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Emerald Chinese Restaurant
Categories: Restaurants Chinese Food Specialty Food Ethnic Food Chinese, Ethnic Food [Edit]
30 Eglinton Ave WMississauga, ON L5R 3E7
(905) 890-9338
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Private Lot
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Take Away:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- No
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Lunch, Dinner, Brunch
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
21 reviews for Emerald Chinese Restaurant
Review Highlights
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"This place is always busy especially on weekends." In 2 reviews -
"1 jumbo steamed crab in a light butter sauce with onions." In 3 reviews -
"Emerald used to be SO good." In 5 reviews
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21 reviews in English
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Review from Dale D.
Mississauga, ON
4/5/2012
This is THE place for Dim Sum in Mississauga. Don't despair if you see a huge line up at the door on weekends, things move quickly. There is no rhyme or reason to the hostess numbering system...so just wait your turn knowing that it is going to be great food. The food is cooked in steamer baskets and walked around the restaurant on carts. Someone at your table has to take the key ordering position so as to flag down the cart and get the food on the table. The food runs out quickly, so don't wait for it to come around again, it may be a while or never! They do a great job with the staple DS fare: Har gow (shrimp dumplings), Shui Mai (pork) and sticky rice. My personal favourite is the scallops with garlic sauce. Try the Chinese greens, dumpling soup, and pork sesame seed buns. The spring rolls ( with meat filling) are awesome as well.
The best time to go is just before noon on weekends or on weekdays. Anytime after 2:00 p.m. is pointless as they will be out of most food items. -
Review from Fern H.
6/11/2011
We've come to Emerald for both dim sum and dinner before. This review will be for dinner.
Our group of 6 arrived around 7pm on a Friday night. The restaurant was about half full. They seated us at a round table that was a bit lop sided and unsteady because it was a piece of plywood screwed to some fold out table legs. We asked to be moved to another table since we saw plenty available ones and they obliged.
We ordered one of the set menus for $88 which included:
- House soup
- 1 jumbo steamed crab in a light butter sauce with onions. I don't eat crab that often but it's probably one of the best I've tasted. Lots of meat, not too much work needed to dig it out. The meat was very fresh and not overdone.
- Cold jellyfish and roast pork with crispy skin
- Stirfry scallops and shrimps with veggies and jumbo mushrooms
- Fish and deep fry tofu
- Stirfry tung choi
In addition, we also ordered snow pea leaves with garlic and half a roast chicken.
Food came fast and super hot. Portions were gigantic especially the tofu/fish and snow pea leaves dishes. Although we did have to order bowls of white rice separately as it was not included in the set menu.
Dessert was included and it was cold orange slices and a warm sweet taro/tapioca soup.
Overall a fantastic meal and way more than enough food for 6 people. We had 2 jumbo containers of leftovers with the bill coming to $140 before tip.Listed in: Dim Sum West Side
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Review from Wendy C.
2/20/2011 ROTD 2/22/2012
I used to work in Oakville, if co-workers and I wanted dim sum, this is the only place that's reasonably close AND offers decent food.
My Dim Sum SSQSW:
Serve Style -- push cart. I would have preferred ordering from a menu, but co-workers who aren't dim sum regulars like the push-cart style so they can peek before ordering
Selection -- good, aplenty on seafood dishes (steamed shrimp dumpling, steamed shrimp with chives dumpling, fried shrimp dumpling, fried shrimp with chives dumpling, .... you get the gist). They have all the usual suspects for dim sum.
Quality -- okay. Because it's always busy, we've not had un-fresh food.
Service -- so so. I think they try to be efficient, if not warm and attentive. The servers are always in such a rush, who's got time to smile at or chat with you?! If you want something, just be assertive and flag someone down (in a polite way).
Wait Time -- avoid 11:45 - 12:45 peak lunch time. Otherwise finding a parking and getting a table will taste your patience. -
Review from Jannies L.
Brampton, ON
3/30/2011
Their dim sum and Chinese dishes are better than a lot of other Mississauga ones BUT the 2 stars is because last January (2010) I held my engagement party here and we had worked out a "deal" because I paid cash up front and on the day of, which was one price of $1200 covers 5 tables of catered food, "taxes" and tips, which is not bad.
My parents went to pay the day of and I was having too much fun taking pictures to go with them. The manager the day was such a cheat and liar and told my parents the price did not include the "tip' so my parents being as trusting as they are gave them an extra $200 on top of it?!?!?
I also had given each of our 3-4 servers a red pocket for luck.
They also book ours with another huge, large party with a microphone so it was really hard to hear anything when speeches or announcements were being made, especially for two of my best friends and their parents sitting at the table closest to the other rooms. A heads up would have been nice.
I didn't find out til a week later when I went to ask my parents if they had change form the $1400 I handed them to pay with. SO mad and felt so cheated and my engagement night is now tainted with this memory. So since then I have never gone back EVER. -
Review from Michelle S.
