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In Dining

By OnMilwaukee.com Staff Writers Photography by Drew Olson

Published Oct. 27, 2008 at 4:25 p.m.

Tags: emperor of china, best of, chinese

The votes are in, and the winners have been selected for OnMilwaukee's Best Dining 2008. The results of this readers' poll, including an editors' pick, are available in this series of articles that run all October long during Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com.

October is Dining Month on OnMilwaukee.com. All month, we're stuffed with restaurant reviews, special features, chef profiles and unique articles on everything food. Bon appetit!

Year after year, Emperor of China takes home the readers' pick for best Chinese restaurant. And we agree. "The Emp" holds a special place in the hearts of OnMilwaukee.com, as that's where we hatched our original business plan in 1998. But if it wasn't for the fresh, delicious -- and cheap -- lunch specials, we wouldn't feel so comfortable giving this Brady Street staple our endorsement.

Emperor of China isn't fancy; really, it's a little old school. But that's a good thing. Great service, tasty egg drop soup and all the regular Chinese specials you'd expect (try the chicken in garlic sauce), make the Emperor a must stop on the Milwaukee lunch circuit.

OnMilwaukee.com editors' choice: Emperor of China

Runners-up:
2. Yen Ching
3. China Gourmet
4. No. 1 Chinese (Bay View)
5. William Ho's
6. East Garden
7. Emperor's Kitchen
8. Jing's
9. Ching-Hwa
10. House of Fong
11. Lotus
12. San Dong
13. Peony
14. Hop Sheng Gourmet Chinese
15. Double Dragon

7 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by JIMNWI on Oct. 30, 2008 at 10:23 a.m. (report)

This is one of my favorites too. but he has raised his prices so high their is no longer the value that used to be there. fortune is actually much better as one reader said, but I've been partial to Emp for many years, but again, small portions and higher prices have cut out a lot of my visits there.

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Posted by uwpace26 on Oct. 28, 2008 at 5:39 p.m. (report)

I think the top Chinesse Restaurant isn't even on their list. Green Tea Gardens on 76th and Rawson food is amazing. My wife and I have been going there on a regular basis for about a year now. The restaurant has an authentic Chinesse setting, and the food is second to none. I recomend the orange chicken, chicken fried rice, and egg rolls.

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Posted by gocrew on Oct. 28, 2008 at 4:58 p.m. (report)

I'm with RJ, the majority of the restaurants on this list are of Chinese-American cuisine, or "amercanized chinese food", and not to mention they are either in or near Downtown Milwaukee. If you want to dine on GREAT Chinese, there are a couple of options, like the mentioned Fortune, or Lotus, or the fairly new Green Tea Garden Chinese Restaurant. These restaurants not only offer Chinese-American cuisine, but also if you would prefer to eat authentic Chinese, there is a whole separate chinese menu that you can ask for. The dishes are nothing intimidating if you are afraid of trying new things, they are just of typical proteins with a different flavor and different preparations than the platters you see on the regular menu. My favorite is Green Tea Garden in Franklin. Green Tea Garden took over Lotus' lease over two years ago and it has only gotten better! The majority of the menu is the same with a couple of added dishes from Ho Ho's Chinese restaurant on the south side near Howard Ave and Howell Ave. Green Tea Garden is a family owned and majority operated business that has been operating since summer of 2006, they only have a total of 5 employees, including the husband/wife combo of owners! The Head Chef was the co-family owner/founder of Ho Ho's, which has been successfully operating for over 25 years! But it wasn't until recently that he and his wife decided to part ways from the family partnership and start their own private family business. So if you enjoyed Ho Ho's, you know that Green Tea Garden offers the same great taste! So I challenge you to take up my review and test it out for yourselves if you are ever near the Franklin community! Calling ahead is recommended if you would like to dine on authentic Chinese dishes, as those usually take longer to prep and since it is a small operation, make sure you have the time to dine in and enjoy yourselves, not rush in a sit-down dinner. By the way, I dare you to disagree with me after trying it!

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Posted by alba on Oct. 28, 2008 at 11:34 a.m. (report)

The weekday lunch specials at Emperor of China are a great value - for awesome food. I made the mistake of going to William Ho's last week for their $6 buffet and I can honestly say that not one thing I tried was even average. I can only hope their dinners are better.

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Posted by RJ on Oct. 27, 2008 at 5:09 p.m. (report)

I can't believe Fortune is not even on the list--it's the only Chinese restaurant that I know of in Mke that has an authentic Chinese menu (though Peony comes close). The food at the Emp, etc. is good, but it's more properly Chinese-American, not real Chinese.

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