way the bathroom is kept. The food, not great. Nothing was great. All mediocre. My Won Ton soup was flavorless. The shrimp roll also flavorless. The entrees were also a miss. The steaming beef w/ bamboo shoots, came out with no bamboo but with broccoli and A TON of black pepper which was not in the description. It's seemed like they put two different dishes together and served us that. I will NEVER go back and will tell all my friends to go somewhere else. Anywhere else than that place. read more

We came on a Sunday evening, clearly a very popular place. The food was excellent for the most part, and tasted authentic with similar flavor profiles to my visits to Chengdu and other cities in the past. The spicy lamb cumin dish was one of the best versions of that dish I have had, and the fried green beans are a winner. Cons included a very loud place which they can't control. The service was not great, no consistent waiter with people dropping off dishes in no order while running somewhere else. We ordered a vegetable dish that was never delivered to our table, with adjacent tables getting the same thing earlier than us. We ultimately cancelled it as there was no sense it would happen, at least we did not get charged for it. In the same vein we had to ask 3 times over 20 minutes to have them get us one bowl of white rice. Things were clearly rushed, the moment we asked for the Bell somebody came over to take away all of the dishes in a rushed manner. read more

I love this place!! I went here for my birthday last year as I have 2 friends who are gluten free and I read good reviews stating they were great about gluten allergies. They have so many great gluten free options and I love how they repeat your order back to you and are very attentive and thorough with their service. And the food is delicious! Sautéed string beans are to die for and I love the Dan Dan noodles. Almost every dish we had we were able to make gluten free. I couldn't even notice certain dishes like the general Tso's were gluten free that's how good it was. read more

The starters are amazing. Love the pork chitterlings. Overall tasteful and aesthetic food, waitress was very friendly! read more

EMei - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Stopped in Philly Chinatown for lunch and EMei exceeded expectations. The pork belly was melt-in-mouth tender and the noodles had the perfect chewy QQ texture. All the flavors were well-executed. The service was decent as well and the interior and ambiance was clean and nicely decorated. Would definitely return as the prices were great for the quality and quantity! read more

EMei - Steamed Pork Belly with Chinese Pickles and Bok Choy, Chilled Sesame Noodles, Dan Dan Noodle (w Pork) - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service was very good. Orange chicken was delicious but seseame chicken was very dry and hard. Noodles were good.

It is just okay. The tables are really lose so you can hear your neighbors conversation. The la zi ji did not have the tingling numb peppercorn that is signature of this sichuan dish.i give ot 3 stars but not like 3.5 "hole in the wall legit chinese. read more

Excellent meal! Each course was fresh and delicious. Service was top-notch, and the setting was cozy. A flawless dining experience that I'll be thinking about for days. read more

EXCELLENT FOOD!!!!!wow. Service was quick and a very nice ambiance...great spice .. Mark was an awesome server and explain all the food. read more

EMei - Beef stewards and garlic chicken - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

See all

Have been coming here for over 10 years. Had a very unfortunate experience with service from our waitress Fatima. Came for a post engagement dinner with my new fiance which was even explained to our waitress. Not even ten minutes in we were told that we had 1hour and 15 minutes to "finish" our meal. Our meal came very late because the kitchen was "backed up" for which kitchen even apologized. Still, our waitress came and kept telling us how much time we had left. We love the food and have been coming here from before it was even this popular as it is today. So having the service we experienced today from Fatima left us disheartened. Also, want to add that we spent a total of $200 for 2 people so we came to eat and drink. Food was delicious but unfortunately was clouded by the overall experience. Please do better read more

The place is busy but the staff keeps it moving and efficient!! The music and aesthetic are nice; it's just a bit loud due to so many people and families talking. Chef's special spicy fried chicken was delicious. I avoided the chilis and the chicken still had low spice to it, which I enjoyed. Dandan noodles were good, and the cold soba sesame noodles were interestingly pink. I wish they had different kinds of noodles for texture varieties. The provided default tea was yummy and warm. read more

