This is the best Szechuan restaurant I've been to in a long time. Less than 5% of my restaurant ratings get five stars. The dishes are fully priced but they come in very generous portions. The mapotofu may be the best I've had in the United States so far. The pea leaves were fresh, crisp and tasty. Although they were busy tonight and it wasn't easy to get the tension of some of the servers, they were friendly and quick. Please note that in my assessment I am grading on a full 5-star scale and do so with an implicit price-value curve. I am aware that many others on social media may grade on a 3-point (4 being an average score) or 2-point scale (4 being a poor score), but the fact remains that Google gives us a 5-point scale. To me, 4 stars is great, 3 stars is average and 5 stars should be rare - reserved for true excellence or near perfection.

The szechuan peppercorns and spices makes the food unique and exciting. Plenty of textures and varieties of flavors. It was nice to have the cucumbers to offset the richness of the pork belly and lamb chops. The Dan Dan noodles were thin rice noodles. Mapo tofu was numbing and packed along of flavor. Ordering is done online with your personal mobile device tableside. It was busy, but dishes and floors were not as clean. Service was quick and the food came out fast.

This place is 5 stars all around. The service the quality the atmosphere 5 stars. Each dish was so tasteful. I love the hot tea the decor. The parking on the street. The restroom and restaurant was clean. Music selection was good a vibe for sure. I’ll be back when I visit Philly again

I enjoyed the spot, however it can get busy at night, so if you want to go on a weekend, it’s better to make a reservation beforehand. The food was authentic and the service was really nice. We had a little problem with our desserts, but the server fixed it for us. The name of the dish could be a little long in the English form if you don’t read Chinese. They take both cash and card in the restaurant.

Emei, once the go-to spot for authentic Sichuan cuisine in Philadelphia, stood out as a contender among the best Sichuan restaurants on the East Coast. Its charm lay in its avoidance of excessive pepper oil and elaborate dishes, offering instead the comforting, traditional flavors of Sichuan cuisine. Even post-renovation during the pandemic, the quality remained high, and we continued to visit. However, our most recent visit was a letdown. Despite the restaurant’s evident popularity and crowdedness compared to other establishments in Chinatown, the decline in food quality was starkly noticeable. The service was prompt, and the waiting staff were all professional. Yet, the culinary experience did not match this efficiency. We ordered the crispy sea bass with corn nuts, but the dish disappointed. The fish’s exterior lacked crispiness, and the flesh was dry and bland, suggesting it had been fried and left out for some time or frozen too long. The dry-fried green beans, another staple we used to savor for their home-style flavor, also fell short. The lack of pickled yacai and insufficient oil temperature failed to achieve the desired crispy skin and tender inside. The hot pot sliced beef, with an overuse of starch making it gluey and the meat lacking freshness. We requested less spicy, then the dish was overwhelmed with soy sauce. The sliced beef shank and tripe in chili oil, however, was satisfactory, with a generous portion. These dishes, all top-of-the-menu, did not live up to our expectations, with the exception of the sliced beef shank. I understand that it is very hard to maintain the authenticity of the food with the current situation in Philly, I still sincerely hope the owner can monitor the food quality closely to uphold Emei’s legacy as the premier Sichuan restaurant in Philadelphia.

This is an authentic Szechuan Chinese restaurant. Their loyal customers are Chinese natives. They do have American Chinese options on the menu as well (the last few pages). The food is fresh. The place is VERY clean. After dinner go to get some dessert at “la mousse” which is within walking distance or “Frozen” for some rolled up Ice cream! One complaint - we ordered a beef tendon appetizer and we were charged for the beef tendon meal which costs DOUBLE!!!! Kinda odd.... but the food was quality and the service was good. It was probably a misunderstanding (I hope...????!!!)

I’ve come to EMei many times over the years and have always had a good dining experience. The taste is authentic, the service is friendly, and the menu contains a wide variety of Sichuan dishes to try. I am happy to give EMei 5 stars for the great food overall, but I will say that the last two times I’ve been here, I’ve noticed that the food is significantly less spicy than it used to be. It was also a tad bit under-seasoned. I sometimes notice that restaurants will “tone down” certain traditional flavors for the sake of gaining mass appeal, but I definitely miss how spicy and punchy the flavors used to be. Either way, this is one of the best restaurants for Sichuan cuisine in the city and I highly recommend it!

