Ypbor Yan

It is so hard to find authentic Chinese food in US restaurants, and I’d only had authentic Chinese food when I’ve had friends or coworkers make it. So, when I heard others talk about how this place had authentic Chinese food, I needed to check it out. Here’s my overall impressions:
Atmosphere: It was pretty slow on Sunday afternoon, which was nice. The décor is pretty busy and reminded me of Chinese Bennagins, which is kinda fun. But there were a lot of fruit flies that kept pestering us before and during our meal, and the mens restroom smelled pretty awful.
Service: Service was quick, though it was a slow day, so we definitely benefit from that. We had two servers… one was very nice and attentive, but our main server was overbearing and actually kind of rude. She asked us if we were ready about 3 times in fewer than 5 minutes, even though we told her that it was our first time and we’d need sometime to look over their menu (which is huge, btw). Then when I ordered the Zigong beef, she kept telling me I should get it mild (instead of hot, the way it’s shown on the menu…), I guess the idea there is that I’m not Chinese so it’s too hot for me? While I totally get servers making sure patrons know that a spicy dish really is indeed spicy so there’s no surprises, I shouldn’t have to say three times when I order that I want it made the regular way. And then after I got my food, she came up to my table 2 or 3 times laughing and asking if it’s too hot, which I found pretty damn patronizing and really annoying when I’m trying to eat.
Food: The menu is HUGE, and they have a lot of unique dishes you won’t find at Americanized Chinese restaurants, such as rabbit, duck, pig intestines, and jellyfish. We weren’t exactly jellyfish-​level adventurous…
The food was decent. Pot stickers we fine — the filling was kind of generic, and the dough was a bit doughier than I prefer, but they were fried well. Crab rangoon was ok, though it mostly tasted just like cream cheese and they were fried a little too long. I got the Zigong style poached beef slices, which was ok — it was tender beef slices in spicy red broth (red chilies and chili oil, it seemed) with chinese cabbage and bean sprouts topped with cilanto and I think green onions. The flavor was pretty one note with mostly just flavor from red chilies and chili oil, whereas the cabbage and bean sprouts were overcooked so they had no texture, and didn’t even impart any flavor into the soup/​stew. The beef was tender and had some good flavor, but, again, the overall dish was just too one-​note for my liking, and lacked freshness which would’ve got the spicy, fatty broth. My fiancé got the gong bao chicken (off the authentic part of the menu) was decent — chunks of chicken, zucchini, and chilies.
Price: Price was I’d say par for the course as far as Chinese restaurants go. Our appetizers ranged from $ 5-​$ 7, and our most expensive entrée was $ 14. They only have canned soda ($ 1.50 each!), so our total bit was about $ 43 for 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and 2 cans of soda.
Overall: I’ve heard so many people rave about this place, so I feel odd rating it 2 stars. If I hadn’t been annoyed by one of our servers, I think I would’ve rated 3 stars, but servers are the face of your establishment and that’s how it is. The food was just OK to me and my fiancé, which surprised me. I don’t know what to make of that.

While trying to figure out what our top ten dining experiences ever were this past weekend, my partner and I agreed that the Salt Miner’s Poached Beef here was definitely towards the top of the list. We stumbled on this place by accident about a year ago. I went the typical stupid American route and ordered something dumb like Sweet and Sour Chicken the first time, and my partner ordered the Salt Miner’s Poached Beef on a whim. Who cares about the Americanized list– do not order from that– order from the Salt Miner’s page and the House Specialties.
The Salt Miner’s Poached Beef is one of the most unique meals we’ve ever eaten. It comes in a ginormous pot, and the broth is absolutely one of the best aspects of this option. It is heavily seasoned with sichuan peppercorns and god knows what else (definitely hot chili peppers, cloves, ginger) and every time we’ve gone, the vegetables they throw in are different. The broth numbs your mouth and makes your lips tingle (because of the peppercorns). It is very spicy– I usually have a coughing fit somewhere along the line, which is slightly embarrassing, but I don’t care because it’s so delicious. We usually both go to town on one pot, and have to take the rest home– the leftovers usually FILL the giant container they give us.
This time around we tried a new dish, which is called the Squirrel-​Shaped Fish with Two Flavors. I don’t even know what they do to it, but it is so wonderfully flavored, and maybe (?) lightly breaded? Whenever we go it’s so hard NOT to order the Salt Miner’s Poached Beef, but we are excited to expand our horizons the next time we go.
Don’t be put off by the reviews on here about the Americanized food. Do yourself a favor and order something more adventuresome. And as for the service, well, yea, it’s not the greatest. I sometimes do feel unwelcome or like my presence is a giant shrug to the wait staff. I. Do. Not. Care. I will do whatever it takes to eat that dish, man.