EMei - Chef's special of spicy fried chicken, dandan noodlss, and a bowl of white rice - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Emei is my go to spot. You order via QR code and recently the QR allows each person at the table to place and split the bill for their own items ordered. The food always arrives fast and you can tell that the ingredients are fresh. Everytime, I try a new dish, I am pleasantly surprised. The serving sizes are reasonable and the flavors are great. Service is usually pretty fast, but it does get a bit busy around dinnertime so making a reservation is highly recommended. Also, if you are not used to Sichuan food, it can be a bit spicy for some. read more

See all

EMei is a sichuan (szechuan) restaurant on the outskirts of Chinatown's main streets. The restaurant interior is white with blue lights and usually the restaurant is bustling. The food is pretty good - 8/10 for authenticity but not the best or at least on this visit. We got the 鱼香茄子 which is spicy eggplant in garlic sauce. The fish was good and flavorful, only I wished it had a bit more sweetness to taste. We also got the sweet and sour pork, which was fried pork in sauce. Ironically, I wish this one was less sweet. Overall, service was friendly and they give complementary tea. Food is decent and you should come support! read more

See all

The food was delicious! Excellent GF options! Service was excellent! Did not like the table that we sat in It was much to close to the front door The leafs in the table were pulled up to accommodate 5 people The leafs were a bit lower then the table That was not very comfortable, because the plates were to far away from eating properly You should get rid of old tables! It seems that sitting further in rear seems more comfortable read more

The wife and I made an impromptu plan to go out for dinner today. We've had a bunch of Mexican food and Indian food recently, so wanted a change. We both love Chinese food and she wanted to head to Philly. While driving to Philly she did some research and found Emei. Sichuan cuisine is one of our favorites, so this was perfect. Had a table reserved in advance, which was great since this place seemed packed. Appetizers ++ Beef noodles in Sichuan sauce. The portion size was huge, but the taste even better. The broth was flavorful, yet not overbearing and the noodles were cooked just right as was the beef ++ Pork wantons in chilli oil. We love wantons and I must say that the sause was perfect. Uber flavorful and the right blend of spices ++ Chongqing chicken. Another of our favorites, but by the time this dish came we were close to getting full. The chicken was crispy, juicy and spicy... The way it should be. I've seen a lot of restaurants mess up this dish, so glad this was perfect. Got half the portion in my fridge for tomorrow. ++ Spiced lamb in a hot and spicy bowl. Remember to order some rice along with this since it doesn't come included. This dish is definitely something to share 2 maybe 3 ppl also. We had as much as we could but then had to take it all to go. Again, taste wise this was on point and I'm looking forward to having this next week when I'm not full. We've been to a few Sichuan restaurants in the Philly-Mainline area, and this is definitely the best. We're definitely visiting again. read more

Yum! I had EMei a while ago for takeout and went back to dine in on a Sunday night. It was really busy but the servers were so nice and attentive and the food was incredible!! The portions were Huge! I thought I ate a lot but still had So many leftovers to take home and enjoy later. I got a nice big pot of hot tea, scallion pancakes and eggplant - I even asked if they could add tofu and they did (thanks!). It was busy but not too loud to have a conversation at the table, and there was a food delivery(?) robot roaming around the restaurant which was so fun too! I'll definitely be back! read more

EMei - Full table of food and really delicious hot tea - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I had high expectation due to high ratings. I ordered dan dan noodles and chow fun. Dan dan was spicy but still enjoyable. The minced pork was flavorful. Chow fun is a dissapointment. Although the noodles was fresh, it was bland and greasy read more

Great place. Friendly staff and amazing food. Definitely recommend, especially if you are a fellow vegan. They have a few options and I absolutely loved the Spicy Homestyle Tofu With Vegetables. Don't get it if you can not tolerate spicy food though. I can't say enough good things about this place and can not wait to go again next week. read more

I found another amazing restaurant in Chinatown, this one is Saskatchewan style. So, the flavors in this restaurant are unbelievable. I tried traditional dishes like chicken Kung pow and spring rolls - dumplings, and all of this food was done homemade traditional with the most unusual spices. It definitely seemed customized and specific to the restaurant, I've never had food that tasted quite like this. I will be back to try many other dishes including the beef the lamb and the seafood, the menu is very good the service is outstanding the restaurant is impeccably clean. The decor is very nice I would say leaning towards upscale but not upscale prices, this would be a good place for a date. read more

