Emerald Chinese Cuisine

This is a chinese restaurant that is tucked away on the bottom floor of a business building. The outside is very unassuming, but the inside is lovely. They have round lazy Susan tables, and the tea ware is beautiful. The service is very attentive, and the food comes out promptly. I was even recommended a dish that was better for you in the winter in comparison to what I was going to order. The food is of great quality, and I loved coming here for special events like birthdays or celebrations. The dim sum is so good - I love the taro and coconut desserts as well as the chicken feet, and turnip cakes are incredibly well made. I'm no longer living down in San Diego proper (I'm in North County now), but I'm willing to make the drive just to visit.

Horrible, this is by far the worst dim sum restaurant in San Diego both in terms of food quality and customer service.Let's talk about their service:WTF #1.we were given a newly busted table with no plates, cups or utensils, a short Asian server dropped off a stack of plates, cups and bunch of chopsticks and left. We had to setup the table ourselves.WTF #2. They don't take credit card but cash or debit cards only.WTF #3. They'll ding you $0.35 for each to go box.WTF #4. They charge $3.50/Person for tea even though 2 of us only drank cold water only. Please see WTFF #2.WTF #5. They would automatically charge you 18% Service Charge no matter how many in your party.WTF#6. They didn't mention a word about the already added 18% service charge but also had the audacity to print additional Suggested Gratuity at the bottom of the receipt.WTF #7. When you pay cash, they will never bring your change back.And the food:WTFF #1. Everything we tasted was not hot, either cold or barely warm.WTFF #2. We asked for Pu-Yi with Chrysanthemum for the tea but was given a pot of warm water with a lackluster tea bag. The 'tea' was one notch above piss water and mind you again we paid $14 for that.WTFF #3. Their prices must be the highest of any dim sum restaurant in San Diego. I have no problem with higher prices if the product is worth the $$ but sadly even with the lower San Diego standard the food here was disgusting.And the Good:1. There was no waiting on weekend, plenty of tables when we walked in on a Saturday around 12:30pm.2. There are ample parking in the lot.Given all the WTF's and WTFF's above I can see why there is no one here even on the weekend.

Emerald Chinese Cuisine is not only a neighborhood gem but a must visit for anyone likes Chinese food.As Chinese cuisine gets more diversified in the world, Emerald retains the Cantonese tradition of fine dining that's hard to find anywhere.Not only they serve dimsum till closing, I have not been disappointed by any dish they've served since I first dined there in 2009.Last night, we ordered dry fried green beans, pork patty with salted fish and a whole lobster with wonton noodles. The three of us ate it all. And the bill was half the price of our prior bill from Water Grill after which my Comic-con intern complained he was hungry after.Emerald Chinese Cuisine is a must for a decent Chinese meal in San Diego.

I came here for a wedding reception so my experience is probably different from a normal visit. The food was absolutely delicious. We had a ten course family style dinner and everything was made to perfection. Super long list but here are my thoughts on each.Combination Platter - Classic platter with tofu, fried pork and jellyfish. All good and great starter. (4.5/5)Sautéed Shrimp / Scallop and Fried Milk - Who would've known fried milk tasted good. Seasoned well and tasty. (4.5/5)Pan Fried Filet Mignon - This was standard with huge chunks of meat. Not the most tender but flavor was good. (3.5/5)Crab maw and Fish Maw Soup - Delicious soup, perfect with red vinegar. (4.5/5)Ginger and Scallion Lobster - This hit with nice large meaty pieces. Loved the flavor. (5/5)Emerald Famous Peking Duck - This was bomb and came with two dishes. The wrapper was so good and flavors are standard. (5/5)Crab Meat and Vegatable - A super simple veggie dish. Was good. (4/5)Flounder cooked two ways - Wow the steamed flounder was where it's at. Fried was okay. (4.5/5)Dessert - Just the basic Chinese dessert. Tapioca/sesame balls. (4/5)Pretty nice place if you want to host a wedding/special event. They split the restaurant up so costumers were still able to eat at the smaller half. Parking wasn't bad because they had a lot but it did fill up since we had an event. Overall good place for solid Chinese food!

06-16-24My husband and son enjoyed the food they ordered. As for the overall experience, it was not positive.Ordered: 4/5-stuffed eggplant $9.98-beef chow mein $22.95 -Peking duck $55.95 -to go containers $0.35 ea Service: 2/5After many attempts of getting their attention, they took our order and brought the food. That was pretty much it! I walked up and got my own to go boxes and plastic bags. I also walked up to the server and asked for our check. Note:-Cash only -automatically charged 18% for service, we were a party of 3 (don't pay the 18% tip if their service is subpar) -limited parking -25 minutes wait -$0.35 per to go container -tea or hot water $3.50 per person. I thought charging tea $3.50 per person was a lot already, charging $3.50 per person for hot water, crazy ridiculous!-soy sauce and chili served in plastic containersSo many cons to list; this review is not a great way to spend my energy!

We came on a Sunday and the host greeted us and said they only accept cash on weekends. As we proceed to leave, there was a change in tune and said "or debit". We ordered a bunch of dishes. While the food was food minus the eggplant in garlic sauce (not sure what happened to the skin), it is on the pricier side. We didn't really have a server to check with us or make sure our teapot or water were filled until we go the bill. Now, there were only 4 of us. There was a service charge of 18% (like what?), 35 cents charge per to-go boxes (might as well bring our own), and $3/pp for tea. Seeing the ridiculous charges left an unpleasant experience. I also didn't want to make a fuss since we were celebrating a bday. Would I go back? Probably not. I would give it a 1 except the food is still pretty decent.

Peking Duck was spoiled and mongolian beef was too spicy, even though it is not listed as spicy. I ordered through grubhub who refunded my money due to lack of quality control. Disgusting. Never again. Trying to poison me.

Delicious and authentic. This is what you will experience as you take your first bite. From the dim sum to every dish you order you will be extremely pleased. Sit down and enjoy life

Good ambience and service. A little pricier than expected yet understandable given the rising price of eating out especially in San Diego. The food was really tasty and came out piping hot. The egg tarts were decent and I especially liked the pan fried meat buns. They had run out of the baked charsiu buns by dinner which was a little sad. The hot jasmine tea paired great with the juicy fried buns. I also enjoyed the shrimp hargow with some spicy mustard, which was provided by request. The restaurant was quite empty yet had a homey feel. I enjoyed my experience dining here and look forward to coming back when I can afford the Peking duck.

BEWARE! This restaurant accepts cash or debit cards. Serving size has decreased with a significant increase in cost.Do restaurants automatically add a 18% service charge? A friend said the business can charge a 6% service charge if there is a notice posted on the door.It's RIDICULOUS, I'll go to Golden Island. Wish China Max was still around. Their food was delicious, reasonably priced, with good customer service.Don't like to be ripped off after a meal.