Truly meh. Ingredients don’t seem fresh, overpowering peppers, chicken dry and not very fresh tasting.

I have been here a number of times and have never been disappointed. The food is tasty and plentiful.

We ordered crab ragoon, mongolian chicken and the almond chicken.
Crab ragoon — Was not bad, they came with mustard sauce (hint of wasabi in it) and sweet-​sour sauce.
Mongolian chicken — This was the only dish that was good.
Almond chicken — I wouldn’t suggest anyone to order this, unless you know what your getting into. This comes with a thick sauce which is pretty bland.
Overall my experience wasn’t great. The server could barely speak English. It could be intimidating if you decide to go alone.

The most authentic Chinese food and dining experience you will find in MI! Growing up near Rowland Heights in California, I was surrounded by Chinese restaurants and have been really missing the food after moving to Michigan.
The food here definitely is comparable to places in California. Best dish was the fish cooked in spicy oil. The fish was delicate and the nice flavors penetrated the meat. I am also a sucker for eggplant dishes and they did not disappoint here either. There is a great selection of menu items and you definitely need to come multiple times to try all the good stuff.

Very authentic Sichuan chinese food, only thing is I dont like the deep fried stuff, like shrimp toast appetizer is too greasy, also the fried fish. Veggies are very good.

If you want to eat lamb and not Mediterranean or Indian then this is the place. It’s very difficult to find places which cook lamb correctly and this one surely does know how to do it right. Schezuan lamb is really good and has the perfect level of spiciness. Buffet wasn’t exciting but not bad. Entrée are definitely a better choice. They could improve a lot on the fried rice.

We came in and were not greeted very quickly or nicely. The host knew the guests in front of us, so they talked and took their time with them, and seemed to do a couple other things before coming back to the host stand to take care of us. After finally being seated, we waited and waited, while servers went to the few other tables that were already dining. We were never greeted, and so we left. I can’t remember the last time I actually waited long enough, to get up and leave. Nobody seemed to care or notice either. Even worse, there were maybe three other tables in that had been sat that we could see, and people were standing around in the kitchen and host stand as we left. The menu looked incredible and very authentic, and they had family style tables that are common in China. All of the other diners seemed to know the owners, or at least the staff, and were treated quite well. We did not experience that hospitality. What a shame.

I stopped by for a late lunch after class on a Monday. Unsurprisingly it was very slow. What did catch me off guard however, was the lack of care put into my meal. The service was acceptable, although I did have to bring up to my server that the soup was lukewarm at best– she didn’t ask. I had the vegetable chow me in lunch special and my girlfriend had the king pao chicken. Both dishes were bland but not to the point of not edible. I won’t be back because their are so many better options in the area.

I visited this place with my Chinese friend.
We had 小煎鷄, 魚香肉絲. I really enjoyed them.

Okay, I’ve been back several time since my first visit and I have to say, I haven’t been disappointed with their food… granted I wasn’t a fan of all their foods :)
Our standard dish is
— Salt & Pepper Shrimp
— Map Tofu
— Cold Spicy Cucumber Salad
— Fried Fish in two sauces
As always, we end up ordering more then we should. Of the above dishes, my least was the Mapo Tofu (maybe I just prefer the Koreanized version)… but my nephews loved it and says it’s close to the real (I’ll take their word for it, as they lived in China for over 8 years).
As for the Fried Fish, I would recommend the one with the brown sauce, as it packs more flavor then the other sauce.
On this recent visit, I tried their Lamb with cumin and it was excellent! The lamb meat was soft and tender and with other veggies, the flavor, it all worked well. Next time I’m here, I’m going to try some of their special wok offering.

I cannot believe it took me so long to try this place. Please come here if you’d like to experience super authentc Szechuan Chinese food.
We ordered a Szechuan classic — water cooked fish. The portion and quality were very generous. The soup was fantastic, with lots of veggies. The noodles were wonderful. The roast duck was crispy and fragrant. There was a tofu hot pot dish that was extremely tasty too! I am hungry to come back for these dishes again!
The interior is cozy, and the staff are very friendly and efficient.

Super authentic Sichuan food! After a few let downs from other Asian restaurants, hubby and I didn’t have high hopes. Came with friends last night, and we were extremely impressed! All dishes had the traditional «mah lah «, numbing spiciness from Sichuan. The beef and intestine appetizer was DELICIOUS as was the fish pot stew and mapo tofu. Food came out FAST, and waitresses were quick to refill our rice :-) So good, we’re going back today…

Giving it 5 stars because it’s the only good Chinese food located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. If you’re comparing it with other Chinese restaurants across the United States, you’ll probably give it only one or two. Two things:
1. Never expect service from a Chinese restaurant, sorry, get over it. I hate that too but it’s it, I choose to accept that and it helps. Chinese restaurants, unlike American ones, do not assign one single server to your table. Every servers help every table and they share all tips received.
2. If you are an American who absolutely love AMERICAN Chinese food (shits like General Tsao Chicken or others), stay away from this restaurant. Only good authentic Sichuan food provided, not authentic American Chinese food.
I had no choice because there’s no decent Chinese food in Ann Arbor. I’ve been to California (different cities), New York, and Chicago. They all have great Chinatowns with great Chinese foods. So, accept it, the reality says that it is the only good one. If I could I’d love to go to Chicago every week just to have some decent Chinese food.

