Golden Empire Chinese Restaurant

You don’t know how much this HURTS me to give this place a 2 star review. I gave this place a glowing review (check it out) but enough is enough.
I went twice this week and had below sub par experiences. The first time, I figured it was an off day because it was Sunday, but after receiving my General Tso’s lunch special with white rice today, I can’t hold back.
This place HAS to be under new management from my previous experiences. The food is pricier, but tastes worse.
Ordering Experience.
Ordering seems DIFFICULT now. Please note I had the basic bitch white girl order of ALL Chinese orders. They seemed confused when I ordered.
While waiting for them to cook my chicken, my white rice was scooped and left out. Then after 5 minutes, a chef came out and asked if there was an order when he saw me. THEN he started making my chicken. I don’t mind waiting for him to cook but not due to a communication error while my white rice gets cold.
Food:
WHAT HAPPENED?! The General Tso used to be FLAVORFUL. SPICY. The things that EVERYONE gets wrong. This was sweet (hold the sour) chicken. I didn’t find a single red pepper flake. The white rice was cold, due to ordering issues, but I also didn’t get any soy sauce.
I’m so sad because this place really felt like a Mecca of Cash Only Chinese Food stands, and now it’s your basic overpriced under seasoned American Chinese Red Headed Step-​Child food stand.
RIP GOLDEN EMPIRE

This is just a bad restaurant, you guys.
I think Chinese food has a pretty good baseline level of quality in NYC, and this is so far below it. The dumplings are bad, the veggies are overcooked, the sauce tastes weird, etc. It’s like you went to a normal chinese place, but everything was 10% worse.
People saying this is the best Chinese food in Harlem either don’t live here. Golden Wok is just a few blocks away on 148^th and Amsterdam and it’s about 1000% better for the same price. Don’t waste your money on subpar stuff.
Also, FYI to bargain hunters willing to take the hit on taste, the menu linked to on Unilocal is cheaper than the actual menu in store.

My go-​to spot in the neighborhood for chinese food. Wonton soups on are on-​point as is the shrimp and broccoli.

This place is quite decent and also very quick with delivery. I get most dishes with no sauce ans no rice and they are still very good.

Seriously the best chinese food on the block. We order delivery at LEAST once a week. Everything I have ordered from sweet n sour chicken to rib tips to chicken wings are bangin! Prices are low and delivery is quick! Its a fail safe solution to «what’s for dinner».

So, today my friends and I decided to order food from here. We called them, placed our order. Everything was good. Our order was close to $ 30. Then… my phone rings. I answered it and it was the delivery man. He tells me «Come downstairs and get your food». I told him I wasn’t coming downstairs to get my food, and that this was a delivery service and he is to bring my food to my door. He refused to come upstairs. I then call the restaurant and ask them to call their driver and instruct him to come upstairs. They said «sometimes he doesn’t want to come upstairs». At this point I’m getting angry. After 15 minutes of arguing I decide to just walk to another restaurant and get food. If they don’t want money, I’m sure there is another restaurant will. I get outside and I don’t see the driver. As I’m walking to another restaurant my phone rings and its the driver yelling at me to come and get my food. I told him to keep his food since he didn’t want to deliver it and that I was ordering from another restaurant and I hung up on them. Them, both, the restaurant and the driver start calling my phone over and over again. I had to threaten to call the police, but that didn’t stop them.
Also, after I left to go get food elsewhere my friends said he started ringing the bell all crazy and wanted someone to come downstairs. Mind you this is almost 30 minutes after he arrives with the food.
I have never experienced such horrible customer service in my life. I’m glad I decided to get food somewhere else because a place like this doesn’t deserved my hard earned money.

AWFUL. Fungus on broccoli and bad service. No idea where the other stars came from. Golden Dragon on 145^th is a lot fresher/​cheaper.

They have TOFU General Tso’s!!!

I called in a danger-​close chode strike on my position and there was good effect on target (translation: I ordered General Cho’s chicken for delivery, and I liked it.). I live like two blocks away but I got delivery because this is America.
The General Cho’s chicken was delicious. Easily some of the best I have had from an urban Chinese delivery place (you know the type). The chicken was freshly fried (not just reheated) and the sauce was very tasty, with a good spiciness to it. I consider myself a conoisseur of General Cho’s and this was some 90^th percentile shit. Good portion, too.
I was pleasantly surprised by the pricing. The pricing on the menu is unclear (as is often the case with Chinese takeout places) — depending on where you look, General Cho’s is variously described as $ 9, $ 7.25, or perhaps $ 6.50, if it falls under the ambiguous «Meal Special» emblazoned on the front page. I just told them I wanted General Cho’s and white rice, and somehow when it arrived it was just $ 6.25! They scored major points with that one.
This will certainly become my neighborhood Chinese place. I’ve survived some very questionable Chinese spots in my time in NYC (I’m looking at you, Nice Food, Hong Cheong, and that fucking place that charged me $ 11 for some chode once) and it is nice to finally live near a really solid one.

I had the chicken lo mein lunch special which comes with fried rice and a soda for only $ 4.95 and it was tasteless. The chicken looked weird and I actually picked out because it grossed me out.
This place is known for their chicken wings which I also ordered but that was disgusting too. It looked really good and crunchy until I noticed most of them had little feathers sticking out. They were also super greasy.
Oh and the delivery guy didn’t have enough change for $ 20. Seriously?! The tip cost me almost half of the bill.

Golden Empire’s never made me sick and in fact, it’s been my go-​to place to grab a bite since I moved here. The «Chinese» food is decent and hits the spot when that’s what you’re craving. And certainly, their cheap fried chicken wings are delicious and I walk by the place many nights resisting the temptation to eat that for dinner.
Prices are super cheap and the staff works so hard; you have to appreciate that. They recently started to deliver and may have upped their prices a little bit to compensate but they are now doing those deals where if you order a certain amount you get a free this or that.

This is a nice little take-​out place that just began delivery service. I haven’t had delivery since I live like 3 blocks away.
The Chinese food is pretty good and very cheap, but I don’t think that’s what most people go there for. Whenever I’m there, I only hear one thing being ordered…“WINGS!” They also have fries and plantains, but I don’t think they’re as good.
Their fried chicken wings are very good, its 4 whole wings for $ 3.35 (currently). I’m originally from NJ, and I’ve never seen a Chinese food restaurant make fried chicken, much less make it well.
The people there are hard workers. They are there day and night, every day. I don’t like it when customers are rude to them, as there is never any reason to be that way.
Anyway, bottom line is it’s a nice little nook in Harlem that serves decent Chinese takeout and awesome fried chicken wings.

First of all I ordered during their lunch special 5.50 Sesame Chicken, but got charged their regular price of 7.50. I ate it and it tasted okay. An hour later, I didn’t feel well at all and threw up my lunch. I do not recommend this place. Stay away.