Mississauga, ON
This place has pretty good food, iv never had a bad time here. Good portions, good taste. It is a tad pricey tho, if i might add. I come here all the time so I guess iv gotten used to the pricing. They open late almost every night, they close at 1 for most nights I think. Staff is friendly, but most of them don't speak alot of English, but there's one who speaks good English tho. I just don't like the washrooms or the hallway to the washroom, looks sketchy. There's fish tanks with crab and other seafood...alive tho. And it right along where people sit down, and sometimes the one of the staff comes along and takes a fish out of the tank with a fishnet, that's the only thing I don't like...why couldn't they put this anywhere else? I don't know
BUT overall good place, I'll still be coming here alot. -
Review from Alice T.
1/13/2011 2 Check-ins Here
Good dim sum, not too expensive, out in Mississauga but worth the trip.
Our family spent many Sunday brunches here and I always love going with a big group so we can order a larger variety.
I think it's consistently good, not consistently great but good and clean and busy which means the food is usually fresh. When I lived in Taipei we would never eat anywhere where there wasn't a wait because that meant the food usually sat around. Which is a policy I usually stick to for Chinese Restaurants.
I'm giving it 4 stars mainly because if I want dim sum in Toronto it's usually the place I think of first. But really maybe it should be 3.5?
Not sure about the service or non-dim sum menu so this review is just for dim sum.
I like anything with bbq pork, especially the bbq pork wrapped in thin sheets of rice noodle, and baked bbq pork buns. I also love the rice noodles with a side of xo sauce, wrapped sticky rice, Chinese broccoli and deep fried sticky rice ball with sesame or red bean paste and egg tarts for dessert.
Not sure how useful these descriptions are because I only know the Chinese names so I'm describing the dishes... sorry but if you've been to dim sum before you might be able to figure it out. Next time I go I'll try to update the names. -
Review from Marc L.
Mississauga, ON
3/21/2011
One of the gauges of a good Chinese restaurant is the number of Chinese people who patronize the place. Emerald Chinese Restaurant has a lot of patrons.
My wife and I mainly come for the dim sum brunch (9:00 AM ~ 11:00 AM) on weekends. The food is great, the place is clean, and there is ample parking around the restaurant. From within the restaurant, you can easily see outside as three of the four walls are made of glass. This gives the place a sense of airiness that some places we go to do not.
*The ideal time to come on weekends is between 10:00 AM and 11:00 AM. Come before 10 AM and not all the food is available yet. Come after 11 AM, expect to fall in line.
The staff is efficient, but do not expect a lengthy conversation. For a place like this, this is not a put down. It's what I expect.
The quality of the dim sum is comparable to what you'd get in a good Hong Kong dim sum restaurant. The hot food is mostly brought out in steamer carts which means that it reaches your table hot and fresh. Fried foods and dessert items do not come in the steamer carts. The turnaround is pretty quick (a food cart seems to be depleted every two rounds of the tables) so very seldom is the food going around for too long. My personal favorites are the sweet pork - served either in a steamed bun or in flaky pastry, chicken feet, shrimp - served in a dumpling or the white rice wrap, pork and century egg congee, and the douhua (silken tofu) with syrup. My wife loves the giant oyster served on its shell with garlic and glass noodles.
There may be a few fancier places out there but if fancy is not that important to you, then this place is difficult to beat. -
Review from Josephine T.
North York, ON
11/28/2010
The dim sum here is really good. There was a huge lineup on Sunday. There was alot of variety. More than many other dim sum restaurants. if you are close to the airport, this will be a great place to go for dim sum in Mississauga. It's only about 20min from the Toronto airport. There is not alot of push carts left in the Toronto area. Their prices are reasonable. Four people can be really full on $50 for lunch.
I used to live in Mississauga and this was one of the better restaurants in the area. If it's a weekend, you'll have to wait at least half an hour at lunch. If you only have 2 people you might get a table right away. They have a few 2 people table that no one uses. Most people come here in groups of 4 or more. -
Review from Laura C.
Toronto, ON
Updated - 10/13/2010
I'm writing this update based on the lunch I had here today.
I'm so annoyed that the service is so incredibly rude. I can understand that they might be busy, and need to move fast. Sometimes they respond to me, but they look the other way, I'm okay with that too.
But today we went, and I would ask people for tea, and cutlery and things, and they would put a grump face and storm away, only to come back with the minimal amount of things.
I mean, we asked for hot sauce, and he just violently squeezed hot sauce in everyone's bowls! I was shocked, and then so I asked for more bowls. And he stomped off and brought me just one bowl. (What about everyone else)
Some other servers are quite nice. If you need anything, try to flag down the guy in the suit/tie or the ladies in the black blazers. Anyone else will just throw things at you (figuratively)
They also again, tried to put stuff on our table, and I had to tell them to take it back. When she was confused what i wanted, I got yelled at.
I think if you are a regular and they get to know you the service would be better. It would be the managers serving you, not the others.
Nonetheless, the place is always packed full of the local asian folk, which is a good thing. I can understand why, it's cheap, and the food is quite decent (they can cook the short ribs a bit more). This time with 5 people, we paid $11 a person.