Been here twice and both had been wonderful experiences. The food was pretty good and spicy. All the dishes are pretty big serving sizes which was worth the money. The service was pretty good, friendly and attentive. Because it was all self-ordered, we couldn’t make any special instructions. I had written no ice but it wasn’t taken into consideration. I hope that’ll be something they can change. The environment was very welcoming and spaced out, had a hint of traditional vibe to it. Overall 4.5/5.

Came here on a Sunday and the food and service was superb. I grabbed lunch with my friend and his family and I left it to them to order everything since they’re Chinese and are most familiar with the cuisine/dishes. We had an amazing waitress as well. I will definitely be back!

Easily my favorite restaurant in Chinatown. They have a VIP room that is perfect for large family gathering, and my parents love to host holiday dinners over there. The food is authentic and delicious especially if one loves that spicy and tinkling feel. Great service and friendly atmosphere, nice decoration too. Define of a five star destination for us.

My favorite Chinese restaurant in town! Authentic flavor, attentive staff, beautiful dining environment, reasonable pricing and high tech robot server definitely make the place stand out, to name a few. Good for any occasion or party size, take-out or dine-in, with or without kids…. Highly recommend this Chinatown’s legacy gem! Go check it out!!

If you want to have some real authentic Chinese food, this is the place you should go. Certified and approved by domestic Chinese and his homies. The food is not only fresh but also in an affordable price. This meal is so delicious that make me wanna share it with everyone.

We booked EMei for my friend's bachelor party. They have two private rooms in the back, which made for a perfect venue. We ordered an insane amount of food and ate every bite. It was absolutely incredible and for sure some of the best Sichuan food I have ever had. We ordered: 3 orders of Dan Dan noodles, Cucumber with garlic sauce, Eggplant with century egg, Scallion pancakes, Chongqing chicken, Cumin beef, Spicy lamb chops, Shredded pork with long hots, Steamed pork belly, House special frog, and Chicken fried rice. My personal favorite was the lamb chops, which had such amazing flavor. Overall our group's favorite was the shredded pork with long hots, with the Chongqing chicken taking second place. Everything was perfect, and I would venture to guess it's the kind of restaurant you can order anything and not be disappointed. Even the frog (which was our wildcard and I was not sure I would enjoy) was very tasty - though be forewarned there are bones in it! We will definitely be back!!

One of my favorite restaurants to eat at in Chinatown! Everything we ordered was tasty and flavorful; I would highly recommend the pork intestine with peppercorn and the cumin lamb. The servers were very attentive and the price is also reasonable.

Fantastic experience in Philly Chinatown. Incredibly efficient, hi-tech establishment. Food is authentic, freshly prepared, and perfectly seasoned/marinated/braised. We got the Dan Dan noodles, braised pork cubes, eggplant with garlic sauce, and pork cooked with hot peppers. The food was so good I only got a pic of the aftermath. Definitely a strong staple of Chinatown and a place to take friends and family to for a good atmosphere and great food! Staff are also very nice and accommodating despite being so busy at times!

We got the sliced beef and tripe, Chongqing spicy chicken, lamb with cumin, and the shredded potato. The lamb was delicious and the chicken was super crispy! They were definitely my favorite dishes. The cold temperature of the beef and tripe provided a nice contrast compared to the heat of the chili oil. The shredded potato reminded me of mung bean sprouts in texture and flavor. There was a 30 minute wait for a table for two. You can order through a QR code without waiting for someone to come by.

Very good food! Very spicy and savory! We ordered a bunch of dishes and they are all very good. I highly recommend the cold szechuan noodles, we finished it before we can take a pic, hence the half finished dish. The frog is very tender, the tofu is good as well!

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.

Parking: Either street parking or parking lot/garage Service: Service was good. We were seated quickly. Did not have to wait long for food to come out. Cash and card are both accepted. Atmosphere: The place is clean. There was plenty of table space for a party of 4. It does feel a little congested when busy. Got the occasional robot walking through with takeout. Food: Authentic chinese food. We ordered the following: Sizzling Black Pepper Sliced Steak, Braised Pork Belly w/ Bok Choy, Stir-Fried Cabbage w/ Dried Chiles, Stir-Fried Spicy Pork Cracklings w/ Fresh Long Hot Peppers, and Minced Pork w/ Mung Bean Noodles and Pickled Chili Pepper. There were no complaints with the entrees. All of the dishes tasted good. You can adjust the spicyness of the dishes by simply letting the server know (mild, medium, very hot). They have a bar and dessert is available. Complaint/Issue: Only thing I did not like were the presentation of the menus. The text size was very small and felt like a lot of information was crammed together. Overall: I highly recommend visiting. The prices are reasonable and the food is not only authentic but tastes good as well. I definitely will come back.