Really really awesome, authentic tasting sichuan dishes. Reminds me of my grandmother’s cooking (if she were from Si Chuan).
Favorite dishes are the Salt Miners Diced Chicken, Yi Bin Fire Noodles and Fish Fragrant Shredded Pork. Definitely think the Salt Miner dishes are the best and most unique part of the menu (though all other sichuan standards i.e. mapo tofu are very good).
My mom accidentally ordered one of the vegetarian chicken dishes and it was actually pretty tasty. Really dope seitan.
Haven’t tried any of the american-​chinese dishes but disregard the reviews of angry gringos who didn’t like their sweet and sour chicken. That’s like being pissed your crunchwrap supreme sucked at a mexican restaurant. I’ve brought a couple of my white friends here and they got down with it though.
Service is pretty good. I work in the service industry so I’m pretty understanding, but they treat me really nicely (but probably cause I’m chinese, a semi-​regular customer and not a dick).
In summary: If you want really awesome sichuan food this is the place to be. If you want general tso’s chicken with an egg roll, I think they have that shit but you might as well order from that place next to the liquor store you normally go to.

not so good, but the BEST chinese restaurant in Ann Arbor. Here is not New york city, Right?
We went here so many times that tried all the appetizers and half menu entrees
cold dishes are good. beef tripe (红油肚丝）, sliced beef （五香牛肉），beef tripe mixture (夫妻肺片），cold spicy chicken (麻辣鸡丝），cold noodle (two type: 宜宾燃面 and 四川凉面） we like yi bin noodle more. and all the other items on cold menu are also worth trying. You can find fish-​smell-​herb (折耳根 aka Houttuynia cordata）here. Very traditional Sichuan cold dish. Though I do not suggest non-​Chinese try this herb, It is herb anyway. It has a STRONG smell .
The hot dishes are nothing surprised us, very normal appearance .
We always order a pot and a green. Pot, in my opinion, try intestine pot (肥肠锅it is spicy） or dried intestine pot (干煸肥肠锅 it is hotter), in winter fish and lamb pot is a smart choice (鱼羊鲜） It comes with Gogi and ginseng .
As for green, dried spicy green bean (干煸四季豆）is a good choice, also chinese mustard.
Ypbor Yan is a real restaurant. Not a to-​go place as King Shing or China gate. In fact it is a chained restaurant, you can find 3 Ypbor yan in Michigan. We went to another one once bypass. The dishes are similar but not same. Price also.
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Their Sweet & Sour Chicken is awful and so is their Almond Chicken. The hot sour soup was decent and the wanton soup was great but needed more wantons in it. The friend rice was edible, nothing special. The egg roll was OK, I wish they made it with bean sprouts instead of cabbage. The service was terrible, thank goodness the male american waiter showed up and helped us even though we weren’t his table. I won’t be returning.

Ever since Middle Kingdom closed last year, I’ve been looking for a really good and authentic place that makes stir fried kidneys. Finally found it here. The atmosphere isn’t much to look at, but the good is really authentic here, hit enough to make my face numb, lol. It’s basically the same as I would have found in China. And they made great kidneys. Yay!
Haven’t checked out anything else yet, but will probably come back in the future for more.

We still love Ypbor Yan — and have a few more dishes to recommend:
Salt Miner’s eggplant (aka, fried eggplant with garlic, chilis, and minced pork)… This is a heavenly dish that converts all eggplant haters into believers. Occasionally they mess up and bring crispy fried eggplant with fragrant sauce, but that is the other awesome eggplant dish at Ypbor, so it is not a total loss ;)
Lamb with Sweet Potato and chili-​garlic. SO good, but very rich. Only order when you have 6 other people to help eat it (as part of a shared dinner).
Salt miner’s chicken. Wonderful, fast-​fried chicken spicy with chilis and jalapeño, garlic and steamed greens.
Water-​spinach. Fabulous stir fried and braised greens with garlic. MUST try if they have it in stock.
Fried tofu with hot bean sauce? just try it, this is different than the home style fried tofu… sometimes they get confused and give you that instead. Still, both are quite good, I just prefer the hot bean fried tofu more.
Dan dan noodles– great for lunch, more broth than most places… but plenty of delicious fried pork bits and hot chili oil over tender noodles.