If it wasn't for the only dim sum place in proximity, and my co-workers loving it so much, I wouldn't come back.
I really don't need to be treated like a 2nd class citizen.Listed in: Eats in Mississsauga
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/30/2010
This is one of the few places I've seen that still has carts! I miss that. Given, I guess you have… Read more »
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Review from Derek L.
Oakville, ON
11/22/2010 1 Check-in Here
Whenever I go here on the weekend, this place is super busy. Expect to wait about 30 minutes for a table. This place is also mutli-ethnic. You will see people of all different races coming here. This place is one of the chinese dim sum restaurants that white people like to come to.
The food is decent, but it is pricey. You can find much cheaper dim sum places elsewhere, but if you don't speak chinese you will be more comfortable coming here.
Sometimes, depending on what time you come here, there will be barely any food coming around.
Derek -
Review from Maris L.
Mississauga, ON
9/12/2011 1 Check-in Here
This place is always busy especially on weekends. Reasonable priced! Lots of parking out back.
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Review from David B.
Toronto, ON
5/7/2011
The dim sum here is great. The regular menu not so much. I haven't had a dim sum item not taste good so I can't make any recommendations. Try anything! Prices are slightly higher than other places but it's deserved.
Lines can be long. -
Review from Hardy W.
10/22/2008
I've been to Emerald twice and have had spectacular food both times.
Their Peking duck is outstanding- really damn good!
Their Hot and Sour soup is also terrific- heavy on the sour side and packed w/ fresh shrimp and scallops.
This is a big space, but our service has always been good.
I'll go back without a doubt. -
Review from Tommy K.
Mississauga, ON
5/3/2011
We order take out from Emeralds all the time, as long as you know what to order the food is great.
You gotta make sure of your total before you pick it up seems like every time i go there the price is different.
I heard the dim sum is great but i've never been there for it. -
Review from Adrian G.
Mississauga, ON
12/7/2010
Years ago, they were great. Not much of a fan of their food anymore. I don't go for dim sum, but rather actual dinners. Haven't been impressed with their cost as it seems to be rising, despite being busier than I can ever remember.
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Review from Frank L.
Mississauga, ON
2/20/2011
I just went to Emerald for the first time for Dim Sum. 2 thumbs up from me and my wife.
This is authentic dim sum with friendly staff who speak English, so everything becomes easier. The food was well prepared and authentic. There was a good mix of ethnicities and yet the atmosphere was what you would expect from a large dim sum dining room: open space, lots of tables, large families eating and talking.
We read in another review to arrive between 11-11:30. Very good advice, if you don't want to wait long for tables.
Would come back to Emerald for sure. -
Review from James C.
Toronto, ON
1/4/2011
I've been here twice. Once during Chinese New Year. They have good dim sum.
The second time my family went wasn't so good. The food was a little cold. We found a rubber band in the vegetables. The manager crossed off the item on the list after explaining what happened.
They likely did not wash the veggies since the rubber band was found among them. Is that standard in restaurants?
Despite the manager having crossed the item off the list, we still got charged for it. We had to talk to a few staff members until we found someone that could speak adequate English (the manager was busy elsewhere).
Dim sum was good, admittedly. The service, however, is not so good. I would avoid the place. -
Review from Amy M.
Toronto, ON
4/19/2009
I'm a huge fan of Emerald. In fact, it's a destination, I rent a car to go there. It's that good. The selection, the delicious hot sauce, the pageantry. It's all there to enjoy. It's the King of Dim Sum in the GTA as far as I'm concerned. It's always consistent and it's authentic. I just avoid looking in the fish tanks.
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Review from Lan T.
Toronto, ON
6/7/2009
Emerald used to be SO good. I have been eating there for 18 years. I went there for dim sum recently during lunch on a weekday with some coworkers and it was only ok. It is better than some of the other options in Mississauga not spectacular. Actually, I take that back. I would rather eat at Summit Gardens at Winston Churchill and Dundas.
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Review from Paul Y.
Mississauga, ON
11/2/2009
I have been to Emerald many times in the past 15 years.
They used to have pretty good dim sum.
Now that I'm old enough to form my own opinion, my view of them is somewhat tarnished.
1) the dim sum is often recooked and carted so often that it arrives cold
2) the carts have some of the most inefficient routes, such that it is impossible to get the dishes you want unless you get up and hunt them down
3) slow service - it took quite a while to get change for the bill. i would have thought they wanted a faster turnaround rate.
4) they're not exactly cheap for chinese food.
5) this one really bugged me - last time I went, close to end of dim sum, and they cracked out the vacuum and started vacuuming right next to my table. Not sure about everyone else, but i don't particularly want to eat vacuum dust, nor do I enjoy the sights and sounds. -
Review from lula d.
Mississauga, ON
8/30/2011
the service in this place is poooor hands down as is the case with most chinese restaurants but the food is good and well priced. if u can handle lack of service but good food this place is for you. went there for dinner and it wasnt that busy but the service was but food was good and well sized portions