My friend from Chengdu took me here. She said it's authentic Sichuan food. Everything was very good. Spicy but not overly spicy.

We all know that inflation in this country is crazy, but this place has remained a relatively acceptable price level while keeping the quality high. I ordered three things: fish fillet with green peppercorn, shredded beef with hot green pepper, and sautéed luffa. Everything tasted great… in addition, the portion is big - so so big 🤣

Went with my wife and adult son. We are pretty picky and we were really impressed with our meal and wish we could’ve ate more. We started with the hot and sour soup which always serves as a litmus test for me. It had the right amount of spice and tang to it. And the right thickness. We then ordered a number of dishes and all were very tasty. Not too much sauce and not salty or over spicy. Will come again.

Best Chinese restaurant in Philly. Food is great and the service is reliable too. Good for large groups since they have private rooms with round table.

Really tasty and authentic Szechuan cuisine. The food was spicy but so good you can’t stop eating it. Would especially recommend the grilled lamb chops and Singapore mei fun as the highlights of our meal!

So amazing! We had the cucumbers in garlic sauce, egg drop soup, duck soup, noodles in cold sesame and an egg roll for appetizer and everything was phenomenal. Then for dinner I had the GF sesame chicken and gluten free chicken fried rice. Everyone else got and shared the Spicy pork stew, spicy shredded pork and shrimp and broccoli in a garlic sauce. The food and drinks were so flavorful and just so wholesome we cannot wait to come back. At first we didn’t realize you could order on the app appetizers first then decide afterwards what you wanted but it was cool to order this way and see some photos of the items on the menu. The vibe was nice for celebrating a birthday, going out with friends or to go on a date to!

Food here is great. Actually not to spicy. This time they get a lower rating, the numbing phenomenon from the peppercorns ruined my whole meal,.I did not experience this before. The feeling in my tongue made it all taste sour. May e too many peppercorns this time

Had a very authentic Chinese dinner at this restaurant with stir fry beef rice noodle and chill beef. Both dishes were very flavorful and delicious. The order system is self serving with scanning a barcode. Our order came out quick. Will definitely come back.

This place was a fantastic find on our Chinatown stroll. Super busy from the moment we walked in, and the service was fast, kind, and efficient to keep up! The spice levels do NOT mess around, and I am a lover of all things spicy. Definitely would recommend and we will be coming back!

An absolute must for authentic and delicious schezwan food. Very busy for a reason. Great service too. The Dan Dan Noodles, Mapo Tofu, Cumin Lamb, Eggplant in Garlic Sauce, Spicy Chicken with Pepper… everything was awesome.

Great Sichuan food! Invited one of my friends for a celebration there - spacious table, good for conversations. A little bit pricy than a typical Chinese restaurant but really worth the food and atmosphere. Would like to find another opportunity visiting again for more options.

The food was delicious. The excellent egg drop soup to start. The Chongqing Spicy Chicken was phenomenal. Perfectly crisp and not too spicy. I understand why it is a favorite on the menu. The veggie fried rice was great but the Lo Mein was spectacular. Both the Orange Chicken and General Tso’s chicken were superb. Portion sizes were more than generous allowing for the entrees to be easily shared amongst the table.

WOWOWOWOW! This was our first time eating here and i would have to say the experience is wonderful! Starting with an innovative menu they use QR codes to view the menu and place orders… AND you can see what your table mates also order. This is really helpful as they have pictures for each menu item as well as descriptions and ingredients. No disappointments when the food comes to your table. Continuously, the wait staff are all super nice and take extra attention to your needs. Perfect for families they have large round tables to cater to 8ish people but also cozy tables for tables of 2. The food has some real authentic sichuan flavors, which my immigrant parents loved! One complaint would be that the music was a little loud and that the food was kind of oily. Would highly recommend to anyone looking for a taste of Sichuan! Some spice in your life!

Reliably authentic Sichuan kitchen. Treat yourself to some calm and book one of their banquet rooms with doors (包间）Or go with someone you don’t care talking to. To talk across even a small table, you’d need to strain your voice to be on top of the hum of the place (read: acoustic design could use some improvement). Aside from that, no complaints at all! The cumin lamb was a bang, the spicy fish and deep fried chicken nuggets are as good as they go. What I really appreciate, though, are the greens. The seemingly simple are the most challenging. The flavors, texture and vibrant colors of Emei’s veg dishes ensure repeat visits.