Have only had takeout from here, but they're nice on the phone when taking orders- it's weird that the rice isn't included or the soy sauce isn't included, but the food is is good and they have the order ready in like 15-20 minutes! Personally love the Hunan chicken and the Singapore noodles. Would definitely recommend asking for soy sauce if you're takeout- and note white rice is a dollar extra read more

Service and ambience were great. However, the food was not up to par. The lo mein arrived cold at our table and we had to request for this to be heated up again. Be aware, the entrees do not come with rice. We ordered a side of rice with our spicy stir fried eggplant in garlic sauce. The rice never arrived, yet it was charged on our bill. The steamed vegetable dumplings were hard and chewy, as if they had been heated up over and over again. Did not taste fresh. Overall, all of our food lacked flavor and spice despite ordering it as spicy. The eggplant was probably the best dish out of the ones we ordered. Would be nice to have chili oil and soy sauce on every table, so we do not have to track down our busy server to request this. Lastly, it would be nice to have fried tofu as a protein option for vegetarian dishes. Unfortunately, will not be back. read more

See all

Really solid Chinese food, I loved their dumplings and their spicy lamb was fantastic as well! Not a huge fan of duck, but was told that it was very flavorful. Relatively large servings, you will go home with leftovers A little frustrated by the service, we made reservations that they did not have it in their schedule. We then got seated at a table and did not see a waiter for 10 min, apparently the front host did not communicate with the wait staff. Great vibes inside, pretty large bar that people can also dine at, plenty of space and always bustling. Overall, I wouldn't say that it was my favorite by I think that there is food for everyone here. A little more expensive than what I would have liked. read more

See all

My family and I stopped by during the week for lunch and were seated immediately without a reservation. Service was a bit slow so we were waiting for a little while to order but overall it wasn't a big issue. We tried the twice cooked pork belly, general tso's chicken, and the stir fried spicy eggplant with garlic sauce. Out of the 3 dishes, the general tso's chicken was definitely the best. The sauce had great flavor and the chicken was nice and crispy. The pork belly was good but the sauce was a little too oily for me. The eggplant was not spicy at all and could've used a little more spice/flavor in general. One thing to note is that the dishes do not come with rice as they typically do so you will need to order sides of rice if you do not want to eat your entree plain. Overall though a decent place to eat in Chinatown! read more

EMei - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Notes: (1) Street Parking - tough in Chinatown (2) You order on your phone after scanning the QR code (3) Free hot tea. I was craving some spicy food and Szechuan usually is the go to. Came here before with friends and the food was decent so decided to come back and try other dishes. First off, service sucks as they're short handed. We stood there waiting for any waiters to acknowledge us for a good ten minutes, then we had to wait for a table to be cleaned. The place itself is more spacious than it looks. There are two rooms in the back with large tables that can hold 10+ people. We used our phone to order food and the wait wasn't too bad. We got the fish with pickled cabbage and the pork belly with garlic. Both were very delicious! The fish filet in sour cabbage was decent but I felt like it lacked sour cabbage since we didn't see many pieces. It also comes with some glass noodles which I wasn't a big fan of but I did enjoy the fish fillets. Definitely recommend this place for spicy food! read more

See all

Went to Chinatown with the sole purpose of eating at a place we never tried. Didn't even look at reviews. This place is easy to walk by. We looked in the windows and saw a lot of full tables. Decided to check it out. The food and service was very good. We tried the ear, tongue and tofu appetizer; wontons in hot oil; egg roll and spring roll; seafood casserole; Chongqing spicy chicken; and the Yangzhou fried rice. I could not eat the wontons or chicken due to the spice. I tried but nope... Loved the tongue and tofu in the appetizer. Wasn't a big fan of the ear. I can honestly say that I can't compare it to anything I've had in the past. The seafood casserole was extremely good. They let me order without spice. The fried rice was tasty. Very different with the ham. Peas were so fresh and sweet. We were torn between the House and Yangzhou rice but followed the server recommendation. The restaurant was very clean. They took temperature before getting a table. read more

