Chinese Imperial Inn

*Never going here again.*
Severely disappointed with my experience considering all the positive reviews this place has received.
The table cloth was dirty, the menu’s were awful; ripped up, old, written on, and had white-​out on it to change some prices. The view of the lobsters in their tank was depressing; they were severely crammed in, piled so high as to be almost to the top of the water, they couldn’t move a bit. One lobster was on it’s back, at first I thought it dead, but it’s legs did move a bit once, maybe it was trying to move so as to turn over.
The bathroom was dirty, cramped and disgusting; pee on the seat, dirty in the bowl, the sinks had scraps of food in them, everything looked like there was a layer of filth on it.
There are no windows in the place save for on the main entry doors, which makes the place feel closed off. Décor on the walls was the nicest looking bit of the place. They had place mats under the glass on the table, the red print generic kind with the chinese zodiac; which was cool, but they looked old, dingy and had stains on them.
The food tasted weird and I couldn’t even finish eating what I ordered.
After eating I felt sick to my stomach, and went to bed early with a headache.
Ugh!

Definitely one of the top Chinese restaurants in Cincy, I wanted to wait to get some photos of this delicious food before I wrote a review. I usually come here with my family and when we do, we order the Thai style seafood soup, rock salt smelt, sauteed lobster, pan-​fried whole flounder, beef chinese brocolli garlic stir fry, and beef with water-​spinach garlic stir fry. We’ve basically been happy with anything we’ve ordered here, but these are our favorites!
Our service last night was particularly slow (forgot to cook a dish) and they didn’t check on us much but as long as you get their attention for whatever you need, they’re very accommodating. Tables are a bit small, but it’s because of the giant lazy-​susans in the middle that make it great for eating family-​style. Portions are large, so the pricing is reasonable and they have their own parking lot as well.
Overall, this is a must-​try if you want some authentic Chinese food with very fresh ingredients and not oily or too salty either!

This is a difficult one one to review! I’ll start with the good the food was excellent all of it. The shredded pork, jellyfish app, hot sour soup, sweet and sour pork, clams and my favorite the rock salt squid. This is some of the best authentic Chinese I’ve had. But what really stands out is the price just about everything on the lunch menu is at or under 8 bucks what a steal! Similar joints charge an arm and a leg for the authentic stuff. They also give you hot tea which was perfect and roasted peanuts to start no charge…
Now the bad… this place is disgusting from the outside to the inside it’s terrible. There’s dust everywhere and the fish tank is filled with brown water. I cringe just thinking about what the kitchen must look like. But worse of all and to me a deal breaker is that the last time I went a roach crawled out from behind the picture directly next to my table and scurried along the wall up into the ceiling. A huge let down because the food is really so good. Unfortunately I don’t think I’ll be back…
That being said it’s a tough one to rate, because I’d give the food 4.5 stars but the atmosphere a –1

Don’t let the dirty exterior fool you, this hole in the wall has quite a few delicious items. I love the free tea and peanuts. The price is also very fair for the portion size. This is one of my preferred Chinese restaurants in the City.
The jellyfish was decent. One of the better jellyfish dishes in Cincinnati. It has a good salty flavor and some crunch to it.
The clams were good. The msg content seems to be a little high but I still enjoyed it. My tempura battered rock salt squid held its own. I prefer my squid fried naked though.
The hot and sour seafood soup was above average, but a little blander than what I’m used to. Sichuan Chili still has my favorite H&S soup.
Last and least, the peaking pork. The mildly sweet and savory sauce was good but a lot of bones though and not enough meat. I wouldn’t get it again.

best food in cincinnati!###########################################################################################################

My Chinese friend and I ate dinner here tonight for the first time. And it was a pleasant surprise! It’s a really authentic Chinese restaurant has got a stump of approval from a naïve Chinese. The steam fish (flounder) with ginger I ordered was cooked to perfection. Braised tofu he ordered reminded me of the same dish I had in mainland China. This is a hole on the wall type of small establishment with basic service which of expected in advance. I will definitely return!

my family and I have been coming here for years. they are family owned and operated which makes it more appealing for me to go here. I like to support smaller businesses and they are definitely one of my favorite places for the most authentic Chinese food around this area.
some of my favorites are the lobster, crabs, and tofu. of course, everything is delicious so if you get a chance try everything!
it is a very small space but so cozy.
their service is excellent and I have never been disappointed the many years I have come here!

Cincinnati isn’t really known for its irresistible, cheap, delicious Asian food, and definitely not Chinese food. Imperial Inn is pretty popular among the local Chinese community and really is a good central location for big family or group gatherings. It’s your typical traditional Chinese dining locale in Sharonville. It’s small but cozy, but it misses the mark on a few things.
First, if you want to eat here for a quick bite, this isn’t your place.
Second, if you’re looking for simple, authentic Chinese food, tbh you’re not going to find it that easily here in Cincinnati.
Third, if you’re not that open minded and you’re not Asian, this place definitely won’t float your boat.
It’s good and the price point is decent. They are very heavy on the seafood, with lobster, shrimp, and boiled fish galore.
I’ve never ordered anything for myself as an individual here, only been here several time for big group celebrations and remember that it’s all family style. So if you don’t like sharing, check out their other options, but be prepared to not be blown away.

My family loves coming here for their authentic Chinese menu and their prices for their dishes. Everything is cooked with the right taste. Fish maw soup is a little too thick (heavy handed with cornstarch), but throw some red vinegar and white pepper and drink it down, all the flavors of the seafood soup will be mind blowing. We usually order a Chinese vegetable dish whatever they have available at the time. It usually is cooked in a garlic stir fry or steamed. We also usually get the steamed sea bass, steamed oysters, and rock salt pork chops. The steamed items are usually cooked just right, and steamed with ginger and garnished with cilantro. Rock salt pork chops come with a lot of meat, and fried to a good crisp, not too salty at all.
Recently they changed their style of black bean clams, to a weird overly sweet dark thick sauce. My family was picky and couldn’t eat any of the new black bean dishes with the new sauce. The new sauce isn’t the authentic flavors that they had enjoyed in the past.
Pros: staff is nice and attentive, majority of the time food is good, a great selection of dishes
Cons: the new black bean sauce
Overall, a very good place to get a Chinese style seafood dishes at a affordable price. Fresh ingredients and flavorful.

Was told they would deliver within 10 mile radius. We live 3 miles away. Called after gathering order and was told we were outside delivery area. Haven’t tried the food so this is only a service review, but the only reason I eat Chinese is when it’s delivered. Looks like I’m out of ruck.

This place is easy to overlook because the building is tucked away in the small town. I always get carry out from this place because the portions are ample and the egg rolls are HUGE and delicious. I have never been disappointed.

First night in Cincinnati, we came here based on reviews. Egg roll was decent, wonton soup ok — not great, and food was edible (barely)but not good. We were the only people in the restaurant, which should have been an indication. Décor and restaurant were not very clean. Worst part of the evening was the worker who was coughing and sneezing everywhere (luckily not our waitress) but listening to it and seeing her wipe her nose was enough to put me off my food.

Well, this restaurant really was a pleasant surprise!
A group of eight of us stopped in for lunch today and were able to be seated immediately. While the service overall was a little slow, no one complained as the quality and quantity of food offered compensated well.
We tried the jellyfish appetizer (surprisingly not too bad), had rounds of soup and very large meals. The Ma Po Tofu was quite good.
They don’t take Amex so make sure you have cash/​other cards. This will make the lunch rotation again!

I have lived within a couple of miles of this place for nine years. I have driven by it literally hundreds of times. I have eaten at The Blue Goose next door at least a dozen times. I knew it was there. I finally stopped in when I saw it on-​line on
, an on-​line ordering site, which showed pick-​up and delivery was available. I ordered from the extensive dinner menu, and headed out for my pick-​up. Since the verification notice did not include any particulars, I called to verify the restaurant received it. They had not. I was told they have no on-​line presence at all. Hmmm… I placed my order the old fashioned way.
CII serves dim sum, but apparently only on the weekends and at lunch. Even so, they have the greatest selection of items I have seen in a long, long time. I understand this is a favorite of the Asian locals. That’s always a good sign. They have a fresh fish tank in the back, which says a lot.
I ordered the Hot & Sour Seafood Soup, Chicken Egg Drop Soup, Fried Won Tons (8), Chicken and Green Beans, and Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce. The last two come with Steamed Rice. I was told 20 minutes, and when I arrived 20 minutes later — it was ready. The young lady was very friendly, and seemed appreciative when I showed her where the on-​line menu could be found. She apologized as some prices had gone up from what the website said (by about 8% or so).
The food was well packed, remained hot during the 20 minute ride home, and was found to be as follows:
The Won Tons (8 in an order) followed the latest trend of being wrapped up like Tortellini, and the same small size. It seems that the days of the little handkerchief fold, homemade Won Tons are gone. Except when I make them at home. They were overcooked, and a little bit hard and chewy. The accompanying Sweet & Sour sauce was pretty good though. I wouldn’t order them again.
I liked the Hot & Sour Seafood Soup for its flavor, but it wasn’t very spicy, at least not to me. Not too much Seafood in there, and for the price difference from regular H&S Soup, I don’t think it was worth it.
The Chicken Egg Drop Soup was pretty good. No complaints there.
I enjoyed the Chicken and Green Beans quite a bit, but I will ask for either the garlic sauce or some extra spice in there next time. It needed just a little something extra. The chicken was sliced all-​white chicken breast, and I found it to be very tender. The green beans were sautéed perfectly. A 4.5 out of 5 dish.
Lastly, the Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce cold have used a touch of heat, or a little more garlic in the sauce, too. The accompanying vegetables were nicely cooked, and the eggplant was excellent. Soft, yet firm enough to be easily grasped by a set of chopsticks. I would say another 4.5 out of 5 dish.
I was given an entire large container of steamed rice. There must have been 2 pounds of it in there. And it was — well — rice. Oh, and it was steamed.
Overall a reasonable experience. A little hit, a little miss. I would give it a 3.5÷5, if I could, so I’ll bump it up on good faith to a 4. I will definitely return though, if nothing else to try some of the more unusual items on the dinner menu, such as the Jellyfish in Sesame Oil, Fish Belly or Clam & Winter Melon Soup, Blue or Dungeness Crab, Manila Clams, Lobster, Shrimp w/​Ginger, Sautéed Frog or Seafood Casserole — Yum. Perhaps the Shrimp, Scallops and Squid in Garlic Sauce? Hmmmmm…

Best egg roll ever!!! I have had many dishes and all are fantastic. Plus you can also order some crazy seafood dishes. Great takeout but also nice place to eat in. Not your typical takeout place.

First: the food is great: let that be clear.
I’ve been here a lot and this is what seems to be consistent: 1) they are VERY understaffed. If you’re coming for lunch prepare at for more than 1hr. UNLESS 2) you are ordering from the Chinese menu with a large party of other Chinese people. I hate to pull the race card, but they openly discriminate. I’ve watched time and time again as their food comes out in 2,3,4 phases before you even get soup. But hey… The food is worth the wait, but maybe not the frustration.

This Chinese restaurant is the best! My grandparents have been eating here for years. Even when the management changed. They know the owners an servers by name and always says hi.
Imperial inn has the BEST chicken fried rice. I have yet to find a Chinese restaurant that has better chicken fried rice. And they are fairly cheap. The chicken fried rice I get I usually take home most of it and get two more meals out of it. Plus me and my 6 relatives go there and never spend more than $ 50 AND we always have leftovers to spare.
It’s a great place and very yummy! I go see my grandparents just to go here.

After all this time, I think I finally found the Chinese restaurant I’ve been looking for. It’s cheap, it’s good, and the servings are huge.
As you first enter, we are seated and given a tea pot and two cups. The tea is free so feel free to start drinking it all you want. I’m not a big fan of tea, but it is pretty weak so it tasted fine to me. They also give you chopsticks, but don’t worry, a fork, knife, and spoon are on the way. They have the americanized Chinese menu plus a dim sum menu.
I ordered the General Tsao’s chicken which came with fried rice, an egg roll, soup, and 7 pieces of broccoli all for 6 dollars. Did I mention this is cheap… and the portion is huge.
I got the wonton soup. It had two wontons which tasted fine, but the wontons were the only thing in the broth, still good though.
The chicken is all white meat and tastes good. The sauce was sweeter than i expected from general tsao’s. There is a small spice to it but not really noticeable. They do have a jar of hot oil that you can add to put a little more spice in your chicken. They give what seems like 2 cups of fried rice on the plate plus a fat egg roll. Btw, I did find some bits of shrimp in the egg roll so if you don’t do shellfish, you have been warned.
So it seems I found my spot for cheap Chinese food, but I’ll keep looking around. So in summary, its cheap, its good, and they give you a lot of food. Come for lunch.

Very good Americanized Chinese food
And on a side not they seem to have two menus
One for the fat Americans — me :)
One for the Engrish crowd

I have been going to this restaurant since I was very little. I used to call it «The Low Ceiling Chinese Restaurant» because of its size. My family, to this day, still refers to it as that. It is a small, family-​owned business with great food and service.
I always start with a bowl of egg drop soup and sometimes want another because it is so good, especially with the crunchy noodle things they bring to the table. Their beef teriyaki appetizer is also delicious and never disappoints. I am quite the picky eater so I have not ventured far from my usual order but my family has tried a variety and loved it. Their portion sizes are generous and food is served on a lazy susan in the middle of the table so everyone can share.
There are tanks in the back full of living sea creatures (the type you eat) that are very disconcerting to me. I have never ordered seafood here because I do not like the idea of eating something that is killed immediately before (I know it doesn’t make sense). I also feel that the tanks are overcrowded and they are sad sea creatures.
Now that I’m done hugging a tree… the service is always friendly and helpful. This place isn’t fancy but it is clean and has a lot of charm. They serve pop in the can with a glass of ice; for some reason I like that. I highly recommend Chinese Imperial Inn!