The place was nice, new, clean. The food look good, but missing the taste. And also kind cold temperatures. No soy sauce, no hot oil, no salt & pepper on the table. Only 2 waitresses, they look work super hard back & fort many tables. Appreciate those but…you need anything like soy sauce, I guess he forget my soy sauce until done ate.

Amazing food, service on point, great ambience..everything was on point! Loved the food, flavours and quality of the food! Will definitely be back! When in Philly, be sure to stop by!

• chongqing spicy chicken - alot of mixed opinions about this dish. my mother said it was bland, sister said it was mouth numbing, and i thought it was floral/herbal in a way i disliked. • kung pao chicken - delightful. easily the best from this meal as everyone cleared the plate. • jumbo shrimp in walnut honey sauce - my only issue is the amount you get which is far too little. the batter is crisp and meat tender. • string beans - the most gorgeous accompaniment. the sauce was addicting and the beans weren’t soggy but snappy. • eggplant with garlic sauce - didn’t try but it was a hit. • steamed vegetable dumplings - didn’t try but i heard the skin was a bit thick. notes i questioned the cleanliness as i was bothered by the water having floaters in it so good thing i brought my owala. the ordering process was interesting as we used the qr code then ordered stuff on our phone. it’s perfect for a large family and not too pricy. overall, i highly recommend you check this place out.

Gotta say absolutely hate to use my phone for ordering and viewing menu. Pretty standard in modern China but always a turnoff. The food was ok, cold starter beef+tripe very nicely seasoned and main eggplant was delicious. I found cumin lamb to be way too dry and it's not a Szechuan dish anyway. Service is polite but we were crammed in the corner behind too tables so the waiters had a hard time reaching us and didn't really wanna go to bathroom bothering multiple strangers. Music choice was poppy and edm and really odd for Chinese restaurant. Environment kinda sterile and cold. Ordering to go would possibly be a more pleasant experience, dine in did not convince.

I've been so tired of lackluster Dan Dan noodles living on the Main Line. These were not just "la" but "mala." The Szechuan peppercorns were numbing allowing the extreme heat from the peppers to easily slide through the lips. Not TOO oily (people need to understand chili oil is essential to this cuisine.) The shredded beef with long peppers was brilliantly "feathered" with cornstarch making the tough but flavorful round tender with the classic texture only the Chinese seem to be able to achieve. Portions were enormous, especially for the price. Dan Dans would easily serve three as an app. I took 2/3 home, as I'm stuffed. Waitstaff spoke fluent English (which was lucky, as they didn't understand a word of my less-than-fluent Mandarin. Masks/shields worn by staff (and many Asian customers.) It was quite crowded at 7:30 on this July 4th. They were very nice accommodating me as a single.

Great place for Sichuan cuisine.... Food is excellent, very tasty and authentic. Service was a bit under-staffed on a Thursday afternoon, but still efficient and friendly. Would definitely recommend!

I’ve never heard of a restaurant that has white shrimp & broccoli sauce. I expected the brown sauce. I received a white, soup like sauce that had a horrible aftertaste.

One of the best Chinese I had in Philly. And the restaurant is super nice. You wouldn't never say ot from the outside.

Nice clean restaurant. Friendly staff. Food was fresh and hot. We enjoyed our meal and experience.

Food was delicious, like to try authentic szechuan dishes then give it a try. Staff was attentive and quick service. Restaurant and bathroom was clean. Staff was wearing mask.

Stopped by EMei for an early Friday dinner after searching for a good spot in Chinatown to try. Quick note: When you walk into the restaurant there is a ATM, however the restaurant is not cash only. When we sat down, we were immediately served complimentary tea and given very large menus. There is a full bar at EMei, which was a pleasant surprise. In terms of food, we ordered 3 dishes which resulted in plenty of leftovers: a cold noodle appetizer, their signature chicken dish, and the house fried rice. While we weren't fans of the cold noodle dish, the signature chicken and fried rice were great. Definitely plan to come back again to try more signature dishes.

The food at EMei is an authentic Sichuan cuisine delight. Their Sichuan dishes burst with flavors that truly transport you. The Chongqing spicy chicken and other dishes are downright mouthwatering, hitting the spot perfectly. Service here is outstanding - prompt, attentive, and incredibly friendly. I shared my preferences, and the waiter patiently noted them down, communicating with the kitchen for tailored suggestions that suited my taste. The whole communication process was very pleasant. The ambiance adds to the experience; the restaurant is beautifully decorated, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Overall, it was a fantastic experience!