See all

Spur of the moment decision to try EMei for lunch as we were strolling through Chinatown and staying nearby. Typical storefront on the outside but elegant and more spacious on the inside than expected. Mario was our server, and he explained the menu, made recs, and took excellent care of us. Hot tea in a kettle is provided at every table. My husband ordered the Handcrafted Ice Tea which had a hint of lemon and tasted great and refreshing. We started off with a cold appetizer of smoked beef shank and a crispy Shrimp spring roll, both very tasty. For our entree we shared the Dry-Fry Wok of Boneless Chicken with vegetables which is served in a "wok"with warmer. We opted for the regular spice level and it did not disappoint. Spicy and flavorful! Great first dining experience and wonderful service for our stay in Philly Chinatown. read more

See all

3.5 Clean ambiance. Some wait before eating but quick seating and it was a peak dinner time. All right/fair food -Spicy chicken - fair; had better in california and comparable in south Texas - pork dumpling small dish - generous portion/size; lacks moisture. Chewy otherwise. A little sweet compared to other two dishes - Sichuan beef noodle (rice noodle) small dish - generous noodle portion. Mild to moderate flavor but spiciness can be balanced by eating with a spicy chicken dish. Loved the complimentary hot tea. read more

EMei - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Service was excellent! Super nice guy, answered all of my questions. The food was very good. Had the general tso's, cold sesame noodles & dumplings and scallion pancake. Scallion pancake was thicker than I'm used to - didn't have those crispy layers that pancakes usually do. Dumplings weren't my favorite- the dough was very thick but the filling was good. General Tso's was good but what Chinese restaurants doesn't give you white rice with the meal?? They upcharge you $1.00 per serving for a small portion of white rice. My friend wanted cashews on the meal & they charged $3.00 to add cashews. Mojitos were delicious but they were $14.00 each. Ouch. Cold sesame noodles: decent flavor and used angel hair pasta, which was good but different. I saw they had robots that brought the food from the kitchen to the front desk. The way of the future, I guess! read more

Ordered delivery while in area nearby and had a lot of fun choosing from all the interesting options in the menu! The four of us finally decided and were all very happy with our meals. Wife appreciates the ample gluten free options. Everything was delicious. We'd order again. read more

Traveled down from NYC for Lunar New Year lunch and wow, was EMei the place to be. Can't believe I never hit up this place while living in Philly, but better late than never. We came in a big group and got our own room with a lazy Susan; our old college pastor has a "canon" of dishes to order, which we followed (see below). 2 Dan Dan noodles 2 steamed pork dumplings Chongqing chicken Double cooked pork belly Beef with hot and spicy sauce Snow pea leaves Fried fish fillet with dry red pepper Fresh squid with salt and pepper Eggplant garlic sauce All these dishes were GREAT picks. You can't go wrong. read more

EMei - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Highly recommend the Pickled-pepper sautéed Duck Blood for anyone who can take some spiciness and would like to try something authentic and healthy. Service are great, definitely above par Chinese restaurant. The whole diner got a good vibe, relaxing and good for friends hanging out and grab a beer. read more

EMei - Wood ear, Spicy Chickens, Pickle Pepper Duck Blood - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

I usually order with Uber eats. Everything is delicious... a little pricey ,however the portions are big. I love both their double fried beef (the next day air fried is even better!) and their fish (flounder). Pork wonton lively too. Highly recommend even though the price point might be a little higher than the average Chinese spot. read more

no complaints. the restaurant was busy, there was ~20 minute wait (2p) and ~30 minutes to receive food, but it was COMPLETELY worth it. highly reccomend the general tso's and the sake. sever was delightful and the place was a bit loud because it was a full house but still didn't feel cramped at all and feels very upscale. ~55 for a dish and drink each, with extra rice (not including tip), very fair prices read more

This place is fantastic! The flavors are on par with what I expect Sechuan food to taste like. The online ordering is super easy and user friendly. You place the order, tip right then, and pick up when it's ready. I got home with a big bag of food, and was pleasantly surprised by the quantity of food there was. I tried the eggplant and the mapo tofu, and both were splendid. I especially liked how they didn't skimp on the spice for the tofu, especially since I wasn't familiar with their spice levels. The eggplant was delicious, but slightly firm for my liking. For two dishes and a side of rice, there was plenty of leftovers for two people. I'm excited to try some of their meat dishes and explore more of the mala taste. read more

EMei - Eggplant and mapo tofu - Szechuan Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania